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! 

Ready Set Stamp Challenge: Seeing Stars

Hi there, Verve fans!  It's Julee here with the next installment in our monthly Ready, SET, Stamp challenge!  With the 4th of July quickly approaching, it seems I've got stars on my mind.  One of my favorite Verve star sets is Seeing Stars, so this month I'm challenging you to pull out this oldie but goodie and get it inky!  I love the patterned stars in this set - they make it easy to make your own backgrounds and create your own fun embellishments and focal points.  Plus they lend themselves to both masculine and feminine styles, which is two thumbs up in my book!  If you don't have Seeing Stars, you can pick it up at 20% off through July 16 - that's the challenge deadline, so you've got plenty of time to create!

For my sample card, I paired Seeing Stars with the June Week 3 Viva la Verve! challenge.  I loved the parisian feel to the second inspiration photo and I've been waiting for the perfect excuse to pull out this Zebra print flocked paper I got at Hobby Lobby a while back.  I used the stripey star stamped in melon mambo to mimic the stripes in the bedding, then embossed the Emerson quote on a deckled rectangle, which I inked up with some melon mambo ink.  The little horizontal strip is cut with a Tim Holtz On the Edge Die and I embossed it with a Cuttlebug stitches border.  The stars are cut out and matted with black, then covered with a mixture of glitter and diamond glaze for a glitzy glam look.

For more inspiration, be sure to check out the fabulous cards from our Divas in the Seeing Stars Design Team Album, 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 June 17 or later) using Verve's Seeing Stars set before 8PM Mountain on Monday, July 16 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:  VSSTARS and VERVE.

Okay, good luck and have fun! 

Up Up & Away Challenge WINNER

Hey Verve fans! It's Julee, popping in again to announce the winner of our Up, Up & Away Ready, SET, Stamp Challenge!  Thanks so much to everyone who played along!  I just loved seeing all your whimsical creations with Up, Up & Away - it's one of my all-time favorite sets I've designed and seeing y'all get it inky just made me smile.  Okay, enough chitchat.  On with the winner's announcement.

And the Verve-alicious winner is  ...

Vera who made this whimsical little clean & simple card.  I just love how she built on the design in the patterned paper, and the teeny little white mat around the perfectly cut out images gives such a professional look.   To finish it off, the Best of Luck sentiment from Great Expectations embossed in white balances the card out beautifully.

Congratulations Vera! Email me at contests@vervestamps.com to claim your $30 gift certificate.

Okay, that wraps it up for this challenge.  Stay tuned (either later today or tomorrow) for the announcement of the next Ready, SET, Stamp challenge!  I'm sure we just might find a STAR or two in our midst! (hint, hint)  ;-)

Ready, SET, Stamp: Up, Up & Away

Hi there, Verve fans!  I hope May is treating you well!  Last month I started a new Ready, SET, Stamp monthly challenge where I challenge you to use a specific stamp set. This month's challenge is to use one of my personal favorites from 2009... Up, Up & Away. This set has a touch of modern whimsy mixed with a hint of old-fashioned goodness. It's great for so many occasions, and tons of fun whether you prefer coloring or paper piecing.

For my sample card, I paired Up, Up & Away with a sentiment from the Enjoy set and Jen del Muro's Sketch For You To Try from this past Saturday.  I love how easy this circle balloon is to paper piece.  I simply punched a 1.25" circle, sponged a little around the edges and layered onto the stamped image with dimensionals.  Easy Peasy.  These fun Bo Bunny Flower Child papers seemed perfect for the whimsical feel I was going for, and I finished off with a sparkly mixture of diamond glaze and glitter on the clouds.  My finished card size is 4.5" square.

For more inspiration, be sure to check out the fabulous cards from our Divas in the Up, Up & Away Design Team Album, 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 using Verve's Up, Up & Away set before 6PM Mountain on Monday, June 14 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 to 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.  Keyword for uploading to online galleries is:  VSBalloon

Okay, good luck and have fun! 
Stay tuned this Monday for the start of our monthly project parade!