Release Week & Parade WINNERS!

I'll be announcing the winners of our Happiness for Hostesses Project Parade at the bottom of this post, but first I wanted to make a few little announcements since it's release week here at Verve and we've got a few things up our sleeve!

September Guest Diva
The fabulous Kristina Biederman (Woodwinds on SCS) has been catching my eye as a participant in most of our Verve challenges. I love her polished, clean style of stamping and fun approach to colors. We're so happy to have her as our guest for this release, and you can look forward to seeing her take on the new stamps over the coming week. You can check out her creations on her blog, Itty Bitty Pieces of Me.



Release Week Challenges
A few of the Divas and myself have 5 fun challenges for you to play along with for this release. Play along by this Friday, September 18 at 6PM Eastern for your chance to win our ENTIRE release! We're also giving out a few gift certificates in the individual challenges, so if you can't do them all, be sure to at least get what you can uploaded. You can check out all the challenges and details on THIS THREAD in our SCS forum.

Sneak Previews
Sneak previews officially start right here on the blog on Wednesday. Each day the Divas will be bringing you some Verve-alicious peeks at the sets releasing this weekend! Plus there'll be more chances to win Verve goodies! For a few sneak peeks before then, you might try Lynda, Charmaine, Jackie, Michelle or Julee (hey, that's me!).


September Release Party
Our release party will be this Friday night (August 18) at 9PM Eastern. We'll be revealing 6 new sets and a scripture plain jane, as well as chatting and announcing all of our release week winners. Be there or be square! Oh, WHERE you ask? Over on the Release Party thread in our forum!

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Okay, so was this month's Happiness for Hostesses project parade a total jaw dropper, or what? Such lusciously handcrafted gifts and awesome design ideas. One of the very first stamps I ever owned said, "When you care enough you make it yourself." and I truly believe that gifts of the heart are so much better than any store-bought thing. So thanks to all of you who participated and added your fabulous project ideas to this parade - I know I'll be coming back to your posts for inspiration as I start in on my holiday gift giving projects this year!

I think I've made you wait long enough, so without further adieu here are the winners from the Happiness for Hostesses Project Parade...

1. Carolina
2. Julie E.
They win any stamp set of their choice from Verve.

Our $25 mystery gift certificate for the Happiness for Hostesses Project Parade was hidden in Mercy's post and our lucky commenter is...

Janelle who said... What an amazing hostess gift! So much thought went into making this set.

Congrats girls! Email me at contests@vervestamps.com to claim your prize. If you won a stamp set, please include your shipping address and the name of the set you would like.

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August Project Parade-Day 14

Hey everyone, Teresa here; I cannot believe that I am bringing to you the last day of the Happiness for Hostesses Project Parade, haven't the divas turned out some fabulous hostess gifts? It is a dream come true to be working along side these talented ladies, thank you Julee!

My gift is a tin full of coffee beans and homemade coffee cake. I luv coffee, but enjoy it much more when it is fresh ground, lasting and with longtime friends. I have girlfriends that I have known since the third grade and when we get together there is always coffee involved. We are due a get together, so this is the perfect time to call them up and make a date.

I will save my favorite boxes and tins, this is one that was in my stash. I took Basicgrey Blush dp and distressed and layered it and adhered with tacky tape around the tin. Card stock is Prism Burned and Birchtone Light. I used the Mega Curved rectangle nesties for the image Delightful & Delicious and sentiment on the front of the tin. I used the steamy image from the A Cup Of Life set to make the scrolls down the side. I tied it all with a bow and added a tag with the cup image on it. The cups and the scrolls I went over with a glitter pen, not sure if you can see it in the picture. I used Romans 12:13 verse on the card and a button tied with twine on the bow. I ran the card base through the Cuttlebug using the SU Final Press embossing folder, I luv this texture, it is gorgeous! I also picked up these chocolate envies at Michael's, had to have them. I ran a strip of embossed card stock down the front of it and added a few Kaiser Craft pearls. I sure hope that my project has been an inspiration to you and I hope that you can play along in our Project Parade. Just make a project or card that fits with our Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!

August Project Parade - Day 13

Happy Thursday, everyone! It's Mercy! I have been blown away by the gorgeous and creative projects the Divas have been cranking out these last few days...talk about some wonderful Hostess Happiness! For my project I wanted to focus on one of my true loves...writing. Each month I get together with a few of my "wanna be writer" friends to share poetry and/or short stories that we have written the month before. Here is the Writer's Hostess Gift Ensemble for next month's hostess:
I altered an old writer's journal, and covered it with cardstock. I added a lock for privacy, and decorated the cover using one of my favorite sets Enjoy for the focal image. The sentiment in the lower right corner of the journal is from Express Yourself.

My friend has never been to our county library, so I purchased a library card for the next year just for her. I wanted to put it in something cutesy, so I decided to make a gift card holder. I used the polka dots and sentiment from Bountiful Backgrounds, the flowers from Budding Blossoms, and the butterfly from Enjoy to create this trifold library card holder.

What girl doesn't love a little something sweet while she is in deep concentration?!? LOL! I created an acetate box filled with Werther's Original candies using the sentiment from Delightful & Delicious, and the same butterfly used in the other projects.

The hostess also gets to invite three of her personal friends to the next month's meeting, so I created some 3X3 invitations in the same color scheme using the sentiment from A Cup of Life. I added the same butterfly used in the other projects to the outside of the envelopes.

That's it for me today! I had such an amazing time creating my first official Project Parade projects and post! It still seems like a dream...I can't believe that I am a Diva! LOL! Julee...thanks for such an awesome opportunity!

Do you have a fabulous hostess gift idea? We would love to see it! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we love to see 'em! Just add a link to your creation to the Mr. Linky form in DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12th. 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!

Project Supplies:

Stamps: Enjoy, Bountiful Backgrounds, Delightful & Delicious, A Cup of Life, Budding Blossoms, Express Yourself

Papers: SU cardstock, SU retired designer paper

Inks: Chocolate Chip Craft Ink, Baja Breeze Classic Ink, Whisper White Craft Ink

Accessories: ribbon, linen thread, dimensionals, clear embossing powder, heat gun, aquapainter, stickles, spellbinders nestabilities, big shot, mat pack, paper piercer, lock assembly, red-line tape, kaiser brown rhinestones, SU border punch, Martha Stewart border punch, scissors, acetate, scor-pal, SU circle punches, 3X3 envelopes, brad, sponge dauber

August Project Parade: Day 11

Hi everyone, it's Michelle! It's my turn to show you a bit of Verve-y Hostess Happiness! Haven't the Divas rocked it so far?!?

One of my best girlfriends is a HUGE tea drinker. I mean seriously, HUGE tea drinker! She drinks tea like I drink coffee. -LOL! We are all heading over to her house for dinner in a couple weeks, so I thought I would take this opportunity to make her a little hostess gift.

I was shopping at Cost Plus the other day, and found this REALLY cool tea cup. The little spoon keeps in the handle, how cute is that? The project came together pretty quickly after I found this. My card uses the A Cup of Life set and are colored with copic markers. She is NOT a girly girl at all, so I kept the embellies to a minimum, but I did add a couple silver pearls here and there, just couldn't help myself!

When making both the card and tag, I stuck to the colors and clean lines of the cup. She and her family are very "green", so she will appreciate the tea is from a local Portland owned company, STASH.

So....have you decided what fabulous hostess gift you'd like to create? We can't wait to see it! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we love to see 'em! Just add a link to your creation to the Mr. Linky form in DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12th. 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!

August Project Parade - Day 10

Hi everyone, it's Amy here today with Day 10 of our Happiness for Hostesses Project Parade. I've been amazed at all the projects the Divas have shared to far -- so many great ideas!

Every few years, my mother's very large extended family gets together to make applebutter the old-fashioned way, in huge copper kettles over an open fire, using long wooden paddles to stir the apples as they cook. It's a two-day process, and takes about thirty to forty people altogether. The end product is worth the effort, and the family tradition is priceless. Plus we all leave with plenty to share. A jar of "secret family recipe" homemade applebutter is one of my favorite hostess gifts.



For my project, I've taken a plain jar of applebutter and packaged it up all nice and pretty. I first covered a small chipboard box with some pretty Melissa Frances designer paper, then I prettied up the jar itself (details below), and last I added some wide striped ribbon and a maple leaf-shaped tag bearing the Romans 12:13 Plain Jane and a butterfly from Enjoy.



For the tag, I cut a piece of ivory card stock into the leaf shape using one of the new Spellbinders Nested Maple Leaf dies. With the die still in place, I sponged on Ranger Distress ink in various shades of browns (Antique Linen, Tea Dye, and Vintage Photo). I removed the die, then stamped the Romans 12:13 Plain Jane in Ranger Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The butterfly shadow is stamped in Vintage Photo ink, and the butterfly outline image is paper pieced and popped up.

Here's a closer look at the jar top:



I layered classic and scalloped circle Nestabilities for the jar top, then added the stamped "Enjoy" sentiment and two butterflies from the Enjoy set. (The butterflies are done the same way as the one on the leaf tag). Last I added some ivory trim to the band. Before I tied the ribbon on, I used a few dimensional glue dots to secure the jar to the inside of the box so that it won't slip around. I almost don't recognize my plain little canning jar anymore. As they say, presentation is everything!

That's it for me! I hope you can play along in our Project Parade. Just make a project or card that fits with our Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!

August Project Parade ~ Day 9

Hi everyone! It's Jackie here! Don't you love all of the projects the Diva's have showcased so far? I am amazed every month at the creativity!! Well, I decided to do a little something for my Mom's Group. This is my second time focusing on these very important women because they appreciate everything I make them! LOL! We meet twice a month for coffee and while we usually meet at Starbuck's, we have decided to meet at one house so we can be loud and crazy without anyone staring at us!

I thought bringing each of them a darling little bag like this would be perfect. They all love my Butterscotch Chip Cookies and packaging them in batches of two means no one eats too many! (My real motive is to keep as many as I can at home! LOL!)

I used the new Verve set, Delightful and Delicious. What a perfect set for coffee and cookies.....I stacked the three cups from the set in Dark Chocolate Ink from Papertrey and colored them in with Copic Markers. The image was cut out with Oval Nestabilities.


The sentiment is also from Delightful and Delicious. It was stamped in Pure Poppy ink (PTI) and cut out with the Ribbon Tag Trio by Spellbinders. I tied a small red bow with embroidery floss. The bag itself is a My Timeless Template from Papertrey, specifically the Pretty Petal Pocket. I added the cookies to a medium cello bag and tied it with Pure Poppy Twill Ribbon (PTI).


We would love for you to join us this month! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!

August Project Parade - Day 7

Happy Tuesday! Jen Tapler here with another installment of the Happiness for Hostesses Project Parade. Wowza! The divas are sure outdoing themselves this Project Parade and I know I'll won't be lacking for gift ideas for quite some time!!

For my project, I decided to make a simple little gift to take to my next Book Club get together. I just love this group of girls and we always have such a good time gossiping, eating, drinking lots of wine, and sometimes we even discuss the book! We take turns hosting our informal "meetings" and everyone usually brings a little something to eat. Now, I do NOT cook. Like hardly AT ALL. Nothing. Joel does 99% of the cooking at our house. If Joel has to work late and (oh No!) I have to be responsible for dinner, it almost always is Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. No lie. (fortunately Joel likes to cook and is WAY better at it than I am so this doesn't happen very often!!). Anyway, I used to get really stressed out about book club meetings because the other girls would always bring these really yummy creative dishes to share and here I was with a box of Oreos or a bag of chips and bean dip or something (unless I could bribe Joel to cook something that I could pass off as my own - but that usually involved payment of the dreaded variety...LOL!!). So I came up with something that seems to have made everyone happy - instead of food I take the hostess some cute little papercrafted gift. Only one other girl in the group is crafty so these gifts are adequately oohed and aahed over and everyone seems to overlook the fact that I've arrived food-less!!

Anyway, all of that to say that today I'm sharing with you the gift I'll be taking to next week's Book Club meeting. It's just a little thank you card, a bookmark, and a little gift box full of the hostess' favorite candies. I stamped the polka dots from Bountiful Backgrounds in Fresh Snow ink (PTI) on Kraft CS (surprise, surprise) for the base of all 3 items. I also included Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip.

The little gift box was created using the Favor Box die from Sizzix, I filled it up with Macadamia Nut Hershey's Kisses, tied it up with some Riding Hood Red ribbon and added a little tag stamped with one of the sentiments from Bountiful Backgrounds.


For the bookmark and card, I used the butterfly image from the new Enjoy set along with my Circle Nestabilities. I added a jumbo eyelet and some more Riding Hood Red ribbon to the top of the bookmark. All in all, it was a quick and easy yet very effective gift for the next Book Club hostess!!

Have all of these Hostess Gift ideas got the wheels of creativity spinning yet? We'd love for you to join us this month! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!

August Project Parade ~ Day 6!!!

It's Monday and that means it is my turn, Lynda, to share with you my project for this month's project parade. The theme this month is Happiness for Hostesses. I had a few projects in mind and finally settled on this one. I had my heart set on using the Express Yourself set and for some reason when I see this set, I see pink and black!!

This set consists of a little purse, wallet & notecard that fits on top of a gift card. I found the instructions for the little purse HERE. I did change the top flap but the purse is as per her instructions. Here is a closer look at the purse ~


For the front and back panels I used some old shiny black paper I have had for quite some time, cut it out using my Top Note die and then ran it through my Cuttlebug using the Mosaic Squares embossing folder. The top flap is just Basic Black card stock that is 4" x 4 3/4". I rounded the corners, scored at 1 7/16ths and 2 9/16ths and then pierced around the entire flap. I adhered the back flap to the back of the purse using Sticky Strip. I stamped the Just for You sentiment, which is included in the A Cup of Life set, using Basic Black ink on Whisper White CS, cut it out using my circle Nesties, adhered it on a pink (Bo Bunny Alyssa DP) Nestie Dahlia and pierced along the right edge and added clear rhinestones. To hold the flap closed, I added half of a black Velcro dot. The inside box is Pretty in Pink CS. The handle, which is black ribbon with white flowers that I picked up at Micheal's, was tied on to pewter hangers using pink fiber.

Here is a picture of the thank you note~

The sentiment is from Verve's Thankful Blossoms set and was stamped on Whisper White using Basic Black ink. I then added the flourishes from A Cup of Life set using Pink Pirouette ink. The shoe, from the Express Yourself set, was stamped on the Bo Bunny Alyssa paper using my Versamark and then heat embossed using black EP. I then cut the shoe out, mounted it using dimensionals and rounded the edges of the card. This and the gift card fit perfectly inside the wallet that measures 3 1/2" x 5 1/4". The wallet was scored at 1 1/2" and 3 3/4" and was held closed using the other half of the black Velcro dot.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing this project. We can't wait to see what you come up with! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!

August Project Parade - Day 5

Happy Friday!! It's Tosh here, and I'm excited to share with you the idea I had for this month's project parade. Since the theme is Happiness for Hostesses, we were to come up with a gift idea for a hostess. Well, I have a dear friend who I'm visiting next week, and she's a coffeeaholic!!! Seriously. I won't say a name, but she lives in Montana and is quite the Verve Diva!! *grin*...guess she's seeing some of her gift early.
Anyway, I bought these fabulous Tin Buckets
quite awhile ago from a company called Wild Wings. They had little panels in the front already designed on them, so they were taylor-made for someone who likes to alter things!! Woot!! I used the Verve sets Delightful & Delicious, and Bountiful Backgrounds. I just stamped the images directly onto Happy Holidays dp (FancyPants) with Walnut Stain (Ranger Distress Ink). For the panels on the cans, I gave a bit more "texture" to the bg by stamping off the dots from the Bountiful Backgrounds set. Each panel is ink distressed with the Walnut Stain too.

For the card, I used Viva la Verve's Week 2 Sketch with the twist requiring us to use border punches. I used a EK Success scalloped border punch for the strip next to my cup, and added the "Fabulous" sentiment from the Bountiful Backgrounds set. I added some Candy Dots and ribbon for the final touch.

Now of course, the gift isn't just the cans. I had to fill them. Since Laurie (oops...did I say a name?) and I live 1000 miles apart, we can't get together for coffee as often as we'd like, so we're looking forward to just sitting in the kitchen with a good cup of java. The kitchen is the most used room in my house, so I thought some coffee themed kitchen hand towels, would fit fabulously rolled up in the larger can. For the smaller can, I added some YUMMY New Cappuccino Flavored Lindt Truffles. Not only are they delicious, but their packaging is so stylish.

The flowers on top were made with the Blossom Nestabilities die, buttons and Lace Ribbon.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing this project. We can't wait to see what you come up with! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!

August Project Parade - Day 4

Hi! It's Charmaine and it's my turn to show you what I came up with for the Happiness For Hostesses Project Parade!

I know so many people who would LOVE coffee as a gift. What a simple and relatively inexpensive way to say thank you! By relatively inexpensive I mean that it would depend on your coffee taste, I guess. LOL I've heard of some VERY expensive coffees! I used some Morning Brew made by the Pittsburgh Coffee Company. I'm not a die hard coffee drinker, but my husband is and this coffee makes us both happy! All I did for my gift was get a coffee mug that fit the bag of coffee and I made a set of cards to go into the package. I wrapped the whole thing up with cellophane and added a tag! Simple and sweet!

I used the Delightful and Delicious set from Verve along with my new Labels Seven Nestabilities. I also used the Just My Type Cuttlebug folder for the embossed squiggly line across the top of the card. The whole package didn't take much time to create at all. I think any hostess would love this simple gift!

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 take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 THIS POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!

August Project Parade: Day 3

Well, it's me, Susie here. I love little gifty things to just surprise someone with, especially if they are quick and easy to make. Even the simplest of things will bring a smile to someone's face and isn't that the end result we want? So when I found out about the August Project Parade and Jen's fun idea: HAPPINESS FOR HOSTESSES, I knew this would be a great way to showcase something easy to duplicate and not too complicated to make, even if massed produced. I even tried to set a time limit on how long I could spend on this project to show ya'll how fast it came together, so ya'll would not be intimidated if you want to make one or some of these on your own. This project literally took me about 30-40 minutes to make! (Much less time than I spend on just a card most times!) It could also easily be transformed into little Halloween gifts or sweet neighbor treats for the upcoming holidays (which I always love to give!).

I know a lot of you have the Top Note die from Sizzix/SU! (?), but I don't. I have Nestabilities, so I used my new Labels 8 die and cut two of them out of some thicker scrapbook paper (preferably double sided for extra umph). One for a front piece and one for the back. You could also use any other shape you like that would accomodate some sort of bag on the inside. Then I glued them to the front and back of a small (very small) lunch sack to create my little "box".

I stamped the image panel using one of my favorite new Verve sets called Enjoy, embellished it with clear butterflies that I stamped with the outline image and affixed them with brads. I then attached it to the front of my little treat bag/box with foam boosters.

All that was left was to make the closure. I attached the large black button by punching 2 small holes at the top of the front panel and tying it on semi-loosely with hemp twine strung up through the holes from the back. I then tied another longer piece of hemp through an eyelet I set through the top of the back panel. The longer twine, accentuated with some buttons for lack of beads (still cute!), just wraps around the button to hold it shut!

But before I closed it up, I couldn't forget to fill it with Raisinets--my favorite! (This may or may not make it to my friend I was planning on giving it to. Yep, too late--just ate the last one! Note to self: Buy more Raisinets.) So see how super easy and quick this was? And it's surely a smile bringer-onner! Try making one of your own just for grins!

So....have you decided what fabulous hostess gift you'd like to create? We can't wait to see it! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!

August Project Parade: Day TWO!

Hi, Verve Fans, it's Shannan here! I'm so excited to bring you my project for August's Project Parade. As Jen announced yesterday, this month's theme is HAPPINESS FOR HOSTESSES. I hate showing up anywhere with empty hands, so project ideas like this that are easy and simple is something I'm always after.

Today I decided to show you a little project for a chocolate lover. Now, I know you guys are wayyyy too health-conscious to eat chocolate *wink* but you never know when it might come in handy. I just emptied a jar of Cheese Whiz (ignore previous health reference) this week in a casserole, so I decided it would be perfect for a candy jar. The lid was red, and there's no changing that, so I added it to black, white, and kraft...one of my favorite combos.


I simply filled the jar with Hershey's Kisses, stamped a little tag using stamps from A Cup of Life for the top, and punched out a few circle shapes with my Marvy punches to decorate the lid. Black ribbon fit around the edge of the lid perfectly (to hide the array of foods Cheese Whiz should be used on). This gingham fabric was in my stash, so I tied it in a knot around the jar and added some twine just for fun.


The card measures 4 1/4" square, and I stamped the bottom half with the lined image from Bountiful Backgrounds in white pigment ink. I used tape to mask the word "coffee" from the sentiment from Delightful & Delicious, then stamped the rest of the sentiment in Real Red on white cardstock. Then I wrote the word "chocolate" with a black marker, cut it out, and adhered it to the circle to finish the sentiment. More gingham fabric is wrapped around the card base, then the scalloped circle & sentiment were mounted on top with dimensionals. The little flower was a last minute addition, but it just looked like it belonged there.

This was a really quick and easy project...one that will come in handy next time I go to a friend's house to stamp (or thank a girlfriend for watching my kiddos)! I think some more Cheese Whiz may be in order...*grin*

So....have you decided what fabulous hostess gift you'd like to create? We can't wait to see it! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!

August Project Parade: Day One

Welcome to the August Project Parade, which will actually run well into September. More fun stuff to look at and more time to play along to win! Not to mention, there will be creations from some brand NEW Design Team members! This month's theme is:

HAPPINESS FOR HOSTESSES

The idea behind this Project Parade was that you never want to go to a party somewhere empty handed. So what do you bring? You know half of the other people attending will be bringing wine, and you want to make it more personal...and creative. Well, starting today and every weekday through September 11 the Verve Design Team hopes to inspire you to create great hostess gifts and cards.

Today, I am bringing you a hostess gift for the coffee lover. I have had this "design your own" coffee mug in my cabinet for what seems like **forever**! I am glad that I saved it for this project! You just never know when you **might** need something :) I paired it with a glassine bag filled with some chocolate goodies. I used 2 of the new sets, Delightful & Delicious and A Cup of Life. I think this is a great gifty for the coffee lover hostess...

Close up of the mug, which was originally purchased at Target and the tag attached to the chocolate goodies...

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 take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 below before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!