GIVEAWAY: Viva La Verve Sketch Blitz - #2

I had to enlarge this photo so you could see these little babies better.  Awwwww....

Hi, Friends.....

I am back with Post #2 for my big 11-Post Blog Blitz where I made 11 cards using the Viva La Verve Sketch 2.  I have a giveaway going on during this Blog Blitz so take a look at THIS POST for details.  Comment on any or all of my eleven Blog Blitz posts answering the question(s) for that post to be entered.

 
One thing that really attracted me to this particular sketch was the potential for using lots of scraps.  I keep my main bags of scraps that I am currently using in one drawer of my massive craft desk.  That way they are super-handy.  No excuses not to use them!

Well, since I already had pink scraps out from Card #1, I figured I would go ahead and make a pink card and do masculine cards after this.  Ha.  As you know, eleven cards later and I still don't have any guy cards!

I rarely do monochromatic cards, but I went totally pink this time.....even the ink.  And all scraps...Yay!  I used my
Verve - Scripture Medley 2 stamp set again and stamped with Distress Ink in Picked Raspberry.  

I realize it is probably some terrible crafting faux pas to stamp a sentiment with Distress Ink because they aren't as clear and crisp as other inks, but I often do it when I want a particular color other than my Versafine hues.  My real dye inks are in a plastic case that is not nearly as easy to get at as my DIs are.....so guess what gets used? 

 
Besides, now I have my nifty DI color chart so I can match the colors!  I have four more butterflies on my chart since I made this at the beginning of January for THIS POST.  Now just four more to go....waiting for JoAnn.com to have mini-set #15 on a half-price sale.  :)

Okay, here is the Post #2 Question(s):
What is different about this card than my usual style?  What have you tried lately that is different from what you usually make?

That's all for now.  Be sure to answer the questions at each of my Blog Blitz posts for lots of entries in my big Blog Blitz Giveaway!  See you next post!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Viva La Verve Sketch Challenge - April Sketch #2
2. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Make it Girlie
3. Word Art Wednesday Challenge #226-227 - Anything Goes Family Friendly
4. Dare2BArtzy April Challenge - Polka Dots NON-BD
5. DL.Art April Linky Challenge - Anything Goes
6. Love to Scrap Challenge #76 - Anything Goes
7. Tuesday Throwdown TT290 - Monochromatic

GIVEAWAY: Viva La Verve Sketch Blitz - #1

I usually try to match my cat memes with my post somehow.....but with this blitz, I will be using some misc ones that I have found.  Enjoy!

Hi, Friends.....

My mojo has been MIA lately, with little to no real crafting going on here in my craft cave........

....but I got super-inspired when I saw the Viva La Verve Sketch #2:

I knew I wanted to make some masculine cards, so I grabbed my scrap bags and went to work. I ended up with eleven cards....yes....eleven!! And not a SINGLE masculine one among them!!! lol... 

Seriously, what is wrong with me??? Eleven cards and none for a guy? I guess it's because I have mostly lady colors in my scrap bags. What an epic fail!! I honestly kept thinking that the NEXT card would be for a guy....and it never was!!! Sheesh... 

Well, never one to let some major goof-up go to waste.....I am posting each and every one of all eleven cards using this sketch in a gigantic eleven post blitz with a GIVEAWAY!!!! How's that? (I knew you wouldn't look at them all if I didn't give you some extra incentive!!! Ha!) Read the details of how to enter at the end of the post.

By the way......In case you don't know how the Viva La Verve Sketch challenges work, you can read all the details HERE. They have two sketches each month, but you can enter your cards using either of the month's sketches all month long. Yay!

Okay....here's my first installment...



Can you tell that I originally intended this for a guy? I have wood-grain dry-embossed kraft and twine and kind of a manly-sounding sentiment.....perfect! At least until I started finding pretty pink and floral scraps to use....(sigh).

Hey, notice the vintage button? How many of you have old button jars from your mom or grandma? This 40s or 50s fabric covered specimen was from my mom's jar. I'm not sure how much of the color variation is natural and how much is from age....but I love the look of it here with the twine.

Other supplies used include:
Verve - Scripture Medley 2 stamp set
The Paper Studio - Woodgrain Embossing Folder
Versafine Ink - Vintage Sepia
Distress Ink - Walnut Stain (for sponging on the woodgrain embossing to bring out texture)
Scraps, scraps, scraps, scraps!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
I never did a February birthday giveaway....or second Blogoversary giveaway (also in Feb)....and now I see that I am close to 400 posts!!!  (EEEEK!  This 11-post Blitz definitely will put me over 400!) So how about 3 giveaways?  I have all sorts of things in my bag where I stash things for giveaways. I will pull a few of them out for sending to three lucky winners.  

Each of my eleven Viva La Verve Sketch Blitz posts will have a question or two for you to answer about my card or something in my post.  (I WILL get you to look at each of my cards SOMEHOW! hehehehe...)  Each post you comment on AND answer the particular question or two will enter you in the giveaway.  Easy!  Answer each of the 11 questions and you will be entered 11 times!  If you miss a day, feel free to go back.  :)  I'm not sure how fast I will get these posts blogged.....(How dare real life get in the way of important things like me being on the computer for hours on end!!!)....but the link-up on Viva La Verve closes on April 28th, so I will close comments here on April 30, 2016 at 11:59 pm Pacific Daylight Time (which I love, by the way....always such a nice thing to have that extra hour of daylight in the evening!)

This giveaway is open worldwide.  

Post #1 question(s):
Where did I get the button that I used in my card?  Did you inherit buttons from anyone?

Okay....thanks for stopping by.  Hope to see you with another post or two later today!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Viva La Verve Sketch Challenge - April Sketch #2
2. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Make it Girlie
3. Pixie's Snippets Playground Week #225 - Use Snippets and don't forget the UK time difference!!!
4. Little Scrap Pieces Show-it-Off Saturday Linky Party
5. Word Art Wednesday Challenge #226-227 - Anything Goes Family Friendly
6. DRS Designs Challenge #223 - Inspired by Color

Faith, Hope, Love

Hi, Friends.....

I am here with a quick blog post to show you a card I made for the MFP Stamps Challenge #15 - Faux Patina Technique. I totally love technique challenges and they always have some fabulous ones over at MFP with wonderful tutorials to follow.  This particular tutorial uses both dry embossing and heat embossing.....so I knew right away that I had to give it a try!  I am attracted to anything shiny and metallic......and gold is my favorite for adding to my cards!!!

You can learn all about how to do this lovely background technique on the tutorial page, so I won't go into detail about that part. I do want to make special mention of the lovely die cuts I used that my crafty friend, Karen Ladd, sent me quite some time ago. I have been hoarding them, but decided to use three of them for this card. Aren't they beautiful? (THANKS, Karen!!)

I also want to make special mention of the fabulous sentiment from the Mark's Finest Papers - Christmas Wishes stamp set. I received this set in some wonderful blog candy from Pat Garvin. (THANKS, Pat!) Totally love it!

Supplies used in this card include:
Core'dinations heavy duty white cardstock
Distress Inks: Tumbled Glass, Forest Moss, Walnut Stain
Versamark Ink
Darice - Damask embossing folder
Gold embossing powder

Thrift store ribbon

Hope you enjoyed my card today. I had fun trying out this technique. Are you getting ready for a lovely weekend? We had quite a few snowflakes fall today, but nothing that turned the ground white. That's an improvement!! lol...

See you next time! Thank you for your wonderful comments!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. MFP Stamps Challenge #15 - Faux Patina Technique
2. Wow Embossing April Challenge: Anything Goes, Use Heat Embossing
3. Word Art Wednesday Challenge #226-227 - Anything Goes Family Friendly
4. DL.Art April Linky Challenge - Anything Goes
5. The Ribbon Girls April Card Challenge - Anything Goes, Use Ribbon
6. Amusing Challenge - Create Your Own Background
7. Crop Stop Linky Party #15 - Anything Goes Using Brand CS Carries (I used a Darice embossing folder and Distress Ink)
8. Cards 4 Galz Challenge #20 - Use an Embossing Folder
9. Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #67 - Dies or Punches
10. Tuesday Throwdown Challenge #289 - Use Die Cuts
11. Love to Scrap Challenge #75 - Big Bow Theory
12, Ruby's Rainbow Challenge #127 - Favorite Color (Gold is my favorite of all the metallics!) 

Doggy Sympathy Card

Hi, Friends.....

I am here with a pet sympathy card I made for some friends who recently lost their much-loved dog.  I know how pets can become members of the family and how hard it is when we lose them.  I hope this card will help them know that others are sharing their pain.

The journaling card that I trimmed for a focal panel and the strip of doggy stamps are from Graphic 45's Raining Cats & Dogs series. Of course, I love their cat items, but sometimes dog images come in handy. The sentiment is from my Paper Smooches - Feline Friends stamp set that contains some items that are useful for canine cards, too.  

Other supplies used include:

Versafine ink - Vintage Sepia for sentiment

Distress ink - Walnut Stain for inking edges of panels

Scraps from my stash for panels and mats.

Thank you for stopping by today.  I appreciate each and every one of you.

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Hiding In My Craft Room #246 - Super Scraps Saturday
2. Make My Monday - Pets
3. Quirky Crafts - Raining Cats and Dogs
4. My Time to Craft Challenge #319 - People & Their Pets
5. Just Add Ink Challenge #306 - Just Add Sympathy

Morning by Morning New Mercies I See

Hi, Friends.....

I managed to make another card for the Winnie & Walter Share the Love Week Challenges where we are invited to make cards inspired by the wonderful design team creations.





The designers used Winnie & Walter and Pinkfresh Studio Felicity products, but that wasn't required for us to participate.

I was inspired by two different cards this time.

First is Gayatri's card on this post. I love the white embossing on the vellum. I knew I wanted to do that on my card, too.

Here is Gayatri's beautiful card. --->

The other card that inspired me was one by Kate on this post.  I  absolutely adore the colors she used.

<------Here is Kate's fabulous card.

So, here's my take:

Since I can't bring myself to toss out my scraps, I was tickled to be able to use the partial sun on this card.  The other part was used several weeks ago in this card.  [Hey, it didn't even have to sit in my stash for a year. Maybe I am improving!!  :) ]  

Other supplies used include:
My Favorite Things Die-namics - Stitched Square STAX die set
My Favorite Things Die-namics - Sunny Skies die
Verve - New Mercies stamp set
WOW! Embossing Powder - Opaque Bright White Regular
Sparkly Blue Embossing Powder
Lots of DCWV and Core'dinations scraps from my stash

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  It is a lovely day in Idaho and I hope it is in your area, too.  

<3

Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Winnie & Walter Share the Love Week Challenge - Day 4
2. Winnie & Walter Share the Love Week Challenge - Day 5
3. Mojo Monday #442 - Sketch (I flipped the Mojo Monday sketch upside down and backwards for this card. Don't get dizzy! lol....)

4. Hiding In My Craft Room #246 - Super Scraps Saturday
5. Little Scrap Pieces Show-it-Off Saturday Linky Party
6. Pixie's Snippets Playground Week 224 - Use Snippets
7. Die Cut Divas Welcome to April - Any April theme plus dies or embossing folders
8. Word Art Wednesday Weeks 224-225 - Anything Goes Family Friendly
9. DL.Art April Linky Challenge - Anything Goes
10. One Crazy Stamper April Challenge - Anything Goes
11. SSS Work it Wednesday March Challenge: Use Pastels
12. Take the Challenge with Mou: Something New or Young
13. Crop Stop Linky Party #14 - Anything Goes using product sold by CS (I used My Favorite Things dies)
14. Wow Embossing April Challenge: Anything Goes, Use Heat Embossing

Fuchsia Butterfly with Washi

This color must be photoshopped, but I still had to post it!!! 

Hi, Friends.....

I am back with another card for the Winnie & Walter Share the Love Week Challenges where we are invited to make cards inspired by the wonderful design team creations.

The designers used Winnie & Walter and Pinkfresh Studio Felicity products, but that wasn't required for us to participate.





I was inspired by Kelly' card in this post.  I really picked up on the pink butterfly with the text beneath it.  

Here is Kelly's fabulous card ------->

Here's my take:

Is it cheating to use Dollar Store products on your projects?  I hope not, because that's where I found this sweet fuchsia colored butterfly!  (And a ton of other butterfly products!  My butterfly box is stuffed full now and ready for any challenge Mrs. A tosses at us....except for Fancy Folds!  Eeek!  lol....)

Other products used include:
Sentiment from Unity - Feather Flight

Distress Ink in Picked Raspberry

Washi from my stash (Yay!  I actually used some washi!!)

DCWV and cardstock scraps for sentiment panel and mat from my stash

Oh, hey....I just discovered a new challenge blog that I would love to introduce to you, also....Creative with Stamps.  Check it out!

 Thank you for visiting and leaving your sweet comments.  I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

<3

Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Winnie & Walter Share the Love Week - Day 2
2. Butterfly Spot Challenge #52 - Butterfly plus F is for Fancy Folds and/or Fuchsia (I only am doing the fuchsia part)
3. Word Art Wednesday Weeks 224-225 - Anything Goes Family Friendly
4. DL.Art April Linky Challenge - Anything Goes
5. One Crazy Stamper April Challenge - Anything Goes
6. Southern Ridge Trading Co April Challenge - Anything Spring
7. Dare2BArtzy April Challenge - Polka Dots
8. Creative With Stamps Challenge #1 - Butterfly
9. Stampotique Designers Challenge #239 - Nature, no animals or people (one of the DT used butterflies, so I am, too.)
10. Mod Squad Challenge - What's in Your Background?
11. Amusing Challenge - Create Your Own Background (I went CAS with a simple washi background....something I hardly EVER do!)

Butterfly Drift on Black and White

Hi, Friends.....

I am back with another card for the Winnie & Walter Share the Love Week Challenges where we are invited to make cards inspired by the wonderful design team creations.  

The designers used Winnie & Walter and Pinkfresh Studio Felicity products, but that wasn't required for us to participate. 



I was inspired by Mayuri's card in this post.  I love her brightly-colored birdies on the black and white floral background.  
Here is Mayuri's lovely card ------>

I didn't have birds, but I did have butterflies and some black and white patterned paper that I used.




Here's my take. 

I apologize for the TERRIBLE photo.  Not only did one of the shiny silver butterflies reflect the orange shirt I was wearing, but the entire thing just did not photograph in focus.  Arrrgh.  That's why I am keeping the size so much smaller than I usually have on my posts. But it is what it is.... (sigh)

Supplies used include:
Bo Bunny patterned paper
Sentiment stamp from my stash
WOW! Embossing Powder - Opaque Bright White Regular
Butterflies and sequins from my stash
Scraps from my stash for sentiment panel and matting
Splatters of Dylusions Ink Spray in Pomegranate Seed

Thank you so much for coming to visit.  Your kindness brightens my day!!  :)

<3

Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Winnie & Walter Share the Love Week - Day 3
2. Butterfly Spot Challenge #52 - Butterfly plus F is for Fancy Folds and/or Fuchsia (I only am doing the fuchsia part)
3. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday
4. Stamplorations Theme and/or Sketch Challenge - Stamp and Splatter (I used Dylusions ink spray to splatter my background, but it is hard to see in this photo.)
5. Penny Black at All Sorts April Challenge - Birthdays
6. DL.Art April Linky Challenge - Anything Goes
7. Southern Ridge Trading Co April Challenge - Anything Spring (Butterflies are spring-y to me!)
8. Wow Embossing April Challenge: Anything Goes, Use Heat Embossing (I heat embossed my sentiment.)