Locks of Love

Hello, friends!

I have a quick post today that is not card-related. 

This morning I took my daughter to get her hair cut for a very good cause... Locks of Love.  Her elementary school started a program a few years ago challenging the students to consider growing out their hair and donating it to this wonderful program.  Students, parents, teachers, and even the principal decided to join in the challenge and it was a huge success.  Each year since then they sponsor a day in June for the kids to have their hair cut, and they send in a large donation of hair to Lock of Love.  For those of you who are not familar with this proram, Locks of Love provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. 

My daughter has done this once before, and she decided it was so worthwhile she would do it again. However, she could not wait until June so we decided to do it early.  It amazes me how quickly her hair grows...she has donated twice in a period of two years!  Her first donation was a 14" ponytail, and today she donated another 9" ponytail.  It also amazes me that, at the age of nine, she is aware of the needs of others and is able to put her own fears aside to do something for someone else.  Wow.

Here are a few pictures of her before, during, and after:

   
I am so proud of her...to know that she is doing something that will bring happiness to another person (one who she will probably never meet) just warms my heart as a mother. 

Thanks for stopping by!
Judy

Fabric and Flower Birthday Cards

Hello, friends!  The snow has returned once again, and I had a day off because my kids were off from school (not due to snow but a teacher inservice).  Luckily, between shoveling, play dates, laundry, and school projects I was able to make two cards!  (And the day ain't over yet!)

I was playing with my Classic Fabric Design on various color cards and I made two similar birthday cards -- one for a male and one for a female.  (Always good to have both on hand!) 

Here is the "female" version:

And here is the "male" version (I know, maybe too many flowers for a guy card, but oh well)...

Here they are together:



Stamps and Material Used: (CG245) Classic Fabric Design; (CL139) Birthday Messages;

Punch chalk ink; navy dye ink; Spellbinders Shapeabilities Fancy Tags;

Prima flowers; brads, gems, pearls; patterned paper; border punch 

I stamped the Classic Fabric Background on several other cards (e.g., cream, white, grey) but I haven't decided what to do with them yet.  Do you ever do that?  I'll just put them aside until I am inspired on  another day. 

Thanks for stopping by...have a good one!
Judy

Easter & Thinking of You ~ OWH "Spring Thaw" Card Challenge

Hello, friends!  I do believe I have come to the last two cards I am submitting for the Operation Write Home "Spring Thaw" Card Challenge... one is for Easter and one is a more general theme, Thinking of You. 

For the Easter card, I embossed the sentiment (by PSX) in white and used various distress inks to color in the background.  The background notecard (by DCWV) is grey inside and peeks through the Martha Stewart punched bottom.

For the next card I stamped the Large Canvas Stripes in leaf green shadow ink.  On a separate sheet of paper, I stamped the Wreath of Leaves in brown, punched out a circle in the center of the wreath, and distressed like crazy all around it!  I adhered the paper to the card, and the bow, pearls and sentiment were the final touch.    

Gotta run...the kids are off for President's Day and we have dentist and orthodontist appointments to go to! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Judy

Tons of Fun ~ OWH "Spring Thaw" Card Drive

Hello, friends!  Just a quick post today with a card I made for the Operation Write Home "Spring Thaw" Card Challenge.  I got this A-Muse "Animal Wishes" stamp set on clearance at my local craft store and LOVE these little guys!  (They are fun to paint with water colors, too!)

Stamps Used:  Hero Arts Dots & Flowers (S5213);  A-Muse "Animal Wishes"

I still frequently reach for the Hero Arts Dots and Flowers background stamp and I love adding accent dots in a different color...hey, what can I say, little things like this make me happy!

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Judy

Wild Flowers ~ OWH "Spring Thaw" Card Challenge

Hello, friends!  I have several cards to share today, all made using the Hero Arts "Wild Flowers" stamp.  I made a variety of cards based on the themes provided in the Operation Write Home "Spring Thaw" Card Challenge and here is what I came up with...

First, I added some pink and purple accents to the flowers for a Mother's Day card.  (Note: the sentiment is on the inside of the card seen through a circle punched on the front and highlighted with spun sugar distress ink.)

Stamps & Materials Used:
Hero Arts: K5404 Wild Flowers, CG245 Classic Fabric Design.  Studio G: Happy Mother's Day. 

Orchid gems; white embossing powder; Crop-A-Dile Corner rounder, circle punch

Next up, a neutral card for everyday use...

Stamps & Materials Used:  Hero Arts: K5404 Wild Flowers, C4783 Multi-Pattern Butterfly,
CG125 Friend Definition; white Inkssentials pen; black embossing powder; Crop-A-Dile corner rounder

And finally a thank you card with black pearl accents...

Stamps & Materials Used: Hero Arts: K5404 Wild Flowers; PSX: Thank You;

black gems; white embossing powder; Crop-A-Dile corner chomper

I embossed the flowers on all three cards and added accents to individualize each of them.  I do love these wild flowers!  And I am so excited that today is a sunny, spring-like day with temperatures nearing 70 degrees!  I can't WAIT for Spring!  There is nothing better than the first time you open up the windows and smell the fresh air filling the house for the first time after a long winter!   The snow outside is finally melting...perfect day to make cards for the "Spring Thaw" contest, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by...take good care!

Judy

   

Dancing ~ OWH "Spring Thaw" Card Drive

Hello, friends!  I have another card I made for the Hero Arts February "Love and Friendship" challenge.  I plan to send this in along with my other cards for the Operation Write Home "Spring Thaw" Card Challenge, too.

For this card, I stamped the Friendship Definition onto the white card base using orchid shadow ink.  I embossed the Dancing with Flowers image on patterned paper, punching the top corners and bottom edge and layering onto coordinating patterned paper.  The eyelets were added before mounting to the card (so they don't show through to the inside of the card).  Finally, I stamped the sentiment using Broken China distress ink and rounded the bottom corners of the card.  Voila!

Hero Arts Stamps Used: CL490 Sending Smiles Messages, CG125 Friend Definition, CG266 Dancing with Flowers

As a side note, I am dancing right now (maybe not as gracefully as these children, but hey...) because I found out this morning that I was one of the Fab Five winners for the first round the of Hero Arts February challenge.  It's a first for me and I am SO excited! 

The icing on the cake, my friends.  

Thanks for stopping by...more cards tomorrow!
Judy

Hello ~ OWH "Spring Thaw" Card Drive

Hello, friends!  I'm back with another card for the Operation Write Home "Spring Thaw" Card Drive; I also made it with the Hero Arts February Challenge theme of "Love and Friendship" in mind. 

Today's card features some of my favorite new Hero Arts stamps and a color combo that I love: light blue and chocolate brown.  Mmm!

Hero Arts Stamps Used:  CG245 Classic Fabric Design, CG280 My Type (4),

CG138 Ledger, F2674 Long Writing Background

Other Materials Used:  Chocolate brown ink, Soft Pool ink, Broken China and Antique Linen

distress inks, black eyelets,  pop dots, Crop-A-Dile corner chomper

Thanks for stopping by...more cards tomorrow!
Judy

Love and Laughter ~ OWH "Spring Thaw" Card Challenge

Hello, friends!  Happy Valentine's Day! 

Here are two more cards for the Operation Write Home "Spring Thaw" Card Challenge;  I also made them for the Hero Arts February "Love and Friendship" challenge.

I love the new Clear Design "Blossom Art" set and couldn't wait to emboss one of these flowers on vellum.  I colored the back using light blue and beige Marvy markers...I love the soft effect!  I also love the mix of Soft Pool ink with Antique Linen distress ink...ahhh. 

Hero Arts Stamps Used:   CG245 Classic Fabric Design, CG125 Friend Definition,

CL495 Blossom Art, CL380 Truly Appreciated

The next card is a simple one-layer card using a classic flower stamp that I can never get enough of!  I love all the "real flowers" stamps by Hero Arts. 

Hero Arts Stamps Used:  CL156 Treasure the Moments, H3258 Real Dill

Well, that does it for today.  Enjoy your Valentine's Day!
Judy

Thinking of You - OWH "Spring Thaw" Card Drive

Hello, friends!  I have had a busy weekend making cards for the Operation Write Home "Spring Thaw" Card Challenge...check out the information here.  This is one of many cards I made, using all Hero Arts stamps and a bunch of Tim Holtz distress inks.  Yum! 

Hero Arts Stamps Used:  S5316 Silhouette Grass, CG125 Friend Definition, CL140 Thinking of You
Other Materials Used: Spellbinders Shapeabilities Fancy Tags, Tim Holtz distress inks,

MS butterfly punch, Inkssentials white pen, Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper

Thanks so much for stopping by!
More cards tomorrow,
Judy

"Kissing" Valentine Birthday Card

Hello, friends!  Today's post is a card that I made for my Mother's birthday -- on Valentine's Day.  I used the "kissing" technique, one of the contest themes at the Hero Arts blog this month.  Check out their monthly contest here.

For this card, I cut a white card using Spellbinders Nestsabilities Labels 8.  I inked the Classic Fabric Design stamp (CG245) using Soft Rose shadow ink, then "kissed it" against the Friend Definition (CG125) which I had inked with Punch chalk ink.  The background you see here is the result.  I stamped the sentiment from the Birthday Messages set (CL139) in Punch chalk ink and used the Spellbinders Shapeabilities Fancy Tags to make the label; I masked it and used Tim Holtz Spun Sugar distress ink to add some shading.  I also shaded the edge of the card with Tim Holtz Weathered Wood distress ink.  Finally, I glued down a strip of patterned paper (punched with a Martha Stewart border punch), a pink ribbon, and Prima flowers with a pink brad as a final touch.

Hero Arts Stamps Used:  (CG245) Classic Fabric Design;

(CG125) Friend Definition;  (CL139) Birthday Messages.

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Have a great day,

Judy

90-Minute Scramble Card

Hello, friends!  Just a quick post to share a card I made for a 90-Minute Scramble Challenge over at Hero Arts.  The theme was to make a birthday card using more than one fold in the card.  I made a birthday card using the "gate fold."  After I cut and folded the card stock, I randomly stamped images from the "Birthday Messages" clear set using Soft Rose shadow ink and added some Spun Sugar distress ink around the edges.  I stamped the sentiment using Punch chalk ink, then stamped the friend definition over it using the Soft Rose shadow ink.  I have a stash of water-colored butterflies, so I pulled one out and adhered it with a glue dot, drew the antennae, bent the wings up, and added some black gems for the body.     

Hero Arts Stamps Used:  (F2361) Smiles & Laughter, (E5388) Traditional Butterfly,

(CL139) Birthday Messages, (CG125) Friend Definition

I was inspired to use these colors by a beautiful plant I received yesterday (as a thank you for helping with my daughters' Broadway Kids show).  These flowers really brought some some much-needed cheer considering the ground outside is still covered in snow.  I can't wait until spring!  Here are pictures of the card along with my inspiration:

                    

Well, that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by...take good care!

Judy