I'm closing in on the end of the tunnel! After this sketch I will only have 10 more to catch up wth the end of the regular sketches. There are still 27 bonus sketches left as well, but I really AM near the end!

Here is OWH sketch 245:

Yeah, that's an odd one.

First off, that diagonal piece looked rather haphazard so I chose to extend it all the way to the top and bottom. That helped right off the bat. 

I chose a rose sticker for the circle area and then realized that the round needed to be larger. No problem.

I chose a floral and a stripe for the background to reinforce the colors in the sticker. This gave me the colors to use for the round and diagonal bar.

I left a white border around the card and also at the top and bottom of the striped paper. This keeps the palette from being too dark.

No sentiment to make it more versitile.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Ooooh, this is a cute little sketch! I was very happy to catch up to OWH sketch 244.

I was especially glad when I found the bird sticker in my stash. It is a clear vinyl sticker so would not separate from a background well. I chose to apply the bird sticker to white cardstock and then fussy-cut it with a fine white border.

As usual, I keyed the card parts to colors found in the illustration. The best was coming across the block of multicolored patterned stripes. It played well with a strip of dark green on the left and a big banner of orange.

I kept up with the 'theme' of diagonal patterns by using a neutral gray background with white diamonds.

I found a stamped sentiment in my binthat was in just the right color.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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I think sketches like OWH 243 are really 'back to basics'. The centered elements kind of hold everything together while the off center ones add interest.

The key for me was noting where the bordering elements were, setting the stage for the coordination of layers within them.

My starting point, as usual, was the two rose stickers. I chose a coordinating color for their background and an accent strip that mimicked the shapes and color in that background paper.

For the next layer down I chose a lighter version of the orange, in a solid, and a green printed stripe - low key but still pulling color from the stickers.

The final layer, the background, echoes the color and, a little bit, the shape in the most forward layer. This paper has roses in it as well, like the stickers.

I used blaks as the bordering throughout and reinforced this with the stamped sentiment across the blank space of the center layer.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Here's another sketch from OWH, number 242. This one is a bit more original than many which do seem to get repetitive.

With those interesting stripes I kept thinking of a sticker sheet of holographic dragonflies in my stash. Once I pulled those out I decided to go with ALL shiny papers in all the layers.

I started by putting a thin washi tape around the 4 sides of the card base which is the zig-zag border shown.

Then I simply cut all the pieces and put the whole thing together as shown in the sketch.

I added all the dragonflies that I had and needed more. I had some little butterflies on the sheet so I added some of those and used a gold gel pen to add antennae and tails to them.

This was enough to bring it all together. No sentiment makes this versitile enough to use for any occasion.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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A few simple changes actually makes this sketch look more complicated. Here is OWH sketch 241:

I started the changes by deciding to use the same background over the whole card and eliminating the border all around. Then, instead of the three stripes at the top and bottom I chose to do a wide and a skinny where the wide one was border punched with a scallop.

The sticker circle (vellum over a printed background) was backed by a diecut scalloped circle. The colors tie all of the scallops and circles together.

I decided to mount the illustration off center rather than like the sketch and then added a coordinating sticker to the background.

The main illustration is mounted on foam tape.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Pick a sketch, pick a sticker. Everything else just follows those two decisions.

Here is OWH sketch 240:

So I started my selections with the birdhouse and bird stickers. The text backgrounds came next as I thought they made a good foil for the stickers.

I pulled green from the birdhouse for the borders on the text blocks and purple from the birdhouse for the overall card background.

The horizontal band made sense in a different shade of green, still from the birdhouse sticker, and I stamped it with a long sentiment.

I flag-cut the ends of the sentiment and popped the bord block up on foam tape.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Well, not only is the countdown on for completing all these sketches, but now word has been released that OWH will stop accepting card donations on August 1, 2015 and will close operations by the end of the year as they get the last of the cards out to their contacts.

I guess that means I won't have sketches to 'keep up with' after August 1, so it will truly be a closure of this whole project.

But that's a ways down the road so here is OWH sketch 239:

I started with a sticker on white cardstock one of a set of Spellbinders Nestabilities dies that was rectangular in shape and approximately the specified size.

I selected colors from the sticker for all the added pieces and let the white base card show around the edges to tie in with the sticker.

When it came time to add the oval element I could not find anything that really worked. So I replaced that with a diecut word that I had in the scrap bin.

The larger border around the sticker was created by using a craft knife around the outside rim of the die. It gives just about 1/8 inch over the size that it cut by the die itself.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Time for another marathon session of cardmaking on my quest to make a card from every one of the Operation Write Home sketches, in order. With that in mind, here is OWH sketch 238:

I started with the floral bouquet (a vellum sticker) and then picked up the plaid. I tied these two together by placing the floral on a pink background.

Other papers were selected from the scrap bin to carry out the color theme and I even already had a round white bit with a single vellum sticker bloom on it. This matched the other floral element which brought it all together.

The round bloom is popped up on foam tape for emphasis.

Ddd 

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Back to some hands-on artwork for a while. It was time to do my version of the June edition of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2015.

Here is his original:

I'm pretty sure I did not have a single item that Tim used so I went for more of a 'look and feel' interpretation.

I made a distress background to start with using scattered straw and gathered twig distress pads, a craft sheet and a mini-mister. This was dried and then I had to figure out how to get a distressed plaid over it.

I used a custom inked pad with adriondack reinkers. Then I got out a rubber brayer and wound twine on it until most was covered. This was inked on the pad and then run over the distress background, first one direction and then the other until the coverage was like I wanted. I cut this down to size and used the distress tool on all the edges then inked them with gathered twig. This was set aside.

I drew a pattern for a latte cup and cut various parts from printed paper, corrugated cardboard and clear transparency. I used a scoring tool to make some creases at the appropriate parts.

I cut down the transparency bubble to fit the top of the cup and attached it to the upper edge with scor-tape. I used Picket Fence distress stain on the back of the bubble and dried it with the heat gun.

I didn't have a straw so I got out a clear plastic pick and used alcohol ink to color it.

I used two sets of stamps to create a greeting and cut the strip down to a flag shape. this was distressed with the mini-tool and then inked with gathered twig. I cut a strip of grass cloth to go behind it.

The latte cup was adhered to the plaid piece using foam tape and leaving just the right abount of space for a gift card to slip behind. I then stapled the sentiment assemblage to the front.

The plaid unit with all these layers was adhered to a card front of the same material as the sentiment. It also matches the 'straw'.

With the addition of a 'real' gift card for a coffee stand and a hand-written thank you message inside, this is ready for gifting.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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We wrapped up our trip with visits to Cardiff, Parish of St John the Baptist, Bute Park, the Animal Wall, Cardiff Castle, Blue Anchor Inn (Dinner), Royal Crescent and Royal Circus, Roman Baths, Windsor Castle, Statue of Queen Victoria in Windsor, and back to London.

Our only disappointment was realizing, too late to do anything about it, that we would not get to go to Stonehenge.

I guess that means we'll have to take another trip there someday.

WHAT ELSE DID WE MISS?

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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We weren't far into the trip when I became fascinated with the various cobblestone walks and streets. Whenever I remembered, I recorded these.

Thank goodness it wasn't like this everywhere as your feet get very tired walking on the stones.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Such wonderful things to see in the next set of photos that I included more than one shot for many of the stops:

These wer: The Cliffs of Moher, King John's Castle, the Treaty Stone, views in Adare, the Dingle Penninsula, Killarney, Blarney Castle, the Waterford Crylstal Showroom, and the ferry back to Wales.

Nothing impressive on the interior of the ferry so I left out those photos.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Further in our trip we visited Beleek Pottery, Donegal Castle, the Abbey Graveyard, Rosses Point, St Columba's Church, the gravesite of William Butler Yeats, Classiebawn (Lord Mountbatten's Castle), Tobernault Holywell and Galway.

So little time at each stop, just enough to whet the appetite for more.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Of all the places we visited Boyle Abbey was the most rewarding to photograph. There was hardly a view that was not spectacular.

Thats why it will be the singular focus of today's entry.

This 12th century abbey has had some restoration along one side to halt the collapse of a wall. But it is spectacular to visit and we were the only ones of our tour group to do so.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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The next leg of our trip ran us through 4 countries.

Gretna Green, Wordworth's grave, boat on Windemere, train on banks of Windemere, Liverpool, King Charles' tower in Chester, chester Cathedral, Ferry to Dublin, Book of Kells, Cathedrals, and the River Shannon.

It's almost overwhelming to review how MUCH we saw in such a short amount of time. AWESOME!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Our tour director put on a recording of Willie Nelson singing 'On the Road Again' EVERY MORNING as the coach started out. GACK!

The next legs of our trip took us to: Hadrian's Wall, the Scottish border, Jedburgh Abbey, Airth Castle, Edinburg Castle, Royal Yacht Britannia, St Andrews Cathedral, Links Golf Course, RSS Discovery (ship) in Dundee, Blair Castle, Commando Memorial, Loch Ness, Inverness, MacBeth's Castle, Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Loch Lomand, Glasgow.

Some of these were 'drive by' or 'stand in the yard', some were full tours, some self-guided tours.

SO much history!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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The last in this marathon session is OWH sketch 237:

I actually had a smaller sticker that I wanted to use so I backed it with a neutral gray cardstock. I bordered this in red to call attention to her hair bow. This panel is popped up on foam tape.

I pulled colors from the sticker illustration inbl ues and golden browns for the various panels and strips.

The lower panel seemed to create too much open space so I filled it with a red diecut word.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

Updated: Friday, 29 May 2015 4:40 PM PDT

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It seemed like everywhere we looked on our trip there were beautiful scenes. I couldn't help capturing some of these. Even if not tied to a specific place, they just make me happy.

...and these are only the BEST views. Plenty more of NICE views, as well.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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I love to take photos of little snippets of nature that I come across in my travels. These usually involve flower of some sort but trees and other elements sometimes sneak in.

The photos shared today are not identified by site at all as they were just part of the overall experience.

No rhyme, no reason, just beauty.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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On the next day the tour actually started with the group. Highlights of the day included visiting Anne Hathaway's cottage, walking the streets of Stratford-Upon-Avon, viewing the birthplace of Shakespeare, wandering the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, taking a walking tour of York including the minster there, and viewing roadside art like the 'Angel of the North'.

Kind of a lot to wrap your head around.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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