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Mojo Bird Lessons

Happy Memorial Day to all my US friends.  If you haven't heard yet, there's a little Memorial Day Sale going on at Verve that ends tomorrow night.  All stamps and dies are on sale, so it's a great time to stock up!  I hope everyone had a splendid weekend.  I was laid up with back pain, but I got right on things this morning and now have a Mojo Monday card using Anniversary Birds and a sentiment from Wordy Birds to share.  It's round or square week and I think this sketch is a new personal favorite of mine.  It looks intricate but is really quite easy.


This little birdie from Anniversary Birds always makes me giggle a bit.  This set is one of Verve's all-time highest selling sets, but if it hadn't been for Mark, might never have seen stamp form.  As I've mentioned in posts before, I'm a bit of a perfectionist and also a very harsh critic of myself.  While I thought the birds were kind of cute, I also thought they were kind of homely and was afraid to put them out there and have people laugh at my poor drawing abilities.  But Mark pretty much MADE me release them and I'm so glad I did.  Every time I see one of these birds on a card it makes me smile.

It's a lesson I needed to learn.  A lesson to not censor yourself or your art.  If you have a trusted friend and you ask their opinion.. take it.  Sometimes they can see the potential in you that your light-blocking, perfectionism eyewear just can't see.  The definition of art is simply arranging items in a way that affects the senses, emotions or intellect.  So no matter what you make, if you put your heart into it, it's art.  And that's something to be proud of.  Something that makes the world a better, prettier place.  So create something that makes you smile today - then share it with the world.  It's bound to produce even more smiles!


Stamps: Anniversary Birds, Wordy Birds (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Lime Twist Life of the Party (My Mind's Eye), Poppy Parade, Basic Gray (SU!)
Ink: Poppy Parade, Basic Gray (SU!), Broken China (Ranger)
Accessories: classic and grand circle nestabilities (Spellbinders), divine twine, black taffeta (SU!), liquid pearls, stickles (Ranger), polka dots EF (Cuttlebug), flower, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch (SU!)

Meditations of the Heart

Happy Saturday!  After a couple weeks of no stamping, I finally got back into my studio last night!  Hooray!  I wanted to give this week's Mojo Monday sketch by Debbie Carriere a try and thought I'd pair the sketch with the Meditations set, because the song from this verse had been going through my head all day.


When I sat down to stamp, I thought I planned to make a clean card with lots of white, but the mixed media techniques I've been learning just kept calling my name.  Eventually I quit fighting it and ended up throwing in a lot of color with distress inks!  I just love this verse - Psalm 19:14.  It's a reminder to be conscious of the things I say and think about.  Too often I find myself focusing on all my perceived flaws and spending emotional energy worrying about what others think.  I put myself down.  A lot.  A lot, a lot.  I'm my own worst critic.  I'm forgiving and accepting with other people, but not with myself.  My expectations for myself are unreasonable and often unattainable and I have no compassion for myself when I fail.  These are all things I'd like to change.  I want to support myself, believe in myself and most importantly ACCEPT myself as I am.  I should be my own cheer squad and the words I say about myself should be uplifting and compassionate... the same words I often use and wholeheartedly believe about my friends.  You are worthy... you are beautiful... you make a difference... you inspire me... you make the world a better place... YOU MATTER.  And that's the very heart of it all... be kind to yourself, because you matter. 

The Making Of:
The verse from Meditations is stamped with Archival black ink onto a 2x3" white strip, then swooshed (yep, that's the technical term {grin}) Worn Lipstick and Spiced Marmalade inks over it.  I used the negative shape of a heart punch as a stencil with more Worn Lipstick to place the heart shape near the heart in the verse.

The flowers are embossed in white onto Melon Mambo cardstock, cut out and layered.  The leaves are from the Bloom & Grow set and cut out with the Elegant Leaves Die.  Torn edges, embossing folders, sanding, more sponging and some washi tape with purposely messy handwriting finished things off.


Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Before I go, I just thought I'd remind y'all of the Memorial Day Weekend Sale going on at Verve!  20% off all stamps and 10% off all dies through May 31!  Hooray!


Enabler's List:
Stamps: Meditations, Bloom & Grow (Verve)
Paper: Melon Mambo, Basic Gray (SU!), Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick (Ranger C'oredinations), White
Ink: Jet Black Archival, Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick (Ranger), White Dye Ink (Memories), black PITT pen (Faber Castell)
Accessories:  Elegant Leaves Die (A Cut Above by Verve), grey twine, black taffeta, orange rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty), orange button (Jesse James), embossing folder (Sizzix), Lots of Hearts punch (SU!), washi tape (iCopic)

Hope Blooming

Happy Thursday, peeps!  Today I have another mixed-media meets cardmaking card I made a couple weeks back but haven't had a chance to share.  I used that corrugated paper technique again along with a mix of stamps from the Text Objects and Hope Blooms sets.  My concept for the card was to have this colorful flower blooming out of a really rugged brown area where it didn't seem possible something could flourish. You know that smile that creeps across your face when you pass an abandoned lot and see something beautiful rising from the cracked pavement?


Truthfully, I've been holding onto this card because I wanted to remake another one that brought this concept across more dramatically.  Then I got to thinking, that's not what my new outlook is all about.  It's not about censoring the art that didn't quite meet my expectations, but about enjoying the journey.  And boy did I ever ENJOY making this card.  You see that background?  That started out as a cream card base.  I stamped the Text Objects heart all over it and then colored with pastels and blended.  I LOVED the way it looked.  I had recently watched a video about mixed-media where the artist was talking about overcoming perfectionism and suggested covering up your favorite parts of a project to make it not so "perfect".  So I did a light layer of Gesso over most of the background, then added some glimmer mist and color washes to gunk it up a bit.  Now it kind of feels like my little secret that there's all this "heart" underneath the surface that someone might not see or even notice at first glance.  But if you look closely, it's there.  That soooooo describes how I feel about myself!  And how much sweeter is the experience, both in art and in life, for those that take the time to look closely at what's below the surface?

I stamped over the background in archival ink with the sentiment and flower from Hope Blooms, then added my corrugated piece, made with kraft cardstock and some Sweet Threads dp.  The three sizes of blooms from Hope Blooms are stamped onto the DP, then cut out.  They're the only thing on the card that I didn't grunge up because I wanted them to be this unexpected bright burst of colorful hope emerging from the corrugate. A ray of sunshine on a gloomy day.  A tiny giggle in the midst of sadness.  A hand reaching out to give you HOPE.  A flower blooming in the desert.

My grandfather homesteaded 40 acres in the desert.  The soil was hard, hilly and completely rock infested.  But he had a vision and continued to work the land, eventually creating a thriving, productive farmland.  I remember one day when I was 8 or 9, riding in his truck to help pick rocks out of the fields,  I asked him why he did all of it.  His response was simply that he dreamed of making the desert bloom.  That phrase has stuck with me, and now six years after his passing, whenever I feel all dry and used up and that the obstacles before me are too hard to hurdle, I think of my grandfather who despite all the obstacles nature threw at him, truly did make the desert bloom. And that is what was in my heart when I made this card.  It might not have turned out perfectly or as I envisioned, but the journey was heartfelt and meaningful and left me with a bit of hope for the future.


Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Text Objects, Hope Blooms (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Cream, Kraft, Sweet Threads (BasicGrey)
Ink:  Coffee Archival, Broken China (Ranger), Glimmer Mists, Glimmer Glam (Tattered Angels), Distress stains (Tim Holtz), oil pastels
Accessories:  Paper crimper (Marvy uchida), twine, prima leaves, Gesso, rhinestone

Be Strong Card Journaling

Hi friends!  Today I've got a little mixed-media meets card making project to share.  When I showed it to Mark, he called it card journaling  (art journaling on a card), which made me giggle, but it's a good description of what it is.  I'm really excited, but also a bit nervous to start art journaling, so I decided to break down my first few attempts in a size and format I'm familiar with.  Here I used the small butterfly and flourish images from Blue Skies and a sentiment from the coordinating Always on My Mind set.


I absolutely loved the process of making this card.  I got all sorts of messy, stepped outside of my comfort zone and added my own handwriting (which is something I rarely do because I think it's too imperfect).  After I finished I actually carried the card around with me for several hours!!  I felt such a feeling of accomplishment... like I'd just taken the first step to becoming the artist I want to be.  I felt my own opinion of my artistic-ness (if that's a word) rise a few notches... and that hasn't happened in a very long time.  Oh what a feeling!  And over a week later, I still have a sense of pride when I look at this card.  I think that's how we should feel every day!  Like we're learning and growing and trying new things and stretching ourselves so we're ready to take on the things we dream about accomplishing.  It all starts with one small step!  Dream it, DO it!  {grin}

The Making Of:
This was mainly me just playing around with new products to see what they do.  I've now learned a few techniques that would have blended my colors a bit better (like blending the pastels with a wet paintbrush instead of my dry finger!), but I've always taken the dive in and read directions only if it doesn't work the first time approach. {grin}  I started by painting some Gesso on kraft paper, then sketching the heart.  I added color to everything but the heart with Neocolor 2 wax pastels and Shiva paintstiks and just blended them with my fingers.  Next I added the color to the heart and embossed the sentiment from Always on My Mind with black archival ink and clear detail embossing powder. 

To add a little texture, I ran just the corner of my page through my paper crimper, then scraped on a little light molding paste over parts of the crimping and the long edge of the card and colored over the dried paste with a Shiva paintstik.  The butterflies were then embossed and colored with Copics and I added a few of the flourishes from Blue Skies with Versamark and clear embossing powder.  I finished off with a verse that was on my heart down the side and some doodling under each of the butterflies.  Oh, and I re-outlined that heart to make it stand out more, then roughed up the edges, mounted on black and then on a kraft card base to finish it all off.

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Blue Skies, Always on My Mind (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Basic Black (SU!)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, VersaMark, Shiva Artist Painstiks, Neocolor 2 Wax Pastels
Accessories:  paper corrugator (Marvy Uchida), Clear Detail Embossing Powder (Judikins), Gesso (ProArt), Light Modeling Paste (Golden), paper distresser (Tonic), Black journaling pen

Rainbow Skies

Hi all!  Long time no see!  My studio isn't quite available, as we had to move everything out to get our carpets and ducts cleaned this weekend, so I'm here with a card I planned to post last week, but never got around to scheduling!  :)  There wasn't a spare moment during our vacation to do anything but our mega list of improvements.  The sketch was Amy's Viva la Verve! May Week 3 sketch and I used stamps from Blue Skies.


I made this for a dear friend who loves rainbows and could always use a little blue sky in her neck of the woods.  I added some random little bits of bling to the Fly A Kite Papers, then added some liquid pearl accents and made the twine do my bidding with a bit of Diamond Glaze.   Most of all, I just had fun and the card came together so easily - it always amazes me to see a card transform from bits of paper and ink into something lovely.

Speaking of transformation, Mark and I spent last week working on all sorts of improvement projects...  new blinds ordered, new flooring ordered, ducts cleaned, carpets cleaned, house cleaned top to bottom, entire front room transformed into an office for my assistant, furniture moved, furniture built, 6 full loads of donations to our local thrift store and we've almost reclaimed the buried desk in my garage that I'm going to be using as my mixed-media studio.  Hooray!  Although I must admit my idea of a vacation was not spending sun-up to well past sun-down cleaning and re-arranging, the transformation is truly inspiring.

The thing I learned most from the past week is that things have to get uncomfortable to truly make a change. You can't stay in your comfort zone and expect radical improvements.  At first I was unmotivated and extremely intimidated by our list of tasks to accomplish.  I didn't believe we'd accomplish half of it, and envisioned a dozen  half finished projects laying around my house for the next several years, so I almost didn't even want to try.  How many times have you not tried something because you're afraid you'll fail?  I know that's been a large deciding factor in most of the decisions of my life. But it's those things that you perceive as possible failures that give you the most satisfaction when you do accomplish them. So, why not try something you're not sure you'll be good at... a new technique... a little painting... a little drawing... a different style of card making and just see what you can accomplish?  I'm pretty sure you'll soar!

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Blue Skies (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Fly a Kite Lime Twist (My Mind's Eye), Basic Black (SU!), white
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Pumice Stone Distress (Ranger)
Accessories:  Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Orange divine twine (TCP), liquid pearls, stickles (Ranger), diamond glaze (JudiKins), flatback rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty)

Butterfly Dreams

Hi friends! It's Monday and that means it's time for another Mojo Monday sketch. I'm officially on vacation, but I pre-scheduled this short little post so you'd have a little Mojo for your morning. Here's my sample card using one of my favorite Verve sets, Blue Skies.


The making of:  
Pretty Minuet papers caught my eye for the square panels, which I aged a bit with some new Pan Pastels and distress inks.  Next I pulled out a scrap of an old dictionary page that came with an order from Frost it Pink, applied some Gesso to it, then some more Pan Pastels (artist quality pastels kind of like Stampin' Pastels only so much smoother and richer) and stamped the Blue Skies sentiment. Some twill tape, twine loops and a flower were added to the side and I dirtied up the butterfly embellishment with Gesso, Glimmer Mists and some Champagne glass glitter.  The kraft base is stamped randomly with the Notebook paper image from Blue Skies, then distressed and I finished off with some more glimmer mists and a little Stardust Stickles on the flower.

Enabler's List:
Stamps:   Blue Skies (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Minuet (Memory Box), Crumb Cake (SU!), dictionary page
Ink: Walnut Brown, Vintage Photo, Antique Linen (Ranger Distress), Pan Pastels, Glimmer Mists
Accessories: Twill Tape (Frost it Pink), twine, flower (Kaiser Craft), Stardust Stickles (Ranger), Champagne Glass Glitter (SU!), metal butterfly (Making Memories), Gesso (ProArt)

Stained Blossom

Happy Friday, friends!  I'm so excited for the weekend!  More so than normal because tomorrow starts the first day of 9 days of vacation for me!  Hooray!  I need some time to recharge my batteries and let my wrist heal up, so Mark and I are taking a week off from work to just chill out and do some things on our very neglected "honey do" lists. That means that if you email Verve or me personally, I won't be responding until the week of May 23.  My fabulous assistant, Katrina, will still be here shipping orders so the only thing that will really be affected by my absence is email responses.  Oh, how fabulous to finally be able to say that!  How I've longed for the day I'd be able to take vacation and not have a mountain of work piled up when I return!



Okay, on with the eye candy!   Today I've got another mixed-media type of card to share with you.  I used the Text Objects set and the flowers from Hope Blooms in the background.  I've been thinking about blossoming this week, and found this definition of blossom that I really loved...  a period or condition of maximum development.  Sounds good, huh?  I'm so ready to do a little maximum developing, and I wanted to make a little card for myself to remember the definition.  So I found some free vintage clip art from Far Far Hill that matched my new blog design and I added the definition and printed onto ultra premium matte photo paper.  I've attached it here.  If you want to use it, link me up, I'd love to see what you make!

I love the Gandhi quote in Text Objects, "Where there is love there is life."  It just speaks to me of making sure to guard the things you love, because they are the things that make life truly vibrant.  I know a lot of gals in the same boat as me - their hobby is their business, and it's sooooooo important to guard the passion that made you love your hobby enough to turn it into a business in the first place!  Not only by making time to work on the projects YOU want to make, but also in respecting yourself enough to say no when faced with commitments that will overextend you and slowly rob you of the joy of creating.  My new plan is to set aside a few minutes every day for learning.... researching art I'm interested in, watching tutorials, trying new techniques and exploring my creative side.  Even if they're just baby steps, they're forward motion and that my friends, is a GOOD thing!

The Making Of:
I started with a square of kraft, which I brushed Gesso on to prepare it for paints and inks.  I did the same thing with an ivory time card.  I stamped the background from Text Objects in coffee archival ink, then added some paints and distress inks and then stamped some flowers from Hope Blooms and the life phrase in pink.  I used mainly distress stains on the kraft background and added a paper doily, then some pink glass glitter and some wrinkled ribbon to finish it off.

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Hope Blooms, Text Objects (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Kraft, Early Espresso (SU!), Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte (Epson), time card, paper doily (Scarlet Lime)
Ink: Coffee Archival, Worn Lipstick Distress Ink, Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress Stains (Ranger), Lipstick Glimmer Glam (Tattered Angels)
Accessories:  Gesso (Pro Art), shabby wrinkled ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique on Etsy), Pink Glass Glitter (Melissa Frances), Paper crimper (Marvy Uchida), Distrezz-it-all (Zutter), pink distress crackle paint (Ranger)

Corrugated Love

Hi friends!  Thanks so much for all of your sweet comments on my last post!  I'm excited to take the pressure off myself to create and just enjoy the process.  As I've mentioned before, I'm starting to delve into the world of mixed-media  and am just twitterpated at the possibilities.  This card here takes a little bit from the techniques I've been learning watching youtube videos and mixes it with cardmaking for a totally fun look and feel.  All of the stamps are from the Text Objects set and I also used the Charming Oval dies.


I've been struggling with another bout of tendinitis in my wrist which has kept me from stamping and computer work, so I've been filling my days watching tutorials on art journaling. In fact, I'm so excited about watching them I finally broke down and ordered an iPad 2 so I can watch them up in my studio with all my toys...er, I mean tools!  {grin} I can't wait for it to arrive!  Okay, tangent over, on with the post.  :)

I love the basic premise in art journaling that things don't have to be perfect.  It is what it is and that's okay.  Wait a minute, back up.  Did I (a classic perfectionist overachieving stressball) really just say that out loud?  Yup.  And I mean it folks!  The joy truly is in the journey, not the destination.  It's quite liberating to allow yourself the freedom to make mistakes and to learn to handle a little messiness while you prepare the way for the beauty that's inside to come forth.  And there's so much beauty in all of us.  So much more than we give ourselves credit for.  So much more than we ever thought possible. If we quit focusing so much on how we think things SHOULD be or how others think we SHOULD BE and give ourselves permission to JUST BE, I'm pretty sure we'll be amazed by the transformation that happens.  Our first little blossoming along the journey of becoming who we really want to be.  So what are you waiting for?  Let's get a little messy today!

 The Making Of:
I used concepts from this video tutorial to make my own corrugated paper.  Instead of patterned paper, I used cream cardstock for the top layer, cut a large scallop square out of it, embossed the background stamping in clear, then spritzed with frost glimmer mist.  Next I laid a harlequin stencil over it and spritzed with olive glimmer mist.  The hearts and charming oval were stamped and cut from the leftover sheet of spritzed cardstock.  For my take on the Material Girl Get Your Diva On challenge {play along for a chance to be a future Guest Diva for Verve!}, I cut a few pieces from a scrap of burlap and glued them onto the card front.  Then finished off with some twine a button and a good round of therapeutic distressing with my Distrezz-it-all.

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Text Objects (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Classic Crest Natural White (Neenah), Early Espresso (SU!)
Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko), Antique Linen, Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress), Coffee (Ranger Archival), Frost, Creme de Cocoa and Olive Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels)
Accessories: Charming Oval Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Large Scallop Squares Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Clear Detail Embossing Powder (JudiKins), Paper Crimper (Marvy Uchida), twine, button, glass glitter. burlap, All purpose glue, Harlequin Stencil (Crafter's workshop)

Time to Blossom

Welcome to a brand new week!  Monday brings us a new Mojo Monday sketch, and this week's sketch was designed by the sweet and talented Debbie Carriere.  Hop on over to the Mojo blog to check it out and take a peek at the design team's fab samples.  My sample for today uses flowers from Hope Blooms and the To Risk plain jane of this beautiful Anais Nin quote, "And the day came when the risk it took to stay tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."


Risk is one of those double edged swords.  It's scary and terrifying, but also necessary for growth.  As an artist I feel like I risk a little bit of my soul each time I blog.  Even after all these years of stamping, showing my art never gets any easier.  Though I try to remind myself that it's MY art and not important what others think of it, I regularly find I'm measuring my self-worth in comments, comparing myself to others and feeling desperately inadequate.  And that's certainly not the way I want to live my life.  I blog because I'm passionate about what I do and I want to inspire others to follow their own creative dreams.  But I also want to soar freely and achieve my own dreams ... and I can't do that if I'm always focused on what the other chicks are thinking  about my little wings.

So starting today, along with a new look for my blog, there's a fresh new tone, too.  One that's going to address the things on my heart and not worry so much what I think everyone wants to read or see.  Just like the quote on this card, it's becoming painful to stay curled up inside the tiny little shell of self-doubt I've confined myself to.  It's time to do some blossoming.  I think we could all go for a little blossoming, don't you think?


Enabler's List:
Stamps: To Risk, Hope Blooms (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Ladies & Gents (Webster's Pages), Early Espresso (SU!), Cream
Ink: Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Wild Honey (Ranger Distress), Coffee Archival (Ranger)
Accessories:  Deckled Rectangles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), wide ribbon (SU!), buttons (American Crafts), Scrapper's Floss (Karen Foster), Metallic Dream String and chocolate pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty), harlequin stencil (Crafter's Workshop)

Gathered From the Heart

Happy Thursday!  Today I've got something super fun to share with you!  Kelleigh released this Gathered Box Template Set & Cutting Files over at The Digichick today and I couldn't wait to try it out!


I used the SVG Cutting files and SCAL software to cut the box with my Cricut Expression.  The paper I used is from the DCWV Botanical Stack (such gorgeous paper).  Then it was simply a matter of folding on the scored lines, sponging the edges and assembling.  I tied it together with some cherry cobbler seam binding ribbon, then tied on the Sweet Scallop Tag (embossed with a sentiment from Bloom & Grow set) with some gold cording.  (I made the small mat for the tag by tracing the die in pencil on espresso cardstock and trimming with scissors.)  Then I layered some gold cording loops, a prima flower, a glass glitter star and some triple pearl stick pins on top for a focal piece.

I made a slight adjustment to the original template by rounding both corners of the top of the box with my 1/2" Corner Chomper.  (I did this after the box was assembled, and the corner chomper went through all the layers easily).  Then I added a litttle tag (cut with the Sentiment Flags die from Lil' Inker Designs) and stamped with the from the heart sentiment from Happy Phrases.  The heart is punched from the Lots of Love SU! punch and I added a few shiny gold pearls then clipped on with a mini library clip.

This was so fun to make and came together for me in less than half an hour!  And the best part of the box is that it has a flap that opens from the bottom, so the receiver doesn't have to mess with removing all the pretty ribbons.  It's the perfect size to tuck a little gift card and a little chocolate square in (which is exactly what I intend to do), so double YAY!!!

And to celebrate National Scrapbooking Weekend, The Digichick has a fabulous sale going on!  You can pick up most everything in the store, including the Gathered Box template I used today at a 30% discount  (add the item to your cart to see the discount).  I look forward to their sales when I can stock up on the products I've been adding to my wishlist.  So in the spirit of proper enabling, here's a few items I'm purchasing today which I'm sure you'll be seeing here in the future.  Can't wait to play with these digi papers and cutting files!


Okay, enough rambling. I'm sure you've got things to do and I KNOW I've got things to do. So here's the cliff's notes on that pretty picture you saw up there. {grin}


Enabler's List:
Stamps: Bloom & Grow, Happy Phrases (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Botanical Stack (DCWV), Early espresso (SU!)
Ink: Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Coffee Archival (Ranger)
Accessories: Gathered Box Template Set & Cutting Files (Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs), Sweet Scallop Tag Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Sentiment Flags Die (Lil' Inker Designs), Lots of Love punch, mini library clip, cherry cobbler seam binding, gold cording (SU!), flower (Prima), glass glitter star (Frost It Pink), clear detail embossing powder (Judikins), SCAL software (CraftEdge), Cricut Expression (ProvoCraft), triple pearl stick pins (Maya Road)

Blessed

Happy Wednesday!  Today I've got a card to share with you that uses the new Proverbs 31:28 Plain Jane.  The layout is relatively simple, but it sure was fun to make!


The verse was stamped on a Wonky Square, then sponged with crumb cake and matted with a wonky square cut from designer paper.  The crumb cake background is embossed with the Victoria Cuttlebug folder and I added an early espresso mat and some shabby wrinkled ribbon.  I finished off with some smoked topaz czech rhinestones and a cream card base, punched with the dotted wave border punch.

The flower is made using the Floral Circles Dies.  I cut them from colored cardstock, then spritzed with water, crinkled together then let them dry and accented with Stickles and a big pink pearl.  The leaf is from the Bloom & Grow set, and cut out with the Elegant Leaves Die.

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Proverbs 31:28 Plain Jane, Bloom & Grow (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Neutrals Prints DSP, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizazz, Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette (SU!), Natural White (Neenah)
Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizazz, Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette (SU!)
Accessories: Elegant Leaves, Floral Circles Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Victoria embossing folder (Cuttlebug), dotted wave border punch (EK Success), mini mister, Stickles, shabby wrinkled Ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique on Etsy), Wonky Squares Nestabilities (Spellbinders),
Smoked Topaz Czech Rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty), pearl (Studio G)

Mojo Get Well

Hi everyone!  It's the first Monday of May and that means it's time for another Mojo Contest!  We've got prizes for up to 7 participants, so be sure to play along this week!  Plus, we've got a brand-new member on our Mojo design team starting today, so head on over to the Mojo Monday blog to see who it is and check out this week's sketch!


My sample Mojo card uses the Portrait Collection from Crate Paper again.  I just can't seem to put these papers down.  In fact, I even used the cut-off piece of the rays from this card, because I couldn't bear to throw those pretty scraps away!  For stamping, I've used the new Bloom & Grow set, paired with the Floral Circles Die and Elegant Leaves Die as well as a sentiment from the Friendly Phrases stamp set.  The background of the cream layer is stamped randomly with the smaller leaves from Bloom & Grow in Antique Linen.  The two layers of flowers are stamped in Poppy Parade, then inked with Antique Linen and Vintage Photo, adding a brad and rhinestone for the flower center.

The sentiment is stamped onto a Charming Oval Die that I punched two holes in each corner and threaded my black string through.  A border punch and some black mats and red rhinestones finishes everything off.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Have a fabulously creative start to your week.  And if you haven't checked out the Diva Inspirations Hop yet, there's still time to hop along for a chance to win a Verve gift certificate.


Enabler's List:
Stamps: Bloom & Grow, Friendly Phrases (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Portrait Collection (Crate Paper), Black, Cream
Ink: Poppy Parade (SU!), Black TCP Studios, Antique Linen, Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Elegant Leaves Die, Floral Circles Die Set,
Charming Oval Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), black string, border punch (EK Success), Nesting Pennants (Spellbinders), red rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty), Crop-a-dile, brad (Making Memories)

May Diva Inspirations HOP

Hi all!  Happy May!  Since it's the first day of the month, we're kicking things off in style with a little Verve Inspiration Hop!  I'm the first stop today, so hop along with us for some inspiring eye candy using Verve Stamps, and leave a shout out in the comments as you hop along for a chance to win a Verve gift certificate!  All the prize details and deadlines can be found over on the Verve Blog today.  The hop list is at the bottom of this post.


With the start of a new month comes a new Set of the Month, and May's featured set is Dare to Be. This mini set has 5 uplifting sentiments, and at  only $4.50 for the month of May it's a great deal!  For my project I chose to make a shabby card set using almost all of the sentiments from Dare to Be and some papers from the Funhouse Collection by GCD Studios.

For these first two cards, I used Labels 1 Nestabilities from the designer paper, cream cardstock and an early espresso mat.  I then cut the DP label and placed it over the cream label, lining with ribbon on one and lace on the other.  The Dare to be you sentiment is embossed onto a Floral Circles Die then layered over the lace and accented with a bow.  The I'm so proud of you sentiment is embossed directly onto the cream label, then I added a few little paper flowers with Cotton Candy Stickles over them.

For the last two cards, I used the same papers and concept for the you inspire me card, adding a double bow of baja breeze seam binding and some fun little crystal stem embellishment and a resin rose.  For the Congratulations card, the sentiment is embossed onto a Charming Oval Die and the butterfly is cut with a Tim Holtz die, then I added some chocolate pearls, a little ruffled ribbon and a prima flower to finish it off.

Okay, here's the Hop list!  Happy hopping!  Hope you have a wonderful start to your month!

Diva Inspirations Blog Hop
Master Hop List
1. Julee 8. Sony
2. Betty 9. Susan
3. Dawn 10. Teresa
4. Jen d. 11. Andrea
5. Jen T. 12. Charmaine
6. Lynda 13. Maureen
7. Shannan
We've hidden a little mystery prize on one of today's hop spots, so be sure to leave a little comment love as you hop around for a chance to win!
Comment Deadline: 11:59pm Mountain, May 5
Prize: $30 gift certificate to Verve

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Dare to Be (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Funhouse (GCD Studios), Early Espresso (SU!), Cream
Ink: Early Espresso (SU!), Antique Linen (Ranger Distress)
Accessories:  Floral Circles Die Set, Charming Oval Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Labels 1 large and small Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Butterflies Movers & Shakers, Post Card Textured Fades (Tim Holtz), marina mist taffeta, baja breeze seam binding (SU!), shabby wrinkled ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique on Etsy), vintage lace trim (Maya Road), open roses, resin rose, dark chocolate pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty), glitter flower (Prima), crystal stems (Wild Orchid Crafts), Cotton Candy Stickles (Ranger)