July Project Parade ~ Day 13

Hello…and happy Wednesday, everyone!  It's Mercy here, and I am bringing you Day Thirteen of the My Hero Project Parade!  I knew exactly what I wanted to do when the announcement was made regarding the theme of this month's parade.  As many of you know, I LOVE to cook!  I feel very “at home” in the kitchen, and I enjoy trying new and different recipes several times a week.  But I must admit that my favorite foods tend to be the “everyday Italian” kind, and I absolutely LOVE the recipes written by my culinary hero, Giada DeLaurentiis.  So in honor of the cooking queen I created a special recipe book specifically for her recipes!

I created the cover of the Chipboard Book by using a color photo of Giada (courtesy of the website Home Sweet Homme.net), patterned paper from My Mind’s Eye’s Ooh La La For Her Kit, Vellum Cardstock, Photoshop Elements 8.0, and the “hero” sentiment along with some stars from Verve’s set “American Hero” (as a matter of fact, all the stamped images are from this set).  I added a piece of Saddle Stitched Black Ribbon around the entire front cover to finish it off and to hold the vellum in place.  Is she not the prettiest little thing you’ve ever seen?  Don’t you just hate her?  LOL……just kidding, Giada! :)

The index above was handwritten, then embellished with more patterned paper and another sentiment from the same set that was used on the cover. 

The first recipe was also handwritten, and I stitched the tabs (which was part of a border that was included in the patterned paper kit) directly onto the 4X6 index cards to indicate the different sections of the book.  I used the small stars swag image to indicate how much I liked the dish after I made it…the White Bean Dip & Pita Chips received 3 stars out of 4.  I punched the score out with a Circle Punch, then attached it to the index card with some Mono Adhesive. 

This next recipe, Roasted Chicken With Balsamic Vinaigrette, received 4 stars out of 4.  I punched the rating out with a Square Punch, and attached it to the index card with more adhesive.  This specific recipe is my favorite chicken recipe of all-time…IT IS OUTSTANDING!  Thanks, Giada!!! :)
That’s it for me!  Be sure to read the rules below for a chance to win some amazing goodies!  Until later......
{{{Hugs}}}
Mercy
As with all of our project parades, there are prizes!!!!
1. Play along with us and link up your new My Hero creation (posted July 12th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE parade post before midnight on July 30th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we 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 parade our My Hero creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (July 12 ~ July 28) will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!

July Project Parade-Day 12

Good morning, it is Teresa.  I am luvin all the divas projects, aren't you?  I hope that you will play along with us, you know there is always prizes to be won!  I new as soon as I heard the theme this month what I wanted to do.  I do know people in the service, my Dad, other family members, and lots of people in our church have served and are still serving.  I help with doing care packages for them throughout the year.  I turned my attention to the men and woman whom I have done nothing for.

I have been wanting to donate cards to a wonderful organization, Operation Write Home.  This was the perfect timing and I must say that I kept these cards so simple because of the guidelines, but I am more proud of these than most of my other cards.  I really thought about who may receive one of these and there need to send  a note of love back home.  I hope whom ever will choose one of my cards to send home will see the effort I made to make it special!

As I mentioned there are some guidelines, it is super important that you take the time to read them in your effort to help.  You can read all about it here.  NO glitter is a huge guideline, you can read about that here.  The cards must be marked Operation Write Home on the back, I made labels on my computer.  Only A2 sized cards and the tuck of the envelopes are also important, you can read about that here and watch the video.  These ladies put forth a huge effort to stay organized and keep it uniform, lets help them help the men and woman in the service....true hero's!

I kept all of the cards similar, using Carolyn Gavin's designer paper from K & Company.  I chose it because of the fun patterns and wonderful colors, I wanted them to be light and cheery.  For the card on the left I used Always On My Mind, Blue Skies, and the tiny heart is from Wild Thing.  I used one of my favorite sketches from Jen d.  For the card on the right I used Blue Skies, Beautiful You, and Floral Whimsy, this sketch is from the Dirty Girl Challenges.   

I did not use ribbon on these cards, I wanted them to be lighter and not as bulky.  I used yarn and a crocheted flower on these two.  For these I used Always On My Mind and  Blue Skies.  The sketch for the one of the left is from a Verve Challenge way back when and the one on the right is one of Amber's Viva la Verve sketches.

I used Always On My Mind and Blue Skies for these two also.  These sketches are from the Dirty Girl Challenges and a favorite of Mercy's sketches.  I hope you like my "Hero" project and take time out of your day to thank a hero in your life!

As with all of our project parades, there are prizes!!!!

1. Play along with us and link up your new My Hero creation (posted July 12th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE parade post before midnight on July 30th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we 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 parade our My Hero creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (July 12 ~ July 28) will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!

July Project Parade ~ Day 11

Hello Verve fans!

Today it is my turn, Lynda, to show you my project for this months Project Parade!!! If you haven't been keeping up with the Diva's AMAZING projects, you can just scroll down here on the Verve blog and find TONS of inspiring projects! The theme this month is My Hero. I have to say, I had a hard time at first with the theme because I don't have any family members or close friends that are serving in the Military. Then I started to think outside the box and discovered that I DO have a hero in my life even though he doesn't serve in the military, he is a hero in my eyes as well as the City of Salinas where he is a police officer.

My Hero is my brother who is an amazing person, father, friend, etc... He is only 16 months older than me and I have to say, we have ALWAYS been close. Sure, we fought as all siblings do but I can't remember him EVER being hateful or mean to me or anyone. Our Mom, who we both loved with all our hearts, died when I was 18 and Dave was 19. This was a very difficult time for us but if anything, it brought us even closer.

He had always wanted to be a Police Officer and pursued that dream after we lost our Mom and has been serving ever since. I don't know if you all watch Cops but my kids love it so we watch it quite often. I don't know HOW these officers have the patience to deal with some of the situations they have to deal with. I truly feel that ALL Police Officers are Hero's and should be treated as such!

I actually already sent my project to Dave and he should receive it today!!! He loves Chocolate Chip cookies and Starbucks so it would only seem right to incorporate the two in to my project today!

The bag is actually a coffee bag and is from PTI. I stamped the stars from Verve's American Hero, directly on the bag using Snow White ink from PTI. The DP is from Making Memories Just Chillin' Collection. To make the window, I layered two different sizes from the Labels One Nesties. The clear acetate part was already there so I didn' t need to add anything. The large stars were punched using my SU! punch and on the gift card holder. I also used the small star punch on the gift card holder.

I used the same EK Success border punch on both the bag and gift card holder. I added the flourish, from Blue Skies stamp set, below the star using Antique Linen ink and then added some Zva clear rhinestones. The ribbon at the top is from May Arts.

I used the same products on the gift card holder except I added the sentiment from Verve's One Person stamp set and was stamped on another piece of paper from the same collection using Cocoa Momento ink. You can't see it but I added a silver star eyelet which is under where the tag is located.

Here is a picture of the inside ~

As with all of our project parades, there are prizes!!!!
1. Play along with us and link up your new My Hero creation (posted July 12th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE parade post before midnight on July 30th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we 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 parade our My Hero creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (July 12 ~ July 28) will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!

July Project Parade - Day 10

A great big happy Friday, Verve fans!  It's Laurie here, and I'm excited to share with you my project for this month's Project Parade!  The theme this month, My Hero, poses the perfect opportunity to create a little "sumpin', sumpin'" for the people that inspire others by their actions and character...at least in my opinion!!

Have you ever been around someone, even for a very short time, and immediately feel better?  The friend that I made this gift ensemble for is like that!  Not only is she inspiring to me by what she had accomplished, but the depth of character she has is remarkable!  I so want to be like her when I grow up!

Nothing says "you're awesome" quite like chocolate, don't you think?  {{grin}}  A quick bow and flower make the perfect packaging for this over-sized chocolate bar.

For my card, I combined the notebook and flourish image from the Blue Skies set with one of the sentiments from the American Hero set.   I just LOVE how the sentiments from American Hero and Always on My Mind fit into the the AWESOME little notebook image (from the Blue Skies set)!  :-)

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As with all of our project parades, there are prizes!!!!

1. Play along with us and link up your new My Hero creation (posted July 12th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE parade post before midnight on July 30th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we 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 parade our My Hero creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (July 12 ~ July 28) will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!

July Project Parade - Day 9

Hi Everyone! Sankari here - and what a wonderful theme we have this month in creating our projects: My Hero! This project could be about anyone you see as a hero, from someone in the service, a family member or a friend. It was a suprisingly difficult theme to do a project for because there are so many people around me who are my heroes - who inspire me to be a better person.

One person who is one of my biggest heroes is one of my bestest friends - she has gone through many challenges recently and has always faced them with such a positive spirt and a smile - always an inspiration. The past few weeks has been a rough one for her and her family and I wanted to create for her something special - and for her never to forget how strong she is and how brave she is as she journeys through this intense time. This quote that Julee has in the stamp set "Blue Skies" completely inspired me to create this project for her: "Courage doesn't always roar, Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying "I will try again tomorrow"." What a beautiful quote - and to me this is really what makes someone a hero - that even when life deals you cards that are tough and you want to give up and run away - instead - you quietly face your fears and the present circumstances. Just to be like this requires bravery and courage - and that to me is heroic. And this is how my friend is - every single day - I totally admire and love her to the very core. So I wanted to create for her something special and something that she can look at to remember her strength. I created a little gift set - a card and little magnet diorama - that she can put on her fridge/bulletin board with the "Blue Skies" stamp set:

The magnet diorama was created using a see through favor box from Martha Stewart (the box measures 2-3/4"x 1-1/4"). I covered the box with some Flower Child papers from Bo Bunny and created a little scene for the gorgeous butterfly in this stamp set which I popped up on dimensionals so that it seems like it is fluttering in the summery fields. I stamped and cut out the word "Courage" twice and adhered it to the sides of the box and finished it with a little chipboard, bling and ribbon.

The last step was adding a some strips of magnets to the back.

I created the card using this weeks beautiful Mojo 148 sketch designed by the beautiful Julee :) I simply adore adore adore the notebook stamp in this set, and created a little scalloped border and little chipboard on the bottom. I stamped the smaller butterfly and popped it up on the upper corner and finally added some liquid pearls (of course :)

I can't wait to give this to her - her heart is simply golden and she is simply my hero! I loved making this project for her - because I feel so grateful to have such a best friend who constantly inspires me. Like every stamp set, Julee always creates such gorgeousness and makes it so super easy to create the perfect card for that someone special :)

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As with all of our project parades, there are prizes!!!!

1. Play along with us and link up your new My Hero creation (posted July 12th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE parade post before midnight on July 30th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we 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 parade our My Hero creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (July 12 ~ July 28) will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!

July Project Parade - Day 8

Happy Wednesday, Verve Fans! It's Shannan here, and I'm ready to show you my creation for the July Project Parade. I have to admit that when Jen announced this month's theme, I was pretty stumped. After looking at my stamps, I was inspired by the stamps in American Hero, so I pulled it out and got to work!


I decided to create a little box to hide some goodies in, and a matching card. Kraft, White, Real Red, and Not Quite Navy seemed like a fun combo for my little set.


I created the box with my Scor-Pal, then stamped the kraft paper with the three stars in the set in Vintage Photo Distress Ink, sponging the edges as I went. I stamped the sentiment in Walnut Stain ink on white cardstock, then stamped a second generation star image from Always on My Mind in Real Red. After sponging the edges, I matted the panel with Not Quite Navy cardstock, then popped it up on the front of my box with foam dimensionals. You can't see it, but there's a little jute handle on the box as well.


I wanted the card to be a little smaller than normal, so I created a 4 1/4" square kraft card base. For the main image panel, I stamped the frame from American Hero in Thatched Straw VersaMagic chalk ink, then stamped the sentiment in Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I thought the Not Quite Navy panel would look cool embossed with the Candy Cane Stripe embossing folder, so I matted it with a white piece to make it pop off the kraft base. To tie the card and box together, I wrapped some jute around the card, then popped the main image on top. The finishing touch was some Diamond Stickles on the star corners, which were colored with a red Copic Marker.

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As with all of our project parades, there are prizes!!!!

1. Play along with us and link up your new My Hero creation (posted July 12th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE parade post before midnight on July 30th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we 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 parade our My Hero creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (July 12 ~ July 28) will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!

July Project Parade - Day 7

Hey there Verve fans! Jen Tapler here with Day 7 of this month's Verve Project Parade. As always, the rest of the Divas have been providing lots of fabulous inspiration so far!!

When I started thinking about this month's theme - My Hero - my thoughts initially went to my favorite girlhood hero, my amazing father. I was always the quintessential Daddy's Girl growing up and from the time I could form the words until now, if anyone asked me who my hero was, my answer has always been, without hesitation, "my Daddy, of course". Many of you know of my family's heartbreaking journey the last several years as my too-young father (58 years old) has slipped into the end stages of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. It is very unlikely that he will survive the next year. I will spare you all the gruesome details of his traumatic story and instead focus on the surprise ending of my family's saga - the character who has risen up to shine through as the real Hero throughout all of this - My Mom. The courage and strength she has shown through my Dad's illness is unreal. Don't get me wrong, she's definitely had her moments - but they don't last long. For the most part she has continued to have her characteristic optimistic, sassy attitude throughout the last few years of watching her best best friend, her partner, her lover, her husband of 37 years slip away from her - but not just slip away from her. That's the real kicker about Alzheimer's disease - you don't just lose your loved one, you have to watch them be replaced by someone else, someone altogether different - someone unappreciative, sometimes downright mean, sometimes even combative - but she's still there day after day - usually with a laugh - for a long time taking care of him herself (bathing him, changing diapers, feeding him, etc) and now making sure others are caring for him properly and just spending time with him so he's not lonely (even though he doesn't know who she is and won't know she was there). This is not how her "Golden Years" in paradise were supposed to be. This is not what they worked so hard to achieve in their early retirement. But she still does it. Because somewhere deep inside that man is the amazing father and husband she fell in love with and married, because that man is still deserving of love and respect and kindness, but in reality it's because the real Hero in our family is my Mom.

Whew. Sorry about that. I might have got a little carried away. So anyway....I wanted to make a little gift for my Mom to let her know that even though my Dad is the one who usually gets all the attention, we really love her and appreciate all she does and all she is going through and all she is about to go through as we have another difficult but necessary transition in my Dad's care coming up in August. So I put together this little "Relaxation Bucket" for her.

Ever since I can remember, my Mom has taken a nice long bubble bath at the end of the day - that's always been HER TIME, even when we were kids. She still does this today. So I included some little bath beads and bubble bath in some Martha Stewart test tube things along with a little votive candle and some of her favorite tea, all inside a little tin bucket I picked up on clearance after Easter at K-Mart.

I stamped the "Hang in there" sentiment from Always on My Mind on a small label for the candle and added a little button. I also created a tag that I attached to the tin using some Maya Road chipboard (it's actually a page from a Luggage Tag album, just cut down to make it a little shorter) and DP from the Thrift Shop line by October Afternoon. The sentiment, butterflies, notebook paper and flourish stamped on the tag are all from Blue Skies. Some stitching and scallops finished it up.

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As with all of our project parades, there are prizes!!!!

1. Play along with us and link up your new My Hero creation (posted July 12th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE parade post before midnight on July 30th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we 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 parade our My Hero creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (July 12 ~ July 28) will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!

July Project Parade ~ Day 6

Hi there!  It's Jackie here with another day from the My Hero Project Parade!  Haven't the Diva's done a fabulous job so far?  Oh my....such inspiration!

The project I have to show you today was not made for a hero of mine, but for my husband's cousin Cherie, whose Son-in-law is serving as a marine in Afghanistan.  Let me give you a little back story and it might give you a little insight as to how I came up with my project....I promise not to bore you!

My girls went to stay with their cousin for several days about a week or so ago. (what a glorious quiet and stamping filled time it was for me....but I digress...)  While there, they made cookies for Joe, the Son-in-law, along with some cheerful cards.  Cherie (hubby's cousin) sends him (her Son-in-law) care packages every few weeks while he serves our country in Afghanistan.  My girls have been talking about how fun it was to package up his cookies and include the pictures and cards they'd made for him, so when I sat down to make something for this project parade, I thought I'd make something for Cherie! Clear as mud?  Hope so.....so let's get to it!

I made a 3x3 box with some darling little 3x3 cards that could be tucked into the care packages that Cherie makes for her Son-in-law, Joe!

The new set American Hero was PERFECT for this!  I didn't want to use the traditional Red White and Blue, so I opted for a somewhat masculine color combo using navy, kraft and a little October Afternoon Report Card DP.  The main image sentiments were all cut out with Classic Circle Nestabilities and while still in the die, sponged with some Ranger Distress Ink in Peeled Paint.  They were all layered on a Big Scallop Square Die and all corners were rounded with my favorite tool in the world....the Corner Chomper!

Here are the three different cards I made.  I actually made two of each, but I couldn't fit them all in the picture!  All six easily fit in the box with the envelopes.  I kept the cards pretty flat, the only dimension is on the main image.  I popped it up with foam tape.

And here is the box by it's little ole' self!  There is a great tutorial for this box by our very own Laurie Schmidlin on Splitcoaststampers.  I used some wide twill around the box and finished it off with a button threaded with some twine.  I paper pieced one of the stars from American Hero with the same dp.

So what do you think?  I hope Cherie likes it! 

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As with all of our project parades, there are prizes!!!!

1. Play along with us and link up your new My Hero creation (posted July 12th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE parade post before midnight on July 30th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we 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 parade our My Hero creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (July 12 ~ July 28) will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!

Can't wait to see all the entries!

July Project Parade - Day 5

Hi Verve fans, it's Amy here today with Day Five of our My Hero Project Parade. I'm loving all the red, white and blue this week! And Charmaine's cutie-pie scrapbook page? So clever and adorable! I have a scrapbook page to share today, too, in some patriotic red. white, and blue attire, but first a little backstory ...

In 1941, at age 25, my paternal grandfather was a lieutenant with the Coast Artillery branch of the United States Army, stationed with his young family at Fort Kamehameha at the entrance to Pearl Harbor. On the fateful Sunday morning of December 7, he was standing in front of his bathroom mirror shaving when the Japanese attack began. "Air raid, Pearl Harbor. This is not drill." While my grandmother rushed my aunt and father (3 and 8 months old at the time) to an emergency shelter, my grandfather and his platoon set up a mobile anti-aircraft gun on a nearby tennis court. They shot down one of the first enemy planes. My heart swells with pride as I think of him and his service to our country. I'm also filled with sadness and regret that I never heard his first-hand account of his Pearl Harbor experience and that he passed away a mere two months before the 50th anniversary remembrance ceremonies.

When the Divas were given this month's Project Parade theme, I knew right away that my project would be some sort of tribute to my Grandad.

I didn't have a lot to work with, just a handful of low-resolution photo scans and some second-hand accounts. Even so, this 8x8 page will be proudly displayed in my home, not just as a reminder of my grandfather and all those who serve or have served our country, but also as a reminder to spend time with the elders among us both wisely and purposefully while we still have those opportunities.

I used two different sentiments and two of the star images in the American Hero set. The papers are from the "Old Glory" line by We R Memory Keepers and the Basic Grey Basics Manilla 6x6 pad. At the bottom right, I placed a Maya Road Kraft envelope to hold journaling and an additional photo. The Maya Road chipboard pennants are covered in designer paper, tied with twine, and adorned with accordian-fold rosettes, stamped stars, and the "u," "s," and "a" chipboard letters.

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As with all of our project parades, there are prizes!!!!

1. Play along with us and link up your new My Hero creation (posted July 12th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE parade post before midnight on July 30th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we 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 parade our My Hero creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (July 12 ~ July 28) will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!

Can't wait to see all the entries!

Verve Project Parade - Day Four

It's Charmaine with Day 4 of Verve's July Project Parade. . .My Hero!  Haven't the projects so far been awesome?!  I've just LOVED them! 

I took a different direction with my project, and that direction came from a picture that I took.

This past weekend we had a joint birthday party for Isabelle and her cousin (my nephew) Ethan.  They were born hours apart, which was pretty funny because my sister wasn't due until the END of July!  :)  Anyway, I was taking a bunch of pictures of the birthday duo and this picture just made me smile.  With the look on Ethan's face and the way Isabelle's head is turned looking at him, all I could imagine her saying was "My Hero!"  LOL  So, that's where the inspiration came from for my project. 

And as with all of our project parades, there are prizes!!!!

1. Play along with us and link up your new My Hero creation (posted July 12th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE parade post before midnight on July 30th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we 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 parade our My Hero creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (July 12 ~ July 28) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

We can't wait to see your creations! 

Verve Project Parade~Day Three...

Well, it's me, Susan. We've already reached Day Three of this month's Verve Project Parade! Last time (May), I think I was last in the Project Parade, and now here I am third up to bat! I've loved both Jen's and Amber's projects. I've actually seen Jen's in person and it's better than the pictures. I'm sure Amber's is too.


Here's mine. I just have to tell ya'll that the whole time I was putting this together, Lee Greenwood was singing, "Proud to be an American" in my head over and over. (There. Now he can be a broken record in your head too! Sorry, 'bout that!) It's a good song, though.


I love this month's theme--My HERO, so I thought I'd make something fun and patriotic...gotta love the RED, WHITE AND BLUE!!!


I've known from the minute I saw this stamp set, American Hero, that I wanted to make a little mini tag book using most of the sentiments from the set. So when Jen came up with this theme, I figured it would fit right in and be the perfect thing to make!