Viva la Verve & Virginia's Layers/Dimension Challenge

I wanted to play along with the Viva la Verve Sketch this weekend! All weekend I have been trying but alas I was unwell and unable to craft! After sleeping a lot this weekend, I finally got the chance to craft tonight. I wanted to play with Virginia Lu's challenge-to use layers/dimension. I created a floral card using some retired Stampin' Up and a sentiment from Verve- Poppy Birthday. 

I love colouring with my Copics and tried to keep everything fairly simple. The papers are from Lawn Fawn. I picked them up at Paper Issues. I love that online store!

CAS(E) this Sketch #100 {Sparkle}

Wow! Today is our 100th Challenge over at CAS(E) this Sketch! I love being on this team! It is my chance to just make a card and play! The team have created awesome samples to inspire you but I have to admit, this challenge was really challenging for me...I LOVE the sketch, but I struggled.

I think I just over-thought it! In the end, I realized that something sticking out from the top of the card or the bottom would work; then I saw my poinsettia stamp! I inked it up in Silver ink and then embossed it with clear embossing powder. The poinsettia is a Stampin' Up stamp and the sentiment comes from one of my all time favourite MFT stamp sets. I don't think either stamp is available anymore!

I was inspired by the cue card at Casology to create a CAS Christmas card or tag! I also was inspired to use the sentiment because of the shiny silver embossing which in turn was inspired by Virginia's Challenge to use Metallic on my card!

SugarPea Designs 2014 Holiday Release {Day 1}

Welcome to Day 1 of SugarPea Designs 2014 Holiday Release - our LARGEST release yet and all just in time for the holiday crafting season!!  Today we are extremely excited to start Sneak Peek Week off with the introduction of Sugar Cuts (our Brand NEW line of wafer-thin steel dies) and our Sweet Chic Collection of clear stamp sets – all designed by our very own Simonne Clay.  Simonne’s graphic and playful style shines through everything she does– and we know you are going to love it just as much as we do.   

I absolutely LOVE that we now have dies at SugarPea Designs and these dies are absolutely perfect for making the most adorable "sweet treats" for Christmas!!! Anyone who knows me understands that I am OVER THE TOP when it comes to Christmas!!! I LOVE making Christmas cards and tags and decorating my home. It is a full on love affair with the holidays!!! So today I am sharing a pillow box, a tag and a matching card!

  

I made this card using the challenges at The Challenge.! I wanted to play along with Virginia's View Challenge which is to go Metallic and the Paper Issues Challenge is Happy Halloween but I was allowed to use just word HAPPY and Christmas makes me happy! SRM Kraft Pillow Boxes and Burlap bags also make me happy!!! So I am linking up there too! Christmas is the perfect time to use gold or silver and so I just had to get out some gold glimmer paper, some gold embossing powder and my heat gun!

These dies are SO sweet and they do the paper piercing for you!!! Love that my tag has the little pierced marks in it! Easy peasy!

I used  just the new tag and die cut a tag from the scrap paper left from my card. Then I added the same elements as the other two projects I made.

Don't forget…our entire Holiday Release will be available in the SugarPea Designs Online Boutique at 6:00 PM EST this Friday, November 7th. This are the items I used today to make my projects. I also used the pretty paper from Teresa Collins called Tinsel.

Would you like to WIN the Sweet Treats – Christmas and Layered Treat Labels stamp sets?!   Hop along and visit with our SugarPeas, leaving some comment love along the way!  One lucky person will be randomly selected to win BOTH the Sweet Treats – Christmas and Layered Treat Labels stamp sets!

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Viva la Verve & Virginia's View {Happy}

I am enjoying working with distress inks SO much. Where have I been? I think they are my new favourite ink and mixed with some glossy paper...well, let's just say I am in inky heaven! This is a photo I took of two cards I made on Friday-this is an Instagram photo!

My local craft store brought in Sweet Stamp Shop stamps. I was on the Sweet Design Team this past summer and in January, had the pleasure of meeting both Mr. & Mrs. Sweet! I was delighted to find out that these "sweet" stamps would be available close to home!

I was inspired by the colours at Viva la Verve...Pink, Gray and Green. That is what I used on my first card! The card base is a bright pink-Melon Mambo. I hope it is ok to use a different pink hue. I used a Tim Holtz stencil and added the 3 colours. Then I die cut a leaf and stamped the sentiment. I wanted to try the "skewed" panel sketch that I have been seeing around. I am usually a clean and layered kind of crafter but I am trying to move out of my comfort zone-so I can grow as a crafter.

Then I played with the images again and used the leaf's negative die cut space left from my first card and inked it up with blue and green. I allowed the colours to touch, to create a blended look. I am entering both cards in Virginia's View Challenge-to use stencils. On this particular card I created my own stencil from the die cut. 

A little DRAMA...and a lot of Mess equals one BIG Revelation...

Virginia Lu made me get messy! 

It was an adventure but I did it...and CASE this Sketch helped me get it done!

  

Virginia is asking for stenciling this month for her Virginia's View Challenge. I have just started dabbling with stencils and this was the gentle push I needed to play. Yesterday I purchased my very first Tim Holtz distress inks. I bought the mini inks...and got 12 colours. Then I purchased 2 stencils...now I have 4 stencils...this could easily become an addiction...or could it?

After watching a couple of videos online, I went about inking my paper and spritzing with water. Oops! Too much! Made a mess. Take 2. So I tried again...ink, water, stencil. YUCK. I even used my poor neglected heat gun. Yep, it was not pretty.

Enter Take 3. NO water. Duh. I mean...I am a beginner here so who am I kidding. Yep, I went ahead and just used ink with the stencil but now I have:

1. A few pieces of paper-mangled with ink and water
2. One melted stencil...I obviously need to take a refresher course on heat gun application.
3. Lots of ink everywhere. *grin*

But even after all that...I managed to make a card. It is not "spectacular" by any means in the realm of stenciled cards but it is a start and I am kinda proud. Yes...I feel elated and I actually want to try this again; mangled paper and all...

  

When I was done making my card I went back to my desk and low and behold...look at what I found...suddenly it dawned on me...those pieces were not mangled but rather little pieces of love that I might be able to use on another project in the future. WOW, my eyes could not believe the pretty little pieces I had created...who knew?

Virginia did!

Merry Monday #100 & Happy Anniversary to Us!

Happy St. Patty's Day and it is our 100th challenge over at Merry Monday! WOW! This week we are doing a special challenge where you can link up a Christmas card using Pink, Lime, White or the sketch or both! I decided to use the colours but not my sketch. Instead I used the fun sketch over at Sugar Pea Designs. I was also intrigued by Virginia Lu's new challenge called Virginia's View and the first challenge is to use watercolouring on your card...so I got out some inks and got them wet...I like the effect! I never would have tried this without Virginia's challenge! Thanks for the nudge, Virginia!!

I kept my card VERY simple and used all white to allow the poinsettia to hopefully pop! Then I stamped the sentiment onto some white paper and used my MFT banner dies to cut the sentiment out.

This stamp set was in the Stampin' Up holiday mini catalogue and I loved it so much. I believe it is retired now. I used some Pretty in Pink, Cameo Coral and some Lucky Limeade and Wild Wasabi for the inks with my Aqua Painter. The colours kind of bled into each other but I actually enjoyed the look they created. It was really fun...you should try this technique. I tried photographing my card differently using some natural light...what do you think? I am happy with how much truer the colours are showing! One day I will get better at taking photos of my cards!!

 

On a personal note...it is my 7 year anniversary with my sweet hubby, Corey. I love him more than anyone...it is that simple. He is true blue, hard working and hilarious! Not to mention, so stinkin' adorable! So happy St. Patty's Day everyone...and remember...

May the sun shine, all day long,
everything go right, and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
and may all the wishes you wish come true!