You Are One Day Closer ~ Operation Write Home Blog Hop

Missing someone gets easier everyday because even though you are one day further from the last time you saw them, you are one day closer to the next time you will. --Author Unknown



Hello and Welcome!!
Such a poignant theme this weekend for Operation Write Home's Memorial Day Blog Hop: Missing You. I hope as you travel the Blog Hop this weekend that you will be inspired to contribute a card or two (or hundred) to this fine group so that a Hero overseas will have a really special card to write home a message of love – connecting the cardmaker, the sender, and the recipient! Such a blessing to be so useful!

Please visit this website for more information! http://www.operationwritehome.org/ Their mission: 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.

Have a table set out at your BBQ this weekend and let folks write a thank you note to Any Hero that you can include in your next donation!! Mail from home is the #1 request from deployed warriors; adults and children alike can encourage heroes by writing notes to include in the boxes!

This is my 3rd blog hop with Operation Write Home. I am sharing my cards made in the My Digital Studio crafting program from Stampin’ Up!

I say “crafting program” because this is so much more than a digital scrapbooking program!! With this digital software you have access to all your favorite Stampin’ Up papers, punches, accessories, and stamps – in all the Stampin’ Up colors you love. You are able to quickly customize a layout – card or scrapbook page – and print it out! You could be done, mail or wrap it up! But you can also use the print outs as a foundation and add even more embellishment to the printed piece – known as Hybrid crafting. Hybrid crafting is perfect for large projects and group projects. You can produce one, or a dozen, but ultimately save time and money creating something unique and special!

I started with a Base Card: Red White and Blue background with some star accents. Pretty patriotic, and look how easily it can be transformed into Birthday, I Love You, Miss You, Congrats! Enjoy the power of possibility!

Click on the images to see them larger.

Simple and easy : print multiple prints of the Base Card and add punches, ribbons, brads and your sentiments. But Special! Hand made cards are really held together with love and good wishes. Won’t you send some of yours to a Hero today?

Your Next Stop on the Operation Write Home Blog Hop is to the fabulous new Tuesday Throwdown blog! This is a challenge blog geared towards stamping or anything fun and crafty incorporating the use of paper crafting supplies. Enjoy! ( http://tuesdaythrowdown.blogspot.com/2010/05/memorial-day-blog-hop.html )

The words Thank You will never be enough, so as you hop on I'll send you with you some Quotes that give expression to my feelings:

"I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for You my heart has no bottom." – Anonymous

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. ~Joseph Campbell

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes! ~Maya Angelou

The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. -General Dwight D. Eisenhower, D-Day 1944

Blessings to you and yours,
and may you quickly cross off those days on the countdown to Home!!

and as always,
Happy Crafting!

~angie

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Card Set in Gift Bag

I will admit it, I really don't like this color - have a TON of it on my shelf: Cameo Coral... but then I challenged myself to use it! And you know what?...

(I still don't care for it all that much :-) BUT I think its softness lends it self very nicely to these sweet little cards:

I used my Sale-a-Bration set Happy Moments and made a set of 3x3 note/gift cards; and tucked them inside a little box tied with a ribbon. Cute enough to give as a gift, and once you use all the cards you can surprise someone with a little goodie or treat in the box. The images are stamped in Cameo Coral, and then colored a bit using my blender pen in the same color. I also accented the envelopes.

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Thankful Notes

These are made with the very last scraps of my Rich Razzleberry! I love the rich color, and of course the simple ease of making these! The pre-die-cut pendant notes are a breeze - just pop out the diecut part, insert your favorite pattern or solid or stamped paper behind, and Voila! Elegant note cards! I stamped each of the Thank You Kindly set twice, making a set of 8 cards.

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Dry Embossing With Color Technique

For The Royal Blog Tour I also made some cards using my new favorite embossing folder Elegant Bouquet. I tried a couple of techniques I've been seeing using ink directly on the embossing folder to add color only to the paper that is/is not embossed. I didn't have much luck :-) until I tried Stamping onto the embossing folder, kind of a Kissing/Embossing hybrid. It came out pretty neat I thought!
Notice the Ink looks to be BEHIND the embossing??
Interesting, and I will continue to play with it. Got any tips for me?

To get this look I inked my stamps really well, and stamped on the inside of the "front" cover of the embossing folder (the one that has the "hole"side - not the side where the pattern is raised). I then "huffed" on the ink again to moisten it up, right before I placed my white cardstock into the folder and ran it through the Big Shot. Supplies: Orchid Opulence ink, cardstock; Flight of the Butterfly; Whisper White cardstock

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Envelope Mini Album - Blog Tour Favorite

I am still in awe of the scores of people that traveled the Mellow Moss path and visited my Castle on The Royal Blog Tour - Thanks!!
The project that was commented upon most was the Envelope Mini Scrapbook Album.
I found it as I looked for Mothers Day ideas early in April. Carol Matthews, a member of the Late Night Stampers group was sharing her instructions on her blog and I contacted her for a copy. It is her own modification of some designs you can find out there, and its just gorgeous in its simplicity.

Here are some more pictures of my springtime Flight of the Butterflies version that was posted during the blog tour:
The mini album is made from 3 A2 envelopes connected, with card inserts in each pocket. The center of each insert was cut using the Big Shot Top Notes die, and you pull it out of the pocket with a ribbon pull tab.

In Carols original version she stamped M O M in the circle accents. You could also use it for D A D or S O N, or for you pet lovers CAT or DOG :-) For your Graduate or as a teachers gift you could do "Class of" '1 0; a cute keepsake for a wedding - I D O or the couples new monogram - a babys initials would be sweet; or your sports fan a nice wish: W I N.

If you added another envelope pocket this would be great for a L O V E scrapbook, or D E A R for an anniversary or Valentines day; ... really its a great layout that can be modified a number of ways!

I decorated both sides of the inserts, there are places for notes on two of these - stamped using the sentiments in the Flight of the Butterflies set; and wallet size pictures fit perfectly! Great for journaling, or for a complete photo story, or for a gift card holder - just pop a gift card onto one of these panels. Could be one of those Super Gift Card Holders : Family gifts where you include the gift cards for Pizza, Movies, and Dessert after; or a Mothers Day spectacular with gift cards for her favorite places - spa or beauty salon, a nice lunch spot, and her favorite store..

I used the Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper, and Old Olive coordinating cardstock. The punches are circles and the scallop circle. Regular adhesive was used on all, with the exception of linking the envelopes together, and the "belly band" where I used sticky strip for extra strength.

This is the back side of the pockets, and the flap detail. You could add photos/notes to the right panel - it folds in when you close it all up for presentation, as shown in the last photo below:

I hope you enjoyed seeing more detail on this project, to make your own you will need:

Designer Series Paper; a coordinating solid Cardstock; 3 envelopes size A2; circle and scallop punches; a stamp set to decorate your inserts; a Big Shot, and Top Notes die if you wish to cut the inserts as shown above; adhesive - regular and Sticky Strip.

If you love the design as much as I do, stop by Carols blog and let her know! Creating With Carol* (www.creatingwithcarol.com)

Make one today! (you still have time - Mothers Day is Sunday! :-)

Happy Crafting!

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