Viva la Verve Trio

In between reorganizing my stamping space (and rescuing crafting supplies from the sneaky, stealthy, stealing Chloe the cutie puppy's mouth) and relaxing over the long holiday weekend, I finished the final three sketches from this month's Viva la Verve sketch/inspiration challenges. Here they are, week by week.

I used the sketch from week 3 to make a masculine thank you card. I was inspired by the photo of the mostly gray scarf with the green leaf accent at its side.

I started with a leaf patterned paper from Basic Grey’s Marjolaine line and used that to cover most of my gray card base. I used another pattern from the Marjolaine line for the long panel that runs down the right side of the card. I cut a solid gray circle to slip behind the long paper strip and the image panel. The circle is accented with some paper piercing along the edges.

I used one of the leafy images from Verve’s Autumn Splendor set for the focal image. The stripes in the leaf image are similar to the stripes in the leaves on the patterned paper, so it seemed to be a good match. I stamped the leafy branch in avocado ink on a pale green panel and added the “thank you” sentiment in gray beneath the leaf. To keep with the masculine feel, a strip of gray grosgrain ribbon, knotted at the side of the card, is the only embellishment.

Materials Used:
Autumn Splendor stamp set (Verve Stamps); Ripe Avocado and Smokey Shadow inks, Spring Moss and Smokey Shadow cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Moonlit Fog cardstock (Gina K Designs); Marjolaine designer paper (Basic Grey); circle die (Nestabilities); gray grosgrain ribbon (Michaels)

My cards for week 4 and week 5’s sketches are more seasonal in nature. This one for week 4 strays from the sketch just a little, but I really like the result. It’s inspired by the photo of the red, moss, and cream vintage ribbon bundle. I used Verve’s Sweet Scallop Tag die and coordinating outline stamp for one of the panels on the cardfront. I stamped the outline in olive ink and added the seasonal sentiment from Snowflake Splendor in Riding Hood Red ink. The top of the tag’s dressed up with red grosgrain ribbon and a matching button.

Instead of creating another panel for next to the tag, I replaced it with a felt snowflake. I generally don’t have a lot of use for red snowflakes, so I was glad to find a place where one worked so nicely. To tie the snowflake in with the tag, I added a similar button embellishment at the center.

The rest of the card is pretty simple. A kraft scallop edged strip runs across the cardfront. It’s dotted with some Bisque Liquid Pearls for shimmer and sparkle. A piece of cream satin ribbon runs along the top of the kraft panel.

Materials Used:
Sweet Scallop Tag and Snowflake Splendor stamp sets, Sweet Scallop Tag die (Verve Stamps); Riding Hood Red and Old Olive ink, Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla, and Crumb Cake cardstock, Real Red grosgrain ribbon, felt snowflake, scallop edge punch (Stampin’ Up!); Harvest Holiday matstack (Cloud 9); cream satin ribbon, buttons (Michaels); twine (Papertrey Ink); Bisque Liquid Pearls (Ranger)

Week 5’s card is a fun, whimsical one inspired by the colors of one of the bottles of lotion. I loved the bright pinks along with the green and incorporated that into my design.

I randomly stamped three different sized snowflake images from Verve’s Snowflake Splendor set in three different colors of ink on a shimmery white circle. A trio of small clear crystals is attached to the left side of the circle as a simple accent. I set the circle on a darker pink card base, then ran a strip of soft pink cardstock, accented with a satin ribbon, along the right side of the circle, covering part of it.

The “season’s greetings” sentiment is stamped in dark pink ink on another shimmery white panel. I layered it on a light green panel for contrast against the pink, then set it on the card. After attaching the sentiment panel, I thought the card still needed something, so I added a matching pink satin bow. Perfect!

Materials Used:
Snowflake Splendor stamp set (Verve Stamps); Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, and Spring Moss inks, Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, and Spring Moss cardstock (Papertrey Ink); shimmery white cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); circle dies (Spellbinders); pink satin ribbon (Michaels); clear crystals (Studio 18); Bow Easy