In Your Corner Mojo

Hi friends! It's Monday again and time for a brand new Mojo Monday sketch.  I'm a teensy bit late posting this morning.  Started my card yesterday, but was too exhausted last night to finish it up.  I've been dealing with a bit of chronic pain that's making wearing all my various hats a bit challenging these days.

However, I woke up to sunshine and boys who slept in until 8, so had a bit of time to myself to pull my card together this morning. Had a lot of fun coloring this boxing glove image from Just Breathe  yesterday for the Daily Marker 30 day color challenge. The boys really enjoy watching me in the studio, but both want to be right in the action watching.  Since I have an L desk, this isn't always possible and they were doing their own little fight dance as I colored, bumping my coloring arm every couple seconds. Needless to say a few touch ups with a black micron pen to thicken up the lines and cover up my boo-boos was in order. {grin}

So this morning I pulled it all together, stamping the I'm in your corner sentiment and cutting it into strips to make a long sentiment.  I added some doodled accents with a black pen and a white gel pen, then finished off with some black stars.  They were a bit too black, so I added just a touch of grey liquid pearls to them to soften them a bit.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a fabulous week.  I have the boys at home this entire week, so am sure there will be lots of fun and not much work going on. {grin}

Mojo Monday 456 Card Sketch

Enabler's List
Stamps: Just Breathe (Verve Stamps)
Paper: basic gray (SU!), white, designer paper scraps
Ink: bermuda bay (SU!), black archival (Ranger), copic markers, black pen, white gel pen
Accessories: stitched circles stax (MFT), pinking circles nestabilities (Spellbinders), black adhesive stars

In Your Corner

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

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Hi friends!  It's Wednesday and I'm popping in with my Mojo Monday sample for this week.  I had a vision for the card I wanted to make, but just no time until now to dive in and get inky.

I definitely wanted to pair the I'm in your corner sentiment from Just Breathe with the boxing gloves. There's something so powerful about having someone with you in your fight.  You know the minute the bell rings, they'll be there with a pep talk to keep you going.  Over the weekend, one of the boys' 2nd cousins was teaching them how to climb up the slide at our community park.  She was such a little cheerleader... "I know you can do it... look how far you've already come.  Oh wow!  You made it half way, do you think you could just make it this much farther now?  You've already done it once, now you know you can do it and will be able to do it each time!"  Wouldn't it be nice to have a cheerleader like that throughout your day?  I was so impressed with her patience and encouraging spirit! So that was what was on my mind when I made the card.  An uplifting, you can do it, I'm right here anytime you need a break kind of encouraging card.

I've recently been bitten by the gold bug and can't seem to stop embossing everything in gold... the sentiment, the photo corners... a bit of cardstock for the gold mat of my square.  A mishmash of papers came together with a smattering of pumice stone and frayed burlap distress inks.  My favorite chicken wire embossing folder dresses up the background and I added a bit of gold cording and a heart for the strings on the gloves.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have an awesome day!

Mojo Monday 423 Sketch

Enabler's List
Stamps: Just Breathe (Verve Stamps)
Paper: scraps (MME, 7 Gypsies), cream (Neenah)
Ink: pumice stone, frayed burlap (Ranger Distress), black, Versamark
Accessories: stitched circles stax (MFT), gold cording, heart rhinestone, gold embossing powder, chicken wire embossing folder

Kind Heart

Hi friends!  It's the first Friday of the month and that mean I'm hosting this week's sketch over at Viva la Verve!  I hope you'll play along.

I went with a simple sketch this week because the closer it gets to the holidays the busier I am and I get super giddy when I can just sit down and create something really quick.  And that's just what this card was.  A fun little 20 minute card (with mass interruptions while the twins stopped me every few minutes to show me the progress on their coloring pages).

To start, I masked off the lower portion of the kind sentiment from Just Breathe  with washi tape so I could stamp just the may your heart be kind portion.  I stamped the hearts, also masking off the edge so I could give the effect of one being behind the other.  I then cut the hearts out, distressed the edges with ink and covered with glossy glaze and a sprinkling of glitter.  The papers are scraps from my stash (yay me for using some up!) and I threaded the narrow strip through one of our  Banner Bundle dies to make the long pennant.  I finished off with green rhinestones and an ivory satin bow.

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

Viva la Verve Nov. Week 1 Sketch

Enabler's List
Stamps: Just Breathe (Verve Stamps)
Paper: scraps, cream (Neenah)
Ink: black (Versafine), brushed corduroy, gathered twigs (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Banner Bundle Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), glossy glaze, glitter, rhinestones, ribbon (SU!), hearts embossing folder (Sizzix)

Freestyle Breathing and a Verve Hop

Hi friends! It's another blog hopping kind of day at Verve, and our Divas and Guest Divas are coming together to celebrate our release with one last hop featuring the brand new products!  And there's a chance to win a $50 gift voucher to Verve, so be sure to give the gals a little shout out in the comments as you hop about.  I'm the first stop on this hop, so if you're just starting out, settle in and let's get hopping!

I'm going to start by saying I just love how my card turned out. {grin}  Sometimes things just click, and this was one of those times. It's a few bits and pieces left over from my release hop stamping that I pulled together to make a freestyle collage card for Teresa's Hope You Can Cling To challenge. A bit of mixed media, a bit of bling, a tag, a doily, a butterfly... creating this card was definitely a highlight of my week!

The pink panel is a bit of card stock I covered with tissue paper, then colored with distress inks and did a bit of blending with a stamper's big brush Pitt pen.  Next I added a very thick layer of gesso with the chevron stencils.  I love how the distress inks seeped through to create a slightly pink effect!

The tag was me playing around with the new scalloped topper die in the Good Work Flower Die Set. I stamped the Just Breathe sentiment in black, then offset a bit and stamped again with blushing bride for a shadow effect.  I eyeballed, it, but it's much less stressful to use a MISTI, which just happened to show up on my doorstep right after I finished this card.  So I made a little video to show how to use the die to make a tag like this, along with a review of the whole release and a rambling first look at my new MISTI with this shadowing technique.  I finished off the tag with some blushing bride polka dot hearts (probably my favorite stamp in the whole release!).

The ribbon accent is stamped with the awareness ribbon from the Just Breathe set, then cut with the coordinating Ribbon Die (previously released).  I layered a few of the die cuts together to build thickness, then added some glossy glaze and glitter to the top layer.

The butterfly is a chipboard resist shape that I sponged with distress inks, then added a bit of chunky glitter to the outer edges of the wings and accented with black rhinestones for the butterfly body. That background layer is a bit of designer paper that I scraped some gesso on. A doily and a thorough sprinkling of Shine Bright sequins finishes things off!

Whew! If you're still reading, thanks for hanging in there!  I hope you've enjoyed reading about the card as much as I enjoyed making it.  Here's a peek at the card I created using the tag I made during the video.  You can view the full card over on the Verve Blog today.

Next up on the hop is Teresa!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? I'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win a $50 gift voucher to Verve! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for a little more about the new products and all the prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee 7. Maureen 2. Teresa 8. Amber 3. Charmaine 9. Laurie 4. Marisa 10. Christyne 5. Amy {Guest} 11. Rosemary {Guest} 6. KellyJean {Guest) 12. Lori {Guest)

Enabler's List

Stamps: Just Breathe (Verve Stamps)

Paper: designer paper (SU!), Melange Tissue Paper and Watercolor Distress paper (Tim Holtz), white (Neenah), paper doily

Ink: blushing bride (SU!), tattered rose, spun sugar, worn lipstick (Ranger Distress), stamper's big brush Pitt Pens (Faber Castell)

Accessories: Good Work Flower Die Set, Ribbon Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), Shine Bright sequins (Verve), corner chomper (WRMK), glossy glaze, glitter, resist chipboard, chunky glitter, MISTI, rhinestones, gesso, chevrons layering stencil (Tim Holtz), crop a dile, linen thread

Pink Power Blog Hop

Hi friends!  Today I'm participating in a very special Pink Power Blog Hop.  Chaitali has rounded up some of her crafty friends to help spread breast cancer awareness. This is a cause close to her heart as she lost her mom to breast cancer earlier this year. Her mom was unfortunately diagnosed late at Stage 3.  Early detection is key to saving lives and we'd like to encourage you to please take time to care for yourself with regular checks and an annual mammogram!

So if you've been hopping along, you should have come by way of AJ's awesome blog. If you're just popping in and want to check out all the crafty goodness from the very beginning, the hop starts over at Chaitali's blog.

Chaitali designed the lovely Pink Power set with lots of heart while her mom was undergoing treatment.  I had every intention of making a card with the Pink Power set for today, but with last week's release and a couple of sick kiddos, I simply ran out of time.  So I'm sharing this card I made for this week's Mojo Monday 421 tall & skinny sketch. I pulled out Verve's new Just Breathe set because I hadn't had a chance to stamp with these cute little boxing gloves yet.  Wanting a bit of a chalkboard look, I embossed the boxing gloves and the be fierce sentiment in white on black card stock.  Next I colored over the white embossing with a light pink Copic for a hint of pink and then smudged white Mix'd Media Inx around the white for a chalky look. 

Next I started the blushing bride panel by first embossing the keep up the fight sentiment in black and then doing a little tone on tone stamping as a background with the fighter sentiment.  A bit of chevron ribbon and a pink awareness ribbon cut with the Ribbon Die finishes things off.  

GIVEAWAY:
Chaitali has a giveaway on her post today.  She's asking you to comment with the date of your most recent mammogram/Dr. checkup.  The 3 people with the most recent checkup date will win an "I Think Pink" package from Chaitali with a bunch of pink goodies, including the Pink Power set. 

That's all for me today.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Next up on the hop is Michele. 

Pink Power Hoppers:

Chaitali

Amy

Julie

Vera

AJ

Julee {that's me}

Michele

Laurel

Virginia

Catherine

Mojo Monday 421 Sketch

Enabler's List

Stamps: Just Breathe (Verve Stamps)

Paper: blushing bride, basic black (SU!), white (Neenah)

Ink: blushing bride (SU!), Versamark, Festive Berries (Ranger Distress)

Accessories: Ribbon Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), corner rounder, stiched circle stax (MFT), chevron ribbon, mini library clip (SU!), star rhinestones, pinking circles (Spellbinders), embossing powder

Just Breathe Blog Hop

Hi friends!  It's almost time for some new Verve to release into the world and we're celebrating with a blog hop!  Hooray! I had intended these sets for an early October release, but life has sent a few curve balls my way and I'm rolling with the punches.  No better way to roll with the punches, then a set themed around keeping up the fight, eh?  That's just what the Divas are serving up today in their spotlight hops.  I'm the first stop on the hop, so settle in and let's get to it!  Be sure to hop about and leave a little love on each of the Diva's amazing creations for a chance to win today's featured set, Just Breathe!

I had planned on making a completely different card for today, but my boys and I have been hit with a bug and there hasn't been any crafty time.  Luckily I made a little mixed-media tag with Just Breathe this weekend and decided it would be super easy to turn into a card.  So that's jut what I did!

I love this sentiment... just breathe.  It reminds me of that Ever After movie with Drew Barrymore, where she's about to enter the great hall all dolled up in her wings and she's so nervous and says, "Just breathe". So often I need to remember this, as my life is a bit crazy and I find myself holding my breath just gritting through the day. So that was my inspiration for the tag.  I used a die from the Good Works Flower Die Set we'll be spotlighting tomorrow to make the tag topper portion, then glued down some Tim Holtz butterfly tissue paper, added craft paints, a bit of whipped spackle stenciled dots and some accents with Stampers Big Brush pens.  The wings are highlighted with glossy accents and glitter to stand out and I stamped the  Just Breathe sentiment in archival ink and added some seam binding from the Autumn Elements and Truly Madly Deeply collections.

I've always loved photo corners, and couldn't resist adding a couple cute ones when I designed this set, to go along with the "I'm in your corner" sentiment.  I embossed the smaller photo corner in gold, then hand cut and added some 2mm pearls in the little circles and added to my tag.  The perfect accent in my opinion.  {grin}

The background is done with a Donna Downey stencil.  I flipped the stencil over, rubbed some worn lipstick and tattered rose inks directly on the stencil, spritzed with water and then layed my cardbase directly onto the inky stencil. As a happy accident, there was a bit of antique linen already on the stencil from a previous project, and it tied in very nicely with the gold accent I had already added.  I layered a doily behind my tag, sprinkled a bit of glass glitter and added a couple more embossed photo corners to accent the edges of the card and I was finished.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you enjoyed my spotlight and have a grand old time hopping around to the rest of the Diva blogs!

Next up on the hop is Teresa!

1. Julee 5. Maureen 2. Teresa 6. Amber 3. Charmaine 7. Andrea 4. Marisa 8. Christyne

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win today's featured products! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for the full hop list, a little more about our new products and all the prize info and deadlines!


Enabler's List
Stamps: Just Breathe (Verve Stamps)
Paper: white card stock, Melange tissue paper (Tim Holtz Idea-Ology), doily
Ink: archival black (Ranger), tattered rose, worn lipstick, antique linen (Ranger Distress), VersaMark, Stampers Big Brush Pitt Pens (Faber Castell)
Accessories: Good Works Flower Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Autumn Elements Ribbon Collection, Truly Madly Deeply Ribbon Collection (Verve), paint (liquitex basics), gesso, gold embossing powder (Judikins), Poppy Collage stencil (Donna Downey), dots layering stencil (Tim Holtz), glass glitter (SU!), flatback pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty), whipped spackle (Faber Castell)