Powered by Blogger.

Bright Butterflies

Hi friends!  Happy Wednesday!  Can you believe it's the end of April already?  How did that happen?  It's been a busy month for me, that's for sure.  Today I'm popping in with a project I made for the latest Verve release but haven't had a chance to post yet.



It was the first card I made when the stamps hit my studio and I just love the fun whimsical feel to it.  Pretty simple stamping.  I stamped one butterfly from Petals & Wings, then made a mask and used it to stamp the other two butterflies so it looks like they're overlapping.  I colored them in with Copic markers, then embossed the polka dot butterfly onto vellum and cut out just the inner section to pop up over the color.  Some big black rhinestones adorn the bodies and I added the little antennae to the base layer of each butterfly as well.  A sweet little sentiment and a ginormous polka dot bow finish things off.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I hope your day turns out on the bright side.

Enabler's List
Stamps: Petals & Wings (Verve Stamps)
Paper: white, black, vellum
Ink: black (TPC Studios), Copics
Accessories: ribbon (May Arts), bling

Vintage Petals

Hi friends!  It's Monday again and time for a new sketch over at Mojo Monday!  This week is tall & skinny week and I made a 3.5" x 5.5" card with the sketch using the newly released Petals & Wings and coordinating Wings & Petals Die Set.


I picked out an old favorite paper pack and thought the red black and cream would pair well with Petals & Wings for a vintage feel.  The papers are all sponged lightly with antique linen and matted with black cardstock.  The two sizes of flowers in the set are stamped onto designer paper and cut with the Wings & Petals Die Set.  I then stamped the flower center and punched out with a 3/8" circle punch, then layered it all on dimensionals.  The stem is stamped on book paper and then hand trimmed and tucked into my border piece, cut with the Scalloped Trim Trio Die Set.  I added the sentiment on a piece of cream and then accented the side with three of the dots left over from cutting the border.  I added a little black Enamel Accents to each dot to make them look like enamel dots.  The card base is cream and I randomly stamped the dotted flower centers in antique linen for a subtle background.  My finishing touch was a sprinkling of sequins from the new Shine Bright Sequin Mix.

That's all from me today.  If you haven't checked out Verve's new release, be sure to hop on over!


Enabler's List
Mojo 343
Stamps:  Petals & Wings (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Sidewalks (October Afternoon), basic black, cream
Ink: black, antique linen (Ranger Distress)
Accessories:  Wings & Petals Die Set, Scalloped Trim Trio Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Shine Bright Sequin Mix (Verve), Enamel Accents (Inkssentials)

Petals Just Because


Happy Saturday, blog friends!  I'm popping in with my card for this week's Viva la Verve sketch. It's the final week of the month, so if you're playing along with us, the deadline for our monthly $100 gift voucher drawing is Thursday.  Check out all the deets on the VLV Sketches blog.


I had some leftovers sitting on my desk from making my Mojo Monday card earlier this week and I that woodgrain paper was just calling out to me again.  I adjusted the VLV sketch to a 3.5 x 5.5" card because, well, I'm just sort of loving on this size right now!  I added some faux stitching to a couple panels with a paper piercer and a pen.  The flower from the new Petals & Wings is stamped onto book paper and cut with the coordinating Wings & Petals Die Set.  I added a bit of watercolor crayon goodness to brighten things up a bit, then stamped one of the dotted flower centers and punched out with a 3/8" circle punch.  The heart shape is cut from the woodgrain paper with the Wavy Hearts Die Set.  The sentiment is stamped onto sahara sand and then I wrapped some linen thread around the panel and embellished with one of the super sparkly sequins from the new Shine Bright Sequin Mix.  A couple of rounded corners and my card was finished.  Easy peasy!

I hope you have a fabulous weekend.  If you haven't checked out the new products at Verve yet, head on over.  We've also started our May sale a wee bit early and have a fantastic assortment of stamps & dies marked down 25%.


Petals & WingsWings & Petals Die SetShine Bright Sequin MixWavy Hearts Die Set
Petals & WingsWings & Petals Die SetShine Bright Sequin MixWavy Hearts Die Set



Enabler's List

Stamps: Petals & Wings (Verve Stamps)
Paper: dp scraps, sahara sand
Ink: black, Neocolor II watercolor crayons (caran d'ache)
Accessories:  Wings & Petals Die SetWavy Hearts Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Shine Bright Sequin Mix (Verve), linen thread, 3/8" circle punch (SU!), Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), corner rounder, paper piercer

Being Awesome and a HOP!

Hi friends!  Happy Friday!  There's a "new again" Verve release today and the Divas are hopping to celebrate! I'm the first stop on the hop, so grab a treat and let your fingers do the clicking! {grin} We've hidden a prize along the hop, so be sure to leave a little comment love as you hop about!


For my card, I pulled out the just re-released Petals & Wings set and Being Awesome Plain Jane. I stamped the polka dot flower centers as a fun little background in soft sky, pistachio pudding and blushing bride.  Next I stamped over the background with the  Being Awesome Plain Jane.  The separate antennae stamp is stamped directly on the background, then I stamped the big butterfly and hand trimmed (because the coordinating die set hadn't arrived yet when I was making my samples last week).  I finished off with some of the new Shine Bright Sequin Mix (so sparkly!) and a soft sky bow.

Thanks so much for being awesome readers and customers!  Next up on the hop is Amber!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win a $40 gift voucher to the Verve store! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines and a little back story on our new{ish} products!


Hop List:
1. Julee7. Jen
2. Amber8. Marisa
3. Andrea9. Maureen
4. Charmaine10. Stacey
5. Christyne11. Teresa
6. Janelle

Stamps: Being Awesome Plain JanePetals & Wings (Verve Stamps)
Paper: black, white
Ink: blushing bride, pistachio pudding, soft sky (SU!), black
Accessories: Shine Bright Sequin Mix (Verve), soft sky ribbon (SU!)

Baby Bots

Hi friends! I'm excited that Verve is in the spotlight on the Paper Crafter's Library blog today! 

Here's a sneak peek of my featured project using Birthday Bots...

Head on over to the Paper Crafter's Library blog for the full feature, plus a chance to win a Verve prize package!

********
While I was making the card for this feature, I made another with the same set that I posted over on the Verve Blog the other day for the Little Things Diva Dare that ends tonight. Here's the replay for those who missed it over there.



When I was very young I had a patchwork pillow and quilt my great grandmother made me that was so dear to my heart.  It was a rainbow of fun colors and patterns and my most favorite sections were made from a bright pink and green fabric.  So when I sat down to make a card for a friend's little bundle who will be arriving this summer, I just couldn't resist throwing in some 1970's pinks & greens!

The baby bot from Birthday Bots is paper pieced onto a pre-made tag from JoAnn's.   I layered two tags back to back so I could slip that star pin with the sentiment flag in between through a pop dot so there wouldn't be any sharp edges poking around.  The stars on the green polka dot "blanket" are cut with the Starry Die and I added a bit of glossy glaze and glitter to them.  A bit of seam binding and my favorite embossing folder finish things off.

Supply List
Stamps:  Birthday Bots (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Bundle of Joy Dots & Stripes (Echo Park), pretty in pink (SU!)
Ink: Black, copics
Accessories: Starry Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), Truly Madly Deeply Ribbon Collection (Verve), pre-made tag (JoAnn), stick pin, glossy glaze, glitter, bling, Stars & Swirls embossing folder (Sizzix), corner rounder 

Take Joy

Hi friends!  It's Mojo Monday on Tuesday again for me!  What a fun (and exhausting) time we had with the twins over Easter weekend.  By the end of it, I just didn't have anything more in me but to curl up in bed and hope that I'd find a bit of time later in the week to stamp a Mojo Monday card. Well, that time happened this morning when I woke up early and the boys slept late and everything aligned for me to play with neocolor II watercolor crayons and paper!



Verve is having a Classic Verve {re-visited} release and blog hop this Friday. One of the sets releasing is called Petals & Wings and it's a compilation of the former Petals & Stems and Fluttering By sets (on clearance and being retired when our current inventory runs out).  I've made the antennae for the butterflies a separate stamp in the new compilation and created a die set to match, but kept everything else the same.

For my card, I pulled out the Petals & Wings set and the coordinating Wings & Petals Die Set and had a little fun.  I love the look of watercolors over book print, so started with some book print designer paper and cut the die set from it.  Next I stamped the small flower and the big butterfly on the matching die cuts and colored with watercolor crayons and a waterbrush pen. The flower center is stamped on the book print as well and punched out with a 3/8" circle punch to layer over the flower.  The sentiment is stamped onto a circle die cut and then I also watercolored the bookprint square behind it.  My border piece is a Flourished Trim Die cut layered over one of the dies from the Scalloped Trim Trio Die Set.  I finished with a polka dot embossing folder, some black liquid pearl accents on the flourished trim and butterfly body and a bunch of distressed edges.

Enabler's List
Stamps: Petals & Wings (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Walnut Grove (Pebbles), dp scrap (Prima), sahara sand, basic black (SU)
Ink: black, Neocolor II crayons (Caran d'ache)
Accessories: Scalloped Trim Trio Die Set, Flourished Trim Die, Wings & Petals Die Set {releases 4/25} (A Cut Above by VERVE), Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), 3/8" circle punch (SU!), Polka Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug), liquid pearls (Ranger), paper distresser, waterbrush

Smile Sunshine

Hi friends!  It's Friday again and time to get your Viva la Verve! on.  {grin}  This week Laurie is giving us a double dose of inspiration with a sketch + color challenge.  You can play along with the sketch, the inspiration, or both.



I just loved the inspiration photo, particularly the teensy pop of yellow amongst the aqua and navy. Oh, and stripes + polka dots are de-lish!  Anyhow, I decided to start by picking some patterned paper with the same prints, so flipped through some paper pads until I came across the Walnut Grove pad from Pebbles.  I cut the Wavy Heart die from the navy striped paper and the Elegant Leaves die from the yellow patterned paper, then sketched in some lines for the leaves and heart.  Next I pulled out Joyful Blooms and stamped two sizes of flowers and then cut them out by hand and layered on pop dots.  The sentiment is stamped onto a die cut from the Flag It Die Set.  I looped some hemp twine and tucked it behind the whole ensemble.  Next I added some stitching and sketched outlines to my polka dot layer and colored a Freckled Fawn woodcut with a Copic marker and some stardust stickles.  I finished off with a few distressed edges and some black liquid pearls on the flower.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend.  We've got an egg hunt/pizza party with our neighborhood on Saturday and then a day filled with family on Sunday.

Enabler's List
Stamps: Joyful Blooms (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Walnut Grove (Pebbles), cream
Ink: black, copic marker, black pen
Accessories:  Wavy Hearts Die Set, Elegant Leaves DieFlag It Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), liquid pearls, hemptique twine, woodcut (Freckled Fawn), stickles, sewing machine

Better With Mojo

Hi friends! Happy Tuesday!  We had a super fun-filled weekend with the boys, including their first egg hunt. Lots of fun, plus Trevor deciding that his crib is now unfit for sleeping meant that there was no time to play along with the Mojo Monday sketch until last night.


I was really craving coffee, even though I started the card at 10:30 pm, so I decided to feed my craving with stamps and pull out Better With You.  I flipped the sketch to accommodate the stamps I wanted to use, then started with the coffee stain in crumb cake and the better with you sentiment over that in black.  Next I pulled out some chevron paper from the Snap Color Vibe pad to paper piece the large mug.  The paper was white and I'd already chosen cream for my base color, so I sponged the chevron paper with crumb cake to make it fit right in.  The banners are hand cut from the same paper and matted with early espresso.  I added some background random stamping with the coffee stain stamp on the crumb cake top layer and around the mug.  A Flourished Trim  die cut was my chosen border and I finished off with liquid pearl accents and a button.

This also fits the current Chevron Chic challenge going on at Verve.  Hope you can play along!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderful week!

Enabler's List
Stamps: Better With You (Verve Stamp)
Paper: Snap Color Vibe (Simple Stories), crumb cake, early espresso (SU!)
Ink: crumb cake, early espresso (SU!), black
Accessories:  Flourished Trim Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), classic and pinking circles nestabilities (Spellbinders), button, scrapper's floss, liquid pearls

Friendship Flowers

Hi friends!  It's Friday and that means it's time for a new sketch over at Viva la Verve!  This week's sketch is from Teresa, and I had a whole lot of layering fun with it!


I've been a bit overwhelmed by choices lately, so I'm trying to just work with scraps that are on my desk this week.  That way I don't have to delay the whole card making process just because I'm having a hard time deciding what paper to use!  {grin}  I swear, sometimes I spend 30 minutes just deciding whether to start with white or cream cardstock!  Eeek!

Anyhow, so here's that Seaside paper from October Afternoon once again.  For stamps, I pulled out Lean on Me and the leaves from Bloom & Grow.  The flowers are cut with the coordinating Pointed Flowers Die Set and the leaves are cut with the coordinating Elegant Leaves Die Set.  I just kind of clustered the leaves around the circle, then realized when I flipped the sketch in my mind, I didn't flip the direction of the leaves. Oh well... artistic expression, right?!  I finished off with a bit of twine, some enamel dots and a touch of glossy glaze and glitter.

Enabler's List
Stamps: Lean on Me, Bloom & Grow (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Seaside (October Afternoon), in color patterns DSP, basic black (SU!), cream (Neenah)
Ink: lucky limeade (SU!), black
Accessories:  Pointed Flowers Die Set, Elegant Leaves Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), enamel dots (Freckled Fawn), scrapper's floss (karen foster), glossy glaze, glitter


Lean On MePointed Flowers Die SetBloom & GrowElegant Leaves Die

Litle Things X 2

Hi friends!  The current Diva Dare is entitled Little Things and is to make a baby or kids themed card using at least one Verve product.  We'd love for you to play along, and don't forget to stop by the Verve Blog as the Divas post their answers to the dare.  (We had a little scheduling break, but should be back on track later today with the next installment.)



So, I've had this idea in my head for quite some time to make a twins card using the "enjoy the little things" sentiment from Let it Be and the animals from To the Moon.  And since I had a pocket of time yesterday afternoon, I decided to really quickly turn the idea into a card.  I started with the photo frame from To the Moon, stamping it on white, then cutting a square of soft sky (which I stamped with the polka dot background from Better Together) for the inside, then stamped the giraffe twice on the soft sky and then four times on barely banana.  I colored the spots with a crumb cake marker and then paper pieced the bodies and then cut out just their little heads and popped them up for some dimension.  My photo frame "edging" is a square of crumb cake and I stamped the picture hanging wire directly on the card base and layered the frame below it.

The sentiment from Let it Be is stamped directly below it.  As I was creating the card, I thought this was just the reminder I need on a daily basis to enjoy my little guys, who as 2 year olds can be a bit overwhelming (to put it in rose colored words).  So I pulled out my new Numbers Plate from TCP and cut the number 2 out four times and glued them together to make a thicker embellishment.  I stamped the 2 with the distressed polka dot back ground, too.

So there you have it... could be a card for someone expecting twins, a pick me up for a mom of a 2 year old, or even a 2 year birthday card for a little one who loves giraffes.  Right now, I think I'll just put it on my mantle as a reminder.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Enabler's List
Stamps:  To the Moon, Let it Be, Better Together (Verve Stamps)
Paper: soft sky, barely banana, crumb cake (SU!), white
Ink: soft sky, barely banana, crumb cake (SU!), black
Accessories:  Numbers Plate CutUps (TCP), rhinestone

Poppies are Back

Looking for my Diva Inspirations Hop post?  Click here or scroll down.

Hi friends!  It's Monday again already.  (They just keep coming, don't they?)  And since it's the first Monday of the month, that means it's contest week over at Mojo Monday!  Come play along with this week's sketch for a chance to win some Verve!



This week's sketch is one based on this card I made a while back.  I loved how it came together and thought it would be a fun sketch to see every one work with this week.

I had virtually no spare time this weekend, and I stumbled into my craft studio about midnight last night, realizing I hadn't made a Mojo card yet.  So I grabbed the scraps of paper that were on my desk and Poppy Birthday (which is now back in stock!) and got to work.

I cut my pieces from book paper using the Build a Poppy Die Set and then stamped with the coordinating flowers and leaves from Poppy Birthday.  Next, I colored the flowers and leaves with Pan Pastels and added some black enamel dots for the flower centers.  The sentiment is stamped onto a scrap of paper, then hand trimmed for the banner.  I added a black polka dot bow to the panel and then decided to color some more of the book paper randomly with the pan pastels.  The effect was a little bright, so I toned it down by layering a bit of vellum embossed with the chicken wire embossing folder over the book paper layer and distressing a bit.  My finished card size is 3.5" x 5.5".

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a super creative week!  If you've been waiting for something to be back in stock over at Verve, it just might be.  We received a re-stocking shipment of over 50 out of stock products late Friday night.  All stamps and dies are on sale, so check it out!



Enabler's List
Stamps: Poppy Birthday (Verve)
Paper: Seaside (October Afternoon), First Edition, Basic Black (SU!), cream (Neenah)
Ink: Black, Pan Pastels
Accessories:  Build a Poppy Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Polka Dot Basics Ribbon Collection (Verve), enamel dots (Freckled Fawn), chicken wire embossing folder (Cuttlebug), corner rounder, paper distresser

Rustic Chevrons

Hi friends!  It's the 5th of the month and that means it's hopping time with the Divas!  In addition to the hop, there's a new inspiration challenge to play along with for another way to win a prize.

I'm the first stop on the hop today, so grab a treat and let's get to it!



This month's challenge is Chic Chevrons... you can use the inspiration pic or not, we just want to see get groovy and use this popular pattern somewhere on your creation.


My concept for the card was masculine and rustic.  I stumbled across some book paper in my stash and just new I wanted to stamp the chevrons from Borderline across it, so I did.  First the outline, then the solid in alternating colors (soft sky and lucky limeade).  I also recently got a magnetic platform for my Big Shot and I love, love, love it!  And boy did I have fun with the Banner Bundle Die Set.  To make the banners, I layered two sets of nested dies together and ran them through the machine.  The magnetic platform kept the dies from shifting and I was so excited to see little frames and inner pieces that I could stagger for a fishtail look.  Squeal!  A little picket fence distress stain pulls in the whitewashed wood grain feel from the photo.

The sentiment is from Purely Sentimental and I stamped it inside the chevron classy label from Unto Us, then layered onto a Classy Label die cut from crumb cake, then added some striped ribbon and sequin stars to finish things off.

Need a little inspiration? Check out the blogs linked below to see what the other Divas did with the challenge! It's sure to be a treat, and speaking of treats, we've got a prize for one lucky commenter along the hop! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines.

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


1. Julee9. Susan
2. Amy10. Stacey
3. Anya11. Teresa
4. Betty12. Maureen
5. Karen13. Marisa
6. Sankari14. Charmaine
7. Sarah15. Janelle
8. Sony16. Christyne

Enabler's List
Stamps: BorderlinePurely SentimentalUnto Us (Verve)
Paper: First Edition DSP, crumb cake (SU!)
Ink: black, soft sky, lucky limeade (SU!), Picket Fence Distress Stain (Ranger), black pen
Accessories:  Banner Bundle Die SetClassy Label Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), striped ribbon (SU!), sequin stars, rhinestones

Awesome Spots

Hi friends!  Happy Friday!  It's the first Friday of the month, and that means it's my turn to host the Viva la Verve challenge.  My monthly feature has a sketch and a color challenge to it - you can do just the sketch, just the colors, or both if you're feeling inspired!



For my card, I pulled out the new Better Together set and a few dies and got to work.  First I knew I wanted my big circle to be a doily, so I spritzed a doily with Boss Lady color mist, then with water and wiped off.  I then used the back side of the doily as the front, since I liked the resist look where the ink hadn't quite seeped through all the way.  My sentiment circle is stamped with the distressed polka background from Better Together in lucky limeade and blushing bride, then I stamped the thanks sentiment in black over the top of it.

Next I cut the Floral Circles Die Set from blushing bride paper, then stamped in blushing bride with the polka dot background, sponged around the edges and layered together with a vintage brad for the flower center.  The leaves are the Dreamy Leaves Die Set cut from some old lucky limeade DSP.  My card background is a piece of smoky slate stamped horizontally the whole length of the paper with the distress polka background.  Then I stamped over it vertically in a few places to give a fun background effect.  I finished with some Pastel Polka ribbon and an Award Banner Trim in basic gray and accented with bling.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Today is the final day of Verve's Spring Cleaning sale with all in stock stamps & dies 20% off, so if you haven't had a chance, be sure to stop by the Verve store.  I'll be back tomorrow with our April Diva Inspirations Hop!

Enabler's List
Stamps: Better Together (Verve Stamps)
Paper: basic gray, blushing bride, smoky slate, In Color 2011-13 Patterns DSP (SU!), doily
Ink: blushing bride, smoky slate, lucky limeade (SU!), Boss Lady Mr. Huey's Color Mist (Studio Calico
Accessories: Floral Circles Die Set, Dreamy Leaves Die Set, Award Banner Trim Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), Pastel Polka Ribbon Collection (Verve), classic circles nestabilities (Spellbinders), designer brad (SU!), liquid pearls, bling

Viva la Grunge

Hi friends... happy Thursday.  What a week so far... having twin two year olds feels a bit like being on a never ending tilt-a-whirl!  Yesterday was one of those "the world is spinning" kind of days where both boys refused to nap or eat and yet still somehow had the energy to figure out how to climb our built-in bookshelves to huck books from the top shelf across the room!  Little monkeys, I tell ya!


Anyhow, after I finally got them to bed, I stepped into my stamp room to find the half finished Viva la Verve card I started last weekend and haven't had a minute to work on since.  The papers I had chosen were so bright and cheery and my mood was so stormy, that I just had to grunge it up a bit.  I mean, really, what's more therapeutic than gritting things up with sand paper and glitter and rubbing gelatos in with your fingers?  {grin}

As I mentioned before, the layout is this week's March Week 4 Viva la Verve! sketch.  Today is the final day to get your entries in for the March Viva la Verve! drawing, so if you haven't linked up yet, be sure to head on over.

The paper is from the Seaside collection by October Afternoon, which I randomly chose from the shelf.  I cut the Rounded Scallop Frame Die with the aqua paper, then matted the inside cut with the Rounded Rectangle Die in basic gray.  I backed the frame with the yellow paper, then stamped Happy Birthday from Chevron Love in black.  Next I created a butterfly embellishment using the All Aflutter Die Set and some rhinestones.  I tied a bit of black scrapper's floss around the panel, adding a bow and some bling, then accented  the frame with liquid pearls and a white gel pen.  I finished off with a white card base embossed with the chicken coop embossing folder and then pulled out some black and white gelatos, and some water and blended it around the edges with my finger.  For the final touch, I added a little glue around the edges and sprinkled on some glass glitter.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope if you're weather's stormy, there's a bit of sunny yellow peeking through!

Enabler's List
Stamps: Chevron Love (Verve)
Paper: Seaside (October Afternoon), basic gray (SU!), white
Ink: black, Gelatos, black pen, white gel pen
Accessories: Rounded Scallop Frame DieAll Aflutter Die SetRounded Rectangle Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), scrapper's floss (Karen Foster), bling, chicken coop embossing folder (Cuttlebug), corner rounder, sander, paper distresser, black liquid pearls