Verve Release Week Challenge and Cinema Saturday

Good evening! This card is doing double duty this week. It's my entry for Jackie's distressing challenge over on the Verve forum as well as my card for the Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge. Both my main panels have been distressed (I have a messy desk to prove it!). I also added some stitching and another sweet little cork birdie left over from the last Verve release :) The Cinema Saturday movie is The Two Towers (Lord of the Rings) movie. Can you believe I've only seen the first one when it first came out? My son has seen each one several times and even owns them. The theme of the movie is friendship and courage...so I dug out this sentiment. I love it. It is one that I used many years ago when I was going through a difficult time and wanted to thank my friends with thank-you cards for supporting me :) I was sad that I hadn't met someone to share my life with...then soon after I met my husband :) The challenge this week was to emboss...love it!! I've used 2 cuttlebug embossing folders. Ahhh, it's past my bedtime...good night all!!

What's in it?

Stamps: Dawn Houser

Paper: SU vanilla, kraft, choc chip, regal rose, blush blossom, DCWV dp

Ink: SU choc chip, regal rose

Accessories: cork, button, linen thread, SU birds and blooms dies, circle and scallop punches; nestabilities, stitching, grosgrain, cuttlebug EFs

Thank-you ~ Sweet Sunday Sketch #35

Good morning! This is a prescheduled post...I am at work ;) Why do weekends fly by so quickly? We had gorgeous weather and I did enjoy some of it when I wasn't stamping :) I was digging through some old patterned paper in my Christmas stash and found this gorgeous polka dot paper. It's almost a perfect match to Cool Carribean! I stocked up on it before it retired but have a little bit too much of it now. Yes, you can have too much of something. Especially when there is other paper out there that is very close to the colour. I wanted a casual, country feel to this card and thought the tree image was perfect. I stamped it while it was still in the circle die so I would have a bit of a border around the image. Yes, leaves are not blue, but I think it works here. I added some bling, just 'cause :) Happy Monday to everyone...have a great week :)

What's in it?

Stamps: SU season of friendship, enjoy every moment

Paper: PTI vanilla; SU kraft, cool carribean, teal, choc chip; Memory Box dp

Ink: SU choc chip, carribean, sahara sand, soft sky

Accessories: gemstones, satin ribbon, large brad, circle nestabilities

Pulling a Julia Child and some FABULOUS news!!

Good evening!! I finally got to play along with Mercy's challenge this week:) I was looking through the SU mini catalogue yesterday and noticed some terrific colour combinations. When I saw teal, rust, and chocoloate together I knew I wanted to use them on my next card. So this card is inspired by the colours from the Autumn Meadows designer paper pack (no, I don't get a discount for the ad! LOL). I also wanted to use my new Verve stamp that was a free gift with my last order. Seriously, Julee at Verve is the sweetest and most generous person. I can't count the number of stamp sets she has donated to charity, contests and challenges. But I digress, again. I also wanted to emboss my favourite fleur de lis image again. The rust panel is dry embossed and I added stitching to both it and the fleur de lis panel. This is where Julia Child comes in. In the movie, Julie and Julia, Julia says, "Never apologize if something doesn't turn out in the kitchen." I think the same goes for the studio. My stitching was quite off "somewhere" on this card, but I cleverly covered it up and am making no apologies!! HA! I also discovered that melon berry/groovy guava is a close shade to real rust :)

Okay...next item...exciting news!! I just received 2 emails from CARDS magazine. They want to publish 2 of my cards in February!!! It's my first time and it's so thrilling. I sent in 5 and knew that there will be lots of rejection...but it happened :) Thanks to everyone, especially Maile and Winter, for your encouragement and lovely comments that helped me take the publishing plunge :) So now I'm off to clean the studio. It was very clean and neat and then after this last card, poof, it's covered in scraps and embossing powder (actually it's a month long build up of scraps and powder). Have a great Sunday :)

What's in it?

Stamps: Verve plain jane, kindred spirits, SU by definition (flowers)

Paper: SU kraft, teal, rust, choc chip, white; PTI aqua

Ink: versamark; SU teal, close to cocoa

Accessories: gemstones, SU birds and blooms die, cuttlebug ef, EK success edge punch, white embossing powder, stitching, linen thread, PTI button and ribbon

What's Better Than...? Mojo Monday 103

Hey! Hello! I'm back from being MIA...it's the first Friday of the year!!! I came straight home after work and right up to the studio :) Ah, bliss! So what's better than one button bouquet? Two!! LOL. I knew I wanted to use my longlost love, button bouquet, but needed a rectangular image so I stamped it twice :) I played around with the buttons while on the phone with my sister (shhhhh!). The bottom of the card took on a life of it's own. I originally wanted to have patterned paper there, but nothing was working with the purple dp and polka dots so I left it blank. Then the bling came out and I was no longer in charge!! Have you checked out any of the Mojo Monday sketches? I am amazed at how many people enter each week...it has quite a following (and rightly so...) but it's crazy!! This week is contest week so 7 cards will be chosen and free Verve stamps will be given away :) Here's my entry....I am looking forward to stamping this weekend...I hope you have a fabulous one as well :)




What's in it?
Stamps: SU flower filled, Verve thankful blossoms
Paper: PTI white, avocado, plum pudding, dp; SU choc chip, kraft
Ink: SU old olive, choc chip
Accessories: EK Success edge punch; gemstones; MS butterfly punch; PTI ribbon, assorted buttons ($ store)

You're So Sweet ~ Viva La Verve

Good morning! Well, the first day has come and gone. It was nice seeing my old students again :) We will get our new classes tomorrow. It was a short day with the kids but we had a long staff meeting...so I'm very tired :) To unwind I made this card for the Viva La Verve Friday with a twist challenge. We had to make a smaller than usual card or scrapling (which I think means a little card made from scraps?). I used some left over cork from my Guest Designer gig last Saturday and one of the many lattices I made for Dawn's colour challenge. Had to use a new Verve stamp from Delightful and Delicious :) My dh is off to work out of town on Thursday so we have dinner reservations at a hip new restaurant tomorrow night {insert swoon here}. Hope you are all having a wonderful week so far :) Thanks for all the well wishes!!

What's in it?

Stamps: verve delightful and delicious

Paper: SU kraft, vanilla

Ink: SU choc chip

Accessories: SU lattic die, oval punch, linen thread; cuttlebug flower dies; button; PTI ribbon; dritz pins

Moxie Fab Challenge ~ Stamping, Post 6

Last card!! Thanks for hanging in there :) This is the last challenge and the one that made me want to enter the challenges. There are 4 Papertrey stamp sets up for grabs :) The only requirement was to have some stamping on your card. You can't tell from the photo, but the red spots on the patterned paper are made from felt or velvet...feels great! I hope you have enjoyed an early trip down Christmas lane... have a great week :) Think of me :)

What's in it?

Stamps: PTI polka dot basics; SU Warm Words

Paper: SU kraft, red; Doodlebug designs dp

Ink: SU choc chip; versamark

Accessories: SU scallop and corner rounder punches; grosgrain (Michaels); Autumn Leaves button, twine, nestabilities labels 4

Moxie Fab Challenge ~ Classy & Elegant, Post 5

This next card is for the classy and elegant challenge. I thought of one of the cards I made last year and added a bit of bling to "class" it up a bit.

What's in it?
Stamps: Penny Black Solitaire; SU Small Script
Paper: silver sparkle (craft supply), PTI shimmer white
Ink: SU black, marvy markers in red, green, yellow
Accessories: SU ticket corner punch, silver thread; rectangle nestabilities; cuttlebug ef; gemstones