Friday, February 11, 2011

OWH Blog Skip Number One

Welcome to the first Stars and Stamps/Operation Write Home Blog Skip. I'm a little early posting this, but I wanted to make sure that I got it done in time, and I'm in the Florida timezone rather than on the West Coast. If this is the first entry you're seeing, please go back to the Stars and Stamps blog to visit the rest. Here are the rest of the blogs in the skip.
  1. Stars and Stamps
  2. Barb
  3. Yolanda
  4. Cindy
  5. Sandy
  6. Karen
  7. Marianne
  8. Holley
  9. Paula
  10. Seongsook
  11. Cora
Our challenge was simple - each participant was given a card pack with some patterned paper squares and a cute bunny stamp, and asked to make a card using these supplies and whatever else we felt like adding. There were two bunnies in the pack (one to practice on) but I don't do a lot of colouring, so I was able to use both. In other words, you get two cards for the price of one! (note - my scanner has a peculiar quirk - everything I scan comes out MUCH more contrasty than it is IRL. That is not blue ink around the edges of the shield, it's violet almost the same shade as the ribbon!)

The first thing I did was to make this card base with three of the patterned papers. I used my heart border punch to add a little interest. Then I set it aside and started cutting shapes on my Cricut to find the ideal shape for the bunny. I had wanted to use an oval or a heart but it didn't fit the image - the shield fit the stamp on perfectly. I cut a larger shadow layer out of the last paper, and I planned to use it on this card base... but when it was done it was just too busy. So I set the shield aside and used the plain white bunny stamp in a simple square. (If an image doesn't quite fit nicely on the page, tilting it an angle can make a big difference - I could trim a little off two corners without losing any of the image or making it seem too squashed.) It covers up a lot of the center circled panel but that's okay - I like the floral and leaves much better! Lastly I cut the sentiment with my Cricut. It didn't quite 'pop' enough, so I added a very thin black shadow layer beneath it. I fiddled around a bit to find a good placement for the sentiment. I was going to put it straight down the right-hand edge of the card but I wasn't entirely happy about it - then I laid the card down on my desk and the sentiment slid sideways and lo and behold, it fit PERFECTLY on the diagonal! It just goes to show - don't be in such a hurry to glue everything down. It might pay to take your card pieces and play with them awhile to try different arrangements and see what happens.
On to the second card... as I said, I cut this shield to use on the first card but it was too busy - it needed a plain background to make it really stand out. I don't really like colouring, but it was too plain for this background, so I compromised and just coloured in the flower and ladybug with kiddy markers. I lightly inked a plain cream cardbase with one of those fingertip inkers. It's mostly green but I added just a touch of purple to echo the paper colours. I usually cut the decorative band from paper, but I was running out of pieces and I had a purple ribbon exactly the same shade. It already had the lace sewn onto it... All I had to do was to glue it down with my ATG, and use some glue dots to add the punched flowers.

And there's my two-for-one special. Are you inspired by these cards? Want to share some of your own? We hope so! There will be more blog skips through the year, so many of you will get a chance to show your stuff. But why wait? OWH is hosting a full-blown bloghop in March, and signups are open now. You have until March 2 to put your name in. We'd love to see what you can do... In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the skip. Your next stop is Marianne...

But before you go I have one final treat for you - blog candy! I'm a premium bargain-hunter when it comes to Craft supplies, and the good folks at Target put a bunch of stamps on clearance in time for me to grab some. Three lucky people will get one of these stamps and a handmade card from me. Interested? Leave me a comment on this entry and make sure that I have some way to get in touch with you by email or through your blog. Then check back on Monday to see if you are a lucky winner. Good luck!

48 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your card is absolutely wonderful... It is sooo fun seeing what yall are doing with the same materials...Sooooo cool

Paper Therapy Ponderings said...

very nice - and two cards - great bonus.

Barb Housner

Shirley G said...

nice cards...two for the price of one! I like the shield card a lot.

Lisa Norris said...

Such cute cards! Thanks so much for sharing!

Lisa
prettypaperprettyribbons.blogspot.com
lnorris21 at hotmail dot com

Cyn said...

what a pretty card! Loved looking at all the other cards on your blog too.

Cora said...

Wow, you were very creative! Two for the price of one! Nice job. I especially like your Cricut words. I have no Cricut but I love what you can do with it. I put all my money into Copics instead of Cricut because unlike you, I like to color

Unknown said...

Love the Cricutted sentiment on the top card and the punched strip down the center.

Paula S. said...

I love the look of cutout letters and sentiments. I think I *need* a Cricut too. :)

Holly / InkPaperStamps said...

Love the diagonal--and that shield is a wonderful mat! Very whimsical!

Caryl P said...

Fabulous job on both cards! I love the sentiment on the first, its just perfect.

helloholley said...

Hey there, both of your cards turned out super cute!!! I really like how you titled the image on your first one...I may be trying that out real soon!! Happy Skippin'

Conniecrafter said...

both are very cute, love how you just colored the flower and ladybug in the second, neat design and like the strip behind it!

RobinH said...

beautiful cards
I like how you colored just the flower to make it "pop"

Operation Write Home said...

Cute idea coloring the flower only! Love it :)

NanaConnie said...

I think both cards are delighful, and I really like the plain black bunny image stemped on white CS! Interesting and effective. I think you made great use of the dp for both cards. Excellent tip about turning an image at an angle. Thanks.

Nancy Boatwright said...

Hi Karen from a fellow Floridian (Wesley Chapel)
Love your card. Thanks for sharing.

Seongsook Duncan said...

Very nice cards. Thanks for sharing how you processed it. It's interesting to see how everyone was taking this kit.

Linda said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Linda said...

Love what you did with the cream paper background! I have a hard time tilting items on cards but yours looks great!

Crafting Adventures said...

I like the way you highlighted the flower.

Lynn said...

Great job, Karen! I love the sheild one with the tiny flower accents. Well done!

pat said...

cute cards...really like the shield and background colors

Debby said...

Nice job on both of them!

Rhonda Miller said...

Both of your cards are great. I just love the layouts. TFS.

Sharon said...

So cute.

tammy fletcher said...

So nice is the card....I too get tired of coloring and love the fact that it is almost plain..thanks for the opportunity for blog candy

Martha said...

Fun use of that shield shape for your focal image!

SaDeBuque said...

very cute cards!

Cindy's Card Co said...

Great job, love how everyone has a different idea.

grandmalee said...

I love both of your awesome cards! WHat a great idea to leave it plain! Sometimes we tend to overdo things because we love coloring so much, but this really works for this card! Love the little added swirls, too! Love how you did the second card, too! Great layout & use of the papers!

Ann said...

Both cards are very nice, but I LOVE the one with the shield. You are very talented. Thanks for sharing!!

gbinion said...

Your cards are adorable!! What a fun Blogskip!!

Ginnie Binion
jags930@sbcglobal.net
rainbowsnbutterflies-gb.blogspot.com

Kelly Latevola said...

I love your two for one! It's so nice to see all the different ways everyone is using the kit!

Missy said...

Both card are very nice. You really utilized the paper pieces you received.

ThePurplePlace said...

Some Bunny Loves You has always been one of my favorite sentiment....even long before I ever made my first card.

When my youngest son was a baby we did his room in a Peter Rabbit THeme, and ever since then, I've also loved bunnies and they always are very special to me!

Your card is so sweet and I am touched by them ALL!!

:)
Lis

Lina said...

Hi Love how the green background came out. very dreamy looking. :)

Kath said...

I love how you made 2 cards! Great way to use your supplies and make some hero very happy.

Brennen said...

What an interesting shape you used. It took me a minute to figure out where I've seen it before. TFS. And thanks for the great blog candy. brennen83@hotmail.com

Julie said...

Really cute cards, Karen! You're an overachiever like Yolanda, LOL. Thanks for all you do for OWH!

Karen Y said...

Both cards are adorable. I am a new follower.
Thank you,
Karen
countrygirl_md at yahoo dot com
karenscreativeramblings.blogspot.com

Nancy Keller said...

Haha! I love the idea of the stamp on the sign-shape thingy! I think that I have a cricut cartridge that will cut out that shape! What fun! Thanks for sharing!

Donna S said...

Nice cards! I really like the second one. I scrolled through your other cards and really like the flowers you did!

Lori said...

It's a beautiful card

Teresa Jenkins said...

Both are really pretty! love the shield on the second one.

Cut n Paste said...

Like both of your cards!! Very nice! Thanks for sharing these with us!

Sherry Hickey said...

Kajikit, I really like how you played with leaving the stamped image uncolored and then partially coloring it! It shows the many options we have. Great work.

pennyd said...

Cute cards! I like that you left one bunny plain - I like that look.

Ann said...

I love the way you created 2 very different cards with the same set of supplies.

Ann K.
annjerryk@aol.com