Project Parade Day 8--Divine Details

Well, hi ya'll! It's me, Susan. Are ya'll liking the "divine design" tips and details all the Divas are sharing? What an insightful Project Parade!! Here's how I make a mess of my stamping studio:

I don't really know if I have a set "process" when I go to make a card that I do every time. I DO know that I usually find either a sketch or a stamp I want to use first. If I want to use a particular stamp, I look for a sketch (or think of one) that will fit the positioning of the stamp. If I start with the sketch, I then pick a stamp for the positioning of the main panel of the sketch. Today, I'll carry you through my process for my "Little bit of YOU in Me" card shown here (I thought it was a fitting sentiment, since we're all trying to draw inspiration and learn from all the Divas--including me!).

Whenever I start a Verve card especially, I first go to either Splitcoast and check out Amber's Viva la Verve sketches for the week or month or I check out Julee's always perfect Mojo Monday sketches on that blog. This one happens to be one of the release week challenges that I went back to all the way from June. I really liked this sketch and never got to use it. So since I started with the sketch, I needed an image that was fitting for the sketch's main panel which for the most part is a circle. (Ope!! I heard ya'll saying, "Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Watch it!)



When that's all decided, I usually go ahead and stamp my images onto whatever cardstock, so it can get good and dry while I pick out other stuff.

Then I start thinking about color. A lot of times I will look through my patterned paper for a particular look or feel I'm going for. I love my patterned paper and usually don't make a card without it! However, for today's card, I wanted to make some of my own patterned paper with another image from the Just for You set for a masculine look. So I did that to use for one of the layers and chose my color scheme from some colors that just happened to be close together in my scrap basket. I usually decide on my solid card base at that time, too. Then I can color my images to match my papers. (This image obviously has no coloring involved, but I used the colors in my stamping!)

At this point, I'll usually start cutting my pieces and lay them out for the "jist" of what the card will look like, but without glueing down ANYTHING. This is when I may make color changes or paper changes or start all over--wink!! For this card, I decided to tweak the sketch and make it square and add just a little sumpin' sumpin' by adding the Nestabilities shaped layer and its tiny hand-cut mat behind the circle, because scallops? Not so manly.

I start to think about embellishments and details now, once I have it all laid out. This is the really fun part where you can really add just the right thing or touches for that "wow" factor we all strive for! Add ribbon?, Sentiment placement?, Machine stitching?, Prima flower?, Brads?, Piercing?, Buttons?, and so forth. I envision what it would look like if I did "such and such" and where. It's important to figure all this stuff out before you actually glue it together. Since this was a more masculine card, no flowers were necessary, but brads, piercing and a little touch of ribbon was in order. Sometimes you have to have the embellishments and little treatments in mind all along in the cardmaking process, but I seem to actually "do" them last.

I admit I am addicted to foam boosters (SU! Dimensionals, etc.). I ALWAYS use them in some way to pop a layer or two! I will never play in a challenge where I can't use them. EEK!! Here, the white circle is popped up on the green and the Nestie shape is popped up on the blue square. I finally get to glue everything down without gluing my top layer to the card base. In other words, for this card, I built it all on top of the navy blue mat.

The very LAST thing I do is glue the top entire layer onto the card base (or sometimes pop it up on foam boosters, too!). This way, if I decide to add anything last minute, I still can without it showing through to the inside of the card (think brads here.) I like the inside of my card base to be "clean".

So I'm not sure if it always works out this way. Sometimes certain steps in the process take longer to brew than others (color placement, ribbon placement, etc.)! If I'm following a color challenge, it's a little easier, I guess, but they aren't my favorite. I don't want to feel limited!!

Everybody has their own way of making a card or project. This is just my way. You have to decide and do whatever works for you! I hope you enjoyed this little "walk through"!!!

As always, we'd love for you to play along with us!
Just make a project or card that shows us your Divine Details. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we love to see 'em! Then just add a link to your creation to the Mr. Linky form on the Project Parade Day 1 post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, August 1. Two lucky participants will win a stamp set of their choice from the Verve Store. We've also hidden another $25 gift certificate somewhere along the parade for a random commenter. So if you like what you see, be sure and give a little shout out in the comments of each post! Have fun and good luck!

Project Parade Day 5 ~ Divine Details!!!

Hi all you Verve lovers, it's Lynda!!! Have you been enjoying the amazing cards the Diva's have made so far??? When Jen told us the theme for this month's project parade, I must say I was a bit concerned about what my "Divine Details" would be since my stamping "process" is pretty much an unorganized mess!!! LOL!!!

Actually, as I moved along to find my "process" the theme became really easy!! For the project I am showing you today, I tailored EVERY detail around Verve's beautiful Kindred Spirits stamp set. When I saw this set, I immediately thought of a nice wine ensemble. I have no idea why but that is what stuck in my mind (I know, it's scary) and then it evolved from there.

Since I knew the stamps I would be using, the next step was patterned paper. I initially was going to use K&Co's Blue Awning paper but then I went to my LSS and found the PERFECT paper for my project, Graphic 45's Botanicabella Collection! Between the perfect stamps and perfect paper, the rest was easy!!!

When I make a card, having a sketch makes it so much easier and the process much quicker! My card today is based on this weeks sketch at CPS. The sketch worked perfectly with the stamps!


The card is pretty self explanatory although I will tell you that I don't own the Classic Nestabilities so I had to use my oval Colluzzle and it work perfectly for the black oval mat. I have issues with leaving open spaces so usually I try to add ribbon or rhinestones to the open spaces but since the side strip was pretty busy already I didn't add anything to the strip but I did add a few Kaiser Craft rhinestones to the bottom right corner to tie in with the rhinestone in the center of the Fleur de Lis.

Besides having issues with open spaces (I am currently in therapy for that and it is working!!!), I also tend to go a little overboard as far as details. I am sure this is why it takes me so long to get anything done. Since I ONLY had a month to work on this project, I kept the details to a minimum!!! LOL!!!

The second part of my ensemble is an altered Bare Elements bottle holder. I got this at Micheal's and it was on clearance for $5!! I love when things work out that way!!!

Covering the holder was really simple. I used to use Mod Podge when covering any alterables but discovered Martha Stewart decoupage and it rocks! It comes with a brush and works wonderfully. I had painted the holder with first light brown acrylic paint and then sponged black paint on top of it to distress it. The way I did the top border was to punch the houndstooth DP using my EK Success Fleur de Lis border punch and adhered it using the MS decoupage. Here comes the "tending to go overboard" part!!! I used the same Fleur de Lis border punch and punched the black Fleur de Lis' (is that a word???) and then glued EACH ONE on top of the houndstooth border using my Quickie glue pen.

Here is a picture of the inside ~

The butterflies were cut out from another pattern of the Graphic 45 Botanicabella Collection and adhered using glue dots. Here is a closer look at the Kindred Spirits sentiment I added to the bottle ~

The sentiment and the small Fleur de Lis image was embossed using black embossing powder and then I lightly sponged the edge of the top oval to give a little more dimension. I adhered the entire piece on the bottle using sticky strip.

Here are the matching wine glass charms ~

The charms were made using silver hoop earrings and then I added different colored beads & a little charm which is the large scrolled image included in the Kindred Spirits set. I made them by stamping the image using black Stazon on clear Polyshrink which I purchased at Lucky Squirrel. I then heated and added a jump ring to add them to the charm.

The band is the butterfly patterned paper and was punched on both sides using the same Fleur de Lis border punch. I then added some black ribbon and the sentiment (which is from the Just for You set). I made the lid from a piece of transparency.

Here is a closer look at the charm ~

I must say that this project was one of the easiest, process wise, that I have done in a long time. I have included more details as far as dimensions, etc... on my blog in case you are interested.

So that's it!! I hope you have enjoyed this peek in to my "Creative Process"!!! LOL!!! We'd love to have you play along with us this month! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your Divine Details. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we love to see 'em! Then just add a link to your creation to the Mr. Linky form in this post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, August 1. Two lucky participants will win a stamp set of their choice from the Verve Store. We've also hidden another $25 gift certificate somewhere along the parade for a random commenter. So if you like what you see, be sure and give a little shout out in the comments of each post! Have fun and good luck!

Project Parade - Day 4: Divine Details

Hey There! Jen Tapler here with the fourth day of this Project Parade of "Divine Details". OK, I have to admit...when the Divas were told what the theme for this month's Project Parade was, I freaked out a little. Mostly because I felt like my designs are pretty straight-forward, clean and simple projects that just aren't very DETAILED!! But when I sat down and started really thinking about my creative process, I realized that I actually DO have a process!! Especially when I'm in panic mode and therefore my MoJo is nowhere to be found!! LOL!

So today I'm sharing with you a little secret of mine...I have a very basic, simple "Go-To layout" that I tend to fall back on time and time again. Now, don't get me wrong - I think I'm easily able to fool most of you by moving things around slightly, adding different embellishments here and there or even sometimes (like today) throwing in an extra layer!! But when I started browsing through my Verve Gallery, I realized I use this basic layout quite a bit (so I'm thinking that says I either lose my MoJo more often than I care to admit OR I'm not as creative as I thought!! HA!).

Anyway, here's a look at the card I made using Verve's Just for You and Abundant Blessings stamp sets, then I'll break things down for you:

When I sat down to create this card, I started out like I almost always do - with a few pieces of coordinating patterned paper (in this case I chose some of the Sonoma line from Scenic Route) and a handful of stamp sets that might work well with those papers. Next I gathered up other coordinating cardstock and embellishments that might make their way onto the card as well as any tools I might use. At this point, I still typically have no plans for a layout or sketch, but I do usually know what elements I want to include on my card.

The next step is usually where I get stuck - coming up with an original sketch or layout for my card. When I'm feeling stuck I fall back on this basic plan: Go with a vertically oriented card and divide it into 2 parts (one part being approximately 1/3 and the other 2/3 the height of the card). Two of my coordinating patterned papers will make up those 2 sections. And voila! There's my standard layout. There are lots of variations on this layout, as you can see in my Verve Gallery HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

After I've decided to use my standard "Go To Layout", the other steps are pretty straight forward - decide what goes where and add the details!! And it usually goes a little something like this:
1. Can I use Kraft on this card? (the answer to this question for me is almost always YES!!)

2. What papers look best where - this is usually a matter of trial and error for me. I usually try to lay my pieces of DP next to each other in various positions to determine what works best, then I start cutting. LOTS of times I end up deciding my original idea just doesn't look good and I have to re-cut and play around a bit before finding something that works.

3. Stamp. I usually stamp a few different combinations of ink colors. For example, for this card I stamped the circle once in Kiwi Kiss and once in Versafine Vintage Sepia and then stamped the sentiment inside each circle in the OTHER color. I knew I wanted to mat the stamped circle with a Chocolate Chip scalloped circle, but wasn't sure which ink combo would look best. So I cut both out and just tried them. At this point I could see that the circle was gonna need something else, and I thought flowers, so I dug through my Verve stamps and decided the flowers in Abundant Blessings looked good with the DP I had chosen, so I stamped them a few times on several coordinating pieces of cardstock (Dusty Durango, Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa, and Kraft) before deciding which would look best.

4. Add some ribbon across the Printed Paper dividing line - I almost ALWAYS use ribbon and grosgrain is my weakness (probably because I find it easiest to tie). And I NEVER tie a bow. Because I suck at bows. I keep it simple and just tie a knot!

5. Add the finishing touches - in this case, I added an extra layer consisting of a 3rd coordinating DP, a few corduroy brads, and some stitching around the entire thing.

6. The last thing I do is glue it all down. I always finish each layer individually and then "assemble" it without adhesive first to make sure it looks OK. Once it's all good to go, I add my adhesive. And I'm a sucker for some dimensionals!! As some of the other divas before me have mentioned - just adding some depth to your cards really gives them that extra "oomph"!

Here's a closer look at some of the details and dimension on this card (and trust me, this is pretty darn detailed for me!!)

So that's it. Like I said, nothing too fancy about my design process. We'd love to have you play along with us this month! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your Divine Details. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we love to see 'em! Then just add a link to your creation to the Mr. Linky form in this post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, August 1. Two lucky participants will win a stamp set of their choice from the Verve Store. We've also hidden another $25 gift certificate somewhere along the parade for a random commenter. So if you like what you see, be sure and give a little shout out in the comments of each post! Have fun and good luck!

Project Parade Day Three ~ Divine Details

Hi everyone! It's Jackie here and it's my turn on this super fun Project Parade! To be perfectly honest, when I saw this month's project parade theme, Divine Design, I sort of panicked! I honestly did not think I had a "process" to my card making, but when I sat down and actually made my card I made a wonderful discovery....I DO HAVE A PROCESS!! LOL!



When I sit down to stamp I usually have a stamp set in mind that I want to use, in this case I knew I wanted to use the new set, Just For You, and the flowers from Grateful Elegance, so I set off on the hardest part of creating a card, the sketch! I RARELY use my own sketches. I am a huge fan of sketch challenges because the hardest part is already done for you! I'm not lazy, just sketch challenged! (wink) For this card I chose Amy Rysavy's sketch from this past Friday, AMYRS72.


Once I find the sketch and have the stamping portion worked out in my head I search for colors. I keep a little notebook on my desk with different color combos I have either tried or have seen and want to try. Other times, like on my card here, I may choose colors from patterned paper that I want to use. I really love this new DP from Stampin' Up called Thoroughly Modern, so I pulled my colors from the DP. I tend to rely HEAVILY on patterned paper. I just love collections of patterned paper because it makes it much easier to combine different patterns as they are made to coordinate with each other!


Once I have the basic parts of my card done, the fun for me begins....embellishing!! I always look at my cards at this point and think "how can I make this more interesting?" There are two items I turn to almost every time to "step it up" and that is my Spellbinders Nestabilities and my Janome Sew Mini. For instance, on this card I decided to frame the sentiment circle with a Blossom Nestability. It really made the sentiment the focal point of the card and it adds such a beautiful look instead of a plain old circle. And stitching, well, stitching is subtle but adds so much to a card! The last embellishment on this card is the ribbon. Now ribbon and I have a love/hate relationship! I don't always use ribbon because I have a hard time tying it. If it doesn't look perfect to me, I just don't use it. It worked on this card, but sometimes I find it overwhelms a card, but that's just me!
Other embellishments I love to use, but did not use on this card are punches, border punches, brads, and rhinestones.

Now, before I actually commit to my layout (aka: glue it down) I put it all together to see how it looks. This is the time that I add my MOST USED product in my craft room.....DIMENSIONALS! Every card, IMO, needs dimension. This is where I decide what layers need dimesion. On this card I popped the main image/sentiment and the entire panel from Bermuda Bay up, on dimensionals.

Well I hope you enjoyed taking a peek into my Divine Design Process as much as I had fun discovering it!!




We can't wait to see what you come up with for this month's Project Parade! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your Divine Details. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we love to see 'em! Then just add a link to your creation to the Mr. Linky form in this post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, August 1. Two lucky participants will win a stamp set of their choice from the Verve Store. We've also hidden another $25 gift certificate somewhere along the parade for a random commenter. So if you like what you see, be sure and give a little shout out in the comments of each post! Have fun and good luck!

Sneak Preview: Just for You

Are you enjoying the June Sneak Previews so far? I know I have been blown away by all the amazing cards the Divas are coming up with this time (but then again, they always blow me away with their outstanding talent!). Today is Day 2 of the Sneak Previews and the featured stamp set is called Just for You. This set is all about placing the focus on meaningful sentiments to let that someone special know you care. Just For You will be available immediately following our Release Party this Friday night. Be sure to read all the way to the end of this post to find out how you can have a chance at winning this beautiful set!

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From the desk of Diva Susan Liles:
Well, I couldn't help myself. Don't tell anyone, but I usually have to go "in order" and finish up a project I'm working on before starting a new one. But not this time. I just had to use this new Just for You set as soon as I had a free moment. I shoved everything aside and made a tiny spot on my desk to work this card out. I have to say, I think this set is my new favorite (arent't they all?). Before making any Verve cards, I always check out what our Diva, Amber's got going on over on the SCS forum with the Viva La Verve sketches. BINGO! Her week three sketch for June (VLVJUN03) called for a circle and a lot of white space. A perfect match for this card! I did fudge it a little bit and used Confetti Cream (or white?) instead of pure white. I really like the "organic" look to it with the yellow and the natural colored buttons. OH and it smells like chocolate! The sentiment is embossed with scented EP. Sorry ya'll can't smell it through your computer. Scratching and sniffing your monitor is not highly recommended.

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From the desk of Diva Jen Tapler:
When I saw all of the super versatile sentiments in the new Just For You set, I knew it would be another of my "Go To" Verve sets that I find myself reaching for again and again. There's so much versatility with the sentiments in this set - allowing you to use it for a simple all-occasion card or for a very specific "special" card for an important and influential person in your life. Of course, as usual, Julee has chosen the perfect combination of different fonts and somehow put them together to give each sentiment a little more impact. I love the larger size of most of the sentiments and that circular "frame" has to be my favorite touch - making it so easy to create a project with a beautifully highlighted sentiment as your focal image.

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From the desk of Guest Diva Kerri Michaud:
Hello! I had so much fun playing with all of the FABULOUS new sets this month! Thank you soooo much, Julee, for giving me the opportunity to be Guest Diva! It was a true honor! For my card I used one of the sentiments from Just For You. There are many sweet sentiments in this set, as well as some that are perfect for gift giving. I first stamped the sentiment with Chocolate Chip, then removed the ink from the YOU and leaves using a SU Blender Pen (a tip I learned from Julee). I colored the YOU with a Stampin’ Write Ruby Red marker, and the leaves with a Stampin’ Write Old Olive marker. I cut out the sentiment using Oval Nestabilities and layered it onto Kiwi Kiss and Chocolate Chip scalloped ovals. I stamped the daisies from Verve’s Wishful Elegance set with Chocolate Chip, and sponged them with Ruby Red. I cut them out and popped the larger middle one up on a Dimensional. I paper pieced the centers with some dp from SU Bella Rose DSP which is what I used on the entire card. I added the leaves that I punched out of Kiwi Kiss with the Martha Stewart Fern Punch and I love how they look with the leaves on the sentiment!

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From the desk of Diva Amber Hight:
The sets being released this month are another fantastic bunch of stamps! I am especially loving the sentiments in the new set Just for You. I had so much fun playing with this set and I know that you'll love it too!
The card base is a 4.25 square piece of Rich Razzleberry cardstock. I embossed the flowers using my cuttlebug on a piece of black cardstock and glued it down. Next, I stamped the swoosh from Filigree Fantasy. I stamped the sentiment in Rich Razzleberry on Whisper White and cut it out with my circle nestabilities. The smaller circle was created using distress inks and Perfect Pearls by Ranger. I stamped the small branch in Versafine black ink. I added some fun pearls randomly around the card and finished it off with a chipboard butterfly by K&Co!
I hope you enjoy the rest of the wonderful sneak peeks!

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From the desk of Diva Jen del Muro:
When I first saw this sentiment in the Just for You set, I knew that it was the one that I wanted to use for my sneak peek card. I think it's a very versatile sentiment that can be used on Mother's Day, Father's Day or even a special teacher's card. It can easily be modified into a masculine or feminine project. Mine is obviously a little more feminine with the satin ribbon and pearls. I hope that everyone is enjoying the sneak peeks and is ready for the release tomorrow!

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Wow! Pretty hot stuff, huh? Stay tuned tomorrow for another fabulous set debut!

We've got another little somethin' in the Verve Candy Jar today!Just leave a comment with your answer to the following question before 5PM Eastern on Friday, June 26 and you'll be put in a drawing to win Just for You! Winners will be announced during our release party that night.

Question: What meaningful phrase or sentiment do you wish was offered by Verve?

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