Military Appreciation: donate hand-made cards to OWH

Last October and again this weekend I donated some quick and easy (A2-size) cards to be sent to one of OWH's shippers. See their website for complete list of rules, packing slips, etc= http://www.operationwritehome.org

The main thing to remember when making cards for the military to sign and send back home to the States is NOT TO USE GLITTER. Even small flecks can be reflective and we do not want to put them in danger.

Also for the inside layouts of cards, OWH prefers that there is limited design in order for them to have space to write their loved ones. Include liner papers, especially if cardstock/card base is dark, so that pencil or ink will show.

Also remember to include a check of donation to cover mailing costs to get cards shipped overseas. The military can send items home to US free, so the least we can do is provide them with creative cards to keep communication going to their family and loved ones.

I've also donated hand-made cards to VA hospitals here in the US to be distributed to their patients. And for the past 2 years on September 11th, I mail military-theme thank you post

cards to my relatives and former high school classmates that have had military service and/or community service (like mayor, fire depts, paramedic).

paper crafting topic= quick & easy cards using gift wrap

Yes!, gift wrap. Just like with pattern papers, you want to look for great graphics and colors. Depending on the pattern/graphics, it may be best to use a section for the background. Others might have a stand-alone motif (paisley, flower, bird, etc) that would look great as a focal piece after you have fussy-cut it out away from the rest of the design.

(see photos for recent examples)

Paper crafting topic= Scrapbook photos

Photo fun: On a one-page layout I've used 3 different techniques on each featured photo. The photos are of the lilac bush in my back yard taken last May. The 3 techniques used were: (1)decorative scissor edging, (2)stencil template traced for scalloped shape, and (3)photo masked/covered by floral cut-outs and vine/scroll punching.

From start-to-finish, this layout only took about 30 minutes because I did the writing by hand rather than using stickers, stenciling, or typing.

see photo

Paper crafting topic: Decor and/or gift items

WRAPS! Okay--the food industry introduced us to wraps a few years ago and guess what! Wraps are now one of the hot trends in paper crafting. At Christmas-time, my nieces and nephews got specially-decorated jumbo-size candy bars. (see photos)

I recently created special wraps to go around glass candle holders. I planned for them to either be un-tied (ribbon threaded through a paper strip like a belt for an outfit) or slid-off. (see photos)

The idea is very adaptable. Foodies are using wraps around paper liners of muffins and cupcakes. What can you wrap?

Paper crafting topic: bookmarks and tags

Size and shape and maybe usage is what separates a bookmark from a tag. Lately I've been making my own 'base' tag or mark from manila file folders or cardstock. I've got several examples to use for shape/size patterns.

Sometimes I will round the corners or use decorative scissors around the sides or sometimes just at the bottom end. Occasionally I'll use a stencil template to give the bottom a creative touch.

Inking the edges also gives distinction and can help reinforce your selected color palette.

Here are some of my recent attempts:

layered embellishments

For many of my holiday cards I used text, paper or cardstock to cut out different sizes of stars to create my own "starflowers". On some of them I took time to ink the edges which adds interest and dimension. I also try to vary the points/rays of the stars as I put the layers on the brads which helps with the fullness effect of the embellishment.