Classy Little Concept

Hi friends, it's time to kick off another challenge over at The Card Concept.  I chose to make my card in the classy & elegant style, as the inspiration photo had me thinking of these pretty poppies from the Floral Notes stamp set.

I stamped the poppies in archival ink, then watercolored with Daniel Smith watercolors, adding a wash of yellow behind.  I used the coordinating die cut from the Floral Notes Die Set as a mask over my stamped image when I spattered a bit of watered down India ink all over the panel.  A teeny siding of black sets off the panel and I added the sentiment on a Stitched Pennants die cut.

I pulled inspiration from the texture in the photo, adding in the embossed lines with an embossing folder, then tied it all together with some baker's twine and accented with a button and a sprinkling of Shine Bright Sequins.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! For a little more inspiration, head on over to The Card Concept to see what the other fabulous designers are sharing today. Then grab some stamps and join in the fun  Sadly, this will be my last post as part of The Card Concept design team. The challenge is taking a break for the summer and I have decided not to return in the fall, due to those two crazy adorable boys of mine stealing both my heart and my time. {grin} I have truly loved being a part of this challenge, and will miss this wonderful team.

Enabler's List
Stamps: Floral Notes (Verve Stamps)
Paper: watercolor paper, black
Ink: archival black (Ranger), watercolors (Daniel Smith), India ink (Speedball)
Accessories: Stitched Pennants Die Set, Floral Notes Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Shine Bright Sequin Mix (Verve Stamps), baker's twine, button, stripes embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

August Diva Inspirations Hop

It's time for the Verve Divas to bring you our monthly Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop!
I'm the first stop on the hop, so let's get to it!

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 September 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!

My colors came out a little less muted than the inspiration photo, but I think that dreamy windswept look is still there with the ink splatters and the tangled thread. I started by stamping the flowers and sentiment from Floral Notes on cream cardstock, then coloring with Prima watercolors. I distressed the edges a bit with antique linen and tea dye ink, then splattered some of the green and pink watercolors all over the panel. A doily, an embossed background and plenty of sequins and flatback pearls finish things off.  The layout is this week's Mojo Monday 460 sketch.

Okay, next up on the hop is Betty,

but before you go, here are all the challenge deets:

Summer brights fade into earthy tones for the dog days of summer. With the hustle and bustle of the end of summer coming, a breezy, free-spirited graphic is what we have in store for you this month. Follow the color pattern, or be inspired to journey where the creative winds may take you. We can't wait to see what you create!
Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Monday, September 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

In other news, our Anni-VERVE-sary sale is going strong, with 30% off all in-stock products.  I added a new Scripture Medley set to the store yesterday, a compilation of some of our retired plain jane scripture stamps.  Stay tuned for our next release on Friday, August 26!

Enabler's List
Stamps: Floral Notes (Verve Stamps)
Paper: rose red (SU!), cream, dp scraps, gold doily
Ink: black archival (Ranger), confections watercolors (Prima), antique linen, tea dye (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Pink Sparkle Sequin Mix, Holiday Sequin Mix (Verve Stamps), gold thread, green thread, pearls, embossing folder

Orange Poppies On My Mind

Hi friends!  Happy Wednesday!  Yesterday I had a little time to get inky, so I pulled out some distress watercolor paper and started in on a fun mixed-media background.

I used Zig Clean Color brush pens to ink up an acrylic block, then spritzed water on and smooshed onto the water color paper.  I repeated with several different colors, only using one color at a time.  When I was happy with the result, I pulled out the dot fade layering stencil, mixed up a little whipped spackle with some of the same yellow/orange hues I used (brushed the markers onto my craft sheet and mixed the whipped spackle up in the ink to make a yellowish color), and applied over my background.

Next I pulled out some fibers that were all the rage ever so many years ago.  I was sifting through drawers in the closet the other day and came across an entire drawer of these fun fibers.  Many were autumn colored, so I pulled them out with the hopes they would see a project or two this season!  And look, they have!  {grin}  I nested the fiber behind the poppy image from Floral Notes.  The image is embossed in copper and then water colored with brush pens.  I cut it with the coordinating Floral Notes Die Set, then coated each of the flowers with glossy glaze and sprinkled with a bit of tangerine tango glitter.  The sentiment is stamped onto vellum cardstock, which I snipped into a pennant shape and added a sprinkling of the super shiny Harvest Gold Sequin Mix.

In other card news, I'm excited that Verve is in the spotlight on the Paper Crafter's Library blog today! Here's a sneak peek of the card I created for the feature, also using the same set I used on today's card.

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

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Enabler's List

Stamps: Floral Notes (Verve Stamps)

Paper: watercolor distress paper (Ranger), vellum cardstock, white

Ink: Kuretake Clean Color brush markers (Zig), Versamark (Tsukineko)

Accessories: Harvest Gold Sequin Mix (Verve), Floral Notes Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), whipped spackle (Faber-Castell), dot fade layering stencil (Tim Holtz), Adornments fibers (Making Memories), copper embossing powder

Watercolor Lines

Hi friends!  I'm up on the Viva la Verve blog today with a recap of Jen's VLV July Week 5 sketch. My VLV coffee card on Friday was filled to the brim, so I took a more relaxed simplified take on the sketch for today's card.

For my birthday, I got some of the Zig Clean Color Brush markers, so decided to take them for a spin. I pulled out my trusty ruler and started by drawing lines with a light turquoise marker, then went over the second half with a darker shade. I pulled out a water brush and then went over the lines for a fun watercolor background.

Next I had to try a technique I saw Kylie use for the glitter splatter. I dropped a bit of glue on a craft sheet, then added water to it and splattered on my water colored background. Then I added the latte colored glitter. The floral image from Floral Notes is stamped onto a stitched circle die cut and I water colored with the clean color markers.  I added a bit of glitter to match to the flower centers, then rounded a sentiment from Small Phrases to add to my circle. This piece is matted with black and then I tucked a bit of iridescent cording behind for some pizzazz.

That's all for today! I'll be back tomorrow with our August Diva Inspirations Hop and challenge!

VLV July Week 5 Sketch

Enabler's List
Stamps: Floral Notes, Small Phrases (Verve Stamps)
Paper: distress watercolor paper (Tim Holtz), basic black (SU!), white
Ink: black archival (Ranger), Kuretake Clean Color Brush Markers (Zig)
Accessories: classic circles nestabilities (Spellbinders), stitched circles stax (MFT), glitter (Glitter Ritz), water brush, glue

Silvery Note

Hi friends!  It's the last Monday of the month and that means it's tall & skinny week at Mojo Monday. I love the challenge of thinking outside my typical box, so these weeks are always super fun for me to create for.

I had a jam packed weekend filled with birthday fun, so my card for today is a super quick one made from scraps.  I picked out a green paper I loved and used it as the background and also for cutting the butterflies with the Butterfly Dreams Die Set.  I added a woodgrain doily scrap of dp for the horizontal piece, then stitched on a piece of silver polka dotted vellum.  The sentiment is from the Floral Notes set and is cut and matted with the stitched circles dies, then I finished off with a teeny clothespin and a bit of lace trim. Finished card size is 3.5" x 5.5".

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

Mojo Monday 408 Sketch

Enabler's List
Stamps: Floral Notes (Verve Stamps)
Paper: dp scraps, silver vellum, basic black (SU!), white (neenah)
Ink: black
Accessories: Butterfly Dreams Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), lace trim, wooden clothespin, stitched circles stax (MFT), sewing machine

On My Mind

Hi friends!  It's Friday again and time for another installment in our July Viva la Verve sketch series. This week's sketch comes from the fabulous Stacey.  I loved the little file folder accent, so that's where I started on my card.

I pulled out some My Mind's Eye papers, sponged them with pumice stone and layered them together. The file folder was cut with my envelope punch board and I accented below it with a strip of black rhinestones.  I stamped the large poppies image from Floral Notes on white cardstock and cut out with the coordinating Floral Notes Die Set.  Then I stamped the image again on yellow dp and paper pieced the flowers, coloring the leaves with a copic marker and then sponging with antique linen ink.  The sentiment is also from the Floral Notes sentiment and I finished off with some black square rhinestones down the side.  To give a bit of definition, but not add any bulk, I then traced around most of the layers with a basic black marker.

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

VLV July Week 3 Sketch

Enabler's List
Stamps: Floral Notes (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Dolled Up (MME), white, cream
Ink: antique linen, pumice stone, scattered straw distress, black archival (Ranger),  copic markers
Accessories: Floral Notes Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), rhinestones, envelope punch board

Sensational Stripes and a Hop

Hi friends!  It's time for the Verve Divas to bring you our monthly Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop! There are two ways to win Verve prizes: comment on the design team's blog hop posts (linked below) to see their take on the inspiration, then go get inky and link up your take on the challenge to be eligible in our prize drawings! You have the rest of the month to link up, so feel free to play as often as you like.

I'm the first stop on today's hop, so grab your favorite refreshment and settle in for a hopping good time!  It's also Friday, so this is my sample for the July Week 2 Viva la Verve sketch hosted by Marisa.

So, do you see the graphic below that Sarah chose for this month's inspiration?  I just love a sandy beach and was so inspired by the colors I got right to work. I started by stamping the Deco Borders trim on the Flourished Tag die cut.  I also cut the tag in crumb cake and clear acetate.  Next I stamped the same border in smoky slate on smoky slate, then cut with stitched circles.  I made a frame by layering two stitched circles dies and cut from bashful blue.  I cut another smaller stitched circle from bashful blue to layer under my flowers (totally inspired by Wanda's Mojo card this week). Next I pulled out the smaller poppy image from Floral Notes, cut it with the coordinating die from the Floral Notes Die Set and then watercolored with marina mist ink, adding a bit of glue and glitter to make the centers stand out.

For my stripes I added a layer of crumb cake embossed with stripes and then I used a white pencil to color the stripes to give a sandy sort of look.  The next cream layer is embossed with an SU! frame embossing folder and I matted again with crumb cake and layered onto a cream card base.

Finally, I stamped the birthday blessings sentiment from Floral Notes in archival black on the acetate Flourished Tag.  I layered everything togethr and punched a hole in the tags with my cropadile, then threaded some ribbon from the Signature Ribbon Collection through the hole and tied in a bow.

Okay, next up on the hop is Amy!  You can find the full hop list below.

Our July challenge is Sensational Stripes

Stripes go with everything! Make them nautical, or pair with florals for a graphic look. Use stripes however you're inspired! Use the inspiration graphic or head off in your own direction, just show us your stripes! 

Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Friday, July 31.
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've got a prize for one lucky commenter along the hop! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines!

	1. Julee	8. Susan
	2. Amy	9. Maureen
	3. Betty	10. Marisa
	4. Jen	11. Stacey
	5. Karen	12. Laurie
	6. Sankari	13. Amber
	7. Sarah

July Week 2 Viva la Verve Sketch

Enabler's List
Stamps: Floral Notes, Deco Borders (Verve Stamps)
Paper: bashful blue, crumb cake (SU!), cream (Neenah), acetate
Ink: crumb cake, smoky slate, marina mist (SU!),  black archival (Ranger), white pencil
Accessories: Floral Notes Die Set, Flourished Tag Die Set, Signature Ribbon Collection (A Cut Above by VERVE), (Verve), Stitched Circles stax (MFT), embossing folders (EK Success), glitter

Future Dreams

Hi friends!  It's Monday morning and time for a brand new Mojo Monday sketch.  I had a lot of fun with this one, playing with some of the fabulous new Verve sets  just released this weekend!

When I sat down to stamp yesterday my only plan was that I wanted to use this Eleanor Roosevelt quote from the Sparkly Dreams set, so that's where I started.  I had also envisioned popping up some of the poppies in the Floral Notes set and rounding the edges to give them some more dimension, so decided to try that out, too.

So I stamped the large poppy image twice in archival black ink, then watercolored with distress inks and a waterbrush.  I cut one image out with the coordinating die from the Floral Notes Die Set, then fussy cut four of the blooms from the other stamped image, curled the edges with my fingers and glued over the top of my die cut image.  I added some glossy glaze and a pinch of glitter to each flower center for a little zing.  The sentiment from Sparkly Dreams is stamped onto a circle die cut and I embellished with some orange rhinestones.

The long thin pennant is stamped in pumpkin pie with the double wheat image from Sparkly Dreams, then I layered some fun patterned papers, sponging each layer with some distress ink for a little bit of depth and finished with a white card base.  Super easy and a whole lot of fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  If you haven't checked out the Verve release, head on over.... all of our stamps & dies, including the new releases are 10% off right now! And of course, I'd love to see what you do with the mojo sketch, so be sure to link up if you play along!  :)

Enabler's List

Mojo Monday 403 sketch

Stamps: Sparkly Dreams, Floral Notes (Verve Stamps)
Paper: On the Bright Side (MME), pumpkin pie (SU!), watercolor distress paper (Tim Holtz)
Ink: tumbled glass, peacock feathers, mowed lawn distress, dried marigold, pumice stone, black archival (Ranger), pumpkin pie (SU!)
Accessories:  Floral Notes Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), classic circles nestabilities (Spellbinders), glossy glaze, glitter, rhinestones