Thursday, May 29, 2014

Red, White, Blue

I saw on Facebook the new challenge for the Mod Squad Blog challenge for this week. The challenge is to make entries using red, white and blue in honor of the past Memorial Day celebrations. And, you know those colors are among my favorites as I use them a lot to make cards for Operation Write Home. So it was a natural thing for me to join in on this challenge.



For my card I used a Darice embossing folder called Honeycomb. I also took some red ink and sponged a bit around the edges and over the honeycomb design to accentuate it a bit more. I then added the embossed panel to a white card base.

That beautiful die from Heartfelt Creations is called Decorative Lattice Swirl and it was part of a prize package given to me recently. It was cut in white card stock but for this card I decided to ink it with Versamark embossing ink and then added Sparkle N Sprinkle Blueberry embossing powder which I heat set. I gave it three coats of this EP to make it more stable.

My flowers of choice were from the Gina K. Designs duo set called Especially for You. I colored them with my Spectrum Noir pens and then in the center I added multiple white pearls. My card was then finished by the addition of a white satin bow which was made with my Craft-Dee BowZ bow making tool.

I did not add a sentiment and instead thought this would be a card that might work for any occasion and for any gender.

I hope that you took time to honor our veterans past and present this last weekend. We owe so much to them for the service and sacrifice that they made. And, thanks for stopping by and I hope your day is going great!

God bless,
Verna


Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Pink & Gray

Today the Midweek Throwdown Color Challenge at Operation Write Home was to use the colors of Pink & Gray/Black in a card. Normally I don't find time to do these challenges but today I was inspired by the colors and decided to make a card using them and lots and lots of layers.


The stamps and pink card stock and the pattern paper used on this card are all from Gina. K. Designs. I added some more sponging of pink ink to the pattern paper to make it a bit brighter. And, the gray card stock is unknown but it has tiny flecks of glitter which are embedded so they don't rub off. I did the test on it and no problem at all.

The stamp set I used from Gina K. Designs is one of my favorites as not only does it have such a beautiful floral image but it has awesome little sentiments to go with it. It is called One In A Million. I stamped the image with Versafine Smokey Gray ink. Then I colored in the image with Marvy Le Plume water based markers. In each petal of the flowers I took and added some white ink with a white gel pen, I added gray pearls to the centers of the flowers. On the center narrow panel of layered papers I added white pearls.

I am entering this card in the Mix It Up Monday Stamp TV challenge in which we are to use seven layers or more. I am also adding my card to the Midweek Throwdown Challenge.

Thanks for looking. And, I love all the wonderful comments you leave.

God bless,
Verna

Monday, May 26, 2014

Seven Layers or More

Mix It Up Monday challenge for this week is to use seven layers or more. Well, I only did exactly seven and included the base of the card as one of the layers. And, since I was gifted those lovely brads from my Secret Santa this year I decided to go with the blue and white colors.


I used Gina K. Designs Pure Luxury white and denim blue card stock and also used Gina K. Designs denim blue dye ink. I really love that shade of blue...not quite a navy but not really a royal either. Really it is a wonderful color and looks even better in person. Believe me when I say that!

The stamped image is from the Fleur Di Lis set by Gina K. Designs and is illustrated by Beth Silaika. And, as I mentioned before, the brads were a gift from my friend Fenny and I don't know what company made them. I only know they worked super with the fleur di lis stamped image.

I think this goes to show that a fairly clean and simple card can look great with just a few extra layers added.

Thanks again for looking and I hope your week is an awesome one.

God bless,
Verna

Friday, May 23, 2014

Memorial Day

My thoughts this Memorial Day weekend go to all the family and friends and also military personnel who have gone on before. I just wanted them to know I have them in mind and that I remember them with love as well. It is not just a day to get together and enjoy an extra long weekend. It is a time of reflection and reliving memories and recalling our loved ones who have passed away.

In honor of Memorial Day I went with patriotic colors to create a card especially for our military members who served and made so many sacrifices so that we can enjoy our freedoms. Thanks so much for your service and also to their families who also made so many sacrifices as well.


I used images from the Gina K. Designs Lots of Lines set and the sentiment is from Gina K. Designs Spring Blessings set.

I hope that in honor of this day that you will go and visit the cemeteries, perhaps put some flowers on the graves and if possible, attend a special service at the cemeteries for our service people. And, if you do also have a family get together, then cherish them and show love to them for we never know how much longer we have together in this world.

This card will be entered into the Mod Squad Blog Challenge in which we had a sketch to follow for our card design. I thought it perfect with a card like I did for Memorial Day.

God bless,
Verna

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Shades of Brown

I decided to again enter the Mix It Up Monday challenge at StampTV in which we were challenged to use at least three shades of brown. I must admit I was a bit hesitant about such an assignment but the end results of this card was pleasantly surprising to me. I hope you like what I did too!


For this card I chose images from the Gina K. Designs Flowers Bloom set by Rupa Shevde. I love those silhouette stamps and when this challenge was posted I knew I wanted to use them. I also used dies from the Spellbinder Nestabilities Opulent Ovals set. I lightly sponged on some Kraft dye ink on each oval to give it a bit more dimension.

I incorporated ivory card stock for my card as that was considered a brown according to the challenge post. Other colors I used were Gina K. Designs Warm Cocoa, and Dark Chocolate. Inks used on the card were Gina K. Designs Warm Cocoa, Dark Chocolate and Kraft. 

I popped the two layers of oval die cuts and also the sentiment. My ribbon was made using my Craft-DeebowZ bow maker. I love that tool and found it to be the only way I could make a decent bow. I finished by adding some light brown pearl flower gems in each corner of the card.

Here is the inside of the card. I tried to tie the inside and outside designs together. I stamped off the flower image on scrap paper to make it lighter before I added it over the sentiment.


Well, I sure appreciate all who come by and look at what I have added to my blog. I don't know if I will get many more creative things done this week as I am pretty busy these days. Thanks for looking though!

 And thank the Lord.....it is warmer. In the middle 70's and so therefore, I finally planted my flowers. I hope the frost is well gone until Fall now.

God bless,
Verna




Thursday, May 15, 2014

Triple Time Stamping

I tried a triple time stamped card and I think I did it correctly. At any rate it was a challenge for a bit but I think I finally nailed it. It is good to try new things I guess. I think I had done a triple time stamped card once before so I guess it is not completely new to me.

For my panels I had a set of A2 size dies from Cheery Lynn Designs which had graduating panel sizes and they worked wonderfully. The smallest panel was done in white and then I had the next size panel in the navy. I followed up with the third size larger panel in white and again the next panel in the navy. I repeated the next size panel in white and that in turn was added to the base card.

All the white panels I lined up with equal margins and applied a tiny bit of adhesive to the back to hold them together. Once they were aligned up, I then stamped my design as if it were a single layer panel. When they were taken apart, I then glued them to the darker panel and was careful to try and align them in sync.


For my color choices I used navy, denim blue and turquoise. I was inspired by the colors of the gems I had received recently in a prize package so I decided they would work well together. As you can see the colors in the jewels line in the center do match quite well.

The fleur di lis images are from the Gina K. Designs set called Fleur Di Lis and is illustrated by Beth Silaika. Not only are the fleur di lis images from that set but the sentiment is as well. After assembling all the layers together, I then added the jewels and the ribbon. Since I used a navy/white duplex card stock for my card there was no need to line the inside with white.



My plans are to use this as a graduation card but I think it is a design that would work for many special occasions. I also think the fleur di lis images work for both a feminine or masculine card. This particular one will be for a young man.

I am entering this card in the Mod Squad Blog Challenge for this week in which we are challenged to make a triple time stamped card.

Have a great rest of the week everyone. I love hearing from you too and I appreciate each and every comment left on my blog.

God bless,
Verna

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Yee-Haw!

I just could not put it off any longer. I had to use the Out West 2 set from Gina K. Designs which was illustrated by Theresa Momber. Her wonderful designs and the way she stamps her scenes have always been an inspiration to me. So I decided to use some black to frame the colorful scene to make it "pop" more. I am going to enter this in the Mix It Up Monday challenge at Stamp TV in which we are challenged to make it "pop" with black.


I have been a long time fan of scene stamping and so it was a natural that I would want this set. This particular card will be used for a graduation card. The recipient comes from a family where they like horses a lot so I thought it to be very appropriate.

I used sponges to add the color and then stamped my scene over the sponged layout. By making it a late evening "sun down" sky it really made the solid black horses pop too!

To connect the outside with the inside I added some cacti images along with the sentiment.


I hope you enjoyed viewing my little scene card and I hope my graduate will love it as well!

Thanks for stopping by and for all the lovely comments too!

God bless,
Verna

Monday, May 12, 2014

Poppin' With Black

Greetings my friends. I hope you who were mothers had a wonderful Mother's Day! I know I was treated royally and got flowers and jewelry and many cards.  And we had some good eating too! That is always a fun thing about a family get together. Our family knows how to put out the feed bag for everyone to enjoy. LOL

Today I made a card for the Mix It Up Monday Challenge for this week at Stamp TV in which we were to make our cards pop with lots of black. I hope that I achieved that look with my card.


I stamped the flowers and the filler images with Gina K. Designs black ink. I then colored in the flowers with my Copics and tried to make it a mix of colors to maket a more brighter look. I also filled in the oval image which was cut with a Spellbinder die by sponging on some Gina K. Designs Ocean Mist ink. My card was layered onto a panel of Gina K. Black card stock and on two of the corners I added black and white plaid ribbon which I also purchased from Gina K. Designs. I added small complimentary gems to each corner before I adhered it to the Gina K. Designs Ocean Mist card base. The sentiment was inked in black and added to a panel of black card stock before placing on the oval panel. All images including the sentiment are from the Gina K. Designs set Wild Flowers by Melanie Muenchinger.

I am glad I got to stamp on this rainy and dreary cold spring day. Making some bright flowers really perked me up and made me feel the chill in the air a lot less. I hope you have a bright and beautiful day as well.
Thanks for stopping by.

God bless,
Verna

Friday, May 9, 2014

Soldier Mom

Since it is Mother's Day Sunday I decided to make a card that would work for a soldier mom but which could be used all year round. I didn't want it limited to just Mother's Day.


And, normally when one does a camouflage look one uses the normal tan, olive green and brown colors but for this particular card I took the camouflage background from Stampers Best and made it in more pinkish hues. I then took the boot stamp from Cottage Stampers, Inc. ( which is an old stamp, so not sure it is made anymore) and stamped it once in a deep pink, then masked it and stamped it again so it appears to be a pair. I colored the boots with Copic markers. I added some additional darker pink ink with a sponge to make it more realistic looking. I finished the card by adding the sentiment from Gina K. Designs and some pink rhinestones.

For all those soldier moms who are away from their children, I wish for them a most wonderful Mother's Day. We owe them so much and I want them to know I appreciate their sacrifice too.  And, to the rest of you moms who are not soldiers I wish you a wonderful day as well.

This card will be entered in the Mod Squad Blog Challenge in which we are to take a normally masculine image and make it look feminine. I think this will be a qualifying entry. And, I did enjoy making it too!

Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you.

God bless,
Verna

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Pink Barn

We recently made a weekend road trip to St. Paul, MN and on the way we saw this farm site in which all the buildings were a very pretty pink instead of the traditional red.  I commented to my husband that I thought this was a farm that belonged to a woman. I said you can see her touch all over the farm stead.

Well, when the Mod Squad Blog Challenge hosted by Karen Hightower for this week was introduced in which we were to make a card from a traditionally male element, I decided I wanted to go with a pink barn scene. Normally, the barn scenes are given to mostly masculine recipients so I thought this would be a unique way to turn things around for the ladies to enjoy too. 


My barn image is from Rubber Cottage. I am not sure if that stamp company is still in business or not anymore but I did see the stamp on Ebay. The sentiment and the pretty plaid pattern paper are from Gina K. Designs. I used the Cheery Lynn Design circle die to cut out my scene and then I popped it onto the pink card stock frame made with the Lacey Circles die from Spellbinder. My scene was colored in with Copics and also some sponging was done with dye inks from Gina K. Designs. To add more to the feminine look I added pink rhinestones. 

Well, I really had fun making my pink barn scene and I hope you got a bit of inspiration and cheer from it too. This would work well for a lady who is suffering from breast cancer I would think, but also would be great for a thinking of you card or birthday. There are so many ways this would be appropriate.

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a wonderful week.

God bless,
Verna



Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Especially For You!

Oh, my! I had so much fun doing the one layer cards that I had to try my hand at it again. This time I used an incentive stamp duo set from Gina K. Designs which I acquired with a qualifying order.  I love that set very much too and can see all sorts of ways to make use of it.


I blocked off the pink edges with Post-It notes and left an empty white space in between. I then sponged on the pink colors. Then I over stamped onto the pink and white with the flower image. Using Copic markers I colored in the flowers. Once this was done I took a black Copic and made a faux layer and then finished the card by adding black specks with a texture brush.

I am entering this in the Mix It Up Monday challenge at Stamp TV.

Thanks for looking and I hope you were a little inspired. Have a great week.

God bless,
Verna

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Another One Layer Wonder

I had so much fun with the last "one layer" card I created that I had to try a more clean and simple design this time. I used stamps from Gina K. Designs and they are all from the Stamper's Favorites set by Melanie Muenchinger.


My card stock of choice this time was kraft and by taking a Spellbinder A2 Curved Matting Basics A die and aligning it just below the fold created the card base. I stamped the images in Gina K. Black ink and colored them with Copic markers. I also took a texture brush tool that gives sort of a stippled look and added some brown ink around the colored images. My bling I added was originally clear and black rhinestones but I took my Copic markers and colored the clear ones to match the colors in my card. The bling is made by Want 2 Scrap.

By making this a Thinking of You type of card it allows me to use it for more than one occasion. I like to do that a lot.

This card will be also entered into this week's Mod Squad Blog Challenge in which we were to make one layer cards. 

Wow! Two cards in one day. And, I remember when I used to make several in one day but I guess I have slowed down and take more time to create a bit better or at least I hope that is the case. 

I hope all of you are having a fun filled day too! And, thanks for looking at my card creations and ramblings about them. I so appreciate it!

God bless,
Verna

One Layer Wonder

The challenge this week at the Mod Squad Blog Challenge is to make a one layer wonder card. Well, it is the graduation season and I was needing a few of those types of cards so my entry will be a one layer graduation card.


I used all stamps from the Sparkle & Sprinkle Set 435 called Graduation. I am not sure that set is still available though! Edit: Just heard that it is available still but apparently the website is currently having some issues, so check back often if you want to see this really lovely set which is perfect for graduation cards.

This card involved masking. First I stamped the diploma and masked that. Then I took a negative of a die cut, placed over the card base and sponged on some blue ink. Once that was done I stamped the sentiment inside it. Still keeping the mask on the diploma I also added a die cut mask over the blue inked area with the sentiment. Then I proceeded to stamp the graduation caps image to create a look of pattern paper. After coloring these images in with water base markers I then sponged a light brown or sandy colored ink around the outside. And, even though this is a cream colored card stock card base the diploma appears to be white looking. I tried to create the illusion of a layer around the die sponged area with a black marker. The card was finished by adding some black pearls.

Thanks again for stopping by to look at what I was doing at the kitchen table/craft area today. I so appreciate all the wonderful comments you leave me too.

God bless,
Verna

Fluttering By

 First of all I want to wish all my Canadian friends a Happy Canada Day! I hope your day is extra special. This card I am showing uses an Al...