January 2013 Viva La Verve Week 2 - Masculine

Hi folks,

I managed to squeeze in a little craft room time today - not as much as I had wanted but still, a little is better than none.

I settled in with the Week 2 Sketch for the January Viva La Verve Challenges over on Splitcoaststampers and made a couple of masculine birthday cards.

Here's the sketch:

and here are my two cards - the first with the same orientation as the sketch, the second with the sketch flipped.

The first one is for a co-worker who always says "Life is Good" when you ask him how things are going. I knew I HAD to use that sentiment on his birthday card.

The second is for the boyfriend of a friend of mine back in Newfoundland.

card details:

• finished size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches, kraft card stock base
• patterned paper: Studio Calico "Classic Calico", edges distressed with Memento Rich Cocoa
• stamps: Verve "Life is Good" Plain Jane, "Birthday to You" Plain Jane
• metallic brads from my stash
• Spellbinders Petite Circles, Hexagons

additional challenges for these cards:

• Crafty Creations Challenges #203: Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp: New Something (my hexagon Spellbinders that I picked up during the boxing day sale at Michaels!)
• Crafting when we can #35: Favourite Things (mine are: masculine cards, kraft card stock, Verve stamps and Spellbinders - can never go wrong with that combo!)
• Corrosive Challenge #165: Out with the Old (those brads I used - I have tons in my stash and just never seem to remember to use them. Trying to be better about that this year! I think I did well with that on these two cards - 14 brads gone out of my stash!)
• One Stitch at a time #145: New (again, my hexagon Spellbinders!) and, technically, though I've had the patterned papers for a couple of months, this is my first time cutting into them. 

Thanks for stopping by! Hope your new year has been off to a wonderful start.