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You Brighten My World

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for all the kind comments yesterday. You guys are the best blog friends a gal could ask for. It's nice to know y'all understand. Today I have a special card to post. This one uses a sketch I created for the Verve Visual Honored Guest Card Contest that starts today. For a chance to win, all you need to do is submit a link to a card using the sketch provided. If chosen you could be the next Verve Honored Guest and will get to play with the March release sets right along with the Verve Visual Design Team. We'll be doing some random prize drawings throughout the contest, so be sure to get your entries submitted. For all the details and to see the sketch, check out the Verve Blog. Everyone on the design team has created a card with this sketch, so be sure to check out their creations, too.

I really like how this card turned out, although it took FOREVER to get to the finished card. I guess that's what's been frustrating me the most about my stamping lately. Things that used to come quickly are taking a lot more effort. This card really shouldn't have taken much more than half an hour, especially since I already had the sketch drawn up and the stamps picked out. But I spent so long deciding on what papers and accents to use, that by the time I finished the card, two hours had passed! Sheesh! Who has 2 hours to sit around and only finish one card? Not me! LOL

I eventually decided on this BasicGrey Scarlet's Letter paper, because I was thinking about Allison's Suggestive Sunday challenge this week. The striped star is from the Verve Visual Seeing Stars set and I actually stamped it first in Crimson Red Versafine and then colored in the star with Prismacolors and Gamsol and then just stamped over it with Onyx Black Versafine. To give it a nice glassy look, I painted the star with Diamond Glaze. The trailing stars on either side of the striped star are from the Swirly Stars set and I outlined them with a light gray Tombow marker for a little softness. The sentiment reads "you brighten my world" and is actually created from two different stamps. The first two words are from the you brighten my day stamp in the Thoughtful Florals set (a remixed photopolymer version of Thoughtful Phrases that's releasing soon). The second two words are from the You rock my world stamp in the Uplifting Phrases set. Both phrases are stamped on a word window punch with Satin Red Versafine ink and bordered with the word window dashed frame stamp from Thoughtful Florals. I added a tiny red rhinestone to each punch and also to each tiny scallop behind the horizontal layer in the sketch. To finish off, I tied a black satin ribbon around the top.

Happy Wednesday

Hi everyone! How is your week going? Mine's been COLD. We've been having quite the snowstorm here, and I just can't seem to shake the chills. I did manage to shiver my way on up to my studio and make a new card, so snuggle up with something warm and take a gander.

I started by stamping the solid swirly heart from Wild Thing in Soft Sky and then stamping the outlined swirly heart over the top with Purely Pomegranate. Next up I inked up just the Wild and then the thing and stamped them in each corner of the square panel. (I just use cut up post it notes to cover up any areas on my stamp I don't want to have ink, then ink it up on my pad, pull off the post it notes and stamp.) This layer is matted with Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky and Basic Black. I then stamped the You Make My Heart Sing portion of the sentiment directly onto some Soft Sky Prints paper and tied a knotted bow of black May Arts ribbon around it. The two corner accents are just a cut up word window punch that I wrote xoxo on and added a few dots around the edges with a black pen. The XO paper is from a paper pack by My Mind's Eye and I finished off with a few rhinestone stickers.

I don't usually share a lot of my personal feelings here on the blog, because I'm a pretty private person. But I've been feeling disappointed in my cards lately and I'm sure you've noticed my regular posting has been somewhat lacking. To be honest with y'all - I'm exhausted. I stay up way too late, get up way too early and push myself every minute of every day, and it's starting to catch up with me creatively. The past few weeks it's really felt like I've been fumbling around at my craft desk, going through the motions. I hope y'all won't give up on me - I'm sure I'll find my mojo lying around here again soon. Until then, just know that I treasure your comments and reading them is the bright spot of each and every day.

Well, peeps, I'm going to to go try and stay warm. Blankets, hot tea and fuzzy socks are my treat of choice today. Be sure to check back tomorrow as I have something special planned here and on the Verve Blog.