Live, Laugh, Love for VLV

For the Viva la Verve! September week 3 sketch challenge:

I used the three phrases and varying height flower stems from Verve's Dream Big set, along with the tiny butterfly that is part of a sentiment in the Beautiful You set to create a little garden scene.  The grass across the bottom was cut with an MFT Die-namics, and the pennant border under that was cut with Verve's Pennant Trim Border.
Papers are MME and EP, and the circle and scalloped circle with cut with Spellbinder dies.  Some orange twine, 2mm orange rhinestones, and 3mm blue rhinestones finish it off.

A Set of Cards for a Special Purpose

I was asked to make some cards for a silent auction at work that will benefit the Making Strides Walk for breast cancer.  I thought a small boxed collection of encouragement and support-themed cards would be appropriate.


Using the MOJO Monday Sketch 258:

I like the sentiments in Verve's Here for You set, but how to choose?  I was going back and forth between three of them, started thinking of ways to incorporate all three, and came up with this view master card.  You spin the white part that sticks out of the small circular notch at the bottom, and you can change out the sentiment to the other two pictured below the card in my photo.
I used two layered flowers in Verve's Joyful Blooms set, embossed in white and cut out with the coordinating dies, and leaves from the Dream Big set, again cut with their dies.  The fishtail banners are from MFT Die-namics, and the circle and scalloped circle are Spellbinders.
A bit of Viva Pearl Pen to finish it off.
Papers are MME.


For the Viva la Verve! September Week 2 sketch challenge:

The sentiment and frame around it are from Verve's Borderline set, cut with one of the coordinating dies in the Mini Classy Label Die Set.
The large fishtailed strip was cut with the Ribbon Banner Die.  I folded my paper in half before cutting, laying the folded edge just inside the edge of the die to make it longer.  I also cut some from each side to make it more narrow.
The tiny flower was created with the smallest of MFT's Rolled Rose Die-namics.
Papers are by Glitz.  Rhinestones in three sizes and a touch of Copic on the border of the frame.


For the Mojo Monday #257 Sketch Challenge:

I used this quote from Verve's Beautiful You set, with some tiny Martha Stewart punched butterflies.  I love the uplifting promise that it holds: what we see as being the end or a door closing, may very well just be God opening a window to something much better for us.
The sentiment is on a Spellbinders circle and scalloped circle, then layered on top of a fishtail banner cut with an MFT Die-namics, layered on a stamped frame from Verve's Treasured Words.  Tucked under some additional layers are those tiny fishtails, cut with their new Pennant Trim Die (LOVE THIS...you must get it!)
A little stitching to mimic the Treasured Words frame and some pearls in two sizes finish it off.


Broke out my brand new 5th Anniversary release Verve for this one.

Featured is a sentiment from the (appropriately named) Brighter Days stamp set, surrounded with a frame from Treasured Words, and cut out with the coordinating Rounded Rectangle Die (not as new).  Both rectangle panels are nestled by the new Scroll Plain Jane and coordinating die, and topped with a flower also in Brighter Days, and cut with (yes, you guessed it), its coordinating die in the  Scalloped Flowers Die set.  Lastly, the border at the top and bottom was cut using the new Flourished Trim Die.
Papers are MME and Echo Park.  A black rimmed brad in the center of the flower and Viva Pearl Pen finish it off.


For the Viva la Verve! September week 1 sketch challenge:

I'm afraid I deviated quite a bit from the sketch this month.  I just could not make the symmetrical circles work for me.  I kept seeing two big alien eyeballs staring back.  LOL!
Anyway, I mixed some older and brand new Verve for this challenge.  The sentiment is from Words of Wisdom (older) cut out with the Mini Bookplate Die (new), and the edges embossed with Platinum powder from SU.  The flowers are from the Hope Blooms set, cut out with the Floral Circles Dies (both older), the petals fringed along the lines, and layered.  The bottom layer center panel is cut with the Ribbon Banner Die (older) and stamped with the Thatched Banner Plain Jane (new).
Papers are MME and Basic Grey, and I used a bit of dotted American Crafts ribbon, an antique silver button, and a bit of grey twine from Lawn Fawn.

You're So Sweet for MOJO 256

For the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #256:

This little size of this card, 4.25"x4.25", card makes it even sweeter.
The sentiment is from Verve's Love Notes, surrounded by a scalloped frame in the Sweet on You set, and cut out by hand.  The flower is the Fringe Flower Plain Jane, which I colored with Copic markers and again cut out by hand.  The sentiment, frame and flower are highlighted with a Sakura Glaze pen for shine and depth.
The largest fish tail banner is cut with Verve's Ribbon Banner Die and cut in half, with each half tucked under the vertical banners to elongate it.  The smaller banners are cut with MFT Die-namics.
Papers are Echo Park So Happy Together.  Some rhinestones and a swirl of twine as the flower center finish it off.
I made this for a work friend, and left it on her desk with a Godiva strawberry filled chocolate bar.

May Memories Comfort You for VLV

For the Viva la Verve! August Week 4 sketch challenge:

When I saw the sketch for this week, I was drawn to using one of the longer sentiment/quote stamps in my Verve collection. I looked through my stash, hovering over a couple different ones.  But this set that I recently purchased during Verve's 5th Anniversary sale, Forever In Our Hearts, was gently pushing itself to the forefront.  I certainly hope I don't need to use this sympathy card anytime soon, but I've found that they are one of the hardest to make on-demand when you need them.
I wanted to keep the color palette muted, but also wanted to stay away from black.  The dark grey of PTI's Smokey Shadow cardstock served as a perfect base.  I used papers from MME and Cosmo Cricket.  My favorite part was stamping the leaves from Verve's Sunny Days in Versamark and embossing with SU's pewter embossing powder on vellum, then cutting with the matching Leafy Sprigs Dies.  The vellum kind of disappears into the background, and you are left with these so very elegant dark antique silver looking embellishments.  The sentiment is embossed with the same, but on the patterned paper.
The small cream border peeking out from under the main panel was cut with the edge of Verve's Classy Label Die.  A string of tiny pearls and two larger ones in the top corner keep it understated but elegant.
TFL!