Operation Write Home VCMP - Represent your state

I live on a farm in Missouri. My husband isn't a farmer like his dad was, so my mother-in-law rents our pasture land to a friend. His cattle do the grazing and he keeps fences mended, mows the hay, etc. Another friend is raising soybeans on some of our acreage. I personally think cows represent a large part of our state.  Except around the big cities, you can hardly drive without seeing pasture land or cattle. And, yes, I have looked at the cows in my back yard and I agree they don't have that shade of pink anywhere, but I used artistic license when I colored this cow.

I designed this card with several challenges in mind. The Virtual Card Making Party for Labor Day Weekend had this last challenge: Represent Your State, which I'm doing with this cute cow from Clear Dollar Digi Stamps, "Farm Critters Digital Image."

Paper Playtime suggested the gingham and Quirky Crafts asked for Farm + one recycled item. I took the plastic packaging from my new Tombo adhesive refill, Used a Sharpie to trace a star that I cut on the Cricut, and cut it out to glue over part of the title. I wanted a star to go with the title and it is so easy to see through the plastic star, I will definitely try this again. Sweet Stamps challenge this week has more ideas for using acetate on cards and layouts.

I also altered the title in Photoshop. I copied Udderly Terrific and hit "New" document/image. I doubled the size of the width suggested in the "New" drop down menu. Then I pasted Udderly Terrific and moved it to the right with the pointer. I copied "You're" from another sentiment in that set, pasted it and moved it to the left with the pointer. I went to Layers and Flattened the layers so I could save it as a jpg to print.

I used the bonus sketch for this week at Operation Write Home. Then I added two die cut scalloped circles - 3/25" and 3.5" to highlight the main image.

 

I'm sharing this card at the following challenges:

Stars and Stamps Operation Write Home - Bonus Sketch

No Matter Which Challenge #2 - Die Cuts and Punches

Paper Playtime Challenge #83 - Gingham and Punches

Quirky Crafts challenge #18 - Recycling on the Farm

Operation Write Home Virtual Card Making Party final challenge - home sweet home (Missouri)

Sweet Stamps Challenge #81 - Acetate

 

 

5.5" x 4.25" Card Recipe:

Paper - Close To My Heart retired gingham, Black and White Daisy cardstock; The Paper Studio "Simple Elegance"

Digital Images - Clear Dollar Stamps  "Farm Critters Digital Image."

Markers - CTMH Cotton Candy Light Alcohol Marker; Copics N00, N02, N04 (grays)

Accents - unknown daisy chain ribbon from my stash; clear star made from "trash"

Tools - printer, Cricut Art Philosophy (scalloped circles, star), 3" circle punch; Adobe Photoshop, Sharpie permanent black marker, acetate cover packaging from Tombow adhesive refill

 



 

Mojo Monday #252 with Cricut Artiste and Clementine

I love to make cards to say the important things to friends in a memorable way. Maybe because I was a teacher or the fact that I'm a Christian, I've always believed we should see the best in a person and encourage them to be the best they can be. The sentiment I chose to say this comes with the new Cricut Artiste cartridge. It has three D-sized stamp sets and 3 sets of matching chipboard shapes. You can cut an image - the stamp set tells which page and what size to cut it. Then you can stamp it and even mount it on the chipboard for added dimension if desired. Of course, with 700 images, there's not chipboard for every shape. But I used three shapes - the star and two different kinds of circles for this week's Mojo Monday challenge sketch.

I thought the Clementine paper reminded me of the County Fair my daughter would enter each summer, so I chose the burlap ribbon and the circle elements she used to get on her blue ribbons. I distressed some of the papers with my new Saddle ink and left the star and larger circle with their light edge for contrast. The large flower was cut from the patterned paper. I used

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Mojo Monday #252 Round or Square challenge - 5" Square
Paper Playtime Challenge #80 - Anything Goes
The Paper Players Challenge #105 - Tic Tac Toe - I did circles, blue, floral (but also did dry embossing, scalloped punch, and ribbon)

5" Square Card Recipe:
Paper - Close To My Heart - "Clementine" paper pack, Twilight, Colonial White cardstock
Stamps - Cricut Artiste set
Inks - CTMH Saddle, Creme Brulee, Sorbet
Accents - CTMH retired button, Sorbet waxy flax, Burlap Ribbon
Tools - CTMH Cricut Artiste,  scalloped punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder, pop dots

 

Lily Friendship Card for Mojo Monday 243

When I was teaching, most of my friends were fellow employees in my school or somewhere in our large district. I was afraid that when I retired I would no longer have as many friends because I live on a farm 30 miles away. How surprised I am that my retirement for the last six years has actually brought me more friends despite "isolation." Maybe there was more time to cultivate friendships or maybe it's because some of my friends also retired and shared the same interests that I have.

But one thing is certain. As we get older, we stay younger if we maintain social interactions.  I'm still friends with the "girls" from my high school even though we live an hour or more apart.  I grew up with the Scripture admonition that "a man who hath friends must show himself friendly." The challenge to make friendship cards at Paper Playtime also inspired me to keep in touch with a friend I don't see often. The card I made today is "mail friendly" with only slight dimension so that it can travel safely in the mail.

This is the last Mojo Monday challenge of the month, so it's either a circle or square. Here's sketch #243.

I was attracted to the color palette at CR84FN Color Challenge for this card.

 I used an image I won in a challenge called Lily Circle from Floppy Latte's Digital Designs from Stitchy Bear Stamps. I met my husband when I worked one summer at Lily Industries where he was a chemist, so I have this thing about lilies.

My square card is lightly embossed with large dots. I used a lavender strip from a scrap I've had for a long time from Basic Grey "Oh, Baby." I followed the dots on the green banner strip to cut the triangle shape. I hadn't thought of doing that before, but it works. The lily was colored with Copic markers. The sentiment is matted with gray and the baker's twine around the green banner is also gray, although the poor lighting in my house at night always seems to distort some colors. 

Here are the challenges that inspired me:

CR84FN Color Challenge #55 - lavender, celery, & gray

I Brake 4 Challenges - I Brake 4 Florals

Mojo Monday #243 Sketch

Paper Playtime Challenge #75 - Say It With Sentiments - Friendship Card

Wishcraft: Waste Not Wednesday Week #20 - use up neglected or unused stash (BG Oh, Baby paper!)

5.5" Square Friendship Card Recipe:

Paper - Basic Grey "Oh, Baby" (girl); Close To My Heart "Dotty For You," Gray Wool, White Daisy Cardstock

Stamps - Verve "Hope Blooms"

Digital image - Floppy Latte's Digital Designs "Lily Circle" at Stitchy Bear Stamps

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Other - Copic markers, Wilton doily, CTMH Baker's Twine Neutral Collection

May God bless you richly with friends and show you new ways to be a friend!

iSpy Sketches #16 - You're One in a Million

Two people who are dear to me just ended relationships and I've been praying for them not to hurt so much and to know how valuable they are. The sentiment I chose for my card has double meaning. They are truly each "One in a million," but I also hope they'll meet that special "One in a Million Guy" that God has for them. Love to Create Challenge #16 is to make your card inspired by a song. So I'm using Hannah Montana's song titled "One in a Million." Here are the last lyrics:

They say that good things take time
But really great things happen
In the blink of an eye

Thought the chances to meet somebody
Like you were a million to one
I cannot believe it, you're one in a million, yeah

One in a million, yeah
You're one in a million.

(That's exactly how I have felt about my hubby ever since I met him! I hope the same for my friends!)

Here's a sketch from iSpy Sketches that I used.

I love this Basic Grey "Hello Luscious" paper. I love the bright, tropical flower colors. For the aqua semicircle shape, I simply traced half of a spool of ribbon. I made an accordian flower for my center circle accent by scoring a 1 x 11 piece of cardstock every 1/4." After I folded it accordian style, I overlapped one inch of it using glue. Then I attached it to the magenta heart circle with a Gluber, adding a flower sparkle for the center.

I'm adding this to the following challenges:
Basic Grey Challenge #68 - Anything Goes using Basic Grey
iSpy Sketches #16
Love to Create Challenge #16 - Song Inspired
Paper Playtime Challenge #75 - Say It With Sentiments - Friendship Card
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge #80 - Anything Goes

5" x 6.5" Friendship Card Recipe:
Paper - Basic Grey "Hello Luscious;" Close To My Heart Sunkiss Yellow, Sweet Leaf, White Daisy cardstock
Stamp - My Favorite Things
Ink - CTMH Lagoon
Accents - CTMH retired flower sparkle; Sizzix embossing folder "Tropical Flourishes;" Spellbinders Nestabilities Heart Circles