A Perfect Example

There are very few people, I think, in this world that we can truly say that they are a perfect example of what you want to be. My dear sweet mother is one of them. She's actually riding out to see me tomorrow! I'm so excited that I just can't wait to squeeze her sweet little neck.

I must have been thinking a lot about her while I tried to whip out another Viva La Verve sketch challenge today, because I grabbed the Verve Just For You stamp set with this sentiment. The sketch's twist was to use edge punches and my mind immediately thought of ruffles on a girls dress. When I grabbed the first ink color I wanted to go with I new it wasn't going to be ruffles. I picked Stampin' Up Forest Foliage and brayed it down on white cardstock then stamped the foliage from Verve's Forever in Our Hearts with Versamark (forgetting to use my embossing buddy which ended up being a nice texture around the leaves) and then clear embossed. I started in with my edge punches and didn't pay any attention to the sketch on my computer screen, so by the time I referenced it I had veered quite a bit from the layout. I didn't want to change it so I just added a piece of kraft cardstock underneath to come closer to the sketch. I've done that twice this month now on VLV sketchs. Now the edge punched paper were all just lucky sized pieces of paper so I couldn't tell you measurements. Both dark green paper are popped up on dimensionals. On all of the layers I sponged Ranger Tea Dye Ink and then on the bottom kraft layer I sponged Walnut Ink stain on three corners to compliment the felt ribbon and buttons. I stamped the sentiment in Forest Foliage and rocked it around the edges in Chocolate Chip ink.

Here's a closeup of the layers on this card.



I hope to have a post tomorrow about the goodie box I set out for guests. It will be my submission for the Verve Project Parade HAPPINESS FOR HOSTESSES. I know it's backwards from the project parade, but I'm already doing it up for my mom's arrival!

Spread your {faerie} wings and Fly

I've got a very cool card I'd like to share. As some of my previous posts have mentioned that I'm just insanely tickled when I use my Prismacolor markers and this card showcases that precisely. How tickled I am not insane I might appear to be. Actually my neighbor mentioned that it might be the fumes from the marker, but that's a given, right?

I was looking for more free digital stamps to practice some more marker work when I came across this image (scroll down just a bit to see the black and white illustration) from a post on inky impressions challenge blog. How cute is this illustration!

I had a hard time starting to color this cute faerie, so I consulted my dear husband who is a Sci-fi slash fantasy fan and we have a small library of books to show for it. I originally started to color with a day scene in mind and then he threw me for a loop and said that fairies typically (in his books) come out at night. So I started in with darker colors and then he mentioned that some of them can have an aura around them. I think I need to practice basic central shading more after attempting an aura or candle for that matter, BUT I am so pleased with how it came out. I stippled some glue using a stencil brush around her to adhere some Martha Stewart crystal fine glitter (very hard to photograph). I dropped some more glue on the berries and used Martha Stewart carnelian glitter (I did the red glitter first and let it dry, but hindsight tells me two bits of advice. I should have done the crystal glitter first so the loose red wouldn't show up in places other than the berries and also the drop of glue for the carnelian was too much and the glitter clumped into a ball obscuring any shading I did with the markers.)



This card loosely uses the Viva La Verve Week 4 sketch with a twist of favorite colors. I used them all I think, but my favorites are the dominate colors: blue, green and brown.

Close-up of faerie. Squint and you might see the glitter around her body.



Hope you like it!

Card Details:

Stamps: Inky Impressions Digi stamp freebie (link above), Verve Forever in Our Hearts and Beautiful Kindness
Paper: Unknown brown background paper, Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Cream, Basic Black
Ink: Laserjet printout on digi, StazOn Jet Black, Prismacolor markers (about 15 of them)
Accessories: Cuttlebug Textile EF on photo corners and Leafy Branch EF on blue panel, red rhinestones from Kaisercrafts, Tiny Leaves Die from Stampin' Up.

Thanks for stopping by!

All that we Love Deeply

I've been on the downside of my craftiness lately and a bit gloomy about it. I'm chalking it up to being sick a couple of weekends ago and its taken me a while to get back to a routine. So to jump back into it I've done the Midnight Madness sketch challenge over at Priscilla's Style blog.



I went simple and as usual looked at my tray of paper scraps. My inspiration was the polka dot paper for the color scheme. It's funny that's the only place it shows up. I realized that and added the flower centers to repeat it.

Card Details:
Stamps: CTMH Spring set
Paper: LSS cream MM Neutrals paper pack (burgundy pattern paper), textured brown paper
Ink: SU! Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Bravo Burgundy, Mauve Mist or Rose Red, Ranger Walnut Stain Ink
Accessories: More Mustard grosgrain ribbon (retired), AC Elements Medium Brown Eyelets, Gold Stickles, Little Leaves Die

I'm in search of flower help

Do you know any of the flowers in this picture? I'm trying to find photos or clipart for them. (Right-click on the image to open up in a new window a larger image.)



I think A and C are the same delphiniums, but if anyone knows what they are please let me know.

Thanks for your help.

Kreativ Blogger Award Origins

So after I posted and then Updated the post about my Kreativ Blogger Award, I had to look around for some origins.

Here is a link that sounded good.

http://simonfoodfavourites.blogspot.com/2009/08/original-designer-of-kreativ-blogger.html

Janelle

Blog Award

Hello everyone!

I need to make a quick post about a very sweet Jen who nominated me for a Kreativ Blogger Award a week ago! I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to post about it. I thought if I ever got one of these award nominations I would post about it as fast as my fingers could type! I never figured I'd be in the midst of children's Bible school and then sick children on top of that.

Thank you Jen of I Create blog for nominating me for this award!

To accept the award I have to do a few things.

1. Thank the person who nominated me for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on my blog.
3. Link the person who nominated me for this award.
4. Name seven things about me that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate seven Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the seven blogs I nominate.
7. Leave comments on all seven blogs letting them know I nominated them.

Seven things you {might} find interesting about me:

1. I am the youngest of four children that span 13 years.
2. I have competed in powerlifting and bodybuilding for at least one year each.
3. I love cycling and can easily enjoy a 50 mile ride on Saturday though I haven't done that sans children.
4. I live 26 miles from the university where I graduated and have not been to a reunion since the first one (5-year)
5. I bite my finger nails.
6. I started a picture framing business because a coworker needed a manager's gift framed and it was easier to do than I had remembered it to be.
7. I've never stayed with one hobby for more than a year before moving on to something else AND I don't get rid of all the other supplies for my past hobbies. (LOL- Just ask my mother-in-law how many things I've gotten her into and then gone on to do something else.)

Here are the blogs I nominate:

Jackie of http://kreatewithme2.blogspot.com
Kim of http://impressyourself.typepad.com
Rebekkah of http://diamondintherough24.blogspot.com
Shanna of http://bananastamper.blogspot.com
Cindy of http://luciesfloozies.blogspot.com
Maureen of http://buttonsandbling.blogspot.com
Tricia of http://simplystamping.blogspost.com

All of these ladies have touched my heart with just simply sharing and showing their personality in their blogs. I love it!

Update: I have no idea the origins of this award and it is amazing that I have blindly followed the copy and forward model of the decade because I rarely do so. What I have seen is that it is a friendly gesture to those blogs you visit and no actual award is given to you or your blog. Please let me know if you understand differently.

It's Midnight Madness Time!

Being sick over the weekend I didn't have time to create anything for this week's Midnight Madness sketch (MMSC14), but I still wanted to play along. Instead I whipped up a scrapbook page that will hopefully get me started on my mom's scrapbook for her birthday.



All embellishments are from Nicole Seitler of www.SugarplumPaperie.com and the kit is from www.thedigichick.com called China Blue by Sugarplum Paperie.

I used Paint Shop Pro 8 (old version, but one I know).

Congratulations to Dani who won the awesome Big Shot Blog Candy. It's going to be amazing to use!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy your week!

WAW! (What A Week!)

I can't believe all the busyness that has been going on this week. Our church had Summer Tsunami (old schoolers call it VBS) and I volunteered to be a Tour Guide for 16 4-year-olds. Whew! I am ill equiped to handle that many children.

In the midst of my mornings being filled up, I attempted to complete Release Week Challenge Sketches for Verve's 2nd anniversary, then my children started getting sick (you'll see how my cards go from intricate to simple and that's where I started running out of time to complete them for the prize deadline). My son woke up on Friday morning with a very splattered bed from losing what was still in his stomach from the night before, yet he was chipper and with a healthy appetite. My daughter was doing well and ready to show off her newly painted fingers and toes to her best friends at Summer Tsunami. I ended up with two children hanging on me the whole time, neither feeling all that well. Felt like a monkey mom. LOL (Why didn't I take them home? Well, the other tour guide that was with me the whole week was out of town on Friday, so I was the knowledgeable tour guide for our group and with hardly any extra help they needed me. We started out the day expecting my husband to stay home, but with both kids seemingly on the up-and-up with no fevers, I decided to take them along with me.)

Verve has some wonderful new sets available from August's release party. Go check them out if you have a moment. Verve has got such a unique style that they are always refreshing even when there are already something like it already out there. shopVerve

Well, here are my cards for the challenge sketches this week. I'm not going to talk much about them except show them off here. If you would like the materials details please visit my SCS gallery.

I ran across the Stampin' Up Tags and More set and saw the dragonfly stamp. I thought it might go well with the Whimsy Tree from Verve. I think it does.



I used some leftover handmade background paper from a previous card and my new Nestabilities Oval Scallop and Oval dies. I meant this to be a sympathy card but once I got those ribbons on the card I had to change it to a Birthday Wishes. This worked out to be an option for a Verve Diva Giveaway during Verve's release party this week.



I needed a sympathy card so I went to the next release sketch and again using some leftover handmade background paper pulled this one together.



This card is a NO layer card. It started out as a CAS card for another Diva Giveaway for Verve's Release Week and I just didn't know if I should put a layer on it or not. I decided not to add a layer.



This card was made with another leftover patterned paper that has been begging to get used. So I just started making shapes in other scraps of colors until I got what I liked.



Using all these leftovers and scraps you would think that I'd less to use in my scrap pile, but there is still way more than I'll ever be able to use up.

August Viva La Verve...

is in full swing.

Here is my second week card for Amber's Viva La Verve challenge with a {twist} of CASE a Verve Diva.

I searched the Verve Diva gallery and found lots of cards I wanted to CASE. Some of them for color, some for sketch, but I decided to do this card by diva Susan Liles. I meant to just use the sketch and as I got into the designing I found myself copying the details rather than the sketch. As weird as it may seem to some of you, I love to piece something together one small space at a time. This card took me a few days to get done because I knew I wanted to do the tri-flower background images and I had to get them stamped and colored THEN cut out. I really love how they came out.



Card Details:
Stamps: Beautiful Kindness, Wishful Elegance, Floral Symphony, SU Rough Edge Alphas, Background Sampler, HA Brushstrokes
Paper: LSS Haute Red, SU Chocolate Chip and Basic Black
Ink: StazOn Timber Brown, Ranger Walnut Stain Ink, Ruby Red, Creamy Caramel, Summer Sun, Prismacolor Markers
Accessories: Nestabilities Circle and Scallops, SU circle punch, AC Button Chestnut collection, AC Brown ribbon, DMC 535 Floss Thread, Sissix Tiny Leaves Die

Reminisce of Days with Dad

Good Monday Morning!

I needed to make a card for my dad so I could get it out in the mail in time for his birthday this week and I finally got to inking up paper by Sunday night past my bedtime. Eeeks! Why so late getting started? I've been busy sewing up blankets for my church's baby dedication program. I've volunteered my time to make up a stash of blankets and it's turned out to be more than I can handle alone. So a few months ago I was offered some help and now I have some wonderful ladies helping me with them. I needed to get a few to a point where they could take off with the crochet trim and that kept me out of the craft room. {Thanks CJS and LS!} I'll post a picture when we are done. I can't wait to show you! Okay, back to the card!



This card is a stretch in my artistic talents. I've gone away from staying in the sketch lines and consider it an official Janelle collage. For some reason I wanted the card to look aged and that got me thinking that I might be able to find some images to symbolize memories I have with my dad. I started with the Midnight Madness Challenge #13 Sketch. I jumped into my fave photo editing software and started typing things that I remember of my time with dad. I made that into a background for the card. I found all these cool images on some CD's I have for clipart. I resized them , added an aged newspaper Effect on them and printed them out on a Laser printer. I cut them out and distressed the edges with scissors, Ranger Tea Dye and Walnut Ink stain pads and then I bent, tore and sponged some more. All of these are adhered with my i {heart} paper's ISP (i {stick} papers) tape and the used car ad and typewriter are popped up with SU! dimensionals. The sentiment is stamped with two different Verve sets (Dad's Day and Wishful Elegance) three different times for each word. I used my SU! Write Chocolate Chip marker as the ink. I die cut the sentiment with Nestabilities Large Labels die and framed it with black cardstock. Popped up a set of keys with EK Success Pop Dots (but the squares) and finished it off with photo corners in the four corners of the card.

I rarely do anything to the inside of the card, but I had an extra image to use up and I spent the time changing the name from Bill to Ed. I felt obligated to use it since I spent so much time on it. LOL

The images are from Art Explosion 600,000 by Nova Development Corporation 1998, except for the text behind the military man and the background paper where I used a free font called "My Own Font".

Thanks for stopping by!

It's Mojo Contest Week again!

Hello all! I am here again with a card for Julee's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge. It's the beginning of the month and that means Contest week. Go on over to the MojoMonday blog and join in on the fun.

After this weekend's blog hop with Verve Diva's and fans show extreme vervelicious cards and projects, I felt like I needed a crafting break. Don't misinterpret that to mean I'd had enough of the Verve-y goodness, it was just a case of carpal tunnel from all the mouse clicking and typing in comments. LOL. The crafting break lasted a whole 24 hours. LOL. I saw this week's sketch for MojoMonday and my finger's started fidgeting for ink and stamps. I refrained from starting anything for one more day until I talked to my mom Tuesday afternoon. She was discouraged about not finding a good greeting card for welcoming new clergy to the church (We need some Verve style Welcome stamps for any occasion.). She hinted that she wished she had some homemade cards from her daughter. I took the bait. The catch was that she needed it for this weekend and she lives two states away. I was up all night! LOL It is now in the mail and hopefully will reach her in time.

Okay. Now for the card.



My mother made up a money bouquet and added some silk flowers in Fuschia, Purple, and Gold. That was the inspiration for my card colors.

Hope you enjoy it. It was a blast to make it.

Card Ingredients:
Stamps: Floral Symphony, Petals and Stems, Kevinandamanda.com font
Ink: Prismacolor markers, Brilliance Tuxedo Black, Laser printer
Paper: Mohawk CC/98 Smooth White, LSS purple and gold, SU Cranberry Crisp, Basic Black
Accessories: Sissix Lattice texturz plate and Tags die, CB D'Vine Swirls EF, Glossy Accents, Nestabilities Circle and Labels 3, Offray Island Blue Grosgrain Ribbon, Yellow-Orange grosgrain ribbon, Black buttons and button thread, KaiserCrafts black rhinestones.

Midnight Madness during the day

**(If you're looking for the Verve Blog Hop go here.)**

I've decided to try out a new challenge. I was attracted to the Midnight Madness challenge because it seemed to fit me and when I do most of my stamping. Funny thing is, I stamped this entry during the day. HA!

I've been wanting to go bright lately. I think it's to just get the last days of summer feel out of my system before we quickly head into fall with school starting at the end of the month. Time flies by in the summer.

I digress. The blog that you can view the challenge, you have until the midnight ET to enter, is here.

Card Details:

Stamps: SU Love Ya Bunches, Verve Fluttering By
Ink: Basic Black, Brilliant Blue, Brilliance Tuxedo Black, Prismacolor Avocado and Lt Olive Green
Paper: LSS White, Astrobright Blue Copy Paper, Making Memories B/W Designer Paper Pack
Accesories: SU Mellow Moss Grosgrain ribbon, Offray Island Blue Grosgrain, Sissix Tween Daisies Emboss Plate, Sissix Flowers Layers #3 die, Ticket corner punch, Buttons (unknown), Black Button Thread

Let's Celebrate Plain Jane Style!

There is an Anni-Verve-Sary party going on today! Verve Stamp Company is 2 years old! The hop started at Verve's blog, so come hop on board and see over 5 dozen projects that are sure to get your Verve on!

I've been waiting for the right time to blog about this project and when the opportunity came to join in the anniversary blog hop for Verve I knew it was time.

My blog hop project today uses all Plain Jane Bible verses from Verve. I saw this project at Susan Roberts gallery on Splitcoaststampers and went to her blog to get the details. I decided to make one for my mother as a Christmas present...in 2008. Yep, I just now finished it and I have the blog hop to thank. Using sketches would have made this a whole lot faster. LOL



The two cards shown in the picture above use the latest Plain Jane release for Psalm 121:1-2 (hanging on box) and Hebrews 11:1 (in front of box). And I'll give the details below, but first here's a slide show of the whole year.




Hebrews 11:1 Card Details:

Ingredients:
Stamps: PJ Hebrews 11:1, Up, Up and Away, CTMH True Happiness (grass)
Ink: Brilliance Tuxedo Black, SU! More Mustard, Ruby Red, Garden Green (Sponged on tree), Old Olive (sponged hill and grass)
Paper: Brocade Blue, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Mohawk CC/98 Bright White Smooth
Accessories: Sissix Texturz Plate Tween Lattice, SU! Jumbo Pewter Eyelets, Nestabilities Classic Large Circle, SU! Pastels (Ruddy Red, Mustard, Green, Dark Brown on Balloon), 3 different dimensionals (thick square pop dots, SU! dimensionals and 3M 1/8" foam)

Psalm 121:1-2 Card Details:

Ingredients:
Stamps: PJ Psalm 121:1-2
Ink: Brilliance Tuxedo Black and Brocade Blue Old Olive and Ranger Tea Dye Ink (brayed onto respective SU! cardstock for flower and lattice edge), Creamy Caramel and chocolate chip (Smoosh emboss technique bg paper)
Paper: Mohawk CC/98 Bright White Smooth, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: MS Hydrangea 3-in-1 and Hydrangea punches, EK Success Arched Lattice edger punch, CB Script EF, SU! Jumbo Pewter Eyelets, Nestabilities Labels Large, Stickles Frosted Lace, SU! Chocolate Chip Grosgrain ribbon.

A note about the flowers. I wanted to wear down the fibers in the paper so they would resemble Prima flowers. My attempt was feeble in getting a soft look, but they still go well with the aged look of the background paper. After crumpling up the paper I laid it flat and brayed matching ink onto it giving dimension to the paper. I punched them out and then sponged Old Olive on the edges of both colored flowers. A spent blossom on a hydrangea turns green. My flowers are in the process. LOL I sponged Ranger Tea Dye ink around the edges, then did the same to the lattice border.

The only thing I'd change would be to make the "seam" in the background look like two pages by layering a second one on top of the other. Unfortunately I already put the eyelet on and didn't want to waste a great background and eyelet.

Next Hop:
Thanks for stopping by. You're next jump is over at Amy Sheffer's blog, Pickled Paper Designs. She has the most amazing projects and I'm sure she will have us all in awe! Have fun!

Update: I made up a sketch sheet for myself so I can make more of these to send to other family members. I'd like to share that with you if you decide to make this box. There's nothing special to the sketches I used, but coming up with them was the hardest part. LOL