Much love for Pink Cat

Little Lily and her cup of cocoa are sure going to warm someone's heart! I debated about which of several colored versions of the image to use on this card, and opted for one where her hair matched the papers, but the rest of her cute little outfit was just wild. Little kids never match, right? lol! It gave a pop of color to an otherwise muted card, and that seemed kinda fun.

Today's mail was light - compared with expectations at least. Fortunately only 2 packages needed envies and all were stamped, woohoo!! Here's hoping for the rest of the week's mail being as easy :) I have a ton more to accomplish, and lots of it got done today: booking my hotel for CHA!; going to the opening of Hobby Lobby (only spent $25, and if I hadn't had a coupon, would have only spent a couple bucks...was not impressed); prepping kit designs for CHA (all top secret stuff, dangit, or I'd share!); catching up on lots of OWH paperwork; getting halloween stuff done. Yes, I waited til halloween to even look for pumpkins, so all they had were these ridiculously expensive organic baby pumpkins! lol.

Ciara wore her uniform as her costume.....the kiddos loved it! And she was excited that a very sweet cardmaker had sent her a bag full of doggie treats and toys!

I hope you all had a wonderful halloween!

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All about Ciara

I'm feeling soooooo productive! Maybe I can actually get some relaxing in later this week if I get all my stuff done sooner :) :) :) Last night I was up late packing, labeling, writing letters, and filling out customs forms for all the boxes for this week - I've never been this AHEAD! Ciara wasn't so impressed at first....

Then I held up a cookie and she changed her tune and smiled! (The angst might have been that uniform...she doesn't like wearing it a lot unless she's around soldiers!)

Today I did a bunch of paperwork, then worked on some of my cards for the Christmas season for our contacts - SantaCiara digi on the outside, photo of tired Ciara on the inside. (That one was from last year.)

And since I can't figure out where I posted this santa pup digi, here's the freebie for you...click once, then rightclick on the bigger one to download it:

I put together 25 packets of Christmas AnyHero mail too...and saw this one among some great coloring pages from a KOA that had their visiting kids do some:

That just made me smile :)....it's like an idea for a halloween costume for my lil girl! LOL!

Tons more to do, but I'm making a big ol' dent! Tomorrow's mail may derail the list on paper, so I'm getting through as much as I can before my mail carrier comes in the afternoon! W000t!

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Memory Box polar bear cub

I'm so excited to be on a week's vacation...I unfortunately can't go anywhere fun like Hawaii, but who needs vacations when you can stay home and stamp and tuck cards? *grin* Aiyee. Yes, that's what I'm doing, sadly....lots of other OWHy stuff as well. But I am looking forward to a lot of catching up so that's still good :)

I've gotten lots of boxes packed, 10 shipped yesterday....and lots of website updates done that have been months on the back burner. And...I stopped this afternoon to make a card! Sorry to disappoint you, the past week's cards were made beforehand and scheduled...but I know what this season is like, so there ya have it :) New mojo for you today though...a new stamp I bought recently by Memory Box, purchased when I was at Impress. And of course I had to play along with the polkadot challenge ... love me some dots!

Speaking of Impress - come to this fun evening of stamping!! Bring some OWH cards to work on, make something new with their supplies, or bring your own project. Should be fun! Call the store to RSVP - it's the one in Tukwila :)

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Studio Calico, Sassafrass - OWH thank-yous

Today's cardshare is some cards made for sending out the OWH patches...everyone who gets a patch also gets it in a card from me. :) These use some yummmmy goodies from my SC kit - papers by Studio Calico, butterflies by Sassafrass. If you want a patch - and a card - you make a donation of $10 or more and include an AnyHero card...and be sure to mark it clearly that you want a patch. (Not every donation gets a patch, just those who request it.)

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Whipppppppersnapper snowman!

I just love this lil snowman!! He's so stinkin cute in his oversized sweater :) Colored him with Copics, and popped him....I added the sentiment from the Stampendous set (the paper dollies one), and had placed it on the block in an arc. Papers came from....can you guess? My Studio Calico kits. Am I sounding like a broken record? *grin*

And it's Thursday - But there's not going to be a show tonight. So sorry! I've had so many cards to stamp and tuck lately that I just can't keep up. And my 'tude is showing, lol. Better not to record that on YouTube, if you kwim *grin*......will have a superfun vlog coming for the weekend though, and the show should be back on next week - I'll be spending a week's vacation on sorting, stamping, tucking, and packing, but at an easier pace so I should be fine for next Thursday night :)

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SU Under the Stars + Imaginisce + Yummmmmy ribbon

Love love love this little bear from Stampin Up! The set is called Under the Stars. My little friend Lainey was coloring with me a few months ago, and she said his nose and tummy needed to be blue :)

The Thickers (letters) are from my Studio Calico kit...ribbon by May Arts. (I wrapped a piece of ribbon around the card, and the "bow" is just a knot.)

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Housemouse Pumpkin

Belatedly, the winner from the KnK bloghop: KATHY V! Congrats! Might not be til next week til I get the stamp set out to you :)

The Crafty Contagion blog is at it again! We're doing a "pumpkin" challenge - that can be actual pumpkins, or the color....I made this one for personal use, so don't take it as a sign you can still send in halloween cards for OWH! :)

I'd love it if you'd go play along on the blog challenge - we're trying to get more players to join us! You can always get there by clicking on the badge in my sidebar too... :)

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Tonic + SU = reindeer cheer!

I had purchased a fall punch from Tonic a few weeks ago - and as soon as I saw it, I knew it would make GREAT reindeer antlers! The reindeer heads use the SU owl punch. With the feet cut off. (Coz if they're not cut off, these would be reindeer with goiters!)

I just love all the fun things you can do with the owl and bird punches...this was really fun to make :) Circles are made with nesties (Lacey circles)...and the ribbon is cool 2tone ribbon from May Arts.

Oh and by the way, I get questions about where I get all my May Arts - my dealer is Sharon at Stamp Simply! If you buy from her, be sure to let her know I sent you :)

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Tutorial: Ethnic skin coloring (Copics)

By popular demand - finally - another Copic tutorial! My apologies for the color on the videotaped portion, it's pretty dark. One day I'll get a real camera and lighting worked out. (After I hit the lottery, lol!) I chose to use images from The Greeting Farm - they're so awesome for practicing your coloring!

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KnK Fundraiser bloghop!

If you've gotten here from Holley's blog, you're on the right track - if not, go start at the beginning, you won't want to miss it! She's one of the most talented ladies I know :)

I'm so excited to be in a hop with some amazing crafters - showing off the fantastic images by KnK that are being sold as a benefit for OWH! The whole price minus Paypal fees will be donated to spend on shipping for the holidays - how AMAZINGLY generous of Katlyn!

K 'n K Designs has  wonderful prize packages for 2 lucky winners!

Your comment will enter you into the prize drawing and the winners will be announced Monday, October 24th!  So be sure to leave a comment on each blog so you have a chance to win!

To tell you a little of who I am - I'm the nut who started Operation Write Home! Yeah, some days I wonder what I was thinking, but I wouldn't go back and redo it for the world! This project has been a huge blessing in my life...knowing that I have an impact every day on so many people in this world, getting the chance to share my creativity with others, and receiving so many blessings because of all of it. I seem to never have enough time to do everything, yet what someone told me years ago is true - "If you have something that needs to be done, give it to the busiest person you know." So here I am, in the midst of holiday shipping season, making cards for a bloghop! :) Love it! And if you're new to OWH, I invite you to check out OWHtv - check out the sidebar playlist on our Stars and Stamps blog to watch this week's episode or get caught up on past shows!

I just love this lil pup Katlyn created! I showed you one card with it on Monday, and here's another! Perfect for AnyHero cards, especially from me and Ciara (See her photo below) :) :) :) We send a note in each of the boxes that go out, and I always include photos of Ciara - sometimes she "makes" her own cards, but this one is all by me:

I printed the image twice so I could cut out the box and some of the bones to pop them and add a little dimension. Patterned papers are by Moxie, don't you just love it! (Local girls: Got them at Scrap That in Fircrest!)

Our mascot Ciara with a box of cards and the KnK Hero note! Ciara loves KnK too!

The sentiment is inside...I tried it outside but it just wasn't working, so inside it's highlighted by some layers.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog...feel free to subscribe by email using the signup in the sidebar if you want to keep up with some behind-the-scenes craziness from me!

What's a bloghop without candy? How about this...a set of stamps! Leave me a comment telling me if you're an OWHer or new to us - I'll randomly draw a name Sunday night from all comments and post the winner on Monday.

And now I turn you loose to go see what Cathy has in store for you over at

  Mrs Pickle Stamps! 

Have fun - and don't forget to go shopping at KnK!

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Embrace life: October Afternoon, Stampin Up Bugs & Kisses

I experiment occasionally with simple cards...this one went beyond, of course! But I think it did retain its clean lines...

Papers by October Afternoon. The stamp is by SU; I stamped the dragonfly on the paper and on white, then trimmed out the wings and added them on. Lots of layering and a little pearl pen always makes me happy :)

There's a fun bloghop coming up this weekend so be sure to come back and see me in the morning!

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Studio Calico + OWH sketch

Posting these a little late, but....better now than never right? I used last week's Sketch #90 to make some nice thankyou cards to send out with the OWH patches. Yes, those who donate and get a patch also get a card from moi! It's another way to get some good cards floating around out there and show off some nice card base cardstock....I get a lot of people asking my preference (the GP110 from Walmart is okay, but is the absolute thinnest - but since it's everywhere and inexpensive, it's what we promote) - so the cards I've been sending with patches mostly use Classic Crest that I get from the Paper Zone. It's not cheap, but oh does it make me feel like I've done a nice card!

Papers here are by Studio Calico; the bling is called "Candi" - a new product I saw at CHA, kinda like a hollow brad with no backing. Sentiment by Impression Obsession....the set I got this in has frames that I haven't figured out how to use, but I *love* the sentiments - unique, cute, well done. I like the acrylic they use - stamps perfectly every time.

And you know what day it is, right? Thursday! That means it's time for OWHtv! It's always live at 6:30pm Pacific, and as soon as I get it downloaded from uStream and uploaded to YouTube, it's available "in syndication." If you watch it later, be sure to click the like button and leave comments....the more feedback we get on our videos, the higher they come up in other cardmakers' searches for information on making cards! :)

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Either you love bacon, or you're wrong.

First, before getting to the bacon - PLEASE go vote for my project on the May Arts blog! Thank you!

The bacon story, for those who want to know...it's more of a joke than it is an obsession with bacon! (The squirrels fall somewhat into the same category!) One morning on the way to stamp group, I had stopped for a bacon and egg croissanwich....and opened my bag to find it was egg and sausage. And I can't stand sausage! I suffered by just downing the hash browns, but my once-every-few-months craving for bacon had been started up and had to be satisfied.

I next went to get lunch and sought out a bacon cheeseburger. And you may guess it - no bacon on my bacon cheeseburger! It was just one comedic absentee slice of bacon after another! 

Friends at work have also had bacon fetishes - the guys are real meat lovers - and we try all sorts of weird foods with bacon. Bacon chocolate candies. Bacon gum. Bacon donuts. Bacon everything. So....when my friend Suzanne created this little bacon digi (she used it on a birthday card for me which I loved!) - I finally got around to asking her if I could have it! 

How's THAT for real love?  I know there are a lot of guys who would end up with a realllllly happy lady if they sent this to them :)  The background silver paper seemed perfectly appropriate as a "pan".....and the sentiment was a gift from Suzanne - it's an Amuse stamp if you just gotta have it! 

What else should follow that phrase? I love you more than..... I need ideas :)

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Stampendous, BoBunny, and Studio Calico...for a little boy

I'm just a-runnin' from one thing to the next lately! And today's no different :) The MWT challenge for the week is to make masculine cards, so I chose to use some BoBunny patriotic paper to make a card for a parent to send to a little boy. The border sticker and letters are from my Studio Calico kits, and the Raggedy Andy stamp is by Stampendous (I also have Raggedy Ann! How retro am I!)

Hope you get a card for a guy done...we get tons of pinkalicious cards with flowers, and not nearly enough for our heroes to send to the guys in their lives!

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KnK Fundraiser for OWH!

Today is a special, special day because it kicks off a benefit for Operation Write Home!!   Katlyn, of KnK Designs, has teamed up with Deedee Anderson to offer 7 digi sets that are perfect for your OWH cards - or any cards, for that matter!  All of the proceeds for these sets (minus the paypal fees, of course!) will be donated to OWH.  Every bit of it!  You can buy the sets separately or in a bundle - Go check out KnK Designs for all the details!!

Here is one sample card with the care package set, my total fave!!   I made a love card...just imagining this lil pup tucking lots of love into that box of bones!

I hope you like Katlyn's stamps, they're sure CUTE! And be sure to come back on Saturday; a lot of awesome crafters are hosting a bloghop to promote the stamps!!!

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Mojo Monday does Memory Box

I used this new stamp from Memory Box - I just love Dave's drawing style! Stinkin cute. I picked up some more of his stamps this weekend at Impress Rubberstamps so stay tuned in coming weeks for more MB :) (They're carried at Impress...) And I used the Mojo Monday sketch here, and some papers I've gotten from my Studio Calico kit....I love when I play with my kits coz they always throw in some fun stuff like Crate Paper (background floral) and Lime Twist papers (green stripes and numbers) from My Minds Eye! Kinda like my own Stump Sandy episode, but I get to take my time doing it :)

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Gettin' scrappy with Studio Calico

I've been poking around trying to get myself motivated to start doing more scrapping again...SO many photos and letters from our heroes need to make it into a book! Agh. With winter CHA feeling like it's around the corner - and us getting a booth there!!! - I thought getting some fun pages added would be great. And replacing a few of the yukky ones I've done would be good too!? So...I checked out the sketch on the Studio Calico blog:

My layout leaves a lot to be desired...it's been a long time since I worked large-format! So this is just a warmup. It does look better in real life than here, but it's still...well. Whatever. :) I did use TWINE, though, STD girlies! The photo I scrapped is me with little Miss Lainey; she and her soldier dad and mom and brother came to haul me and boxes to the post office post-surgery earlier this spring...this was my first time with no scooter and I was one happy camper. And Lainey was so proud she could carry that box! I sent the photo to a bunch of our contacts in my notes to them, and the handwritten note is from a reply received from Afghanistan: "Also tell Lainey I think she is super-strong for carrying that big box all by herself." He's a great guy who loves writing to his kids, and I think that photo really warmed his heart. So....girl-strong is the title on this one. Even if it's crookedy. :)

And since I had to compensate for the scrappy page by doing something better, I used the sketch for a card too. Sorta. But in any case, I clearly am more comfortable in an A2!

Papers used are from my Studio Calico kits, mostly. Have I said lately how much I love them??

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TGF Birthday Anya

Today I bring you Birthday Anya from the Greeting Farm...I love coloring their stamps, though the mouth on this particular one just bugs me a little, kwim?

The paper on this one is by Scenic Route - and I just heard they stopped manufacturing their own line!? So so so sad. I love this paper, and I think I need to go back to the store I found it at and buy a ton more. Scrap That, hold onto some for me, I neeeeeed it.

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O Christmas Tree: Graphic 45 + SU

This tree from my new SU set called Christmas Lodge is so lovely on its own, I didn't overdo the card too much; just some simple bling, and a few paper layers. I kept trying to add sentiments and ribbon...but it just took away from the pretty tree, so I left it as is. The lovely papers are by Graphic 45 - since I used up allllll my holiday papers last year, I got to treat myself to new stuff this year :) Yeahhhhhh.....

Don't forget...it's Thursday. Tonight is OWHtv - you'll get to see our first tshirt prototype!

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Pink Cat Lily with hot cocoa :)

I've gotten into winter/holiday mode...in past years I haven't gotten my act together enough to actually MAKE cards for our heroes to use for Christmas, and this year - not so! I'm making some that are general winter cards, so they have a longer shelf life.

This is made with a cute digi from Pink Cat - her name is Lily, and she looks so snuggly in her little outfit! Sentiment is from the Stampendous set I showed you on Monday :)

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Miles apart

This little card...well it has a special meaning. It's going to our heroes, for them to use, but it's dedicated to a really special family. I used my new Tim Holtz die, punched it out of some BoBunny paper and added yellow behind the windows; added some hand-cut waves of snow (on dimensionals), and the sentiment is one I got years ago in a collection of grab bag stamps from somewhere. I added the four little hearts...for four special people.

Some of you know them - you've seen some of Lainey's cards here - and their family is moving. 'Coz of the Army. I'm so sad! When I was little and I had to part ways with someone (usually when leaving the relatives after a great visit), I was a real crybaby...and this weekend as I drove home after a last visit with my friends before their move this week, well...that all came back. I'm really going to miss them a ton! I know it's not the last time, we're already concocting a visit...but it's still sad for me.

Lainey made this card...I wanted to send it to our heroes as an AnyHero card, but she said she wanted me to keep it to remember her by. She colored the image (see yesterday's post about the cute Stampendous set!) with my Copics, and picked out Studio Calico paper for it.

On the inside she drew a treasure map:

Sigh. I can't wait til our Skype visits start... :) Drive safe, my friends!

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Stampendous paper dollies!

When I was in Pittsburgh last week, I picked up this ADORABLE stamp set called Snowy Short Stacks. The heads, bodies, and feet are all separate - how much fun is this to put together little winter people/critters! There are elves, reindeer, snowmen, penguins, Eskimos....altogether too much little fun in a set of stamps :) I couldn't wait to get some time to ink them up, so my day with my stamping girls was filled with these little guys. I have a bunch more inked and colored...just need to turn them into cards soon!

This 2nd card uses a Sizzix die - isn't it the CUTEST!

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Thanks B!

Here's a little card I made for a contractor my team works with...the guy is awesome, and his name starts with a B! (And I didn't have all the letters, so...he gets a monogram! lol!)

 Paper by LilyBee, lotsa star punches, and the letter is from my Studio Calico kit.

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New Challenge Blog!

My stamping group decided that we'd do a twice-a-month challenge on our new group blog - Crafty Contagion! SO STOKED! Not that I need one more thing to do, but ya know. That's how I roll...too much to do only means a little less sleep. What's sleep when you have cards to make!?

This week's challenge is to do a card with twine...we bought a huge lot of twine and divvied during our last stamping day, and oh man do we have TWINE! So here's what I came up with.

I'll be using this for an AnyHero card for OWH - so the handwritten sentiment is okeydokey here :) Paper by We R Memory Keepers. Tanks are cut by hand...there's probably a stamp that'd make this a lot easier! ha.

Here's your weekly vlog post...enjoy!

I'm off to my stamp group today...hopefully I'll last the day, I'm still recovering from the trip this past week!

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Yep, more love!

Yes, I have love cards coming out my ears! At least from my own self. I don't get nearly enough of them in the mail from others, so I make a ton :) This is with a stamped image given to me by Barb...uses a scrap of something black, just things from my stash. Not a lot more to say! :)

TGIF!!

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Early valentine!

I know, I know, it's still Christmas-cardmaking season. But I love love cards! I tried something different with this one - layering the same paper on the same background, but with layers of black between. Kinda like the look! It gives your eye a bit of rest from the detail in the image, too. Stamp by The Stamping Bazaar, paper by Basic Grey.

OWHtv is tonight - hopefully I can do the show without much jetlag! lol!

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Juggling monkeys

Now who doesn't love to see animals juggle? Hopefully some little kid will find this a treat in their mailbox! Paper by October Afternoon (checks), Cosmo Cricket (stripes), and BoBunny (dots). Monkey is by...hmm I went to look at the cd case, and I apparently didn't write that down! I got it as a clear set from Joanns, so I'd guess Inkadinkado. 

So excited to get back home tonight and start juggling my life again...hopefully I'll be all rested and ready to rock and roll!

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Crisp and clean!

You're all in my thoughts as I travel...so here's a card to tell you so! This simple card uses some October Afternoon striped paper, SU sentiment, May Arts ribbon, Basic Grey brad...so simple but so pretty. I'm getting closer to being able to do a CAS card...just not quite there yet! lol!

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