July 2014 Diva Dare - Day 7

Good morning Verve fans, it is Maureen bringing you Day 7 of the July 2014 Diva Dare!

Inside Out - July Diva Dare

This month we're daring you to create a stamped card and continue the design on the inside for a special surprise for the recipient.  Simply carry over some portion of the card front design on to the inside of your card. 

 

 I need some sympathy cards in my stash so I thought I'd make one with some new and old sentiments.  I created a medallion from Peaceful Medallions to act as a frame for the sentiment from  Moments Remembered.  Then I stamped and fussy cut the feather images from this same set and tucked them behind the sentiment that I punched out with a 1 3/8" circle punch. I used some ivory ribbon from the Signature Ribbon Collection to add some softness and some black and  Shine Bright Sequin Mix to finish off the front of the card.  Now, I don't usually stamp or decorate the insides of my cards because I like to use all that space to write! LOL  So this was a good challenge for me.  I decided to use two sentiments from Forever in our Hearts because I liked the way "Forever in our Hearts" went with the "Forever in my Thoughts" on the front.  The same pattern paper and some black stitching help tie the front to the inside.

Two ways to win prizes for double the fun!

Win a $40 gift voucher to Verve! Take our Inside Out dare and link up your card to be eligible to win.  Entries must have an element from the front of your card carried over to the inside, be posted 7/14 or later, include at least one Verve product and be linked up to the linky widget by 8pm Mountain on 7/31/14.  One participant will be randomly selected to win the gift voucher.  You can enter as many times as you like, but each card needs to be in a separate post.

Win a Verve set of your choice! For another chance to win some new Verve, leave a little comment love on our design team's Inside Out Diva Dare posts!  One lucky commenter will win a Verve stamp set of his or her choice, so be sure to tune in each day!  Comment deadline to be entered in our prize drawing is July 31, 2014.

                        Winners will be announced on August 1, 2014

April Diva Dare 2012 - Day 9

Hello and Happy Saturday!  I hope you've been enjoying the Diva Dare so far. . .I know I have! 
This month we dare you to make a card, project, layout, or whatever fits your stamping style using this month's theme - All Aboard! It has been Grand Central Station around the Verve nest lately, Julee and Mark have welcomed two beautiful baby boys into their family and have had their hands full! So on that note, we are challenging you to use chipboard, corrugated cardboard, or kraft on your creation or project! We can't wait to see how you answer the dare! Stay tuned to learn how you could win some shiny new Verve!!

For my project, I used Kraft cardstock and some corrugated cardboard.  I started by die cutting the corrugated cardboard with the I Heart U Die Set and the Jotted Heart Die.  Next I used paint daubers to color them and to "splash" some paint across the card base.  After the paint dried, I stamped the polka dot background from Bountiful Backgrounds in black ink.   

I arranged the die cut pieces as well as a scrap piece of scallop border on the card and stamped a piece of a sentiment from Forever In Our Hearts in white craft ink onto the black scallop piece.  I stamped and colored the Fringe Flower Plain Jane with Copic markers, cut it out and added it to the card.  I added a rhinestone brad to the center of the flower and some jute to finish the card off. 

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

1. Play along with us and link up your new All Aboard creation (posted April 20 or later) to the linky widget on THIS POST before 6:00PM MST on Thursday May 3. 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 All Aboard creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing! Winners will be announced on Friday, May 4th right here on the Verve blog.

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

At Home with Verve, January Week 2

Hello! It's Amber here bringing you another week of sketches and inspiration:) Hope this post finds your Fridays starting out with a sun-shiney day!

I'm here to bring you another sketch, more inspiration photos, and a couple cards from some amazing Diva's! We're still walking through entryways and foyers this month!

The Sketch:

And the inspiration photos:

I love the color combos in these inspiration pieces. I also love all the patterns I'm seeing! So many possibilities:) Hope you find some time to play with us:)

Lori Tecler came up with another amazing card this week!

Lori used Bountiful backgrounds for the background patterns and the sentiment! Love this cheery card:) Betcha can't tell where she got her inspiration;)
Next up, our own Diva Lynda played along this week too!

Lynda used the beautiful Forever in our Hearts set. Gorgeous card Lynda!

Well there you have it! Hop on over to the VLV January Week 2 thread for all the contest details. Don't forget to use keywords Verve and VLVJan2010 when uploading to Splitcoast!

Project Parade Day 11 - Divine Details

Hi! It's Charmaine and today it's my turn to share my "Divine Details" with you!

Like most of the other Verve Divas, when I had to sit down and think of what exactly my creative process was, I got really nervous because I didn't think I had any earth-shattering secrets to share with you. Then I just told myself all I had to do was tell you what exactly I do and even though it wasn't earth-shattering to me, you might find something useful or even information that helps make your own creative process less intimidating.

It is no secret to anyone who knows me or reads my blog, that I LOVE sketch challenges. They are my favorite simply because they give me a starting point for a card. For this card, I chose the Viva la Verve Sketch July Week 5 Sketch with a Twist. What I LOVE about these challenges is that not only do I get a starting point for my card with the sketch, but I get some extra parameters to work within. The "twist" for this sketch was texture. I love adding texture to cards. I used the Finial Press embossing folder from Stampin' Up for my "texture". Since my cardmaking style is usually pretty clean and simple, one of the ways that I add that extra something is through Cuttlebug embossing, paper piercing or scoring. Also, since my cardmaking style is usually pretty simple, sketches like this with lots of layers help me to add extra details that I might not normally add.

As far as how I choose papers, that changes all of the time. If I have a collection of patterned papers, I'll use different patterns within that collection with coordinating solid cardstock. Sometimes, I'll just go through my scrap bin and choose some coordinating papers to use for a card. Other times, the stamps I'm using make me think of certain colors.

For embellishments, I don't heavily embellish my cards so a few brads or Dew Drops, maybe some ribbon are what you'll see on my cards. One of my favorite embellishments to use is paper piercing or faux stitching. I love the extra touch they add without making the card too busy.

I adore creations of the other Verve Divas who use lots of embellishments and layers on their cards, but my brain just doesn't work that way. When I try to imitate their creations, my cards look too busy or cluttered and nowhere near as beautiful as their cards. That used to frustrate me so much, but I've learned (and I'm still learning LOL) to go with what looks good to me and makes me happy! After all, that's why we all stamp, right? Because we ENJOY it!

So, as you can see, I don't have any big secrets to share with you. Honestly, the less I "think" about a card, the easier it is to create! I hope you've found some valuable information in my creative process.

Wanna play along with us? We'd love it if you did! Just make a project or card that shows us your Divine Details. 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 the Project Parade Day 1 post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, August 1. 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!

Project Parade Day 7 - Divine Details

Hey, y'all, it's Shannan! How are ya? It's my day here on the Verve Blog to give you a little insight into what goes on in my stamp room. When Jen announced the theme for this Project Parade, like the other Divas, I was a little scared! I also kept thinking of the Wizard of Oz..."Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" So, today, you'll get a little peek behind my curtain! *wink*

For me, I find inspiration from many different places. I love sketches, as they are a starting point for my card and sometimes I just need a guide, ya know? But I also love looking at billboard layouts, signs, magazine ads, clothing tags, and other random items in the world around us for inspiration. I'm also a very last-minute stamper...often I'll stamp when the spirit moves me and get tons done. Other times? Notsomuch. When inspiration strikes, I have to make sure I write it down, or it's sure to get lost in my noggin! Ok, so today, I was at Sonic. Waiting FOREVER in line for my drink, and turned my head to the left. Saw this:

Hmmmmm....that would make an interesting card! So I pull out my phone and snap a pic (I'm sure the Sonic employees thought I was totally insane), just so I could show y'all. I liked the circle and how the panel across the center extended beyond the circle. So I decided to replicate it. First, I'll show you, then I'll tell ya why I did what I did, k?

Here's my card:
Once I had my layout set, I decide what stamps would best fit the elements I'm working with. I knew I wanted a sentiment across the center panel, so I found this one from Hundred Hearts that fit the bill. I didn't want something so narrow that it was just one line, but it needed to be rectangular so it took up most of the length of the panel. Perfect! I also knew that I'd like a smaller stamp in the background, so I chose the small leaf image from Forever in Our Hearts. I chose a smaller image because I knew a lot of the circle was going to be covered up by the center panel, and I wanted as many leaves as possible to be seen.

So my stamps were chosen...on to colors! I am a bit more random and free-spirited when it comes to choosing a color combo, it's almost scary. I have a giant pile of scraps on my desk, to the right of my work space, and I literally pile scraps there until they fall...and then I file them away. Nine times out of ten, my color combo gets picked because there are colors lying in that pile together, and I like how they look. Silly, I know! I warned you! Since I was making a "Just Because/Friend" card, I could either go fun and funky with my colors, or soft and sweet. I almost always choose fun and funky (unless soft and sweet are on top of the pile...*wink*). Tonight I happened to pick up Kraft, Old Olive, and Prism Intense Pink.

Here's a close-up of the main image panel:
Ok, on to the details! How do I decide which ones to use? I definitely have my favorites...here's a list:

• Buttons
• Sewing machine stitching
• Scallops
• Edge Punches
• Nestabilities & other die cuts
• Stickles or Glitter
• Distressing
• Dimensionals
• Paper piercing

Sometimes you'll see every last thing on that list on one card. But they didn't all fit on this one. One of my other detail secrets is that I take bits and pieces from my favorite artists. For example, Julee's sponging, Anna's distressing & faux stitching, and Amy's use of embellishments. This time around, I took my bits & pieces from the Dare to Get Dirty challenges on Splitcoast...to use something clear (acetate) and to create your own patterned paper. Perfect! One thing you'll also find me doing almost every time is matting images and layers in a dark color, either black or brown in most cases. I don't know why, but it's a pretty compulsive thing. I just have to do it.

After I stamped on the acetate, I adhered it to the Kraft base/black mat. It seemed to disappear a little, so I did a little piercing around the edges...there! That did the trick. Now it stands out more. Once the sentiment was stamped on my white panel, I realized there wasn't much room for my colors. YIKES! I cut a couple of little tiny rectangles to adhere on the right side. I intended to sew along the edges, but they were so tiny and I can't sew that straight! Heehee. So I settled for distressing the edges of the white layer instead. Then I matted it with black with a scalloped edge. Before I mounted the whole thing onto my 5" card base with dimensionals, I decided to center the card a little with a brad in each corner. I contemplated glitter, but the only place for it was the pink & olive panels, and they were standing out as it was. No glitter needed this time...shock!

Ok, so if you've read all this...hooray for you! I'm sorry...apparently I have lots to say about this subject. If you have any more questions, feel free to let me know, ok?

Now, on to the fun stuff...playing along with us! Would you like to? All you have to do is make a project or card that shows us YOUR Divine Details. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em why not use 'em? Then link to your creation to Mr. Linky in this post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, August 1st. Two lucky participants will win a stamp set of their choice from the Verve Store. AND, we've 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, good luck and thanks for visiting us today!

Project Parade Day 2: Divine Details

Hi everyone, it's Amy here today with Day 2 of our Divine Details Project Parade. I get to give you a peek into my design process today {gulp!}. Let's see, where do I usually start? I'd love to be one of those free-spirited, spontaneous crafters who sits down with a pile of mismatched scraps and no plan and still manages to whip up a masterpiece, but the truth is I am waaaaay too Type A for that. I almost always follow a sketch. Sometimes I'll sketch a layout with particular stamps in mind, and other times I'll pick a sketch from my collection or from a challenge and then choose stamps to fit. Even when I begin with a color combo, inspiration piece, product focus, or the like, my next step is to create or choose a sketch. It is my roadmap.

The card I'm sharing today is pretty typical for me. I pulled the layout from my sketch collection, tweaked it a bit, then chose the image and sentiments (the second one is on the inside). I wanted to create a vintage look and feel, so my next step was to choose some papers. I tend to stick with a single collection when mixing papers, especially if I'm using a lot of different patterns (this card has five).

After I have a sketch and some stamps and papers chosen, I'm guessing my process looks a lot like anyone else's - a series of decisions. Am I going to mat this layer? How many times? What color? Should I leave room for piercing? Will I sponge, distress, stitch the edges? Do the patterns look better arranged this way or that way? Will I die-cut the image panel into a decorative shape or go with a plain rectangle? What color ink will look best? Should I color the image or paper piece? What type of embellishments do I want to use? Where? And so on. Even when you're following a sketch, there are still lots of choices!

When it comes to designing, I definitely lean toward the more-is-more end of things. I love looking for interesting details to add: layers, texture, dimension, and embellishments of all varieties. Some of the divine details I incorporated into this card are:

• Sponging with distress ink ~ I love all of my distress inks - and not just for the vintage look. It's amazing to me how much depth a light sponging can give.


• Stitching ~ I love adding machine-stitching to my projects. So much so that my cards now feel naked without it. Not only did I stitch the perimeter of one of the background mats, but I added just a small stretch of zigzag stitching to the circle image panel. Both the image and layout were heavily weighted to the left, and I just felt like I needed to add some balance. Various embellishments were too heavy, but the subtle stitching felt just right.


• Die-cut shapes and a decorative punched border strip ~ Can't get enough of these :)


• Button/ribbon/string/tag combo ~ Group different embellishments into a bigger cluster for more impact.


• Hardware and burlap string ~ Here again I was solving a design problem. Before I added the little hardware fasteners and burlap string along the left, your eye just wanted to veer left and keep going. The hardware and vertical length of string are kind of like a guardrail that says "Stay over here - there's more to look at."


• Sentiment tag stamped onto dp instead of plain card stock ~ Just a subtle way to bring a little more pattern into the card.


• Paper piercing on the punched border ~ You almost don't even see this, but I like the idea that the recipient will keep finding new things to look at.


• Decorated inside ~ What a wonderful surprise to open the card to a coordinating, decorated inside. I think it makes the card just that much more special to its recipient.

The only other thing I'll share is how much I enjoy the creative process for its own sake. Of course a finished project is a wonderful end result, but it's definitely the act of creative expression and then sharing that piece of me with someone else that I find most rewarding.

Thanks for the chance to share a bit about my process! As always, we'd love for you to play along with us. Just make a project or card that shows us your Divine Details. 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 the Project Parade Day 1 post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, August 1. 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!

Sneak Preview: Forever in Our Hearts

Welcome to Day 3 of our Sneak Previews! Today we're featuring cards made with Forever in Our Hearts. This set will be available immediately following our Release Party TONIGHT. Be sure to read all the way to the end of this post to find out how you can have a chance at winning this beautiful set!

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From the desk of Guest Diva Christina Fischer:

Hi, everyone! I'm thrilled and honored to be posting a sneak preview as a Guest Diva this month! When I saw the set Forever in Our Hearts, I knew I wanted to work with it right away! Sympathy cards are often difficult to make, but the beautiful sentiments and images in this set make it much easier. One of my best friends recently recognized the first anniversary of his father's death, and I wish I had this set then!

On my card, I used Basic Grey Urban Prairie paper, organdy ribbon, and some Prima Caboodles flowers. I embossed the background paper with a Cuttlebug and Swiss Dots folder, then I stamped the leaf images over it to create an interesting texture. I stamped the leaves again on the patterned panel to create a continuous image, then I centered the flowers over them. I finished the inside of the card with the small leaf image and another of the beautiful sentiments from this set.

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From the desk of Diva Jackie Pedro:

When Julee showed us the new sets for this release I was blown away (so what's new) and when I saw one of the sets was a sympathy set I KNEW if it was coming from Verve that it would be BEAUTIFUL. Forever in Our Hearts is one of the most beautiful sympathy sets I've seen, so serene and peaceful, and fills an empty space in my stamp collection. There are so many comforting sentiments in this set and the images are perfect. I don't know anybody who wants to make a sympathy card, but this is THE set to have on hand when the need arises.

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From the desk of Diva Charmaine Ikach:

Here's a simple card using the new Forever in Our Hearts set from Verve. I just LOVE the silhouette images in this set. I would usually stamp them in black or the same color as the cardstock they're stamped on, but I decided to use my Versamark pad and pastels for this card for a softer, more delicate look.

 I also thought the Bird Call Cuttebug folder went well with this particular image. In the stamped image, the bird is in flight while in the Cuttlebug embossed image, the bird has landed and is still. I think you'll find that the sentiments in this set are PERFECT for making cards for those going through difficult times.

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From the desk of Diva Amy Sheffer:

I wish I could tell you you'll never need Forever in Our Hearts, but the truth is, this is a must-have set more than most others. Why? Because when bad things happen and we find ourselves at a loss for words, a good sympathy set is truly invaluable. The imagery in Forever in Our Hearts is peaceful and the sentiments heartfelt, making those difficult sympathy cards at least a little bit easier.

For my card, I've chosen a soothing blue-green-brown color scheme and kept the overall design clean and simple. The tree is stamped in brown pigment ink and clear embossed. I added just a few extras to enhance the overall design: some scoring, pleated satin ribbon, pearls, and some pretty scallops on the sentiment and along the bottom border.

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From the desk of Diva Shannan Teubner:

One of my favorite things about Verve Stamps is their versatility, and Forever in Our Hearts is no exception. Personally, I have always struggled with finding just the "right thing" to say, and I love how this set has a huge variety of traditional and so very thoughtful sentiments, as well as some gorgeous images.

I wanted to try a different approach to this image, so I misted my watercolor paper with water first, then colored my image with Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, and Real Red markers and stamped it on the wet paper. Once the image dried, I colored the image again and re-stamped a clearer image over the top of the softened one. This technique is an old favorite, and it worked perfectly for the look I was going for. I finished the card off with the large branch image and a sentiment from this set. I think this would be a great encouragement card in addition to a sympathy card...the beauty of Julee's wonderfully thoughtful stamps.

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Well, are you totally blown away by the Divas so far? I know I am!

We have one more little surprise up our sleeve for you today! Just leave a comment with your answer to the following question before 5PM Eastern on Friday, June 26 (that's TODAY!) and you'll be put in a drawing to win Forever in Our Hearts! Winners will be announced during our release party.

Question: Do you have an image that you'd love to see Verve-Style? What is it?