My time and dedication to Operation Write Home is coming to an end.  I've just finished packing the last box I'll be shipping to them.  And I had a slightly hollow feeling as i gazed over my craft table/area at the litter of paper scraps and die cuts organized in ziplock bags, Clear storage boxes of cardstock and fancy papers and decorator boxes full of inkpads, the cutting mats and tape guns, scissors, craft knives, paper punches, marker trays, folding bones and sheets of glue dots and foam adhesive squares, and binder books full of stamps.  I've so enjoyed not only the creative outlet making cards for OWH has provided, but also knowing I was doing really something special for our Troops overseas, in less than friendly countries and circumstances.  I just wish, as i have so many times before, that I'd found OWH earlier! 

So now I will spend a day reorganizing and turn my efforts to other organizations - having diligently searched SplitCoastStampers (where i found OWH in the first place) for ideas.  I've found 2 places that will take donated card - the Monthly Ronald McDonald House on rotation, and Cards for A Cause which rotates through charities each month.  My schedule makes my ability to contribute somewhat inconsistent, so i may change the way i do things - more cards at a time and bank some for next month's charity maybe.  And this will give me a chance to do other sizes of cards, as i don't believe either of them restrict size - which means i can play with concepts I normally only get to play with on my Christmas Cards I've been making for work. 

Below are the last of the cards to OWH - a total of 160 in this my last shipment - and this should give me a grand total of 775 cards to OWH - not bad for the 15 months I've been sending cards.  As always, they're on StampinUp cardstock base, with either StampinUp or Big Box background paper backgrounds and accents.  Die Cuts are on StampinUp, DCWV Shimmer , or Michaels Shimmer cardstock. Some DieCuts are done on my Bosskut Gazelle machine, and other on my Cuttlebug, and still others on my cute little Sidekick.  Stamps used are from all over, and it's impossible for me to track since they're all in books.  Ink is either StampinUp or Tsukineko Dew Drops.

I loved putting the vellum backed butterflies together for these cards! This is one of the newer papers from StampinUp I believe.	DieCut phonographs with Love You stamped on the banners coming out of the bell...very soft with Gold and Silver shimmer cardstock.
I love you always - I love you forever.  Hopefully generic enough for man or woman. What more can be said?	No sentiment -I had to make more of these - they're lovely!  DieCut on Bosskut Gazelle, with shiny background paper.
The silver on Grey - with red and white is kinda stunning!	I had this stamp waiting for ... something. If I thought I could have I'd've made dozens of these - See You Soon!!!
Window cards are still one of my favorites, and being home is somewhere I believe our troops want to be...  the outside says Miss You All The Time around the clock face on the left, and Home is Where the Heart is on the right...	And behind the panels on the front is home...in shimmery silver and gold cardstock from Michael's with brown vellum.  Again I let my Bosskut Gazelle do the cutting.