Verve Challenge #3

What's the saying? "All good things must come to an end..." This challenge totally threw me for a loop-de-do. The third challenge from Verve was this: "Our challenge is called Embellish with V-E-R-V-E and the challenge is to create a card or project using an embellishment that begins with the letters in VERVE." Ummm...what?? :) So, I used velvet ric-rac and rhinestones to embellish this card. I think I made this challenge harder for myself than I needed to but it's done. I used Taylor's Sketch #92 to help me get started and this is the finished product:


Recipe - Stamps: Snow Wonderful (Verve) Ink: Basic Black, Old Olive Paper: Very Vanilla, Scenic Route DP, Old Olive Accessories: Various punches, adhesive rhinestones, velvet ric rac ribbon, marker for nose and stitching detail

I'm going to take a bit of a break - and EAT something - I just realized I haven't eaten since breakfast because I've been sitting here CREATING!! I've been having way too much fun to eat. :) Later all!

Verve Challenge #2

I'm back!! Boy, getting back to creating really *is* good for the soul. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it when a card is done and looks NOTHING like I envisioned it (in a good way)!

So Verve's Challenge # 2 is a sketch challenge:
And here's what I came up with:

Recipe - Stamps: Ornament Christmas (Verve) Ink: Soft Suede Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Real Red, SU! DP Accessories: Corner Rounder, paper piercer, circle punches, modern label punch, paper snowflakes, rhinestone brads, adhesive pearls, Soft Suede polka dot grosgrain ribbon, CB embossing folder

I'm on a roll!... what's next? :)

**ETA: Gosh - I was so excited to have inspiration I didn't READ that this card was supposed to have a {twist} of thankfulness to it...OOPS. Maybe I'll have to make another card - OH DARN! :)

It's a VERVE day!!!!

I'm so excited!! Verve is releasing new stamps tonight and I *need* some new ones... OK, so I may not *need* them but I WANT them! :) I haven't ordered since last Christmas and there are some new Plain Janes I LOVE...and I'm sure there will be some new releases I will just HAVE to have.

All day today, the gang from Verve is hosting a "Thankful Hearts Blog Party" and it looks like they will be posting some challenges throughout the day. The first one is a color challenge:
I popped over to the Viva la Verve Sketch Challenge at SplitcoastStampers to see if I could combine the 2 challenges...YEP! Sure could. :)

Sorry, I couldn't make it bigger but you get the idea. So, I pulled out my box of acrylic stamps and found a set from The Little Paper Shop that had never even seen ink...until today. I have to say, I *HEART HEART HEART* how this card turned out:

I have had trouble getting a good picture with my camera lately so please forgive the "brightness." Do you love it??? I found some old SU! DP that coordinated and it came together pretty quickly. I used Tempting Turquoise instead of Bermuda Bay and I wasn't sure that the colors would "work" but with the black and white in there they really do.

Recipe - Stamps: Topiary (Little Paper Shop) Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White, SU! DP Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Old Olive Accessories: Clear embossing powder, Copics, scallop punch, circle punches, ribbon, adhesive pearls, metal clip, sponge dauber

I'm looking forward to seeing what else the Verve team comes up with. I have to go to the gym tonight but I will be back to ORDER!! :) Have a great Friday!

2 Sketches 4 You & Color Throwdown

Happy Thursday!

I got home from work at lunchtime and got to work creating! I used Kazan's sketch #40 from 2 Sketches 4 You and combined it with the Color Throwdown of Dusty Durango, Elegant Eggplant, and Old Olive and this is what I came up with...





Recipe- Stamps: Long Stemmed Sentiments (Technique Tuesday), sentiment from Happy Harmony (Stampin' Up, retired) Paper: Dusty Durango textured, Elegant Eggplnt, Old Olive, Whisper White Ink: Dusty Durango, Elegant Eggplant, Versafine Onyx Black, Copics Accessories: Blender Pen, adhesive pearls, Martha Stewart border punch, Marvy Uchida corner punch, Swiss Dots CB folder, Scallop punch, circle punches, ribbon

I should have lots of time to create tomorrow - it's great not having to work on Fridays!! I think I will try Taylor's Cupcake Challenge...it's been sooooo long!!! :) Have a great day!

A Challenge From My PIC...

So here are the cards I mentioned in my last post - my friend, Lori, challenged me to get back at it and this is what I came up with...I LOVE my Bellas from Stamping Bella!!!




No time to post details right now but I will say that I had a BLAST making the stair-step cards, thanks to Dawn's video tutorial. You should all try to make at least one of these cards!

I hope to get some crafting done a bit later either today or tomorrow. Thanks for checking!

Mojo Monday -

*head hanging in shame...*

OK, OK, OK... I KNOW it's been a LONG time since I have posted anything but that's because, aside from our monthly club get-togethers, I haven't crafted ANYTHING. I completely lost my mojo. GONE. NOTHING. NADA. Life got so crazy..busy crazy AND just plain crazy (where do all the weird people keep coming from?) that I just could not focus long enough to do anything. My good friend, Lori, was in the same boat until just recently and she challenged me to make a card...ANY card. She got her mojo back and was sure mine couldn't be far away either. :)

I made a couple cards last week and I will post those separately but this morning I woke up and felt crafty. It's been so long since I have even LOOKED at a challenge blog, I, for a split second, wondered if Julee even posted Mojo Monday challenges anymore! I was relieved when I discovered that she was still posting weekly sketches - thank goodness for that. So, I sat down with paper, turned on the "Glee" soundtrack (LOVE IT! Anyone else watch the show?) and got down to business.



This is Julee's 114th sketch - how did THAT happen? This one is very plain and simple...PERFECT for my first challenge since February. I found some printed vellum from a bazillion years ago and dug through my acrylic stamps and came up with these:


















Recipe - Stamps: "Chill Out" (My Favorite Things) Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Green Galore, printed vellum Accessories: Black grosgrain ribbon, pumpkin pie ribbon, Martha Stewart border punch, corner punch, adhesive pearls (pewter), paper piercer, dimensionals

Recipe - Stamps: Plain Jane (Verve) Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Green Galore, printed vellum Accessories: Black stitched ribbon, Martha Stewart border punch, felt flowers, black brad, Labels 3 (Spellbinders), adhesive pearls

So that's what I came up with after being mojoless for months and months. I have been through a lot of "stuff" the last few months and I have made a decision that *should* give me much more time to create and get back to my "happy place." Thanks to anyone who took the time to stop in and check out my creations. Hopefully my next post will be much sooner than this one was... :) Have a great week!

Did You Miss Me???

I have to say I DID miss all of you!  I have been so busy over the last few weeks I truly have not had time to sit and do anything.  I'm not sure that will change much over the next week but I'm going to try my hardest to get back to my daily "me" time.  

After spending 2 wonderful afternoons making cards at a Stamp-a-Stack and then today at our monthly group get-together, I realized how ticked off some of you become when I don't post for weeks on end!  :)  Please accept my apologies and feel free to give me a kick in the butt if it happens again.  I promised my peeps I would do something tonight and here it is:

I made this card for Week 4 of the Viva la Verve Sketch Challenge over at Splitcoast.  Each Friday a new sketch is posted and if you complete all of the sketches over the course of the month, you are entered in a draw to win all of Verve's NEW RELEASES.  I *think* I read that there are going to be 9 new sets released in a couple of weeks - I am so excited to see what Julee's come up with this time.

So, in addition to this being a sketch challenge, a {twist} is thrown in to confuse and confuddle us.  This week's {twist} was to use acetate somewhere on the card.  For those of you wondering what the heck acetate is - - - remember transparencies from school?  Well, that's what acetate is.  I've got an entire box of it in my drawer that I just don't use because, well, I don't really *have* an excuse. . . I just don't use it.  

So, I started by stamping my little pumpkin guy from Verve's "Hello Pumpkin" set with Onyx Black Versafine ink and then clear embossing it.  I colored him with my Copics and paper pieced the hat.  I used my Georgia Peach DP again because I love it and it was conveniently still sitting on my counter!  I layered him on Regal Rose and popped him up on the next layer.  I used Old Olive twill ribbon to wrap around the second layer which I also used my "butt cheek" corner punch on.  I used my Swiss Dots CB folder for the Regal Rose base.  The closer I got to finishing the card the more panicked I became trying to figure out where I was going to use that acetate.  When I started putting the card together, the corners were looking a bit empty so I thought this would be my chance to sneak in that acetate.  I got out my Doodle This set and my black Staz-On ink and stamped the corner doodle image on to the acetate.  Then I used my Photo Corner punch to punch out parts of the design.  I layered the small acetate corner onto a larger Old Olive photo corner and voila - there's my acetate!  I finished the card off by paper piercing around the bottom DP layer and the sentiment.

So - that's it for tonight.  I actually did make a little acetate box to go along with the card but didn't take pictures of it - maybe tomorrow!  I will try to get back into my usual routine but I'm not making any promises - this week is pretty crazy with basketball and Reach stuff.  

Hope you all have a great week!