Operation Write Home and a sad farewell

I wrote in my last blog about Operation Write Home. It's a non-profit organization that collects homemade cards and sends them on to service men and women overseas to help them stay in touch with their loved ones back home.

Well, I went to their website and the more I read, the more I wanted to do something.  I requested the free stamp (every card submitted has to be stamped Operation Write Home on the back). Once the stamp arrived, I sat down and started card making.

I made 18 Halloween cards to send off:

These cards were a little "thick" with the rosettes but, according to the Operation Home website, our military personnel do not have any issues in mailing thicker envelopes because of their postal system so I used rosettes on three of them.

I liked the idea of using puzzle pieces for this little guy because you always can find a puzzle with pieces missing. This was also the first time I got my paints out for a card project.

I purchased the Teresa Collins Masquerade Party 6x6 paper pad and used my circle punch to decorate these cards.  I also purchased the matching enamel dots. I love enamel dots! This is going to be a problem for me, I can tell.

Aren't those little owls the cutest! I found these Doodlebug owls at Archivers.  I didn't have a tree stamp I liked, so I found an image on the internet and printed them on my desk jet printer. To give them  a little depth, I embossed them.

I found this card on Pinterest.  I liked how they turned out but because of the stamping on the edges, they were by far my messiest card. Which reminds me, I need a new cat eye stamper in gray!

Daughter #1 and I are having a craft weekend here in a couple of weeks and I'm going to try and make some Thanksgiving cards to send out.  The most difficult thing about making the cards is the deadlines. Operation Write Home needs time to process and sort the cards before sending them on to the troops.  Because of this, deadlines are usually two months before the holiday.  The Halloween cards for example, needed to be postmarked by Aug 28.  I had a hard time finding embellishments and such because most stores do not even start stocking Halloween items until September.  Our next deadline for Thanksgiving is Sept. 30th so I have really been looking for those types of themed items. I guess I may be in luck with themed papers because I am such a paper hoarder,  it definitely came in handy this time.

I also had to say good-bye to my sister in August, her company relocated her to Athens, GA.  She and my youngest sister and I got together for dinner prior to her leaving and I made a little Seven Gypsies artist tray for her to hang at her desk in her new office.