Operation Write Home Finishing Strong Blog Hop with Patriotic Birthday Card Tutorial featuring Gerda Steiner Designs

Hello crafty friends! Today I'm here with the Operation Write Home Finishing Strong Memorial Day Blog Hop! The purpose of today's hop is to bring awareness to the end of Operation Write Home's mission. Operation Write Home, a charity that has supported heroes with handmade cards since 2007, will be closing later this year. All cards need to be sent in by August 1st, so I’m helping to get the word out!

My plan is to keep this post short as requested by Operation Write Home. The video tutorial for this patriotic birthday card featuring Gerda Steiner Designs clear stamps and is under 6 minutes. If you're interested in video card tutorials but don't have time during the hop feel free to subscribe to my JessCrafts channel and check back later. 

I've loved being a part of Operation Write Home but its closing is actually such good news as it means more and more of our military personnel are now home with their families. Thank you to all those who are or have served.

Newton's Nook Designs Inky Paws May Color Challenge

Hello crafty friends! Today I have a card for the latest Newton's Nook Designs Inky Paws challenge. This month is a very pretty spring color combination. I find one of the easiest ways to do a color challenge is with some solid stamping. So I pulled out my Newton's Nook Fanciful Florals and my Hero Arts Shadow Ink Cubes and created this asymmetrical design. The ink colors are Tide Pool, Pale Tomato, and Soft Cantaloupe. 

In order to create a smooth finish to the stamping and establish some white space for the stamping I took a coordinating BG34 Copic marker to create the small strip of cardstock. I also finished it up with some enamel dots. Would you believe these are my first enamel dots?! I resisted for a long time knowing how many gems I bought and never used but the work so well with the clean and simple style I've been using a lot lately that I had to have some. I'm excited to see the other takes on this Inky Paws challenge and hope you will find time to join us!

Newton's Nook Designs May Release: Years of Cheers

Hello crafty friends! Today I have a project featuring Newton's Nook May Release. Today's post is part of a release blog hop where you can enter to win the new stamp set so be sure to read on for details. This wine tag features Years of Cheers which is a great set for celebrations. For more on how to create project and to get the dimensions check out my video below.

 Would you like to win “Years of Cheers”?

This set will be given away to ONE lucky winner! 

Here's how to win: 

Comment on the NND blog and Design Team and Guest blogs (see list below)! The winner will be chosen at random from the collective blog release posts. Make sure to check out each of their blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Thursday May 14th at 9pm CDT to comment -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Friday May 15th.

 Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton's Nook Designs

Taheerah Atchia

Lydia Evans

Larissa Heskett

Samantha Mann

Crafty Math-Chick

Jess Moyer

Stephanie Muzzulin

Danielle Pandeline

Kimberly Rendino

Yukari Yoshioka

Jenn Shurkus - Guest Designer

Newton's Nook Designs May Release: Newton's Sick Day

Hello crafty friends! Today I have a project featuring Newton's Nook May Release. Today's post is part of a release blog hop where you can enter to win the new stamp set so be sure to read on for details. This card features Newton's Sick Day which is a great set for get well cards but also perfect for Nurse Appreciation. I'm hoping our school nurse will love Nurse Newton as much as I do. For more on how to create project check out my video below.

 Would you like to win “Newton's Sick Day”?

This set will be given away to ONE lucky winner! 

Here's how to win: 

Comment on the NND blog and Design Team and Guest blogs (see list below)! The winner will be chosen at random from the collective blog release posts. Make sure to check out each of their blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Thursday May 14th at 9pm CDT to comment -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Friday May 15th.

 Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton's Nook Designs

Taheerah Atchia

Lydia Evans

Larissa Heskett

Samantha Mann

Crafty Math-Chick

Jess Moyer

Stephanie Muzzulin

Danielle Pandeline

Kimberly Rendino

Yukari Yoshioka

Jenn Shurkus - Guest Designer

Creating a Shaker Card with Gerda Steiner Designs Playful Kittens

Hello crafty friends! Today I have a card featuring Gerda Steiner Designs Playful Kitten. The image of the cat pawing at a toy made me think of how fun it would like if he was trying to catch some objects in a shaker card.  So I decided to fussy cut some of the yarn balls and create my own shaker. For more on how I made this card check out my video below.

Challenges:

Pile It On: Cute Animal

Sugar Pea Designs: Anything Goes

Mother's Day Card with Distress Markers and Lawn Fawn Let's Play

Hello crafty friends! Today I have a card using Lawn Fawn's Let's Play and Quinn's ABCs for the Lawnscaping Watercolor challenge. I used Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock for the first time on this card. I am really impressed with how the Distress Markers blend on this cardstock. Other watercolor papers absorbed the ink too much and I didn't get a great blend. Check out the video for more details on this card.

I know a lot of Mother's Day cards feature flowers or butterflies and other classic motifs but my mom loves this set. I'm sure you can guess what her favorite color is. I made a little gift box for her present as well which I'll be sharing later. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Challenges:

Lawnscaping: Watercolor

Ocean Distress Ink Background with Gerda Steiner Designs Heavy Friends

Hello crafty friends! Today's card features a Distress Ink background and the Gerda Steiner Designs Heavy Friends stamp set. I combined some Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Feathers and Salty Ocean and then added some water droplets. Check out the video for more on this background.

I just love the little bit of interest you get by adding glossy accents to the bubbles and the Fineline Applicator makes that so much easier to do.

Challenges:

Shopping Our Stash (Big and Bold: bold colors and big whale)

Marker Pop Challenge 68: Anything Goes

Celebrating National Scrapbooking Day with a Sale at Butterfly Reflections Ink

Hello crafty friends! Today is National Scrapbooking Day and I don't share much scrapbooking but I did want to share a sale from Butterfly Reflections Ink. Today only 5/2/15 there is a sale for 20% off your entire order! Use the code NSD2015. There are also some challenges at the Butterfly Reflections Ink blog including a mood board which I used for my card today. Check out the video for more on this card.

I used the Hero Arts Ombre Ink and Paper Smooches Luminous Spring and Uplifters for today's card. I love how the mass stamping give those butterflies so much impact. Check out the mood board below for more inspiration.

Challenges:

The ABC Challenge: Inspire Us (Show your style)

Newton's Nook Designs May Flower Blog Hop

Hello crafty friends! Today I have a vellum flower card featuring Newton's Nook Designs Beautiful Blossoms and Simply Sentimental for the Newton's Nook Designs May Flowers blog hop. I embossed the flower in white on vellum and then colored the back with Copics to achieve the look of colored vellum. For more on my process check out the video below:

Do you love Newton's Nook flower stamps? Grab them up and any of your other favorites this weekend with FREE SHIPPING* Now through May 3. Use Code: MAYDAY

* Offer good on new retail orders of in-stock items only, while supplies last. 

Expires Midnight CST, May 3, 2015

AND a Giveaway!
Want a chance to win a $10 store credit? We're picking 2 lucky winners!

Here's how to win:

Comment on the NND blog and Design Team blogs (see list below)! Two winners will be chosen at random from the collective blog hop posts. Make sure to check out each of their blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Sunday, May 3rd at 9pm CDT to comment -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Monday, May 4th.

Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton's Nook Designs

Taheerah Atchia

Lydia Evans

Larissa Heskett

Samantha Mann

Crafty Math-Chick

Jess Moyer

Stephanie Muzzulin

Danielle Pandeline

Kimberly Rendino

Yukari Yoshioka

Challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More: Make Your Mark

Cute Card Thursday: Use a sentiment