Good Things From Brighter Days

 

If I get this posted on time, it may be the first time or at least the first time in a long time that I’ve been able to get all of a month’s sketches done and posted.  Yeah for me!  This card is for my youngest daughter.  She’s been having a difficult time post graduate school with work, studying for a national licensing exam to be a pediatric nurse practitioner, and dealing with migraine headaches while looking for a new job to use her new skill set.  Whew, it makes me tired just to think about it!  She’s a wonderful, caring young lady and I know that the Lord has the perfect job for her out there even if she can’t see it right now!  Please be praying for her!  Her licensing exam is coming up on July 9^th!  My girl is a girly girl but very modern so while I went with flowers I did try to go with some more graphic papers but you can’t put down your style too much.  I love those Starry Dies.  I wanted to add a bit more sparkle to the card and with this being the week of the 4^th of July, stars were just the thing!  Have a wonderful week and holiday!  God Bless the USA!

·       Stamp set(s):  Verve – Brighter Days & Dream Big

·       Ink(s):  Memento – Tuxedo Black; Stampin’ Up! – Melon Mambo & Wild Wasabi

·       Paper:  Stampin’ Up! – Wild Wasabi; American Crafts – Amy Tangerine Yes Please 6x6 Pad; X-Press Blending Card; The Paper Studio – Champagne Glitter Paper

·       Dies & Embossing folders:  Verve – A Cut Above – Scalloped Flower & Starry Die; Stampin’ Up! – Cloudy Day EF (ret.)

·       Embellishments/Other things of note:  Copic Markers – RV29, R32, & $11  

Many Blessings,

Donna



Welcome Baby with Viva la Verve

 



          Our church family has grown by two precious little ones in the past few weeks so I needed to send some cards out to welcome the new additions to the church!  The first card goes to the family with the little girl since ladies go first!

·       Stamp set(s):  Verve – Be Blessed; Stampin’ Up! – Petite Pairs

·       Ink(s):  Stampin’ Up! – Strawberry Slush & So Saffron

·       Paper:  Stampin’ Up! – Very Vanilla, Strawberry Slush, So Saffron & Lucky Limeade (ret.); My Minds’ Eye – Bloom & Grow Eye Candy (2009)

·       Dies & Embossing folders:  A Cut Above by Verve – Petal Points Die, Sprightly Sprigs & Banner Bundles; Stampin’ Up! – Sizzlits – Beautiful Wings; Spellbinders – Labels 10; Provocraft – Polka Dots EF

·       Embellishments/Other things of note:  Stampin’ Up! – Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon(ret.)  & Subtles Candy Dots; Verve – Shine Bright Sequin Mix   

         If you have read any of my past blog posts, you know that I am a self-confessed paper hoarder.  I buy paper with one project in mind, especially the older papers when I thought I was going to be doing a lot of scrapbooking, and then don’t want to use it.  But this piece of paper was a single piece of this lovely collection hanging around in my Scrap Rack so I pulled it out.  I love the sketch that Chaitali did for this week and had some trial and error coming up with the curve for the papers.  I found that the Spellbinders Labels 10 cut the paper to the curve and size I wanted when the width was 4 1/8”.
          I’d been really wanting to pull out my newly arrived Be Blessed set and those lovely flowers.  Add some greenery using the Sprightly Sprigs die, a butterfly, some sequins, ribbon and my new candy dots from Stampin’ Up! for the flower centers.  I love those things.  Just got those in for the first time from SU.  They will be a regular from now on.  They are so easy to use and love them with flowers.

 

For my second card, I had a little boy to welcome into the world so I changed up the colors, kept the layout the same and changed up the elements a bit.  Here are the supplies that I used:

·       Stamp set(s):  Stampin’ Up! – Petite Pairs

·       Ink(s):  Stampin’ Up! – Bermuda Bay & Rich Razzleberry

·       Paper:  Stampin’ Up! – Whisper White, Old Olive, Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzleberry, & Daffodil Delight; Basic Grey – Lemonade Picnic Table (2009)

·       Dies & Embossing folders:  Cut Above by Verve – Banner Bundle, Sprightly Sprigs; Spellbinders – Labels 10; Stampin’ Up!  - Embosslits/Sizzlits, Beautiful Wings, Buttons #5,  Floral Fusion & Chevron EF                                  

·       Embellishments/Other things of note:  Stampin’ Up! – Brights Collections Buttons, Jewels Basic Rhinestones & Lucky Limeade Bakers Twine (ret.)

         I wanted to make a less feminine card yet keep it young since a baby whether boy or girl is such a precious soft bundle with no hard edges.  So I used some less traditional colors but still added some softer touches, after all butterflies are still technically bugs!  LOL  Instead of flowers, I used some button dies and a simple flower with a button center for some layer and depth.

I know that this is a longer post than usual but with the cards being so similar, I wanted to post them together.  I hope you’ve enjoyed your visit!

May you and your family have a safe and blessed 4^th of July as we celebrate our nation’s birthday!

Many Blessings,

Donna

 

Thinking of You with WPlus9 Design Studio

 

          A few months ago, I won a prize package from Papercrafts & Scrapbooking Magazine valued at about $150.  In that prize package were 2 WPlus9 items – Very Vintage Florals and a matching die for the label/frame stamp in the set.  As you can see by many of my posts, not only am I using a lot of Pear Pizazz card stock – probably my favorite green, but I am also making my own floral patterned paper by using stamps to make my own.  Love this idea!  I love florals – it is a theme on my blog, lol – but making my own matching papers is just perfect for me.  Every attempt is different!

          I needed 3 cards – two for my church card ministry and one for us to send.  So I played and these 3 cards were what I came up with.  I thought that the ODBD Corrie ten Boom quote was appropriate for all 3 cards though I just now realized that by using the same sentiment on the inside, I gave away my identity to the recipient of 2 cards – one from the church and one from me and my husband!  Little slow there!  LOL  All 3 cards measure 4¼” by 5½” with one having a different orientation than the other 2.

·       Stamp set(s):  WPlus9 – Very Vintage Florals; Our Daily Bread Designs – Corrie ten Boom (inside of all 3 cards); 2^nd & 3^rd card, inside:  Stampin’ Up! – Flowering Flourishes; Papertrey Ink – Delightful Dahlia Additions

·       Ink(s):  Stampin’ Up! – 1^st Card:  Rose Red, Blushing Bride & Pear Pizazz; 2^nd & 3^rd Card – Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Pear Pizazz & Garden Green

·       Paper:  1^st card: Stampin’ Up! – Rose Red, Whisper White, & Pear Pizazz; 2^nd & 3^rd Card: Stampin’ Up! – Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder & Pear Pizazz

·       Dies & Embossing folders:  WPlus9 – Labels Layers 3 Die

·       Embellishments/Other things of note:  1^st Card: Stampin’ Up! - Rose Red Seam Binding Ribbon (ret.); 2^nd & 3^rd Card – White ribbon from stash; sequins; Stampin' Up! - Basic Jewels Rhinestones

          The making of the two different pattern papers were the most time consuming especially with the smaller floral from the WPlus9 set.  I made a whole page with the PTI images that you’ve seen in previous posts.  I played around with placement on this one.  This is one of the few times recently that I haven’t had a sketch to use for the layout.  Fairly simple card to make with all of the nice elements in the focal stamp set.  The WPlus9 set can be layered up to create different looking flowers for a really pretty effect.  I will use this one a lot, I think especially the frame.  The photopolymer stamp allows you to mount a sentiment from the set inside the frame and stamp both the frame and sentiment at the same time.  Really nice!!!

          Thank you for taking a look at my creations.  Please feel free to browse around my blog!

Many Blessings,

Donna

Beautfy For Ashes (VLVJune2014, wk1)

          I was in need of another sympathy card this week for my church card ministry.  Always a sad time for our families when they lose a loved one, but she is now waiting for them on the other side of the veil; they will be reunited!  I seem to be in my purple faze right now so again, I did a purple flower but this time, I had the dies to cut it out! 

          My care is 4¼” by 5½” with a left hand fold.  I did use the Viva la Verve June 2014 week 1 sketch for this and was also going to enter it in the Wings Diva Dare, but I did not have the time to get it posted.  Too, too busy!

·       Stamp set(s):  Verve – Scripture Medley 1 & Chevron Love; Papertrey Ink – Delightful Dahlia Addition; Stampin’ Up! – Simply Sketched (Hostess, retired on inside)

·       Ink(s):  Stampin’ Up! – Pear Pizazz, Wisteria Wonder & Elegant Eggplant

·       Paper:  Stampin’ Up! – Whisper White, Pear Pizazz, & Elegant Eggplant

·       Dies & Embossing folders:  Verve – All A Flutter; Papertrey Ink – Delightful Dahlia Die; Stampin’ Up! – Adorning Accents Edgelits & Bigz Top Note

·       Embellishments/Other things of note:  Stampin’ Up! – Buttons Vintage Faceted; Recollections - Pearls   

          My card was fairly straight forward as I followed the sketch.  The focal image of the scripture was a bit bigger than the sketch, but I really wanted to use the Top Note die with its stitching and the gorgeous blooms from Papertrey Ink’s Dahlias.  I tried to do the 3 layer stamping on the images without success.  I just need to play with the some more and find the PTI tutorial on the image again!  I’m always open to suggestions!  The pattern paper for the back ground is made from stamping the dahlia images onto Whisper White card stock.  I really love making my own background papers at times to get the perfect match!

          That’s all for now.  Thanks so much for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment as I love hearing your feedback!

 

Many Blessings,

Donna

 

Viva la Verve June 2014 Fathers' Day

 

          Would anybody believe that I have made a card without one bit of bling?  I can do it when it’s for the very special man in my life, my husband Thom.  I really appreciate his love, deep caring and responsibility he displays as a loving husband, father and stepfather!  He leads our family like the man of God he is.  When I first saw this Jeremiah 17:7, I knew that I had to get it for this Fathers’ Day!  It is a perfect sentiment to describe this man of mine!  Thank You, Lord, for the gift of a loving husband and father!

          I used the Viva la Verve June 2014 week 2 sketch!  I really love the off angle panels, but they are a challenge for me; I like how the panels turned out!  I did take a little license with the sketch to accommodate the scripture’s size using the ovals with a mat, and the banner was moved to the back of the sentiment panel!  My card is 4¼” by 5½” with a left side fold.  I will be posting this to Splitcoaststampers, VLV June 2014 and the Verve Diva Dare, “A Man’s World”.

·       Stamp set(s):  Verve – Jeremiah 17:7 Plain Jane; Stampin’ Up! – Oh, Hello

·       Ink(s):  Stampin’ Up! – Night of Navy & Real Red

·       Paper:  Stampin’ Up! – Night of Navy, Sahara Sand & Real Red card stock; Denim Stars and Stars on Gray – from my old stash – I mean seriously old!!  LOL

·       Dies & Embossing folders:  Verve – Starry Die & Banner Bundle; Lifestyle Crafts – Nesting Ovals; Stampin’ Up! – Square Lattice Embossing Folder   

          Once I decided on how to accommodate the size of the scripture that I chose for this card, I needed to up the color quotient from the navy and gray colors.  I little pop of red for the banner really livened things up without one bit of bling!  BUT, it still needed a touch of color and some embellishment.  I pulled out the Stampin’ Up! Oh, Hello set that has a chevron oval stamp in it.  I inked it up in Real Red & Night of Navy; they were stamped on the Sahara Sand cardstock and used the Starry Die to cut out the stars.  I also cut out some stars in the Real Red and layered them as you see them.

          I am very pleased with this afternoon’s time in my craft room, and it is done a day early!  Even better!  Thanks so much for stopping by and looking at my take on this week’s VLV sketch. 

Many Blessings,

Donna



MOJO 348 Pink & Girly Birthday

 

          Well, it’s another MOJO Monday contest week and here I am trying to try my hand again at winning some free Verve!  I have become such a fan of this company.  Love their stamps with coordinating dies!  Absolutely brilliant!

          With this MOJO I am doing something a little different – practicing to be a grandmother maybe?????  We have a birthday party to go to for a 3 year old on Sunday and at the same time a going away party for this small family who is moving to Korea for 3 years.  I decided to use this retired Stampin’ Up! stamp set.  After finding the paper with the flowers for the background, I decided to use my newly acquired Dream Big scalloped flowers that perfectly imitate the flowers in the patterned paper.  So exciting when this comes together!  In order to make it all work, I rotated the elements a bit to make the design come together on a horizontal orientation.  My card is 5½” by 4 ¼” with a bottom opening.

·       Stamp set(s):  Verve – Dream Big; Stampin’ Up! – Moving Forward (retired)

·       Ink(s):  Stampin’ Up!  – Strawberry Slush

·       Paper:  Stampin’ Up! – Whisper White & Strawberry Slush card stock; My Mind’s Eye – Pretty Please “Full of Flowers” (2009) – yes, I am a paper hoarder!  LOL

·       Dies & Embossing folders:  Verve – Scalloped Flowers Die & Banner Bundle Die;  Spellbinders – Labels 8

·       Embellishments/Other things of note:  Verve – Shine Bright Sequin Mix (Love this product!)   

         I really love the new scalloped flowers on the Dream Big stamp set with the coordinating dies.  I made a 2 layer flower and put a little scalloped flower punched out of glitter paper for the center.  I added the bird and bird flight path to the focal image of the balloon; scatter a few of these lovely, shiny sequins, and my little girl birthday card is done.  I think it turned out really cute and very pink.  The little girl that this card is going to is a bit of a tomboy so I thought the pink dirigible was a perfect compromise.  I hope her mom and dad like my tribute to their 3 year old bundle of energy!

 Please hang with me on my blog.  I am still dealing with a few health issues making me slow way down, but allergy season will soon be behind us!  Thank you God!  Pollen doesn’t last forever!   Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.  Please feel free to let me know what you think!

 

Many Blessings,

Donna



Stippled Sympathy

It is always so sad for us when a loved one dies.  My son-in-law lost his mother to complications from a brain tumor earlier this month.  She was a great lady though I had only met her when Joshua’s family were in NC when our daughter and Joshua were married 4 years ago this month.  Joshua’s parent have been living in Hong Kong since shortly after that so Joshua had not seen much of his mother so her passing was difficult.  I asked the Lord about the colors to use and believe that I heard purple so that is what I brought out.  My daughter says that her mother-in-law’s favorite color was purple.  Thank you, Lord!

Because this is for a special family member, I wanted the card to express some of what I think Josephine’s personality was and for Joshua to think of his mom at her best when he saw the card.  The Stippled Blossom stamp set from Stampin’ Up! is one of my favorites.  I would probably use it more often if there was a coordinating die for it.  I don’t like to fussy cut but I did since this was for Joshua and our daughter.  I used the VLV May sketch from week one for this and will enter my card there as well as at the May Diva Dare Petals & Wings challenge at the Verve Blog.  My card is 4¼” by 5½” though I did make a slightly larger envelope to accommodate the layers of the card. 

·        Stamp set(s):  Stampin’ Up! – Stippled Blossoms and Thoughts & Prayers

·       Ink(s):  Stampin’ Up! – Garden Green, Perfect Plum, Pear Pizazz & Elegant Eggplant

·       Paper:  Stampin’ Up! – Very Vanilla, Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, & Pear Pizazz; Anna Griffin c. 2001 (LOL) lavender roses(?)

·       Dies & Embossing folders:  Stampin’ Up! – Beautiful Wings Embosslits & Lacy Brocade EF

·       Embellishments/Other things of note:  Stampin’ Up! – Basic Jewels Rhinestones; Ribbon 

          I did take a few liberties with the sketch.  Instead of washi tape, I used ribbon at the top and bottom on the sentiment square for a more formal look.  I also dressed it up with the fussy cut blossoms and leaves, bow and some butterflies.  I wanted the card to suit the feeling I was trying to evoke from the card when viewed.  I also added an extra layer and matted the sentiment square.  The butterflies were layered as well!  I added some rhinestones at the center of each blossom and each butterfly for the butterfly body!

          I am very pleased with the result and lovingly sent it on its way so that it would be at home when he returned from Honk Kong.  Thankfully, we will all be reunited when we are all home with the Lord so we will see her again!  Knowing Jesus helps us to get past our grief as we know that our good bye is temporary! 

Many Blessings,
Donna

 

Words of Wisdom for my Graduate!



 

          We are getting ready to do some celebration this weekend!  A year ago our oldest daughter Rachel received her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from East Carolina University, and this weekend, our other and younger daughter receives her Master of Science in Nursing – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – from UNC-Chapel Hill.  Both were strenuous programs, but Rebecca’s program was part-time while she worked full time as a nurse at UNC Children’s Hospital while battling migraines and sleep disturbances made worse by shift work.

I had to do this card in pinks and greens after Rebecca and I spent some time together last week.  We had a fun time looking for some things at Michael’s (in pink and green, of course) for her to do some jewelry making so here is my offering.  My card is 5” by 6” and I used the MOJO344 Sketch.  I’ll also be posting this at May Diva Dare “Petals and Wings” as well as the Font Focus May 2014 Inspiration Challenge over at the Verve blog!

·       Stamp set(s):  Verve – Lean on Me & Faith Medley; Heartfelt Creations – Door to my Heart

·         Ink(s):  Stampin’ Up! – Rose Red & Pear Pizazz(edges)

·       Paper:  Primrose Petals, Rose Red & Pear Pizazz; Basic Grey – Inviting & Raspberry Syrup from the Hello Luscious Collection 

·       Dies & Embossing folders:  Verve – Pointed Flower Dies; Spellbinders – Becky Fleck Page Maps Tags & Flags; Stampin’ Up! – Bitty Banner Framelits, Beautiful Wings Embosslits, Little Leaves Sizzlets and Elegant Lines embossig folder;

·       Embellishments/Other things of note:  Copic Sketch – Y18 (coloring pearls); Martha Stewart – Flower Bunch Corner Punch & Flower Bunch Large Punch Around the Page;  Recollections – Faux Pearls; Artful Minds – Sequins; Stampin’ Up! – Basic Jewels Pearls Large and Pear Pizazz seam binding ribbon

         I really liked this sketch by Julee!  It really worked well with the elements I wanted to use for Rebecca’s card.  I punched around 2 sides of the solid cardstock in the Basic Grey paper and inked the edges with Pear Pizazz ink.  The patterned paper square was embossed with the Elegant Lines EF to add some texture behind my focal sentiment.  The sentiment was stamped with Rose Red ink onto Primrose petals cardstock.  This sentiment is one of my favorite scriptures and fit really well for my graduate’s graduation.  I also used Rose Red ink for the “Congratulations” and the pretty flowers from the Lean on Me stamp set (and coordinating die to cut them out) at the bottom of the tag.  Scatter a few sequins for the bling my daughter loves, a pearl here and there with a few pretty butterflies in green, and the card was done!

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit my blog today.  I haven’t been as active lately but still hoping to get back here more regularly as time allows!
 

Donna

PS:  I just noticed that I missed using some sequins at the bottom of the punched border flowers.  I fixed those.  Not enough time to go back and retake the pics with a busy weekend ahead.  J

Apothecary Art Wedding

           I was in need of a wedding card last week when one of my husband’s co-workers got married.  I knew right away that I wanted to use this Apothecary Art stamp with its really lovely roses and its beautiful shape.  Yellow roses are perhaps one of my favorite colors of roses because they just speak of old time sentiment for a wedding gift – at least to me anyway!  Since I already had the Framelits in mind, I decided to also use the largest of this set to make a shaped card for this very special occasion!  My card measures 5½” by 4¼” approximately!  Here are the details for what I used to make my card!

·       Stamp set(s):  Stampin’ Up! – Apothecary Art & Sweet Essentials

·       Ink(s):  Stampin’ Up! – Pear Pizazz, Stampin’ Write Markers in Daffodil Delight & Pear Pizazz; Memento – Tuxedo Black

·       Paper:  Stampin’ Up! – Whisper White, Daffodil Delight & Pear Pizazz 

·       Dies & Embossing folders:  Heartfelt Creations – Decorative Lace Border; Stampin’ Up! – Labels Collection Framelits & Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder

·       Embellishments/Other things of note:  Stampin’ Up! – Basic Jewels Rhinestones

I cut the Pear Pizazz cardstock to size and then die-cut the Lace Border die.  I simply love this die.  I don’t know why I don’t use it more often!  I wanted a little bit of lacey elegance to go with the beautiful rose wreath on the focal point of the card and also to let some of that wonderful Pear Pizazz to show through.  After cutting out the lace border I then lined it up with the card base and cut it out to fit on top of the card base and behind the focal point of the card.

  I stamped the center part of the image again and stamped the bride & groom on the banner part.  I fussy cut it out and popped it up over the same image over the colored image.  I selected a sentiment from Verve for the inside that is a quote from the Song of Solomon.  I’m loving the outcome for a simple card that was stepped up with that lovely yellow lace.

 Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and look at my card.  I appreciate your time.  I would love to hear from you if you have a moment to let me know what you think!

Many Blessings,

Donna

Rejoicing On Your Birthday with Viva la Verve

          My husband has a birthday this week so using the Viva la Verve April 2014, week 3 sketch, I went to work.  I kept it to 3 colors – Tempting Turquoise on/over Whisper White cardstock with a splash of Wild Wasabi for the leaf flourishes.  I did add a little bit of glam with some glitter cardstock ‘cause I just couldn’t help myself!  LOL  I did make a little change to the sketch just to make the elements fit!  I am going to make an envelope because I have added dimension with the frame, heart and foliage.  The dimensions of the card are 4¼” by 5½”.  I kept the card simple and graphic so as not to overwhelm my wonderful man with “pink” stuff on his card!  Gotta love it!

·       Stamp set(s):  Verve – Chevron Love & Scripture Medley 1

·       Ink(s):  Stampin’ Up! – Tempting Turquoise

·       Paper:  Stampin’ Up! – Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise & Wild Wasabi; The Paper Studio – Aqua Solid Glitter Paper – and it is a perfect match for Tempting Turquoise!!!

·       Dies:  Verve – Heart Quartet & Wavy Hearts Die; Spellbinders – Classic Rectangles Large, Classic Ovals Large, Classic Scalloped Ovals Large and Foliage Shapeabilities

This Tempting Turquoise by Stampin’ Up! just pops off the Whisper White cardstock.  I really love the clean, graphic feel this gives the card.  I did have to keep it from getting girly - or as my husband says, Pink, and I think I almost achieved that.  I did a little change to the sketch by moving my window up and centering it at the top on 3 sides which gave me a bit more room at the bottom.  I stamped the sentiment and then popped up the blue cardstock on top of the white.  The Chevron Heart is popped up.  I took 3 more hearts and scattered them on the card to accent the sentiment.  I tucked the foliage behind the bottom of the frame and added some individual leaves that you see peeking out around the heart and the sentiment.  I choose the Wild Wasabi for its more subtle green, but I could have done them out of another shade of blue, but I think the green brings more contrast into the overall feel of the project

 I worked with the two sentiments from the Chevron Love SS to get them aligned on my clear blocks.  It took several tries but the inside sentiment looks like it’s one stamp instead of two.  The fonts are the same so it worked out beautifully!  I chose to go tone on tone with stamping the inside sentiment and hearts to keep it simple and cohesive!

 Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by my home on the web!  I hope that you have enjoyed what you’ve seen and read.  Please feel free to leave a comment.

Many Blessings,

Donna