OWH Valentine's Day Secret

Shhh...don't tell anyone because, if this ever gets back to my mother, I'll be dead meat. 

DH and I took a trip up to WA to see friends and family back in early November.  My mother, being the planner that she is, decided to give us our Christmas checks and a donation to Operation Write Home.  (She wanted to do something for the troops but didn't know what.  I told her about OWH's mission and she was thrilled to contribute.)  Naturally, I put them in a safe place.

Yeah.

Searched for WEEKS.  Every pocket. Every suitcase. Every box, bag, container, or other potential hiding place. Nothing.  I finally had my Bible study gals pray about it.  They didn't quite get what a big deal this was, but they prayed just the same. 

Well...I found them.  They were in a pocket of the suitcase I swear to you I had checked at least three or four times. At least!  When I told my sister, she said, "And for a % of those checks, Mom will never hear it from me."  Now there's a woman who understands.

So what do I plan to tell my mother if she asks why a check she wrote on November 4 still hasn't been cashed?  I was busy getting my Christmas cards done and then needed to get OWH Valentines done.  I sat down last night with CTMH's stamp set Soul Mates and cranked out a bunch of CAS style cards.

To get the multicolored hearts, I used CTMH's spray pens with Vineyard Berry, Hollyhock, and Cranberry reinkers.  I used a pretty high concentration (about 1 part water to 1 part reinker), sprayed them in random splotches across a full sheet of glossy paper, and then (after it dried) selected where to place my heart stamp based on the best overlap of colors.

Other than Soul Mates, I also used Say it in Style, Building Block Alphabet and The Giving Hand (Gray Flannel background rectangle on last card). The hearts in the fifth card were stamped in Hollyhock.

Sometimes I get so excited about embellishments, I forget how classic clean and simple style cards can look.

I am taking the month off from writing, so I plan to get a few more Valentines/Love cards out to OWH before the December 31 deadline...and in plenty of time for them to cash my mother's check before the end of the fiscal year.

Whew!

Until next time,
Becca