Monochromatic and Mojo

Another long weekend--yay! I have no plans at all, so I plan to spend some time at home, sleeping, watching movies, cleaning (when will Cosmo the crazy dog stop shedding???), and of course, stamping.

Here's what I've started on for the weekend. I made this card for this week's Viva la Verve sketch challenge. This week's challenge "twist" was to use a monochromatic color scheme. I started with the idea of using the friend sentiment from Verve's Hundred Hearts as the focal point and worked from there.

The card is built with layers in different shades of pink, including SU!'s Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, and Regal Rose. I combined striped and dotted patterns and added an embossed dotted background, too. I kept the embellishments simple, adding only a pair of pink Prima flowers and a white ribbon tab.

Materials Used:

Hundred Hearts stamp set (Verve); Regal Rose Classic ink, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, and Pink Pirouette cardstock, Sweet Always and Pink Pirouette Patterns designer series papers, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); flowers (Prima); rhinestone brad (Making Memories); white grosgrain ribbon (Michaels)

This card uses this week's Mojo Monday sketch. I really liked how the ribbon runs through the image panel in this sketch, but when it came to doing that on my card, I had a hard time with it!

I stamped a trio of tree images from SU!'s new Trendy Trees set. The Stamp-a-ma-jig made it easy to line up the trunks perfectly once I'd stamped the tree tops. I used Staz-on and an acetate sheet to create a permanent SAMJ guide sheet to keep in the box with my stamp set. Here, the leaves are stamped in Old Olive, the trunks in Close to Cocoa. I added layered torn Certainly Celery cardstock to make a grassy base.

The colors for the card came from the retired Fall Flowers paper. I threaded a piece of Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon through the panels underneath the stamped image panel and secured the ribbon ends with a large olive brad. That's the only non-SU! item on the card. I haven't gotten any of the new larger brads SU! has started selling yet . . .

Materials Used:

Trendy Trees stamp set, Old Olive and Close to Cocoa Classic inks, Soft Sky, Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Fall Flowers designer series paper, Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon, corner rounder, horizontal slot punch, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); olive brad (?)

Tacky, Tacky, Tacky

Today's technique challenge on SCS was called Tacky Glitter. It involves using pieces of tacky tape to create a pattern on your paper, then covering the sticky stuff with lots and lots of glitter. I couldn't resist trying this out. I combined this challenge with Verve's color challenge for a Valentine's Day themed card.

I created red glittery stripes on a piece of Blush Blossom cardstock. I used a very fine Martha Stewart glitter--so pretty. And, as Lynn advised in her directions, I made sure Cosmo the crazy dog was far, far away (outside, actually) when I did the glitter application. Not too, too messy this time.

I layered the glittery panel on a piece of Riding Hood Red cardstock, then on a Kraft card base. I stamped one of the sentiments from Verve's Wild Thing set on a Blush Blossom circle, then layered that on a scalloped kraft circle. I stamped one of the heart images from the set on a scrap of Blush Blossom and trimmed around it, then placed it on the card. I must have switched the placement of the pieces on this cardfront at least 20 times before settling on this final configuration!

By the way, if you're looking for a good buy on this tape, check out i {heart} papers. Kate carries a gigantic 60 yard roll of the stuff here. It's the best for projects like nugget boxes and other folded paper containers--and for tacky techniques like this one, of course.

Materials Used:

Wild Thing stamp set (Verve Stamps); Riding Hood Red Classic ink, Riding Hood Red, Blush Blossom, and Kraft cardstock, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Carnelian glitter (Martha Stewart); i {stick} papers red line tape (i {heart} papers)

Somebunny for You to Meet

Since I was a little girl, I have always had a "thing" for bunnies. While most of my friends had stuffed teddy bears, I had an extensive collection of stuffed bunnies. I still have a few of the most special ones today. When I saw the new bunny stamp from Verve Stamps, I knew I had to have it. I held off on doing Julee's Mojo Monday sketch until the stamp (and a few others) arrived in the mail today.

I stamped the bunny image on a scrap of cream cardstock and covered the brown "belly" with some light brown crushed velvet (aka fun flock). It's hard to tell in the photo, but it adds a fun texture to the image. I trimmed around the image and layered it over another bunny image that was stamped on a piece of light pink cardstock. I had some pink bunny brads, so I added those to the image panel as an embellishment.

The colors for the card were based on the colors of the striped and dotted patterned paper from the Nana's Nursery Baby Girl patterned paper pack. I used a piece of berry paper as the panel for the bottom of the card and stamped the sentiment in matching berry ink to tie it all together. I realized after I finished the card that the bow is on the opposite side of the sentiment in the sketch, but I think it still works like this.

Off to watch the second half of the Wisconsin Badgers football game. They're playing on the west coast, so it is a late one for me here on the east coast, but if they win, it will be worth staying up late to see. As of now, they're in the lead, so it's looking good . . .

Materials Used:

Somebunny Loves You stamp set (Verve Stamps); Berry Sorbet Palette ink, Berry Sorbet and Sweet Blush cardstock, Sweet Blush satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); Chocolate Chip Classic ink, Very Vanilla cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); petite oval dies (Nestabilities); bunny brads (Making Memories); crushed velvet (Doodlebug); patterned paper (DCWV's Nana's Nursery Baby Girl)

Anything Is Possible

Here's the last of my red, white, and blue projects (at least for a while). This one uses Julee's Mojo Monday sketch and some more of Scenic Route's Liberty line patterned paper that I love.

The main image panel uses layered images from the Polka Stars set from Verve Stamps. I stamped the images with shimmery Brilliance inks and used star punches to cut out the images. I used the swirl image from Verve's Seeing Stars set to add a "trail" for the stars.

I picked the dotted star image because of the dots in the red side of Scenic Route Grant Street paper I used to create the larger panel on the cardfront. I cut a strip to go across the cardfront that shows the fun star pattern on the reverse side of the paper.

The sentiment is from the Seeing Stars set, too. I added a red star brad to the panel for some interest. I repeated the star brads (but in a different color) at the corners of the photo corner I placed in the upper right corner of the card. After I finished the card, I realized I left off the photo corner in the lower left corner--oops! Just imagine that it's there . . .

Materials Used:

Polka Stars and Seeing Stars stamp sets (Verve Stamps); Pearlescent Poppy and Pearlescent Sky Blue inks (Brilliance); Ruby Red, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, and Whisper White cardstock, circle punch, photo corner punch, star punches, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); star brads (Making Memories); patterned paper (Scenic Route's Liberty line--Grant Street)

Preppy Petals?

Here's a quick card I made for Kristina's color challenge. The color palette featured 3 soon-to-retire SU! In Colors--Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, and River Rock--plus Regal Rose and Whisper White. I love River Rock and will definitely miss it when it retires . . . I did have a hard time finding a good balance for combining these colors and went through a few layout ideas before settling on this one.

For my challenge card, I paired a simple image from Verve Visual's Petals & Stems set with a simple layout.

My card features lots of dots--on the patterned paper, in a paper pierced strip, and on the scalloped circle.

The larger flower image is stamped in Purely Pomegranate and the smaller image is nested in the center using Regal rose ink. I added a small pink rhinestone brad to the center, then layered the flower and a Regal Rose mat on a larger scalloped circle.

I used a piece of wide Regal Rose ribbon across the cardfront. When I saw them together, the rose and wasabi green reminded me of one of the traditional "preppy" color combos from the 80's. What do you think?

Materials Used:

Petals & Stems stamp set (Verve Visual); Regal Rose and Purely Pomegranate Classic inks, Regal Rose, Purely Pomegranate, River Rock, Wild Wasabi, and Whisper White cardstock, Wild Wasabi Prints Series designer paper, 1 3/8" and scalloped circle punches, wide Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon, mat pack and paper piercing tool, white gel pen, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); pink rhinestone brad (Making Memories); 1 1/2" circle punch (EK Success)

Thankful Blossoms Medallion

For today's featured stamper challenge on SCS, I was inspired by this elegant card. The multi-layered medallion image really caught my eye.

I created my own version of the card using Verve Visual's Thankful Blossoms stamp set. Instead of a white and silver card, I created a monochromatic blue one. I stamped two of the blossom images in black ink on white cardstock, then trimmed around them with my scissors. I used an aquapainter and reinkers to cover the flowers with a watercolor wash. The big flower is covered in Soft Sky ink with some detail around the edges and swirls in Taken with Teal. The smaller image is colored with Taken with Teal ink. I added a coordinating self-adhesive rhinestone to the center.

To create the medallion look, I used dimensionals to attach the layers of the flowers together and to attach the flowers to the teal circle on the cardfront.

Like the original card, I used two different Cuttlebug embossing folders for the cardfront. The seam where they meet is covered with a strip of satin ribbon. To finish the card I added the sentiment in teal ink along the bottom right corner.

Materials Used:

Thankful Blossoms stamp set (Verve Visual); white cardstock (Xerox); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); circle die (Nestabilities); Soft Sky and Taken with Teal ink, Soft Sky and Taken with Teal cardstock, aquapainter, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); D'Vine Swirls and Swiss Dot embossing folders (Cuttlebug)

The Same, But Different

I made these two quick cards tonight for Julee's weekly Mojo Monday sketch. They're very different in look and feel even though they're made from the same layout and sort of have the same theme.

This one uses Verve Visual's Wild Thing stamp set. I found this K & Company patterned paper with foil elements in my paper stash and used that as the starting point for my card. They're not traditional Valentine colors at all!

I started by stamping the sentiment on a piece of the new cream cardstock from Papertrey Ink--nice stuff! Then, I stamped the heart image on a scrap of paper and cut it out. It's attached to the panel with dimensionals. I added three heart brads that are shaped similarly to the stamped heart image--I love when that works out. The panel is layered on colors to coordinate to the patterned paper. Non-traditional, but I think it works!

Materials Used:

Wild Thing stamp set (Verve Visual); Pink Passion, Pumpkin Pie, and Chocolate Chip Classic inks, Pink Passion, Pumpkin Pie, and Chocolate Chip cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (K & Company's Smitten line); heart brads (Making Memories)

The second card uses SU!'s Always set. This set has totally grown on me. When I first saw it, I thought it was pretty, but didn't think it was for me. I'm glad I decided to give it a try. I went back to one of my favorite tried and true color schemes for this one--a brown and blue combo.

The bird image is stamped in Close to Cocoa craft ink. I added a trio of pearly Dew Drops to the panel. Instead of stamping the sentiment on the panel along with the bird, I kept it separate. The "a" is stamped in white craft ink and heat embossed with white embossing powder. I actually made this little element a while ago. It's been floating around on my table until I could find just the right place for it. I'm glad it didn't get lost somewhere in the mess . . .

Materials Used:

Always stamp set, Close to Cocoa and White craft inks, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, and Soft Sky cardstock, Soft Sky Prints Series designer paper, white embossing powder, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); brown satin organdy edged ribbon (Morex); rectangle, circle, and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); Dew Drops (Kitchen Sink Stamps)

Sketches {by Tamara} # 48

Here's my card for this week's sketch at Sketches {by Tamara}. Since Father's Day is coming up, I decided to go for a masculine feel with the sketch.

I based my card design on this masculine paper from Basic Grey's Archaic line. the blues, greens, and browns in the pattern work so nicely for masculine cards.

I used images from several Verve Visual stamp sets to create this card. I stamped small star images from Seeing Stars and Polka Stars and punched them out with a small star punch. I set them inside of the larger open outline star image using dimensionals.

The sentiment uses several stamps from the Father Figure set. Since they're separate images, it was easy to ink them up and stamp them in different colors. I decided against adding ribbon to the sentiment panel and went with the more masculine copper brad trio. I probably should have done some inking along the edges of the sentiment panel to go with the sort of distressed/weathered look of the patterned paper. I may go back and do this before I give the card to my dad for Father's Day . . .

If you have a chance, stop by Tamara's blog and check out what the other card design team members have created using this sketch. They always have great ideas to share.

Materials Used:Polka Stars, Seeing Stars, Father Figure stamp sets (Verve Visual); Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, and Chocolate Chip Classic inks, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, and Very Vanilla cardstock, 1 3/8" square punch, small star punch, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); copper brads (Making Memories); patterned paper (Basic Grey's Archaic line)

Verve Times 2

I really enjoyed the Copics class this morning and learned a lot of tips and tricks for using these cool markers. Hopefully you'll notice a difference in the cards I do using them from now on . . .

The cards I have to share tonight are both made using new images from Verve Visual. I really liked the two floral sets in their most recent release.

This first one is for this month's project parade challenge on the Verve Visual blog. I managed to incorporate all of the colors in the challenge by using some color blocking. I stamped the flower image and stem tone on tone on Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose, and So Saffron cardstock. I stamped one of the small flowers on a scrap of each of the three colors and trimmed around it, then added some Dazzling Diamonds to the center. I attached each of those smaller flowers to the center of the matching larger one.

To sew the three panels together, I stuck them to a discarded strip of cardstock to hold them in place, then sewed away. I stamped the sentiment in Certainly Celery craft ink at one end of the Certainly Celery strip, then added a ribbon at the other end. The panels are layered on a Cool Caribbean cardfront. I love the way these colors look together--so fresh and summery!

Materials Used:

Petals & Stems stamp set (Verve Visual); Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose, and So Saffron Classic inks, Certainly Celery Craft ink, Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, and Cool Caribbean cardstock, Dazzling Diamonds, slit punch, Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); sewing machine

The second card is for Julee's Mojo Monday sketch challenge. It uses images from the Floral Whimsy stamp set. I stamped the outline of the vase in Lovely Lilac ink, then filled in the vase with the matching solid stamp using Almost Amethyst ink. The vase is cut out and attached over the flowers and stems with a dimensional. I added small rhinestones to the centers of the flowers for a little sparkle.

I paired the simple flowers and vase images with three different colors of floral patterned paper from SU!'s Prints Series. I have tons of scraps of this Prints Series paper and I'm trying to incorporate it into different projects to use some of it up. I found a coordinating celery satin ribbon to tie around the three patterned paper panels.

None of the sentiments from this set would fit inside the oval piece from SU!'s Hodgepodge Hardware that I wanted to use. So, I turned to Verve's Heartfelt Phrases stamp set. I stamped one of the phrases in Lovely Lilac and set it inside the oval piece to finish off the card. The color combination creates a totally different feel from the first card, so soft and soothing.

Materials Used:

Floral Whimsy and Heartfelt Phrases stamp sets (Verve Visual); Almost Amethyst, Lovely Lilac, and Certainly Celery Classic inks, Lovely Lilac, Almost Amethyst, and Soft Sky cardstock, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery, and Soft Sky Prints Series designer paper, Hodgepodge Hardware, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); celery satin ribbon (Michaels); rhinestones (Walmart)

Sketches {by Tamara} #44

Here's my card for this week's sketch from Sketches {by Tamara}. The sketch was designed for a small 3x3 card and that's what mine is, even though it looks kind of big in the photo.

Since Mother's Day is now over, I decided to switch gears a little and create a Father's Day card. I used Verve Visual's Father Figure stamp set for all of the images on this card. I really like the clean, masculine images in the set. They worked really well with this sketch. Since the card is small, there wasn't much room for lots of embellishment "stuff."

I went with a masculine dark blue and brown color combination, along with a kraft cardfront. Kraft goes so well with so many colors! Instead of ribbons or brads, I added a simple row of paper piercing along the bottom of the card to go with the row of circles stamped along the top of the card.

All in all, the card took less than 10 minutes from start to finish. That's one of the nice things about making those little 3x3 cards. If you have a chance, stop by Tamara's blog to see what the other card sketch design team members have created using this sketch.

Materials Used:

Father Figure stamp set (Verve Visual); Close to Cocoa and Night of Navy Classic inks, Creamy Caramel, Night of Navy, and Kraft cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool (Stampin' Up!)

More Stars . . .

I guess I'm kind of stuck on stars this week. I promise that the Mother's Day card I have to share tomorrow doesn't have a single star on it! I made this card for Julee's Mojo Monday sketch challenge.

I started off with this really nice Wild Asparagus double sided patterned paper. In addition to the great colors and patterns, the paper has a subtle texture to it. I used the colors in the patterned paper as the basis for the card. The card's base is made from kraft cardstock--I love that stuff!

I picked a dotted star from Verve Visual's Polka Stars stamp set for the focal image. I stamped it in a shimmery copper ink and punched it out with a large star punch. I stamped the "trail" for the star in Papertrey Ink's Aqua Mist ink using an image from Verve's Seeing Stars set. I had originally thought that SU!'s Soft Sky might be a good match for the blue in the paper, but Aqua Mist ended up being an almost exact match.

The sentiment is from Verve's Starlight Starbright sentiment set. I stamped it in Chocolate Chip ink so it would stand out. I found a small copper star brad to accent the sentiment panel.

Materials Used:

Seeing Stars, Polka Stars, and Starlight Starbright stamp sets (Verve Visual); Aqua Mist Palette ink, Aqua Mist cardstock, Aqua Mist twill (Papertrey Ink); Chocolate Chip Classic ink, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, and Shimmery White cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, large star punch, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); copper star brad (Making Memories); patterned paper (Wild Asparagus-Birthday Boy Dots/Blue Paper)

Masculine Star

Here's another star-themed card, but this time, it has a slightly different slant. I made this quick card for Mary Jo's Monday sketch challenge and incorporating a piece of chipboard for today's ways to use it challenge on SCS. The card took less than 15 minutes to make, which is surprising because usually when I try to create a masculine card, they take forever.

I have a ton of these large chipboard stars, so I inked one up with gold pigment ink and set it aside to dry while I worked on the rest of the card. For this one, I used patterned paper from the retired Outlaw paper pack for most of the cardfront. The simple strip across the front is constructed using scraps of Chocolate Chip, Kraft, and Really Rust cardstock. I added some faux stitching along the bottom of the assembled panel.

The sentiment is from Verve Visual's Great Expectations stamp set. I stamped it in Really Rust since it was the dominant color on the cardfront. I added a pair of gold brads under the sentiment to match the star. No ribbons or glitter, though!

After the star (mostly) dried, I used a pop-up glue dot to attach it to the cardfront. Quick, clean, and fairly masculine--not too bad!

Materials Used:

Great Expectations stamp set (Verve Visual); Really Rust Classic ink, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, and Kraft cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, white gel pen, On Board chipboard, gold brads (Stampin' Up!); Gold Galaxy pigment ink (Brilliance)

Sketches {by Tamara} #43

Here's my card for this week's sketch from Sketches {by Tamara}. I had a hard time with this one! It seemed like everything I wanted to use on the cardfront was too big to fit. I do like what I finally ended up with, though.

I had a container of chipboard stars sitting on my table, so I ended up deciding to use the stars on the card. I found three funky-looking stars in a lime green shade and based the card on those. After I picked out the stars, the rest of the card fell into place pretty quickly. The patterned paper is from a DCWV mat stack and matched the stars perfectly.

There's not much stamping here--just the sentiment. I stamped "superstar" from the new Great Expectations set from Verve Visual repeatedly tone on tone on a Soft Sky rectangle. Since it's a clear stamp, it was easy to line up the images and to space them evenly. Then, I stamped the sentiment in green ink on a scrap of Soft Sky cardstock. I punched this out with the word window punch and layered it on a green panel. I added a darker green star brad at the edge of the sentiment to draw attention to it.

Check out Tamara's blog to see what the rest of the (now expanded) design team has created using this sketch.

Materials Used:

Great Expectations stamp set (Verve Visual); chipboard stars (American Crafts); Soft Sky and Green Galore Classic inks, Soft Sky and Green Galore cardstock, word window punch, Soft Sky stitched grosgrain, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (DCWV); star brad (Making Memories)

Sketches {by Tamara} #42

Here's my card for this week's sketch at Sketches {by Tamara}. I think that I made the card a little shorter than Tamara intended in her sketch, but I think it still worked out okay.

My version of the sketch was sort of inspired by a card I made at a recent shoebox swap. The card used an image from Baroque Motifs (sorry if you're way over this set--I said I was late to get on the bandwagon on this one . . .) for a masculine card. The color scheme on the card was River Rock, Wild Wasabi, and Basic Black. So, I used some of those design elements and switched them up a bit to come up with this one.

I stamped the medallion image tone on tone using River Rock. I really like the subtle look this gets. The images are matted with a black panel that's just a tiny bit larger than the stamped panel. I added a copper brad to the center of each image. I found coordinating patterned paper in a pack of Apple Cider designer paper left over from SU!'s Winter Mini catalog.

Since my image panels took up most of the cardfront, I needed a long, narrow sentiment, so I turned to Verve Visual's Happy Thoughts set. Since these are acrylic stamps, I was able to arrange them to fit the sentiment panel perfectly.

Not sure it's really masculine, but I like the way it turned out. Be sure to check out what the rest of the card sketch design team members created with this sketch. You can see their versions on Tamara's blog.

Materials Used:
Baroque Motifs stamp set, River Rock Classic ink, River Rock and Basic Black cardstock, Apple Cider designer paper (Stampin' Up!); Happy Thoughts stamp set (Verve Visual); Noir Black ink (Palette); copper brads (Making Memories)

Tall To Infinity and Beyond

I came home today to find new stamps from Stamping Bella and Verve Visual waiting for me. Between my work day and the presentation I had to make this evening, I tried some of them out for today's SCS sketch challenge. The card is another long one, but unlike yesterday's card, is oriented vertically.

I got the cute Super Tyler image from Stamping Bella because lots of my friends have little boys. I know I'll have lots of uses for this cute image. I colored him with Copic markers and sponged a little blue ink around the image. I used a regular oval Nestabilites die to cut out the image and to create a simple mat for it.

The cardfront is made from a piece of Brocade Blue cardstock. It's covered with a piece of plaid star-accented paper from Prima's Baby Boutique Collection and a dotted piece from DCWV. I added one of the sentiments from Verve Visual's new Great Expectations set. I thought "To infinity . . . and beyond!" was a nice match for Super Tyler.

I had a hard time getting the card to look like I wanted it to. I kept adding stuff and taking it off, adding stuff and rearranging it, looking for more stuff and adding that. I stamped a line of stars along the folded portion of the cardfront and highlighted them with a little bit of glitter from a Stardust pen. That still wasn't enough. I added some ribbon to cover the seam where the two patterned papers meet (that was really bugging me!). Finally I found these felt stars from American Crafts. They were a perfect accent for a super hero card. I added a few yellow acrylic dome embellishments as accents, then decided enough was enough. I put the card aside to go out to do my presentation and when I came home, I ended up adding the ric rac. Now, I think I'm done!

I'll be back tomorrow with a card for Tamara's weekly sketch challenge (in the morning) and with some exciting stamping news (later in the day) . . .

Materials Used:
Super Tyler image (Stamping Bella); Great Expectations and Seeing Stars stamp sets (Verve Visual); Brocade Blue Classic ink, Brocade Blue and Bashful Blue cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, corner rounder, Crystal Effects, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (Prima's Baby Boutique Collection, DCWV's Nana's Nursery paper pack); felt stars (American Crafts); white grosgrain ribbon, yellow acrylic dome floral embellishments (Michaels); clear Stardust pen (Sakura); white ric rac (Walmart); white cardstock (Georgia Pacific); markers (Copic Ciao); oval dies (Nestabilities)

I'm a Follower . . .

It seems like stars are one of the "hot" trends right now in papercrafting, so here I am again, following along with the trend. I used two different star themed stamp sets to create this entry for Verve Visual's guest designer contest. I usually have a hard time working with long cards, but I really like how this one turned out. This one measures 3 1/2" by 7", so it will still fit in a standard business sized envelope.

Stars seem to work well for a masculine card, so that was my starting point for this card. The patterned background paper really helped me to keep that target in mind. The paper's from a pack of KI Memories pet themed paper--I'm not quite sure what makes this paper fit the pet theme, but that's what the package said . . .

I stamped the large dotted star in gold pigment ink on a scrap of shimmery white cardstock. I punched it out with a large star punch and attached it to the blue panel stamped with the swirl image in navy ink. I layered the panel on mats that coordinated with the patterned paper. I used photo corner punch-outs embellished with yellow Dew Drops at the corners.

The sentiment is also from one of Verve Visual's star sets. I attached it to the card with some gold star brads to match the big stamped star image. I found a larger size brad to embellish the bottom of the sentiment panel and finish off the card. I rarely use gold embellishments, so I'm glad I was able to dig through my collection and unearth some gold stars . . .

Materials Used:

Seeing Stars and Polka Stars stamp sets (Verve Visual); Night of Navy Classic ink, Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, and Shimmery White cardstock, Crystal Effects, large star punch, photo corner punch, dimensional (Stampin' Up!); Gold Galaxy pigment ink (Brilliance); patterned paper (KI Memories); star brads (Making Memories); Flame Dew Drops (Kitchen Sink Stamps)

Orange?

I'm heading off to class this morning to give my final presentation. I'm looking forward to a break from classes (next ones start in June) and, to the end of my degree program later this summer. Before I go, I have a few things to share that I've worked on this week on breaks from finishing my coursework.

I admit, I am not generally a big fan of orange. It's a color I never, never wear and not one I'm usually drawn to. But lately, I've been using more orange in my designs, especially paired with other colors.

I used Julee's Mojo Monday sketch from earlier in the week for this card. Here, I paired just a bit of orange with blue. I've been wanting to use this cute KI Memories bird paper for a while and I thought the bird images on the paper would be fun paired with the bird from Verve Visual's Anniversary Birds set.

The cardfront is made from one of last year's retired SU! In Colors, Buckaroo Blue. I didn't buy a lot of this color and now that I've looked at it again, I'm kind of regretting it. I don't know why I didn't--it's a nice kind of slate blue. I guess sometimes it takes a while for a color to grow on you . . .

I stamped the bird, the branch, and the sentiment on a piece of Bashful Blue cardstock. I stamped the bird again on a scrap of white paper and colored it with Copic markers, then trimmed around it. It's attached to the "scene" with dimensionals.

The Pumpkin Pie band across the cardfront is accented with three Dew Drops from the Flame assortment and with an orange Prima flower.

Materials Used:
Anniversary Birds and Happy Thoughts stamp sets (Verve Visual); Brocade Blue Classic ink, Buckaroo Blue, Sahara Sand, Bashful Blue, and Pumpkin Pie cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Flame Dew Drops (Kitchen Sink Stamps); markers (Copic Ciao); white cardstock (Georgia Pacific); Graphite Black and Coffee Bean inks (Brilliance)

This card is based on a sketch from Mary Jo at Technostamper. This is such a great sketch--there are so many options for using it. I used it to make a bright birthday card that would fit pretty much anyone. The cupcake image from the Cause for Celebration hostess set is so cute and versatile, too! I haven't used it enough. Here, I stamped it with black ink and colored it with Copic markers. I added a bit of Yellow Stickles to the icing--yum!

I paired the Pumpkin Pie cardfront with a softer orange patterned paper, plus some shades of red and yellow. It's a little bright, but I think it would work for a child's birthday.

Materials Used:
Cause for Celebration stamp set, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, and Summer Sun cardstock, corner rounder (Stampin' Up!); Yellow Stickles (Ranger); yellow acrylic dome floral embellishments (Michaels); markers (Copic Ciao); patterned paper (Scrapbook Wizard pad)

Mojo Duo

Since I had a bunch of ideas for this sketch, I ended up making two cards using this week's Mojo Monday sketch on Julee's blog.

This one uses stamps from Verve Visual. I wanted to use a blue and orange color combination for the card, so I started with the simple orange-y dotted paper for the cardfront and worked from there. I used shimmery white cardstock for the star. I love that the star fits perfectly inside SU!'s large star punch--this makes it so easy to use this image.

I found some sparkly paper in a DCWV mat pack that was perfect with the blue and orange color scheme I planned to use. The paper had just a bit of yellow to tie in the color of the star and the glittery stripes add a fun texture and look to the card.

The sentiment is stamped on a tiny scrap of shimmery white cardstock. I added a tiny star brad to embellish it.

Materials Used:

Polka Stars stamp set (Verve Visual); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); Brocade Blue and Summer Sun Classic inks, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Barely Banana, and Shimmery White cardstock, large star punch , dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); orange grosgrain ribbon (Michaels dollar bin); patterned papers (DCWV)

The second card uses Stampin' Up! images. This was actually the first thing that came to my mind when I saw this sketch. I thought that the large flower from Time Well Spent would look great layered on the scalloped circle in this layout.

I took the color combination from the bright floral patterned paper that covers the cardfront. I found a small scrap of dotted paper from the Loves Me paper pack to complement to the floral paper for the front panel.

I stamped the flower several times and used Copic markers to color different sections on each stamped image. I carefully cut out the different sections and layered them using dimensionals. I added some Pink Stickles to the image and a teeny, tiny Twinkle sticker to the flower center.

Materials Used:

Time Well Spent stamp set, Pink Passion, Pretty in Pink, and Pumpkin Pie cardstock, Loves Me designer paper, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); white cardstock (Georgia Pacific); Graphite Black ink (Brilliance); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); pink Twinkle stickers (Amuse); Pink Stickles (Ranger); markers (Copic Ciao); patterned paper (DCWV's Pocket Full of Posies Mat Stack); pink grosgrain ribbon (Michaels dollar bin)

Sparkly Star

I love this sparkly paper from DCWV's Baby Boy Nursery paper pad. It's a perfect match for a gold star. Gold is a little out of my usual "box." I am much more a silver kind of person.

Here, I paired a chipboard star with the sparkly paper and images from two of Verve Visual's star stamp sets. I used Julee's Mojo Monday sketch for the design. The chipboard star is from a package of bulk chipboard SU! has been offering to demos and it's the first time I've used one of the star shapes. I covered it with gold pigment ink and waited for it to try. If you don't wait for it to dry (or speed the process along with a heat tool), your dimensional or glue dot won't stick to the star--lesson learned today. The star is embellished with a stamped star image, punched out with SU!'s large star punch. The punch matches the Verve stamp set's star perfectly and works well layered on the chipboard piece.

I stamped the flourish/swirly image directly on the corners of the sparkly striped paper. Because of the glitter already on the paper, parts of the image didn't ink too well, but the intent is there . . .

The sentiment on the panel across the front is also from a Verve Visual set, this one called Happy Thoughts. I purposely stamped the image so I could place the trio of gold brads opposite the stars. I like the look of the circle brads with the dots on the star image. I rarely use gold brads, so I had a hard time finding them in my collection. I wish this card had photographed better--it is so much prettier in person!

I'm still dealing with a rotten cold, so I'm off to take it easy and rest and keep an eye on Cosmo the crazy dog. He ate part of a peace lily plant in the middle of the night and is not quite himself right now. A little internet research showed that the plant may be somewhat toxic. I guess a trip to the vet will be in order tomorrow morning between my meetings for work. We haven't been there in about 3 months, so they're probably wondering where we've been and what odd circumstance will cause us to return! Cosmo never fails to keep my life interesting . . .

Materials Used:

Seeing Stars, Polka Stars, and Happy Thoughts stamp sets (Verve Visual); Blue Bayou and Soft Sky Classic inks, Blue Bayou and Soft Sky cardstock, Blue Bayou Prints Series designer paper, chipboard star, large star punch, glue dots (Stampin' Up!); Galaxy Gold pigment ink (Brilliance); gold brads (Making Memories); patterned paper (DCWV's Nana's Nursery: Baby Boy pack)

Birthday Bird in Blue

I came home from work today to find the new stamps I ordered from Verve Visual in my mailbox. I couldn't resist trying them out for today's SCS sketch challenge.

The adorable bird image comes from a newly released anniversary set. Since I didn't need any anniversary cards, I used just one bird from the set and paired it with a sentiment from the versatile Happy Thoughts sentiment set. I stamped the bird on a piece of scrap paper and colored it in with several shades of blue Copic markers. I did the same thing for the bird's wing. Then I stamped it again on a piece of white cardstock and added the sentiment at one corner of the mat and the branch in the bird's beak. I attached the bird to the panel with a dimensional.

The large floral print patterned paper is from an Autumn Leaves package I picked up at Target a while ago. Its colors worked nicely with the dotted Bashful Blue paper. I added a piece of celery satin ribbon around the dotted panel, just a slightly different shade than the moss cardfront.

The right side of the card looked kind of empty, so I decided to fill it in with some plastic dome embellishments (faux Dew Drops). To "color" them, I used my 1/4" circle punch and punched out tiny circles from paper to match the cardfront. I glued them to the back of the domes with a tiny, tiny drop of Crystal Effects, then positioned them on the cardfront. Even though they don't look like they're lined up straight in the photo, IRL they are, I promise! This is a great way to get these embellishments in a whole array of colors to match pretty much any project.

Materials Used:
Anniversary Birds and Happy Thoughts stamp sets (Verve Visual); Graphite Black pigment ink (Brilliance); Spanish Olive chalk ink (VersaMagic); Mellow Moss and Bashful Blue cardstock, Bashful Blue Prints Series designer paper, 1/4" circle punch, Stampin' Pastels, Crystal Effects, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); white cardstock (Georgia Pacific); celery satin ribbon, clear plastic dome floral embellishments (Michaels); floral patterned paper (Autumn Leaves from Target); markers (Copic Ciao)