July Expressions from ETM!

Symbiosis: (from the Greek: σύν syn "with"; and βίωσις biosis "living") commonly describes close and often long-term interactions between different species.

Let me elaborate. Three of my favorite things have come together this month in perfect harmony! I couldn't be any more excited to share my cards with you guys this month that I made with the Expressions card kit by Express the Moment! Everybody knows that I am a sucker for things that go together. Maybe it's my overactive organization of products . . . (I refuse to admit to OCD just yet!)  I get all kinds of excited about sharing the news about perfect matches that I have found. Let's get on with it, shall we???

I have decided that I just have to share the great template that I found in the "Wishes" book by Jeanette Lynton because - sixteen cards from three pieces of paper - wow - I am still just so excited about this! I decided to use the template to make cards from my Expressions kit this month and guess what - I STILL have a ton of kit left. I have never challenged myself to see just how many cards I can make with one kit - but now I am amazed. What am I going to do with sixteen cards? This is where Operation Write Home comes in.

I am hoping that all of my friends from Express the Moment and Close To My Heart will join me this July in a challenge to make (at least) sixteen cards for the troops. Let me share a few things with you guys from OWH!!! All of our deployed service men and women are allowed to send home letter mail for free. The problem is, they have nothing to write home on except millitary issue paper (if they are lucky). Operation Write Home collects hand made cards and sends them off to the troops. Many of the troops overseas right now have wives, husbands and children at home. Imagine how great it feels as the family member to get such a pretty thing in the mail from their loved one? These cards are surely treasured and kept for years or even life times. I could go on forever - but please, check out Operation Write Home for yourself, you won't regret it. I send cards every month made from scraps of paper from other projects . . .  it's a great and fun thing to do with your leftovers and a great way to practice card making just for fun!

Now then. . . here are the sixteen cards that were made from the July Expressions kit. I have also decided to share the templates from the "Wishes" book by Jeanette Lynton because wow. . . what a fantastic tool this is! Go! Follow this template and make your cards! The paper in the kit is perfect for the template because being double sided - it allows for thousands of great combinations - simply cut your paper, flip it, rotate the recipes. . add embellies from the kit. . go wild! The "Wishes" book is available through my Close To My Heart site if you would like one. There are even MORE fantastic templates and card ideas inside. This is just one of them!

I was super excited that I used almost all of the little buttons, stars and embelishments in the kit on these cards. I just love the papers and embelishments this month from PinkPaislee. Kim also included several cute matching punches and stars this month.  I nearly ran completely out of stars making sixteen cards. . . but was able to make more from other paper in the kit! You can never have too many stars. :)  I did also use my own stamps and sentiments a few times - The set that I used is called "Wishing Star" and they go perfectly with the papers and embellies this month. See how well all of these great things go together???

Here are copies of the templates for you to print as well. I would love to know if you make your 16 cards, and if you accept my challenge to send them to the troops! Don't forget the NO GLITTER rule if you are making cards for the troops. To print these templates, just left click on them to see them in a larger window. Then right click on them and select "print picture" or select "print page" in your browser. A few tips for using the templates - measure carefully or draw the template on your paper in pencil first if you need to. When you cut out each piece, label them in pencil or separate them into eight piles. When you are finished cutting, you will have enough pieces to make two of each of the eight card designs shown. Since the paper is double sided, you can make each card unique! Fun!

Don't forget - Expressions card-making kits are available from Express the Moment!
The template comes from the "Wishes" book available from Close To My Heart!
Information on where to send those cards is at Operation Write Home!

And thank you for stopping by!

P.S. Here are those "Wishing Star" stamps too, if you want to see. :)