Peaceful Wishes

Have you played along in November's Sketch For You To Try challenge? Here's what we're playing with this month:

I'm in love with the wintry tree pattern that I used in the background (from Prima's North Country 6x6 pad, a gift from Michelle at Stamper's Dream) and was a little reluctant to cover up a single square inch of it. But layers triumphed, which wasn't too surprising given all the fabulous new Verve I've been playing with lately. The snowflakes, from last year's Glad Tidings set, are stamped, then die-cut with the new Snowflake Tidings Die Set. I topped them with gorgeous mother-of-pearl buttons (from Pizzazz Aplenty), then layered them over a Lovely Marquee diecut and a Rounded Scallop Frame die-cut. Distressing, satin ribbon, and crochet trim add a little oomph.

 

All Verve's newly released stamps and dies are available in the Verve Stamps store. Be sure to note the savings when you purchase the bundles! See all the new releases HERE!

Also ... don't miss the Holiday Sale! Save 20% on select holiday stamps and dies!

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Football season finished last Saturday with a championship win for my son's team -- woohoo!! They finished the season with an impressive 12-0 record, including five shutouts. Even more impressive, they never even trailed during a game and allowed their opponents only 50 total points all season (compared to their 256)! Definitely a season to remember -- Go Mustangs! I have to confess, I'm a little lost without a football game to anchor our Saturday. A little Breaking Dawn should fill the gap nicely, don't you think? ;) Stamping, too!

Here's my champion with his proud mama:

Enjoy your weekend!




Stamps: Glad Tidings (Verve Stamps) 
Paper: Papertrey Fine Linen, Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides, and Vintage Cream card stock, Prima North Country 6x6 pad 
Ink: Ranger Walnut Stain and Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Papertrey Ocean Tides 
Accessories: Verve Snowflake Tidings die set, Lovely Marquee die, Rounded Scallop Frame die; Pizzazz Aplenty mother of pearl buttons, foam adhesive, corner rounder, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, distressing tool, Papertrey Fine Linen satin ribbon, May Arts crochet trim, Lil' Inker Designs sentiment flag die
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Verve Holiday Spotlight Hops - Day Three

Welcome to Day Three of Verve's Holiday Spotlight Hops! Today we're peeking the remaining sets and dies that will be released tonight at 11 pm EST. Join us in the Verve Forum beginning at 9 pm EST for our Release Party ... stamp set and die reveals, chit chat, prizes, and FUN!

One lucky commenter from each day's hop will win the sets and dies featured that day, so be sure and leave a little love in the Divasphere! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and deadlines.

1. Julee 8. Sankari 2. Andrea 9. Teresa 3. Vickie {Guest} 10. Charmaine 4. Amy 11. Tosha 5. Maureen 12. Wanda {Guest} 6. Laurie 13. Jackie 7. Gretchen {Guest}

After yesterday's wild card, I thought I'd tone it way down today! The sweet reindeer is from Santa's Helper -- so adorable! I stamped him three times and popped up his face and arms once and then just his nose again. Layering the image allowed me to reposition his left arm to better "hold" the sentiment panel. The sentiment is from Bright Spirits and is stamped onto a Vintage Oval diecut. The snowflakes are from Christmas in the Air, and have been colored with Copics and die-cut with the Frosty Snowflakes Die Set. I also dotted on some glitter and added red buttons to the centers for some extra zip. Those same snowflakes images are stamped onto the Kraft card base in a mix of white craft ink and VersaMark ink. Other details include some black glaze on the eyes and a teeny rhinestone in the center of the poinsettia on his hat.

Enjoy the hop, and hope to see you tonight!


 

Stamps: Santa's Helper, Bright Spirits, Christmas in the Air(Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Kraft and Smokey Shadow card stock, Copic XPress-It Blending card stock
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, white pigment ink, VersaMark
Accessories: Verve Frosty Snowflakes Die Set and Vintage Oval Die, Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls embossing folder, The Twinery twine, My Favorite Things Medium Scallop Border Dienamics, Copic markers, Papertrey buttons, May Arts twine, two-way glue pen, clear glitter, foam adhesive, corner rounder, Sakura black glaze pen, Pizzazz Aplenty 2mm clear rhinestones
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

You're Wheely Great

I grabbed a few minutes just now to attempt some handmade tags for my daughter's roller skating birthday party favor bags. I'm really, really, really looking forward to the awesome paper-pieced wardrobe I can give this sweet little roller skater (My Favorite Things Pure Innocence - Roll With It). A different outfit for each party guest, naturally. But methinks Plan B is in order: re-purposing the tag idea into thank-you cards instead. The party starts in only a couple of hours and this is only the first of more than a dozen that I'll need. Whatever Plan B turns out to be, I'll be sure to share it here!

Have a great Sunday!



Stamps: Pure Innocence - Roll With It (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Papertrey Kraft, White and Aqua Mist card stock, Jillibean Soup Apple Cheddar Soup dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copic markers, paper piercer, white gel pen, My Favorite Things bracket tab die, The Cat's Pajamas grass die, Lil' Inker Designs cloud die, Papertrey button, May Arts burlap string, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder

Color Throwdown #164 - Boo To You

Verve just released the most adorable Halloween set yesterday -- Boo to You. I know, surprise!! Here's the thing: due to manufacturing delays, the current supply is limited. More sets will arrive in the coming weeks, but they're not guaranteed to be here in time for Halloween. So if you’ve got to have it, grab it fast!

My card is also my guest designer sample for this week's Color Throwdown Challenge, #164, hosted by Broni! Hope you'll join us!

Check out all the fabulous inspiration from the Color Throwdown design team:

Broni Holcombe - Splashes of Watercolor
Barbara Anders - Paper Pursuits
Danielle Kennedy - Wild Dragonfly Designs
Tammy Hershberger - Stamp Happy
Kristin Beuter - Mindless Creativity
Laura Pryor - Lil' Inker Designs
Carole Burrage - Mother's Little Helper
Keva Brown - How Now Brown Kow
Lori Tecler - Inking a Loud
Lynn Put - The Queens Scene
Wanda Cullen - Cullen-ary Creations
Joan Ervin - Stamping With a Passion

 For my card, I opted to incorporate the colors in small amounts against lots of white. The damask pattern is from Echo Park's Apothecary collection. The kraft circle behind the ghosts was done with a Spellbinders Picot Circle Nestabilities die. The ribbon tails are all Stampin' Up ribbon and the black ricrac is by May Arts. I cannot for the life of me remember the source of the green pom-pom trim, but it sure is fun! I dotted some two-way glue onto the ghosts and sprinkled with Stampin' Up's Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Paula- and Linda-style. The dry embossing was done with the Seeing Spots embossing folder by Cuttlebug.

Wishing you a beautiful day ...

  

Stamps: Boo to You (Verve Stamps) 
Paper: Papertrey black, kraft, vintage cream, and rustic white card stock, Echo Park Apothecary collection 
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Pumice Stone Distress Ink 
Accessories: Stampin' Up circle punch, Spellbinders Picot Circle Nestabilities, two-way glue pen, Stampin' Up Dazzling Diamonds glitter, SU ribbon, May Arts black ricrac ribbon, hemp twine, foam adhesive, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots dry embossing folder, pom-pom trim (unknown), corner rounder, Papertrey button
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Verve Diva Inspirations Blog Hop

Welcome to the October Diva Inspirations Blog Hop! Our Diva Inspirations and Release teams are here to start your month off right with a little Verve inspiration! Take a little peek at each of the fabulous blogs below and leave a little comment love for their Verve-alicious eye candy and you just might win some Vervey goodness of your very own!

My card features the current Stamp of the Month, Harvest Blessings, which you can pick up during October for a whopping 40% off. The leaves are stamped and hand-trimmed, then layered onto a sentiment circle and a Kraft tag that I die-cut with Verve's Sweet Scallop Tag. Some olive green burlap fabric and burlap string add to the rustic look, and dry embossing gives some additional texture.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Divas are showing today:

1. Julee 10. Sankari 2. Betty 11. Teresa 3. Dawn 12. Andrea 4. Jen d. 13. Tosh 5. Lynda 14. Maureen 6. Shannan 15. Amy 7. Sony 16. Laurie 8. Susan 17. Jen T. 9. Charmaine

We've hidden a little mystery prize on one of today's hop spots, so be sure to leave a little comment love as you hop around for a chance to win!
Comment Deadline: 11:59pm Mountain, October 10
Prize: $30 gift certificate to Verve

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and we're doing our part to raise awareness.We've got a special Think Pink SALE, with all in-stock stamps and dies 20% off October 1 - 16. And to sweeten the deal, Verve will donate 10% of proceeds from this sale to the
Susan G Komen For the Cure foundation.
A little something for you... a little something for the cure!

And last but not least, a new month brings a new  Stamp of the Month... At 40% off during the month of October, Harvest Blessings is one splendid deal! Thanks for visiting!

Happiness Is You

Your Next Stamp sponsored last month's Sketch For You To Try, and this adorable image, Tea Time Fhiona, is what I chose to work with. It may be a new month/new sketch/new sponsor, but I just had to show this image some more love - it's so cute! I colored with Copics, sponged around the outside with Aquatic Splash VersaMagic chalk ink (with the Nestabilities die still in place), then added some hand-stitching.

The layout is last week's Card Positioning Systems sketch, #220. Turned sideways, it was perfect for this image. I kept the layout clean, with minimal layering and only a few embellishments ... a white crochet flower topped with a button, some baker's twine, a punched strip, dry embossing, and a little tab in the upper right where the sketch shows three small circles. The card base and background layers are Papertrey's Smokey Shadow card stock. The designer papers are from My Mind's Eye's Happy Go Lucky 6x6 pad.

Hope you had a great weekend! I spent too much time (and money) shopping for the kids and just the right amount of time watching baseball and enjoying some of the best weather ever! Today, laundry, the yet-to-be-planted vegetable garden, two half-finished home improvement projects and a dirty car are calling yelling my name.

Here's a photo of my 10-year-old doin' his baseball thing:

Have a fantastic day!





Stamps: Tea Time Fhiona (Your Next Stamp)
Paper: Copic X-Press It card stock, Papertrey Smokey Shadow card stock, My Mind's Eye "Happy Go Lucky" dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, VersaMagic Aquatic Splash
Accessories: Spellbinders Rectangle Nestabilities, paper piercer/needle/thread, foam adhesive, Fiskars corner rounder, My Favorite Things Little Open Scallop border die, The Twinery twine, Stampin' Up white crochet flower, button from stash, Stampin' Up label punch, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder
Size: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"

There is Poetry in Kindness

A funny thing happened in the making of this card ... I used no patterned paper! Long-time friends and subscribers might remember the designer paper phobia I proclaimed a few years ago. Now, it's a little scary going without! I was playing with some of the Crate Paper Portrait patterns, which is where the black/yellow/green combo began. The green background panel was done with a stamp from JustRite's Kindness cling set and then die-cut with a Spellbinders Labels Twenty Nestabilities die. On top of that is a layered ribbon/trim treatment that includes some May Arts crochet trim and some yellow and green grosgrain. Then comes a black die-cut done with one of the dies in the Fleur-de-Lis Doily Accents Shapeabilities set by Spellbinders. And last, the sentiment, also from JustRite's Kindness.

On an unrelated topic ... my 10- and 7-year-old are completely into Cake Boss, so one day while at Michael's, I expressed an interest in a cake decorating class for them to take. As it turns out, the Wilton rep suggested they not take the kids' class but the regular/adult class instead. I thought the 10-year-old was too busy with his extracurriculars and the 7-year-old too young to attend by herself, so I ended up signing up with her. She ate too much frosting during the second class, threw up all night long, and that was the end of cake decorating for her! My son gladly stepped in and finished up her last two classes, and this is what we ended up with this week for our "final" cakes ...

First, my son's:

He picked up everything so quickly and was really good it!

And here's mine:

I'm sure to an expert, it has "beginner" all over it, but I'm excited about it because I didn't know how to do any of this a month ago! Wilton offers two more courses that go into the really fun stuff -- fondant, gum paste, flowers, royal icing, etc., but we'll most likely postpone those for a little while. My son is so busy with baseball in the Spring, and, as I told the instructor, I soooooo do not need another hobby! I've already scratched Silhouette off the Mother's Day wishlist and added a table saw instead (for my new DIY "hobby") -- LOL! I won't be getting one, but at least a seed is planted for birthday and Christmas :)


Thanks for stopping by! I've been quite sporadic with my posts lately. Spring is a busy time, yes? Looking forward to getting back into a more regular routine soon!





Stamps: Kindness (JustRite)
Paper: Papertrey Rustic White and Black card stock
Ink: Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi, Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Vintage Photo Distress
Accessories: Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Doily Accents Shapeabilities, Labels Twenty Nestabilities, and Classic Circle Nestabilities, Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi ribbon, Papertrey Harvest Gold grosgrain, May Arts crochet trim, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder, Pizazz Aplenty 3mm Yellow Gold flatback pearls, foam adhesive, Quickie glue pen
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Friends are Key to Happiness

I fell head over heels in love with Who's That Musical Girl? by My Favorite Things the second I saw the first preview a couple of months ago. I'm not especially good at it, but I absolutely love playing the piano, so there was no question -- she had to come home with me. The sentiments in this set are just crazy awesome, too. Check 'em out:

MFT has a fantastic sketch this week for their Wednesday Stamp Club, so I'm playing along with that...

The image is stamped onto Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, then paper pieced and colored with both Copics and Prismacolor pencils. The papers are from Cosmo Cricket's Upcycle Mini Deck, and the corrugated cardboard frame is by Jillibean Soup.

I just blogged this yesterday, but it's worth repeating ...  while Michelle (owner of Stamper's Dream) is off vacationing, she has left behind a fantastic coupon code and some blog candy. Visit her blog for all the details!

Thanks for visiting!




Stamps: Who's That Musical Girl? (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Papertrey Kraft and Basic Black card stock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Cosmo Cricket Upcycle 6x6 Mini Deck
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Papertrey Fresh Snow
Accessories: Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils, Spellbinders classic circle die, Jillibean Soup frames corrugated shapes, Papertrey button, ribbon, and Eyelet Border die, The Twinery twine, sanding block, paper piercer, needle, thread, Seeing Spots Cuttlebug embossing folder, Pizzazz Aplenty turquoise 2mm rhinestones, foam adhesive
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Sing to the Lord {Again}

Happy Monday, crafties. Hope you had a wonderful weekend. I enjoyed spending most of it with my parents, who came up to watch my niece's gymnastics meet. I also did a ton of painting in the master bathroom. It felt great to finish up with the painting yesterday, especially since my parents took my youngest back home with them for a couple of days. Tomorrow, the new cabinets and countertops will be installed, but today, while the older two are in school, I'm free to ...... stamp, of course! I'm ready to trade the home improvement hat for papercrafting again!

Since I haven't created anything new in a while, I'm posting an oldie today. I made this over two years ago during my Splitcoast Dirty Dozen tenure. I'm kind of past the point of being able to show this stuff, as trends and styles change a lot in two short years. Not to mention this photo looks so dark. I guess my photography has changed too! Here we go anyway, since it's been pretty dry around here :)

The beautiful stamps are from Sing to the Lord by Our Daily Bread Designs. I feel so fortunate to have been able to spend a little over a year on their design team in '08 and '09 -- amazing illustrated images and majority Scripture sentiments. I honestly can't remember many details for this card, so I'll just post the supply list below.

Before I skedaddle to my studio, I also wanted to call your attention to some Verve news. First, a new Get Your Diva On Challenge began today. This is your chance at a future guest design spot!! Deadline is Sunday, March 20, 9 pm MT. Also, info about upcoming March and April releases has been posted on the Verve blog.

Have a great Monday!!





Stamps: Sing to the Lord (Our Daily Bread Designs); Worn Music (Unity Stamp Co.)
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip card stock (SU!); watercolor paper (Canson); dp (My Mind's Eye and Kaiser Craft)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko); Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard, Certainly Celery, Garden Green, Always Artichoke reinkers (SU!)
Accessories: aqua painter, paper piercer, scallop edge punch, vintage brads, wide Chocolate satin ribbon, white Polyshrink, air art tool, Pretty in Pink marker (SU!); Ribbon Tags Trio die (Spellbinders); dew drops (Robin's Nest); striped ribbon (Strano Designs)

Baby, I'm Yours

Have you heard about Verve's new Diva Dare Challenge? On the Friday following each release, we'll post a theme we'll dare you with, and you'll have two weeks to complete the challenge.  During those two weeks, the release team will post their creations and tell you how they answered the dare.

The January theme is Baby Love:

We dare you to make a card, project, layout, or whatever fits your stamping style using this month's theme - Baby Love. The baby part could be for a new little someone...or a special someone. Play along for a chance to win some new Verve goodies! That's something everyone loves!

I answered the dare with a Cher-inspired, shabby Valentine for my dear husband ...

Find out more over on the Verve blog!





Stamps: Love Notes (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Aqua Mist card stock, Basic Grey Capella dp, cardboard box
Ink: Ranger Pumice Stone Distress Ink
Accessories: Jotted Heart die, distressing tool, Martha Stewart heart border punch, My Favorite Things Rolled Flower Die-namics, Kaiser Bliss adhesive pearls, Recollections bling, Making Memories white acrylic paint, woven burlap trim/looped trim/crochet trim (sources unknown), Offray aqua satin ribbon, Maya Road trinket pin, Prima white roses

Precious Little One

I made today's card for the new Viva La Verve January - Week 4 sketch challenge, hosted by Sankari. Remember, if you complete all four of the January Viva La Verve sketches, you can add yourself to the Sketch Champions thread, where a lucky participant will receive the entire next Verve release. The deadline for the January sketches is midnight, Thursday, January 27th. Winner announced on the 28th!

Here's Sankari's awesome sketch:

For my card, I pulled out Verve's awesome new To the Moon set and My Mind's Eye's Fine & Dandy True Blue paper collection. For the main image panel, I layered a Spellbinders Lacy Circle die-cut over a classic square over a Labels Sixteen. The giraffe has been colored with Copics and trimmed out. The pennants were cut from one of the True Blue patterns. And did I forget something on the sketch? Yes ... the three little circles in the bottom right. Oopsie! A few more white brads would have been perfect!

Thanks so much for popping in for a visit today. Hope your day is fantastic!



Stamps: To the Moon (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Aqua Mist, Harvest Gold, and Kraft card stocks, Stampin' Up Espresso card stock, My Mind's Eye Fine & Dandy True blue 6x6 pad
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Walnut Stain Distress Ink, Stampin' Up Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Copic markers, The Twinery twine, Mark Richards orange rhinestone, white gel pen, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder, Pink Hedgehog Papercrafts white brads, paper piercer, needle, thread, foam adhesive, Spellbinders Classic Circle, Lacy Circle, Classic Square and Labels Sixteen Nestabilities, Papertrey button and ribbon, My Favorite Things Open Scallop Border Die-namics

Men Are Like Purses ...

(Men are like purses)

Time for another Skipping Stones Design sketch challenge! I'm going to miss this gig come February :) Today's card uses a brand-new, super fun set called Birthday Purses.

Ready for the inside?

(cute, full of crap, and totally replaceable)

Here's a look at the full set:

Gotta love a cute purse (or three), and aren't these sentiments awesome?!

Here's the sketch, SSD60:

I hope you'll play along! All you have to do is link your creation up to the SSD#60 post on the Skipping Stones Design blog. There may be goodies ... just sayin' ;)

My sketch sample is pretty straightforward. The three purses are paper-pieced with patterns from Cosmo Cricket's DeLovely collection, then layered onto a lacy circle die-cut. For the strips along the left, I just used some more DeLovely scraps. The sentiment flag is attached with a button and some Pink Sorbet baker's twine. The pink die-cut border on the inside (totally crooked - eek! I can't believe I didn't catch that beforehand!) was done with Papertrey's Victorian Lace border die, and the sentiment is die-cut with a Spellbinders Labels Fourteen die. I don't think I've ever dry-embossed the inside of a card, but the panel was lying there (a reject for the card front), and I thought why not?

I made this card for a good friend who could use a little cheer in the "men" department. She will know exactly who those three purses represent - teehehe! Time for a new purse, B____!
 



Stamps: Birthday Purses (Skipping Stones Design)
Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate card stock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, Cosmo Cricket DeLovely dp
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Walnut Stain and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks
Accessories: Spellbinders lacy circle die, Papertrey button, The Twinery baker's twine, Swarovski crystals, needle and thread, Papertrey border die (inside), Spellbinders Labels Fourteen die, paper piercer, needle, thread, Prismacolor pencils

Get Well Soon

Have you played along in this month's Sketch For You To Try (SFYTT) yet? If not, visit Jen's January sketch post to check out the new monthly format and all the deets on a very special prize package coming at the end of this year for one lucky sketch participant!

We've kicked off a new year of fabulous sketches with the swankiest sponsor around -- The Cat's Pajamas! Anyone can participate in this month's sketch and is welcome to use any stamps she'd like, BUT for those who use TCP stamps, a sweet prize is up for grabs! To enter, just link up your creation HERE. Remember to use keyword SFYTT in online galleries.

Here's the sketch:

For today's card, I've used the adorable TCP set A Cuppa to make a get well card. The image is colored with Copics primarily, with the sky and grass added in with Prismacolor pencils. The apron was so much fun to  paper piece! Throughout, I've used papers from October Afternoon's Modern Homemaker collection, along with some punched borders, baker's twine, box pleating, stitching, and dry embossing.

Thanks for stopping by!



Stamps: A Cuppa (The Cat's Pajamas)
Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate, Kraft and Rustic White, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, October Afternoon Modern Homemaker
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils, Papertrey button, twine, and ribbon, corner rounder, Scor-Pal, Martha Stewart border punches, Stampin' Up scallop border punch, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder, Pink Hedgehog Papercrafts brown brads, foam tape
Size: 5 1/4" square