February Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop!

It's time for the Verve Divas to bring you our monthly Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop! There are two ways to win Verve prizes: comment on the design team's blog hop posts (linked below) to see their take on the inspiration, then go get inky and link up your take on the challenge to be eligible in our prize drawings! You have until March 5 to link up, so feel free to play as often as you like.

The pop of color in this industrial style loft speaks of the hope of spring in the midst of winter. Kind of like February... it's still cold and wintry, but new life is on the horizon. Feel free to take your inspiration from the photo or the color combo, whatever suits your fancy! We can't wait to see what you create.
Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Saturday, March 5.
Prize: $30 gift voucher to the Verve online store!

For my card I am using a distressed wood look pattern paper.  I stamped the scripture from Verve's Good Work stamp set directly to the paper to mimic the writing on the wall in the inspiration photo. 

Next, I die cut and stamp Verve's Poppy Birthday, Poppy Birthday dies.  I die cut a few Sprightly Sprig dies in a limelight card stock shade to match the inspiration. I added some shading with a couple of copic markers.  I finished the card with a few Verve Shine Bright Sequin Mix.

Need a little inspiration? Check out the blogs linked below to see what the other Divas did with the challenge! It's sure to be a treat, and speaking of treats, we're giving away a $30 gift voucher to Verve to one random commenter along the hop!

	1. Julee	8. Marisa
	2. Amber	9. Maureen
	3. Amy	10. Sankari
	4. Betty	11. Stacey
	5. Charmaine	12. Susan
	6. Christyne	13. Teresa
	7. Laurie

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty

Celebrate and Just My Type!

 Happy Sunday!  It is a cold rainy day here in North Carolina.  I carved out some stamping time this afternoon so I could play along with a Papertrey Inks 9th Anniversary Celebrations.  

My first card is for PTI Challenge Day 2.  Dress Up Inspiration and I wanted something that made me think of warm weather and crystal blue water.   I found this beautiful Tea Dress on Pinterest.  

I used PTI Bold Blossoms stamp set and dies.  I have been eyeing this set on my craft desk all week and not had a chance to stamp with it yet.  

My second card is for PTI Challenge Day 1.  I used Lexi Daly's go to color combo. 

I combine some fun PTI sets to create this very masculine Valentine's card for my hubby.  I could not resist adding that touch of pink.  I am also playing along with this week's Freshly Made Sketches.  

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty

Live, Love, and Sparkle!

I am popping in with a sparkly card this evening.  I am playing along with this week's Papertrey's Make It Monday Challenge.  We are to make a Valentine card with an ombre effect.  I decided to go the watercolor route.  I started with three shades of Ranger Distressed ink Cubes(festive berries, candied apple, and spun sugar).

 I applied the cubes direct to the watercolor paper then used my blending tool to blend it all out.  The paper is completely dry at this point.   I added more color when needed here and there.  When I was satisfied with the look, I added some water droplets for effect.   Once the paper was thoroughly dried, I white embossed the Star Scribbles circle frame in white.

  I embossed the sentiments from Sparkle and Shine in Red, then die cut the sparkle word out of glittered gold card stock and some kraft colored fun foam for added dimension.  The kraft color matched the gold better for layering.  I  added some Rangers distressed ink splatters using the tiny stamp in Star Scribbles.  I finished my card with some tiny gold stars and gold sequins.

I am playing along with this week's PTI Make It Monday Valentine Ombre

 The Paper Players Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge.

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Sachet!

It's time for a new Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!

The LEAD of this challenge will be invited to be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge!

 

As soon as I saw this inspiration piece I thought heart shaker card.  However, I thought a gem shaker using my MFT die namic diamonds would look fantastic, too! 

I based the layout on the layout of the three inspiration hearts.  I decided to do three recessed shakers.   There were a few tricky spots along the way, but in the end, it came together.  I actually love the look and the sound!  I finished with a sentiment from MFT Bling It On stamp set.  

Make sure you visit each of the designers' blogs for more inspiration!

Tricia Traxler, Simply Stamping(Guest Designer)

Amy Kolling

Betty Wright

Kim Singdahlsen
Laurie Willison

Leigh Penner
Lisa Henke

Lori Tecler Lynn Mangan
Marisa Ritzen
Maureen Plut

Melody Rupple
Monika Davis
Sheri Gilson

Silke Ledlow
Stacey Schafer
Tara Godfrey

Follow us!

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge Facebook Page

Curtain Call Pinterest Boards

Stop by the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge:  (Sachet) for the challenge details and to play along with us!

As always thanks so much for stopping by!  

Betty

Thinking of You!

Happy Sunday!   I finally had a chance to stamp with some new MFT goodies. I ordered the Beautiful Blooms stamp kit.  I love all the components of this kit.  I started with smooth white card stock base.  I die cut Blueprints 15 stitched panel.   I sponged some daffodil and lemon tart ink for the background.  I used some fun foam to pop this panel up.

 I die cut and stamped the Beautiful Bloom flowers.   I used colors from this week's ColourQ Challenge.   I used brown in the centers.  I die cut a piece of pattern pack paper that comes in kit using Stitched Horizontal die namics to follow the MFT Weekly Sketch Challenge.  I arranged my flowers.  I sort of got carried away with the arrangement.   I arranged the flowers to give the look of the sketch elements.  Plus,  I just enjoyed playing with these flowers.

I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set and finished my card with a few of the sequins that was also included in the kit.  I am playing along with the following challenges!

MFT Sketch

ColourQ

Just Us Girls 

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty

January PTI Blog Hop!

Happy Monday!   No school again today due to weather and area power outages.  We have been very fortunate and did not lose power.  It is nice to be home, but I know we will have to make up these missed school days later.   

 I decided to play along with this month's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop Challenge.  Here is the inspiration photo.

 Try as I might, I could not make anything in the inspiration elements look like a flower! LOL! ;0)  In the end, I chose to work with the basic look and colors.  I started with true black card stock.  I decided to try layered stamping on the black to see how it looked.  I actually ended up liking it a lot.  

 I chose PTI Brushed Off stamp set.  I stamped the first layer in white pigment ink. (TIP: Make sure white pigment ink pad is freshly reinked for best results).  Then, I went back and layered stamped different shades of blue using PTI enchanted evening, MFT blueberry, and some Ranger Distress ink colors.  I love the bold color payoff I was able to get on the black card stock. 

 

For the focal sentiment, I started with some summer sunrise card stock.  I stamped using  tangy orange ink using PTI Background Basics: Woodgrain stamp set.  Once the card stock was stamped, I die cut the word using PTI Birthday Cheer die cuts.  I cut three more words using white card stock and layered all four together for added dimension.   I layered some loose white quilt threading behind and secure with glue.  

 

 

I used the Birthday Cheer stamp set for the Happy stamped sentiment.  I chose to use the smaller of the Building Blocks die.  I stamped the sentiment using the MISTI with black licorice hybrid ink to perfectly place the sentiment on the strip to the right. I popped up using foam tape.  

 

I finished my card with a few of the wooden stars that came with the PTI Holiday Folk Mini Kit.  I think this is a cool looking masculine card!   

As always thanks so much for hopping by!

Betty

Thinking of You!

Happy Saturday!  I have a card to share!   We have a mixture of snow and ice here in North Carolina.  We managed to get some snow on top of the ice pellets from yesterday.  I know it is not anywhere close to as bad as it is in some places, for that I am very thankful.  Since I am forced to stay inside, I had some time to get crafty! 

I decided I needed to stamp something that makes me think of warmer weather.  I am playing along with this week's ColourQ Challenge.  I sponged the white panel in a warm yellow.  I stamped the flowers from PTI Flower Favorites using a MISTI so I could get perfect placement and use two different colors.  I stamped the leaves in kraft to comply with the color challenge.  I finished with a Tag Its Quilted die sentiment strip and white embossed a sentiment from PTI Vintage Picnic Sentiments set. 

I added some foam tape to the card panel, flowers, and sentiment strip.  I finished the card with some loose threading and a few clear sequins. I am using the sketch from CAS(E)this Sketch.  I am playing along with Addicted to Stamps: Make Your Mark Challenge!  I sponged the background!

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty 

Hearts with Love!

Hello!  Popping in today with a fun card.  For my card I am using MFT Stamp products.  I started with smooth white card base and an electric red die cut panel using Blueprints 15.  I stamped this panel using MFT Snowfall Background and clear embossed. 

 I decided to exercise some poetic license with this sketch a bit for the focal panel.  I used the angle die cut from Blueprints 25 in smooth white. I layered a gold foil "love" die cut.  I added some loose white quilt threading underneath. 

Next, I die cut and stamped MFT All My Love stamp and die namics set.  I heat embossed the scalloped image with gold and the electric red heart with clear embossing powder.  I finished my card with a few hearts die cut from MFT Tag Builder Blueprints 3.

I am playing along with a few blog challenges.  I am playing along with The Paper Players Valentine Challenge,  MFT Sketch Challenge,  and House of Cards Challenge    embossing and/or colors


 

 

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty

Just Because!

Happy Sunday!  It has been a snowy day here in North Carolina.  We have our first snowman of the season.  I am playing along with a couple of blog challenges.   Papertrey Inks Create Along With Us Challenge.    I  chose this card by Danielle Flanders to CASE. 

 I just love trying to recreate looks without actually having the products yet.  I searched my PTI selection and decided to use Vintage Linens.  This was definitely a project made so much easier with a MISTI!  Especially since I used linen paper.  I always need to stamp at least twice to get a great impression.  For some reason, I do not own any outlined leaves in my vast array of PTI images?  Seriously!  How is this possible?  I decided to go bold with solid leaves for the background instead.  I stamped the outline background and masked when necessary to create depth and a layered look. 

I die cut and stamped my focal flower and leaves.  I used some foam mounting tape to pop the flowers up.  I added glitter to the center of the flower instead of sequins.  For the sentiment I used PTI Scripted stamp stamped with stormy sea ink.  I stamped over it, again with the MISTI in black because I needed a different softer gray.  I finished my card with a few silver sequins because I need some silver to play along with this week's ColourQ Challenge.  I do not have any coastal cabana so I used some hawaiian shores.  Thanks so much for the beautiful inspiration, Danielle!

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty