The Other VLV Sketches for November

For the Viva la Verve! November week 4 sketch challenge on Splitcoaststampers:  

This one was a challenge. So many different layers and shapes. Hope I ended up with a pleasing birthday card for my sweet friend. 
I used Verve's Capre Cupcake set, and mostly Cosmo Cricket Odds & Ends papers (with a touch of October Afternoon).
Of note are the use of PTI's fabric swatch die and a tip from Raisin Boat to sprinkle glitter into my Liquid Applique before heat setting...fun puffy, sparkly icing for my cupcake!
Created a half medallion for the top, with an old Marcella metal accent as the center.
Rhinestones from Pizzazz Aplenty. So many details.


For the Viva la Verve! November week 3 sketch challenge on Splitcoaststampers:

I used a sentiment from Verve's new holiday stamp release, Bright Sprits, and the coordinating Love Birds dies. 
Papers are BoBunny's Midnight Frost collection (from last year).
I hope I captured the look of the bird bringing the star ornament to add to the sentiment.
The star is colored with Copics, detailed with a gold Sakura glitter pen, and covered all over with clear Sakura glitter pen. Some tiny clear rhinestones adorn the swirls in the sentiment's text.




Using the Viva la Verve! November week 2 sketch challenge on Splitcoaststampers: 

 I unfortunately needed a sympathy card to send to my family. My 21-year-old stepbrother passed away unexpectedly. I didn't know him very well, but his death has left a huge hole in my stepfather, whom I care for very much.
To ease the sadness of cardmaking a bit, I was lucky enough to have this beautiful set of sentiments from MFT (Clearly Sentimental About Sympathy). I paired the sentiment on the front, and one inside "May your heart and soul find peace and comfort" with these elegant but warm homey papers, Generations, by Simple Stories.
I used Verve's Vintage Oval Die twice (and traced around the plastic alignment tool that comes with it twice for the mats), once for the sentiment in the front, and once cut lengthwise, turned and tucked under each side to create the bracketed shape.
I used a Martha Stewart border punch and accordion folded to make the medallion, and added some brown seam binding and Bisque Liquid Pearls.
I hope the card brings a little bit of comfort to my family, or at least lets them know that we are thinking of them and share in their loss.
And I'm grateful that better card designers than I, like the Divas with Verve Stamps, offer beautiful sketches so that I don't have to spend so much energy trying to come up with an idea when I need a card.