It's too soon for Christmas...

Hi everyone!  So why am I posting a Christmas card?  Well, I just received the new cutie pattern paper packs Blizzard and Winter Whimsy from Gina K Designs and I was totally inspired to dive right in!  I saw the Viva La Verve sketch on Maureen's blog and knew the perfect sketch for all this paper.

The snowman and sentiment are from Gina's Wishing You Joy set.  I accented it with a couple tiny Christmas bells (from A|Muse) and fun Red Chevron twill ribbon from The Stamp Simply Ribbon store.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!  I'll leave you with a close up picture.

Card Deets:
Stamps - Wishing You Joy (Gina K Designs)
Paper - Pure Luxury white and Red Hot cardstock and Pattern Paper Pack (Gina K Designs); Aqua Mist cardstock
Accessories - Standard and Scalloped Circles LG Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Silver cord and Chevron twill ribbon (The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store) ; copic markers; silver pearls; silver Christmas bells (A|Muse Studios)

Some Verve cards with NEW papers!

Hi everyone!  I just love Cosmo Cricket.  Yep.  I do.  I am totally smitten with their new Christmas paper pad, Mitten Weather and Pixie-Licious is DELICIOUS!  And, bonus -the purple colors in both coordinate!  The Stamp Simply Ribbon store is now fully stocked with all the new Cosmo Cricket release 6x6 paper pads and lots more (Kaisercraft, Crate Paper, Basic Grey, etc)!!

My first card is for the September Week 3 of the Viva La Verve challenges. I chose picture 1 for my inspiration.  The sentiment is from Verve's Big Wish set. I colored it in with copic markers. I thought my new Cosmo Cricket, Pixie-Licious pattern paper was a perfect match for the wall vinyl! The flower is a Trellis Rose in purple from Prima. The ribbon is 1/4" silk in purple.  I have to admit, that bottom circle part on the sketch really threw me, but I flashed back to last week's sketch by Mercy and used a ring instead of a solid circle.  

My second card uses a sentiment from Verve's Always on my Mind set stamped on a doilie.  I have had these doilies forEVER and couldn't figure out how to use them until I saw this card from Tiffany.  The sketch is this week's CPS185.  I loved this one and used the amazing papers from Crate Paper's, Restoration 6x6 pad.  More primas on this one too.  The larger one is from the Prima Trellis Roses Coral pack and the smaller one is from the Prima Innoscence Collection.  I lightly sponged both with some blue ink to blend better with the pattern paper.

I got all fancy with the stitching on this card and it was a total nightmare!  lol!  You should see the back.  Thankfully the front turned out looking good. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

The Prima flowers can be seen here.

The Ribbons can be seen here.

The Paper, Rhinestones and Ink can be seen here.

The Bow Easy, Nestabilities by Spellbinders and Score Boards can be seen here.

Card Deets (VLV):

Stamps - Big Wish
Ink - memento tuxedo black
Paper - vintage cream and Hawaiian shores cardstock, Cosmo cricket pixie-Licious pp
Accessories - Prima flower, circle and square nestabilities and silk ribbon

Card Deets (CPS):

Stamps - Always on my Mind
Ink - memento tuxedo black
Paper - Vintage Cream and Restoration PP (Crate Paper)
Accessories - Prima flowers, doilie (Little Yellow Bicycle), green twill ribbon, stickles, green rhinestones

Viva La Verve

Hi everyone!  It's the weekend and it couldn't have come sooner around here!  Been super busy doing nothing it seems.  How does that happen?  LOL!

I have a Viva La Verve challenge card to share today.  My card uses the new set, Happy Days.  You know, this set is a "creeper" meaning it sorta creeped up on me as my GO TO set!  LOL!  Love it!

The bright pinks and yellows on the inspiration picture led me directly to the DeLovely papers, from Cosmo Cricket.  The felt flower and leaves are from Creative Cafe.

Here is the sketch and inspiration picture for the challenge. 

Update on my remodel:  Well, the weather here in Portland has RUINED our plans of doing our new driveway in June.  You see, we are drowning in rain over here!  My concrete guy informed me we absolutely CAN NOT pour concrete when it's raining.  Sigh... Looks like I will now be doing he driveway in August.  The Kitchen remodel is still set for July.  Yes, I am doing one at a time.  Otherwise I would need to be committed!  LOL!

AND, I have been playing around with a couple digital blog kits with some help from my friend, Maureen.  Check out my new banner and sidebar buttons!  

Card Deets:

Stamps - Happy Days
Ink - Raspberry fizz, Black
Paper - white, black and raspberry fizz cardstock, DeLovely 6x6 pad (Cosmo)
Accessories - felt flowers, swiss dots EF, yellow rhinestones, Scallop trim border punch

Viva la Verve!

Hi everyone! I have a Viva la Verve challenge card to share. Each week, Amber challenges everyone with a wonderful sketch and some inspiration photos. This week's cutie pie apron inspiration photo caught my eye. I WANT this apron! I also combined this with Lisa's new Poppy Seed challenge #2 challenge -to use polka dots, buttons, and the color spring moss.
Uhhh... I'm not so sure about this card. I futzed and fiddled around with this one ALL last night. I finally settled on "this one is bright"!! LOL!

I used paper from the Basic Grey, Green at Heart 6x6 pad and some White Twill ribbon. I had buttons at the bottom of the twill pieces, but it just didn't work. So I punched some Spring Moss paper and cut out the center of the main flower to layer on top instead.

The main flower is from Verve's Love's Flower set, and the top 2 layers were pieced the bottom layer is white cardstock. See the tiny border punch above the bottom panel? I love the scale and delicate feel of this punch called Dotted Scallop, it's perfect for that little something extra! Rach is out of stock right now, so shoot her an email.

We would love you to play along!! Please use keyword VLVMAR2010 when uploading to SCS.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Card Deets:
Stamps - Love's Flower
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - white, Basic Grey -Green at Heart
Accessories - White twill ribbon (Stamp Simply Ribbon Store), Linen thread (SU!), purple button and yellow rhinestones, dotted scallop border punch (EK Success), score-tape

Some challenge cards

Hi everyone! I have a couple challenge cards to share with you today. First up, I combined today's SCS sketch challenge with Dawn's Raspberry Suite #17 -Aqua mist, Choc chip, Cream, Kraft and Pure poppy.

These are such fun colors and GUESS WHAT? They match Cosmo Cricket's Jolly by Golly! I used some of the 6x6 mini deck paper and chipboard stickers for this card. What fun! Me likie the chipboard stickers!! The sentiment is from Verve's Ornamental Christmas set -lots to choose from and they all fit in the Word Window punch. Love that!

Next up is Amber's Viva La Verve September 5 challenge. Well, close to it anyway. Her sketch this week, had a twist of specialty paper. I used some handmade paper that one of my stamping friends gave me. It has gold embossed dots on it. Really thick and lucious!

I said "close" to it cause as you can see, I strayed from the sketch -I just couldn't get those circles to work!! You should see my craft space, circles of all sizes and colors all over it!! So I scrapped it, went with a larger image panel, and called it good!

I used the amazing swans from Swan Song and embossed them with gold EP. I "fluffed" out the feathers by curling them with my fingernail and gluing them down only at the bottom. Then I put Stardust Stickles on them. I used my Labels Eight nesties and traced the inside with my gold paint pen from Marvy -very cool!! I just love the pops of pink on this.

Here is a picture of the inside. I did the same tracing effect on my Label's Eight die, but it bled a bit, so I had to color the entire rim with my gold pen. It's a bit too thick for my taste, but still looks elegant.

Here is a detail pic of the swans.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget that World Cardmaking Day is this Saturday, Oct 3rd. There is going to be lots of challenges, fun and games over at Splitcoast in the Challenges Forum. Verve is gonna be there and I hope to see you there too!

Card Deets (sketch card):

Stamps - Ornamental Christmas

Ink - Choc Chip

Paper - Kraft, Vintage Cream, Choc Chip, Jolly by Golly PP

Accessories - silver pearls, silver cord, rectangle nesties, Cosmo chipboard stickers, word window punch, score-pal

Card Deets (Viva La Verve card):

Stamps - Swan Song, Anniversary Birds for sentiment

Paper - White, pink pirouette, specialty handmade paper

Ink - VersaMark, Gold craft ink

Accessories - Gold pearls, Gold grosgrain, sweet blush double stitched ribbon, gold cord, gold EP, Labels Eight, stickles, Liquid Gold opaque paint marker (Marvy)

Viva la Verve w/ a twist of new and some Raspberry color fun

Hi everyone! I have a double challenge card to share. I used Amber's awesome Viva la Verve challenge, you know, the sketch challenge with a "twist"? Well, this week her twist was right up my alley --- to use something new!! Well, I JUST received my PaperTrey Ink package with some Raspberry Fizz ink AND I hit Michael's yesterday and finally found those silver pearls my friend Silke rocks so often (I bought FOUR packages!). Woohoo!

This card also uses Dawn's Raspberry Suite Color challenge which was Raspberry Fizz, Chocolate Brown, Kraft and Cream! What? How perfect was that? Did she KNOW I just got my hands on Raspberry Fizz ink? LOL!

My card uses Verve's Wishful Elegance set. Have I told you lately how much I LOVE this set? I can't get enough of those sunflower blossoms! The background is from the large BG stamp in Raspberry Fizz on cream cardstock. The blooms are actually different, the large one is stamped with Adirondack Espresso on Kraft and the smaller one is stamped on cream and colored with copics.

Don't ask me how it ended up that way. It SERIOUSLY took me all day to make this card!! I have about 12 flowers of both shapes and sizes all cut out and colored differently, several attempts at the background panel, and ribbons everywhere. Nothing looked right! UGH! I finally settled on this. Not my favorite card of late, but cute enough! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned, I am currently working on another weekend sketch using the same colors!! Here's the sketch if you want to play along! Sorry it's soooo tiny. I can't get it any larger -ugh!

Card Deets:
Stamps - Wishful Elegance
Paper - Raspberry Fizz, Kraft, Vintage Cream, Chocolate Brown (all PTI)
Accessories - Michael's silver pearls, rectangle nesties, SU scallop border punch, swiss dots EF

Back with some challenge cards

Hi everyone! Whew, it's been quite a week here. Not only did Bill get sick, but then Daniel got sick and then ME! Ugh, still recouperating. But I do have a card to share and a couple challenge cards from last week that I didn't get a chance to post.

This card is for this week's Viva La Verve sketch challenge. This week's sketch was a fun one and the twist was to use only a sentiment stamp. PERFECT for all those Verve Plain Jane stamps!! I chose the Plain Jane, Comfort. I embellished it with a couple flowers from the Grateful Elegance set. I embossed the sentiment with white EP and sponged the edges with white kraft.

This card is also for my weekly DDC challenge. This week I hosted the challenge and challenged everyone to a 1,2,3 recipe:

-1 piece of DP (as much or as little as you want, but only one)
-2 pieces of ribbon (any length of either, but must be different)
-3 brads

It was lots of fun! I actually finished the card and realized I only had 1 ribbon! OOPS! So it's hard to see, but I added a piece of white organdy ribbon under the taffeta. Whew, now it's complete!

Anyone can play along with either or both challenges. To play with the Viva La Verve you can check it out here and upload keyword VLVAPR01. To play along with the DDC challenge, follow my 1,2,3 recipe and upload with keyword DDC.

This next card is from last week's Featured Stamper challenge. The Featured Stamper was the UBER talented Beate!! She is an SCS pioneer, an amazing stamper and a super sweet person!I chose this card to case.

I kept the amazing layout, use of punches on the sentiment, piercing and bling. I changed the papers, images, location of piercing and omitted the ticket corners.My image is Flourishes, Signs of Spring. The lovely daffidol is super fun to color. I used a couple copic markers and then went over the bloom with Marigold Shimmerz.


This last card was from last week's SCS Sketch Challenge. I really liked this sketch. This is my second card using it. I love how it utilizes scraps!! I used my new SU stamp from Thoughts and Prayers. Man, oh man, SU got this one right!! The DP is Basic Grey, Periphery. I used some of my beads and a new butterfly charm for the pin. I also glued some beads on each of the flower blooms.


Here is a close up of the pin and beads.

Card Deets:

Viva la Verve card:
Stamps: Comfort, Grateful Elegance
Paper: kraft, blue bayou, baja breeze, Parsian DSP
Ink: versamark, blue bayou, white kraft
Accessories: aged copper brads, white taffeta and organdy, SU scalloped edge, circle nesties

Featured Stamper card:
Stamps: signs of spring
Paper: sahara sand, bashful, delicate dots DSP
Accessories: copic markers, shimmerz, celery twill, bling, SU punches

SCS Sketch Challenge card:
Stamps: thoughts and prayers
Paper: artichoke, soft sky, periphery
Ink: mellow moss, baja breeze
Accessories: Misc beads and pearls, bead pin, earing back, paper piercer, light aqua organdy ribbon

Viva La Verve with a birthday twist and a white frame

Man there are so many wonderful challenges out there and my favorite are sketches! Have you all had a chance to check out the weekly Viva La Verve sketch challenges? They all have a twist of some kind and this week's twist is to make a birthday card. How fun! For those who play along each week, there is a chance to win some free Verve!

My card also follows Sharon's Stamp Simply challenge #78 to use white cardstock as a frame of your image. The image is from Verve's newly released set, Miracles Blossom and the sentiment is from Circular Sayings. I love how the sentiment can also be used on the 1/2 circle as well as on a full circle -double the ways to use it!!

I colored the image with copic markers and went over some of the blooms and leaves with Angel Wings Shimmerz. The super cute cardstock is the new DCWV Citrus Pack -gotta love the fun colors! Here is a close up of the blooms.

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for a pic or two of Robward. All I am saying is... THUD!

Card Deets:
Stamps: miracles blossom, circular sayings
Paper: white, tempting turquoise, citrus pack DP
Ink: adirondack pitch black
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie grosgrain, orange bling, copic markers, angel wings shimmerz