Monday, January 24, 2011

January Diva Dare - Day 7


Hi Verve fans, are you ready for another week of Diva Dare projects? It's Amy here today, and we're already on Day 7! Here's the challenge:

We dare you to make a card, project, layout, or whatever fits your stamping style using this month's theme - Baby Love!The baby part could be for a new little someone...or a special someone! Be sure to look for the details on how you can win some new Verve goodies at the end of this post!





I answered the dare with this shabby little number (inspired by Cher!):



Way back when my husband and I were dating, I made him a Valentine's Day mix that included, among other things, Cher's 1990 remake of Baby, I'm Yours. That may have been the first and only time I {indirectly} called my DH "baby" (we have terms of endearment, "baby" is just not one of them). Nonetheless, the "Baby, I'm Yours" lyrics have been running through my head ever since this month's Diva Dare theme, "Baby Love," was announced. So, with lyrics in mind, I've answered the dare with a "baby" {giggle} card for my husband. I'm hoping to find the original cassette and give him a CD remake, or put together an iTunes playlist, for Valentine's Day this year -- our little portkey back to the early days of our relationship. A good 19-20 years have passed since I gave him the original!

Anyhoo, my card is one of those that took on a life of its own. I just kept adding and adding and adding! But keep reading ... most of it has a purpose.  I began with Tosh's awesome Viva La Verve January Week 3 sketch (shown left) and Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC#64 (from a couple of weeks ago), which was a light blue, kraft/beige/tan, and gray/silver combo. 

The patterned papers are from Basic Grey's Capella collection. On the tilted panel, I included two hearts that I die-cut with Verve's Jotted Heart Die. The light blue one is dry-embossed and spritzed with shimmer spray. The cardboard one is lightly painted around the edges with acrylic paint and topped with some bling. Tying the two together is a banner with the "Together Forever" sentiment from Love Notes (totally goes with the song lyrics!), and a rolled flower. Thinking the flower resembled a nest, I added three little pearls, one for each of our kiddoes. Along the bottom, for the two horizontal strips in the sketch, I placed a variety of layered ribbons and trims in a sort of "his" and "hers" arrangement, a rustic, simple "his" above (the woven burlap trim), and a more complicated, fussy "hers" below (looped trim, crochet trim, and satin ribbon). In a nod to the well-loved, worn, broken-in nature of our 17-year marriage, I gave the card a shabby look with some dry-brushed acrylic paint around the edges and heavily distressed edges.

Sorry for all the heady symbolism -- what can I say, I was an English major! 


So......will you answer the dare? If so, here are some details:

1. Play along with us and link up your new Baby Love creation (posted January 14th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE Diva Dare post before midnight MST on January 29th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would LOVE to see ‘em!

2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we share our Baby Love creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing! Winners will be announced on Monday, January 31st right here on the Verve blog.
So go ahead and show us your Baby Love creations...we DARE you!