February Key Ingredients

ETA - I have to apologize for the lateness of this post, it was scheduled to publish on Friday, but I have had MAJOR issues with blogger this weekend that required submitting an error report, several hours of swearing under my breath (ok, so maybe some of it wasn't under my breath), and lots of frustration. But here it is. I've tried to correct the wording so it makes sense, but forgive me if I missed anything!

Hi there! I wanted to share another fun card I created using the February Key Ingredients from Taylored Expressions. There are only a few more hours left to get your hands on this kit, but the March kit will be here soon (and it's just as awesome!!).


Isn't that dainty? It's definitely much softer than my normal comfort-zone cards!! But I kind of love it. I did have some trouble photographing it and it looks a little washed out in the picture, but it's so soft and pretty in real life. All of the papers are from the February KI kit. I used the Take Note stamp set and matching Take Note 3 die to create the label (with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink). I rounded the bottom corners of the main paper panel thing with my Corner Chomper and added some ribbon from the kit and some yummy flocked Lush chipboard letters to spell out the "hi!" sentiment and it was done!

I also wanted to be sure and share this clean and simple card I created for the Inspiration Sheets download this month. As a subscriber, you receive FREE Inspiration sheet downloads each month full of sample projects created by the Key Ingredients Design Team using that month's kit. Here was my Inspiration Sheet project for February (the sentiment is from In the Park):


Be sure to check out the Key Ingredients Gallery for more inspiration from the KI Design Team using the February Kit! All the details about the Key Ingredients kit contents and how to subscribe can be found HERE.

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #106

It's Sunday again! Can you believe it? And only 2 more days left in February - holy crap! Where in the world did this month go!? I actually have a few posts I need to get in today - somehow I managed to convince myself that I had more than a few days left in the month since it was only the 20-something-th, conveniently disregarding the fact that there are only 28 days in February! ha! But the first of today's post brings us another awesome Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge!! Check out this weeks' sketch:


I was in need of a birthday card for one of my oldest friends (oldest as in we've been friends for a really really long time, NOT oldest like old lady oldest, although you can be the judge based on that number right there on the front of the card for the whole world to see!! LOL).


I printed up some fun digi papers to create another hybrid card for my sample this week - let me tell ya, I will definitely be using the Lil Miss Funfetti kit by Julie Billingsley (Sweet Shoppe) many more times for birthday goodies!! The glitter heart is from Etsy (MemrieMare), that I had intended to use on some Valentine projects but never got around to it. It works for lovely friend birthdays, though, right? Yeah, I thought so too. The rest of the stuff (other than the circle nesties) is from PTI - Kraft cardstock, number dies, buttons, Big Birthday Wishes stamp set.

Be sure to stop by all the Sweet Sunday Stampers' blogs and see what they've done with this week's sketch.

• Dana White
  
• Karen Motz
• Karen Giron
  
• Lynn Put
• Sarah-Jane Kale'
  
• Vicki Burdick

Then play along with us and post your own creation using InLinkz over on today's post on Karen's Blog!

Taylored Expressions Blast From the Past Blog Hop

It's time once again for a fun Blast From the Past Blog Hop with Taylored Expressions! I *almost* forgot to sign up this month, things have been so hectic around here! But here I am!

The theme for February is "Going Green", and we were given pretty free reign to go where we wanted with that. I decided to literally "Go Green" and create a green-ish (as in the color) card using the February Key Ingredients kit:


I kept the layout super simple, using one of the green patterned papers from the Lush collection included in the February KI kit as well as the matching cardstock (and doesn't it match just PERFECTLY!?). For the stamp set, I pulled out my In the Park set and decided to use the bicycle image, coloring with Copics. I matted the image with my Lacey Circle Nestabilities. I tied on some cream satin ribbon (included in the KI kit) and rounded the bottom corners of the card with my Corner Chomper and finally added my sentiment and was done! SUPER quick and easy!

Be sure to check out the Key Ingredients Gallery for more inspiration from the KI Design Team using the February Kit! All the details about the Key Ingredients kit contents and how to subscribe can be found HERE.

SFYTT + TE + hybrid

So I have been itching to play with this month's Sketch For You to Try since I first laid eyes on it several weeks ago and finally had a chance to sit down and get crafty this weekend. I can tell you, this definitely will NOT be the last time you see this sketch on a card of mine!!


Isn't that fun!?


It seems we are being bombarded with little boy birthdays as of late and I'm in need of yet another, this time for an adorable 5-yr-old. When I saw the spinner game piece thing in the new It's All Fun and Games digi kit collab by Jenn Barrette, Julie Billingsley and Libby Pritchett (Sweet Shoppe) I knew it would be PERFECT for the sketch and I set out to create a fun hybrid card using printed digi papers along with that printed spinner game piece digi element! I added a sentiment from the Make a Wish stamp set (Taylored Expressions), and some pom pom trim and was done! A simple punched out black cardstock ring highlights the "5" on the spinner game piece to indicate that we're celebrating birthday #5!! Yeah, I'm a genius like that sometimes. LOL.

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #104

I can't believe it's Sunday again already! I'm not getting much accomplished at all this month creatively, but that's OK! Lots going on. Anyway, you all know what Sunday means - time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Here's a look at this week's fun sketch that Karen created for us:

I busted out some of my favorite older Verve sets to create this colorful hybrid card:


The patterned papers are printed digi papers from the new Having a Laugh kit by Karen Lewis (the Digichick). I have recently re-discovered Karen's kits and have a mild girl-crush!! LOL. She is AWESOME. As for the stamping, those layered stars are from Verve's Seeing Stars, one of my most-used boy card stamp sets! The sentiment is from Great Expectations. I added some silver brads to the star centers and a harvest gold (PTI) ribbon and called it done.

Be sure to stop by all the Sweet Sunday Stampers' blogs and see what they've done with this week's sketch.

• Dana White
  
• Karen Motz
• Karen Giron
  
• Lynn Put
• Sarah-Jane Kale'
  
• Vicki Burdick

Then play along with us and post your own creation using InLinkz over on today's post on Karen's Blog!

February Key Ingredients

*This is my 2nd post today, scroll down for my Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge sample*

I wanted to pop in and let you all know that today is my day to post a project using the February Key Ingredients over on the Key Ingredients Blog. Here's a peek at part of my project:


Head on over to THIS POST for all the details and more photos, which explain things a bit better. And be sure to stop by the Key Ingredients Gallery throughout the month for more inspiration from the DT using the fabulous February kit!!

You can read all the scoop about the February kit HERE.

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #104

Whew! It's been almost 2 weeks since my last blog post! CRAZY. It's been a very busy few weeks - we had my Dad's Celebration of Life last Saturday (2/5) and I was very busy trying to finish up the Tribute Album I was creating in his honor (I'll start sharing some of those layouts here soon) and enjoying time with friends and family who traveled from the mainland to help us celebrate my Dad's life.

OK, so anyway. It's Sunday!! That means it's time for a Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. As always, Karen created a fun one for us this week:


I was in need of yet another little boy birthday card for one of Dean's preschool buddies who turned 4 last week, so I can up with this, which sort of resembles the sketch - right!?


I used a bunch of neglected PTI goodies - Tiny Treats Birthday, By the Numbers Impression Plate, Mat Stack 5 die, medium Scalloped border die. The color combo is PTI's Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Spring Rain, Pure Poppy, and Harvest Gold. I colored the cute little balloon image with Copics, added some Chocolate Chip ribbon and called it good.

Be sure to stop by all the Sweet Sunday Stampers' blogs and see what they've done with this week's sketch.

• Dana White
  
• Karen Motz
• Karen Giron
  
• Lynn Put
• Sarah-Jane Kale'
  
• Vicki Burdick

Then play along with us and post your own creation using InLinkz over on today's post on Karen's Blog!

Verve Diva Inspirations Blog Hop

Hi there and welcome to the first official Diva Inspirations Blog Hop! As you have probably heard by now, 2011 has seen some exciting changes at Verve Stamps - one of them being the creation of the new Verve Diva Inspiration Team. You can read more details about this team and some of the other changes HERE on the Verve Blog, but basically this new team will be focusing on highlighting stamps from previous Verve releases. I'm super excited to be narrowing my Verve Diva focus a bit with this new Inspiration Team!

Each month, this Diva Inspiration Team will be kicking off your month with some fabulous inspiration in the form of a Blog Hop! Stop by each of the blogs listed below and you just might find yourself the proud owner of some new Verve-y goodness!! We've hidden a little mystery prize on one of today's hop spots, so be sure to leave a little comment love as you hop around. One lucky commenter on the mystery hop spot will win a $30 gift certificate to the Verve Store! The deadline for comment entries is Saturday, February 5. If you get lost along the way (or if for some reason my list isn't working right), head on back to the Verve Blog for the Master Hop List.

1. Betty	6. Michelle
2. Dawn	7. Lynda
3. Jen d.	8. Shannan
4. Jen T. (that's me!)	9. Sony
5. Julee	10.Susan

And now on to my creation for the hop (and for the record, it's REALLY hard to take photos of an ensemble like this!!)...


I was in need of a last-minute birthday gift for a dear friend last week and decided to create a super simple little gift ensemble using Great Friend - with the recurring element on each piece of the gift set being an embossed image on vellum - don't you just love those vellum flowers!?


I used Kraft and Whisper White cardstock along with some retired turquoise polka dot DP from Scenic Route on a little 4x4 notecard, tall covered notepad and covered post-it notes.


I added a silver brad to the center of the embossed vellum flowers for contrast and to sort of ground them (and let's be honest - I needed something to hide the adhesive since they were vellum!). My friend LOVED this little gift and it could easily be reproduced using so many different colors and patterns of DP to totally change up the look. That's what I love about those Great Friends flowers - they are so versatile!


Now that I have my project out of the way, I have a couple more exciting announcements to share. Did you notice a few new names in that hop list up there!? That's right - we've added 3 brand new Divas to the Diva Inspirations Team! I'm so excited to be working with Betty Wright, Dawn Easton and Sony Christoph! . All 3 of these girls are amazingly talented and I can't wait to see what they've created today! Be sure to leave them a little love and a warm welcome today!

In addition to new faces, Verve has a new sale starting! During the month of February, treat yourself right with some Sweet Savings on all sorts of sweet stamps and dies from Verve! If it's for your sweet tooth or just has the word sweet in it, it's on sale! Check out our sale page for all the info. Plus don't miss our February stamp of the month, Sweet on You, which is on sale this month for 40% off! That's all for now on the Verve front. Until next time... happy hopping!