Birthday Set for Verve's July Diva Dare

I made this matching purse gift holder and card for Verve's July Diva Dare:

The challenge was to create a project with a birthday theme.  I used sentiments from Verve's Birthday Bash set, and one of the flowers (in two sizes) from Sunny Days.  The leaf die shapes are from their Leafy Sprigs dies.
The gift bag/purse was cut using SCAL and a great set of svg files from SVGCuts, called Amelie's Accessories.  I sized it wide enough to fit a gift card, and a few candies or lip gloss, etc, could fit in there, too.
I stamped and handcut two smaller and one larger of the flowers, snipped between the petals and shaped the flowers by rolling a pen cap in the center and pinching and curling the petal tips with my fingers and the pen.  Then they are layered with some foam adhesive to give dimension and height, and a beautiful MME brad poked through the middle.
Papers are MME Lime Twist (and some pearlized cardstock from Prima).
Brads and Liquid Pearls finish it off.

I also used the Viva la Verve! July week 5 sketch challenge for my card (here are close ups of both):

 

Thanks for looking!

You Rock! Card for VLV

For the Viva la Verve! July week 4 sketch challenge:

Wanted to tell an awesome coworker how much I appreciate her "can do" attitude.  The "You Rock" sentiment from Verve's Sweet Treats set with the bold, bright colors of MME Lime Twist seemed to fit the bill.  I stamped the sentiment and Verve's Vintage Oval Frame around it, and cut out with the coordinating die (by the same name).  Added a die cut flower made with MFT's Prima Donna Die-namics and some rhinestones in the center, and wrapped a bit of dotted green ribbon and bow around the front panel.

Missing You for MFT WSC

For the MFT Weekly Sketch Challenge #81:

I used one of the PI girls, Picture Perfect, from the new VIP collection.  She's actually full height, holding a frame in front of her.  But I selectively stamped and paper pieced parts of the stamp to make it look like she's looking out a window (at least, I hope that's what I accomplished).  I fashioned some paper curtains for her, sliding one part under her and popping the other so she looks nestled between them.  The sentiment is from the older MFT Flopsey Flowers set, cut out with one of the Sentiment Strip Die-namics.  A small Rolled Rose (MFT Die-namics) with rhinestone, and lots of bright cheery papers from Basic Grey.

The MFT VIP releases are monthly, limited in quantity, and bundle a mixture of a few stamps and Die-namics for a great price.  You can purchase the stamps and Die-namics a couple weeks later (at the release), but there's usually one extra set of sentiments that are never available again.  I thought this collection was too cute.  I LOVE, LOVE the arrow Die-namics, and am so glad I snapped up the extra bonus sentiments.

Other MFT products used:

MFT Guest Designer Contest

I made this card for the My Favorite Things (MFT) Guest Designer Contest for August, hosted on Splitcoaststampers.  This month's challenge is a sketch challenge--my favorite!  And what a sketch it is. Love all the layers and the tilted panel.

I used this "Dream until your dreams come true" stamp from MFT's new 6th birthday celebration release, My Favorite Sentiments, for my main panel.  It's so great, and the font and size and flourish underneath make it so substantial (and let me admit now, I was humming "Dream On" by Aerosmith the whole time I was making the card.  LOL!)  I accented the center of the flourish with a tiny blue rhinestone.

The "Life is what you make it" sentiment was part of the extra sentiments in the VIP Sunflower Who's That Girl collection, which are each only available for a limited time.  Love these sentiments.  The sentiment is stamped and cut with just the edge of the Textile Rectangle Die-namics.  It fit so nicely, and gives even more flexibility in using the Die-namics.

The fishtail banner peeking out at the bottom was cut with the thicker Die-namics in the MFT First Place Award Ribbon set.  To make the entire piece longer, I folded the cardstock and placed the fold within the edge of the one end of the die, so only one end was cut in the V shape.

My flower was made with MFT's Rolled Daisy Die-namics.  I rolled it loosely in the center so I could nestle a wooden button tied with some Queen and Co. multicolored twine deep in the middle.  I curled under the petals to add fullness.  MFT's rolled flowers are some of my favorite dies (check out the Rolled Flower I used as the center of my sun in this post).

Papers are MME.  I left the "Listen to your soul" on the white paper peek out from under the main panel.  I thought it tied in nicely to the whole sentiment of the card.

Rejuvenation (I'm Back)

     I'm back from a hiatus from posting to my blog.  I was a little overwhelmed with finishing my Master's degree, but I've graduated and am back to a more calm existence for now.  I must admit that it feels a bit pointless sometimes to continue to spend time posting here with no one reading my posts.  I maintain galleries on both Scrapbook.com and Splitcoaststampers.com, so this feels redundant.  But as I look back at my previous posts, I do feel happy to see my evolution as a crafter.  And I do include some extra details about why I made a particular card, or background to a scrapbook page's creation.

     However, I return now because for some time I've wanted to progress to submitting for publication, or at least to a guest designer spot with one of my favorite companies.  My Favorite Things requires it's guest designers to maintain a blog, and so, I've decided there is no better time than to resurrect mine.  I will not bore any potential visitors with rehashing all of my creations for the last 6 months, though.  I'll just pick up with July.

     I most like sketch challenges, and my favorite challenges to participate in are Verve's weekly Viva la Verve! sketch challenges on Splitcoaststampers.  So I post here this month's entries, in addition to my July entry for the Sketch for You to Try (by Jen del Muro).  She has monthly challenges, and you must participate the whole year (12 sketches) to qualify to win a wonderful prize pack on Christmas Day!  And, well, I really like the card I made this month.  ;)

A Work of Heart for July's SFYTT (Sketch for You to Try)

The sponsor this month was none other than, My Favorite Things, one of my favorite companies.

I used a stamp from their special 6th birthday celebration set, "My Favorite Sentiments."  I stamped it in both dark red and brown, and cut out the "Heart" portion in brown and popped it.  

Papers are Echo Park and Teresa Collins.

I dry embossed the blue paper, and added some BG pearl flourishes.

Happy Birthday for VLV July week 1 sketch

I used a sentiment from Verve's Small Sentiments set in the middle of one of the Four Frames stamps from Stampin' Up, and cut out with SU's Decorative Label punch.  Papers are My Mind's Eye.  The pearl flower is by Basic Grey.  Some additional flat backed pearls in the corners of the flowered paper panel, a small tab of orange seam binding and some paper pierced faux stitching.

You are Fabulous for VLV July week 2 sketch

I used a sentiment from Verve's Fabulous You, and layered flowers from their Joyful Blooms set, cut out with the coordinating dies.  

Papers (and the decorative brad) are Teresa Collins. 

The fishtail banner strip was cut with MFT's Sentiment Strips Die-namics.

Wishing You Sunny Days for VLV July week 3 sketch

I chose to interpret the sketch a little differently.  I first pictured some fun twine wrapped around and meeting under the circular shape.  But an idea took root while looking through my Verve stamps and coming upon the sweet "Wishing you sunny days" sentiment from the Sunny Days set.  

I created angled strips from several of my yellow scraps (BG, MME, Cosmo Cricket, and Fancy Pants!) to act as sun rays.  I used the cute sun Dienamics from MFT, and added a loosely rolled flower using another of their dies as the sun's center.  The blue banner strip is also from an MFT Dienamic.  

Some stitching down the sun's rays and a tiny yellow pearl to highlight the sentiment.

And for good measure, I am sharing my recent scrapbook layouts:

Tag Reader

I cannot say enough good things about LeapFrog's Tag Reader.  My son had a slew of books (featured in the smaller picture), but he had a handful of favorites.  He would recite T. Rex's Mighty Roar by heart at only 3 years old, and learned concepts like compound words from Cars.  I used some fun Nikki Silvis' papers and silhouette the owl from a page of complementary cutouts in the line (cutting out his belly area and lining it with the striped paper behind).  

and Busch Garden's Sesame Street Safari of Fun (2010)

I realize the papers are a throwback (Basic Grey Color Me Silly), but aren't these colors and patterns so perfect for the funky safari feel and bright primary colors of this part of the park?  I'm afraid my son has outgrown these rides (he's much more interested in reaching the height to ride the "big boy" roller coasters), but we have fond memories of our time in the Sesame Street Safari land.  I used the Easy Rosette Cut-ups Die from The Cat's Pajamas (TCP) to form the medallions.  And I found an Elmo image to trace in my Sure Cuts a Lot (SCAL) software and cut with my die cutter.