Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop Part II

Welcome to all of you that didn't make it here on Saturday!  Even though I still haven't finished the blog hop yet myself, I was inspired so much that I had to make some more cards.  If you would like to start at the beginning of the hop, you need to go to the Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps blog.  I want to thank everyone that makes and send cards to Operation Write Home, and if you aren't one of those people yet, please check them out!  You won't be disappointed!

This card uses one of my favorite soldier images that is made by Firecracker Designs by Pamela.  Unfortunately, she went out of business earlier this year, so you'll have to check out ebay or other aftermarket places to find it.  I actually won this set on one of my first blog hops with OWH from Shelly Schmidt of My Creative Rumblings.

I am one of the few people left that didn't have a Cuttlebug or other type of diecutting machine.  My daughter wanted to buy me a Cricut, but I decided I wanted the Cuttlebug more mainly due to the cost of the cartridges and lack of being able to use other company's files.  This stars embossing folder is perfect for making OWH cards!  It shows up much better on plain cardstock, but I like it this way also.  I couldn't resist using this Tim Holtz vintage photo Distress Powder for the image and the sentiment.  What better way to add distressing to the rest of the card and the soldier image than by using Distress Ink!

What's a blog hop without blog candy! I've already showed this candy on the previous post, but I wanted you to have an opportunity to win it, too!  I also have another bunch of blog candy that you can also win, but you must be a follower and comment on the May 28th post.  You can win this blog candy by commenting on either day, but since I love to give stuff to my followers, I ask that you must be a follower to win this one too.  I will pick a random winner on Wednesday, June 1st.

Blog candy includes:  New, unmounted Stampin' Up! Eclectic Corners stamp set, numerous ribbons and fiber, a 4 1/2"  round piercing template (this actually is a plastic canvas circle), 2" inch book rings (I use mine to store my longer ribbons on) and additional goodies.

Well, I need to get back to the blog hop, so I hope you will be as inspired as I have been!  Please take a moment this Memorial weekend and give thanks to those that have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms!

~~~~Lee~~~~

Card deets:

Stamps:  Firecracker Designs by Pamela, unknown clear acrylic stamp

Ink:  Tim Holtz Distress Inks - tea dye, old paper and walnut stain

Distress Powder:  Tim Holtz vintage photo

Design Paper:  Stripes - kismet by Glitz Design, stars paper unknown

Cardstock: The Paper Company 

Embellishments:  Dimensional Star Stickers by K & Company (another RAK I won from a OWH blog hop!)

Adhesive:  AdTech

Punches:  Corner Rounder EK Success, Corner rounder with star by Carl



Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop

Sorry for the problem...I was so worried about reporting that Blogger wasn't taking my comments that I didn't even check my own blog to see if it posted.

Welcome to the Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop!  If you want to stop at the beginning of the hop, you can go to the  OWH Stars and Stamps blog. 

Sit back and relax, and pour yourself your favorite beverage.  This bloghop is long, but I'll guarantee that you will be impressed at the fabulous cards you are about to see!

 I've been honored to call OWH my favorite charity for about two years now.  You see, my daughter, Chelsey, is in the Army National Guard, and she knows first-hand what a box of cards for her troops to send home mean to their morale.  She was stationed in Iraq for over a year, and I sent her cards while she was there that she shared with her troops.  When she returned home, I wanted to continue to share the joy with other soldiers by making cards for them, but I had to have names of soldiers to be able to do this.  Then I found Cards for Heroes, the former name of Operation Write Home.  After reading about their mission, I knew this would be a perfect place to send my hand-made cards that would go directly to the troops that requested them.  Chelsey just left on Wednesday to go to Haiti with the National Guard, but she sends her thanks for all of the wonderful comments that she has received from all of you!  

My card today uses a Stampin' Up! stamp from the set, Nature Walk, that I won from Holley's Hobbies, another OWH blogger.  Holley Smith has been with OWH as long as I have.  She is also on the bloghop today, so you want to make sure and stop at her blog to see her gorgeous projects as well as the Blog Candy she is giving away.  I love all of the red, white and blue cards, but I wanted to do something a bit softer for a missing you card.  I also clear embossed the leaves from this set with Versa Mark, but I don't think you can see it on the picture.

P.S. This pic was taken before I realized that I had forgotten the rhinestones.

I have a bit of Blog Candy that I want to offer to my followers in appreciation for all that you do for Operation Write Home.  You must be a follower and leave a comment below to be entered.   This Blog Candy offer will stay open until Wednesday, June 1st, so everyone has a chance to go through the bloghop.  Sorry, but I can only ship this candy anywhere in the U.S. at this time.

Blog Candy includes numerous fibers and ribbons, an Inkadinkado birthday mini clear stamp, a studio g clear stamp block and an unmounted Sweet Pea stamp by ching-chou kuik called September Rhythm.  More than 50 comments will mean more candy will be offered!

In celebration of receiving more than 50 comments even though I'm not on the "official" blog hop list, I've decided to offer more blog candy!!!  You must be a follower and leave a comment below, and the random drawing will be held on Wednesday, June 1st.  I can only ship in the U.S. at this time.

Blog candy includes an unmounted set of 4 Stampin' Up! stamps called Ecletic Corners, assorted fibers and ribbon, Staples 2" book rings (I hang my long strips of ribbon these and hang them on a clothes rack behind my door), a 4 1/2" piercing template and ???

If you just started  the hop here, the next stop is at Nicolette's blog, Beyond Scrapin.  She has some fabulous projects on her blog along with some more Blog Candy!

~~~~Lee~~~~

Card Deets:

Stamps:  Stampin' Up!

Cardstock:  Bazzill

Design Paper:  The Rouge Bird by My Mind's Eye

Ink: Versa Mark, Top Boss Embossing Ink, Walnut Distress Ink 

Embossing Powder:  Creative Zoo, ?clear detail

Adhesive:  Ad Tech

More Stamping and Scrapbook Store Closings

In case you haven't heard yet, Addicted to Rubber Stamps and Addicted to Scrapbooking are going out of business.   The owner has had health issues for a few years, and he is now unable to continue to run the businesses.  In their email, they stated that their suppliers are paid in full, so they will close in style.  The sale started today with everything in the store being offered for 30% off or more as supplies last. 

We all have seen lots of little stores closing lately, but these stores were open for over 15 years.  Hopefully, the employees will be able to find new jobs.  I'm sure this will also be a major hit to the local economy.  I pray that they can recover quickly from this major closure. 

I've only purchased small amounts from then over the years when they would do their progressive sales, but I was always pleased with my purchases.  They offered a 100 day satisfaction guarantee which is unheard of in most retail businesses.  Hopefully, some other companies will be able to pick up with the loss of this major player in the industry.

~~~~ Lee ~~~~

Computer Problems Still %#@&$%@#

I've had my share of computer problems lately which is why I've not been posting or reading blogs lately.  Do you think it could have something to do with the fact that my computer is over 8 years old?  Most people would've kicked a computer to the curb that is this old, but due to many obstacles (i.e. $$$$), I'm not able to replace it anytime soon.  I always replaced my computers every couple years since the 80s, but I was married and had the money to do it then.  Now, I find it challenging to make it through the month before the big $674 I get a month on SSI disappears. 

This brings me to the problems I'm having now.  I usually download my pictures to a version of Adobe Photoshop that I've had for years.  When I went to download some pics when I got my computer back from the shop, a window came up for me to register the software.  Needless to say, it was originally a free trial version that they no longer offer.  I sent an email to the company see if I could at least get my pictures that are locked up but visible when you go to the initial sign-in.  I'm not holding my breath on this, but if they could at least unlock the pics, I'd be very pleased.  I also had a version of Kodak Easy Share that is also MIA along with a version of HP Photosmart.  It was bad enough that I lost my pictures and thousands of digi stamps, but now I lose the photo programs, too!

I've been all over the web the last couple days trying to find ways to do things differently and hoping to learn some new tricks.  One of the websites I came across was called the Blog Guidebook.  Boy, I wish I had found this blog a few years ago!  I was able to find more tips and techniques in a few minutes than I've learned in years.  If you have some unanswered questions about blogging, or you're feeling overwhelmed with all of the new stuff that keeps popping up, then you're in luck!  Check out this blog, and don't forget to check out the other blogs, too.  I'm always amazed at the amount of people and/or blogs I find through different sites.  Oh, another thing I forgot to mention earlier was that all of the blogs I was following through my dashboard are also gone.  That will be my next item I need to investigate further after I finish combing what's left of the hair I pulled out in the past couple days!

I haven't posted any pics of my newest grandson, Caleb, lately, so here's a few to catch you up!

Yes, you're seeing this right.  Our little sweetheart has hearing aids at the ripe old age of four months!  He actually has had them for a couple months, and they don't seem to bother him at all.  He does have hearing, but he can't hear whispers, or anything below 50 decibels.  His mom and dad are involved with an excellent program called Colorado Hears.  I was surprised that they could fit a child this young with hearing aids, and the fact that every state has a program much like Colorado Hears.  If you're wondering how they found his hearing loss so young, they test all newborns at the hospital after they're born.  It took a bit longer to know for sure with Caleb, because he is a VERY sound sleeper. :o)  They usually just clap around them to see if it startles them, but it took a couple extra appointments before they were able to determine the depth of his loss.  Now, grandma just has to remember to keep it down when he has his ears in! lol

I told you the other day about my youngest daughter joining my oldest by graduating from the Department of Corrections Training Academy.  Here she is just after receiving her certificate.

Many of you might recognize her in another type of uniform.  Yes, she is the one that is a sargeant in the Army National Guard.  She just started her new job on 3rd shift last week.  On May 25th, she puts her other hat on and goes to Haiti for several weeks with the National Guard.  She said there are 5 other guards in her prison that are also in the Guard, so I would hate to be the one that has to do all of the scheduling around their Guard duties.  

~~~ Lee ~~~

I'm Alive!

I just wanted to let everyone in blogland know that I'm alive and well.  I've had major computer problems again, so I'm hoping this "fix" works longer this time!

I'm sorry I don't have anything new to show you right now.  I have lots of pics to download, so I hope to have something to show you soon.

I have one major thing I want to share with you.  My youngest daughter, Chelsey, just graduated on Friday from the Department of Corrections Training Academy, and she is now working as a Corrections Officer.  She is the mother of my newest grandson, Caleb, and she is also a sargeant in the Army National Guard.  While she was stationed in Iraq several years ago, she completed her associate's degree in Criminal Justice, and will be working on completing her bachelor's degree soon.  Thanks again to all that have kept her and her family in your prayers during her trying pregnancy and loss of her job because of being on bedrest for so long.

~~~ Lee ~~~

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner NOT!

I must apologize for keeping everyone on hold about my blog candy.  I hate it when you state you will be drawing on a certain day, and you don't.  Oh well, I guess I can put myself into that category now.

I want to thank all of the hoppers for participating in the Operation Write Home Bunny Hop!  What a great turnout!  Thanks to all that left comments.  I love getting to know more about you and why you're involved with OWH, and comments are a good way to start.  I loved all of the creative cards I saw on the hop, and now I have lots more layouts, color schemes and more to work with in my idea book that's getting bigger with every hop.  I even won some blog candy myself from Sue Blondin.  Thanks Sue!  I'm waiting on my order to arrive from MFT stamps, and then I can get inky!

Now for the blog candy.  Since I received over 25 comments, I added additional goodies into the box that are pictured in the second picture below.  Hopefully, we'll see a bunch of these goodies on more cards for OWH!  Now, without further ado, the blog candy winner is...

Cherie

of

Cherie's Corner of the World

I've contacted you to get your deets, so I can send this goodie box out to you.

Thanks again to all that participated in this and the other events concerning OWH.  I can't say enough good about this awesome organization, so if you haven't had a chance to go to their website and check them out, do it now.  Don't forget to check out their blogs, too.  Why not start at the OWH Stars & Stamps blog, and join in some of their challenges?

~~~Lee~~~

Operation Write Home Bunny Hop

Welcome to the Operation Write Home Bunny Hop!  I am just one of over 130+ blogs that are participating on this blog hop.  I hope you find the time to visit all of the stops, since these hops are always filled with lots of fun.  There will be tons of blog candy, tutorials, and maybe even a few free digis along the way!  I've been very happy to be involved with this organization for around two years. 

If you arrived here from Susan's blog, Pieces of Fate, than you are in the right place!  If not, you will want to start at the beginning of the hop at the OWH Stars and Stamps blog.

Because my daughter is a MP in the Colorado Army National Guard and served overseas in Iraqi, I find it very comforting that our soldiers are not forgotten while they are serving overseas.  She just recently signed to serve another three years, and I can't more proud of her!  I'm also a vet as was my dad, so I'm happy that she has chosen such a wonderful way to serve her country.  She also made me a proud grandma for the fifth time with the birth of her son, Caleb David, on December 26th.  I want to thank everyone again for all of the prayers that you have sent her way while she was on total bed rest and had gestational diabetes during her pregnancy.  She and her hubby, David, couldn't be happier with the addition of this handsome little fellow!

Now for my first card.  If you've been here before, you know that I love to make medallion cards.  The medallion I used on this card is an Diorama Egg #1532O from Holly Berry House with the addition of an Art Impression Giant Rabbit #P1588 in the center.  Both of these images were heat embossed with Stampendous Pearlized Carnelian embossing powder.  Since we can't use glitter on our OWH cards, I've chosen to add color to the medallions using Twinkling H20s watercolor paints in place of my usual glitter.  Don't you just love the shimmer of the Twinks?  To tie the shimmer of this Twinks together with the rest of the card, I used cardstock from the DCWV Shimmer Matstack for the matting.  Recycling items is another favorite of mine, so I added this fun trim around the egg that I stole repurposed from an old Easter basket.  Instead of adding a lot of other items to clutter the card, I added some simple shimmery pearl swirls that were part of a flower set from Basic Grey.  The finishing touch was the use of a Fiskars corner emboss plus punch.

Next is a card that is appreciated with any box you send to OWH.  It's always good to add some birthday, I Miss You, I Love You and Thank You cards with any holiday cards that are needed at that particular time.  This card uses a favorite image of mine from Hero Arts called Fancy Cake.

I used my trusty colored pencils on this image, and then I added some pearls from The Paper Studio.  The sentiment is an oldie from PSX that I heat embossed with Stamp N Stuff embossing powder.  The green polka dot DP is by My Mind's Eye Penny Lane collection.  The Ella Stripe is from the Bo Bunny Shabby Princess collection.  All of the other items are from my stash.

After the Bunny Hop, you will want to stop by OWH Stars and Stamps blog.  They have a weekly sketch challenge every Sunday, wonderful tutorials, free digis to use on your cards for our heroes and so much more!  You can also grab a box of tissues and spend some time going through the OWH Hero Blog.  This blog is full of letters from deployed service members.  Last but not least of the blogs is the OWH Homefront Blog.  This blog has the info on the number of cards shipped out on Thankful Thursday, thanks to the wonderful cardmakers that make this organization what it is on Mailroom Monday, and tons of information that's available through Operation Write Home.  The newest addition to OWH is a ustream channel called OWH TV!  Sandy is doing a fabulous job of keeping the cardmakers inspired.  Stop in on Thursdays at 6:30 pm PST for lots of fun!  If you are on facebook, don't forget to "LIKE" Operation Write Home to keep  updated on events and shipper's card needs.  Whew!  It amazes me that Sandy and the others have time for anything since they keep all of these links updated!

We ship the cards to our volunteer shippers that sort and repair any damaged cards, and then they sort and send the cards off to our heroes that are serving overseas.  Because of this, the Easter card deadline is March 18th.  The next major holiday we are preparing for is Mother's Day.  The deadline for sending in these cards is March 31st.  They highly encourage us to have the cards sent out about two weeks earlier if possible, so the shippers have time to get things shipped out in a timely fashion.

What's a blog hop without blog candy?  I would love to send this blog candy out to one of my followers that live in the U.S.  For every 25 comments, I will add some more items to this collection.  A random name will be drawn on Saturday, March 12th from all of the names that fit the details listed below:

1.  You must be a follower and comment below.

2.  You must live in the U.S.

3.  If you don't have a blog, please leave an email address below so I can reach you if you are chosen.  Avoid SPAM by adding your email in the following format:  grandma_lee_t AT yahoo DOT com

4.  I would love for you to get some friends together and make some cards for OWH, but it's not required to win these goodies.

Below are the additional items I've added to the blog candy for 75 comments.

Thanks for stopping by!  The next stop on this hop is the fabulous Kate's blog, Hello From Kate!  She has lots of wonderful tips for you that you won't want to miss!

~~~Lee~~~

Special Request:  My daughter contacted me for a prayer request for one of her soldiers, Thomas Payne,  and his family.  His wife and 5 month-old child were in a car accident today, and they had to flight-for-life his daughter to the children's hospital at Memorial Hospital due to a fractured skull and internal bledding.  I'll try to keep you updated as soon as I know more.
UPDATE:  Thomas' daughter has been upgraded to stable condition!  Thanks for all of your prayers!!

Butterfly Medallion in Greens and Golds

I wanted to thank my old school pal for ordering some cards from me recently, so I made her one of my favorite types of card...a medallion image!  I know many of you must think I'm nuts for these being one of my favs, but I love a challenge.  I love to stamp and emboss the images ahead of time on several different colors of cardstock, so when I have time to play I can pick and choose from what I already have stamped.  I then get out my glue pen and Magic Scraps Glitter, and have a ball! 

This card is made with the Butterfly Medallion stamp called Dancing Wings from Holly Berry House Stamps.  It was stamped on several different colors of green cardstock and heat embossed with an unknown light green embossing powder.  The bottom layer was cut out about 1/4" from the embossed edges.  The rest of the layers are cut as close as possible to the embossing without cutting into it.  If you get too close, the embossing will peel off easily from the cardstock.  Don't ask me how I know this! lol 

Next, the Magic Scraps glitter was applied with a Zig glue pen.  I know it may be easier to do with Stickles, but I have an extensive collection of glitter colors that will probably take me forever to use.  The layering is done with the help of foam adhesives.  This is one of the simplier medallions, so there are only four layers on this particular one.  The last layer is stamped on vellum for some more added interest.  Wire was used for the antennae.

The size of this image led to my using an oval mat that I cut with a Fiskars oval cutter to help it stand out better.  The green cardstock in the background has a gorgeous shimmery shine to it.  This was another ebay score.  The gold is made by DeNami and the rick rak is from some of my mom's sewing stash.  The background paper is from my stash as is the green rhinestones.  Instead of adding another layer to the card, a gold paint pen was added to the edges of the DP.  I believe the ribbon is by May Arts and the butterfly charm is from my stash. 

I got another order from Debi, so I need to finish off my cards for OWH so I can start to work on hers.  I have some new stamps and techniques to try out, so I need to get back to work!

~~~Lee~~~ 

I'm Alive & Kicking!

Yes, I am alive!

I recently reconnected with a school friend on facebook, and she ordered a bunch of cards from me.  I'm so happy to be able to get to know so many of my old friends this way especially since I live over 1,000 miles away from my hometown.  Both of my parents are gone, and all of my sibling except one live in different states, so facebook is an ideal way for me to keep up with friends from my hometown that are still there or around the world.

Back to the cards.  This one uses a stamp that I've had forever.  It's a House Mouse stamp that I can't remember the name.  I just love this stamp!  There's no question what kind of card this is! lol  I colored this with pencils and added some white flocking to the cotton and Glossy Accents to the ice.  The letters, DP and trim are all from the Clove Scrap Pad by Marcella by K.  This pad has some great masculine papers in it, so I've been hoarding it for a while. 

All of the edges were distressed with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, and the edges around the image were distressed first with a Holtz Distress Tool and finished with the Distress Ink.  The base card is a from set of kraft ones that I've also been hoarding.  Now, if I could just start using more of my scraps, I'd have it made!

Operation Write Home will be having another blog hop on March 5th that I will be taking part in again.  I will be offering some BLOG CANDY as well, so make sure you stop by my blog then for more details.  If you would like to donate your extra handmade cards (no glitter allowed) to our soldiers so they have something nice to send home to their families, just click on the OWH link at the top for more information.  The last hop we had over 150 blogs involved, so there will be lots of candy, tutorials, challenges and lots of fun throughout the whole weekend.  Don't forget to mark your calendars now for this awesome event! 

~~~Lee~~~

Splitcoaststampers FAVORITES of the Best of 2010

I am very honored to have one of my Stampscapes creations, Cabin by the Lake, named as one of The Best of 2010 FAVORITES on Splitcoaststampers!  You have to be a member of Splitcoaststampers to see the year-end FAVORITES thread that it's listed on HERE, but I thought I'd show you the tag that was nominated if you're not a member.



I can't thank ChaosMom enough for nominating my tag for this honor especially since there are so many thousands of creations to choose from.  I am a member of many stamping sites, but SCS is usually the first site I go to when I want to learn how to do something new or to recharge my stamping batteries.  I could spend days perusing this site and still not tire of all of the eye candy here.  

Maybe this is a sign for me to do more scenic stamping this year. :o)  I know that I couldn't have been more surprised when I heard the news from Judi.  Whatever it is, I couldn't be more humbled with this honor!  Thanks!

 

~~~Lee~~~