Happy Birthday

Hello friends! I found a bit of time this afternoon to make a birthday card for a friend! I used this week's MOJO Monday sketch as my starting point and I'm loving the way it all turned out! I tried to keep it to minimal layers so I can pop it in the mail to her but I just couldn't help myself and the pom pom trim was added at the last minute. So- a 2 postage stamp card it is :)

My kids are still napping so maybe I can squeeze another card out of this brain of mine if I get back to it before they wake up.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

stamps: Doodles Occasions (Verve)

ink: memento rich cocoa (Tsukineko)

paper: so saffron, chocolate chip, very vanilla (SU!); Unforgettable DP (MME)

accessories: Sweet Scallop Tag die (Verve); Fishtail Flag die (MFT); pom pom trim, sheer ribbon (SU!); gems (Heidi Swap); Spectrum Noir markers

Sunshine for my soul

Hello  my friends! We are back from our trip to Canada and although I am exhausted and have oodles of laundry to do, I couldn't let this MOJO Monday sketch go by without participating! 

I love Verve's Doodle Occasions set and used that along with a random "thank you" I received in an order. All of my DP is from MME's Notable collection.

Just a quick post but thank you so much for stopping by!

stamps: Doodle Occasions, thank you (Verve)

ink: tuxedo black (Tsukineko); daffodil delight (SU!)

paper: very vanilla, tangerine tango (SU!); Notable DP (MME)

accessories: rectangle, circle nestabilities (Spellbinders); carribbean twine (The Twinery); Fishtail flags layers stax (MFT); orange gems (Michael's); scallop border punch (Fiskars)

Thanks So Much

Hello friends! I have a card for this week's MOJO Monday sketch (I always seem to squeak it in at the last minute!) This one came together pretty easy for me because I used coordinating patterned paper from one 6x6 pad, Walnut Grove by Pebbles. The different patterns just seemed to flow so good together- I love when that happens ;)!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

stamps: Thankful Accents (Verve)

ink: memento tuxedo black (Tsukineko)

paper: riding hood red (SU!); Walnut Grove DP (Pebbles)

accessories: circle, scallop circle nestabilities (Spellbinders); black baubles (CTMH)

Perfect Life

Hello my friends! We wrapped up our soccer tournament this morning and have spent the afternoon mowing the grass and doing yard work. It's a beautiful day to be outside but I snuck inside for a bit to create :) Last night, while surfing Pinterest, I discovered a new (to me) sketch challenge blog called Retro Sketches. I saw this week's sketch last night and was just itching to play with it so I whipped up this card while we took a little break from the chores! 

I really love this quote. After our soccer game this morning we met my in-laws and a cousin for lunch and then went to lay flowers at an aunt's final resting place. Even though we gathered together with the intention of remembering a death in the family (a hard and painful time) we had the most beautiful weather, great conversation and laughter together, good food and most importantly, time spent with family.  This quote just really hit home after that! Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful and I am so thankful for every day I have to enjoy it!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and don't forget about the i {heart} papers design team call! You have until June 14th to apply and you can find all of the details HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

stamps: Words of Wisdom (Verve)

ink: melon mambo (SU!)

paper: whisper white, baja breeze (SU!); Hopscotch DP (Fancy Pants)

accessories: ribbon (my stash); white thread, button, glitter (SU!); pennant trim die (Verve)

Be Still

Happy Monday friends! My card today is for Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday sketch. I used one of my favorite Verve Plain Janes and some old Basic Grey DP. Ribbon, button, twine and baubles complete the look!

Yep, that's more snow in my picture! Can you believe the kids got another snow day last Friday?! That is like unheard of in our district!! It has almost all melted today but I hear there is more on the way tonight. . .grrrr!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

stamps: Psalm 46:10 (Verve)

ink: memento rich cocoa (Tsukineko)

paper: crumb cake, chocolate chip (SU!); Max & Whiskers DP (Basic Grey)

accessories: circle nestabilities (Spellbinders); brown baubles (CTMH); button (my stash); twine (Hemptique); wide ribbon (SU!)

Trust

Happy Monday friends! My daughter's boyfriend is being confirmed this evening and I used today's MOJO Monday sketch (I flipped the sketch around a bit to accommodate the  scrap of blue DP that I had!) to make him a card. My DP is from an older collection by MME called Fine and Dandy True Blue and my sentiment is from Verve. Those MOJO sketches really challenge me sometimes but I really like the end result!

Enjoy your day and thanks so much for stopping by!

stamps: Proverbs 3:5 (Verve)

ink: memento rich cocoa (Tsukineko)

paper: craft (Archiver's); Fine and Dandy True Blue (MME)

accessories: button (?); burlap trim (May Arts): natural twine (Hemptique); taupe pearls (Zva Creative)

Wish

Hello my friends! My card today was inspired by one of the fabulous creations that I pinned on Pinterest. Basically, I ripped off the whole thing :) I started with some natural ivory card stock from SU! and cut a star in the middle with a star die by WPlus9. I then layered that over some yellow DP from the A Boy's Life Collection by Echo Park. I used my star punch to cut a second star out of matching DP and popped it up in the middle of the first star. The orange twine is from Lawn Fawn and the sentiment is by Verve.

Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to pop back tomorrow for our i {heart} papers Design Team challenge!

stamps: Doodled Occasions (Verve)

ink: memento tuxedo black (Tsukineko)

paper: naturals ivory (SU!); A Boy's Life DP (Echo Park)

accessories: star die (WPlus9); star punch (SU!); orange twine (Lawn Fawn); button (my stash)

Thanks So Much

Happy Cyber Monday friends! Are you shopping online today? There are deals galore including 20% off your entire purchase at i {heart} papers with the code black20dt! 

I've been busy crafting this past weekend (hooray) and have started to build up my card stash again. This is a thank you card I made using some Tangerine DP by MME. I'm a card sketch junkie and have a whole notebook filled with card sketches from various sites that I use when my MOJO is zero to nil! I made an awesome discovery on Saturday while visiting Pinterest though. Did you know that Verve stamps has 2 whole boards full of sketches on Pinterest?! One is their MOJO Monday sketch and the other is their Viva La Verve sketch. Oh My Word is that the greatest to have your entire computer screen full of sketches when your creativity is struggling!! (Just search Verve Stamps once you are on Pinterest and you will find them!) Anyways, this is an older MOJO Monday sketch. My button, ribbon and gems are all from i {heart} papers.

Thanks for stopping now go SHOPPING!

stamps: Thankful Accents (Verve)

ink: riding hood red (SU!)

paper: very vanilla, riding hood red (SU!); Tangerine DP (MME); 

accessories: circle and Eyelet Circle nestabilities (Spellbinders); Ivory ribbon (May Arts); wooden button (Basic Grey); clear gems (Kaiser Craft)

Thanks

Did all of my USA friends have a great Thanksgiving? We sure did! This was the first year that I hosted my husband's family for the big feast. My husband and I tag teamed it and made a 22 pound turkey and all of the fixings including green bean casserole (my favorite!). The best part is that we have oodles of leftovers to eat! Yesterday we drove to western MN to spend the day with my husband's extended family and had another fabulous meal! It is so good to spend some time with those people we don't get to see too often! It was an awesome weekend all the way around. (Even though our Vikings look like they're headed for the tanker. . .)

I made this card to send to my husband's uncle that hosted the get together yesterday. I needed to make it USPS friendly so the layers and embellishments are minimal. I used this week's MOJO Monday sketch and some Autumn Spice DP by LilyBee Designs. The sentiment is from the Word Up set by Paper Smooches and I cut the "U" with a Verve die from chick yellow felt. 

Thanks for stopping by!

stamps: Word Up (Paper Smooches)

ink: memento rich cocoa (Tsukineko)

paper: crumb cake, early espresso (SU!); Autumn Spice DP (LilyBee Designs)

accessories: button (my stash); brown twine (Lawn Fawn); banner trio die (WPlus9); chick yellow felt (True Felt)

Graduation

Good morning friends! I have another card for a 2012 graduate to share with you today. I love those cute little Pure Innocence kids from My Favorite Things. I try to abstain every time there is a new release but many times I just can't help myself!! I find them so versatile and perfect for many different occasions. Here, I colored my cutie with my Copics and added a sentiment from Verve's Small Phrases set. I used some feminine DP from the Dolled Up collection by My Mind's Eye and some lace trim to put it all together.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

stamps: Because You're Special (MFT); Small Phrases (Verve)

ink: memento tuxedo black (Tsukineko)

paper: riding hood red, whisper white (SU!); Dolled Up DP (MME)

accessories: Copic sketch markers; clear gems (Kaiser Craft); lace trim (May Arts); circle, scallop circle nestabilities (Spellbinders)

Graduation

It's that time of the year when the graduation parties start taking over the weekend plans! I got on the stick early (well earlier than usual anyways!) and made a few cards for the graduates. I like to make nontraditional graduation cards and write my own personal message inside. This one uses Verve's Dream Big set and some DP by Teresa Collins. It's pretty simple and straight forward but I really like it. I actually made 2 of these because a friend asked me to make her a couple graduation cards too. (Ha- genius to mass produce, I know!!)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

stamps: Dream Big (Verve)

ink: pumpkin pie (SU!); antique linen distress ink (Ranger)

paper: old olive, pumpkin pie, very vanilla, bermuda bay (SU!); Canvas Fabrications DP (Teresa Collins)

accessories: circle, scallop circle nestabilities (Spellbinders); taupe pearl (Recollections); butterfly punch (Martha Stewart); bermuda bay ribbon (SU!); scallop punch (Fiskars)

With Sympathy

Good afternoon friends! Wouldn't you know it, the day after I give my Mother-in-law a bunch of sympathy cards for her stash, I need one?! So, sorry for the doom and gloom on the blog lately, but here's another one! This time I used this week's MOJO Monday sketch and made a round card. I think that will add a touch of variety to the family's well wishes. I again used some DP from the Fabrications collection by Teresa Collins and all of my stamps are from Verve's Kind Words set (one of my very favorites!).

Now that I've posted to my blog and there is still a few minutes of nap time left, I'm off to Pinterest! I love the food and drink section and made this Tilapia last night for dinner- it was a hit with my family! I've also bought 3 pair of colored skinny jeans, leopard print pumps and had a little nail art done with my manicure. . . don't know if that site is good for me or not?!

Thanks for stopping by!

stamps: Kind Words (Verve)

ink: dusty durango, baja breeze, so saffron (SU!); memento rich cocoa (Tsukineko)

paper: baja breeze, naturals ivory (SU!); Fabrications canvas collection (Teresa Collins)

accessories: ribbon (SU!); oval, scallop oval,circle, scallop circle nestabilities (Spellbinders); pearls (Kaiser Craft)

Comfort

Hooray for Saturdays! Our weekend schedule at this time of year is pretty light and so we spend a lot of time doing family stuff together on Saturdays and just relaxing on Sundays! Today my husband and boys are working on their Pinewood Derby cars for the big race at the end of the month so that gave me a little time to stamp! I started with this week's MOJO Monday sketch and some of my favorite Verve stamps. I promised my Mother-in-law a few months ago that I would make her a bunch of sympathy cards for her stash and I'm just getting around to it now (that's not going to get me any brownie points now is it?!). I again found a much loved but not used up paper pad by MME and set to work. One down- quite a few to go!

Thanks for stopping by!

stamps: New Mercies (Verve)

ink: memento rich cocoa (Tsukineko); spiced marmalade, antique linen distress ink (Ranger)

paper: very vanilla, dusty durango (SU!); Mabel DP (MME)

accessories: oval nestabilities (Spellbinders); green pearls (Kaiser Craft); ivory lace tape (Love My Tapes); brown twine string (Creative Impressions)

Keep Fighting

Hello my crafty friends! I got some time at nap time today to make a little something! It seems like my craft time is very limited these days and I'm not sure why (maybe my new addiction to Pinterest?!) My card today features some Verve stamps from my favorite (at the moment) Verve set, Words of Wisdom. I also used the first sketch in this month's Verve sketch challenge.  I kept it pretty minimal on the layers and accessories so I can pop it in the mail box with only one stamp! 

Speaking of accessories, my daughter and I saw these fun boots on Pinterest last week and decided to order a pair. I've never bought shoes without trying them on but these fit perfectly! Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

stamps: Words of Wisdom (Verve)

ink: memento tuxedo black (Tsukineko); tumbled glass distress ink (Ranger)

paper: crumb cake, tempting turquoise, whisper white, real red (SU!); retired DP (SU!)

accessories: polka dot embossing folder, arrow die (Quickutz); argyle embossing folder (Provo Craft); circle nestabilities (Spellbinders); black rhinestones (Kaiser Craft); hemp twine (Michael's)

Tag- You're It!

Yesterday's Free for All challenge on SCS was to make a gift tag inspired by a fellow crafter. Well, when I think of making gift tags there is only one person who comes to mind and she is the master of tags! Jackie just wows me with her tag creations and I am so jealous! I'm sure she has oodles of tags ready to go and never feels the panic of making one quick to add to a gift! (yep, that would be me!). I took the challenge and decided to get a jump on some gift tags for my book club. Yay me! I used Jackie's blog posts HERE, HERE and HERE for my inspiration.  Jackie makes quite a few tags of each design (that organized girl!) but I wanted to make all of mine different to fit each of my friends' personalities. The blue tag is kind of hard to read in the picture but it uses a sentiment from Mint Motif's Very Merry Sentiments and I added some rhinestones to accent it. The next 2 tags use dies from Verve and the last tag is simple with the DP as the focus. Most of my DP and accessories are available at i {heart} papers.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes (SU!); Very Merry Sentiments (Mint Motif); Richly Blessed (Verve)

ink: cherry cobbler, cool caribbean, early espresso, craft white (SU!)

paper: crumb cake, very vanilla, naturals white, cool caribbean (SU!); Houses DP (Winter Park by Echo Park); houndstooth and blue flower DP (Happily Lost by LilyBee Designs); red stripes and green polka dots DP (Jingle by LilyBee Designs)

accessories: red and clear rhinestones (Kaiser Craft); Sweet Scallop Die, Winter Fun Die, Cross Die (Verve); circle nestabilities (Spellbinders); word window punch (SU!); metallic white velvet ribbon (May Arts); Christmas Twine (Divine Twine); brown twine string (Creative Impressions); brown brads (Hobby Lobby); button (my stash)

Verve Holiday Spotlight Hop~ Day 4

 

Welcome to our final Holiday Spotlight Hop!  Last night we released 2 new stamp sets, 5 plain janes and 6 dies to coordinate with new and old Verve holiday sets!  All of the new products we've been showcasing this week are available now in the Verve store! Be sure to leave a little comment love as you take one last stroll through the Diva and Guest Diva blogs. One lucky commenter from today's hop will win the ENTIRE Release! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and deadlines.  

I'm not sure which stamp set is my favorite from last night's release, they are all fabulous, but I sure had fun playing with the new Cut Above dies. I think maybe it is because they coordinate with both old and new stamp sets (genius I tell you!). When I received the Frosty Flakes dies, I also purchased the Christmas in the Air set that coordinates with it! I used the die and stamp set to create this card. I chose to die cut the snowflakes first and then stamp them. It's so easy to line them up since the stamps are clear but it is also easy to stamp them first and then die cut them using the guides that are included with the dies. I added some tiny rhinestones to the snowflake centers and some fancy stick pins to the bow all for sparkle! Thanks so very much for coming on this wonderful Verve journey with me and now stop and see what the rest of the Divas have created!

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}

Verve Holiday Spotlight Hop~ Day 3

 

Welcome to day 3 of the Verve Holiday Spotlights! Hop along with the Divas over the next few days as we share our first looks at a few of the new products releasing from Verve this Friday night!  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.

My card today features the Santa's Helper set. I colored my sweet Rudolph with Copics and added some crystal effects to his nose for shine :) There is also a bit of glitter on the poinsettia on his hat. Isn't he just adorable? Now hop along to the rest of the Divas for some more Vervey Goodness!

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}

Verve Holiday Spotlight Hop~ Day 2

 

Welcome to Day Two of the Verve Holiday Spotlights! Hop along with the Divas over the next few days as we share our first looks at a few of the new products releasing from Verve this Friday night!  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.

Today my card features a sentiment from the Bright Spirits set and the new Tree die from the Winter Fun die set. I love the tree and wanted to make that my main focus so I die cut two trees from old olive card stock, folded one tree in half using my Scor-Pal and then layered it on the first tree using glue dots to adhere them. I love that it's kind of 3D but will still lay flat for mailing! Kind of a simple card but with a little "pop"! 

Now don't forget to visit the rest of the Verve Divas and leave some comments for your chance to win the entire Verve November release collection!

       

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

 

Verve Holiday Spotlight Hop~ Day 1

Welcome to our Holiday Spotlight Hops!  Hop along with the Divas over the next few days as we share our first looks at a few of the new products releasing from Verve this Friday night!  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.

Can You believe it?! I'm part of this month's Verve release along with Vickie and Wanda and all of the fabulous Verve Divas! (Eeek!) 

My card today features the new Jeremiah 33:3 Plain Jane. I used the first Viva La Verve sketch for November as my layout changing up the shapes a bit.  Besides being a lover of Verve stamps, I am a ribbon addict and have oodles of spools in my craft room! When I found this luscious peach satin stuff at Michael's that matched my DP to a "T", I nearly squealed in delight and quickly added it to my collection. A perfect compliment to beautiful stamps don't you think {wink}?

Thanks so much for indulging me in my Verve wanna-be dream and be sure to visit the rest of the Divas today (and all week long!)

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

Saying Goodbye to Pepper

A few weeks ago my niece and nephew lost their dog to cancer. I know how hard it is to say goodbye to a furry family member so I made a little "thinking of you" card for them. I used a Verve sketch from October and my favorite puppy stamp by Unity. I colored my dog with my Copics and added some glitter to the collar. The DP is from the Mabel collection by My Mind's Eye and the sentiment is from Verve's Small Phrases set. Inside the card I included the poem "The Rainbow Bridge" that someone had sent to us when our dog passed away a few years ago. It was a great comfort to all of us and will help them say "see you later" to their dog as well. 

Did you all enjoy the festivities last night? We celebrate by attending the Trunk or Treat party at our church and letting our ninja and batman play games and trick or treat from the cars in the parking lot! It's a lot of fun (and a bit warmer than roaming the neighborhood to beg for candy ;)!) The best part of the night for me (better even than the chocolate) was crawling into my bed and turning on the electric blanket! Yep, got those babies put on the beds yesterday and cranked them right up! Quite heavenly for me I tell you! 

Thanks for stopping by!

stamps: Small Phrases (Verve); Tail Wagger (Unity)

ink: memento rich cocoa (Tsukineko)

paper: early espresso, very vanilla (SU!); Mabel collection DP (MME)

accessories: Copic sketch markers; glitter, ribbon, crystal effects (SU!); stick pin (Fancy Pants); scallop circle die (Sizzix); circle cutter (Creative Memories)