OWH Bunny Hop

Welcome to another stop on Operation Write Home's Bunny Hop blog hop. There are TONS of stops on the hop, but click the blog hop logo above if you would like to start at the beginning. I discovered OWH two years ago on a Memorial Day blog hop (back when they were Cards for Heroes) and have enjoyed making cards for heroes ever since. My brother was one of them in Afghanistan in 2002 and I don't even remember sending him mail. (I was a senior in college, had just met my now husband, but STILL it is NO excuse!) This is my way of making sure today's heroes and families can keep in touch with each other during this difficult time.


I made a spring card with some beautiful flowered paper. I can't wait for this snow to melt so the flowers can bloom! While looking for a sentiment, this one seemed just right to send to a love one at home. I haven't been making cards enough lately to send a sizeable package so I tend to do birthday and generic thinking of you cards. When the box is full it gets sent! But if you are making holiday specific cards don't forget the deadlines: March 18th for Easter, and March 31st for Mother's Day.

One thing we were asked to do for this post was share a link to something we find helpful on the OWH website. I hadn't checked out the site since it was made over months ago (shame on me again) and enjoyed looking around in preparation for the hop. I love mail, I love cards, I worked at a card store for 13 years and worked in the mailroom all 4 years of college. It makes sense that one place I always check is The Mailroom! Its a great stop to see if shippers have specific needs, get addresses, and check deadlines. Last night I watched a YouTube video "The OWH Mailroom" which is great for visual learners, like myself. It is entertaining, teaches the proper 'tuck' technique, and has some good reminders of all the work shippers do and how we can help. Check it out, it is a great video!

Blog Candy.....I've been cleaning my stamping area since July. Okay, I started cleaning and kind of gave up. When I want to work on something I fill a basket with supplies, carry it upstairs, create, and then dump the supplies. Not a good system. But either way I have a lot of unloved supplies and am going to put together a package with ribbon, paper, possibly some hardward. Who knows what will make its way into the goodie bag! Just leave a comment to be entered, and I will announce a winner here next Saturday March 12th!

Your next stop on this Bunny hop is The Stamp Addict.


Happy Hopping,

OWH Memorial Day bloghop with an Unscripted Challenge

What a beautiful day we have here in NH and I'm so happy to up with the sun and ready to hop a bit for the Operation Write Home Memorial Day blog hop! You should've arrived here from Pat but if you need to start at the top of the hop, then click on the banner and you'll get back to me soon.


My red, white and blue missing you card for today is fairly simple. I used today's Unscripted Sketch, though I forgot a beautiful stars and stripe ribbon behind my button bear...oops! But the sketches are unscripted, so that's okay! I love my star brads, perfect for anything OWH.

I discovered OWH last year (though they were Cards for Heroes then) on the Memorial Day blog hop and sent in my first cards by the end of the summer. I think this is my third hop now and it's so much fun. I love to make cards for Heroes to send home because I know my mother would've loved one from my brother when he was in Afghanistan a few years ago. I love stopping by the Facebook fan page to see what kind of encouraging comments there are for crafters and the thanks that has been left by heroes and by those they love. What a wonderful way to thank those who are serving. So THANK YOU to all those who are serving, or have served. And for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, take time to remember them this weekend.

My tip for making cards for OWH is DON'T WORRY! They can have some bumps and lumps so embellish 'em, they can be for just about any occasion (birthday, thinking of you, love, missing you, etc), and they are always appreciated. Head over to the Mailroom for tips and to get shipping addresses. And don't feel you need a full box before you can send cards in, get a small padded envelope and fill that up. Warning...you will want to send more! Shipping adds up for OWH so I always try to include a donation with my cards, even if its just $1 or $5. Every little bit helps!


I've got a challenge with some candy in honor of this weekend's hop.



The prize: a SU Sale-a-bration set (from last year I think) Polka Dot Punches. Due to shipping costs, US only please. Thanks!
Now it's time to continue on the hop by heading over to Betty at Simply Scrapping.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and don't forget to say thank you to those you know who serve and anyone you may see in uniform this weekend!

Smiles,

Like no "udder"

Just a quick card to share tonight...YAY! I haven't played along with a OWH Stars & Stamps sketch in awhile and I thought the slanted panel might be just the right challenge for me. I also combined it with the "wild thing" challenge, though I'm not sure how wild a cow is!

I love this old SU set "Very Punny" and don't find myself using it as often as I should. I love a good punny joke...this is just the kind of card my dad would've sent me if he had ever been stationed overseas, and had access to OWH cards of course!

There's still time to enter for my birthday blog candy too, because I'll be gone all day tomorrow--it's the annual drive to and from Phili in a day! Worth it to see Aunt Greta, who's just a few months from being 107! So since I'll be gone early (ugh, before 5) and back late, I'll pick a winner on Friday. Just leave a comment HERE to be entered!

Smiles,

Happy Easter!

Good morning and Happy Easter! I'm off to see family so this will be quick, but I have another sketch posted on the Stars and Stamps blog for OWH. Head on over to see it and make a card to share. Here's the card I made:

I'm not always good at masculine cards but this one came together fabuously. Hope you have a wonderful day and find time to play this week!

Smiles,

Back to it with a HOP in my step!

What an exciting day....I'm back to blogging, I've got a card to share and this is one of the stops on the OWH Stars and Stamps blog hop! If you didn't come by way of Lee you can stop at the top of the hop over at Stars and Stamps.

For today's springy card I went with one of my favorite sentiments (seems like it can be used for just about anything, and I'm sure the heroes are always dreaming of home or someone there!) with this week's sketch at Unscripted Sketches. Check it out, play along to make a card for a hero and maybe you'll be picked for our first top 3 this week!!! There's a piggyback challenge to use a paint chip but I left that out because I didn't have any cheerful colors in my stash.

I happened upon Operation Write Home (formerly Cards for Heroes) last year with the Memorial Day blog hop and have been enjoying making and sending cards ever since. When my brother was stationed in Afghanistan I don't know that I sent him a single card. I'd just met my husband and was student teaching, but no excuses! So that's a bit of why I like to make cards, but all the stories that are shared on the Facebook page and the inpiration from fellow cards makers at Stars and Stamps keep me inspired.

I don't have anything else to share today (I'm crocheting like a mad woman in addition to hopping to a few hundred places) so it's time to head to the next stop on the hop, Susie. She's got some adorable cards and CANDY!!! When you're all done hopping I hope you'll find time to play along at Unscripted Sketches too.

Smiles,

Stars and Stamps Sketch

Good morning! Today I'm excited to share with you that I've created a sketch for the Stars and Stamp blog (Operation Write Home's Blogger's Circle). Here is the card I created for S&S Sketch challenge 5:

Having never created a sketch before, I went somewhat simple. Actually I went backwards and created a card first, then drew the sketch. My goal was to use a set amount of paper (Two pieces Garden Green, one piece Soft Suede, one piece white, one piece 6x6 dsp in Garden Green and eight A2 card bases) and use it up to make eight cards. Here's what I started with:

And here's the paper cut up and ready to go:

I punched word windows with Happy Birthday and Thanks sentiments in Chocolate Chip or Garden Green Ink. The green was cut to 4 x 5 1/4" and suede is 4 x 2 1/2" and the dsp is 1 1/2 x 2 1/2". With SU's Simply Said stamp set I added a bit of background to a few cards, and added ribbon to a few.

These were also created before I could find the floor or table in my craft area, so it was necessary to keep it simple. Now that I'm back to a sense of order I'd probably emboss a few of the suede or green panels. Either way these cards are off to OWH for some heroes to keep in touch with home.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you find time to give my sketch a try. Flip it, rotate it, do whatever it takes to make it work. Then link it up HERE at Stars and Stamps--I can't wait to see what you create!

Smiles,

OWH Hop

Good morning! Every Saturday I have my Unscripted Sketches post but today is special because it's also a stop on the hop for the Operation Write Home Veteran's Day blog hop. Whether your here for the sketch or the hop I hope you'll take time to check out my card and leave some love.

If you want to do the whole hop, be sure to start at the TOP OF THE HOP!

This week's sketch is a great one that I'll use again, whether for a card or a layout:









I had fun with the sketch making a retro Christmas card that will be an Any Hero card. While it's past the deadline to send in Christmas cards to OWH for heroes to write home, you can still write a message to a soldier so they get a holiday greeting.

I'm hoping this will brighten their day with all those shiny embossed ornaments, and a crazy tree! Be sure to head to Unscripted Sketches to see all the rest of the DT's amazing work and play along yourself, but there's lots more hopping to do so you may just want to bookmark it. You can also visit the DT by clicking on their names on my sidebar -------------> This week US is also welcomeing Heather to the team so show her some love while you're at it.

The next stop on the hop is Kay so head on over to see what she's got in store for you. Her cards are beautiful and she's got a great love for all the military in her heart so I can't wait to hop there myself. I also hear there's TONS of candy on this hop so I better get to it.....

Smiles,