Cross Training! . . . . ?

Cross training. . . I am pretty sure that phrase means some kind of exercise. Me, i'm not much of the exercise type. I think that I have some cross-training sneakers. I wear them at night at the hospital to run down the halls to rescue the old, feeble and broken who need help to go to the potty! That's about the extent of my running!! So. . . I prefer to think of my cross training outside the box. Today I have crossed and combined a love of two of my very favorite crafting organizations. They are the best things ever!!! Please, allow me to explain!

Those of my readers who are interested in or are members of the Express the Moment kit clubs may know exactly what I mean when I say that some times that monthly kit can be soooooo full of supplies that you barely know where to start! Sometimes. . . I get card block too. . . I sit and look at the pretty papers and embellishments and I think - wow. . . where to begin! That's where the other love of my crafting life comes in quite handy! Operation Write Home has a newish blog called Stars and Stamps. Like ETM, you can look and go . . . wow! There is so much stuff to learn and do here! Luckily, these two revelations come in quite handy when they are paired together!

Another thing that I love about Express the Moment is that I get so many supplies in my card kit each month that I have plenty of stuff to make eight, ten, even upwards of twelve cards every month, and I still might even have scraps left over! Now honestly, I send a few of those cards to friends and family, but I was a little bit at a loss for what to do with the rest. Last July, I came upon Operation Write Home (then called "Cards for Heroes") and the answer to my dilemma was solved. Now I have the supplies on hand every month to make plenty of cards for myself and for the troops - and the Stars and Stamps blog helps keep me inspired with ideas of things to do with those supplies! Serindipity I tell you! But here. . . let me demonstrate!

Stars and Stamps is hosting another color challenge this month. The idea is to make a card using the colors brown and blue. They posted a photo of this shower curtain as an example. Isn't that a pretty shower curtain? It makes me want to make a brown and blue bathroom. :) All you have to do to participate, is make a card using any of the colors shown here.

Now it just so happens, that the Expressions kit for April has a ton of really fun colors - two of them being brown and blue. Oh happy day! What an awesome suprise! I was able to make a card from my kit to participate in the Challenge!

The S&S blog also had a sketch challenge this week. A sketch challenge is a handy thing for exercising your creativity. See! I KNEW that this had something to do with exercise!!! Here is the sketch:

The April kit also includes lots of cute patterned papers and embellies that can be used to make cards from this sketch. Oh happy day again!!! I was able to participate in this challenge too!

All right . . . well . . . I think that you guys get the idea. If you love card making as much as I do, i'm sure that you would be a big fan of either place. ETM-ers, won't you please stop by Operation Write Home and check out what a super cool organization this is? In fact I challenge you - to make one card from your Expressions kit each month and send it for the troops. It will give you warm fuzzies. . . you'll see. For me, these two things go like peanut butter and jelly! Ham n Cheese! Peas and Carrots! Rum and Cok. . . . okay. . . :)  I love you all. Thanks for stopping by!!!