Guesting at The Challenge

Hi friends! I was super excited when Lesley asked me to guest design at The Challenge this week. They do a different type of challenge each week and today's inspiration is a fabulous little sketch. I love a big focal panel with so many possibilities.

I started with a piece of designer paper with chevrons and a bit of a watercolor look to it.  I haven't done much sponging for a while, so inked up the edges with worn lipstick, festive berries and ground espresso distress inks.  I used the same patterned paper to stamp the two smaller flowers from Kindness Matters in early espresso ink.  I cut with the coordinating Great Kindness Die Set, inked up the edges and layered together on dimensionals, adding a few leaves cut from early espresso card stock.

Next I cut a piece of watercolor paper for the focal panel and sponged the edges with the worn lipstick and ground espresso.  Next I loaded up some watercolor ink along the top edge, spritzed with water and let drip down.  I like how it tied the panel in with the look of the patterned paper below.  I also did this for the thin little banner strip.  Next I stamped the quote in early espresso, then chose a blush colored woodgrain paper for the back panel and inked it up as well.  Finished off with some early espresso mats and some hot pink adhesive pearls.

Well, that's all for now.  Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to hop on over to The Challenge blog for all the designer samples.  I can't wait to see what The Challenge design team created.

Enabler's List
Stamps: Kindness Matters (Verve Stamps)
Paper: C'est la Vie (Pink Paislee), early espresso (SU!), cream (Neenah), watercolor paper
Ink: worn lipstick, festive berries, ground espresso (Ranger Distress), early espresso (SU!), Quinacridone Rose watercolor (Daniel Smith)
Accessories: Great Kindness Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), adhesiver pearls

A Beautiful Day

Hi friends! Welcome to another Friday.  I'm still coughing and have spent most of the week in bed, but I'm less sick than a week ago, so I think that's progress. And the boys were able to attend school a few days this week, so hopefully we're all on the mend. In the midst of all our sickness, there was one very beautiful day this week.

Just before Christmas Mark's doctor found a few concerning lumps in his neck and the possibility of cancer was quite probable. It gave a bittersweet taste to our holiday season as we had to wait until the middle of January for biopsy, and instead of visions of sugarplums, we had all sorts of what-ifs dancing through our heads. The biopsy results came in this week, and after all that waiting and wondering I'm glad to report the lumps are benign.  Hooray! Life is so very fleeting and I know there are so many who do not get the good report we did.  And this month of waiting has impressed upon my heart how difficult those inner battles we face that no one sees can be.  It is true that a little kindness, however small, is never wasted.

My card started with this kindness sentiment from Kindness Matters in mind and I just had to play along with the Card Concept challenge again.  I really love the current challenge graphic and went shabby chic/mixed media again.

I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of designer paper, then smudged some pearlized paste all around it.  The flower started out white and I spritzed it with Dylusions spray, then added some gesso, some pearlized paste and some glitter to give it a fun textured look.  The skeleton leaves were from my stash and I tucked a bit of linen thread behind it.  The background is cream cardstock, embossed with a hearts embossing folder. I colored the hearts with a distress crayon and smudged, then added a bit more of the pearlized paste to tie everything together.  A bit of vintage lace at the top of my stamped panel separates the layers and I finished off with some distressed edges.

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

Enabler's List
Stamps: Kindness Matters (Verve Stamps)
Paper: cream, designer paper (7 gypsies)
Ink: espresso (Altenew), dylusions spray, distress crayons (Ranger)
Accessories: flower (Prima), gesso, pearlized paste (Recollections), glitter, vintage lace, skeleton leaves, hearts embossing folder (Sizzix), linen thread, paper distresser

Scatter Kindness Diva Inspirations Hop

Hi friends!  It's a brand new Monday, which means it's time for a new Mojo Monday sketch.  Plus, it's the 10th of the month, so the Divas are hopping with our monthly Diva Inspirations Blog Hop and Challenge!  I'm the first stop on the hop, so settle in and let's get hopping.

My first impressions from the inspiration graphic were the beautiful, bright colors and the polka dots. The polka dot dishes made me think of my favorite cafe creme cup, which is black with white polka dots all over, so I knew I was going to pull in some black accents and a whole lotta dots.  And what goes better with dots than a sentiment about confetti?

I cut all my papers first, pulling the pink and yellow from the Sending Sunshine pad from Echo Park and the aqua paper from a Lawn Fawn pad, then matting with black, offsetting on the circles for a bit of a fun confetti look, and adding more dotty accents with a white gel pen.  The flower and sentiment are both from the Kindness Matters  stamp set and I fussy cut the flowers, adding a pearl brad to the center.  I added rhinestone star clusters in place of the pennant on the sketch, then layered everything together into one happy little card.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Your next stop is Charmaine's blog.

Read on for all the challenge and hop details.

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 November 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!

The crisp, cool change in the weather, brings thoughts of warm beverages and long crafting sessions.  This sweet little beverage nook has lots of hidden treasures to be inspired by.  Follow our color pattern, or take flight from the inspiration, you decide!  We can't wait to see what you create.

Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Wednesday, Saturday, November 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	6. Marisa
2. Charmaine	7. Maureen
3. Christyne	8. Stacey
4. Laurie	9. Teresa
5. Lesley

Mojo Monday 469 Sketch

Enabler's List
Stamps: Kindness Matters (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Sending Sunshine (Echo Park), Let's Polka (Lawn Fawn), basic black (SU!), cream
Ink: onyx black (Versafine), white gel pen
Accessories: stitched circles stax (MFT), classic circles nestabilities (Spellbinders), circle punches (SU!), pearl brad (American Crafts), star rhinestone clusters

Fighting Hard Card Concept 59

This is my second post for the day.
Click here for my October Release Spotlight Hop post.

Hi friends! It's time for a new Card Concept challenge, and this one has some fun colors that I wouldn't normally put together, but certainly had fun making a mess of my studio with! {grin}  I loved those big overflowing scoops in the photo, so made sure there were a bunch of overlapping circle shapes on my layout.

I started my mixed-media card with a thin layer of gesso on white cardstock, then added some Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals powders, making a fun watercolor background. Dripping water on, adding more powder, spritzing, letting it drip some more until it was a big fun purple sight to behold.  I then embossed the flowers from Kindness Matters in white and cut with the coordinating Great Kindness Die Set.

I masked off the be kind from the sentiment and embossed the rest of it in the corner in white, then cut a stitched circle from a more peachy part of the paper and embossed the Be I had masked off earlier, cut it out and added the kindness die cut with the ness cut off.  I outlined all of this with black and white gel pens for accent.

Back to my mostly dry background, I scraped on some inka gold all around the edges an added some Tim Holtz rubbons for a little interest.  Next I painted some inka gold on white cardstock, let it dry and then cut the leaves from the Great Kindness Die Set from it.  I then dipped each one in versamark and embossed with sparkly embossing powder.  A bit of sparkly Crystal Nuvo drops on the flower centers, and I just layered it all up and distressed the edges.

Card Concept 59

Thanks so much for stopping by today! If you have a second, be sure to hop on over to The Card Concept to see all the wonderful inspirations by the design team.

Enabler's List
Stamps: Kindness Matters (Verve Stamps)
Paper: white
Ink: Magicals powders (Lindy's Stamp Gang), Inka Gold, Gesso, Versamark, white gel pen, black gel pen
Accessories:  Great Kindness Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), stitched circles stax (MFT), rub-ons (Tim Holtz), white embossing powder (JudiKins), paper distresser, sparkly embossing powder

Card Concept Kindness

Hi friends! It's time for a new challenge over at The Card Concept.  Starting this week, I've switched styles with the other Julie to be bring you mixed-media creations. I love every style of card making, but this is the one I call "home", if you know what I mean.  {grin}

When I saw the inspiration, I originally thought circles and triangles, but after a thorough search of my studio, found I am lacking pretty much anything in a triangle shape. TONS of chevron, and PLENTY (read... mountains) of polka dots, but NO triangles.  Hmmmph.  So, I went with the dots. Lots of different circles on my card and I loved the bright colors in the graphic.  I knew the yellow and pink would make a pretty orange when they mixed, so started there.

The background is created on watercolor distress paper and I sprinkled Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals from the Tres Chic collection on the watercolor paper then sprayed with water and let it drip a little. A couple separate applications, drying in between got me a background I was happy with.  I then used some whipped spackle and a stencil to add a swath of circles diagonally across the top.  Once that was dry, I added some stenciled dots with distress inks to the opposing corners.

The sentiment from the Kindness Matters set is one of my favorites, and I thought it really matched the background, so embossed it in white over on the side.  I then used a yellow copic marker to highlight around the edges of all the letters so it would stand out a bit more.  I wanted the spackled dots to stand out a bit more, so painted them with white acrylic paint, sprinkled with glitter and then topped with some Nuvo crystal glaze for good measure.  The flower was a re-discovery when I was searching for all things triangle, and it seemed a perfect match for the yellows.  The center was a bright red, so I toned it down with some distress paint and then added a little Nuvo to finish it off.  I layered some scrapper's floss behind and even used a couple strips of washi tape that coordinated with the project.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Be sure to head on over to The Card Concept Blog for the challenge and to see what works of art the team is sharing.

Enabler's List
Stamps: Kindness Matters (Verve Stamps)
Paper: watercolor distress (Ranger)
Ink: worn lipstick, picked raspberry (Ranger Distress), Tres Chic Magicals (Lindy's Stamp Gang), yellow marker (Copic), Versamark
Accessories: dot fade layering stencil (Tim Holtz), bubbles stencil (Studio Calico), whipped spackle (Faber-Castell), washi tape, scrapper's floss, flower, paper distresser, white embossing powder (JudiKins)

Mixed Kindness

Hi friends! I'm popping in today with another card I made for the September Diva Inspirations Challenge. Most of it comes from happy accidents that happened to my papers as I used up excess paint from making my Diva Inspirations Hop card.

 The background is a swirly wonderland.  I actually used cardstock that I stamped out our next release on, then covered with Gesso and stenciled with a scribbles stencil and some modeling paste and mopped up some Lindy's Magicals and then splashed on some liquid watercolors and then splattered some more, and scraped some more gesso until it became a swirly twirly wonderland.

The flowers from Kindness Matters are stamped in tip top taupe on designer paper coated with gesso, then I cut with the Great Kindness Die Set .  I accented with a fun snowflake embellishment I've had around for years, then layered onto a piece of the same designer paper and curled up the edges.  The side lattice piece is a portion of a die cut from the Tim Holtz Mixed Media set, which has been thoroughly covered in gesso and aqua paint, then a bit of Magicals.

I stamped the sentiment in the corner with Onyx Black ink using my MISTI to stamp it 3 times. The MISTI helps so much for getting perfect impressions with thick, uneven surfaces like this mixed-media background.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Hope you're having a fabulous week.

Enabler's List
Stamps: Kindness Matters (Verve Stamps)
Paper: white cardstock, dp scrap, watercolor paper
Ink: onyx black (Versafine), Industrial Chic, Haunted Halloween Magicals (Lindy's Stamp Gang), liquid watercolors (Lakeshore Learning), gesso
Accessories: Great Kindness Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Mixed Media dies (Tim Holtz), snowflake embellishment (Karen Foster), scribbles embossing folder (Stampers Anonymous), MISTI (My Sweet Petunia), modeling paste

September Diva Inspirations Blog Hop

Hi friends! It's the 10th of the month and that means it's time to hop, hop, hop with our favorite Divas!  We've got a brand new inspiration graphic for you this month and we hope our posts will inspire you to come play along with us.  I'm the first stop on today's hop, and there are prizes to be won, 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!

Giveaway 1:  Random drawing from comments on the official Diva Hop Blog posts

Giveaway 2:  Random drawing from participants who link up for the challenge

I've been having some mixed-media fun lately, so started with the background, taking my inspiration from the colors in the inspiration graphic.  A layer of gesso on white cardstock to prime the paper, then I added some Lindy's Magicals in teal tones.  When that was dry, I took a scribbles stencil and a baby wipe to wipe away the pattern to give some texture.  Then I sprinkled on some of the purple magicals.  Loved the way it looked, so decided to sprinkle some more on the white cardstock and use the sprinkle each day with kindness sentiment from the new Kindness Matters stamp set.

Next I stamped the smaller flower from the set and watercolored with the purple magicals, adding some white gel pen accents and fussy cutting (because I was a very messy watercolorer).  I layered some tip top taupe leaves cut with the Great Kindness Die Set, then scraped them with gesso and sprinkled on some aqua glass glitter.  The aqua dotty piece behind was a leftover piece of cardstock painted with magicals and cut out with one of the Tim Holtz mixed media dies.  I finished with a bunch of distressed edges.

Alrighty, that's my card, and here's the inspiration challenge and blog hop details.

Your next stop along the hop is Betty.

The changing colors of autumn are always a favorite. It's like a paintbrush came and colored the world. One of my favorite trees around the neighborhood turns a brilliant purple in the fall, and is so beautiful against the blue sky. So while some may find this a wintry inspiration, to me a bit of regal purple and a touch of sky and earth will always be fall. Follow the color pattern, or take your inspiration from the graphic, either way it's sure to be lovely! We can't wait to see what you create!

Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Wednesday, October 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	6. Marisa
2. Betty	7. Maureen
3. Charmaine	8. Stacey
4. Christyne	9. Susan
5. Laurie	10. Teresa

Enabler's List
Stamps: Kindness Matters (Verve Stamps)
Paper: white, tiptop taupe (SU!)
Ink: Bermuda Bay (SU!), Industrial Chic and Halloween Magicals (Lindy's Stamp Gang), gesso, white gel pen
Accessories: Great Kindness Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Mixed Media dies (Tim Holtz), aqua glass glitter, scribbles stencil

Release Day Spotlight Hop

Welcome to Day 4 of Verve's Anni-VERVE-sary Spotlight Hops! It's release day and that means all the new Verve that we've been sharing this week is available in the store.  To celebrate, we're putting on another hop and the prize is the ENTIRE release. Woohoo!  Today's featured focus is designer's choice, so you might just sneak a peek at a whole bunch of must-haves!  I'm the first stop on today's hop, so let's get to it!

For today's card, I pulled out the Kindness Matters stamp set.  I really wanted to use the kind and brave sentiment, so started by stamping the two sentiments on stitched circle die cuts and then sponging with broken china ink. I just adore these sentiments together. It seems like I tell my boys to be kind approximately 100 times a day. I hope the repetition sinks in and they turn into little humans with a heart for others. And ones that are brave enough to stand up for what's right when they see others being unkind.

Okay, on with the card... next I pulled together some neutral prints, distressing the edges with tip top taupe ink and rounding one corner.  The flower is embossed in white on tiptop taupe and cut with the coordinating Great Kindness Die Set.  I layered all three sizes of flowers one on top of each other and just love the look.  To finish, I added some black leafy spray die cuts from the Great Kindness Die Set and a teeny library clip on one of the sentiment circles.

Thanks so much for stopping by and thanks for all the wonderful support and comments the past few days.  I love sharing new goodies with you and it's so fun to hear your thoughts. Next up on today's hop is the fabulous Stacey!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? Today's prize is a BIG one. We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win our ENTIRE new release! 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 and all the prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee 7. Betty 2. Stacey 8. Charmaine 3. Maureen 9. Laurie 4. Lesley 10. Christyne 5. Marisa 11. Autumn (Guest) 6. Hillary (Guest)

PS. Laurie's card will be a little late today. 

Enabler's List 
Stamps: Kindness Matters  (Verve Stamps)
Paper: tip top taupe, basic black (SU!), white, dp scraps
Ink: broken china (Ranger Distress), tip top taupe (SU!), black, versamark, Copic marker
Accessories: Great Kindness Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Stitched Circles Stax (MFT), mini library clip (SU!), Stardust Stickles (Ranger)

Kindness Matters Spotlight Hop

Welcome to  Day 2 of Verve's Anni-VERVE-sary Spotlight Hops! Today, our sneaky little spotlight is shining on the Kindness Matters stamp set and coordinating Great Kindness Die Set. These pretty little flowers will be releasing this Friday, August 26, but you can hop along today for a chance to win them!  I'm the first stop on today's hop, so let's get to it!

For my card, I started with a piece of white cardstock coated with heavy gesso, then pulled out some Color Burst powders in yellow, orange and violet.  There are several layers here, repeating and dripping and drying until I achieved a result I was happy with.  I then stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink and embossed in white, masking off the kind, so I could stamp again in a different color.  I inked the kind with a purple marker, then embossed in clear.  It didn't stand out quite as much as I had hoped, so I outlined the entire word with a white gel pen.

Next I embossed the big flower from Kindness Matters in white on another section of the Color Burst background and cut with the coordinating Great Kindness Die Set. I then decided I wanted another flower, but had already used up my background and put my Color Burst mess away, so embossed the smaller flower in white on white cardstock and watercolored with the Prima Tropical watercolor confections.  I added some diamond stickles for a sparkly flower center, then distressed all my edges and accented with a touch of cheesecloth behind the flower.

Thanks so much for hopping along with us today! You next morsel of Vervey goodness is waiting for you over at Stacey's blog.  Have fun, and if you get lost along the way, the full hop list is below.



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!

1. Julee 7. Betty 2. Stacey 8. Charmaine 3. Maureen 9. Laurie 4. Lesley 10. Teresa 5. Marisa 11. Christyne 6. Hillary (Guest) 12. Autumn (Guest)

Enabler's List
Stamps: Kindness Matters (Verve Stamps)
Paper: white
Ink: Versamark, Color Burst powders (Ken Oliver), Tropicals Watercolor Confections (Prima), Wilted Violet (Ranger Distress), white gel pen
Accessories: Great Kindness Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), cheesecloth, diamond stickles (Ranger), stars & swirls embossing folder (Sizzix), paper distresser, white and clear embossing powder, heavy gesso (Prima)