Verve Stamps Inspirations Hop September 2014

Welcome to Verve's September Diva Inspirations Hop. It's the 5th of the month and that means it's time for the Divas to serve up some fresh inspiration with their Verve stamps! Leave some comment love along the hop spots for a chance to win a prize, then grab some stamps and play along with our September inspiration challenge for another chance to win!

This month's challenge is entitled Sweet September:

Sugar-high! Get sugary sweet with pastels, cupcakes or candy. Create a calorie free confection to delight the senses! Feel free to use the graphic as inspiration or not.

If you have come here from Stacey's blog, you are right on track.  If you happened along the Hop, you can check out the Hop List below to get caught up.

For my card I used the newly released Small Packages and co-ordinating Cupcake Frame die set along with this week's Viva La Verve sketch.  I coloured the cupcake with Twinkling H2Os and added some stickles for a bit of sparkle.  A little flag banner in the cupcake and some fun, purple twine I found in my stash finished things off.

I realized too late in the process (unlike Diva Moe who caught herself) that I used a stamp from the recent release instead of a previously released stamp set which is the purpose of an Inspiration Hop.  A very stressful and exhausting week hijacked my brain cells...  Off to sit in my time out chair ;)   
 
Need a little inspiration? Check out the blogs linked below to see what the other Divas did with the challenge! It's sure to be a treat, and speaking of treats, we've got a prize for one lucky commenter along the hop! 

	1. Julee	7. Sarah
	2. Amy	8. Sony
	3. Anya	9. Susan
	4. Betty	10. Maureen
	5. Karen	11. Stacey
	6. Sankari	12. Marisa

Trusting all the fabulous Diva inspiration from the hop has your mojo raring to go and ready to play along with us.  Simply create a card using the above theme, and link it up for an additional chance to win some Verve.  You can check out all the prize info and deadlines are on the Verve Blog.



Timing is perfect with the recent anniversary release providing lots of sweet savings.  Verve's brand new releases are marked 10% off and some of our sweetest tamps & dies from releases past are 20% off!  





 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Small Packages (Verve Stamps)
Paper:   Lime Twist (My Mind's Eye), Ballet Blue, Certainly Celery, Kraft (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Cupcake Frame Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Twinkling H2Os, Crimper (Fiskars), Button, Purple Twine, Stickles, Glue Dot, Dimensionals 

Verve Stamps Inspiration Hop

** Second post of the day.  See below for my Mojo Monday card**

Welcome to Verve's May Diva Inspirations Hop. It's the 5th of the month and that means it's hopping time! This month we've got a fabulous challenge that's sure to take you on a sentimental journey! So in addition to a comment prize hidden along the hop, you can play along with the challenge and link up your creation for a chance to win another prize!

Our April challenge is Font Focus

Fancy fonts are all the rage! Let your inner wordsmith shine and make a gorgeous sentiment (or two or three!) the focus of your card. Whether you draw inspiration from the graphic or take some poetic license of your own, just flash us some fonts!

If you have come here from Maureen's blog, you are right on track.  If you happened along the Hop, you can check out the Hop List below to get caught up.

Used Diva Jen's Deconstructed Sketch for my card along with MME's Breeze papers.  Just love yellow, black and grey together!  Pulled out one of my favorite sentiment sets, Lean On Me, and So Fluttery for the secondary sentiment on the banner (both which happen to be on sale right now!).  The Rounded Scalloped Frame, Dreamy Leaves and Joyful Blooms dies provided the framework for the card, and a touch of sequins from the Pastel Sequin Mix finished things off.

Need a little inspiration? Check out the blogs linked below to see what the other Divas did with the challenge! It's sure to be a treat, and speaking of treats, we've got a prize for one lucky commenter along the hop! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines, and a little bit about our brand new Diva!

	1. Julee	9. Susan
	2. Amy	10. Chaitali
	3. Anya	11. Stacey
	4. Betty	12. Maureen
	5. Karen	13. Marisa
	6. Sankari	14. Andrea
	7. Sarah	14. Charmaine
	8. Sony	14. Christyne

Andrea is next on the Hop List and she is sure to have an amazing creation for your viewing and inspiration!

Verve also has a May special going on, 25% off select stamps and dies. Perfect for some Mother's Day shopping wink, wink. 

Thanks for joining our Hop, and I look forward to seeing your font focused cards.

 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Lean On Me, So Fluttery, Dream Big (Verve Stamps)
Paper:   Breeze (My Mind's Eye), So Saffron, Cameo Coral, Old Olive, Going Grey (Stampin' Up)   
Ink:  Black, VersaMark
Accessories:  Rounded Scalloped Frame, Joyful Blooms, Dreamy leaves (A Cut Above by Verve), Pastel Sequin Mix (Verve Stamps), Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals 

Just Us Girls #219 - Faux Silk

Sue V is our hostess this week and she has chose the Faux Silk technique for us to use this week.  You can find the SCS tutorial here.  I must admit I have never done this technique and it was quite enjoyable and easy to do!  Great look too :)

I know I'm totally inundating you with snowflakes, and I apologize....sort of wink, wink!  For some reason I just can't get enough of them this year!  

That being said, I used the fabulous trio of snowflakes from Holiday Treats along with chocolate chip and close to cocoa to create the faux silk background.    The large snowflake is PTI's and the kraft one is a Martha Stewart punch.  Snuck in my crimper too {grin}.

The rest of the  JUGS team, along with our December GD Jan Del Bone, have some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so head on over to the Just Us Girls blog and check out what they've created.  Then put your creative genes to work and add your card/project to the challenge post on the JUGS blog for the chance to be chosen as the Chic of the Week.  Plus if you are chosen as Chic of the Week, you could be invited to be a Guest Designer.

Get some extra time this weekend to get lots of little things done because the grass soccer fields are still closed this weekend which means no game today, and a good chance my son won't be reffing on Sunday (unless he gets a game on the turf).  Yeah for a little down time to catch my breath :)  

Have a great weekend!

Challenges:  Simon Says




What's In It? 
Stamps:   Joyous Noel and Holiday Treats (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Early Espresso, Kraft (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen, Tissue Paper
Ink:  Black, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up)  
Accessories:   Flag It Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Snowflake Die (PTI), Snowflake Punch (Martha Stewart), Crimper (Fiskars),  Brown Half Pearls (Michaels'), Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Christmas Countdown

We are back with our newest  Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge and it is entitled "Christmas Countdown", a very appropriate title indeed!  This time round, the Sweet Stamp Shop is our sponsor, and the LEAD of the Christmas Countdown challenge will receive a $15 gift certificate to their store!

 

I used a stamp from their Packaged Pretty set.  It is a great set for Blog Candy give away notes, RAK notes, and some basic sentiments.

 

I a Deconstructed Sketches for my card and some delicious MME papers from their Merry Little Christmas pack.  Just love some of the non-traditional Christmas colours in this pack.  Plus, they remind me of candy, and since it is the "Sweet" Stamp Shop sponsoring our challenge, I figured it was a perfect match!  This sentiment just makes me smile as I can imagine the various happy dances of the recipients LOL!

You can check out all the challenge details over on the Curtain Call Inspirations Challenge and also get a chance to view all the wonderful Curtain Call Crew samples!  Should you wish more details on the Curtain Call Crew's cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.

Amber Kroening
Barb Murphy
Christina MacLaren
Gayatri Murali
Jessica Kephart
Kim Singdahlsen

Marisa Ritzen

Monika Davis
Sheri Gilson
Stacey Schafer
Tenia Nelson
Tracey McNeely

You have until December 10th at 8:00 a.m. CST to complete a new card/project using the inspiration picture and linking it up accordingly.  The Lead and Show Stoppers will be announced on December
14th.

 
 
What's In It? 
Stamps:   Packaged Pretty (Sweet Stamp Shop), Text Objects (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Merry Little Christmas (My Mind's Eye), Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Certainly Celery (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black, VersaMark
Accessories:   Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilitiers (Spellbinders), Notebook Edge Die (My Favorite Things), Jumbo Snowflake Punch (Martha Stewart), Snowflakes Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Button, White Half Pearls, Stickles, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

October Diva Dare

Welcome to October's Diva Dare!  This month's theme is "Tag, You're It" and the Divas are daring you to create a tag or a card with a tag on it.

I love making and using tags!  They are so versatile: you can use a tag on a gift, use it on a card for a quick creation, or make a matching card and gift tag set.  Lots of wonderful possibilities!  With Christmas quickly approaching (....sorry, about the "C' word!), it's a great way to get started on gift and hostess tags too. 

Today I went with the tag on a card option (though I also have a fun tag I made which I'll post in a few days).  Diva Jen's Deconstructed Sketch was the springboard for this card, and since I just love the images in the recently released Poppy Birthday, it was my set of choice.  The poppy cluster was coloured with Twinkling H2Os, and the paper is from Making Memories.  Something was missing so I added the secondary "enjoy" sentiment  from Surely Goodness to the small heart and a bit of crimping for some dimension.

Of course, where there is a Verve Diva Dare, there are prizes, and this month's dare provides two prizes: one for a randomly selected participant and one for a randomly selected commenter!  Worth participating for sure, because rumour has it there will be a Verve release coming soon, and a gift certificate would come in very handy wink, wink!

Want to get all the details on how you can win some Verve Stamps?  Simply head on over to the Verve Blog to get all the challenge details - I dare you!

 

What's In It?
Stamps:  Poppy Birthday, Surely Goodness (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Making Memories, Going Grey, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up) 
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Tag Die (My Favorite Things), Scalloped Heart and Heart Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Twinkling H2Os, 5/8" Grey Satin Ribbon (Michael's), Crimper (Fiskars), Black and White Half Pearls, Buttons, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals   

Just Us Girls #181 - Inspiration Picture

This week's hostess is Andrea and she has found this fabulous inspriation picture for us to work with this week.  MME's In Bloom pack matched the colours quite well, plus I just love this paper pack so any excuse to use it is fine by me LOL!

Jen's Deconstructed Sketch #93 showcased this fabulous paper perfectly.  I used Verve's Ecclesiastes 3:11 Plain Jane for the sentiment panel and the Pennant Trim die in lieu of the scallops.   Finished things off with this wonderful butterfly I haven't used in some time.

The rest of the  JUGS team has some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so just hop on over to the Just Us Girls blog, and check out what the Design Team has created.  Then put your creative genes to work and add your card/project to the challenge post on the JUGS blog for the chance to be selected as Chic of the Week.  

Have a fabulous weekend, and I'll be back on Monday with my Mojo Monday card! 



What's In It? 
Stamps:  Ecclesiasties 3:11 Plain Jane (Verve) 
Paper:  Mellow Moss and Blush Blossom (Stampin' Up), In Bloom (My Mind's Eye)
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Labels 4 (Spellbinders), White Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Verve Sneak Peek Spotlight Hop ~ Day 2

Welcome to Day Two of our February 2013 Spotlight Hops!  Today we're taking some sneak peeks at So Fluttery, Shining Star and the Plain Jane Beautiful.   In addition, I'm sure a few of the coordinating dies are also going to be making an appearance.  Best part is, everything you see previewed along today's hop will be available in Verve's online store on Friday, February 22.

In honor of Jen Shults becoming a part of the Verve Release Team, I thought I would use her fabulous round card sketch to showcase the Beautiful Plain Jane.  I just love this sentiment!  It's just perfect for sending to a friend to encourage them or to remind them to quit comparing themselves to others and to believe in themselves -- a message we all need to hear now an then :)

My second card showcases So Fluttery.  I was so happy to see another butterfly set by Julee - you know me and butterflies!  Even better, the Flutterby Die (one of my all time favorite Verve dies) can be used for the butterflies!

The sentiments and font in this set just makes me happy!  I decided to use a list of them on a banner showcasing how I feel about my daughter (this card will be for her).  She's going through a bit of a rough spell, so I wanted to encourage her.  I topped the banner from the Banner Bundle Set with one of the dies from the new Flag It die set which has all kinds of fun toppers and banner shapes which you can mix and match.  The olive seam binding is one of the colours in the new Spring Fling seam binding collection.  Needless to say, this card was a lot of fun to make :)

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win today's featured products! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.

1. Amber	7. Julee
2. Andrea	8. Laurie W.
3. Charmaine	9. Marisa
4. Christyne	10. Maureen
5. Janelle	11. Teresa
6. Jen S.

Enjoy the sneak peeks and come back tomorrow for Day 3!

           



Beautiful Plain Jane
Stamps:  Blessed (Verve Plain Jane) 
Paper:  Sage Shadow, Black, Real Red 
Ink: Black 
Accessories: Scalloped Circle, Circle and Labels 14 (Spellbinders), Rolled Rose Die (My Favorite Things), Leaf Punch (Martha Stewart), Glue Dots, Dimensionals


So Fluttery
Stamps: So Fluttery, Dream Big (Verve Stamps) 
Paper: Classic K McKenna (K & Company), Kraft, Early Espresso and Old Olive (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen 
Ink: Black, Real Red, VersaMark 
Accessories:  Lacy Circle Nesties (Spellbinders), Banner Bundle Die Set, Flag it Die Set, Flutterby Die and Dreamy Leaves Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Spring Fling Seam Binding (Verve), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Black Half Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Deconstructed Sketch #76

 If you have followed my blog for any amount of time you know I just love making round cards.  Therefore, when I saw this fabulous Deconstructed Sketch, I just had to play along :)

I'm still in love with making folded trees, and this time round, I found some double sided designer paper that worked perfectly for what I needed.  A nice little trio was created and became the focal panel of the card.   Again, the tutorial for these can be found here.   They are quick and easy and loads of fun to make.  Worth giving them a try.  Was even thinking of showing my kids how to make them so they can put them on their teacher's Christmas cards.

Doing a happy dance because today is Friday and it has been a very long week...  Good news is, there is  Verve release party tonite and that is a great way to start the weekend.  If you want to join in on the fun, here is the link to the party forum on SCS.

Have a great weekend, everyone, and I'll be back later tonite, or tomorrow morning depending on which time zone you are in, with my Just Us Girls card.

Bye for now :)

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Glad Tidings (Verve) 
Paper: DSP (SU), Kraft, Real Red, Cream 
Ink: Black  
Accessories:  Lacy Circle and Circle Nesties, Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, (Provo) Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Deconstructing Leaves

 
Loved this Deconstructed Sketch as there are so many possibilities for the large oval and "garnish" on the side.  Also quailifies for this week's Hand Stamped Sentiments inspiration challenge.

After a brief hiatus, I succumbed to the temptation of making another "leaf card".  Soon enough, the tide will be turning toward Christmas cards and my beloved leaves will have to be replaced by snowflakes.

While making this card, I think there was a little payback going because I couldn't make up my mind about colours or elements for the life of me!  As a result, I ended up die cutting a bunch of leaves in various colours and shapes before I settled on a combination I liked.  Down side:  I've added a lot of leaves to my "scrap box" which I'm supposed to be trying to decrease in size not increase in size - ugh!  Upside:  I now have enough left over leaves to make a few more cards...sorry, just couldn't resist saying that...wink, wink.

In all honesty, thanks for putting up with my leaf addiction this fall....or, if you've had enough, thanks for being quiet about it and not unsubscribing....{grin}.  You guys are the best, and I thank each and every one of you for sharing a bit of your time with me in my little corner of blog land :)    


 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Leaf Prints and Modern Wood Mats (PTI), Amuse
 Paper: MME, Early Espresso, Kraft, Mellow Moss, So Saffron, Real Red, Cream Linen 
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Black 
Accessories: Leaf  and Mat Stack Dies (PTI), Crimper, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals