Blooming and Growing

Happy Friday, friends!  Do you have big plans for the weekend?  My plan is no work, all play!  LOL  That never happens, but a girl can always dream, right?  Speaking of dreams, every time I close my eyes for the past couple weeks, I see an art journal page in my mind.  It's predominantly oatmeal with lots of texture, bits of yellow sponging, and some black and cream accents.  So imagine my delight when I was strolling through the craft store the other day and came across the Authentique: Blissful line in this exact color combination?  Heavenly, I tell ya!  And while it's not the art journal page I've been dreaming about, I had a blast making my sample card for this week's Viva la Verve! sketch, brought to you by the talented Teresa Kline.

I flipped the sketch horizontally since the stamped sentiment didn't look nearly as cool stamped up the side as it did in my head!  LOL  Mainly I just played around with my new paper, making my own flower embellishment with the Floral Circles Die Set and stamps from the Bloom & Grow Set.  The leaves were cut out with the Elegant Leaves Die, then I stamped with the coordinating leaf stamp in Crumb Cake, then added stitch accents with a pen and lightly shaded with some stampin' pastels for a softer look.

I just love this bloom and grow sentiment.  Maybe it's because I feel like I'm blooming and growing.  Mark and I have made some really positive lifestyle changes and I am beginning to feel healthier, more energetic and a whole lot better about myself.  And while we've lost quite a bit of weight in the past weeks, it really hadn't sunk in how much change was happening in my body.  But this week we finally had some warmer weather, and I pulled out my shorts from last year, and they're huge!  As in I had to buy shorts that were 4 sizes smaller huge.  Now one of those sizes probably came off over the past year, but 5 weeks ago, I was 3 sizes bigger than I am today.  Crazy and so exciting!  And no, there's no crazy pill or diet or magic wand.  It's just that age old principle... burn more calories than you consume.  We're eating healthy, well-balanced meals regularly with whole foods, limiting processed high calorie foods, taking supplements for proper nutrition and working out.  But 98% of it has just been changing the way we eat.  It's truly amazing.  Mark's mantra has been that 4 weeks are going to go by no matter what.  At the end you can either feel the same way as you do today, or you can make some changes and feel better.    I vote for change!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a fabulous weekend.  If you have some time, be sure to play along with Viva la Verve!  All four of the June sketches are posted and there's even a printable pdf of  the June VLV Sketchbook.  You have until next Thursday to get your entries in for a chance to win our next release!  Viva la Verve!

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Bloom & Grow (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Blissful (Authentique), Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, Crumb Cake (SU!)
Ink: Crumb Cake (SU!), Scattered Straw Distress, Jet Black Archival (Ranger)
Accessories:  Floral Circles Die Set, Elegant Leaves Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Labels 19 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), button, black wrinkled ribbon (May Arts), sewing machine, border punch (EK Success), Corner Chomper (WRMK)

Hope Blooming

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

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

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

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


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

Blessed

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

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

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

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

Mojo Get Well

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

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

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

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


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

Feel Better

Hi y'all!  Happy Thursday!  This week is just flying by.  I can't believe it's almost May - I remember as a kid hearing my parents talk about time flying and I thought they were crazy.  The days just drug on and on and on.  One day seemed like an eternity.. remember that?  And that ever important 1/2 year was always included in your age, because 1 whole year was too long to wait to get older.  So funny to think about.  Anyway, sorry for my rambling... you're probably ready to talk stampy stuff now, huh?

This card was inspired by this week's Color Throwdown #139.  There are 5 colors this week and I'm so surprised by the predominant color in my card, because when I was looking at the swatch the little color snob voice in my head said, "definitely will be minimizing the crushed curry!"  But then....  I sat down at my desk and this piece of Portrait dp was just sitting there calling my name and I told myself... "you can doooooo it!"  {grin}

I started by cutting some Floral Circles in cream, then stamping the Wild Flower Plain Jane in Groovy Guava on the small and medium die cuts.  Then I inked up the edges with some Dusty Durango ink and fussed with the outer edges, bending them in and out to get a shabby look.  The sponging darkened the guava more than I intended, but I promise it's still there! ;-) Next up, I cut an  Elegant Leaves die cut out of Pear Pizzazz, then stamped with the coordinating stamp from Bloom & Grow.

The sentiment from Hope Blooms is embossed in Chocolate Chip craft ink onto a Classy Label Die, then I sponged around the edges with Chocolate Chip die ink and hand cut a very thin mat for it.  The background paper got a healthy little dose of chocolate chip ink and was embossed with the Diamonds and Damask folder, then sanded lightly.  A little chocolate chip striped ribbon, dusty durango polka dot ribbon, a leaf pin and some pearls, and this little number was finished.

Well, that's it on the stamping front today!  Hope you have a fabulous day and thanks so much for stopping by!


Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Wild Flower Plain Jane, Hope Blooms, Bloom & Grow
Paper: Portrait Collection (Crate Paper), Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizazz (SU!), Cream
Ink: Groovy Guava, Dusty Durango, Pear Pizazz, Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Accessories:  Elegant Leaves Die, Floral Circles Die Set, Classy Label Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Chocolate Chip striped grosgrain, Dusty Durango polka dot grosgrain (SU!), Leaf Trinket Pin (Maya Road), pearl (Melissa Frances), Diamonds and Damask textured impressions folder (Sizzix)

A Difference

Hi peeps!  Happy Wednesday!  I was wondering why things were so quiet on my blog today and then realized I never actually wrote a post. {sheepish grin}  It's definitely been one of those days.  You know the kind where you have to drink about three times the coffee just to cope?  My computer crashed and I lost several hours worth of illustrating and now my computer has been in this cycle of installing updates and rebooting for what seems like an eternity.  Maybe the universe is telling me I should just give up on being productive and stamp today!  {grin}

Speaking of stamping, today's card is one I made for our latest Verve release.  It uses Bloom & Grow, Faithful Phrases, the Floral Circles die and a frame from an older set, Framed Wishes.

I've been wanting to spread my artistic wings a bit and am really interested in learning more about mixed-media.  Right now I'm just reading blogs and magazines, watching you tube videos and collecting supplies trying to get up the courage to break out paint and canvas.  But while I'm in the discovery stage, I thought I could apply a little bit of what I've been reading about to card making, using supplies I already have.

I started with an inventory tag.  Then I used a harlequin stencil and brayered on some Scattered Straw ink to give a nice diamond print background to the tag. Next I embossed the large solid flower from Bloom & Grow in Concord Crush, then the two leaves in Peeled Paint.  I stamped a smaller flower over the big one and embossed in white, then stamped an even smaller flower on a Floral Circles die cut, then snipped and sponged to make it shabby and layered on top with a dimensional.  Next I stamped the small flowers and leaves in the background all over the place. 

To make the sentiment stand out, I stamped and embossed the frame from Framed Wishes off the edge, then embossed the sentiment from Bloom & Grow in white and sponged peeled paint all around inside the frame.  I distressed the edges and sponged the tag, then added some little rhinestones to each of the tiny flower centers.

For the top section, I stamped the God Bless stamp from Faithful Phrases in Concord Crush on a floral circle die cut.  Then I masked off the sentiment I used in the frame so that just the YOU would stamp below the God Bless.  I added some background stamping with one of the small flower stamps, then inked up with Scattered Straw, punched a small hole in the top and tied to around the tag with some lemon divine twine.  The pear pizazz ribbon was tied through the hole in the tag, then I wrapped another piece around it and frayed the edges for the wispy fibers.  I then added some dew drops in the center of the flower and the O in YOU.  A Kraft card base, stamped randomly with flowers was the perfect finishing touch.

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Bloom & Grow, Faithful Phrases, Framed Wishes (Verve)
Paper: Crumb Cake (SU!), Natural White (Neenah), inventory tag (Scarlet Lime)
Ink: Concord Crush, Peeled Paint, Scattered Straw, vintage Photo Distress Ink (Ranger), VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Floral Circles Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Lemon Divine Twine (TCP), lavender rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty), Pear Pizzazz ribbon (SU!), Clear detail and white embossing powder (Judikins), Harlequin Stencil (Crafter's Workshop, Oregon Raindrops (Pink Hedgehog), crop-a-dile

Thanks a Bunch

Hi y'all!  It's Monday again and time for a new Mojo sketch!  This week is my favorite type of sketch - round or square and today's sketch was designed by Sarah Bigelow.

I went for a circle card, because I just couldn't wait to use my Grand Big Scallop Circle dies again!  I flipped the sketch and made a few minor tweaks to accommodate this fabulous flower made using the Pinwheel Die  from Lil' Inker Designs.  I cut the pinwheel pieces out of Vintage Whimsy paper from The Girls Paperie, then threaded a needle and thread through the provided holes, and then sewed on a big button to secure them.  The angle on that photo doesn't really show the pinwheel very well.  Here's a close-up (do a little clicksy to em-biggen it).  

Next up I cut some leaves from Espresso paper with the Elegant Leaves Die and embossed the coordinating leaves from the Bloom & Grow set with clear embossing powder.  The sentiment is also from Bloom & Grow and is embossed directly onto the scrumptious gingham print.  The vertical panel is kraft glassine from Tim Holtz, and I dry embossed it using the Damask texture fades.


The seam binding ribbon was tied on then heated with my heat gun for a distressed look.  Only I burnt the ribbon and the color of the glassine below it melted onto it.  So to hide that boo-boo, I brushed on some brown ink with an aquapainter and covered in a mixture of diamond glaze and glitter.  The open flower charm below the ribbon is from Pizzazz Aplenty and I accented it with a Smoked Topaz Czech rhinestone, and added a trio of them below.  I finished off with some sponged and glittered edges around my circle and scalloped circle, then I dotted some Cinnamon Stickles all around the edges.  After I was one, I used the air art tool and a crumb cake marker to add some ink to the entire project.

That's all from me today!  I hope you'll play along with our Mojo challenge this week!  Have a fabulous start to your week and thanks for stopping by!

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Bloom & Grow (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Vintage Whimsy (The Girls Paperie), Glassine Kraft (Tim Holtz), Early Espresso (SU!), Cream
Ink: Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress), Early Espresso, Crumb Cake (SU!)
Dies: Elegant Leaves Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Pinwheel Die (Lil' Inker Designs), Grand Big Scalloped Circles, Grand Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Damask Texture Fades (Tim Holtz), seam binding ribbon, air art tool (SU!), clear detail embossing powder (Judikins), glitter, diamond glaze, open flower charm and smoked topaz czech rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty), Cinnamon Stickles (Ranger)

Life that Sparkles

Happy Thursday!  Today I have a card to share with you using the new Hope Blooms set and this week's SCS sketch challenge {SC329}.

Some gorgeous new Webster's Pages paper arrived in my mailbox the other day and I just had to play with this rose print paper as soon as possible!  I wanted a soft, aged look, so I stitched a piece of vellum over the paper, then sponged with antique linen and vintage photo distress ink.  I embossed the life is good sentiment from Hope Blooms on the vellum, then used a pearl border sticker as a divider.  The flowers are also from Hope Blooms and are embossed onto pink card stock, then cut out, Stickled and dusted with glass glitter.  Then, as if that wasn't quite enough sparkle, I added a little Fruit Punch Stickles to the edges of the whole panel and then covered with more glass glitter!

The scallop rectangle is cut from Kraft Glassine paper and I added some liquid pearls to each scallop.  The background layer is stitched, sponged and distressed, then has a brown mat and is on a 4.25 x 5.5" card base.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Have a fabulous day!

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Hope Blooms (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Ladies and Gents/Trendsetter Collection (Webster's Pages), Kraft Glassine (Tim Holtz), Vintage card stock (Coredinations), Vellum Card stock (SU!)
Ink: Vintage Photo, Antique Linen (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Scallop Rectangles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), pearl sticker border and large pearls (Recollections), glass glitter (SU!), clear embossing powder (Judikins), liquid pearls (Ranger), sewing machine, paper distressing tool

Crazy for Hope Blooms

Happy Saturday! We had a blast at last night's release party - oh my goodness the Divas and Guest Divas made some GORGEOUS creations this release! Pure eye candy! Anyhow, the sets and dies you've been seeing us peek the past few days are all available over at the Verve store!  Yippee!

For today, I'm sharing a clean and simple card I made with the new Hope Blooms set and the Floral Circles Die Set.

This came together so quickly, and I just love how it turned out. Inspired by the fabulous creations Charmaine always makes with embossing folders, I challenged myself to use an embossing folder on a CAS card this release.  I love the dramatic border this one creates on the basic gray background.  I embossed the sentiment from Hope Blooms in Black, then added a bit of mini ric rac and a mini library clip to ground my flower.  The flowers are both embossed in black and cut out with the Floral Circles Die Set.  One with a die larger than the stamp and one with a die smaller than the stamp.  I like it!  {grin}  Then I just colored the flowers, layered them on dimensionals, punched a border and mounted on a blushing bride cardstock base.  Can you believe no glitter was harmed in the making of this card?  That's crazy!  LOL

Well, that's all from me today!  Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a FABULOUS weekend!

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Hope Blooms (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Basic Gray, Black, Blushing Bride (SU!)
Ink: black dye ink (A Muse), Copic marker
Accessories: Floral Circles Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), mini ricrac (JoAnn), dotted wave border punch (EK Success), Flourish, Dots & Ribbons embossing folder set (Sizzix), mini library clip (SU!), detail embossing powder (Judikins), corner chomper

Hope Blooms Spotlight Hopping

Hi again!  It's time to shine for our final Verve spotlight before tonight's Release PARTY!   It's the fourth day of hopping, and once again there's a prize hidden on one of today's hop spots! Just leave a little shout-out in the comments as you hop about for a chance to win some new Verve of your very own! The deadline for prize commenting is tonight {4/15} at 6PM Mountain.  Winners will be announced at our Release PARTY!

Today the Divas are spotlighting Hope Blooms, an all-occasion sentiment with three fabulous blooms.  I'm totally smitten with the three blooms in this set, not to mention the fonts! It seriously makes me happy just to sit and stare at them in their packaging!  (And that's definitely saying something considering the number of stamp sets I've packaged in the last few years!) Anyhow, for my card, I went with a birthday theme and the April Get Your Diva On challenge!

And, if you've been all giddy with release week excitement and forgot about the challenge, never fear, you have until Sunday night to get your entries in!  One entry will be chosen to be a Guest Diva for a future release, receiving all the stamps and dies for that release and will be spotlight hopping right here alongside all the Divas!  Sounds exciting, huh?  Well, come play along!  This month's challenge is hosted by Amber, and she's cooked up a recipe challenge, complete with a little chart that changes depending on the first letter of your name, so be sure to check out all the details on the challenge thread!

Hi... my name is Julee and I love turquoise, brown and pink, and have been known to have a thing for twine, buttons and brads!  {grin}  So that's where I started, and not to be one to limit my layers, I had every intention of making a circle card.  ONLY... see that baja breeze circle?  That was my original card size!  EEKS!  Way too small to fit all the goodies I was stamping with the new Hope Blooms set!  Luckily Amber allowed us one category substitution.  So I switched out my circle card for a long shaped card and all was well again!

I did a little background stamping with the blooms both on the cream layer and the baja breeze layer.  Then I cut the Floral Circles dies from Pink Pirouette and stamped the blooms over it. The flowers are slightly bigger than the dies when paired straight across and I think it gives a real natural look to them!  Why don't we get a little close-up... don't be shy?! {giggle} I accented the flower with a button and layered them on dimensionals.

Next up I stamped the smallest bloom on a punched out circle, then stamped over it with the Wish Big sentiment from Birthday Phrases.  Then this is matted and layered onto Charming Oval Dies, another circle punch and finally matted with the large Floral Circle die.  Pretty cool looking thingamabob, huh?

Oh, and there's the happy birthday sentiment!  I just love the combination of a big fat font with a skinny scripty font!  In fact I love it so much that I used it as a background as well as the sentiment for the card!  Then I just finished off the recipe with some loopy looped twine.  Such a fun challenge!

Okay, that's enough rambling!  The Divas are also spotlighting the Proverbs 16:9 Plain Jane today, so hop around to see what everyone chose to play with!

1. Julee 8. Jackie 2. Tosh 9. Charmaine 3. Amber 10. Janelle 4. Amy 11. Teresa 5. Maureen 12. Laurie 6. Cresta 13. Sankari 7. Andrea 14. Melissa TODAY'S PRIZE: Hope Blooms, Proverbs 16:9 Plain Jane and Floral Circles Die Set

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Hope Blooms, Birthday Phrases (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso (SU!), Natural White (Neenah)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso (SU!)
Accessories: Floral Circles Die Set, Charming Oval Die Set, Classic and Petite Scallop Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), circle punches (SU!), button, brads, twine, corner chomper

Love Deepens Spotlight Hopping

Hi again!  It's time to shine our sneaky Verve spotlight on some more brand new stamps! We're counting down to Verve's release party this Friday night, April 15, with FOUR days of Spotlight Hops! And since we love to share, there's a prize hidden on one of today's hop spots! Just leave a little shout-out in the comments as you hop about for a chance to win some new Verve of your very own! You can check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.

Today the Divas are spotlighting Love Deepens, a sentiment set focused on the women in our lives.  For my card I used the title sentiment, My love for you only deepens through the years.  I just love this sentiment.. perfect for mothers, children and even spouses.  Here I used the Mom sentiment from this set to personalize my card, stamping it onto a tea-dyed mini tag in Rich Razzleberry and tucking it underneath the flower.

I stamped the sentiment on a Labels 1 Nestability, then shaded with Crumb Cake ink.  Next I made the flower by spritzing some blushing bride and rich razzleberry Floral Circles die cuts with water, then scrunching together, dipping in diamond glaze and sprinkling with glass glitter.  The inside is adorned with a chocolate pearl brad from Pizzazz Aplenty.  Next I stamped the big leafy image from Bloom & Grow twice in Pear Pizazz and cut with the Elegant Leaves Die to layer under my flower. 

The card base is two Grand Big Scalloped Circles glued together, and the background is cut from some pretty Espresso striped paper from the SU! Naturals DSP pack.  I finished off with some a seam binding bow and some liquid pearls.

Okay, that's all from me today.  The Divas are also spotlighting the Proverbs 31:28 Plain Jane today, so hop around to see what everyone chose to play with!

1. Tosh 8. Janelle 2. Teresa 9. Jackie 3. Maureen 10. Charmaine 4. Laurie 11. Andrea 5. Julee 12. Amber 6. Cresta 13. Melissa 7. Sankari 14. Amy TODAY'S PRIZE: Love Deepens, Proverbs 31:28 Plain Jane and Elegant Leaves Die

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Bloom & Grow, Love Deepens (Verve)
Paper: Neutrals DSP Prints, Rich Razzleberry, Blushing Bride, Early Espresso (SU!), cream
Ink: Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizazz, Crumb Cake (SU!)
Accessories: Elegant Leaves Die, Floral Circles Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Grand Big Scallop Circles and Labels 1 Large and Small Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Bisque Liquid Pearls (Ranger), seam binding (SU!), glass glitter, diamond glaze, chocolate pearl brad (Pizzazz Aplenty), Tea Dyed Mini Tag (Vio's Handmade on Etsy)

Bloom & Grow Spotlight Hopping

Hi again!  It's time to shine our sneaky Verve spotlight on some more brand new stamps! We're counting down to Verve's release party this Friday night, April 15, with FOUR days of Spotlight Hops! And since we love to share, there's a prize hidden on one of today's hop spots! Just leave a little shout-out in the comments as you hop about for a chance to win some new Verve of your very own! You can check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.

For my sample card, I used all three  things the Divas are previewing today... Bloom & Grow, Elegant Leaves Die and the Floral Circles Die Set.  I also included a sentiment from the Faithful Phrases set.  I started by cutting the Floral Circles from Pink Pirouette paper, then stamped two sizes of flower centers in Rich Razzleberry onto them and layered together, with some pearl accents in the center.

Next up I cut two of the Elegant Leaves, then stamped the large coordinating leaf image from Bloom & Grow on the cutouts.  The die is one large cutout of the two sprigs (shown behind the flower), but just by making a couple snips with scissors you can separate the two sprigs, like I have for the smaller one behind the sentiment.

After that, I pulled out some First Edition newsprint and stamped a background using some of the smaller flowers from Bloom & Grow in blushing bride and rich razzleberry, then inking up with some antique linen distress ink.  The background paper is from the Vintage Springtime collection and I aged and distressed everything, then layered the sentiment from Faithful Phrases onto some Charming Oval dies.  For a little interest, I stamped the smallest flower from Bloom & Grow around the sentiment, then added some lavender bling, some delicate pink metallic dream string and two trinket pins.

Okay, that's all from me today  Happy hopping....

	1. Amber 8. Julee 2. Amy 9. Laurie 3. Andrea 10. Maureen 4. Charmaine 11. Teresa 5. Cresta 12. Tosh 6. Jackie 13. Sankari 7. Janelle 14. Melissa
TODAY'S PRIZE: Bloom & Grow, Elegant Leaves Die and Floral Circles Die Set

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Faithful Phrases, Bloom & Grow (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Vintage Springtime, First Edition DSP, Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette (SU!), Natural White (Neenah)
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride (SU!), Antique Linen, Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Charming Oval Die Set, Elegant Leaves, Floral Circles Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), vintage lace trim, sewing machine, flatback pearls and rhinestones and Delicate Pink Metallic Dream String (Pizzazz Aplenty), Powder and Forest Berries Trinket Pins (Miss Vio's Handmade on Etsy)

Happy Phrases Spotlight Hopping

Hi blog peeps!  It's time to shine our sneaky Verve spotlight on some brand new stamps! We're counting down to Verve's release party this Friday night, April 15, with FOUR days of Spotlight Hops! And since we love to share, there's a prize hidden on one of today's hop spots! Just leave a little shout-out in the comments as you hop about for a chance to win some new Verve of your very own! You can check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.

For my card, I decided to start with Happy Phrases, paired with the  Charming Banner Die Set and Charming Oval Die Set.  I also threw in the Sweet Scallop Tag Die, as well as a peek at the new Floral Circles and Elegant Leaves dies that we’ll be previewing later this week.  My flower uses the three sizes of Floral Circles, which I ran through my paper crimper to loosen up the fibers, then sponged, painted with a little pearlized top coat, then layered together and added some pearls twine and chunky glass glitter.  The leaves are die cut with the Elegant Leaves die and stamped with one of the script backgrounds from Text Objects.  I stamped the same background in Blush Blossom on the Sweet Scallop Tag (stamp), then cut out and layered with the coordinating die cut.  The background paper is from BoBunny and I embossed the DP with the Damask Corners textured impressions folder, then lightly sanded, added lots of loopy loops of linen thread and pearls and a little Fiskars bird punch to finish it off.

Okay, that’s my little peek, head on to the next stop on the hop to see what other goodies the Divas are previewing today!

	1. Andrea 8. Julee 2. Jackie 9. Tosh 3. Charmaine 10. Amber 4. Janelle 11. Amy 5. Teresa 12. Maureen 6. Laurie 13. Cresta 7. Sankari
TODAY'S PRIZE: Bunny Shake, Birthday Phrases, Faithful Phrases and Happy Phrases

Enabler’s List:
Stamps: Text Objects, Happy Phrases, Sweet Scallop Tag (stamp) (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Gabrielle Collection (BoBunny), Mellow Moss, Blush Blossom, Early Espresso (SU!)
Ink: Blush Blossom, Mellow Moss, Early Espresso (SU!)
Accessories: Sweet Scallop Tag Die, Charming Oval Die Set, Charming Banner Die Set, Elegant Leaves, Floral Circles Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), bird punch (Fiskars), Damask Corners textured impressions (Sizzix), linen thread, Holiday Glitzy Glass Glitter (TCP), flatback pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty), Pearlized Topcoat (Smooch) 

Grow

It's Monday and time for the next Mojo Monday sketch!  This week's sketch was submitted by Teresa and features twine and ribbon... two of my favorite things!

My card doesn't have much stamping going on.  Actually just a sentiment from a set that will be releasing this weekend from Verve.  The Divas will be starting our spotlight hops tomorrow, so be sure to tune in all week long to see what we've got up our sleeve!

For my card, I went shabby chic and kept piling on the goodies.  I started with a corrugated cardboard flower shape, added some paint and glass glitter, then a ribbon rose made from shabby seam binding and painted on some Tattered Angels glimmer glam and finished with some pink pearls.  I found the grow bingo card in my stash, cut it to fit the sketch, then embossed the bloom and grow sentiment on vellum, sponged on some ink and paint, then stapled together.  The border and the embossed background our Tim Holtz and I added some sponging to age things up a bit.  I finished off with a little metallic dream string and tucked in a few copper skeleton banyan leaves from Pizzazz Aplenty up top.

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Bloom & Grow (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Gabrielle (Bo Bunny), Blushing Bride, Early Espresso, vellum cardstock (SU!), Natural White (Neenah)
Ink: Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress), Blushing Bride, Early Espresso (SU!)
Accessories:  Corrugated flowers (Maya Road), Snow Cap paint dabber (Ranger), shabby wrinkled ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique on Etsy), Holiday Glitzy glass glitter (TCP), Lipstick Pink Glimmer Glam (Tattered Angels), Bingo Card (Jenni Bowlin), Scroll border die, Ledger embossing folder, tiny attacher (Tim Holtz), pearls (Studio G), Chocolate Toffee Metallic Dream String, Copper Skeleton Banyan Leaves (Pizzazz Aplenty)