Ready Set Stamp Challenge: Fluttering By and Petals & Stems

Hi there, Verve fans!  It's Julee here with the next installment in our monthly Ready, SET, Stamp challenge!  Petals & Stems and its coordinating set, Fluttering By, have been some of the most popular sets here at Verve.  So this month, I'm challenging you to pull out one or both of these favorites and get inky!  These whimsical little butterflies and flowers always make me smile, so I can't wait to see what y'all create!  If you don't have Petals & Stems or Fluttering By you can pick them up at 30% off through August 15- that's the challenge deadline, so you've got plenty of time to create!

Here are a few samples from our design team gallery to get the wheels a turnin':

Designed by Amy	Designed by Shannan	Designed by Amber

For more inspiration, be sure to check out the fabulous cards from our Divas in the Fluttering By and Petals & Stems Design Team albums, and you can also check out cards uploaded by customers in our SCS gallery.

Contest Details:
To play along, submit a link to a new card or project (posted July 17 or later) using Verve's Petals & Stems or Fluttering By set before 8PM Mountain on Sunday, August 15 and we'll pick a winner to receive a $30 gift certificate to the Verve Store!

Click the red link that says "click here to enter" at the bottom of this post for the 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. If you're linking to a blog, please link directly to the specific blog post where your card is posted, and not your general blog url.}

Note: If you have problems linking your card (especially from SCS), 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.  Keywords for uploading to online galleries are:  VSFlutter and VERVE.

Okay, good luck and have fun! 

October Project Parade--Day 8 (The Last Day!)

My cuttlebug and I have a special bond. I did my first embossing with him after my husband brought him home for me as a Christmas present three years ago. Since that time, I've spent many days and nights with him, feeding it paper and A,B, and C plates, folders and dies as I lovingly give his little handle a turn. He was as excited as I was to learn that Verve needed him in a big way this month as a hero for the October Project Parade. He served proudly along with his friend, the Heat Gun, Big Blue. Okay, okay, down to business---I really do love embossing and only recently acquired a taste for heat embossing---I LOVE IT and have actually learned how to do it without making such a mess (finally)!!! I'm sure you are already aware that this month's Verve Project Parade Challenge is to emboss to your heart's content! Heat or Dry--easy peasy! You still have a little time to upload your creation and link it to THIS POST where you can also find all the details on how you can win $15 in Verve Bucks! I just want to thank my best tool friends in the world, precious Cuttlebug and my Heat Gun, Big Blue who really makes me melt. Without them, this card would not have been possible. Love, sus

Picture This by Amy Westerman

When you read this, I'll actually be in Lutsen, MN! Thank heavens Blogger finally got with the program and developed the option to automatically schedule your posts while you're gone.

This month's inspiration photo inspired me to make a photo album from our trip last summer to our church camp, Cathedral of the Pines. Thats where we are right now! The cover is acrylic, which I stamped on using black Stazon and Verve's Petal & Stems stamp set. The red and white background paper was stamped with Petals & Stems on Real Red cardstock. It was mounted on thick chipboard and is the first "page" behind the acrylic cover. On the opposite side of the front page is the page with the camp song (below).
I guess it's time now for me to share with you a little bit about myself....lets hope I came up with some interesting enough answers to hold your attention, LOL! I'm not as witty as some of the more colorful members of the Verve Design Team, but I'll give it my best shot!!!

1. When/how did you get hooked on stamping?
I blame my girffriend Lue!!! We were at a retreat together; I was scrapbooking, she was stamping. When I got bored one afternoon, I asked her if I could stamp a card for fun. That was nearly three years ago. The rest is history!
2. How often do you stamp?
Most weeks, I am able to stamp everyday, in some way, shape or form. Sometimes it's only for a minute as I rush to whip out a card for someone's birthday that I forgot, or, if I'm really lucky, I am able to stamp for a couple hours at a time. Mom's happiest when it's the latter. Stamping is a stress reliever for me--I'm constantly telling the Hubster it's cheaper than therapy! I'm not quite sure that's really true, but HE doesn't need to know that, LOL.
3. Tell me about your funniest or most embarrassing stamping related injury.
Oh, this is easy. I usually make 4 cards of each design. I do it very"assembly line" like. One day, I was in the process of stamping all the main images. I matted each image and set them aside until I was ready to mount them on the card bases I had pre-folded. As I was assembling the cards, I could NOT, for the life of me, find one of the main images I had stamped....it had disappeared right before my eyes! Hate when that happens. Anyways, I move on without the lost image, and mounted all the rest of the main images on the fronts of the cards. As I was putting away the THREE cards I had made (remember, I lost one of the images), I miraculously found the missing image....on the OPPOSITE side of one of the card bases....I had inadvertantly mounted a main image on both sides of the card base!!!! What a doofus!!!
4. How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with?
That totally depends on one factor. If my MOJO is in the house or not. If it is, I can whip out 4 cards in 30 minutes, if it's missing in action, one card can take me hours to get right.
5. Tell me about your creative space.
I redid my space about 2 years ago. I have my own room downstairs in our finished basement. I've got it set up so I have an area for my freelance media work, and a separate space for my stamping. I absolutely love it. Unfortunately, we didn't invest in an automatic cleaning system for the room (don't you wish there was such a thing?), so it's messy more than it's clean! Seriously, it's a disaster most of the time. I think it drives my hubby and kids crazy.
6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which craft tool could you not live without? Why?
Gosh, this is a hard one. I couldn't live without my cutter. Sometimes I forget it going to a friends house to stamp, and I feel naked and unable to accomplish anything without it!
7. What is your biggest source of inspiration?
Color, color, color. Without it, I wouldn't be able to make anything....the colors in a piece of designer paper are often all I need to get the creativec juices flowing!
8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why?
I run into problems when I try to be someone else, when I try to copy the stamping style of someone I admire. So, I think I'm going to pass on this question and focus instead on being satisfied with who I am creatively and celebrate everything that involves!
9. What is your favorite part of the creative process?
Bringing colors and textures and patterns together in ways conventional wisdom says isn't possible or proper!

Enough about me, now its your turn to be inspired by the fabulous Pottery Barn ensemble in the post below! It could just win you $15 Verve bucks! Leave a comment with a link to your project on this post by 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Time on June 21st, and you will be entered for a chance to win! Using Verve stamps is not a requirement, although it doubles your chance of winning.

There will be two winners, one randomly drawn from a pool of all entries, the other will be selected as our favorite from all the projects using Verve stamps. Both winners will receive $15 in Verve Bucks. The winners will be announced later that day. If you upload to Splitcoast, please use the keyword VVPP03 so we can all see your creations!

Simple Pleasures and a Peek Inside...

Yeah, everyone's been throwing me under the bus around here. See, I read our Guest Designer, Natasha Trupp's interview when it was featured on the Verve Blog, and I got to thinking, "Hmmm... I sure would like to read how the other Verve Divas would answer these questions..." I made the suggestion in our forum, and you know what I heard? Crickets. Eventually the delightful and wonderful Laura Frederickson threw me a bone and and said she, too, would love to learn more about her teammates. So, with a great big sigh, everyone begrudgingly agreed to participate. What do I read when I come to the Verve Blog these days?! "It's Carole's fault!!" What you Divas fail to understand is I've heard that one a time or two (that's an ever-so-slight understatement...), and it has little-to-no effect!

Anywho, before I give you a little insight into my tortured psyche, let me show you what I put together for this here Project Parade. You'll recall that our fabulous and fearless leader, Julee, created this graphic for our challenge, using a photo of bedding from Pottery Barn:

It's not a color challenge per se, just something to get those creative juices flowing. Starting from there, I grabbed my Fluttering By set and here's where I ended up:
How I went from the inspiration piece to what feels like a very Asian influenced card, I'm not quite sure, but I like it!

Anyway, without further ado, here's that Verve-iview...

1. When/how did you get hooked on stamping?

I've scrapbooked on and off since about 1997, and even did a couple of stamping projects during that time. But I really got hooked in the fall of 2006. I had noticed the Stampin' Up! ads in the scrapbooking magazines and called a local demo. She was having her club later that week, and though I wouldn't be able to stamp, she asked if I'd like to observe. One of the cards she did that night was a faux postage card, the instructions for which she found on Splitcoaststampers. I wrote down the web address, visited SCS later that evening or the next day, and I'm not sure if I've logged-off since!

2. How often do you stamp?

I try to everyday. I think it's like exercising in that you need to use your stampin' muscles or you'll lose them. Of course, I don't actually exercise, because it would cut into my stamping time... : ) A girl has to have her priorities.

3. Tell me about your funniest or most embarrassing stamping related injury.

I love slicing through EZ Mount with my hot craft knife, but it really should be off limits to someone like me. Scatterbrained, hot, and sharp are not a good combo.

4. How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with?

It depends on how many interruptions I have, and how detailed I get. I don't think I'm fast at all. If I can complete something to my satisfaction in under an hour -- that's a quickie!

5. I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space.

Oh, dear. This is the question I've been dreading. I have a great space -- my own room -- but it's a little... untidy. Alright, alright -- it's a pig sty! I really must do something about it. If any of you organized types would like to take it on as your personal challenge, have your people call my people.

6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which craft tool could you not live without? Why?

That's another hard one. I'm assuming we have the standard issue stuff like cardstock, patterned paper, inks, stamps, ribbon, scissors, adhesives, paper trimmers, and Copic markers right? Okay. Good. In that case, the only tool I'd have an anxiety attack if I didn't have with me is my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig. I know with clear stamps, it isn't quite as necessary, but I do think I'd get a little panicky if I didn't know it was there, just in case. It's my stamping security blanket.

7. What is your biggest source of inspiration?

It's definitely a tie between SCS and blogs. If I have a little leisure time, there's no better way to spend it than blurfing. But for a quick shot of inspiration, I like to plug a few keywords into the Splitcoast gallery home page and see what pops up.

8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why?

I think Mary Jo Albright is the most mind-bogglingly amazing stamper and I'd love to be a fly on the wall of her studio for a week or two. I love Leigh O'Brien's awesome coloring prowess and she has a great sense of humor that comes out in everything she makes. Michele Boyer is another fave -- she's incredibly versatile and every little thing she makes if fabulous.

9. What is your favorite part of the creative process?

I love pretty much every second of it, really and truly. Except cleaning up afterwards, of course. My favorite part, though? I love it when I get an idea that makes me giggle, or that feeling of accomplishment that sometimes happens after putting the finishing touches on something, when you stand back, take a good look, and it hits you, "Dang! That's pretty good!" Of course that's pretty fleeting, because then I look at the detritus and debris left in the wake of my creativity, and well, then I usually leave the room for a while... ; )

So is that more than you ever wanted to know about me? Probably. But here's something I know you'll want all the info on: winning $15 in Verve Bucks! Here's how you do it:

• Create your own project inspired by the nifty graphic above (you don't have to use Verve stamps to win, but just between you and me? I think the judges might prefer them... ;) )
  
• Upload it to your blog or SCS gallery (using the keyword VVPP03)
• Leave a comment on this post with a link to your project by noon/12 pm EST on June 21st
• Two winners will be chosen -- one randomly drawn from all entries and another selected as our favorite from all the projects using Verve stamps. Each winner will receive $15 in Verve Bucks.
• The winners will be announced later in the day on June 21st

Okay, gang. There you have it! Now go get your Verve on!!!

Please Welcome May & June's Guest Designer!

I am soooo thrilled to introduce Natasha Trupp (aka tashers) as the Verve Visual Guest Designer for May and June! I had the priviledge of meeting her at CHA in February, and she is just a sweetheart. I am such a big fan of her work, and when I saw her samples for this month's release, I was droolin! You can see more of her work on her blog, Palmtrees and Pogosticks.

Here are some fun questions I sent to Natasha so we could all get to know her better, and here is what she had to say!

1. When/how did you get hooked on stamping? I guess I really became hooked the autumn of 2004. It started out with that one little catalog. I poured over it daily, making wishlist after wishlist. Shortly after I found SCS, then I started making sketches on any scrap paper I could find and continually adding to my "resources" (aka more stamps! etc).

2. How often do you stamp? I try to do a little every day. If I don't get the chance during the work week, then I try to have a mini stamp fest on the weekend.


3. Tell me about your funniest or most embarassing stamping related injury. Even though I'm quite clumsy, I haven't given myself any really entertaining injuries. The most common one is with the ribbon scissors and my thumb. I never put that much force into cutting, so it's never been more than a bit of broken skin on either side of my thumb. Tip: always look at what your cutting, and be sure to move any digits out of the way!


4. How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with? It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours. It depends on the look I'm going for.

5. I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space. My creative space, despite my best efforts and monthly clean-ups, is a disaster. I like to have everything at an arm's reach away, but there just aren't enough convenient storage spaces. So I keep storing stuff on my table
top, and what once was a table that could easily sit 4 people, now only has my 18x12 inches of workspace, plus a whole lot of stuff.


6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which craft tool could you not live without? Why? Hmm, it's a toss up between an embossing gun (and an electric source, of course) and a crop-a-dile. I absolutely love the effect of embossing, it can really add that little extra something to your project. The crop-a-dile just does so much, it's easy on my hands, it's quiet, and I'm sure it could come in handy on that island ;)


7. What is your biggest source of inspiration? My biggest source of inspiration are sketches, any kind of sketches. I take down sketches from cards I have seen from other stampers, from manufactured cards, weekly
challenges, advertisements, scrapbook pages, anything. I cannot get enough of them. Whenever you are stuck, they can really guide you to a nice finished product. I've finally started keeping a serious "sketches" book. They're all in one place, and it's growing quickly!

8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why? I have always found myself leaning towards Valerie Stangle's projects. When I first joined SCS, her cards always caught my eye. I love her style, the colour palettes she uses, and the way she uses patterned papers on her projects. It's just always perfection!


9. What is your favorite part of the creative process? My favorite part is the planning- deciding on a layout, deciding what colours I'll use, what kind embellishments will work, that sort of thing, and then after the planning, seeing it all come together. There's nothing better than having an idea on your mind, and being able to bring that idea to life exactly how you wanted!



I have shown you some of my favorite projects that Natasha sent. To see them all, visit her Verve Gallery!

Krafty Summertime Flutter Bys!

You know, everyone has their own favorite neutral -- many like white, several like black, but me? My favorite neutral is kraft! I simply love it and reach for it as often as possible. It just strikes me as cozy, like "brown paper packages tied up with string..."

Anyway, when thinking about what I wanted to do for this month's project parade, I immediately thought to use kraft as a base. The butterflies were stamped twice in each of the challenge colors. One image of each color was cut out and mounted in the center on top of the initial image, with the wings 'fluffed up' a bit for good measure. I also cut out an inner and outer mat layer of each color of cardstock and alternated them in a four-square layout. Finally, the simple, sweet sentiment was stamped in Versafine black on the base layer of kraft.

Between these fun summer-y colors and the fabulous Flutter By stamps, I hope you're inpsired to get your Verve on, and while you're at it, throw in a little kraft cardstock and let me know how you like it! : )

Supplies used:
Stamps: Flutter By (Verve Visual)
Paper: Kraft, Cool Caribbean, Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron (SU!), Georgia Pacific White
Ink: Cool Caribbean, Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron (SU!)
Accessories: Nestabilities

Just Because....

When inspiration strikes, my experience tells me to run with it! If I try to go in another direction, I'm often less happy with my results, so I try to get my ideas on paper as soon as they hit me. When Shannon gave us the colours for this month's challenge, I immediately recalled this little icon:

Now, if you've visited the Verve Gallery, then you'll probably recognize it as the Gallery Icon Julee created! Honestly, there is just so much inspiration there! The flourish is from "Filigree Fantasy" and I saw Soft Sky! I added the rest of the colours in the same fashion; a sentiment from "Fluttering By", a few gems and voila, the card was done! Thanks for the inspiration Julee!


So, are you up to the challenge? Well of course you are...these colours are so yummy! When you've made your amazing colour challenge creation, link it up to this post, by May 31st, and you could win a $15 Verve Shopping Spree! Go ahead and show off your Verve Visual stamps! (if you have them, but it's not a requirement.) The winner will receive a $15 shopping spree at the Verve store. If you upload to Splitcoast, make sure you use the keyword VVPP02 so we can all see your creations!


Recipe: Stamps: Filigree Fantasy, Fluttering By Paper: Cameo Coral, Soft Sky, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Whisper White, Basic Black Ink: Versafine Onyx Black Accessories: Square Rhinestone brad, (SU), 1 3/8" square punch, corner rounder, Crystal Stickers, dimensionals

Simple Pleasures

So, are you loving this color challenge? We hope so! We'd LOVE to see your creations using this color combination and who wouldn't want to win $15 in Verve bucks? Be sure and leave a comment linking to your creation on this post before Midnight (Mountain time) on May 31st. If you have any Verve Visual stamps, please use them, but it's not a requirement. The winner will receive a $15 shopping spree at the Verve store. If you upload to Splitcoast, make sure you use the keyword VVPP02 so we can all see your creations!

For my card, I used the butterflies from Fluttering By and Petals & Stems, and a sentiment from Floral Whimsy. The large butterfly was stamped twice, once on the white cardstock and once on vellum. The vellum butterfly is dotted with glitter. Keep checking back for more inspiration from the rest of the Design Team! You won't want to miss Laura's creation tomorrow!

SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Fluttering By, Floral Whimsy, Petals & Stems (Verve Visual); Paper- So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Sky, Regal Rose (SU), white (Georgia-Pacific), patterned (DCWV)vellum; Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine), Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose, So Saffron (SU); Accessories- Regal Rose wide grosgrain, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (SU), scallop border punch (Martha Stewart)

May's Project Parade Challenge

It's that time again for the Verve Divas to give you another Project Parade Challenge! This month we cooked up a color challenge inspired by a cute summer sandal ad. Here are all the details! We gave you a few options, and as always, feel free to add any neutrals. ETA: If you don't have the SU! colors listed, feel free to substitute similar colors from any company.

And of course, there's a prize! Make sure you read all the way to the bottom of this post for all the deets!

For the next two weeks, you'll see all the cards that the Design Team has created for the challenge. So I'm here to kick it off!

My card is really simple...I knew I wanted to play with the butterflies from Fluttering By and do a pierced trail. So this creation was born!

I stamped the butterflies first on my watercolor paper (twice...one to cut and one on the main panel). Then I sketched the trails with a pencil, pierced it, and then erased the pencil marking. Using my Stampin' Up Markers & waterbrush, I watercolored the butterflies. I don't know if you can see it in the photo, but the wings are outlined with my Clear Copic Spica Glitter Pen.

To work all the colors in, I cut strips of cardstock to 3/4" wide, adhered them to the black panel, and then ran the whole thing through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots embossing folder. The sentiment was stamped in Versafine Onyx Black, and the Offray ribbon tied across the panel for a nice clean finishing touch.

So....wanna know how you can win $15 in Verve Bucks? It's easy! Just make a card, layout, or other project using the color challenge and link us up on this post before Midnight (Mountain time) on May 31st. If you have any Verve Visual stamps, please use them, but it's not a requirement. The winner will receive a $15 shopping spree at the Verve store. What could be better than that?! And if you upload to Splitcoast, make sure you use the keyword VVPP02 so we can all see your Vervalicious creations!

Charmaine will be up tomorrow, so stay tuned for more inspiration!

Stamps: Fluttering By (Verve Visual)
Paper: Soft Sky, Old Olive, Cameo Coral, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!), Watercolor
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Stampin' Write Markers - Pumpkin, Saffron, & Coral, Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!), Paper Piercer, Slot Punch (Making Memories), Ribbon (Offray), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Corner Rounder (EK Success), Clear Spica Glitter Pen (Copic)

Sneak Previews and a Chance to Win!

It's day three of sneak peeks of the new releases for Verve Visual. Today we are featuring two of the four new sets being released tomorrow, Friday, May 16. Be sure to see the end of this post to see how you can win one of these sets!

From Carole Burrage:

I love wreaths, and have lots of different ones I hang on my front door depending on the season. There are a couple of times a year, though (Easter to July; August to Fall) when my door is sadly bare. As I sat down to play with Verve's delightful new Petals & Stems set, I looked at the fun blossoms and polka-dot centers and decided to create the wreath I was wishing for out of paper. Here are the results! I think I could probably get my florist to whip something similiar up; now to just get someone to paint my door a cheery blue gingham... ; )

From Jen del Muro:
It's that time of year when all of us moms start thinking about teacher gifts. While my daughter is only in a Mother's Day Out program, I still want to do something nice for her "teachers." I plan on giving them each a set of cards using the Fluttering By set and some fun DP.


From Susan Liles:
For my sneak peek this month, I chose to do a project instead of a card. I actually made this simple and quick little gift card holder for my mom for Mother's Day and used the new Verve set called Petals and Stems to create a band to hold it shut. It's a great floral set with many possibilities including layering different sizes of these fun and hip flowers, not to mention it includes this sweet sentiment--one of my favorites ever! The flowers are super easy to cut out, so this is a great set to get your vervacious 3-D flower mojo going!!



Want to be the proud owner of these two sets?
All you need to do is leave a comment on this post with the answer to the following question by 10PM MT (midnight ET) on May 15. Then be sure to check back tomorrow, when we’ll announce the lucky winner and reveal the new Verve sets!
In your comment, be sure to answer the question that follows...

These stamp sets that are featured today scream "Summer" to me. Summer is my favorite season by far because of the warm weather and all the outdoor fun to be had. Plus in Texas, we have Sno-Cone stands that pop up everywhere. YUM-O! So I ask you this... What is your favorite month and why?