Pastel Flower with Doily Background

Soft pastels for a flower card.  The embossed doily detail adds a background texture.  I like the layered flower shapes together - similar but not identical in their eight-petal curves.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) sweet blush (pink), aqua mist (light aqua), Hawaiian shores (medium aqua), and vintage cream.
• Dies are Lifestyle Crafts nesting petals (I used the 5 smallest dies), PTI double-ended banners, and Elizabeth Craft love.   Also PTI Parisian lace doily die is embossed into the base layer.
• The flower center is made with a 1/4" hole punch.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (344)

Green Squares and Stars with Purple

This card began with some leftover green squares and stars.  I enjoyed playing to create a layout to use them up.  In real life, the green is not so yellow. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) plum pudding (purple),  limeade ice (lime green), and stripes print from PTI lavender moon pattern pack.
• Dies are PTI square prints, PTI tipped tops (the last part of the script "happy" turned upside down), and My Favorite Things stacking stars (inner part of large star).
• The little stars in the squares and dotting the "i" are punched with Fiskars 1/4" star punch. 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (346)

Aqua with Red on a White Twist Background

Aqua, red, and dark gray with white.  Straight lines and curves.  The diecut "twist" pattern makes an interesting background for the ribbon slide sentiment.  In real life, the colors work well together.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source pool (light aqua), Papertrey Ink (PTI) pure poppy (red), smokey shadow (dark gray), stamper's select white, and the leaf print from PTI Hawaiian shores (medium aqua) pattern pack.
• Die is PTI cover plate: twist.
•  Silhouette cutting file is a ribbon slide set by Lori Whitlock.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (339)

Blue Dots Hello

Two blues with lots of dots.  The light blue baker's twine adds a non-dotty accent.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) spring rain (light blue) and blueberry sky (medium blue). 
• Dies are My Favorite Things peek-a-boo dots, which I used for embossing instead of cutting, and PTI wonderful words: hello. 
• Using B32 Copic marker, I colored some dots and edged the light blue panels.  I edged and added a few "marbled" lines on the "hello" and dots.  Then I used "0" colorless blender to mottle everything.
• Using Copic sky blue 0.3 multiliner, I outlined some dots that were not colored with B32.  
• The three dots next to "hello" were cut with the peek-a-boo dots die. 
• Twine is The Twinery shore.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (345)

Orange and Lime with Teal Sentiment Banners

Bright colors and bold shapes.  A diagonal layout gives emphasis to the sentiment banners.  The knotted twine breaks up the lines on the left.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source peacock (dark teal) and Papertrey Ink (PTI) limeade ice (lime green) and orange zest.
• I used a Copic marker BG49 to edge the lime panel.
• Twine is PTI orange zest baker's twine.
• Embossing folder is Sizzix retro cirque.
• Die for the diagonal panel is PTI tipped tops - medium size.
• Sentiment banners "love you - miss you - xo xo xo" in Hobo Std font were cut with Silhouette Cameo.  I used Caroline's tutorial on the Silhouette America blog to create the framed words.   Thank you, Caroline!  Love this idea and will use it again.  

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (343)

Aqua Lace with Yellow and White

Sweet and fresh pastels.  Flowers, lace, and twine.  Very pretty in real life.  Two nice touches are the dots of yellow pearl pen and the yellow that shows through the top row of lace dots. 

Note: the gray is background, not part of the card.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) stamper's select white, aqua mist, and the leaf print from PTI lemon tart (yellow) pattern pack.
• Twine is The Twinery buttercream.  I used a 1/4" hole punch to notch the sides of the card, to keep the twine in place.
• Dies are PTI wonderful words: hello, Avery Elle icon fill in the blank, and Memory Box charlotte border (retired).
• Bottom corners are notched with 1/4" Corner Chomper. 
• The pearl dots in the flower centers are Viva Decor pearl pen, yellow (it's the pastel yellow 202, not sunny yellow).

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (342)

Dots - Terra Cotta with Gray and Blue

Lots of dots on today's thank you card!  The narrow strips of dots (die cut) make a great accent for the sentiment.  I like the colors together, but another time I'll try edging the blue banner strip with gray to give it more definition. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) terra cotta tile (rust), smokey shadow (dark gray), and rustic white, Hero Arts cerulean (blue), and a dotted print from the Authentique Free Bird 6x6" collection.
• Dies are PTI limitless layers 1-3/4" circles, My Favorite Things peek-a-boo dots, and Elizabeth Crafts thanks
• The blue banner strip is notched by hand.
• Embossing folder is Cuttlebug Swiss dots.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (341)

Top 13 Cards of 2013 - My Favorite Card Choices

Welcome to my favorite card choices for Operation Write Home's "Top 13 of 2013."  I truly enjoy being part of the OWH community, helping our troops connect with family and friends across many miles, and learning to be a better card maker while playing with my art supplies :-)  For more of the Top 13 posts from OWH card makers, click here or on the Blog Hop banner to the right.

The cards below are good examples of my usual "crisp and clean" style with lots of die cuts and colored card stock.  I'm not a stamper, but I love to draw and color using Copic markers.  My cards often include:  Simple sentiments (computer-printed or word dies) or no sentiment.  Shapes layered over each other.  Strong color contrast.  Plenty of "white space," though not much white.  Some monochromatic patterned papers.  Textures from embossing folders.  Touches of embroidery floss, twine, or sometimes a bit of ribbon.

You can click on any card for a larger view.  If you're interested in the products and techniques, click here to see my original 13 posts for these cards.  Thanks for visiting my blog, and I'd love to read your comments!

My drawings, scanned and computer-printed,
then colored with Copic markers
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Scenes with birds and a cat

Note: The gray border on the left card is background, not part of the card.
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Simple and serene
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Flower die cuts
Note: The gray border on the right card is background, not part of the card.
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Stitching with embroidery floss
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Bright colors, clean lines
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Like almost all of my cards, these were created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." 

Green Chevrons with Star Tag

Two greens with touches of tan and cream in the twine and the patterned paper.  Nice textures and detail.  I'm getting acquainted with my new Silhouette Cameo.  It was very simple to create and cut my sentiment, using a script font that I already had on my computer.  I'll get a lot of mileage from this feature! 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) pinefeather (dark green), simply chartreuse (yellow-green),  and a chevron print from the Authentique Free Bird 6x6" collection.  
• Dies are PTI tiny tags (star tag), super star border (to cut the smaller star), and pinking shears border.
• The sentiment "thanks" is cut with Silhouette Cameo using Brush Script Std font, welded. 
• Twine is PTI rustic jute and rustic cream button twine - two strands of each color.  The tag is threaded with the bottom strand.  
• Embossing folder is Sizzix Tim Holtz stripes.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (338)

Penguin with Orange and Aqua

A deployed unit requested some cards with penguins.  Hence, my penguin card.  Fun colors and a simple design.  In real life, the orange colors work well together.

I'm just learning to use my new Cameo Silhouette.  I think I'll really enjoy using it, supplementing my Big Shot and low profile dies. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white,  Papertrey Ink (PTI) aqua mist, and the polka dot print from PTI orange zest pattern pack.
• The penguin's beak and feet are colored with Copic marker YR07, and the body with C7. 
• Die is Savvy Stamps hello.  
• The penguin design is from the Silhouette Online Store.
• Embossing folder is Cuttlebug candy cane stripes.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (337)

Christmas Card 2013

"Wishing you all the joy of Christmas" as it says on the inside of our 2013 Christmas card.  For the last few years, I've made our cards with one of my Nativity drawings, this time including the Three Kings.

The card has a wide white border and is computer-printed on Neenah card stock.  If you'd like to see my other Christmas card drawings, click here, then scroll down.   You'll also find links to my annual Advent calendar drawings from 2008-2012.  None for 2013 because I took a break this year. 

(334)

Arches with Heart Circles

Overlapping arches and circles with hearts and a stripe of twine.  Red and blue with a little white.  I like the fresh, happy colors and the simple design.  No sentiment needed - the hearts say it all.   

Edited to add:  After posting this, I decided to round the top right and bottom right corners with 1/2" Corner Chomper.  It's a nice finishing touch with the rounded shapes on the card. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) spring rain (light blue), blueberry sky (medium blue), enchanted evening (dark blue), pure poppy (red) and the bitty dots print from PTI enchanted evening pattern pack.
• Red and white baker's twine is by We R Memory Keepers. 
• Dies are PTI sending you and trendy tree tops.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (336)

Miss You - Brown with Cream and Black

For Paula's current Operation Write Home design bootcamp lesson "how does it feel?" with a focus on texture.   I used dry embossing on the base layer, some visual texture in the dotted "ribbon" threaded through the label slots, and several interconnected layers.  The result has both visual and tactile interest.

It also fits the "all about him" masculine card theme for Our Daily Bread Designs (ODBD) December challenge for Operation Write Home.  Thanks, ODBD, for supporting our troops each month!

Double thanks to Paula - for her monthly bootcamp lessons, and also for her "Miss You" digi sentiment, which I used as my focal point!  I enjoyed working with it.  Click here for her original post. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) kraft, dark chocolate (dark brown), true black, vintage cream,  and the bitty dots print from PTI dark chocolate pattern pack.
• The heart in the sentiment is colored with Copic marker E43.
• Embossing folder is Darice dot point.
• Dies are from My Favorite Things layered label set.  
• The slot punch is by Cosmos.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (335)

Tiny Tags - Tree Decoration

Tiny Tags on a tiny tree.  My husband brought home this 12" plant, and I decorated it with some red and yellow die-cut ornaments.  

Details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) pure poppy (red) and harvest gold (deep yellow).
• Dies are from PTI tiny tags.
• A 4" length of black sewing thread is knotted for the hanger loop. 

Teal Tree with Cream and Silver

My box for Operation Write Home is nearly full, and I'm adding a few more "missing you" cards.  This one is monochromatic with silvery touches - twine and a trio of small silver hearts. 

The tree and leaves are die cut into the top cream layer.  The tree trunk is also die cut and inlaid into the negative space.  The leaves are open to the patterned paper layer below. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) ocean tides (teal), rustic cream, and the damask print from PTI ocean tides pattern pack.
• Dies are PTI mighty oak and trendy tree tops (hearts). 
• Twine is platinum shimmer - cream with a silver thread - by The Twinery.   Love their mini twine bundles in a wide variety of colors.
• Silver foil is Ranger Inkssentials metal foil tape.  Before die cutting, I adhered it to Neenah solar white card stock to make it heavier.  The hearts look very shiny in real life.
• Sentiment "Missing you ..." is computer-printed in Monotype Corsiva font, expanded spacing, in teal ink.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (333)