Mojo Monday 123: Delight In Life

Hi All,

I usually don't get to participate in this many Mojo challenges in the same month.  Woo hoo!  You can find the post HERE.  I decided to make the circular card, because that is not my usual.

My card base is Taken With Teal, and I cut it out using my scallop circle die from SU.  For the next circle layer, I used my Classic Circle Nesties, and some SEI papers (their Poppy collection). It has lots of shimmery silver all over it.  On the left side, I used a piece of Whisper White CS embossed with my Cuttlebug Spots and Dots folder - I adhered a strip to the DSP circle, and trimmed the white piece to match the circle.  I put a strip of Bravo Burgundy CS along the right side of the white piece, and trimmed the top and bottom again to match the circle.  I distressed all the edges as well.

The horizontal panel is also SEI paper matted with Whisper White.  I distressed those edges as well, adhered it next to the burgundy strip, and trimmed to fit the circle.  On top of that piece, I stamped the sentiment from Miracles Blossom in Memento Tuxedo Black ink - it's kind of a cool effect because the silver parts did not accept the ink, so it looks like the sentiment is behind the silver swirls!

I added 3 SU buttons in the top right corner, all threaded with Linen Thread, and stuck with Mini Glue Dots.  I took some silver organdy ribbon, and tied a bow with my Bow Easy, and stuck it to the burgundy strip, and I stuck another button with thread on top of that.

Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for stopping by!

Mojo Monday 122: Special Someone

Hi All,

I decided to participate in this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge from Verve.  I had an uncle pass away 2 nights ago, and the whole family is grieving - when I saw the Verve set Forever in Our Hearts, it made me think of him.  He was a very special person, and he gave me the appreciation I have today for the piano and for classical music.  So, this card is dedicated to him - I know he would have liked it...he was one of the few men to appreciate my hand made cards.

You can find this week's post HERE.

My card base is Whisper White.  My large panel is a piece of Hawaii Papaya DSP matted with Chocolate Chip CS.  The thinner strip is also DSP, but matted with Old Olive.  On the thin strip, I added a satin ribbon bow made with my Bow Easy.

I stamped the sentiment from the set in Memento Brown ink in the bottom right corner, and added some nail head stickers underneath (I bought those from Gina K).

For the main panel, I stamped the image from the set in Memento Brown ink onto white CS, cut out with my Classic Oval Nesties, and sponged Kiwi Kiss ink inside the stencil.  Behind that, I used a Chocolate Chip, then a Whisper White Square, and an Old Olive piece cut with a Label Nestabilities (#3?).

Thanks for stopping by...

MOJO 120 - Birthday Wishes

Hi All,

Second post for today.  The sketch over on the Mojo Monday blog is stellar this week! You can find the post HERE.  Teresa Kline filled in this week and did a FAB job!

Alright, so I forced myself to stop using DSP on a card...it wasn't easy!  I decided to use the colour from this week's colour challenge on SCS: CC252; Bermuda Bay, Certainly Celery, and Handsome Hunter + neutrals.

My card base is Certainly Celery, followed by Whisper White and Bermuda Bay - the last 2 layers were punched with my Ticket Corner Punch.  The Bermuda Bay piece was embossed with the Houndstooth Cuttlebug folder.

For the horizontal panel, the Certainly Celery layer was punched with the Eyelet Edge Punch, and topped with a Whisper White layer.  Next, I printed this Digital Ruffle onto PTI White CS, coloured it in with Copic markers, cut it out, and stuck it onto the white piece.

For the larger panel, I used Certainly Celery, Whisper White, and Bermuda Bay CS, which was stamped with the background stamp from Wishful Elegance in Bermuda Bay ink.  I added tiny rhinestones to that layer as well.  I also stamped the sentiment from the same set in Versamark, and embossed white White EP.

I stuck some Polka Dot Bermuda Bay ribbon to that layer, which was cut into a "V" at the end.  I added 4 flower brads to the bottom right corner of that.

I stamped the flower from the same set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto PTI White CS, coloured it with Copic markers and cut it out with Classic Circle Nesties.  I sponged that layer with Bermuda Bay ink, and matted it onto a Handsome Hunter circle.  I stamped the smaller flower onto PTI White CS, coloured it in with Copics, cut it out, and mounted it onto the larger flower.

Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for stopping by!

O Verve Christmas Tree

Hi All,

This is one of the last few Christmas cards I made - still a couple more to go.

I decided I had to use the stunning tree image from the O Christmas Tree stamp set by Verve.  I stamped that image in Chocolate Chip ink onto Very Vanilla CS, and matted that with Chocolae Chip CS. I added some dots of gold Liquid Pearls to look like tree decorations.  I used a Creamy Caramel marker to add a shadow under the tree.

The card base is Very Vanilla, layered with Chocolate Chip, and Brushed Gold CS, and on top, is a layer of Very Vanilla, with the corners punched with a Martha Stewart corner punch.

The sentiment is also stamped in Chocolate Chip ink onto that layer, and the ribbon is from a past SU mini catalogue.

Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for stopping by!

MOJO Monday 117 - Mittens Digi

Hi All,

There is a challenge on the Verve blog to post cards and projects with the Winter Mittens Digi stamp.  Verve will be giving this digi away through December 25 HERE.  You are supposed to post the link to your project on the Verve blog HERE until 8pm Mountain time on December 31, and you have a chance to win a Verve gift certificate.  I also used the Mojo Monday sketch found HERE.

I guess you could call this a hybrid card, since it combines digital images printed on the computer, and physical supplies...

I printed the mittens and sentiments onto PTI white CS (I used the pdf version, which prints 2 pairs of mittens and a bunch of sentiments onto one page, so you can make more than 1 project).

The mittens were cut out with classic circle Nestabilities, and sponged with Sage Shadow ink.  I coloured the mittens in with Copic markers, and added 2 rhinestones.

That was matted onto a piece of Chocolate Chip CS cut out with Scallop Circle Nesties.

The card base is Whisper White, then a layer of Chocolate Chip, then a layer of To The Nines DSP (both layers punched with the Ticket CornerPunch).  The first horizontal layer is Sage Shadow CS, punched with the Scallop Edge punch, and the icicle Martha Stewart edge punch. Then there is a layer of To The Nines DSP again, followed by Satin Chocolate Chip ribbon from SU.

I cut the sentiment from the print-out, added some colour with my Sage Shadow marker, and adhered it to the top.

Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for stopping by!

Clean and Simple: Verve Wreath

Hi All,

Well, I am finishing up the last of my Christmas cards.  I decided to do a card with NO layers, and just focus on the stamping.  Sometimes those cards are just so refreshing!

I decided to go with a plain white base - I stamped the wreath and sentiment from O Christmas Tree in Memento brown ink.

I coloured my wreath with Copic markers, and added some small rhinestines to the centres of the green leaves.

I embossed a scalloped square around the wreath with my Nestabilities, and added some horizontal score lines with my Scor-Pal. 

Well, I can't believe it, but that's it! I whipped this card together in minutes.

Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for stopping by!

Mojo Monday 116 - Christmas Wreath

Hi All,

I am a challenge machine this week! I decided to play with Verve's MOJO skecth 116 this week. As usual, the first Monday of the month, there is a chance to win a Verve stamp set! I'm sure everyone's wish list is still lacking, right?

As soon as I saw the circles on the sketch, I knew I HAD to use one of the beautiful wreaths from the Verve set O Christmas Tree. It was calling out to me!

I stamped the wreath in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Gina K Luxury White CS, and coloured it in with my Copic markers. I stamped the bow again, coloured it, cut it out, covered it with Crystal Effects (for a nice shine), and mounted that bow on top with foam dots.

I added some "snow" with my white gel pen on all the little flowers and leaves, and I added some Taylor's Twinkles to the centers of the main flowers.

I used my circle Nestabilities to cut out all the panels - Handsome Hunter is the mat colour, and the circle on the left is white CS, and the circle on the right is a Real Red Patterns Paper DSP pack.

For the circle on the left, I gathered some red and green SU buttons (thread tied on the red ones), and affixed them to the circle with Mini Glue Dots.

My card base is Kraft CS. The next layer is Handsome Hunter and Whisper White, both punched with a Martha Stewart corner punch.  The red at the bottom is from the same DSP paper pack, also with the corners punched. 

The ribbon is red gingham from SU, tied in a simple knot.

The sentiment is from the Verve set Christmas in the Air - this release had my favourite sayings and fonts!  It was just stamped in black ink at the bottom.

Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for stopping by!

Mojo Monday 111 - Verve!

Hi All,

There is a great sketch over on the Mojo Monday blog for this week.

Well, this isn't my usual colour scheme, but I went with it, so I could dedicate this card to this gorgeous Heidi Grace DSP. It is flocked too, and a bit shimmery...yummy!

Well, my card base is Whisper White, then a layer of Chocolate Chip, then the Whisper White/Heidi Grace DSP layer. I wrapped some Chocolate Chip Satin ribbon around that, and added some pearl stickers (brand is called Recollections).

The main panel is Whisper White, layered with Chocolate Chip. I stamped stems from Budding Blossoms in black and Mellow Moss ink. I stamped flowers from the same set onto a scrap piece of white PTI CS and coloured with Copic markers. I cut those out, and mounted them with Dimensionals.

I stamped the swan from Swan Song on white CS, flocked it with white Fun Flock, cut it out, and mounted it on Dimensionals.

For the swan on the left, I stamped that on white CS, coloured with Copics, cut out, flocked it, and mounted that with Dimensionals on a 1 3/8" Chocolate Chip circle. That circle was sponged around the edge with white Craft ink also.

The sentiment says "Perfect Pair", and it is a rub-on from SU's Chit Chat pack.

Swing over to the Mojo Monday blog to participate or to check out the submissions!

Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for stopping by!

Verve Challenge Card #5 (and final)

Woo hoo!

It is release day over at Verve! The release party starts tonight at 9pm over in the Verve forum (this is an electronic party, by the way), and then after the party ends, you can hop over to the Verve shop and start buying the new releases!

Once again, to see the 5 sketch challenges Julee made for this week, click HERE, or I have posted the sketch for today below.

Here is my card:

I gave some more love to my Verve stamps on this one. I used the stamp set Ornamental Christmas. This has all the best sentiments for the holidays, and if you so desire, they fit inside all the ornaments!

My card base is Soft Suede, then a layer of Brushed Gold, then a layer of the new Christmas Cocoa DSP from SU. For the horizontal panel, it is a piece of Soft Suede CS punched with the Martha Stewart fence edge punch, and then another layer of the DSP (the piece with the holly on it). Below that, I tied a piece of Soft Suede Polka Dot ribbon.

For the main panel, I cut out a square of white, then a larger square of gold, the a larger square of Soft Suede. On the white piece, I stamped the ornament in Memento Brown ink, and sponged the edges of the square with Soft Suede ink. The branches were stamped at the top in Always Artichoke ink.

I stamped another ornament on a piece of scrap paper, cut out the ball, stamped the sentiment in Versamark, and embossed with Gold EP. Then, I sponged the outside with Gold Encore ink and Soft Suede ink, and mounted it with Dimensionals.

Hope you enjoyed and thanks for stopping by!

P.S. See you at the release party tonight! My SCS name is r2mckinl.

Verve Challenge Card #3

Hi All,

As promised, here is my card for Julee's third sketch - check out the Verve Release Week Challenges post for all her original sketches. Here is the sketch for this one:

For my card, I decided to pay some special attention to my Verve stamps. I used the lovely Because of You set for the main flower image.

I stamped the flower image twice in Melon Mambo ink on Melon Mambo CS, and let it dry completely. Then, I swiped my Embossing Buddy across it to get rid of any static or moisture. I stamped the same image in Versamark ink in the centre, and embossed with white EP (embossing powder). That layer was mounted on to a white layer.

For the card base and the other layer, I used white CS and Barely Banana CS. The banana layers were embossed with SU's Finial Press embossing folder, and I swiped Melon Mambo ink across the raised parts so that the colour faded from darker at the bottom to lighter at the top.

I used the Eyelet Border punch on the white layer, and the sentiment is punched out with the Key Tag Punch...also stamped in Melon Mambo ink. That sentiment is from the Verve set called Beautiful You.

The ribbon I used is an old SU organdy ribbon - it is very sheer, so difficult to see in the picture.

Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for stopping by!

Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge and CC240

Hi All,

Well, this week I had been working really hard on getting a lot of baby invitations done for a girl at work, so I really had a craving just to do something else - anything else! So, I wanted to participate in some challenges.

Firstly, I decided to do the Splitcoast Colour Challenge CC240: Bermuda Bay, Chocolate Chip, and Apricot Appeal. I really like this one!!!

Secondly, I decided to participate, for the first time, in Mercy's sketch challenge that she puts out every Tuesday. This is the 43rd one (MTSC43, the one from this week), and you can find her post HERE.

So, let's get started. I definitely used a lot of the Bermuda Bay colour, which made this a bright one!

My card base is Chocolate Chip, just a standard A2 size. I layered a 5 3/8" x 4 1/8" piece of Bermuda Bay CS on top of that, and it was run through my Big Shot with my Houndstooth Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Next, I took a random strip of Whisper White CS (scrap pile), and cut it to a length of 4 1/8", then punched the edge with my Eyelet Border punch from SU, and wrapped a piece of Bermuda Bay Polka Dot ribbon around it, and adhered it to the base with Dimensionals. (woah, run-on sentence?)

My stamp set is from Verve, and it is called Wishful Elegance - Way to go Julee on that one!

For the back 2 panels, I used 2" squares of

Chocolate Chip CS for the mats, and the Apricot Appeal pieces are 1 7/8" square. Those pieces are stamped with the large background stamp from that set in Apricot Appeal ink.

For the main panel, it is a 3" x 2 3/4" piece of Whipser White CS. I first stamped the sentiment from that set in Bermuda Bay ink in the bottom right corner. Then, I stamped the larger, full flowers in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and coloured them with a yellow Copic marker.

Next, I took a scrap piece of white and stamped the larger, partial flower 3 times, and coloured those in with brown, aqua and yellow Copics. Then, I cut them out and mounted them onto Dimensionals for some pop.

I hope you enjoyed, and thanks for stopping by!

P.S. Is it cheating if you use white in a colour challenge, even though white is not part of the list?

Mother's Day Set, Part 2: The Card (Card #2)

Hi All,

Well, I am posting from New York City! I have been here since Thursday, and everything is going great! Well, not everything...we stood in line at the Empire State Building for about an hour and a half yesterday. Also, we stood in line at NBC Studios to try to get seats to see Jimmy Fallon - which we didn't get. Oh, well. Maybe we'll find an I-Hop to make it all better.

On to the project.

Once again, all the papers I used came from a Close To My Heart packet calld A Perfect Day. I used them again, so that the card would match the box in my previous post.

I used my Label Nestabilities to cut out the main panel, and the Ridinghood Red ribbon is from SU. The panel has brown ink smudged onto the outside egdes.

The stamps are from Verve again - this set is called Because of You.

I stamped a couple of the flowers from the set onto scraps, coloured them in, cut them out, and mounted them onto the base image with Dimensionals. To the centres, I also added some cute little half-back adhesive pearls that I got from Michael's.

Here is a shot of both projects together...I really like how they turned out! Now, I will fill the box with junk food, and give it to my Mom!

Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for stopping by!

Mother's Day Set, Part 1: The Box

Hi All,

I am still finishing off my Mother's day cards & gifts. I am especially proud of this set...I will show you the card in the next post, and then both together.

Once again, I opted to use Lauren Meader's From The Desk Of... Timeless Template, sold by Papertrey Ink.

For all of the CS and DSP, I used a paper packet from Close To My Heart called Perfect Day - I LOVE that one. The colours are right up my alley.

At the top, I scalloped the brown piece with a Martha Stewart edge punch, and for the main oval panel, I used my Oval Nestabilities.

I also used a Martha Stewart butterfly punch for the little one sitting inside the oval panel.

The stamp set is from Verve, and it's called Because of You. It's a fantastic Mother's Day set. I also used Liquid Pearls for the middles of the 3 small red flowers. The ribbon is from SU (retired).

Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!

Mother's Day Card 1

Hi All,



Well, it is time to start preparing and mailing Mother's Day cards, and the perfect stamp set was Because of You from Verve. It has some beautiful silhouette images, and the most perfect sentiments. Thanks to Julee Tilman over at Verve for designing a beautiful set!

I stamped the silhouette flower image in River Rock ink, then stamped the sentiment in Close to Cocoa Craft ink, and embossed with Clear EP. I coloured the little flower in with a Pumpkin marker.

The main panels were punched out with Nestabilities, and sponged with Brown Craft ink around the edges.

The DP is from the retired Apple Cider pack from SU.

I tied River Rock ribbon around the card, and the butterflies were done with a Martha Stewart punch. Love that thing!

Thanks for stopping by!

Verve Challenge Cards

OK, well, guess what...it's raining today, which means not a good opportunity for pictures. I think it's a sign, so I'm just going to post the ones I have.

Verve released some new stamps on Friday, and they were having a competition this week to win free stamps. Let me tell you - it is my lucky month, because I won one of the grand prizes: all of the stamps they just released on Friday! Woo hoo! I can't tell you how happy it made me! We had to make 4 cards, according to specifications set out by Julee from Verve. Here we go.

First Card: VSAPR1

This was a sketch challenge, so we just had to follow the layout she gave us. I found this one quite difficult for some reason.

I used Fifth Avenue Floral and Sincere Salutations from SU. The flower was stamped in Versafine Black ink and embossed with Clear EP. I coloured it in with my Copics, cut it out, and mounted it onto the square with foam squares.

The sentiment is done with my Circle Nestabilities, and the square and circle panels are sponged with Baja Breeze ink.

The DSP is from the Urban Oasis pack (LOVE IT), and the black strip is punched with a Martha Stewart edge punch.

Second Card: VSAPR2

The second card is a sketch challenge as well. I used my Slumber Party Specialty DSP as the basis for the colours.

I made the scallop medallion with my Scallop Edge Punch from SU, using the tutorial HERE.

The stamp set is Upsy Daisy, and the words are from Define Your Life. The white buttons are from the Button Latte pack...the rest is history.

Third Card: VSAPR3

The third card, I have already published on here, so I won't go into the details again. Just thought I would show it with the other cards : )

Fourth Card: VSAPR4

The final card was a colour challege: soft blue, soft yellow, and soft brown. So, I took out my Delicate Dots DSP (from Sale-A-Bration this year), and paired it with some Close to Cocoa CS for the layers.

The stamp is Agnes KETTO from Stamping Bella (see my sidebar for the link). I stamped her onto SU Watercolour Paper in Staz On Jet Black ink, and watercoloured her with my Aqua Painter and SU markers. She was cut out with Nestabilities and my Big Shot.

The ribbon is a retired Wide Organdy, and the butterflies are punched with a Martha Stewart punch. The outside is also paper pierced with my piercer and Mat Pack.

I got the layout for this card from Mercy's blog. Check out THIS post.

Phew! Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. My Web Finds for this week will have to wait until tomorrow (2 days late! Yikes!).