Meow Munch - A Purrfect Treat

Welcome to MFT's July Blog Hop! If you arrived here from Frances's blog, you're in the right place. If you just happened to stop in and would like to start at the beginning, head over to Kim's blog and just keep following the links.

Tomorrow night My Favorite Things will be releasing four new sets, including two new Perfect Packaging label sets. I've used the cat label set, called Purrfect Treats, to put together a cute little jar of homemade cat treats. To complete the presentation, I put the finished jar in a cellophane bag and tied on a matching tag.

Here's a look at the jar by itself:



And here's a close-up of the top, which also uses MFT's awesome alphabet set, Bling 'Bet.



And last, a close-up of the matching tag:




Next stop on the hop is the fabulous Christina Fischer!

Thanks so much for stopping by,



Stamps: Purrfect Treats, Bling 'Bet (My Favorite Things)
Paper: MFT Perfect Paper Panels, Stampin' Up Basic Gray, MFT Spring collection dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up Regal Rose
Accessories: MFT 16-ounce square jar, Spellbinders Labels 4 and Petite Oval Nestabilities, black brads, black and pink burlap string, black gingham ribbon, pink twill, Copic markers, SU paper clip, cellophane bag

You're the Best

I seriously thought Jen was trying to kill us all with her Sketch for You To Try this week. I really struggled at first! Have a look over at i{heart}2stamp. I kept envisioning something funky, hip, and scrappy, but I made a U-turn and headed for an old stand-by instead - black and white, or in this case, black and neutrals. Funny how we have our "comfy old sweats" types of cards - the ones we just settle right into without thinking too much. This ended up being one of those :)

I'm loving Verve's new Kindred Spirits. The two fleur-de-lis are stamped in black, clear embossed and popped up for dimension. The papers are all from Die Cuts With a View's La Creme collection. I found the yummy ribbon on clearance recently at one of my local craft stores - AC Moore maybe? I like how the gingham and button add a bit of a country look to the elegant fleur-de-lis. All of the new Verve stamp sets are now officially available in the Verve store. You'll find the sets sold individually, as well as value pricing on the entire release for a limited time.

I can't wait to see what the SFYTT sistahs have done with this sketch. Here they are:

Jen del Muro with guest designer Ashley Newell
Amy Rohl
Carole Burrage
Kelly Lunceford
Susan Liles

Hope you can play along, too. Despite my rough start, it ended up being a really fun sketch to work with. Link up your card to Jen's post and remember to use keyword SFYTT if you upload to Splitcoast.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you have a fantastic weekend! If you're in the Northern Virginia or Maryland area, think about heading out to the Great American Scrapbook Convention at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia. I'll be hanging out there for at least part of the day. There's a good chance you'll find me at the My Favorite Things booth or wandering around nearby. I'd love to say hi!



Stamps: Kindred Spirits (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Vintage Cream and White; DCWV La Creme dp
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Spellbinders circle and mega curved rectangle Nestabiltiies; Spellbinders Fancy Scalloped Border Piercabilities and tag die, May Arts burlap string, PTI button, Making Memories gingham ribbon, SU pearls

Forever in Our Hearts

Ready for another peek at the new Verve? Today I'm showing a card made with Forever in Our Hearts, a beautiful sympathy set done in true Verve style. I honestly wish I could tell you you'll never need this set, but the truth is, this is a must-have set more than most others. Why? Because when bad things happen and we find ourselves at a loss for words, a good sympathy set is truly invaluable. The imagery in Forever in Our Hearts is peaceful and the sentiments heartfelt, making those difficult sympathy cards at least a little bit easier.

For my card, I've chosen a soothing blue-green-brown color scheme and kept the overall design clean and simple. The tree is stamped in brown pigment ink and clear embossed. I added just a few extras to enhance the overall design: some scoring, pleated satin ribbon, pearls, and some pretty scallops on the sentiment and along the bottom border.

Remember to check out the Verve Stamps blog today to see more peeks of this set and to enter for your chance to win one of your own. And remember, tonight is our Release Party, beginning at 9 pm EST. The sets will be available for purchase at 10:30 pm EST.

I have a second card to share today, too. Michelle Rodgers (owner of Stamper's Dream) is having a birthday today! Happy Birthday Michelle! I know she loves Penny Black images, so Cheesecake Party seemed perfect for her birthday wishes. Stop by her blog and leave her some birthday love!!



Thanks for visiting today!



Forever in Our Hearts:
Stamps: Forever in our Hearts (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate and White card stock; K&Co textured dp
Ink: SU Chocolate Chip craft, VersaMark
Accessories: SU iridescent ice and clear embossing powders, pearls; Spellbinders petite ovals Nestabilities; Papertrey ribbon; Scor-Pal; Martha Stewart border punch

Cheesecake Party:
Stamps: Cheesecake Party (Penny Black)
Paper: Blush Red Prismatics, Neenah white cs, My Mind's Eye Breaking Free dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copic markers, SU Top Note die, Martha Stewart border punch, Quickie glue pen, clear glitter, 7 Gypsies spiral clip, sheer ribbon, burlap string, paper flower and button (from stash), Spellbinders Flourish Accent Shapeabilities and Piercabilities scallop border die

Faith

Verve Stamps is previewing new sets again today and tomorrow, leading up to tomorrow night's release. Over on the Verve blog, you can take a peek at Just For You, a collection of sentiments designed to celebrate and honor those special loved ones in your life. Read all the way down for a chance to win one for yourself!

I realized last night that the card I was planning to show today includes an image that hasn't been peeked yet, so I'll sit on that one for today and go to Plan B. Each month, in addition to the fabulous sets, Julee also tucks in a few Plain Janes. These are single stamps priced and packaged for value (only $3 each!). I've combined two of this month's Plain Janes - Leaves and Hebrews 11:1 - for today's card. This one has so many of my favorite things ... Scripture, buttons, beautiful papers, soothing colors, lace trim, stitching, and charms. Hope you like it!

The new sets will be released tomorrow night. Our Release Party begins at 9 pm in the Verve Forum on SCS. We'll chat, reveal the full sets, show more samples, announce winners, and then at the end, the new sets will be available for purchase. Hope you can join us!



Stamps: Hebrews 11:1 and Leaves (Verve Stamps Plain Janes)
Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate cs, My Mind's Eye Bella Bella French Flea Market dp
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Stampin' Up Baja Breeze
Accessories: Spellbinders Labels 3 and Circle Nestabilities, Papertrey buttons, May Arts string, SU ribbon, Blue Moon Beads charms, lace trim, sewing machine

Kindred Spirits

Ooo la la!! There are some Vervalicious new sets coming this Friday, and the peeks have officially begun over on the Verve Stamps blog. That means both some great eye candy each day for the rest of the week AND chances to win free stamps, so be sure to check it out!

Today's featured stamp set is Kindred Spirits, and it is a real beauty, I tell ya. I've long been partial to the fleur-de-lis image, so this set is right up my alley! For today's card, I went a little clean-and-simple, pairing up an image and sentiment from Kindred Spirits with some of the beautiful patterns from Cosmo Cricket's Everafter collection. Tres jolie! I inked all the edges with Antique Linen distress ink to add to the aged look the paper already has. I also added a little depth to the fleur-de-lis cluster with a darker gray Prismacolor pencil, then finished the card off with some decorative borders and some machine stitching.

When can YOU get your hands on this set? This Friday night! The festivities begin with a Release Party beginning at 9 pm in the Verve Stamps forum on SCS. Hope you can join us!




Stamps: Kindred Spirits (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Vintage Cream; Cosmo Cricket Everafter collection
Ink: Papertrey Smokey Shadow; Ranger Antique Linen and Vintage Photo distress inks
Accessories: Stampin' Up ribbon and corduroy brad; Spellbinders Piercabilities; Fiskars A-Fleur border punch; sewing machine; Prismacolor pencils

A Sketchy, Dirty MFT Celebration

Lots of things going on today! First, it's Saturday, so it's time for another Sketch For You to Try. It's also the 20th of the month, which is both Celebrate MFT day and the monthly Dirty Dozen/Dirty Dozen Alumni challenge.

My first card is one that I made using Jen's Sketch For You To Try. Check out Jen's blog, i{heart}2stamp to see the sketch, details on how to play along, plus samples from both Jen and guest designer Ashley Newell. For more inspiration, have a look at what the SFYTT crew has put together: Amy Rohl, Carole Burrage, Kelly Lunceford, and Susan Liles. Remember to use keyword SFYTT if you upload to SCS.

This is also my card for the DD/DDA challenge. This is just a fun challenge where the dirty girls past and present get together for a little reunion of sorts. Here's our challenge details:

Challenge Focus: Create a project that screams school's out for summer.
Do you like the beach, camping, the mountains, bbqing, you name it, whatever screams summer to you is fair game.
Required Element: Mini brads
Restricted Element: Buttons
You can see what the other players have come up with HERE. (We'll all be uploading throughout the day.)


Next up is a little something for Celebrate MFT Day:



What's that? Just a day we like to set aside to get your My Favorite Things stamps inky. This month, Joanne has challenged us to use a favorite Stephanie Fizer image. That should be easy! I love them all :) I made this card with The Poppies set for the release back at the beginning of the month, but I haven't shown it here yet. I combined the word "Rock" from The Poppies with the letter "U" from Bling 'Bet. The skulls are also from The Poppies. Hope you can play along! Details are HERE - remember to use keyword CelebrateMFT so we can see your project!



By the Seashore:
Stamps: By the Seashore (My Favorite Things)
Paper: MFT Perfect Paper Panels, SU Riding Hood Red, PTI Dark Chocolate, My Mind's Eye Free Bird dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copic markers, SU photo corner punch, 1/2" circle punch, hardware, ribbon, May Arts burlap string, sewing machine, Spellbinders Labels 4 and circle nesties, EK Success dotted wavy border punch
Size: 5 1/2" square

U Rock:
Stamps: The Poppies (My Favorite Things)
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, SU Basic Black, Making Memories dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Pretty In Pink
Accessories: MFT crystals; Copic markers; Stardust glitter pens - silver and clear; SU curvy label punch, Top Note die, 1/2" circle punch, and ribbon; paper piercer

Thanks, Coach

I made some gift card holders for the two coaches of my daughter's softball team using Papertrey's All-Star Team and All-Star Team Additions - love these sets, by the way! The papers are from My Mind's Eye Breaking Free collection.

The style is a tri-fold, with the finished size just slightly larger than a standard gift card. The top flap folds down and tucks behind the corduroy button/punched circle accent to keep the holder closed. When you open the top flap, you see both the "Just Play, Have Fun, Enjoy the Game" sentiment from All-Star Team Additions as well as a "World's Best Coach" sentiment that I made by putting together "World's Best" from Verve's World's Best set and spelling out the word "Coach" using my JustRite Stamper and the Brayton font. (Do you see where I punched the slit in the wrong place? Grrrr.)



And last, when the card is fully opened, you see a middle panel, which I decorated to include the names of the five girls who gave the gift card. I cut five triangles for pennants and wrote one of the girl's names on each, then hand-drew the string. I also hand-wrote the "To," "From" and amount info.



Maybe I went a little overboard on the whole "privacy" thing, smudging out all that info, but my sister just about scared me to death the other day with some things she had learned at a recent internet safety training class that she took as part of her job as a high school administrator. You can never be too careful!

Hate to say goodbye on that note - sorry! Thanks for stopping by today!



Stamps: All-Star Team and All-Star Team Additions (Papertrey Ink); World's Best (Verve Stamps); Brayton font (JustRite Stampers)
Paper: SU Pumpkin Pie and Basic Gray card stock; My Mind's Eye Breaking Free dp
Ink: SU Pumpkin Pie and Basic Gray; Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: SU corduroy buttons, small star punch, slit punch; Creative Memories 1" punch; May Arts burlap string; edge distressing tool

Quiet Waters Goes Metallic

I was doing some stamp room cleaning the other day and rediscovered some miscellaneous odds and ends, including a sampling of the beautiful Prism metallic cardstocks that Our Daily Bread Designs carries and a small piece of glossy card stock that I had inked up with a friend's alcohol inks a while back (thanks Marti!). I thought I'd put the two together and see what I could come up with.

I stamped the image from Quiet Waters, one of the new Our Daily Bread Designs sets, in Jet Black Staz-On onto the alcohol-inked background piece and then cut it down to a circle using Nestabilities. The rest of the layers are done using various Spellbinders dies (Classic Frame and Labels 3 Nesties) on Bronze, Copper, and Champagne metallic card stocks. The Champagne background layer is scored around the perimeter using a Scor-Pal and pierced and dry embossed using Spellbinders Piercabilities. The bronze flourish at the bottom was cut using a Spellbinders Flourish Accent die, and the pearls are from Stampin' Up's Pretties kit.

Here you can see the dry embossed part of the Piercabilities much better, as well as some of the shimmer of the metallic card stock:




This shot shows how shimmery this metallic card stock really is - it's really amazing stuff!




And last, the inside, where I've included the Scripture - Psalm 23:2:



Before I go, I would be remiss if I did not thank Becca Feeken for sharing her beautiful and inspiring creations. I'm always so impressed and amazed with her creative use of the Spellbinders dies, and her style is always so polished, crisp, and rich with detail. Let's consider this my best attempt at a "Becca card" - I just need a really beautiful ribbon treatment to complete my tribute!

Thanks for visiting,



Stamps: Quiet Waters (Our Daily Bread Designs)
Paper: Prism Bronze, Copper and Champagne Metallic Card Stock; glossy card stock
Ink: Jet Black Staz-On; Ranger alcohol inks (I used three, all browns, and I'm pretty sure one was called Mushroom); Encore Copper (for inside Scripture stamp)
Accessories: Spellbinders circle and Labels 3 Nestabilities, Classic Frame, and Flourish Accents dies, Spellbinders RicRac Scalloped Piercabilities, Scor-Pal, Stampin' Up pearls and 1/4" circle punch, foam adhesive
Size: 6" square

Dancing in the Rain - MFT Blog Hop

Welcome to the My Favorite Things mid-month blog hop! If you clicked here from Frances's blog, you're right on track. If not, you can get all caught up by starting with Kim and following the links. Along the way, be sure to give a warm welcome to MFT's two newest design team members, Barbara Anders and Kathy Daume' - this is their first hop from the DT side!

I'm showing a card that I made with a set called Rainy Day Friends. I've completely fallen in love with this sweet little girl in her raincoat. She reminds me of my cheerful, carefree daughter, who would also choose to dance in the rain rather than dwell on gray, cloudy skies. The card base is a heavy acetate that I stamped with the circle pattern from this set (using white Staz-On). I stamped the girl and umbrella onto one of MFT's Perfect Paper Panels, and colored with Copic markers. My card is pretty straightforward, so instead of card chatter, how about some MFT scoop?

* The Bubble Bin has been updated for the week - lots of great deals in there!
* Our weekly spotlight is crystals. You'll find all the crystal collections on sale in the store, and in this week's How'd They Do That feature, Cindy demonstrates how to use the Professional Touch HotFix Crystal Applicator and shows loads of different ways to use crystals.
* The first 50 orders after the release (at midnight tonight) will receive some Heidi Swapp stickers FREE.
* Last, don't forget about both the MFT sketch challenge and the My Favorite Challenge. Both are posted on Thursday mornings in the MFT forum on SCS. There's always some good chatter among the MFT crowd, so drop in and hang out with us a little! Prizes are awarded to the winners of both challenges, too!

Your next stop on the hop is the awesome Christina Fischer! I know she has something absolutely gorgeous to share with us!!

Thanks for hopping,



Stamps: Rainy Day Friends (My Favorite Things, releasing at midnight, Wednesday, 6/17)
Paper: MFT Perfect Paper Panels, K&Co Wild Raspberry dp, Papertrey White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copic markers, Quickie glue pen, MFT clear glitter and button, ribbon from stash, Spellbinders classic and scalloped square Nestabilities, paper piercer
Size: 5" square

Blessed is the Man Who Listens

It wouldn't take reading through more than a week or two of my posts to see that I'm nuts about K&Co papers! I thought the grays in one of the floral patterns from the {new-to-me} Madeleine collection would be a perfect complement to the beautiful door image from Our Daily Bread Designs' Ask, Seek, Knock. I colored with Copics, using some rich browns for the door and a mixture of grays and grayish-greens for the stonework. I bumped up the size of the card to 5x7, a size I enjoy turning to here and there, and *still* couldn't find the real estate to include the Scripture on the front - something is wrong with that! LOL. So I added that to the inside, along with some minimal decorating.



The layout is from Splitcoast's Sketch Challenge last Wednesday, #232.

Hope you had a great weekend!



Stamps: Ask, Seek, Knock (Our Daily Bread Designs)
Paper: Papertrey Vintage Cream card stock, Prismatics Silver Metallic card stock, K&Co Madeleine dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Basic Grey
Accessories: Copic markers, corner rounder, sewing machine, Offray ribbons, 7Gypsies key, SU corduroy brads, Hero Arts bling, Fiskars A-Fleur border punch, Spellbinders circle Nestabilities
Size: 5" x 7"

I Need Coffee!

The vacuum cleaner is in the driveway, tree-trimming-size garden shears are on the cooktop, and there's a GameBoy in my microwave. The baby gate is so high I have to pole-vault it, yet my 2-year-old scales it with ease. I have wiped baby powder from the bathroom sinks, hand sanitizer from the bedroom carpet, and sunscreen from the windows. It's a two pot kind of day, alright ... but aren't they all? *grin*

This fun new image, I Need Coffee Flopsey, will be available from My Favorite Things on Wednesday (6/17) at midnight. I stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black onto Papertrey Vintage Cream and colored with Copics. My coloring is pretty horrific - sorry! I had a heck of a time blending my E42 with my E44. Anyone else have trouble working with these? Guess I'll be adding an E43 to my collection.

The layout is Jen's fantastic Sketch for You to Try. You can see the sketch, Jen's sample, and guest designer Ashley Newell's sample at i{heart}2stamp. The rest of the gang is all here this week, so check out these awesome samples, too: Amy Rohl, Carole Burrage, Kelly Lunceford, and Susan Liles. Hope you can play along! Link your creation to Jen's post and use keyword SFYTT if you upload to SCS.

The patterned papers I used are all from K&Co's Classic K Charlotte 12x12 collection. You know how much I love my blues and greens! I distressed all the edges with Ranger Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress ink, then went back over everything with an edge distressing tool. All of the stitching is by machine. The ivory fabric trim is some I found at either Hancock Fabrics or at Jo-Ann's in the fabric section. Flopsey is stamped twice - the second one is trimmed out and popped up.

Thanks for hopping by! Hope you've got a fabulous weekend brewing!



Stamps: I Need Coffee Flopsey (My Favorite Things - to be released Wednesday, June 17)
Paper: SU Blue Bayou and Certainly Celery; Papertrey Vintage Cream; K&Co Classic K Charlotte collection
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Ranger Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress ink
Accessories: Quickie glue pen, SU glitter, sewing machine, edge distressing tool, fabric trim, foam adhesive, Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, blending stumps
Size: 5 x 7

Verve Project Parade: It's a Guy Thing

It's my day to post over on the Verve Stamps blog for our current Project Parade. This month's theme is "It's a Guy Thing: Celebrating the Men in Our Lives" - just like last month's theme, only it's the guys' turn to be celebrated!

For my project, I decided to pair up a custom photo puzzle with the "I Love You To Pieces" sentiment from Sweet On You to make a Father's Day gift for my daughter to give to her sweet Daddy. For the puzzle, I chose a photo of my husband and daughter on their way to their annual Father-Daughter Valentine's Dance. There are numerous online vendors for these puzzles. You just upload or email your digital photo, then choose your finished size along with the number of pieces. Or, for a smaller, DIY version, you could easily adhere your photo to lightweight chipboard (think cereal box weight) and die-cut it with one of the puzzle dies on the market (Cuttlebug and Spellbinders come to mind).

The one I ordered comes in a drawstring bag, so I've put together a box that will double as gift box and storage box:



I started with an inexpensive 30-piece store-bought child's puzzle from Target that I already had on hand. I covered and decorated the box top with papers from Stampin' Up's Parisian Breeze collection. Then I used the box bottom as a template and made a new bottom out of the same Parisian Breeze dp. To strengthen it a little, I added chipboard panels to the inside, both on the bottom and the four sides, then added some coordinating dp to dress it up a little. (By the way, the reason I did it this way was that I found if I covered both the box bottom and the box top, they fit together so snugly that it was difficult to get the lid off.) This photo shows how the top and bottom fit together:



It's always helpful to have a picture of the puzzle to look at, so I've included the picture in a pocket on the front...



... and again in the bottom of the box, where I also included the sweet sentiment from Dad's Day.



I'm hoping this will be something my husband and daughter will enjoy doing together, and when she outgrows it, they'll both still have a nice keepsake.

[Update: I haven't shown the puzzle today because it's not here yet - bummer! It looks like it's scheduled for delivery today, so I'll post a picture when it comes (if I can hide it from my husband, who is home from work today). Gretchen asked about size and number of pieces. I chose an 8.25" x 11" 30-piece puzzle. There were a lot of options to choose from, everything from a small 4-piece 4x6 puzzle to poster-size puzzles with more than 1,000 pieces.]

Remember, just for playing along with our theme, you'll have a chance to win a Verve stamp set of your choice! Just link your creation to the Mr. Linky form over on the Verve Blog Day 1 post before 8 pm MT on Saturday, June 20. We've also hidden another $25 gift certificate somewhere along the parade for a random commenter. So be sure to check out each day of the parade, and leave lots of comments along the way! Have fun!

[Another update: The puzzle came. I was wrong, though - it didn't come in a drawstring bag, it came in a box after all (I still like mine better, though *grin*). It also came with an index photo, but since it was too big for the box I made, I'm glad I did the little pocket on the front and added the photo to the bottom, too. The moral of all of this is ... order early, especially if you have a deadline you're trying to hit!! The last picture is of the completed puzzle.]







Enjoy your day!



Stamps: Dad's Day, Sweet On You (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Stampin' Up Whisper White and Chocolate Chip card stock, Parisian Breeze dp, lightweight chipboard
Ink: SU Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip craft, Ranger Old Paper Distress
Accessories: SU hardware, buttons, ribbon, and clear embossing powder, Spellbinders Mega Curved Rectangle Nestabilities and Pinking Border Piercabilities, May Arts burlap string, sewing machine, child's puzzle piece and puzzle box

Snuggle Bunnies

I love these sweet little Snuggle Bunnies by My Favorite Things, especially how that little one's ear is all flopped over - so adorable! I made this card using this week's MFT Sketch Challenge. Every Thurday, you'll find two new challenges in the MFT Forum - the My Favorite Challenge and the Sketch Challenge. Both have prizes, so it's worth your while to give it a go. MFT stamps are not a requirement, so if you don't have any yet, you're still invited and encouraged to play! While you're in the MFT Forum, be sure to check out Joanne's How'd They Do That tutorial. She's got some great ideas and gorgeous samples for different ways to use glitter.

I stamped the image in Memento Tuxedo Black onto Papertrey's Vintage Cream cardstock and colored with Copic markers. The image is in three layers - the base image, the pair of bunnies popped up, and then the smaller bunny's head and floppy ear popped up again. The wavy border along the bottom of the yellow panel is cut with the Ricrac Piercabilities by Spellbinders. The papers are from Nana's Nursery (boys) by Die Cuts With a View. I used Susan's ribbon and button treatment and Jody's hint for using liquid applique correctly :)

Thanks for peeking in today!



Stamps: Snuggle Bunnies (My Favorite Things)
Paper: SU Baja Breeze and So Saffron; PTI Vintage Cream; DCWV Nana's Nursery Boy Collection
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; SU Baja Breeze
Accessories: Copic markers, Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities and Ricrac Piercabilities, Stardust Stickles, sewing machine, liquid applique, SU button, ribbon, brads, and paper piercer
Size: 5 1/2" square

Balloon Festival

I've never been up in a hot air balloon or to a balloon festival, but I sure can imagine the wonder and beauty of a sky filled with colorful balloons. I thought it would be fun to make a card with that kind of feel using Verve's new Up, Up & Away set. The balloon layering is done with masking, and then two of the cloud groups are stamped separately, trimmed, and adhered with dimensionals. After I did all the stamping, I colored the sky and balloons with Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol. The striped dp is from K&Co's Carolyn Gavin Greenhouse collection. I cut 1/2" strips, adhered them to the four sides of the balloon panel, and then snipped in on the diagonal at each of the four corners to get the mitered corner look.

Don't forget about about the Verve Project Parade, going on right now on the Verve Stamps blog. Our theme is "It's A Guy Thing: Celebrating the Men in Our Lives," so if you struggle with masculine cards and projects (raising my hand!), you're sure to get loads of ideas from all the Verve Divas this month. I'll be posting over there (and here) on Friday with a fun gift for dads. Play along with our theme for a chance to win some Verve for yourself. All the details for participation can be found on any of the Project Parade posts. Good luck!



Stamps: Up, Up & Away; Dare to Be (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Raspberry Fizz and White card stock; K&Co Carolyn Gavin Greenhouse dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, blending stump; foam adhesive, paper piercer

Streams of Living Water

Here's another look at Quiet Waters by Our Daily Bread Designs. The inspiration for this came from three places. First was THIS BEAUTY (breathtaking!) by Sandee Shanabrough, one of ODBD's current guest designers. Second, ANOTHER BEAUTY by fellow ODBD DT sister Angella Crockett. And third, my blog friend Silke Ledlow, who turns white space into art like nobody else. So thanks, ladies, for the inspiration - I love how this one came out!

I stamped on watercolor paper with a freshly re-inked Jet Black Staz-On inkpad (nice and juicy), then watercolored with a water brush and Stampin' Up re-inkers. The image panel is die-cut with one of the Labels 4 Nestabilities by Spellbinders. The scripture panel is die-cut with one of the Mega Curved Rectangles Nestabilities, also by Spellbinders. I created the scored pattern with my Scor-Pal (you can find a basic how-to HERE), and finished off with some edge distressing, ribbon, a hat pin, and pearls. The card base and layered panels are all watercolor paper (a type that I don't care for for watercoloring, but it makes wonderful, thick, textured card bases).

Have a blessed day!



Stamps: Quiet Waters (Our Daily Bread Designs)
Paper: Canson watercolor paper
Ink: Jet Black Staz-On; various Stampin' Up re-inkers
Accessories: Spellbinders Labels 4 and Mega Curved Rectangle Nestabilities, water brush, SU Pretties kit; ribbon (source unknown), distressing tool, foam adhesive, Scor-Pal
Size: 5 1/2" square

SFYTT Hi

A few weeks ago, I found a huge K&Co papercrafting kit on sale at my local ACMoore. I doubt I would have purchased all the components individually, but I liked enough of them to more than justify the price. Some of the pieces have been put to good use on today's card, which is my sample for today's Sketch For You To Try. The only thing I stamped was the large red panel, which has a very subtle, tone-on-tone pattern using Papertrey's Spots and Dots background set. Most everything else was part of the bounty of pre-made elements in the kit, so this came together very quickly.

Take a look at the sketch and Jen's sample over at i{heart}2stamp. While you're there, be sure to give a warm welcome to our June guest designer and ogle her amazing sample as well. Of course, I'm writing this post Friday night, so I haven't actually seen her sample, but since I know WHO it is, I absolutely know it will be rockin'!! And speaking of rockin', here are your SFYTT regulars: Amy Rohl, Kelly Lunceford, and Susan Liles (Carole is sitting out this week). To play along, link your project to Jen's post and/or use keyword: SFYTT if you upload to SCS. I did a little browsing through the SFYTT gallery yesterday, and it was so great to see all the creations from this past week!

The only things about today's card that might warrant explanation are the little white ric-rac-looking borders along the top and bottom of the red panel. They are just Martha Stewart Lattice-punched borders mostly covered up. An easy, different look to a familiar punch.

Thanks for stopping by!



Stamps: Spots and Dots (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate; Stampin' Up Kiwi Kiss textured, Riding Hood Red, and Cool Carribean; K&Co paper accents and elements
Ink: SU Riding Hood Red and White craft
Accessories: Spellbinders Labels 1 Nestabilities; Martha Stewart Lattice border punch; SU white taffeta ribbon, 1 3/8" circle punch, dimensionals, and paper piercer; glue pen; Art Institute superfine transparent glitter