It's a Girl Thing

Happy Thursday! Have y'all been checking out the amazing projects over on the Verve Blog this week? Holy cow, the Divas have their mojo on high octane! Our monthly project parade is under way and the theme this month is It's a Girl Thing: Celebrating the Women in Our Lives. Everyone's welcome to play along and there's a Verve gift certificate up for grabs. All the details are in this post.

For my project, I wanted to make a little gift card set and when I saw Kelleigh Ratzlaff's Sassy Purse in her May Grab Bag, I knew exactly what to do. The only problem was finding some time to make it all happen! Isn't that purse the cutest? The larger template that I used can hold a set of 2.5 x 3.5" or 3 x 3" note cards, or whatever little gifty you'd like. I think I might do another one for a little bachelorette party coming up and put in some travel sized products from Bath & Body works as a little gift.



Anyhow, the purse was super simple to make with the template. Kelleigh has a lines only version you can print on paper from your stash, but I used digi paper and the stitches elements from the Twitter Blossoms collection for mine. Up close it's hard to tell the stitches are digi. They look so real that Mr. Verve kept running his fingers over them because he didn't believe me! LOL Isn't he cute?

For accent, I just added a length of chocolate stitched grosgrain for the handle, securing on the inside with sticky strip and then cut out an embossed Elegant Flower image and attached it to the flap of the purse with some BasicGrey magnetic snaps for a simple closure. Next I made some really simple matching note cards with papers from the Twitter Blossoms collection and embossed a few more flowers and popped them up over a strip of chocolate grosgrain. I have little note card sized envelopes I got in a pack from Fred Meyer, so I just stamped the Elegant Flower again in Old Olive to finish off the envelopes, and the ensemble was done.

What's in it?
Stamps: Elegant Flower Plain Jane (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Twitter Blossoms digi paper & elements (Sugarplum Paperie)
Ink: Chocolate Chip Craft, Old Olive (SU!)
Template: Sassy Purse from May Grab Bag (Kelleigh Ratzlaff)
Accessories: Chocolate Chip stitched & 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, clear embossing powder (SU!), Magnetic Snaps (BasicGrey), rhinestones (Kaiser Craft), sticky strip

Trendy Green Galore

The other day I was at a local gelato shop and admiring their decor. It actually used to be a smoothie shop and the walls are painted a perfect match for Green Galore - a color that is most definitely not high on the interior decorator color list! Anyhow, to tone down the green, this little cafe brought in lots of modern accents with brushed silver and dark chocolate upholstery. It really does feel kind of trendy and modern - and the walls kind of make you feel all glowy and happy. While I was sitting waiting for my Greek Chicken Pita to come out I noticed they still had a pink poinsettia alive and well since Christmas on one of the counters. I loved the pink leaves against all that green and filed it away for future reference.


So when I made my mojo card this weekend, I had intended to use Green Galore and Chocolate Chip. But since I wanted to use patterned paper and didn't have any of either of those colors to work with, I set my green galore cardstock on the desk and went for a more classic combo. This morning when I went in to say hello to my studio, I noticed the gingham ribbon resting against the green galore, right next to a pirouette pink flower I had already put together but didn't use on another project. Inspiration struck, and in about 10 minutes I walked out of the room with this card and a feeling of accomplishment! :) It's a really simple layout, which I think works best when you're working with any vibrant color.

What's in it?
Stamps: Mother's Day & Elegant Flower Plain Janes, Because of You (Verve)
Paper: Green Galore, Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, Whisper White (SU!)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: gingham ribbon, Martha Stewart Branch punch, glitter/diamond glaze mixture, rhinestones, pop dots, Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder

Fancy Mojo

Hey everybody! Happy Monday! I hope y'all had a good weekend. Today's card is my sample card for this week's mojo sketch. I'm not feeling very well, so I'll keep it short and sweet. To view the sketch and the fabulous samples from the Mojo design team, visit the Mojo Monday Blog.



What's in it?
Stamps: Fancy Florals, Circular Sayings (Verve)
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Prints Pack (SU!)
Ink: Real Red, Basic Black (SU!)
Accessories: circle punches (SU!), gingham ribbon, brads, Stardust Stickles, black pen

Viva la VERVE!

Hey Everyone! Happy Friday! Today's the last Viva la Verve! sketch for April, so you have until Thursday to get all five of your April VLV sketch with a {twist} cards in for a chance at winning Verve's next release. Here's a link to each of the sketch threads for more details...

VLVAPR01 - VLVAPR02 - VLVAPR03 - VLVAPR04 - VLVAPR05

My card for today uses the VLVAPR05 sketch which calls for a {twist} of spring. Easy peasey, and the sketch is square, which we all know is one of my faves! I used my new Blossom nestabilities for the shape. The flower images are from Miracles Blossom and the sentiment is from Wishful Elegance. Everything else is pretty self-explanatory, so I'll just leave you with the recipe.

What's In It?
Stamps: Miracles Blossom, Wishful Elegance (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Prints Pack (SU!)
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Bordering Blue (SU!)
Accessories: white gel pen, eyelet border punch (SU!), glitter & diamond glaze mixture, rhinestones (Me & My Big Ideas), Blossom (Nestabilities), white satin ribbon

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

Happy Thursday, everyone! It's another release day over at The Digi Chick and I have a project using a new Door Hanger with Pouch/Mini Card Holder template that Kelleigh just released. The templates are the perfect size for a little set of 3 x 3 cards and envelopes, which is what I set out to make.

Unfortunately, my mojo wasn't jiving with my sleep deprived brain and all the little 3x3 cards I tried made it only as far as the trash can! Admit it - you've all had days like that, right? Tell me I'm not alone! :) Since I'd already completed the box and I needed to get back to work, I grabbed some Hershey's nuggets and wrapped them with matching paper to complete my project. Super simple, but looks great!

I used digi papers from the April Dawn kit by Elise's Pieces Designs for my project, but Kelleigh has included a lines only version with the template so you can easily print it on paper from your stash. I just printed out the box, cut it out and assembled with sticky strip. I wrapped some wide chocolate satin ribbon from SU! around the belly of the box and grosgrain chocolate ribbon across the top of the box.

The stamped piece is a Deckled rectangle die cut from Nestabilities that I stamped with the flourish from Beautiful Kindness in Bordering Blue, then stamped over that with the Simply Fabulous sentiment in Chocolate Chip. I used the nestability die as a stencil to sponge some Bordering Blue ink around the edges and then matted on a Chocolate Chip Deckled Rectangle. The butterfly is embossed onto the April Dawn paper in Chocolate Chip and then cut out and embellished with some chocolate kaiser craft pearls. The lace is a scrap of Powder Lace Wraps from Fancy Pants and I added a little chocolate button in the corner.

The Hershey's nuggets are wrapped with strips of coordinating paper. Each strip is about 1-1/8" x 3" and secured with sticky strip. Six nuggets fit in the little box.

What's in it?
Stamps: Beautiful Kindness (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla (SU!), April Dawn (Elise's Pieces Designs)
Ink: Bordering Blue, Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Template: Door Hanger with Pouch/Mini Card Holder template
Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, chocolate satin, chocolate grosgrain, sticky strip (SU!), Deckled Rectangles (Nestabilities), Powder Lace Wrap (Fancy Pants), Chocolate Pearls (Kaiser Craft), button

Quick & Shabby

Hey Everyone! How's your week going? Mine has been a blur! I've had a card to post and no time to post it, so I thought I'd just hop on really quick and give you a change of a scenery.



The silhouette flower from Because of You is stamped both first and second generations (stamping two times with out reinking) in Baja Breeze to give a variance in color. I sponged around the edges with Chocolate Chip Craft ink, blending it around until it looked right. The sentiment is also from Because of You and says Happy Mother's Day (although you can't read it very well in the photo because it's embossed and there's a glare!). The ribbon is some white and brown striped American Crafts ribbon that I colored with a Copic marker to match. The DP is from the SU! Parisian Breeze DSP pack and I did a little faux stitching, some sponging, and then distressed the edge with my distressing tool before mounting on a Chocolate Chip card base.

What's in it?
Stamps: Because of You (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Parisian Breeze DSP (SU!)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip Craft (SU!)
Accessories: Clear Embossing powder, distressing tool, mat pack and paper piercer (SU!), sponge, ribbon (American Crafts), chocolate pearls (Kaiser)

Mojo Squared

Happy Monday! The weekend flew by and now it's already time for another Mojo Monday sketch! Be sure to head on over to the Mojo Monday blog for the sketch and some awesome inspiration from the Mojo team. This week we're doing my favorite type of card - square. My sample card is 4.25 x 4.25" square so it will still fit in a regular A2 envelope. I pulled out the two new Verve Sets, Wishful Elegance and Because of You, as well as one of last month's releases, Circular Sayings.



I started by stamping the floral spray and coordinating flower from Because of You with A Muse Black ink on white paper. Next I colored the flowers with Copic Markets and then cut out the one flower to pop up over the flower in the spray. I inked the edges of the image panel with Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa and then Chocolate Chip ink and painted the popped up flower with a mixture of diamond glaze and glitter to give it some sparkle. Next I stamped the background from Wishful Elegance in Pumpkin Pie on So Saffron, then used my EK Success Fleur de Lis border punch for the edging. This layer is sponged with pumpkin pie ink and I added a tiny mat of Pumpkin Pie cardstock at the top. The kraft background is a letterpress look achieved by inking up the bottom side of my Textile Cuttlebug folder with Chocolate Chip ink. Then I placed the Kraft square in the folder and ran through the Cuttlebug with the bottom side up so it would de-boss the image. Then just rinse your Cuttlebug folder with water right away and it's as good as new. I sponged the edges of this panel with Close to cocoa and then assembled my pieces, matting everything with Pumpkin Pie.

The sentiment is from Circular Sayings and I stamped it on a 1.25" circle punched from So Saffron cardstock. It's framed with some hardware from a We R Making Memories Hardware Kit and I tied it on with some orange satin ribbon from Archiver's. For the finishing touches, I punched a fleur de lis, painted with the glitter glaze and then popped up on dimensionals in the corner. Oh, and I added some of Taylor's Tiny Twinkles to the centers of the flowers in the spray.

Hope you have a fabulously creative week! Thanks for stopping by!

A Little Bit of You

Hey Everyone! Happy Saturday! Just wanted to pop in and say hi before I head into the shipping cave for a while. Our release party was so much fun last night, and the new sets are now available on the Verve website.



Today's card is one of my favorites with this release. I just love this sentiment from the Because of You set. It says, "I hope that when people look at me they see a little bit of you." I paired it with a few of the silhouettes from the same set. To get the two colored flowers, I inked the entire stamp in Kiwi Kiss, then used a blender pen to remove the ink from the flower areas. Next I used a Rose Red marker to color the flower areas and then stamped. I sponged a little soft sky at the top for sky and a little kiwi kiss at the bottom for grass. For the backgrounds I used the new Medallion Plain Jane for a soft cloudlike look on the Soft Sky panel, and then stamped the silhouettes acroos the kiwi kiss panel in kiwi kiss. The ribbon is some old pomegranate SU! satin ribbon and the butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch. I finished with a few Stardust Stickles accents and then some pearls for the butterfly body.

What's In It?
Stamps: Because of You, Medallion Plain Jane (Verve)
Paper: Soft Sky, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black (SU!)
Ink: Soft Sky, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red (SU!), Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories: Pomegranate Satin Ribbon (SU!), Butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), Stardust Stickles, pearls, sponge

Tonight's the night

Hey Everybody! Happy Friday! Before I get to my card for today, I thought I'd post a little reminder of what's going on at Verve...

Deadline for all of our Release giveaways is 8PM Eastern tonight!

Show us your Verve Contest
April 2009 Release Week Challenges

Sneak Preview Giveaways on the Verve Blog

- Day 1 Plain Janes

- Day 2 Wishful Elegance

- Day 3 Because of You

Release Party starts tonight at 9PM Eastern

Okay, on with my card for today. It uses the VSAPR3 sketch from the Release Week Challenges. And it's another sneak peek of the new Wishful Elegance set that's releasing tonight. I'm not going to give much detail other than what's in it, because I have miles to go before I part-ay! ;)

What's In It?
Stamps: Wishful Elegance (Verve)
Paper: So Saffron, Kraft, Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White (SU!)
Ink: So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Accessories: So Saffron ribbon, corduroy button (SU!), Scallop Rectangles (nestabilities), Doily Lace Punch (Martha Stewart), pearls (Kaiser Craft), diamond glaze & glitter mixture, clear embossing powder (for sentiment)

Because of You Gift Set

Hey Everyone! Happy Thursday! Today the Divas are previewing a new set called Because of You that will be available following our Release Party on Friday night. I figured I'd join in the fun and show you a little Mother's day gift set I pulled together with Because of You and the Elegant Flower Plain Jane (also releasing Friday night). Let's get right to it...


I started my project with the lines only version of the new Funky Bags #2 Template by Kelleigh Ratzlaff. I printed the template directly onto Pink Pirouette cardstock and then trimmed it out and flipped it over so the lines weren't showing on my stamping area. Next I stamped the silhouette flowers across what would become the bottom section of the box. I used Chocolate Chip Craft ink and embossed with clear embossing powder. While I was at it, I stamped and embossed one of the flowers from the set and the coordinating Elegant Flower Plain Jane and trimmed them out. Next I flipped the box flap around so that the sentiment would be the right direction when the box was assembled and then embossed the Happy Mother's Day sentiment on the top flat. For the scalloped edge I simply glued a piece of chocolate chip cardstock behind the top flap and then cut with a pair of Fiskars scallop edge scissors. I colored the smaller flower with a pink Copic marker, then layered on dimensionals and finished the center with a pink Kaiser Craft pearl.



Once all my stamping was done, I scored along the lines of the template and assembled the box. I finished off with some chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon along the top edge and used a Basic Grey magnetic snap to close the bag, so that the flower piece is a removable magnet.


Once the bag was done, I started in on a matching card. I used the VSAPR1 Sketch from the Verve April 2009 Release Week Challenges. I stamped and embossed the floral spray image from Because of You on a square, then stamped the coordinating single flower again, cut out and popped up on top. I randomly stamped the Elegant Flower Plain Jane in Pink Pirouette as a background on the main pink panel and embossed the I'm so blessed to call you.... sentiment above the square. The circles are punched with the Marvy Super Jumbo and Mega Scallop circle punches and I stamped the Elegant Flower in the background and then embossed the Mom sentiment in the center. I used the Martha Stewart Doily Lace border punch for the edging, then finished off the sketch with some word window punch strips, some Kaiser Craft pink pearls and some Petal Pink Liquid Pearls accents around the scallops on the circle.



Okay, that's all for now, folks! Be sure to stop on bythe Verve Blog today for a chance to win the Because of You set.

Wishful Elegance Sneak Peek

Hey Everyone! It's Day 2 of the Sneak Peeks over on the Verve Blog, and today the Divas are showing you their creations with the Wishful Elegance set that releases this Friday night. Here's MY preview... all stamps are from Wishful Elegance.



When I started designing this set, I wanted a set that could be used to make quick and easy card sets for gift giving so I incorporated an elegant background, a few coordinating images and some elegant sentiments to make a versatile set that can be used for all those special occasions. For this card, I embossed the medallion background with Craft Chocolate Chip ink and clear EP onto Close to Cocoa cardstock. Next I embossed the Birthday Wishes sentiment on a scrap of Soft Sky and pieced together with the Close to Cocoa panel, hiding the seam with some chocolate taffeta ribbon. The main image is embossed on white cardstock with Craft Chocolate Chip and then I colored with Copics. This is cut out with a Peony Nestabilities die and then inked with close to cocoa and chocolate chip ink. I cut a coordinating mat from Chocolate Chip cardstock and embossed with the background stamp. I used a 1/2" circle punch to cut circle from the embossed chocolate chip piece and layered it on a pop dot in the center of the flower. Then I simply finished off by accenting the background stamping as well as the center of the flower with some Platinum Liquid Pearls.

Okay, be sure to head on over to the Verve Blog today to see the rest of the Sneak Peeks with this set. And the winners of last week's Mojo contest are up on the Mojo Blog, so be sure to check that out, too!

Sunshine Sneak Peek

Hey Everyone! The sneak peeks of the newest Verve stamps start today over on the Verve Blog. There's a chance to win, so be sure to head on over and check them out. The Divas are sharing some of the plain janes (individual stamps) that are releasing this Friday night, so I thought I'd share one too.



My sample card uses the Sunshine plain jane sentiment, and {oops!} it looks like I snuck in a little preview of the set they'll be peeking tomorrow, Wishful Elegance. The layout started out as Amber's Viva La Verve! sketch for this week, but I took a few {ahem... maybe more than a few!!!} creative liberties with the sketch and this is is what happened. The twist for the week was to use baja breeze, summer sun and more mustard. I really didn't remember what an awful color more mustard is all by itself until I pulled it out - there's a reason I only had 1 sheet of it in my arsenal! LOL! Well, a little tone on tone stamping and some chocolate chip matting toned down the colors quite well, and I actually kind of like the finished card.

Okay, there's lots going on for our release, so I'm going to leave you with a few links so you can't say you didn't know. :)

Verve Release Week Challenges - four challenges, six winners, lots of fun
Show Us Your Verve Giveaway - $100 gift certificate up for grabs
Verve Diva Sneak Peeks - more free stamps just for commenting!

Mojo Blooms

Hi Everyone! I hope you had a fantastic Easter weekend! Today I've got my sample for this week's Mojo Monday sketch to share with you. For the sketch and to see the fabulous creations by the Mojo Makers, be sure to hop on over to the Mojo Monday blog.

I chose the flower from Everlasting Life for my main image. It's stamped with A Muse Dye Black Ink and colored with Copic markers. I then chose to add some dimension by stamping the flower parts from Miracles Blossom, coloring them in and popping them up on the flower. These parts are slightly smaller than the image in Everlasting Life, which I think gives a little more dimension to it. The dp is some old American Crafts paper from my scrap pile and I used Soft Sky for my background. The sentiment is from Miracles Blossom and I just inked up the bloom part of the sentiment for the card.

For the bottom part of the card, I cut a 4.25 x 11 inch piece of cardstock and scored at 5.5" for a foldover card. Next I cut 1" off of the bottom of just the front of the card. I cut another strip of black cardstock that was 4.25" wide, used the Fiskars threading water punch on it and then cut it so it was 1" with the scallops and pieced it back on the card front with tape so it would stand correctly. The soft sky panel covers up the tape, and then the ribbon covers the seam where the two pieces of black cardstock met, making the piecing sturdy and covering up any sign that the cardfront isn't one whole piece of cardstock. Clever, huh? :) I finished off with a little gingham bow stitched to a button with a bit of Cotton Candy stickles added for sparkle.

It's a New Dawn, It's a New Day

Happy Friday! Do you have any special plans for your Easter weekend? We're hanging out with family on Sunday, but I'm looking forward to my first weekend off from Verve in many, many months! Hooray! And I just had two boxes of SU! stuff arrive on my doorstep, so I might even find a little time to try out my new goodies! Today I have another hybrid project for you. I've done a lot of hybrid lately, but I totally have these fun hybrid projects I've been working on to thank for completely pulling me out of my funk finally! I've been really depressed for a while and having a hard time feeling motivated to stamp, and then like a light bulb (or maybe just the sun finally starting to shine!) my mojo lit up and I'm having a ball in my craft room again! I think it's probably just the natural ebb and flow of a creative soul, but I sure do like the sunny days better than the dark ones! :)



Well today's project has no stamping involved, but I absolutely LOVE how it turned out! I usually feel a little awkward if there isn't a stamp somewhere on my project, but these digi elements are so gorgeous that I didn't think there was anything to add. My inspiration was this New Day digi kit by Elise's Pieces Designs. I absolutely fell in love with the butterflies as soon as I saw the kit and had to download it. I spent a few minutes in Photoshop layering a few little elements for the main design. I loved this word art sentiment from the kit, which says, "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. " I thought it would be perfect for a graduation or even a just because gift. And then I layered the little digi vellum tag over it, to highlight the Enjoy the little things part and added a little strip element behind. I printed this on plain white paper so I could make a card, then also copied the elements onto the Triangle Tube Template from Kelleigh Ratzlaff and used some of this gorgeous blue striped paper from the New Day kit. I made sure to print a couple extra butterflies to pop up, then accented them with rhinestones and chocolate pearls.



For the card, I sponged around the edges of my printed panel with Vintage Photo distress ink, then matted on Chocolate Chip cardstock. I added a trio of chocolate pearls to the top corner and finished off with some stampin' up! moss taffeta.



For the triangle tube I tied a bow of the same moss taffeta ribbon around the assembled box and then used a crop-a-dile to set a jumbo eyelet through the top of the box. I looped a piece of ribbon through the eyelet for a little pull tab to open the box.

Okay, I hope y'all have a fabulous Easter weekend! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Carrot Top

Hey everyone! Happy Thursday! I am so excited about today's project! I haven't had this much fun stamping in quite a while, so let's all do a little jump for joy! I used the new Carrot/Icicle box template from Kelleigh Ratzlaff designs that releases today. (All new releases at The Digichick are 20% off today {Thursday, April 9}, so head on over and check it out.) Not only is the template in layered PSD format for use with digi papers, but Kelleigh has also included a lines only version that can be printed on cardstock or your existing patterned paper! Hooray! I made one both ways, and am so in love with these cute little boxes! It's perfect for a little Easter treat, but I could also see it all decked out for a baby shower favor. Can you tell the ideas are spinning today?



For the first box, I used the lines only template. I cut a piece of Girl Friday paper from Cosmo Cricket to 8.5 x 11 inches ran it through the printer so that the template would print on the back so no lines would show. Next I just cut it out, scored along the lines and assembled with a little sticky strip. For the tag I used the Marvy Giga Tag punch and layered different Girl Friday payers on it (punching the eyelet border punch on the pink paper before punching out with the tag punch), then I stamped the Easter Blessings sentiment from Everlasting Life at the bottom. The tag is secured to the box with ribbon and I punched a couple holes in the top of the box to thread it through and close the box.


Next I stamped the boy bunny from Practically Perfect once on white cardstock, a second time on the pink Girl Friday paper and a third time on the back of the pink paper (which happens to have an orange pattern to it). I cut out the tummy, paws and bow from the patterned paper then pieced them onto the bunny stamped on white and colored with Copic markers. Next I stamped a few of the flower trios from Floral Symphony on aqua Girl Friday paper, cut out, covered with a mixture of Diamond Glaze and glitter, then stuck them behind the cut out bunny. I attached a flat bead pin to the back of the bunny, then skewered through a couple primas and through the opening of the box as a little topper. Cute, huh?



The second box uses digi papers from the Just Breathe collection by Kelley Mickus. I wanted a real carrot look, so I threaded some green American Crafts ribbon through the top for the greenery, then added an orange button to top it off. The tag uses the same punches and Everlasting Life stamp as the first box, and I added a little Foof-a-la flower button and tied around the button topper with embroidery floss. Easy peasey!

Quick Hybrid Project

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm sharing with you a cute little hybrid hexagon project.


Everything on this box except for the chocolate stitched ribbon was designed digitally using Kelleigh's Hexagon Box Template and digi papers and elements from the gorgeous Moroccan Sunset kit by Mari Koegelenberg. First I opened up the template and clipped the sagey colored paper to it. Next I made a duplicate layer of the top of the box and re-sized to 90% to give a nice matted look without having to cut any layers out. I clipped some of the gold paper to my new layer then added a little drop shadow to give it more of a realistic look. Next I added the digital silhouette stamp, the tag and the stitching up top. Finally I typed the for you sentiment, added a little bevel to it and then printed my box out on Epson matte premium presentation paper.

I cut out the box with scissors and used an X-acto knife to trim around the printed string, then just assembled the box and added a little chocolate chip stitched ribbon to the side. I finished off with a little sponging on the edges with some Vintage Photo distress ink. Super easy - I think it took me about 15 minutes from the time I opened photoshop to the time I took the photo.

Mojo Tuesday?

Hey everyone! Well, since I didn't have a Mojo sample for you yesterday, I spent a little time last night pulling something together with this week's sketch. To see the sketch and play along with this week's contest for a chance at some free stamps, head on over to the Mojo Monday Blog.



The images are from the Miracles Blossom set. I stamped the flowers and greenery in Versafine Onyx Black and then colored with Copic markers. I stamped three of the smaller coordinating flowers and colored them as well before cutting them out. The DP is from the Girl Friday line by Cosmo Cricket and all of the layers are matted in Basic Black. I painted each of the flowers with a mixture of Diamond Glaze and glitter for a little added sparkle, then decked out my trio of flowers with some pearls that I colored with the Buttercup Copic marker. My sentiment is from the Circular Sayings set and is punched out with the 1 1/2", 1 3/8" and scallop circle punches. I finished off with a little American Crafts ribbon and some Liquid Pearl accents. Once the liquid pearls were completely dry, I colored them with a Copic marker to match the real pearls a little better.

What's In It?
Stamps: Miracles Blossom, Circular Sayings (Verve Stamps)
Paper: White, Black, Girl Friday (Cosmo Cricket)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Copic Markers
Accessories: Diamond glaze, ultrafine glitter, American Crafts ribbon, SU! circle punches, Kaiser craft pearls, Liquid pearls

Monday, Monday.. can't trust that day

Hey everyone! I spent the weekend preparing for a meeting with the accountant this morning. I'm hoping {cross your fingers} that I'm finally ready to put the 2008 tax season behind me! Just a little hint - if you're ever thinking about changing your business entity, do it on a year boundary, not mid-year, because it's twice the amount of tax prep! Ugggh!

Anywho... I didn't get a card made for today's mojo sketch. But it's a contest week and the girls have made some fabulous cards, so head on over to the Mojo Blog to see what you can see. I do have a card I made a little while back with the TCP Spring Fling set that was the initial inspiration for the sketch. I modified a few elements here and there when I designed the Mojo sketch, thinking a few adjustments would balance out the layout. So unfortunately this card really doesn't fit the new sketch, but you can at least see the inspiration!



Here's what's in it:
Stamps: Spring Fling (The Cat's Pajamas)
Paper: Black cardstock, Lasting Impressions DP
Ink: Rich Cocoa & Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Accessories: Fleur de lis and border Punch (EK Success), Corner rounder, ribbon, Copic markers, rhinestones

Oh, and be sure to check out the Verve Blog today to find out who our newest DIVA is, as well as our April Guest Diva and the winner of the Egg-stra Special Spring Project Parade. Hope you have a fabulous start to the week! :)

Crazy Love For My KETTOs

There are a few trivial little "things" in life that I have crazy love for...

Hello Kitty, anything by Gwen Stefani, the art work of Don Li-Liger, Tully's coffee and most recently.... KETTO! It's that kind of love where just the mention of the name can make you all excited, giddy and start clapping like a little girl! It's frivolous and silly, but hey, they make me happy! :) From the first moment I saw these adorable little KETTO stamps by Stamping Bella, I was in crazy love. My order finally arrived this week and I've been doing a little bit of stamping just for me on the sly! Here's the evidence...



First up, is Ivy KETTO. This card was inspired by the fabulous little button inspiration photo for the Bellariffic Friday Challenge. I loved the fun sherbet-y color combo. The background for all the white panels are stamped with Kenya's Sparkle stamps in Tangerine Tango and Rose Red. Ivy KETTO is stamped in A Muse black dye ink and then colored with Copic markers. The feeling groovy sentiment seemed to fit the funky colors, so I added a bit more green to the sentiment. The DP is from the Nonsense paper pad by We R Memory Keepers and I used some So Saffron grosgrain and in keeping with the inspiration photo, added a few little buttons from the stash. Then it was time to add the sparkle. Each center dot in the sparkle stamps is highlighted with Orange Peel or Fruit Punch stickles. Isn't she fun?



Next up is Wasabi KETTO. This card uses a gorgeous new line of digi papers released by Kelley Mickus called Whisper. I stamped Wasabi KETTO in Rich Cocoa Memento ink twice and colored with Copic markers. I cut out her dress and paper pieced it, adding a little dimension to the ends with pop dots. The sketch was this week's sketch challenge on SCS {SC222}. I added the have a sunshiney day sentiment down the side, and embellished with one of Wasabi's Flowers colored With Copics and accented with Scattered Straw Distress Stickles and a pink flatback pearl in the center. I used more of that so saffron ribbon, and added a few faux stitches to the printed papers and Groovy Guava layer before matting to a Chocolate Chip card base. The finishing touch was a little sparkle added with a Stardust gel pen and a blender pen.



The final KETTO for today is Charlotte KETTO. I went clean and simple (not a usual look for me) with this one, but I love how it turned out. The inspiration was this week's Clean and Simple challenge on SCS {CAS08} Charlotte KETTO is stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copic markers. I added a few little dots to dress up each corner of the panel and a black mat. The thinking of you sentiment is stamped directly on the card base and a little black grosgrain knotted bow finishes off the sleek look.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed a little peek into my newest obsession. Three cards with similar images, and 3 very different looks! Have a fabulous weekend and be sure to spend a little time with one of YOUR crazy loves this weekend!

Easter Egg Basket

Hi everyone! Today I have the cutest little hybrid project to share with you. I {heart} this project and I've had to wait a while to share it, so here goes! This darling little Easter Egg Basket Template released today {April 2} from Kelleigh Ratzlaff over at The Digichick. All new releases are 20% off on release day, so if you want the template, today is a good day to head on over!


I combined the template with the In the Meadow Collab from Studio mgl and Sugarplum Paperie. I started by clipping some of the yellow papers in the kit to the basket template, then adding some elements to decorate the basket before printing. The grass, butterflies, and flower sparkles on the sides and handle were all extra little additions I added using elements from the kit. I also made sure to print a couple extra of the gorgeous butterflies in the kit so I could pop them up and make them fly! After I printed it out, I embossed the Happy Easter plain jane stamp on the front, then got to the business of cutting out and assembling the template.

I popped up one of the extra butterflies on the front, and then added a second butterfly to the inside of the basket for a little decoration. The handle is a thin strip of paper I printed and then adhered a piece of Soft Sky cardstock punched with the Scallop Edge border from SU! to either side. The handle is attached with brads on either side, that I dressed up with a few layered white primas covered in Stardust Stickles. I filled it with some of hubby's favorite Starbucks Chai truffles. and finished off with some rhinestones on the butterflies.

What's In It?
Stamps: Happy Easter Plain Jane (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Soft Sky (SU!), Digi - In the Meadow Collab (Studio mgl & Sugarplum Paperie), Epson Premium Presentation Paper Matte
Ink: Chocolate Chip Craft, Soft Sky (to ink edges of butterflies)
Accessories: Easter Egg Basket Template (Kelleigh Ratzlaff), digi elements from In the Meadow Collab, rhinestones, primas, white brads, Scallop Edge punch (SU!), embossing powder

Hybrid Take-Out

Hi Everyone! Happy April! As many of you know, I'm not really a tutorial kind of gal. I have photography issues, and patience issues, and so I usually steer clear. But to start off April in a big way, today I've got a little tutorial over at the Hybrid Chick on how to make this adorable little Take-Out box. Head on over to --> this post <-- to check it out! The box uses Kelleigh Ratzlaff's Take-Out Box Template and some of the gorgeous new papers included in this month's Digichick Designer Collab kit - Springtime in the Afternoon. This kit has all sorts of digi papers, tons of fabulous little elements and a couple cute printable boxes and bags.

ETA: The butterfly is one of the new Fluttering Butterflies by Prima. This one is style F and I purchased it from Jacksonbelle Embellishments. I didn't see it in stock on her website, but there are five varieties of the butterflies, and it looks like she still has variety A and C. These are absolutely GORGEOUS!

And since today's a hybrid day, I thought I'd answer a few of the questions I've been getting about hybrid.

Most digital kits come with 12 x 12 paper, do I need a printer that prints 12 x 12 to use them? No, the beauty of having the files in a digital format, is that they are re-sizable. Most of the papers and element files come in high resolution .png or .jpg files so that you can print them from any program you like. Just open them in the program you would like and resize them to fit a regular 8.5 x 11 sheet.

Do I need a graphics program to be able to print the papers? While you get the most flexibility from a graphics editor like Photoshop Elements, having one of those programs is not necessary. You can open the files in Word or Paint and resize them to print the size you would like. And if you don't have Word, you can even print them using the built-in Windows Photo Printer wizard. I've explained this method a little bit in this mini-tutorial.

Do I need a graphics program to be able to use the templates? In most cases, yes. Many of the templates are layered templates, which means you need a program like Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro that can handle layers. Much like layers on a card, these programs allow you to stick one thing under and another thing over, to give a realistic overlapping.

Does printing take a lot of ink? This really depends on your printer. If you've got a gas guzzling Hummer, you're not going to go the same distance as a Prius. The same thing applies to printers and ink. I've printed A LOT of paper in the past couple months and still haven't even had a notification that I need to replace any of the ink cartridges.

Is all that printing expensive? Hmmm... I guess this one depends on how you look at it. The papers I'm drawn to in the scrapbook store are now between $1.00 to $1.79 per 12 x 12 sheet. That seems expensive to me! And then I always have to buy at least 2-3 sheets of each design because I don't want to run out in the middle of a project! Many of these printed papers are beautiful, but not a good scale for cardmaking - which is what I do a lot of. One of the things I like most about digital papers is that when I scale them down to size for printing, the images of the paper scale as well, so I don't have a 4" rose taking up my entire card. Everything is in its place. And I can print as much as I want as often as I want. No need for excess paper sitting around collecting dust, or a mad dash to the LSS when I'm in the middle of a project.

What paper do you print on? Just like when you're stamping, paper DOES make a difference. Sometimes I print on regular cardstock and sometimes I print on Epson Matte Premium Presentation Paper. This paper is a nice weight and seems to be able to accept ink when I stamp on a printed page better than a lot of papers I've tried. My absolute favorite paper is Epson Watercolor paper. It's more expensive, but I'm a texture gal - and this paper feels just like Crate Paper. YUMMMY!