Chosen Friend

Hi friends! It's Monday again. How was your weekend? Ours always seem to go by in a blink... these boys keep us going from sun up to sun down!  Another Monday morning means another Mojo Monday sketch. This one is a simple sketch with clean lines that you can dress up or down as your crafty soul desires.  Hope you enjoy it!  I'd love to see what you create.

I pulled out the newly re-released Love Deepens set and some scrap papers from my ever growing pile.  Loved the springy feel to them.  The God chose you sentiment is stamped in espresso ink on cream cardstock, then I lined up the Friend sentiment to finish the sentiment.  I hadn't done some sponge distressing in a while, so pulled out my trusty antique linen and walnut stain inks to distress all the panels.

While searching for the mini butterfly punch I used for the butterflies, I came across a bundle of tea dyed teeny tags and just had to use one.  Why is everything so much cuter in miniature? I masked off the world's in the world's best sentiment, and just stamped the best on the tag in cajun craze.  I added a bit of linen thread and tied in a bow.

The butterflies are stamped from coordinating patterns and I accented them with flatback pearls for the bodies and then a healthy dose of glassy glaze and glitter for the wings.  I little wide grosgrain ribbon finishes things off.

If you like the measurements for your sketches, these are the ones I used...

Card Base: 4.25" x 5.5"
Layer 1: 4" x 5.25"
Layer 2: 3.75" x 4.25"
Layer 3: 2.75" x 3.25"
Layer 4: I used 5/8" ribbon, but the sketch measurements would be 4" x 0.5"
Layer 5: 2.5" x 3.5"

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderfully creative week. For a little more inspiration with the sketch, hop on over to the Mojo Monday blog for a peek at what the other designers are sharing.

Enabler's List

Mojo Monday 492 Sketch

Stamps: Love Deepens (Verve Stamps)
Paper: dp scraps (MME), cream, vintage tea dyed tag
Ink: antique linen, walnut stain (Ranger Distress), cajun craze (SU!), espresso (Altenew)
Accessories: butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), glassy glaze (Ranger), glitter, ribbon, linen thread (SU!), flatback pearls

Birthday Blessings

Hi friends! It's the first Monday of a new month and that means it's contest time at Mojo Monday. Come play along for a chance to win a stamp set of your choice from Verve Stamps. We add a winner for every 50 entries, so enter as many cards as you like to increase your chances.

My card started out with these pretty little rolled flowers I picked up on a recent shopping excursion. I loved the colors together, so used three of them in place of the circle in the sketch and picked out some paper scraps to match.

For the sentiment I knew I wanted to use this birthday blessings stamp from the Love Deepens stamp set.  I misplaced the artwork for this stamp set a while back and had to discontinue it when we switched manufacturers. Happily, I recently found the artwork hiding in the recesses of my computer and was able to re-issue it.  It's available again in the shop and has some of my favorite sentiments for Mother's Day, birthdays and anniversaries.  So I stamped the sentiment on a white strip of cardstock and added a bit of the aqua houndstooth pattern as an accent before hand trimming the angle.

The butterfly is a die cut ephemera piece from Pink Paislee.  I watercolored using Altenew ink pads in colors to match the card, then added in some white gel pen accents to make things pop.  The card base is embossed with my favorite stars and swirls folder.

I rarely measure anything and choose sizes based on the stamps I want to use and the scraps I have on hand. But since I made my card first and then drew up the sketch, I happened to measure things out. Here are the measurements I used on the sketch if you like to have them.

larger rectangle panel - 3"x 4"

smaller rectangle - 2" x 3"

angled rectangle strip - 1.25" x 4.25" and trimmed to fit

circle - 1.5"

Thanks so much for stopping by today! For more inspiration with this sketch, head on over to the Mojo Monday blog to see what the other designers are sharing today.

Mojo Monday 491 Sketch

Enabler's List

Stamps: Love Deepens (Verve Stamps)

Paper: designer scraps, white

Ink: cool berry, ruby red, volcano lake, lagoon (Altenew), white gel pen

Accessories: stars & swirls embossing folder (Sizzix), flowers (Recollections), Nuvo Crystal Drops (Tonic), ephemera (Pink Paislee)

Simple Birthday

Hi friends!  Happy Thursday!  It's the end of the month and that means our May Viva la Verve! contest is drawing to a close.  This year, the Divas started adding a clean & simple sketch the final week of the month, which always a fun way to challenge myself. Here's my take on the May Week 5 VLV sketch...

I was drawn to this Pretty in Pink line of papers by Glitz because of the text on the far left panel which reads, "Something Good Will Happen Today". I decided to layer the three pattern I chose using the dotted wave punch and adding some stitched accents and distressed edges. The sentiment is from the Love Deepens set and is stamped onto the center panel of designer paper and I adorned with a simple seam binding bow. Super quick, but really fun.

Okay, that's all the time I have for today.  Hope you're having an absolutely fabulous week.  Thanks so much for stopping by.


Enabler's List:
Stamps: Love Deepens (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Pretty in Pink (Glitz), Crumb Cake (SU!)
Ink: Vintage Photo, Brushed Corduroy (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Seam binding ribbon (SU!), Corner Chomper (WRMK), sewing machine, dotted wave border punch (EK Success)

Friday Fun

Hi peeps!  I'm so glad it's Friday!  Today I have a CARS (clean and RELATIVELY simple) Mother's Day card to share with you. using the new set Love Deepens.

I started by gluing a piece of Vintage Springtime paper onto cream cardstock, then running through the Big Shot with the Labels 1 dies.  I then made a coordinating mat from Rich Razzleberry cardstock and stamped the sentiment from Love Deepens in the same color ink.  To add a little interest to the card, I tied a knotted bow of razzleberry taffeta around the label shape, then added a regular bow, a paper flower and a triple pearl stick pin.  The next layer is cream embossed with a Sizzix textured impressions folder and lightly distressed and sponged with Vintage Photo ink.  The card base is punched at the bottom with the Eyelet Border punch and then I accented with some pretty lavender rhinestones from Pizzazz Aplenty.

On the Verve front, here are a few little reminders...
April Stamp Collection:  15% off discount ends tomorrow, 4/30!
Kindred Spirits:  40% off discount ends tomorrow, 4/30!
Viva la Verve!:  The first May challenge is posted!  Play along for a chance to win a future Verve release!
Diva Dare:  Only one more week to go to get your April Showers Bring May Flowers entries in.  And be sure to leave a little shout out as the girls parade their daring creations for another chance to win!
May Diva Inspirations Hop:  Tune in right here Sunday, May 1 for the start of our May hop!

Okay, that's all folks!  Hope you have a fantastic weekend and thanks so much for stopping by!

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Love Deepens (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Vintage Springtime DSP, Rich Razzleberry (SU!), Natural White (Neenah)
Ink: Rich Razzleberrry (SU!), Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Labels 1 Large & Small Nestabilities (Spellbinders), rich razzleberry taffeta, eyelet lace border punch (SU!), ivory triple pearl stick pin, lavender rhinestones and open flower (Pizzazz Aplenty), Flowers & Flourish Set textured impressions folder (Sizzix) 

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)