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In My Flower Garden

Hi friends!  Happy Friday!  It's time for another sketch over on the Viva la Verve blog and this week's hostess is Janelle.  I loved the possibilities of all the circles and had intended to make a graphic card with colorful circles. I was uploading some older cards to the Verve gallery yesterday and was inspired by the Amazing Wishes set and wanted to see if the flower would work with the Joyful Blooms Die Set... and it did!


The smaller flowers I hand trimmed, since I wanted a thin mat to match the larger flowers I cut with the die set.  Then I colored them with Copics and arranged them on my paper how I wanted them and hand sketched in the stems and leaves.  I'm not much of a colorer and I rarely sketch anything by hand, but I had a lot of fun making my little flower garden.  There's been quite a bit of stress going on in my world lately and this was just the bit of creative therapy I needed last night! After coloring the leaves, I embossed the panel with the Swiss Dots embossing folder and then popped up the flowers on dimensionals and added a bit of glossy glaze and glitter to the flower centers.

For the sentiment, I pulled out the Charming Oval Die Set and Flag It Die Set to build my little flag, then stamped the sentiment from Amazing Wishes and added some white dots and some bling.  I finished with a bit of ribbon that reminded me of a little fence for my garden of flowers.  A bit of distressing around the edges and the card was done.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a fabulous start to your weekend.

Enabler's List
Stamps: Amazing Wishes (Verve Stamps)
Paper: white, black
Ink: black, Copic markers
Accessories:  Joyful Blooms Die Set, Charming Oval Die Set, Flag It Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Swiss Dots embossing folder, glossy glaze, glitter, ribbon, paper distresser, flat back rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty)

Simple Pleasures

Hi friends!  I'm here again with another late Mojo Monday card sample.  It seems our household routine has taken another shift lately and naptime stamping just hasn't been happening.  So I took a break from work yesterday afternoon to make a sample with this week's tall & skinny sketch.


I knew I wanted to stay simple and when I pulled out the Lucky Charm paper pad from a bag of goodies, I knew I had to go with these distressed solid color papers.  I layered the papers on a 3" x 5.5" card base, adding a bit of distressing and some antique linen distress stain.  Next I pulled out an old favorite.. Floral Whimsy.  I stamped the flowers in Tangerine Tango and then again in black for an offset artsy feel.  The sentiment from the same set is stamped onto a vellum circle and attached with a mini library clip.  Very simple, but I do love how it turned out.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Hope you have a wonderful day!

Enabler's List
Stamps:  Floral Whimsy (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Lucky Charm (Dear Lizzy American Crafts), vellum cardstock (SU!)
Ink: Black, tangerine tango (SU!), antique linen distress stain (Ranger)
Accessories:  Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), mini library clip (SU!)

Lucky You

Hi friends!  It's Friday again and time for a brand new sketch over at Viva la Verve!  This week's hostess is Sarah and she's got a sweet sketch and beautiful inspiration photo to get your creative juices flowing!

For my card, I pulled out a couple sets that were on my desk... Lucky You and Small Celebrations. The papers are all from my overflowing scrap bin and I made the little flower using the Loopy Blooms Die Set and felt.  A bit of bling, some ribbon from the Stormy Skies collection  and an embossed background finish things off.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Enabler's List
Stamps: Small Celebrations, Lucky You (Verve Stamps)
Paper: dp scraps, White
Ink: strawberry slush, sage shadow (SU!)
Accessories:  Loopy Blooms Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Stormy Skies Ribbon Collection (Verve), bling, resin rose, Stars & Swirls embossing folder (Sizzix), Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

Celebrate

Hi friends!  How was your weekend?  I'd like to say mine was fabulous... after all, it was Valentine's Day, Mark's birthday and my Dad's.  However I had a bad reaction to a new prescription and have spent the past 4 days sick to my stomach and missed all the festivities!  I'm pretty sure Mark had the lamest birthday on record.  Boo!


Anyhow, I finally started to perk up a bit yesterday afternoon (and am hoping the perkiness continues today), so I spent a little time in the studio making a sample for this week's Mojo Monday 333 sketch.  The card uses the Poppy Birthday set from Verve.

I started with the sentiment circle, stamping the poppies all around in soft sky.  Next I ran the Build a Poppy Die Set through in soft sky and then cut some old olive leaves and stamped the coordinating stamps.  I made a little old olive background by repeatedly stamping the have an amazing birthday sentiment, then added some piercing accents, a bit of ribbon from the Signature Ribbon Collection and some polka dot embossed panels.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Enabler's List
Stamps: Poppy Birthday (Verve Stamps)
Paper: soft sky, old olive, smoky slate (SU!), white
Ink: soft sky, old olive (SU!), black
Accessories:  Build a Poppy Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Signature Ribbon Collection (Verve), Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

Birthday Stars

Hi friends!  It's Friday and that means it's time for a new sketch over on the Viva la Verve Sketch blog.  This week's hostess is Jen Shults.  As I mentioned earlier this week, I'm on a masculine kick since I've got a couple family birthdays we're celebrating this weekend.


The only stamping is the Birthday to You sentiment on the crumb cake circle.  I hand cut the banners from the Down by the Shore papers and also ran the Starry Die through with the same papers to make my layered stars.  The navy piece is embossed with the chicken wire embossing folder, then sanded, then I layered it onto a distressed piece of white cardstock embossed with the same folder.  After a bit of ink smudging, I flipped the sketch horizontally to cover up my boo boo.

That's all about the card.  Created this yesterday during a VERY short naptime, right before the boys ended up having horrible coughing/asthma attacks.  Spent the evening in urgent care and Kellan, Trevor and I are now all stocked up on inhalers, breathing treatments and high powered cough syrup to try to finally kick this illness.  I've got great healing hopes for the weekend!  :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a fabulous Valentine's Day and a great weekend!

Enabler's List
Stamps: Birthday to You (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Down by the Shore (Fancy Pants), crumb cake (SU!), white
Ink: Night of Navy (SU!)
Accessories:  Starry Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Chicken Wire embossing folder (Cuttlebug), paper crimper, paper distresser

A Bit of You

Hi friends!  Happy Wednesday!  I feel like a broken record saying I've been sick again, but our whole family caught another virus and I am so completely wiped out.  So I'm popping in with my Mojo Monday card (a weeeeeeeeee bit late) today.


This week's sketch was by Debbie and I just loved the possibilities of the tag on a card.  Both my dad's and Mark's birthdays are this week (the 14th and 15th), so I had masculine cards on my mind when I sat down to stamp.  I love this sentiment from the Just for You set that says I hope that others see a little bit of you in me.  It reminds me of the Amy Grant Father's Eyes song that was popular when I was young.  And since my dad's eyes are pretty close to marina mist, that's the color I chose to work with.  The stars are cut with the Sizzix Primitive Stars die and I stamped directly on the big star, then embossed the small star with polka dots.  The sentiment flag is stamped with the happy birthday sentiment from Small Phrases.

I dug out a tag from my drawer and also saw this bit of burlap in the drawer and thought it would be cool to tuck it behind the tag like it's peeking out and you can see just a bit of it, to mirror the sentiment.  The ribbon is from Stampin' Up! and I cut it in half and frayed the edges for the top of the tag.  My card base is narrow so I could still fit it in an envelope, even with the ribbon hanging off the side.

All in all, a really quick card, and I think my dad will really like it.

Hope you're all staying well!  Thanks for stopping by!

Enabler's List
Stamps:  Just for You, Small Phrases (Verve)
Paper: marina mist, crumb cake, tag
Ink: early espresso, marina mist (SU!), antique linen (Ranger)
Accessories:  Primitive Stars (Sizzix), burlap (7 Gypsies), ribbon (SU!), polka dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug), star pearl, corner rounder

Viva la LOVE

Hi friends!  It's the first Friday of the month and that means I'm the hostess on deck over on the Viva la Verve! blog with a sketch + color challenge.  You can use the sketch, use the colors, or both!

I'm just a wee bit addicted to making tall & skinny cards recently.  I just love being able to hang things over the edge of my cards and still fit them in an envelope!  So I adapted this week's sketch a bit, changing out the circles for hearts and narrowing the base of the card to 3.5 x 5.5".

So my card base is smoky slate and embossed with a heart embossing folder.  I then stamped a strip of blushing bride with the be mine and small heart image from  More than Love and attached to the card base.  Over that I added a wide striped ribbon.  (For a little more sturdiness, I attached it to a bit of cardstock first and cut the pennant ends, then just glued the cardstock to the base of the card.  My hearts are stamped in cherry cobbler and cut with the coordinating Wavy Hearts Die Set.  Next I pulled out On Occasion, since the frame seemed the perfect fit for the rectangle in this sketch.  I stamped the frame and cut with the coordinating Occasion Frame Die, then stamped the  More than Love sentiment in cherry cobbler.  A few little things to bling things up and I was done.

I hope you come over and play with us at Viva la Verve! and check out what a few of the other Divas did with this week's sketch and color combo!

Enabler's List
Stamps: More than Love, On Occasion (Verve Stamps)
Paper: smoky slate, blushing bride (SU!), cream
Ink: blushing bride, basic gray, cherry cobbler (SU!)
Accessories: Wavy Hearts Die Set, Occasion Frame Die (A Cut above by VERVE), nail art heart rhinestones, darice bling, striped ribbon (SU!), heart embossing folder (Sizzix), corner rounder

The ONE

Hi friends!  Happy Thursday!  Today I'm popping in with a quick little masculine CAS valentine using the new More than Love set.  I made four cards when I first got this set and this was the one I made with Mark in mind, and when I asked him which card he liked the best, he picked this one as the one he was most drawn to.  So I must have hit my mark! {grin}


The card is 4.25" square and I embossed the Song of Solomon scripture from More than Love in the corner in early espresso.  A scrap of red dp with rounded corners and some dark burlap ribbon are layered onto the base, then I stamped the large heart image onto a Wavy Hearts die cut in early espresso and the smaller heart image in cherry cobbler onto one of the die cuts from the Heart Quartet Die.  These are layered on dimensionals and I finished off with just a hint of sponging around my card base.  Easy peasy!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Enabler's List
Stamps: More than Love (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Snippets (Studio Calico), crumb cake (SU!), cream
Ink: cherry cobbler, early espresso (SU!), brushed corduroy (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Wavy Hearts Die Set, Heart Quartet Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), corner rounder, burlap ribbon, embossing powder

February Diva Inspirations Blog Hop

Hi friends!  I'm back again with another blog hop!  Today is the 5th of the month and that means it's time for the Diva Inspiration Team to break out their Verve!  I'm the start of the hop, so you're right on track to cross something off your to do list today!  {grin}

This year we've added a challenge each month, so we hope you'll play along. Our February challenge is Floral Fantasy, and the challenge is to add some petal power to your card.  You can use the inspiration photo or not, but you do need to flash some flowers somewhere on your project.  There's a prize for a challenge participant, as well as a prize for a commenter along today's blog hop, so why not try for both and increase your chances to win?!  Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and details.



For my card, I was inspired by the colors in the challenge graphic. I added some washi tape as a faux wallpaper background on my soft sky layer, then pulled out Bloom & Grow and the Floral Circles Die Set and started stamping in strawberry slush and barely banana.  The leaves are inked with old olive and cut with the coordinating Elegant Leaves Die.  I added the sentiment on a vellum tag, then embellished with twine, glimmer stones and some Pastel Sequin Mix.  Lots of fun and a much needed sunny distraction on a snowy day!
I was inspired by the colors in the challenge graphic.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Next up on the hop is Amy Kolling.

PS.  If you missed it yesterday, scroll down to the next post or click here for my More than Love Verve Release Blog Hop post.


1. Julee11. Tiffany
2. Amy12. Maureen
3. Anya13. Stacey
4. Betty14. Christyne
5. Jessica15. Teresa
6. Karen16. Marisa
7. Sankari17. Charmaine
8. Sarah18. Janelle
9. Sony19. Jen
10. Susan
Enabler's List
Stamps: Bloom & Grow (Verve Stamps)
Paper: soft sky, old olive, crumb cake, vellum (SU!), cream
Ink: early espresso, old olive, strawberry slush, barely banana (SU!)
Accessories: Floral Circles Die SetElegant Leaves Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), Pastel Sequin Mix (Verve), linen thread, button, glimmer stones, gesso, Charles embossing folder (Cuttlebug), washi tape

More than Love Blog Hop

Welcome to Verve's More than Love Release Hop! Over the weekend Verve released a brand new set and ribbon collection and today the Divas are hopping to share our first looks at these lovely new products! I'm the start of the hop, so pull up a chair and sit a while!  {grin}


For my card today, I went shabby chic.  I thought this sentiment from More than Love would look great on the Tim Holtz journaling ticket that fell out of my closet when I was trying to find something for another card, so that was my inspiration.  I embossed the sentiment in early espresso and did a bit of sponge and paper distressing around the ticket.  All of the paper is from the Teresa Collins World Traveler collection and I actually cut the primitive heart intending to use the other side of the paper, but I just loved the way the black damask popped against the other papers I chose, so I changed it up.  A bit of vintage lace trim, a prima flower and a whole lot of distressed edges finish things off.

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking TWO random commenters on one of the hop spots below to win prizes! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs on the list to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines!  And be sure to check out the new additions to the Verve store.   More than Love and the Pastel Polka Collection, along with a bunch of fabulous other products are on sale 20% off, so it's the perfect time to pick up a little something special for yourself.

More than LovePastel Polka Collection
More than LovePastel Polka

Okay, time to get hopping!  Next up is Amber!

Hop List:
1. Julee
2. Amber
3. Andrea
4. Charmaine
5. Christyne
6. Janelle
7. Jen
8. Laurie
9. Marisa
10. Stacey
11. Teresa


Enabler's List
Stamps: More than Love (Verve Stamps)
Paper: World Traveler (Teresa Collins), cream
Ink: early espresso (SU!), brushed corduroy (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Primitive Hearts Die (Sizzix), Journaling Tickets (Tim Holtz), flower (Prima), vintage lace trim, paper corrugator, embossing powder

My Valentine

Hi friends! It's the first Monday of the month and that means it's contest time at Mojo Monday! And I've got a super fun layerl-icious (yes, that's a word!) sketch for you this week.  Play along for a chance to win some Verve of your very own.  And speaking of Verve... we just released a brand new set on Saturday, so be sure to hop on over to the Verve store and check it out.


I made this card a few weeks ago from scraps and embellishments on my desk and thought the layout was fun and frisky and would make a good challenge sketch.  The stamps used are from No Matter What.  I combined all the little heart images on one block and then used it as a border stamp for the soft sky, basic gray and blushing bride layers.  Then I embossed the be my valentine sentiment onto a ticket stub and added some chipboard resist hearts that I sponged and a little heart brad that had been abandoned from another project.


Stay tuned tomorrow for the official Diva post-release blog hop with inspiration using our newest release!

Enabler's List
Stamps: No Matter What (Verve Stamps)
Paper: dp scraps, soft sky, basic gray (SU!)
Ink: soft sky, basic gray, blushing bride, cherry cobbler (SU!)
Accessories: ticket stub, chipboard hearts, heart brad, washi tape, glossy accents, glitter

New Verve Valentine

Hi friends!  Welcome to February!  Today Verve is releasing a brand new set and ribbon collection! While I intended for this set to be a much earlier release, a busy life, sickness and manufacturing delays have me feeling blessed that the set has actually made it here.  Since these stamps are hot off the presses, our normal release hop is going to be a post-release hop on Tuesday, February 4 to share ideas with More than Love and the Pastel Polka Ribbon Collection.


I do have a card to share with you today using More than Love, though!  And you can see another sample over on the Verve Blog along with a little more info on our new release.


The layout for this card is this week's Viva la Verve January Week 5 sketch, converted to a 3.5" x 5.5" card because I'm kind of loving that size lately!  For the bottom layer, I stamped the smaller heart image from More than Love in crumb cake randomly across the panel.  Next I stamped the big striped heart image in wild wasabi and cut with the coordinating Wavy Hearts Die Set.  The circle in this panel was screaming rosette to me, so I pulled out some pink polka dot paper and a rosette die and got to work on that, then made the valentine's tag to tuck under it.

The smaller hearts are cut with the Heart Quartet Die and then stamped with the smaller heart image from More than Love.  The stamped image is slightly larger than the second largest heart in the die (the bottom green heart shows how the stamped brown image is slightly larger than the cut out green heart that's layered on top of it), which means you can stamp over it and get edge to edge coverage on your die cut.  You can also do the same with the smaller hearts in the die for an array of polka dot hearts!   After that, it was just deciding on some green ribbon down the side and adding a touch of bling to finish things off.

More than Love Pastel Polka Collection
More than Love Pastel Polka Collection

Enabler's List
Stamps: More than Love (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Bundle of Joy Dots & Stripes (Echo Park), crumb cake, white (SU!)
Ink: early espresso, crumb cake, wild wasabi, blushing bride (SU!)
Accessories: Wavy Hearts Die Set, Heart Quartet Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), ribbon (SU!), rosette die (Tim Holtz), hearts embossing folder (Sizzix), rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty)