Sketch #219

It's a great day to play with paper, don't you think?? (OK, that's just about every day) Operation Write Home knows how to inspire every single time with weekly sketches. I'm playing along before the week gets away from me.

Sketches are the best. I matched EVERY measurement and didn't go all "make it my own". That's how to get it done. ENJOY!!!

180 at OWH

It's a great day to do an Operation Write Home card sketch. This morning I determined that I would make the newest sketch no matter what!! Thankfully the designers over there never disappoint. Every time I determine to give the sketch a try the result is great. Here you go ...

 

And here's the sketch. There are a few changes on my part but overall I stuck with the idea. Thank you Stars and Stamps!! To see what others have done with the same sketch click here --> #180

 

OWH Sketch #168

Would you believe me if I told you I made this card in less than 10 minutes?? It's absolutely the truth. When you have a sketch with precise measurement the process is minimal. The Chantilly paper pack and matching elements were all sitting on my desk from something I made earlier. Soooooo ... I just grabbed a couple of things & stuck them together.

Here you go ... fast and simple and lovely.

Here's the sketch

Click over to Operation Write Home to see what other people are doing with the exact same sketch. It's amazing to see how each card is different, even though the sketch is the same.

Operation Color Dare Garden

This is no April Fool's Joke!!! This card is connected to three different challenges today. That's where the silly title for this blog comes from.

The only way to make a successful project on a Monday is to have a lot of help. This card involved very little thinking. (Thinking always slows you down!!!) I just followed the rules of each of the blog challenges. The layout was designed by Operation Write Home. The Colors were chosen by Color My Heart. AND the elements were narrowed down by the BRAND NEW Rose Blossom Cricut challenge blog. I'm soooooo excited about this new addition.

I'm not usually the pushy sort, but I really wanted to be the first ever in all of history to post to the Rose Blossom Garden Challenge blog. Between every load of laundry I checked in today to see if I was going to be able to do it. When it was past lunch time I started getting nervous BUT ... yippee skippy ... I'm the first. It's totally ok if I'm not the best. That might have required some thinking. Instead of fussing over all of the possibilities I just jumped in and started cutting Cricut Artiste shapes using just one button. 

I hope you love the results as much as I do.

Here are all of my helpers ... Click on the name underneath each photo to see what other people are creating with the same elements. 

Cricut Challenge

Color Dare

Operation Write Home

OWH Sketch #164

Today I had to shovel snow. Did I make a cup of hot chocolate when I came in? NOPE ... I beelined it to my scraps of paper and made this card. Lately I've missed a few Operations Write Home sketch challenges. The sketches are always awesome but my timing just doesn't work out. After a girl shovels snow she doesn't care about her responsibilities so much. She just wants to do something fun and happy. TA!! DA!! 

Since the paper has a distressed look I used the swiping technique on my stamp.

Here's the sketch ... what will you make with it? I'll be watching for you over at OWH!!!

OWH Sketch # 158

Do you ever have one of those days??  Today I'm having one ... EVERYTHING has just fallen into place today in my creative life. It's just one of those amazingly sunny days. (not literally ... so cold and dreary today I can't even describe it) A HUGE thank you goes out to Operation Write Home. Another sketch challenge to the rescue. Where would I be without you??

I needed just one  more idea for some cards I'm making with the new CLAIRE paper pack from CTMH. The goal was to make a birthday card. Oh well, I rarely reach my goals without some adjustments.
Here's the sketch. It's flipped diagonally. If you aren't an orange lover I get it, but on chilly winter days this bright stuff can really bring a smile to your face. Thank you for stopping by for a peek. 

OWH Sketch 155

I love EVERY Operation Write Home Sketch. Each time I just follow along they make me look like a genius. Here I go cutting into some of my CTMH samples of the Chantilly paper pack ... available to order on February 1st. To see what everyone else made with this exact same sketch click here ... Operation Write Home

 

Thanks for looking!!

OWH Sketch 154

After a great week of sharing paper projects with my most excellent customers I got just a few minutes to sneak away with my box of new CTMH products. A new book will be released on February 1st, but as a consultant I get to order early!! woot!! woot!!

The best thing to do when creative time isn't on your side is to pick a challenge and go with it. One of my favorites is the Operation Write Home sketch challenge. There's nothing like the last minute to hop into a challenge. Another sketch will be posted tomorrow. I love the results ... so easy.

Can't wait to see what I can make with tomorrow's sketch.

Color Dare #18

It's difficult to talk about but ... my creativity seems to have left the building. If it was only for a few days I wouldn't mention it. BUT it's been weeks ... pressing on toward months. It's a bit unsettling. 

Thank you to two of my favorite challenge blogs. I've used Color My Heart  (www.colormyheartcolordare.blogspot.com) combined with the sketch from Operation Write Home (http://operationwritehome.org). Thank you to both. These blogs are like creative therapy. My creative muscle gets a little workout every time I do these. 

Eventually I plan to be back to full strength. In the meantime thank you for your patience!

Here's another bit of copying. I got this adorable birthday card from my dear friend Bonnie Seeman. (She gave me permission to show her card)

I used the color dare colors and Bonnie's design to put this card together. 

Anything is Possible

Now that I'm back from the Close To My Heart convention, I'm cutting and gluing again.

OK ... I wasn't physically at the convention but my heart was there!!  It was actually fun to stay home and watch the updates roll in with my CTMH Facebook friends. 

Of course, that's called "making the most of things".  Even when the BEST isn't happening we should always be looking for something spectacular.  They say "bloom where you are planted". TRUE.

  I like to bloom AND grow. This week I tried a color combination that would have been easy for me to reject. It didn't really inspire me at first, but I pressed through and I love the results. What do you think?

A better way to state this sentiment is  ...  Luke 1:37   For nothing is impossible with God.

It's so exciting to see all that you can do with paper, but nothing comes close to actually doing it!!  I turned to my favorite new form of inspiration ... challenge blogs. I'm REALLY into using scraps these days so this sketch from Operation Write Home was perfect. In order to step outside of my box I tried a color challenge too. There are so many, but the one at CR84FN58 caught my eye. NOT because it was my favorite colors, but it really was waaaaaaay outside of my color box.

Mission Accomplished

At the beginning of June I set out to feature a different Close To My Heart stamp set every day in honor of Stampaganza. I missed one day ... but I'm ok with it because on some days I featured more than one stamp set. I'm not gonna lie. This wasn't easy. I was tempted to call it quits.  BUT today I'm here to finish strong. I like to think of this last post as the Grand Finale ... like when you go to a fireworks show. I used Remarkable Wreath to make 8 different cards. This is my first time using it. It was fun to try out a variety of combos. AND I used every stamp in the set except the little bow.  I'd rather use real bows.

I used this week's Operation Write Home sketch (with a bit of a diversion on the ribbon - that's how I roll). Since CTMH paper is double sided this was the perfect sketch. I cut a base piece the size of the card & then sliced an inch off of the side and turned it over. The cutting and pasting part of these cards was a snap. I did them all with scraps that I have left from other projects. It seems to me that every card can be made from scraps since the canvas is so small.

The stamping didn't turn out to be mass produced because I was having so much time mixing and matching the colors and the stamps for a wide variety of effects. I really do love how every single wreath turned out. It makes me want to decorate my front door.

Today is the last day to buy two stamps set and get one free. You have until midnight tonight to shop on my website ... www.shellynemitz.ctmh.com. Another great promotion starts on July 1st. 

Stamp Of The Month - June

I can't let June get past me without making something from "Life is Tweet", the Stamp Of The Month. Every single month Close To My Heart offers a stamp set that's only available for one month. You can purchase it full price OR get it for only $5 with a $50 order. It's a great way to plan your purchases. This month's set is adorable. AND I paired it with this week's sketch from Operation Write Home.

I'm always a little intimidated to post a SOTM creation. There's an amazing group of CTMH consultants out there who feature the SOTM each and every month. Start here to see what they've done for June.

Things with Wings

The Universal Backgrounds stamp set is a great way to take plain card stock and make your own patterned paper. There are four different background stamps. Each card below represents a different stamp.

MUSIC

WOOD GRAIN

SCREEN DOOR (that's what I think it looks like)

WORDS

Taking on color dare #3 at Color My Heart AND also doing the mid-week throw down with Operation Write Home.  AND showing you the Universal Backgrounds stamp set from Close To My Heart. The cards design is also from CTMH ... it's called GEOMETRIC from the Wishes book.

It helps to have some guidelines. Some days, the more guidelines the better. I had a hard time sticking strictly to the color dare rules. (I hope I'm not in trouble.) BUT I'm really happy with how it all turned out.

STAMPAGANZAAAAAAAAA!!

"Stampaganza" is what Close To My Heart calls a really great offer to give you a FREE stamp set for every two sets you buy. This event is going on every day in June.

Did you see the word FREE? In addition to the CTMH offer I'm giving away 3 packs of 10 cards. That's something else FREE!! You could be the winner!! To celebrate Stampaganza I'll be featuring a different CTMH stamp set each day this month. In order to do that I'll be making LOADS of cards. I'm sure I could put them to good use, but it's fun to share.

Come back to see exactly how you can enter this great drawing. I'm still working out the final details.

The phrase on this card comes from Card Chatter-Sympathy
(not the Angel Sent set featured here)

Today the stamp set featured is Angel Sent. If you click on the name you can see the full set on my website. This set is only $6.95 (plus tax & shipping). 

All of these cards were made using this Operation Write Home sketch. Click on the link below to see what they made using the same sketch.

See other cards using this sketch here.

Stickeriffic

In the "good ol' days" before I owned stamp sets I created loads of cards using only stickers and various doo - dads.  It still works. I wanted to make this Operation Write Home sketch quickly to prove that it could be done. Isn't it stickeriffic?