Beauty of Dreams Mojo

Hi friends! It's another Monday morning and time for a fresh Mojo Monday sketch. I made a sweet little card where the designer paper did most of the work.

The paper is from the Devotion collection by Prima and I cut it down to size, then made a pennant from the scraps.  I stamped the butterfly from Sparkly Dreams on some coordinating paper, then cut with the Butterfly Dreams Die Set (35% off during our summer clearance sale).  The sentiment is stamped onto vellum, then cut and matted using nestabilities dies.  A little doily in the corner and a hint of ink along the edges of my panels finish this soft, shabby card off.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderfully creative start to your week. It's my last four days before the boys officially start summer and I have a list a mile long of all the things I hope to accomplish before my work hours are cut in half.  Wish me luck :)

Mojo Monday 454 Sketch

Enabler's List
Stamps: Sparkly Dreams (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Devotion (Prima), white, vellum, paper doily
Ink: archival black, antique linen and vintage photo distress (Ranger)
Accessories: Butterfly Dreams Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Labels nestabilities (Spellbinders)

Life Happens Mixed Media

Hi friends!  I'm popping in with my final card for this year's Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  It's been a work in progress on my desk all week and it's finally "finished". I was undecided as to whether I wanted to make it a card or put it on a canvas because I really loved how it turned out.  I ultimately decided for a canvas looking card (with an added bow at the end).

I started out with a 5.5" square piece of white cardstock that I treated with Gesso, then collaged with designer papers and some Tim Holtz tissue paper.  Next I scraped in some acrylic paints and more gesso until I achieved the desired look.  By this time, everything was pretty thick, so I used my MISTI alignment tool to stamp the Coffee Helps sentiment in Archival Black, to make sure everything would get inked evenly.  I think I did three stamp passes to make sure it was crisp.

Next I stamped the cup and straw from Coffee Helps in archival black on designer paper, then colored in with watercolors, pencils and accented with a white gel pen.  Then I let things sit for a few days. When I came back, I glued on the cups and let it sit for a couple more days.  Finally last night I decided to cut it down to card size, mat with black, add a flat bow and call it done.

I've got a little blog candy today!  

Just leave a comment here before 11:55 pm on Thursday, June 30 to be entered to win
the Coffee Helps set and Cup for All Seasons Die Set.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you've had a wonderful time hopping this past week. 

Enabler's List
Stamps: Coffee Helps (Verve Stamps)
Paper: white, dp scraps, Tim Holtz Melange tissue paper
Ink: Black archival (Ranger), watercolor pencils, acrylic paints, gesso, white gel pen
Accessories: grosgrain ribbon (SU!), MISTI

Relaxing Mixed Media

Hi friends! I'm back with another card for the Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  I'm having a lot of fun using the limited time free Three Cheers digi and decided to go mixed media for this one.

I wanted a watery background look, so started by covering a piece of white cardstock with gesso.  Next I scraped on some lime green, aqua and white paints with a credit card.  I scribbled a bit with a teal distress crayon, then watered it up with a waterbrush and let it drip around until I was happy with the background.  I then splattered a bit of watered down heavy body white paint with a fan brush for that splashy waves kind of look.

The sentiment from Three Cheers is printed on white paper and cut with a stitched circle die, then I colored the cup with Copic markers, hand cut and dolled up with a bit of frosted lace stickles and some glossy glaze and glitter on the star.  I finished with distressed edges and a bit of bakers twine.

So much fun to get my fingers paint stained again!  Hope it inspires! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Enabler's List
Stamps: Three Cheers Digital Set (Verve Stamps)
Paper: white
Ink: white, aqua, lime green paint (Liquitex), Distress Crayons (Ranger)
Accessories: stitched circles stax (MFT), bakers twine, adhesive star, glossy glaze, glitter, frosted lace stickles, laser printer

Red White and Blue Coffee

Hi friends! I'm back with another patriotic coffee card for the Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes.  I seemed to fare better than my boys with the virus, so am back up and running and feeling SOOOO much better!

I started by printing the Three Cheers digital sentiment, then cutting with a stitched circle die and matting with a pinking circle die cut. The coffee cup from Coffee Helps is stamped, then colored with Copic markers and cut with the coordinating Cup for All Seasons Die Set. Next I stamped the steam from the Coffee set, embossing it in white on vellum, then hand cutting to tuck in a small slit I cut in the coffee cup.

The background of the card is done with three strips of designer paper, edged with distress ink and layered onto crumb cake cardstock. I wrapped a bit of red striped ribbon around the middle, then accented with my sentiment circle.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you found a little inspiration here.

Enabler's List
Stamps: Coffee Helps, Coffee, Three Cheers Digital Set (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Liberty (BoBunny), crumb cake, vellum (SU!), cream (Neenah)
Ink: black, Copic markers, Versamark, white gel pen, antique linen and vintage photo distress (Ranger)
Accessories: Cup for All Seasons Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), stitched circles stax (MFT), pinking circles nestabilities (Spellbinder), wide striped ribbon (SU!), white embossing powder

Mojo Thanks a Latte

Hi friends! It's Monday again and time for a new Mojo Monday sketch.  This one is perfect for quick and easy crafting, but also dresses up pretty well, too. {grin}

I've been a bit under the weather the past couple of days after picking up the bug my boys had last week. So I kept things super simple, using the limited time Three Cheers digital freebie and a Tim Holtz embossing folder for this card I'm linking up to the Summer Coffee Lovers Bloghop.  I inked up the embossing folder and debossed the cups on crumb cake, added a few rugged touches to the edges and that was it. Easy peasy!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful start to your week.

Mojo Monday 453 Sketch

Enabler's List
Stamps: Three Cheers Digital Set  (Verve Stamps)
Paper: crumb cake, Hello Summer (Echo Park), white
Ink: vintage photo (Ranger Distress), Copic markers
Accessories: To Go embossing folder (Tim Holtz), paper distresser

Relax and Enjoy Coffee Loving

Hi friends! Happy Saturday! I'm popping in today with this fun little card I made for the Summer Coffee Lovers Hop.  It uses the limited time free digital set I designed called Three Cheers (available through June 30 from Verve).

I took my color inspiration from this month's Diva Inspirations challenge. Orange and aqua is one of my favorite color combos.  I printed the digi sentiment on cream cardstock and cut with a stitched circle die.  This is matted with a pinking circle die cut from orange designer paper.  Next I colored the frappe cup with Copic markers and hand cut to pop up over my "sun" piece.

The starry paper was already on my desk and seemed to pair perfectly with the starry cup, so I pulled out some adhesive paper twill, stuck it down and stamped some chevrons in pumpkin pie using a border strip from the Borderline stamp set.  Easy peasy and pure summery goodness, if you ask me!

If you're in the mood to shop this weekend, Verve has a special offer code in celebration of the hop.  Use code SCL2016 in the gift code box at checkout to save 20% off your ENTIRE order.  Woohoo!

June Diva Inspirations Challenge

Enabler's List
Stamps: Borderline stamp set, Three Cheers Digi (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Grand Bazaar (BasicGrey) Print Shop (Studio Calico), cream (Neenah)
Ink: pumpkin pie (SU!), Copic markers, antique linen distress ink (Ranger), white gel pen (Signo)
Accessories: stitched circles stax (MFT), pinking circles nestabilties (Spellbinders), paper twill, paper distresser

Dream Big VLV

Hi friends!  It's time for a brand new sketch over at Viva la Verve!  I had a lot of fun going soft and shabby, combining Lesley's sweet sketch with the current Diva Inspirations challenge.

I started by stamping and embossing the flowers from Dream Big in tangerine tango onto patterned paper.  The smaller blooms are cut with the coordinating Scalloped Flowers Die Set and I hand cut the larger flower.  The three flowers are layered on dimensionals and accented with a big rhinestone. The leaves are stamped tone on tone in smoky slate and cut with the Dreamy Leaves Die Set.

For the sentiment panel, I scraped a bit of white gesso across a smoky slate card stock piece, then distressed with vintage photo distress ink.  I added some star pearls down the side, then layered three pieces of twill behind on some starry paper.  A bunch of distressed edges and I was done.

In other news, I have another card on the Verve Blog today, for the kickoff to the Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop.  It uses the free limited time digi set, Three Cheers.  There's also a 20% off code for the Verve store, so be sure to head on over and check out what I'm sharing today. Here's a little peek...

Viva la Verve June Sketch 2

Enabler's List
Stamps: Dream Big (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Grand Bazaar (BasicGrey) Print Shop (Studio Calico), smoky slate (SU!), white
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Smoky Slate (SU!), vintage photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Scalloped Flowers Die Set, Dreamy Leaves Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), twill, star pearls, rhinestone (Glitz)

Beautiful Soul Mojo

Hi friends!  The weekend flew by and it's already time for another Mojo Monday sketch.

Last week I stopped in at Tuesday Morning and found a ton of super awesome crafty things for $1.99 or less, including the Grand Bazaar paper pad from BasicGrey. I loved the bohemian feel and bold colors, and picked out this pattern as my favorite.  After I cut it down to card size, I had a light bulb idea to make a chalkboard panel to go with it using the Beautiful Things set.

I started by embossing the beautiful soul sentiment in white, then offsetting with a bit of white mix'd media ink for that smudgy chalkboard look. Next I white embossed the flowers around the corners, also embossing two more on a scratch piece of basic black. I pulled out some Prima watercolor pencils to add a bit of color to each flower, wiping with a baby wipe to make the color react.  I just love the effect!  Next I scraped the white ink pad lightly over the panel to give an eraser look and distressed the edges.  The flowers and leaves are cut with the coordinating Beautiful Flowers Die Set and then layered together on dimensionals.  A doily and some ribbon finish things off.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you'll play along with this week's sketch.  For a little more inspiration, hop on over to the Mojo Monday blog to see what the other designers are sharing today.

Mojo Monday 452 Sketch

Enabler's List
Stamps: Beautiful Things (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Grand Bazaar (BasicGrey), black (SU!), white
Ink: Versamark, watercolor pencils (Prima), white jasmine ink (Mix'd Media)
Accessories: Beautiful Flowers Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), doily, lost lagoon ribbon (SU!), white fine detail embossing powder (JudiKins)

June Diva Inspirations Blog Hop

Hi friends! It's the 10th of the month and that means it's time for our monthly blog hop and challenge! I'm the first stop along today's hop, so settle in and let's get hopping!

There are TWO $30 gift vouchers to the Verve store up for grabs this month and two ways to win! First, comment on the design team's blog hop posts (linked below) for an entry in the first giveaway. Then to be entered into our challenge prize drawing, go get inky and link up your take on the challenge. You have until July 5 to link up. Feel free to play along with the challenge as many times as you like. Verve stamps aren't required to play, but we do smile a little brighter when we see them!

For my card, I pulled out the newly restocked Dream Big stamp set. It's one of my favorites, and I was super excited to stamp with it again. I embossed the flowers in tangerine tango on some BasicGrey designer paper, then cut with the coordinating Scalloped Flowers Die Set.  The leaves are stamped in smoky slate on the same color of card stock and cut with the coordinating Dreamy Leaves Die Set.  I accented with a starburst rhinestone.

The sentiment is stamped in smoky slate on a Stitched Pennant and then I layered a bit of cheesecloth behind for some texture.  The cloudy dp seemed like the perfect backdrop, so I finished off with some distressed edges.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! 

The challenge deets and hop list are below and Betty's blog is the next stop along the hop!

Summertime is on the way and a soft beachy vibe is our inspiration this month. Soft neutrals and bold pops of color are sure to bring a bit of summer flair to your projects. Take your inspiration from the graphic or follow the color pattern, just have fun stamping. We can't wait to see what you create!
Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Tuesday, July 5.
Prize: $30 gift voucher to the Verve online store!

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're giving away a $30 gift voucher to Verve to one random commenter along the hop.  Just leave a little love as you hop about for a chance to win!

	1. Julee	7. Marisa
	2. Betty	8. Maureen
	3. Charmaine	9. Stacey
	4. Christyne	10. Susan
	5. Laurie	11. Teresa
	6. Lesley

Enabler's List
Stamps: Dream Big (Verve Stamps)
Paper: dp (DCWV), orange DP (BasicGrey), smoky slate (SU!), white
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Smoky Slate (SU!)
Accessories: Scalloped Flowers Die Set, Dreamy Leaves Die Set, Stitched Pennants Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), sunburst rhinestone (Pizzazz Aplenty), cheesecloth

Beautiful You Mojo with Help From Trevor

Hi friends! It's Monday again and time for a brand new Mojo Monday sketch.  Since it's the first sketch of the month, that also means there are Verve prizes up for grabs!  We hope you'll play along!

My card started out with this piece of a water colored project Trevor had done that was sitting out on my desk.  He LOVES anything to do with art, especially painting, and it's so fun to see what he creates. I loved the colors he put together and thought it would make a great background.  Next I stamped the flower from Beautiful Things on vellum and embossed in white.  I colored with Copic markers on the backside and then cut it out with the coordinating Beautiful Flowers Die Set.

The sentiment is stamped in rich razzleberry and island indigo onto a Stitched Pennants die cut and I layered a vellum cut out from the Springtime Stitches Die Set below it.  A bit of white twine, some Shine Bright sequins and a whole lot of embossed and distressed panels finish things off.

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

Mojo Monday 451 Card Sketch

Enabler's List
Stamps: Beautiful Things (Verve Stamps)
Paper: white, vellum
Ink: rich razzleberry, island indigo (SU!), copic markers, watercolors (Crayola)
Accessories: Beautiful Flowers Die Set, Springtime Stitches Die Set, Stitched Pennants Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Shine Bright Sequin Mix (Verve), chicken wire embossing folder (Cuttlebug), paper distresser, white twine, white embossing powder

Happily Ever After

Hi friends! It's the first Friday of a new month and that means it's my turn to host the sketch over at Viva la Verve. I hope you'll come and play along!

My card started with papers from the DIY Home collection.  It's no secret I love aqua and these polka dots totally called my name!  I cut down one of the designer papers to use just the love and flower squares, then matted with smokey slate.

The stamped panel is created using the Love Everlasting set (sorry it's currently out of stock, but should be back soon). I stamped the sentiment in blushing bride and calypso coral, then cut out the square, masked off the outer edge and sponged with blushing bride and stamped portions of the floral heart in the corners.  This is matted on a smokey slate scalloped square and accented with a bow.  I finished off with some liquid pearl accents and a mini library clip for this quick and easy card.

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

Viva la Verve June Sketch 1

Enabler's List
Stamps: Love Everlasting (Verve Stamps)
Paper: DIY Home (Pebbles), smokey slate (SU!), white
Ink: blushing bride, calypso coral (SU!)
Accessories: classic and scallop square nestabilities (Spellbinders), ribbon, mini library clip (SU!), liquid pearls (Ranger)

Beautiful on Repeat

Hi friends! It's been a whirlwind week for me and I just realized I never posted this little card I made last weekend.  I was super inspired by Lori's little tip on her hop post about using the MISTI to line up repeating images and just had to try it out. 

I love the look of second and third generation stamping (stamping once, then again without reapplying ink), and decided to test out her little alignment trick with this technique.  So I inked up the beautiful sentiment from Beautiful Things in rich razzleberry, stamped it, then moved my paper down 3/4" and stamped again, then another 3/4" move and the third stamping. Love the different shades I got from just the one inking.

For the bottom portion, I stamped the make beautiful things sentiment, adding the YOU to the top, then added a second generation stamping of the flower off the side.  The rich razzleberry panel is stamped randomly with the same flower, then I distressed the edges and added a seam binding bow, tucking in some vellum cut leaves using the Beautiful Flowers Die Set.  Super easy and lots of fun.  I hope it inspires you!

Alrighty, thanks so much for stopping by.  A long awaited box of Verve restocks appeared on my doorstep last night, so I have a day filled with packaging stamps ahead of me.  {happy sigh}

Enabler's List
Stamps:  Beautiful Things (Verve Stamps)
Paper: rich razzleberry (SU!), vellum, white
Ink: rich razzleberry (SU!)
Accessories: Beautiful Flowers Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), frosted lace stickles (Ranger), pear pizazz seam binding (SU!), paper distresser, MISTI