July Diva Dare 2012 ~ Day 7

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Hello!  It's Maureen and I can't tell you how excited I am to finally show you my Diva Dare project!  Excited because I love the mix of digital and stamped images I've used AND I got to eat cupcakes!! LOL  More on that later ;)  But first, some details...

This month, we dare you to make a card or project using a BIRTHDAY theme. July happens to be a big birthday month here at Verve...five of our Divas have July birthdays, including the boss lady, Julee. Let's celebrate with some fun birthday projects, shall we? We can't wait to see how you answer the dare! (Stay tuned to see how you could win some shiny new Verve!)

I've been having fun recently with my Keep Calm app, not to mention seeing all different versions of the poster on Pinterest.  So when the Diva Dare birthday theme came up, I knew I wanted to make my own little poster...

I wanted an authentic font for the words, so I googled "Keep Calm font" and I was able to download my own version and install it into my Word Program.  I measured the cupcake from Carpe Cupcake as well as the sentiment I wanted to use so I knew how big to make the "Keep Calm and Seize."  Oh, I love how the Verve images worked perfectly (and no colouring needed! LOVE!)  I added a little file folder die cut so I could also add the sweet "happy birthday" from Small Phrases.

 

Now, I couldn't just make a cupcake card and not have some props for the photo shoot!  LOL  So I headed over to our local Sweet Cupcake Shoppe and bought some lemon filled cupcakes {drool}.  I wanted to make some fun little flags with the Ribbon Banner die.  I've used it 3 times here, cutting 2 of them smaller for the mini cupcakes.  The Birthday Girl should always get the biggest cupcake, so I made her banner a little more special with the matching banner outline stamp from Super Dad.  All the sentiments are from Birthday Bash...I just love the fonts in this set!

So, are you wondering the fate of these cupcakes?  Let's just say they were delicious! LOL  Gotta love a yummy photo shoot (eh, Melissa! teehee)!

Would you like a chance to win some fabulous new VERVE GOODIES? There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with our Birthday Diva Dare. Link up your creation (posted July 16 or later) to the linky widget HERE on Day 1 before 6:00 pm MT on Sunday, July 29. One lucky stamper will win a $30 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would love to see 'em!
2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we share our birthday creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing. 

 Winners will be announced on Monday, July 30 right here on the Verve blog.

July Diva Dare 2012 ~ Day 3

Hi ya!  Laurie here, and I'm here to share how I answered the latest Diva Dare! 

This month, we dare you to make a card or project using a BIRTHDAY theme. July happens to be a big birthday month here at Verve...five of our Divas have July birthdays, including the boss lady, Julee. Let's celebrate with some fun birthday projects, shall we? We can't wait to see how you answer the dare! (Stay tuned to see how you could win some shiny new Verve!)

When I sat down to create a birthday card...well, let's just say that I was having too much fun to stop at one!  So, I have three birthday cards to share with you!

I created this first card in the shape of something that I personally love....a cupcake!  I used my Silhouette machine to create the card base (the top is some pink cardstock and the bottom is from the Happy Travels Collection from Glitz Design).  I embossed the sentiment (from the Sunny Days set) on the bottom and added some stamped leafy sprigs (also from the Sunny Days set and cut out with the Leafy Sprigs die) under the pink bow.

For my second card, I cut out a birthday cake using my Silhouette and some papers from the Nostalgia paper pad by My Mind's Eye.  To complete the card, I added a stamped focal image created from the Making a Statement stamp set along with the Rounded Scallop Frame and Loopy Blooms dies.





For my third card, I again used my Silhouette to create another birthday themed shape...a gift box complete with a bow!  To decorate the outside, I added some polka dots as well as a stamped border along the bottom (using the star from the Birthday Bash set).

The inside (actually, the insert) is decorated using a sentiment and stamped stars also from the Birthday Bash set.

Would you like a chance to win some fabulous new VERVE GOODIES? There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with our Birthday Diva Dare. Link up your creation (posted July 16 or later) to the linky widget below before 6:00 pm MT on Sunday, July 29. One lucky stamper will win a $30 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would love to see 'em!
2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we share our birthday creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing.



July Diva Dare 2012 - Day 1

Hola, Verve fans, welcome to Day One of our July Diva Dare! We haven't done one of these in a while, so as a reminder, here's how it works. We post a theme we dare you with, and you'll have two weeks to complete the challenge. During those two weeks, the release team will post their creations and tell you how they answered the dare. 

This month, we dare you to make a card or project using a BIRTHDAY theme. Did you know that July is a big birthday month here at Verve? Five of our Divas have July birthdays, including the boss lady, Julee. Let's celebrate with some fun birthday projects!  We can't wait to see how you answer the dare! (Stay tuned to see how you could win some shiny new Verve!)

Here's what I came up with …

The cupcake tote is a cut file designed by Lori Whitlock for the Silhouette store. I enlarged the pieces by 125%, then cut them on my Silhouette out of a combination of ivory card stock and papers from Crate Paper's Random collection. I tied the top closed with some jute string, added some crinkled and dyed seam binding, then topped it with a red checked button (to look like a cherry on top). I further embellished with some paper flowers and a small tag that I die-cut with Verve's Tiny Sweet Sallop Die Set. On the tag I added a sentiment using stamps from the Birthday Bash stamp set. 


While making the cupcake tote, I fell in love all over again with Crate Paper's Random collection and decided to make a coordinating card: 

The balloons are from Birthday Bash and the tiny "happy birthday" sentiment is from Small Phrases. I die-cut the heart using the Jotted Heart die and the chunky letter "u" using the I Heart U
Die Set. I finished up with a little bit of this and that here and there, or maybe I should say quite a bit of this and that here, there, and everywhere! 


Here's the pair:

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Would you like a chance to win some fabulous new VERVE GOODIES? There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with our Birthday Diva Dare. Link up your creation (posted July 16 or later) to the linky widget below before 6:00 pm MT on Sunday, July 29. One lucky stamper will win a $30 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would love to see 'em!
2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we share our birthday creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing.

Winners will be announced on Monday, July 30 right here on the Verve blog.

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Click the "Click here to enter" link at the bottom of this post for the Diva Dare entry form. Please type your name or screen name in the Caption or Title field, then choose the link and photo you'd like to enter.  Please link directly to the specific blog post or gallery page where we can view your creation.  If you're having problems linking, try entering the link to your card, then choosing From File instead of From Web. Then just browse to where your picture is saved on your computer to get your thumbnail.

March Diva Dare - Day 2

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Welcome to Day TWO of the March Diva Dare!  Here's how our Diva Dare works... following each release, we post a theme we dare you with, and you'll have two weeks to complete the challenge.  During those two weeks, the release team will post their creations and tell you how they answered the dare!

This month we dare you to make a card, project, layout, or whatever fits your stamping style using this month's theme - Color Me Spring!  Whether you are shoveling snow off of your sidewalks and only dreaming of warmer weather or you are already enjoying the first blooms of the season, this challenge is sure to put a spring in your step! How you interpret the challenge is up to you!  Stay tuned to learn how you could win some shiny new Verve!!

This is how I answered the dare...

When I think of spring.... one of the things that I think about is our wee little daughter and her birthday next week! She born on Easter (a week after her duedate!) and when she was born, all the nurses at the hospital gave her little bunnies and baby chick stuffed animals - so sweet! So for my  Color Me Spring, I decided to make a little birthday present for my little chickie :) I made a card and a coordinating footstool/bench that I painted and then covered with modpodge to protect it and then covered it with a light glaze.  I painted it in her favorite color: purple! Here is a picture of the little giftset that I made for my chickie princess:

I painted a white footstool with purple and then covered it with the papers from the EP Springtime collection. For the footstool, I created a little layout using Charley from the Chicks Rule collection, as well as her friends from the To The Moon stamp set (adding a bright pink bow to their head :)

 On the sides of the little bench - I stamped the sentiment: "Chicks Rule" from the Chicks Rule stamp set and added hearts from the Love Notes stamp set.

Here is a picture of the top of the little bench:  I cut out the larger shape using the Grand Calibur and then added a scalloped edging on the sides. I love this sentiment - because it is so true - my little 3 year old is totally one of the coolest chicks I know! I stamped little Charley and her friends and paper pieced them using the DP and then added a pink bow to each of them from the Chicks Rule Stamp set.

Here is the birthday card for me little princess :) One of my favorite things that my daughter does every morning when I leave to go to work, is open the window and she watches me walk to the car and when I open the car door - she always yells out "I love you" and I say "I love you too!" and then we both wave to each other - its one of my favorite parts of our morning routine - so I thought that I would make little Chole wave from out the window. I created a little cut out shape and then added shutters and added a little window basket by cutting out half of  the basket from the Chicks Rule stamp set. I added the happy birthday sentiment from the Birthday Bash stamp set into the newly released Charming Oval die set from A Cut Above dies from Verve stamps:

Card Ingredients: 

Paper: Springtime collection from EP and purple prism papers

Stamps: Chicks Rule, Love Notes (for the little trio of pink hearts), To the Moon (for the little monkey, bear and elephant) , Birthday Bash (for the sentiment)

Inks: Memento Tuxedo black, Grape Jelly, RoseRed 

Accessories: liquid pearls, pink ribbon from stash, Spellbinders, bling, copics, sponger, dimensionals, scorpal, star hatpin, stickles (Diamond), Martha Stewart heart punch, footstool from Michaels, copics and bling.

I love spring and I love being able to leave the snowsuits at home and go for a walk with my kids! I am excited to decorate the house in pink and purple for our daughter's springtime birthday and even more excited to give her this Chicks Rule giftset :) Hope you will play along with the Diva Dare challenge and share with us your Color Me Spring creation!

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Want to know how you can win some fabulous new VERVE GOODIES?

1. Play along with us and link up your new Color Me Spring creation (posted March 28 or later) to the linky widget on the DAY 1 POST before midnight MST on Sunday, April 10. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would  LOVE to see ‘em!
2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we share our Color Me Spring creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!  Winners will be announced on Monday, April 11th right here on the Verve blog.

Now it's YOUR turn!  We DARE you to show us your creations!

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August Release Project Parade: Day 3

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Hello!  It's Charmaine and it's my turn to share with you my project for this month's theme, Something Old, Something New!  When I was thinking about sets to pair together (one from the current release and one older set from Verve), I came up with the older set first!  LOL  Crazy, huh?  But I HAD to use the absolute first Verve set I ever owned and it was the very first Verve set ever released, Thoughtful Florals.  (Actually, this one is a "remix" of the original set, but you get the point.)  :)  I love this set as much today as the day it was released.  I love the happy sentiments that are perfect for so many occasions. 

So, I decided to pair it with Birthday Bash from this past release and create a scrapbook page.  I paper-pieced the balloons and added some Stardust Stickles to the insides of the stars.  I stamped the frame from Thoughtful Florals in four different colors that matched the patterned paper and then stamped three sentiments from that set and the last sentiment, "you amaze me" is from the Uplifting Phrases set.  I'm so glad these sets work so perfectly together!

1. Play along with us and link up your new SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW creation (posted August 25th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY 1 PARADE POST before midnight on Wednesday, September 15th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store.

2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we parade our SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

We hope you'll play along!  We LOVE to see your creations!

August Release Project Parade: Day One

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Greetings Verve Fans!  It's time for some more inspiration using your Verve stamps with this month's Project Parade...

The theme for this Project Parade is "Something Old, Something New."  You might be thinking "wedding," but it's actually something just a little different.  We have challenged ourselves and YOU to use a previously released Verve set with one of the sets that was released on August 20th.  If you don't have both a new and an older Verve set, don't worry.  Just mix an older set from your stash with a new-to-you set and join the fun!  We'd love for everyone to play along!

My friend, Susan, created a super fun card with a spinning monkey a little while back and I just got an order for a girl's birthday card using a monkey.  I called Susan up and asked if she minded if I copied her for the Project Parade, since a certain 7.5 month old has been beating the creativity out of me (yep, I said that out loud!).  This is what I came up...

Detail shot of a wild birthday monkey...

The new set that I used is BIRTHDAY BASH and the previously released set, LOVE MONKEY.  Both are playful and fun and the images work well together.  I stamped the balloons slightly off the page.  We'll say that was completely on purpose and wasn't an accident that worked in my favor...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!  Both the monkey and the balloons look great paper pieced.  I thought it would be a little much if I did both, so I just stuck with the balloons.  All in all, it's a fun and simple card that I hope will be the perfect one for the little girl it's made for.

1. Play along with us and link up your new SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW creation (posted August 25th or later) to the linky widget on TODAY'S (Day 1) parade post before midnight on Wednesday, September 15th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store.

2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we parade our SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

New Release Spotlight: Birthday Bash & Carpe Cupcake

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Hello and welcome to Day 3 of our Anni-VERVE-sary New Release Spotlights!

Each day through August 19, we'll be previewing another set or two from our upcoming Anni-VERVE-sary release.  We've hidden a prize on one of the participating blogs each day, so leave a little comment love as you hop around to be entered into a drawing to win that day's featured stamps!  Deadline for comment entries is 6PM Eastern Friday, August 20.  Winners will be announced at our Anni-VERVE-sary Bash Release Party that night.  And for even more chances to win new stamps, play along with our Anni-VERVE-sary sketch challenges, going  on this week in our forum!

Today the Divas are spotlighting Birthday Bash and Carpe Cupcake.  Since we're celebrating 3 years here at Verve, I thought some birthday stamps were in order! 

Carpe Cupcake is 3 x 4" set of 6 stamps and will retail for $9. Kind of like a build-a-cupcake, you can stamp just the cupcake or dress things up with a couple sprinkle and candle options.  I can't wait to see all the delicious cards everyone makes with this sweet cupcake set!

Birthday Bash is a 4 x 8" set of 13 stamps and will retail for $18.  It includes several birthday sentiments, a coordinating trio of small cupcakes, some whimsical balloons, and a cake similar to that in Big Wish.  I've been needing some masculine birthday cards and the cake in Big Wish was just a bit too flowery, so I've included a plain version of the cake, perfect for paper piecing and coloring!

Here's the link list of today's spotlight hops featuring Birthday Bash and Carpe Cupcake:

1. Julee	6. Teresa
2. Michelle	7. Maureen
3. Jen d.	8. Jen T.
4. Sony	9. Amber
5. Jackie	10. Tosh

Happy Hopping!  Be sure to leave some comments along the way for a chance to win!
Have fun and we'll see ya tomorrow!

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