May Viva La Verve Sketch

It is May which means it is time for a new Viva La Verve sketch!  I have been so busy the past six weeks packing and moving my mom into a retirement home and then staging and trying to sell her townhouse that sitting and creating a card was wonderful therapy!

Julee has provided another fabulous sketch and I used it to create a Mother's Day card for my mom.  Love this verse from Proverbs from Scripture Medley 3, as it truly does describe my wonderful mother ♥  She is 84 and a real trooper.  We had a limited window of time to get things done before she moved and she rose to the challenge and then some.  Glad to say she is settled and loving her room and living at the retirement home which brings me great joy!!

Mixed a few papers for the sketch, and needed a pop of contrast so did some accents in black and added the butterfly from Butterfly Grace for good measure {grin}.  I apologize for the poor lighting.  Still very busy and being home for good lighting has been a bit of a challenge!

Come and join us over on the Viva La Verve blog!  Enter a card using the above sketch and you could win some new Verve!

Have a fabulous day!

 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Scripture Medley 3, Butterfly Grace (Verve Stamps)
Paper:   Gardinia (American Crafts), Essential Elements (Echo Park), Recollections (Michael's), Vellum (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black, VersaMark
Accessories:  Graceful Butterflies Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped and Circle Nestabilties (Spellbinders), Daisy Punch (Martha Stewart), White Embossing Powder, Sequins, Black Half Pearls, Twine,  Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #492

Happy Monday, everyone!  Love starting the week off with a good Mojo sketch :)

With the deluge of rain we have had for the past month (we have broken an 80 year old record for rainfall in March!!), I am thinking Spring as much as I can, so I paired this wonderful verse from Scripture Medley 2 with some flowered paper and some butterflies.  Added an extra sentiment tab to balance off the sentiment panel as it was a bit bare on the left side and a touch of Swiss Dots along the bottom for some texture and to ground the card.

All the challenge details are over on the Mojo Monday blog and you can also view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples.  Should you wish more details on the Mojo Maker's cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Justin Krieger

  Lori Tecler  

Marisa Ritzen (that's me)

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

My son finally hit the wall this weekend....over the past three weeks he has reffed or been and AR (assistant ref - the sideline refs) for 35 games, and it has been made worse by the nasty weather they have had to work in.  However, he is not done just yet as he has another 11 games this week!  After this weekend, I think they have finally caught up on all the games that had to get rescheduled due to bad weather earlier in the year, much to everyone's delight - players included!!

Have a fabulous week, enjoy the sketch - so many possibilities with this one - and blessings for a wonderful Easter weekend.



 
  

What's In It?

Stamps:  Scripture Medley 2 (Verve Stamps)

Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Kraft, Tempting Turquoise (Stampin' Up)
Ink:   Black

Accessories:  Flutterby Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Provo Craft),  Crimper (Fiskars), 3/8" Olive Grosgrain Ribbon (Stampin' Up), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Button, Twine, Brown Half Pearls, Dimensionals

 

Mojo Monday #478

Happy New Year everyone!!!  We are back with more fabulous Mojo sketches for 2017, and since this is the first sketch of the month, we are starting the new year off with a contest.  The more entries the greater your chances of winning some free Verve :)

I pulled out some scraps from my favorite MME paper pad, In Bloom, added a pop of colour with the red.  After three snowfalls in three weeks -- no great accumulations in our area (most we had was four inches), but it is a novelty around these parts as we have had snow three times in three weeks and are usually lucky to get it once a year!  In addition, it usually only lasts for a day if we are lucky before it turns to rain and washes away, not so this time.  All that to say, I pulled out my life verse (Phil 1:6) found in Scripture Medley 3 and the paper colours lead to a flower and a butterfly - a tribute to spring I think ;) - so went with them.

All the challenge details are over on the Mojo Monday blog and you can also view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples.  Should you wish more details on the Mojo Maker's cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Justin Krieger

  Lori Tecler  

Marisa Ritzen (that's me)

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

We had a gloriously relaxing Christmas and it was exactly what the doctor ordered.  Lots of fun family time, puzzle making, jammie days purging the basement, reading late into the night and simply enjoying not having an agenda.  Happy sigh....  New Years was also quiet (I am not a big New Year's girl) and I had a wonderful time reflecting on the past year, counting my blessings, and deciding on what I wanted to focus on in 2017.   Still working on my word for 2017 as I have a few bouncing around in my head (fitness - as I kind of fell off the bandwagon this year which is not like me at all!) and prayer.  Think I may go with two as they cover two very  important areas in my life.   How about you?  Do you have a word for 2017? Would love to know if if you do.

Cheers to a fabulous 2017, and I look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery! 



 
  

What's In It?

Stamps:   Scripture Medley (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  In Bloom (MME), Going Grey, Read Red, So Saffron, Mellow Moss (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:   Black

Accessories:  Lacy Circle and Circle Nestabilties (Spellbinders), Rolled Rose (MFT), Leaf, Butterfly and Lacy Border Punches (Martha Stewart), White Seam Binding, Black Half Pearls, Glue Dots Dimensionals

Viva La Verve October Week 2 Sketch Recap

Happy Friday everyone!!  Friday is always my sleep in day after two 12+ hour days.  I sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast and scroll through Feedly and my Facebook feed.  

In addition, today is recap time for the current sketch over on the Viva La Verve blog. This week Lesley has created this sketch for us to work with.

I fudged the three circles a bit by using three pots from Potter's Clay and the matching Pottery die set.  I just love  working with Fall colours as they always make me happy!  Added a bit of texture with the crimped panel and grounded things with the twine.

You can see which cards I have spotlighted from our gallery as well as get lots more inspiration over on the Viva La Verve blog.

Thanks for popping in today and have a fabulous weekend!



 
  

What's In It?

Stamps:  Potter's Clay (Verve Stamps)  
Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Kraft and Cameo Coral (Stampin' Up)

Ink:  Black, Really Rust, Cameo Coral, Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Pottery Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Crimper (Fiskars), Gold Embossing Powder, Glue Dots, Twine, Dimensionals

Verve Diva Inspiration Hop - October 2016

It's time for the Verve Divas to bring you our monthly Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop!

There are TWO $30 gift vouchers to the Verve store up for grabs this month and two ways to win! First, comment on the design team's blog hop posts (linked below) for an entry in the first giveaway. Then to be entered into our challenge prize drawing, go get inky and link up your take on the challenge. You have until November 5 to link up. Feel free to play along with the challenge as many times as you like. Verve stamps aren't required to play, but we do smile a little brighter when we see them!

The crisp, cool change in the weather, brings thoughts of warm beverages and long crafting sessions.  This sweet little beverage nook has lots of hidden treasures to be inspired by.  Follow our color pattern, or take flight from the inspiration, you decide!  We can't wait to see what you create.

Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Wednesday, Saturday, November 5.
Prize: $30 gift voucher to the Verve online store!

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone!!  Yes, we are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend north of the 49th parallel :)   It has been a wonderfully relaxing weekend full of great family time and hubby has once again made a great meal and I have been a good sous chef and clean up girl.  SO thankful for a hubby that likes to cook!!

I just realized the Canadian contingency of Divas are all from the same province (go British Columbia) and we are all back to back on the hop - kind of like the Three Musketeers {grin}.  If you have come here from Lesley's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened upon the hop, check the hop list below and get caught up!

I pulled out some papers from MME's Collectible series and paired it with the Praying For You Plain Jane sentiment and my beloved Flutterby die and Sprightly Sprigs die for a bit of foliage to ground the butterfly.  Know it is fall and I should be putting my butterflies away, but just had to use it one more time {grin}.  A touch of seam binding from the Summer Sailing Ribbon Collection and sequins from the Signature Sequin Mix and I was good to go. 

** After I created my card I realized I messed up on the colours!!  I quickly looked at the colour combo, saw red instead of a fuchsia pink -- if I would have looked at the inspiration photo more closely, I would have picked it up but was in a hurry so I didn't double check...my apologies for being out in left field on this one!!   Like any good carpenter, I should have "measured twice (in this case look at the inspiration photo twice) and cut (create) once"!!   Unfortunately I didn't have time to create twice due to it being our Thanksgiving weekend :(   My bad....will make it up to you on the next Hop!

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're giving away a $30 gift voucher to Verve to one random commenter along the hop.  Just leave a little love as you hop about for a chance to win!

1. Julee	7. Marisa
2. Betty	8. Maureen
3. Charmaine	9. Sankari
4. Christyne	10. Stacey
5. Laurie	11. Susan
6. Lesley	12. Teresa

Time to hear on over to Maureen's blog to see what inspired her wonderful creation.






What's In It?
Stamps:  Praying For You Plain Jane (Verve Stamps)
Paper:   Notable Collection (My Mind's Eye), Black, Wild Wasabi (Stampin' Up), Turquoise, Cream (LSS)
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Flutterby and Sprightly Sprigs Die Sets (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Seam Binding and Sequins (Verve Stamps), Crimper (Fiskars), Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Mojo Monday #465

Well, I survived the first week of kids going back high school and university as well as heading back to work after ten days off....barely LOL!!!

My daughter was stressed out with all the activities of "O" Week (orientation week) on campus (insert:  introvert overload) and when I got to work, our server had crashed while we were on vacation so we didn't have access to any of our hard drive information AND the first day back, we had to run without our booking schedule until mid-afternoon!!   That meant we had no clue who was coming in and at what time, couldn't confirm, cancel or change appointments.  Computers are great when they function, but when they go down....oh my!!!  Fingers crossed they will have repaired everything over the weekend before we head in this morning!

But I digress....back to the sketch!  I needed a masculine card and this sketch fit the bill as I used brads on the skewed panel and a star in lieu of the circle element along with this fabulous Jeremiah 17:7 verse from the new Scripture Medley 4 set.   New photo location for you too as I was home late and had to use our front door area for decent lighting!

All the challenge details are over on the Mojo Monday blog and you can also view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples.  Should you wish more details on the Mojo Maker's cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Justin Krieger

  Lori Tecler  

Marisa Ritzen (that's me)

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

Have a fabulous week and I look forward to seeing what you create using this week's sketch!







What's In It? 
Stamps:  Scripture Medley 4 (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Costco DP, Going Grey, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Starry Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Corner Rounder (Fiskars), 5/8" Brown Grosgrain Ribbon (Michael's), Button, Twine, Brads, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Verve Diva Inspirations Hop - September 2016

It's time for the Verve Divas to bring you our monthly Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop!

There are TWO $30 gift vouchers to the Verve store up for grabs this month and two ways to win! First, comment on the design team's blog hop posts (linked below) for an entry in the first giveaway. Then to be entered into our challenge prize drawing, go get inky and link up your take on the challenge. You have until October 5 to link up. Feel free to play along with the challenge as many times as you like. Verve stamps aren't required to play, but we do smile a little brighter when we see them!

The changing colors of autumn is always such a treat.  Like a paintbrush came and colored the world. One of my favorite trees around the neighborhood turns a brilliant purple in the fall, and is so beautiful against the blue sky.  So while some may find this a wintry inspiration, to me a bit of regal purple and a touch of sky and earth will always be fall.   Follow the color pattern, or take your inspiration from the graphic, either way it's sure to be lovely!  We can't wait to see what you create! 

Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Wednesday, October 5.
Prize: $30 gift voucher to the Verve online store! 

If you have come here from our newest Laurie's blog you are right on track.  If not, you can go to the Verve blog for the hop list to get caught up.

I chose to use the colours from the inspiration photo on my card and immediately though of using these wonderful pot images from Potter's Clay and the coordinating Pottery die set, not to mention this fabulous sentiment!  I was humming the song that goes with it all day after making this card :)  

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're giving away a $30 gift voucher to Verve to one random commenter along the hop.  Just leave a little love as you hop about for a chance to win!

1. Julee	6. Marisa
2. Betty	7. Maureen
3. Charmaine	8. Stacey
4. Christyne	9. Susan
5. Laurie	10. Teresa

Time to head on over to Maureen's blog to see her take on the inspiration photo :)






What's In It?
Stamps:  Potter's Clay (Verve Stamps)
Paper:   Kraft and White
Ink:  Black, Old Olive, Marvelous Magenta (Stampin' Up), Mermaid (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories:  Pottery Die Set (Verve Stamps), Twine, Dimensionals

Verve August 2016 Release Spotlight Hop ~ Day 3

Welcome back to Day 3 of our Anni-VERVE-sary Spotlight Hops!  The Verve Divas and special guests are back for another day of spotlighting our new release! Everything previewed this week will be available to order in the Verve online store on Friday, August 26.

If you have come here from Lesley's blog you are right on track.  If not, just check out the hop list below to get caught up. 

Today we're sharing our first projects featuring the Potter's Clay stamp set and coordinating, Pottery Die Set.

Love the verses in this set!  I chose Ephesians 2:10 for my card as it is such a great reminder that not only are we each uniquely created, but in our uniqueness, only we can completely fulfill that for which we were created :)  A great reminder, especially on those days when you don't feel very special.

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 today for the full hop list, a little more about our new products and all the prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee	7. Betty
2. Stacey	8. Charmaine
3. Maureen	9. Laurie
4. Lesley	10. Teresa
5. Marisa	11. Christyne
6. Hillary (Guest)	12. Autumn (Guest)

Time to head on over to Guest Designer's Hillary blog to see what kind of Verve eye candy she has created for your viewing pleasure today.  Happy hopping!





   

What's In It?
Stamps:   Potter's Clay (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   Country Drive (Echo Park), Pretty in Pink, Rose Romance, Certainly Celery (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:   Black   
Accessories:  Scalloped Trim Trio Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Stitched Rectangle Die (Lil' Inker), Doily Die (Top Dog Dies - retired), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart),  Black Half Pearls, Twine,  Button, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Verve August 2016 Release Spotlight Hop ~ Day 1

Welcome to the Anni-VERVE-sary Spotlight Hops! A new release is just around the corner and for the next couple of days we'll be shining our creative spotlights on the new Verve sets and dies releasing this Friday, August 26.

Today we're sharing inspiration featuring the new Scripture Medley 4 compilation set. Check out the Verve Blog post today for more on this set and a little bit about our fabulous Guest Divas, Autumn Clark and Hillary Harris!

If you have come here from Maureen's blog you are right on track, if not, you can check the hop list below to get caught up.

One of my favorite passages is Proverbs 31:10-31 so I absolutely love the fact I now have part of it in stamp form in the Scripture Medley 4 set!!!  It was the perfect sentiment to put on a card for my daughter as she will be starting university in just a few weeks and is quite nervous.  A perfect way to reminder her who is her strength and who has her future in the palm of His hands. 

She is a romantic, girly girl, so this paper from MME's In Bloom was a the perfect fit.  I added a flower from one of my favorite Verve sets, Dream Big and the coordinating Scalloped Flowers die set, and accented it with the Sprightly Sprigs dies.  A few pops of red to liven it up a bit and I was good to go.   Can't wait to give it to her :)

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 today for the full hop list, a little more about our new products and all the prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee	7. Charmaine
2. Stacey	8. Laurie
3. Maureen	9. Teresa
4. Marisa	10. Christyne
5. Hillary (Guest)	11. Autumn (Guest)
6. Betty

Time to head on over to Guest Designer Hillary's blog to see what kind of Verve eye candy she has created for your viewing pleasure today.  Happy hopping!





   

What's In It?
Stamps:   Scripture Medley 4, Dream Big (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   In Bloom (My Mind's Eye), Going Grey (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black, Apricot Appeal (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Sprightly Sprigs and Scalloped Flowers Die Sets (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Black Half Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dot,  Dimensionals  

Viva La Verve August Week 1 Sketch Recap

This week, I get to recap this wonderful Viva La Verve sketch by Julee.

I found this delicious Echo Park paper in my stash and just had to use it as it is one of my favorite colour combinations - pink and green.  Plus, I needed an encouraging card in my stash to be able to give to my daughter when she begins to stress out about starting university and has to deal with all the changes and emotions that will bring her way.  She is a worrier, hates change, and gets herself wound up way more than a given situation often calls for, so I wanted to remind her to keep her focus on God's promises to her and not her circumstances.

The sentiment is the Luke 1:45 Plain Jane, and I paired it with my beloved Flutterby die and Heart Quartet die.

You can check out the challenge details on the Viva La Verve blog, as well as get some added inspiration from the gallery.





 

What's In It?
Stamps:  Luke 1:45 Plain Jane (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Country Lane (Echo Park), Wild Wasabi, Rose Romance, Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black
Accessories: Heart Quartet and Flutterby Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Button, Twine, Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #454

I love Monday's as they are Mojo Monday time and that is always a fun wat ti start your week :)

Went with some soft pastels for my card this week and this fabulous Psalm 143:8 verse from Good Work and butterfly from Die Sidekicks along with the matching All Aflutter butterfly die.

All the challenge details are over on the Mojo Monday blog and you can also view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples.  Should you wish more details on the Mojo Maker's cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Justin Krieger

  Lori Tecler  

Marisa Ritzen (that's me)

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

Have a fabulous day and I look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery :) 

  
  
What Is In It?
Stamps:  Good Works, Die Sidekicks (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Pretty in Pink, So Saffron (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black
Accessories:  All AFlutter Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Doily Die (Top Dog Dies), 1" Green Grosgrain Ribbon (Michael's Dollar Bin), Sequins, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Mojo Monday #432

Julee has a fabulous square sketch for us to work with today.  I love making square cards and realized I haven't made one in ages so this was great fun to create!

I kept things monochromatic as I was using scraps up from MME's Lost and Found Heirloom pack - love this paper pad!  So much so that I bought two so I would have it longer LOL!  Embossed the block hearts in the background and used the Luke 1:45 Plain Jane for my sentiment.  Love this verse!  Added a butterfly sitting on the leaves cut with the leaf die from the Butterfly Dreams die set.  A perfect card to add to my stash for my daughter :)

All the challenge details are over on the Mojo Monday blog and you can also view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples.  Should you wish more details on the Mojo Maker's cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Justin Krieger 

Lori Tecler  

Marisa Ritzen (that's me)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

Hard to believe I am another year older.  Where does the time go?!  No big milestone to celebrate, just a few more grey hairs LOL.  Going to be a busy one with my daughter graduating this year as well as applying to colleges and universities as well as scholarships and then transitioning to the next phase of her life.  Going to need to ensure I have times to just "be" versus just "do" all the time.  Look out 2016 here I come :)




 

What Is In It?
Stamps:  Luke 1:45 Plain Jane (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Lost and Found Heirloom (My Mind's Eye), Blush Blossom, Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up) 
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Butterfly Dreams Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Block Hearts Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals 

Dressed Down or Dressed Up

Made two cards using this wonderful Psalm 103:1 verse from Good Work and wasn't happy with either.... /was one of those cards you fight and fight with and should have given up on, but after putting so much time into it, it is just too hard to do LOL!  Sure some of you can relate.  However, I do like to keep things real here on the old blog, so I'm posting both versions.

This is my original version, but it looked a bit to plain and the background paper is really a lot stronger than I thought it would be and a bit overpowering -- or maybe it is just a darker colour than I usually use so it stands out to me?   I tried to tone it down a bit with the tan and turquoise, and then I cased Teresa's gorgeous card found here by water colouring the two words to make the sentiment stand out. 

This is my "jacked up" version.  I added a white mat and some coral butterflies to pull in the rusty colour in the background paper, however, now I think it is too busy LOL!  Can't win for losing.  Which do you like better?  Or, are you like me and batting zero - which is fine too!  Be honest.  I love constructive criticism as one can always learn from it :)

Wishing you a fabulous day, and glad today is another day which means I can move on and create something else :)







What's In It?
Stamps:   Good Work (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Hipster (Basis Grey) , Early Espresso (Stampin' Up),
Ink:   Black  
Accessories:  Stitched Rectangle Die (Lil' Inker), Tag Die (PTI), Doily Die (Top Dog Dies), Twine, Ribbon, Glue Dot, Dimensionals