Big 5 Card Challenge! (+ Blog Hop Announcement)

Hello!  Sorry about skipping a day of posting.  I decided to try and get all five of my cards completed to show you all at once.  I am again participating in one of the big challenges from Verve.  This one is in conjunction with their Fall Release Week.  Even though making five cards is alot to complete, I like doing the challenges because it will put my name into the hat for a chance to win their whole release!  I haven't won anything yet, but I always say ... "if you're not in it, you can't win it!"  I feel like I have spent days and days on them, but in reality I started on them on Monday after I got my Texas Tues-Step card done and I finished them on Wednesday evening.  I wanted to keep my fall theme going, and also I wanted to do fall since that is what their release is.  Back in August, when I did the last five card challenge, I used almost all Verve stamps.  But, this time, I found I didn't have enough fall Verve stamps.  I might just be taking a look at their fall release ... there might be some I need (want)!  I will show you each of my cards, the sketch, and the details before going on to the next one.  Enjoy!

I also have an announcement about a blog hop coming up that I am participating in, so be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of this post to hear about that!  Back to my cards ...

Card 1 - This is just about my least favorite.  But at least I did use a Verve stamp on this one.  Very simple.  Maybe that is why I don't particularly like it, you think?

Recipe:
Paper - Die Cuts With A View Cafe Mediterranean Matstack, Cardstock White, Turquoise, Brown
Stamps - Flower by Verve Fancy Florals Remixed, Autumn by Hero Arts
Ink - Marvy Matchables Brown, Turquoise
Other - Ribbon by Creative Impressions, Brad by Queen & Co., Pearls by Queen & Co.

Card 2 -

These cute pilgrims are from a new Hero Arts set.  I really wanted to use these new stamps but they were almost too big for my panel with the oval shape on there too.  But I got it to work, and I think it came out pretty cute.  I debated about adding the pumpkin because it is almost as big as the pilgrims but I decided it gave the card color and some dimension.

Recipe:
Paper - Basic Grey Max & Whiskers Pad, Cardstock White, Black, Orange
Stamps - Hero Arts clear set called So Thankful
Ink - Versafine Black, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol
Tools - Petite Scalloped Circle & Petite Circle Nestibilities, Tim Holtz Paper Piercing Tool & Stampin' Up piercing guide
Other - Ribbon, Black Pearls by Queen & Co.

Card 3 -


For this one, I went with an old stamping technique. Glossy paper, solid stamp, & markers.  Basically, I made my own background paper, something I did every day before I started using all the pre-printed papers. My sentiment is Verve, and even though it says nothing "fallish", I think it works for fall.  Because, without God, there would be no fall leaves.  The little maple leaf on my accent is punched out and then diamond glaze was added.  Now, I have to tell you about my happy mistake.  While the diamond glaze was drying, I accidentally layed something on top and so it ended up with a small dent after it dried.  Instead of making another, I added cracks to the whole thing.  And then I went over it with a black Marvy matchable pad, and used a napkin to pull off the black.  It left the black in the cracks on the leaf.  The end result worked out for the best, and that is what I call a happy mistake!

Recipe:
Paper - Orange Dot is from Hanko and is a type of Japenese Washi paper from my ex-stores class stash, Cardstock Ochre, Black, Kromecoat Glossy White from JudiKins
Stamps - Leaf by The Stamp in the Hand, Sentiment by Verve
Ink - Tombow Markers, Versafine Black, Marvy Matchable Black (for leaf cracks)
Tools - Maple Punch by Punch Bunch
Other - Ribbon by Stampin' Up, Baubles by Stamping Bella



Card 4 -

This is my favorite of all five!  I think I will be repeating this one, in fact, I think this might have to be one of my Thanksgiving cards I will make more of to send out.  It it very simple, but yet with the added elements, it doesn't appear as simple as it is.  My favorite kind of sketch!  When I stamped the leaf flourish on the white panel, I thought it needed just a little added something, so I went back and added tiny stickers from Stampendous.  And then, at the end, when I chose the bright orange ribbon, I thought that I should have picked out a brighter orange cardstock, so to brighten up the orange I did use, I added those tiny stickers again to the circle accent piece.  If I was making several of these, I might pick out brighter cardstock in the beginning to match my ribbon,so I could leave this last (kinda tedious) step out!

Recipe:
Paper - Bella Blvd. One Fall Day Line called "Just Leafy", Cardstock White, Green, Orange
Stamps - Sentiment by Verve, Leaf Flourish by Hero Arts
Ink - Versafine Spanish Moss, Marvy Matchable Brown
Tools - Classic Circle Nestiblities (sent thru machine at the same time to create the circle accent piece, EK Success Scalloped border punch
Other - Ribbon by Unknown, Green Pearls by Queen & Co., Orange Dot Spaklers by Stampendous

Card 5 -

Do I like this one?  Well, I don't think it is my favorite sketch, but I do like how it turned out.  The turkey is from that same Hero Art's set that the pilgrims are on.  The sketch was a little foreign to me and so I made all the layers from white cardstock first to help me to visualize how it would be and then I cut the pattern paper from each of the white cardstock pieces. 

Recipe:
Paper - All DP is from Basic Grey Max & Whiskers paper pad, Cardstock Brown, Ochre
Stamps - Hero Arts clear set "Be Thankful"
Ink - Versafine Vintage Sepia, Prismacolor Pencils
Tools - Classic Circle Nestiblities, EK Success Victorian Corner Punch
Other - Ribbon by Creative Impressions, Pearls by Queen & Co.

 

Now, on to the announcement ... a while back I came across a blog hop from DeNami and I ended up adding comments on the participants blogs for another drawing!   Wendy, one of the ones that commented on my blog, reminded me that I should join the blog hops because she knows I have DeNami stamps as she taught a whole weekend of DeNami classes when I still had the store.  Anyway, I saw where they are having another blog hop, this one using any of there fall stamps,  with an open invitation to anyone to join in ... so I am!  I am always trying to get more followers to my blog, and I thought this would be a good way to do just that! 

This coming Sunday is the day!  It all starts at 8 a.m. PST so I think that means 10 a.m. for us!  I will post a reminder on Friday or Saturday because I know you are not used to showing up here on the weekends!

Until then - thanks for sticking through such a long post from me! 

Happy Stamping!
Tina