Final Christmas Shipment to OWH

 

Here's the last shipment of Christmas Cards to Operation Write Home for 2013.  AND, I'll beat the early deadline of October 15th... woo hoo!!  I will continue with the challenge to make five Christmas cards a month though, but the rest will be for my personal stash.  This would probably be a great time to start a tradition for me and Ernie to send Christmas cards to all our friends.  You know, all two of them.  JUST KIDDING!!  Are you my friend?



Make it five more...

 

Although this is an October post, I can assure you this was finished before midnight last night.  JUST under the wire of my challenge to make five Christmas cards a month.  And yes, there are five...

 

Supplies used...

• Patterned Paper from the K&Company 12" x 12" Yuletide pad
• Stampin' Up Old Olive and Very Vanilla Paper
• Recollections Speckled Red Paper
• Mistletoe Assortment from Close to my Heart
• Offray Beige ribbon 



School colors...

 

I spent two weeks at the end of August getting Zack set-up and acclimated at his college, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL.  He asked that I make him a few thank you cards to send to various people for the gifts and scholarships he received.  He asked that I use the colors of his high school; red and black AND the colors of his college; blue and gold.  The first challenge of the Virtual Card Making Party this past weekend with Operation Write Home just seemed to tie in so well with his request.  I even thought they were semi-masculine.  I hope he likes them.  These will go in his first Care package from home...



Christmas in August

 

I looked at the calendar and thought, "I've got plenty of time..." until I remembered we're leaving Saturday to take Zack off to college.  When I return, it'll be September... yikes!  No time, no time, no time.  So here is my contribution to the Make Five Christmas Cards a Month challenge. CASE'd from a card I saw on Pinterest, I made seven of these...

Supplies used...

• Patterned Paper from the K&Company 12" x 12" Susan Winget pad
• Stampin' Up Old Olive and Very Vanilla Paper
• Recollections Speckled Red Paper
• Chipboard Greetings from K&Company Christmas Cheer Chipbox
• Two tone ribbon
• Dimensionals

First shipment from New Jersey

 

Of course she had to help!  That's what Wuzya's do...

 

Other than the five Christmas Cards from the previous post, the rest of these were made in Massachusetts before moving.  As I'm organizing my studio, I collected random cards from this stash here or that stash there and got them ready for my first shipment from New Jersey.



Back in the saddle for Christmas...

 

 

I missed May and June for the "Make Five Christmas Cards a Month" Challenge due to the major events I had going on in my life.  I was going to blow off July too and use the excuse that I'm just not ready since the month was quickly escaping me anyway.  SO, I'm proud that the "Just do it!" attitude took over this afternoon... GO MOJO!!!

 

Supplies used...

• Patterned Paper from the K&Company 12" x 12" Yuletide pad
• Neenah Desert Storm Background Paper
• Chipboard Greetings from K&Company Christmas Cheer Chipbox
• Lace and Metallic Ribbon
• Dimensionals

Organizing stamps...

 

Since moving to New Jersey and my new studio, I have been diligently working hard to get it set up as my sanctuary.  I was so delighted with this organization idea, I just had to share.  Back in my sardine can in Massachusetts, I had wanted something where I could "see" my wood stamps.  Space restraints made that impossible and they lived in a box, under my bed. 

And as we all know... outta sight, outta mind!

 

While shopping for something else at Loew's I spotted this expandable Shelf Organizer.  I did a double take as my mind was spinning and the wheels were turning.  It's wider than a spice organizer (I think it's meant for cans in your pantry), the depth of the shelf is 3.6".  Perfect, perfect, perfect to store many stamps on one shelf!

 

Because this shelf is in a cabinet with a glass door, I wanted to raise it up about two inches, so it could be seen when the door is closed.  I got one of the many empty moving boxes and cut a perfect sized base.  I even used my score tool to make the edges crisp for when I folded it over!  I then covered it with a pretty wrapping paper I found in the attic...

 

I am so delighted with this!  But the true test will be, does seeing it actually get these stamps used?  Only time will tell!  And I'll put my money on "YES!" ...