Supporting OWH (and a tutorial so you can too)!

Do you enjoy making cards?  Every Tuesday in April the teachers at Miss Art’s Papercrafting School will be teaming up to bring you a card tutorial, designed to spark your creativity, teach you new techniques, and meet the specifications for Operation Write Home cards.  Each Tuesday, visit the Miss Art’s blog to view the tutorial.  Then join designers Karen Hanson, Alyssa McGrew, Tina McDonald, and Jodi Baune in creating cards to donate to Operation Write Home.

Cards will be collected at the Miss Art’s office, then forwarded as a group to the Operation Write Home distribution center.

Every card we receive will become an entry to win the Esther’s Innovations kit from Miss Art’s!  You can send as many cards as you like, earning as many entries as you like, but only cards following the OWH guidelines will be eligible.  Cards must be received by May 25th, 2012 to be eligible for the drawing.  International entries and cards are welcome.  Cards created should be shipped to Miss Art’s Papercrafting School, Attn: Alyssa McGrew, 125 Sherry Ln, Attica, IN 47918.

For more information about the specific requirements for donated cards, please view the OWH requirements page.

We can’t wait to see what you create!

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It never ceases to amaze me how giving, caring and supportive the papercrafting community can be!  There always seem to be initiatives to support those in need – everything from supporting crafters through family tragedies to large scale support programs.

I recently heard about an organization called Operation Write Home (OWH) through the Miss Art’s Papercrafting School.  OWH’s mission is “Supporting our nation’s armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them.”  Now, I know many of you are saying – hey Scrappy, the USA is not your nation.  While that might be true, I think this is a great program in support of people, so I was happy to see how I might be able to contribute!  And to be completely honest, I am always looking for a good excuse to craft! 😉

So, out came the paper and glue, and a new card creation was born:

This card utilizes a fun, and fairly simple interactive element called a surprise pop-up.  When the recipient pulls on the tab at the top, the stamped image slides up to reveal the sentiment,  For this design, I used a cute free digi from Paula over at Handmade by Paula and simply embellished the sheep with a little fussy cut flower. Paula actually created this cute sheep and sentiment specifically for a OWH blog hop back in 2010, so I thought this would be a great chance to give this adorable stamp the spotlight again!  And finally, all the paper used for the card is from the Echo Park Springtime collection – the perfect collection to bring a fresh and bright feeling to projects this time of year!

Here’s how you can create a standard A2 surprise pop-up card too:

Materials:

• Paper Cut to: Piece 1 – 4 ¼” X 5 “, Piece 2 – 4 ¼” X 10”, Piece 3 – 3” X 4 ¾”
• Adhesive
• Craft Knife
• Metal ruler
• Scoring board
• Optional – ribbon or other fiber

Instructions:

Step 1

Cut 3 pieces of cardstock to measurements

Step 2

• Using Piece 1 – Place the paper down so the 4 ¼” edge is across the top.  Measure in ¾” from the left and right side.    
• Use these marks to draw 2 vertical lines – one on the right and one on the left side starting and ending ¾” from the top and bottom edges.
• Connect these two vertical lines across the bottom.
• Use a craft knife and metal ruler to cut each line you have drawn.

 Step 3

You should now have a flap in the middle of your card that is till connected at the top edge.

 Step 4

Note - the 3rd score line should be at the 4 1/4" mark (to join the ends of the cut lines)! Thanks Centralnyscrapper for catching this!

• Using Piece 1 – Rotate your paper 90º so the 5” edge is across the top and the “bottom” edge is lined up at the 0 mark.
• Score at the 1 ¼”, 2 ¾” and 4 1/4” mark.

 Step 5

• Using Piece 1 – Turn your paper over so the wrong side is facing up
• Apply a strip of adhesive along the tab created by the bottom cut and first score line.

Step 6

Using Piece 3 – Line up and center one 3” edge with the bottom of edge of the flap (where you just applied the adhesive).  Press down.

 Step 7

• Using Piece 2 – Fold in half
• Using Piece 1/3 – Apply adhesive along the sides and bottom edges of piece 1/3

 Step 8

Using Piece 1/3 – Turn it over so the right side of your paper is facing up and the adhesive is facing down.  Line it up with Piece 2 and adhere the pieces together.

 Step 9

You now have your completed pop-up element.  Embellish the pull tab with ribbon and add your stamped images to the flap and the hidden compartment.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope this little card brings smile to your face! Oh, and I would love to know if you have ever made cards for OWH (or are now inspired to do just that) – leave me a comment below!