Two AnyHero Cards

Operation Write Home encourages card makers to send what they call "AnyHero cards." Basically, these are notes to our heroes, thanking them for their service & sacrifice. This month's challenge at OWH, sponsored by Our Daily Bread Designs, is to create an AnyHero card. We are further challenged to use it to write a thank-you note to a local hero: firefighters, police officers, etc. These are two that I made.

I started my first card determined to get Mama Elephant's "In My Heart" stamp set inky. I've had this set for some time now, and never used it. I decided to use the greeting "May you be protected in all that you do and know that our thoughts are always with you." I felt this would be perfect for a card for a local hero. I also chose one of the little boys in the set. I stamped him onto a piece of Strathmore Mixed Media Paper with Ranger's Archival Jet Black ink, and colored him with Inktense pencils and a damp brush, then fussy cut him out.

For the background, I chose a Hero Arts image, "Silly Scape." I printed it onto a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper, then die cut that with the largest of Lawn Fawn's "Large Stitched Rectangle" dies. I also die cut a piece of white cardstock with the same die, and then cut the hills from that with 2 of the the Mama Elephant "Landscape Trio" dies. This assured I had stitched detail on all sides of those pieces. I set aside the snow banks while I worked on the main part of the card.

After stamping the greeting in Versamark ink onto the background panel, I stamped several snowflakes, also in Versamark, using three stamps from Lawn Fawn's "Deck the Halls" set. I heat embossed everything with Ranger Super Fine Detail White embossing powder. After that cooled, I blended Tumbled Glass Distress ink over the panel. Then I went in with Stormy Sky Distress ink to finish the sky, and Iced Spruce for the buildings. I felt this combination gave it a definite wintry/snowy feel.

To finish the card, I adhered the snowbanks, which I'd shaded a bit on the top with Tumbled Glass, to the card, popping them up with foam tape. I adhered the little boy in place, using foam tape under his upper body and gluing him directly to the snowbank behind him. This kept him level with the snow. Finally, I added a touch of shimmer with some Crystal Stickles on the tops of the snowbanks.

I got the inspiration for my second card from this card by Kathy Racoosin at The Daily Marker. I liked the idea of a "camouflaged" die cut greeting.

I first blended Tumbled Glass Distress ink onto a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper. Then I inked up the "Capture Prism" background stamp by Hero Arts & BasicGrey with Versamark, and stamped it over the inked watercolor paper. I heat embossed that with Zing! Clear embossing powder. Next I took Distress inks in Salty Ocean, Peacock Feathers, Evergreen Bough, and Broken China, and smooshed them on my craft mat. I spritzed the ink with water, and pounced my embossed watercolor paper in the puddles. When I got the look I wanted, I dabbed off the excess ink, then let that dry. Unfortunately, the heat embossed areas look white instead of the light blue Tumbled Glass, but it still works.

When the panel had dried, I decided to die cut it into an oval, using one of Spellbinders' "Grand Ovals" dies. I also die cut the thanks from that with one of the My Favorite Things "Many Thanks" dies. I die cut the thanks 3 more times from light blue cardstock, then glued those together to create one thicker layer. I glued the inked/embossed thanks on top of that.

Detail of thanks inlaid die cut

For the card base, I die cut 2 pieces with a Spellbinders "Grand Scalloped Ovals" die. I scored one towards the top, and glued them together above that line. I adhered my focal panel to the front, and popped the die cut thanks in place with some liquid glue. I glued in the center pieces of the a, k, & s, and this card was basically done. The only thing left was to glue a white die cut oval to the inside so I will have a place to write a message.

I'm entering these cards in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Monday "Winter Stamping"
a2z Scrapbooking's "New to You" (camouflaged thanks card only--background stamp new to me)