Grateful Elegance Preview

Happy Saturday! Don't you just love Saturday mornings? It's like you've got the whole weekend to look forward to. So many possibilities. If you've got a little stamping time, be sure to check out Our Creative Corner for all the details about this week's challenge. And since I'm the lucky guest playing along with the OCC Girls this month, today's creation is for this week's challenge.

Part of the challenge Dawn issued was to have no more than 4 layers on your card. Well, if any of you have been following the Anni-VERVE-sary sketches over on our forum, you'll know this one changed the challenge to a CHALLENGE for me! But seriously, I LOVE a good challenge - a challenge that makes you stretch out of your comfort zone and create something you wouldn't normally create, but just might love all the same! :)

So I pulled out one of the new Verve sets releasing on August 13, called Grateful Elegance. It's a set of 7 stamps, including some background elements I'm really excited about. I stamped the square swirly background stamp two times across a sheet of Close to Cocoa in Chocolate Chip. Next I took a strip of Soft Sky and embossed the top and bottom with the dotted strip from the With Love Cuttlebug folder set. Then I stamped the swirly border stamp in the center of the strip in Soft Sky. I added the thank you sentiment in the corner in chocolate Chip and then cut and embossed a white circle and coordinating scallop mat with my Nestabilities Classic Circles set. I then stamped the larger flower in the set in the center of the circle in Memento Rich Cocoa and colored with a Copic marker. To finish off I sponged all around the Cocoa panel with Chocolate Chip ink and then painted on a mixture of Dazzling Diamonds and Diamond Glaze to highlight the flower and accent each of the diamonds in the background and border images.

Okay, a few Verve things to mention and then heigh-ho heigh-ho it's off to package stamps I go. :) The Anni-VERVE-sary sketches are still going strong, and we're on the 9th day of sketches already! I haven't had a lot of stamping time as the Verve release inches closer and closer, so I haven't made samples the last two days, but be sure to check out the forum to see all the sketches and play along! Oh, and if you want to see some totally rockin' cards made with Grateful Elegance head on over to the Verve Blog today for a little looksie!