May Project Parade - Day 14

Hi everyone!  Laurie here, and I am excited to be able to share my "Sizzlin' Summer Fun" project with you (although it's not easy following in the footsteps of the rest of the Divas!!)!  :-)

Having four kids, Summer is as much about the fun "treats" as it is about the weather!  :-)  One of those special Summer treats that our family especially enjoys is smores!  We even have a small fire pit on our property near our house (we live waaaay out in the country) and love to have campfires several times a week.  It never fails, that when we have company over for dinner...we somehow end up out by the fire!  LOL!  Well, I thought it would be fun to "plan" for it...and made up these cute little "smore kits"!

I started by stamping some large glassine bags using one of the decorative stamps in the Relax set and some Palette ink (it will dry and not smear on the glossy bag surface).  I then filled the bags with everything needed for several delicious smores - graham crackers, marshmallows, and of course a Hershey bar!!

For the "tags", I combined stamps from the Relax and Happy Days sets with some left over patterned paper (by Stampin' Up!) that I found in my stash.

On each of the tags, I added a punched bottom border, a wooden heart, and some satin ribbon.

Here's a close-up picture of the stamped glassine bags. 

So, what do you think?  What fabulous projects have you been using your new Verve stamps for?  There's still time for you to play along with us (Psssst, there's prizes involved if you do)!  But hurry, because the deadline is approaching fast!  Here's some more info on how to enter...

_______________________________________________________________________________

As with all of our Project Parades, we’ve got prizes! There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creation (posted May 17 or later) to the linky widget on the Day 1 parade post before midnight on June 7th. 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 Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (May 17 ~ June 4) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

May Project Parade ~ Day 11

It's Amy here, for Day 11 of Verve's Sizzlin' Summer Fun Project Parade. Today in the U.S., it's Memorial Day, so before I get to my project, I'd like to pay tribute to all the American servicemen and servicewomen who have fought for freedoms both here and abroad.

Now, back to our Project Parade ... the Divas have knocked this theme out of the park, don't you think? WOW! So many sizzlin' fun ideas! I decided to create a tiki hut treat box:



This was surprisingly easy to make. I started with a simple 3 1/4" x 2" x 2" rectangle box made from Kraft card stock, then covered all four sides with some BoBunny designer paper. On the front panel, I stamped the words "Dude," and "You rock" (both from Dude) onto the designer paper, then attached two paper-pieced surfboards (from Relax) and a paper-pieced wave (also from Relax). The designer papers are from BoBunny's Paradise and Mama-razzi collections. For the thatched roof, I folded a 4" Kraft card stock square in half to make an A-frame roof. Each side is covered with four layers of crumpled, fringe-cut Kraft wrapping paper. Here's the project from another angle:



The posts are simply rolled scraps of Kraft wrapping paper (thinner and more pliable than card stock) held in place with hot glue. Minutes before I walked out the door for a holiday getaway, I had a better idea for the posts: take four bamboo skewers per post, cut them down to the length you want, and wrap them together with twine. I tried it with one post - looks great and is much more sturdy.

I filled the tiki hut with a cello bag of tropical flavored Mike 'N' Ike candies, which happen to be my son's teacher's favorite treat. I just hope he won't mind being called "dude" ;)

As with all of our Project Parades, we’ve got prizes! There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creation (posted May 17 or later) to the linky widget on the Day 1 parade post before midnight on June 7th. 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 Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (May 17 ~ June 4) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

May Project Parade ~ Day 10

It's Friday, and summer is on its way!! Woo-Hoo!!

Tosh here, and when I think summer, I think freedom!! Now, probably not in the way you'd imagine though. It has nothing to do with school projects or cold weather coming to an end. (I much prefer cold to heat.) Instead, it has everything to do with feet freedom. Oh, yeah!! No more confining socks or shoes!! *sigh*....bliss!! LOL

However, with the constant exposure to rough surfaces and heat, the feet tend to compensate by forming calluses and dry skin. Therefore, with this month's project parade theme being "Sizzlin Summer Fun!!", I thought foot care products would make a perfect gift.


I used Lauren Meader's Trendy Tool Tote Template for my gift box, and decorated it with images from the following Verve Sets: One Person, Relax, and Happy Days. I used coordinating Versamagic chalk inks to match the colors from the Bath and Body Foot scrub containers.

The borders were made with EK Success punches, the and dp is by Crate Paper. Finally, I added some ribbon and a bit of sparkle with some Kaisercraft Rhinestones.

Here's a look at the box without all the gift products inside and around:



Here's a close-up of the front with the sweet little palm tree and sentiment medallion:



I put a "Relax" sign on the left side:



And surf boards on the right side:

So, now it's your turn:

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creation (posted May 17 or later) to the linky widget on the Day 1 parade post before midnight on June 7th. 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 Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (May 17 ~ June 4) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

May Project Parade - Day 8

Hey there! Jen Tapler here with a fun Beach-y home decor item to share with you. I've had this Gallery J brand Hanging Frame Kit laying around for a few years just waiting for the perfect project idea. You know me and my love for a good Photo Keepsake! Here's a look at the finished project (which I had a SUPER hard time photographing by the way).


I used DP from the Lil' Buddy and Twitterpated Collections by Pebbles Inc and picked out a couple of my favorite photos of my son Dean at the beach last Spring to use inside 2 of the frames.


I decided to stamp inside the middle frame. I stamped the wave-y frame thing from Happy Days in a creamy orange pigment ink on cream cardstock and cut it out with my hobby knife to "frame" the Fun in the Sun sentiment from Relax.


And here's a look at the second photo I used - isn't that the cutest little Surfer Dude ever!?!?


And finally, the bottom of the kit had a smaller plaque kind of thing. I used one of my labels Nestabilities dies to create a mat for the "Dude" sentiment from, you guessed it, Dude. I also added the duo of hibiscus flowers from Happy Days, colored with Copics to match the papers used on the project.

So there you have it!! My Beach-y, Sorta Summery (although here on Maui, it's pretty much always Summer!! LOL) Home Decor Project! I can't wait to find the perfect spot for this in my son's bedroom!

As with all of our Project Parades, we’ve got prizes! There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creation (posted May 17 or later) to the linky widget on the Day 1 parade post before midnight on June 7th. 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 Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (May 17 ~ June 4) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

Sizzlin' Summer Fun! May Project Parade--Day 6!

Hiya peeps! It's Amber here, writing to you from the FUTURE! LOL! It's Monday night here, so I'm writing to you as you read this and it's Monday morning there in the states:) Did you ladies *and gentlemen in you're out there!* have a great weekend?  We did too! And we have a FOUR day weekend coming up, YEAH!;)

Okay, sorry but I'm feeling chatty, lol! Let's get on with the show, shall we? This month, we're busting out our fun, summery stamp sets and creating something sizzlin' fun! I'm sure I don't have to tell you how FAB the latest summery stamp release was! I just love every single stamp set, but that's not really a surprise;) I reached for a couple different stamp sets for this card:

The sentiment and small sun images (the sun image is stamped on the yellow dp, can ya see it???) are from Let it Shine, the sparkly sun peek out from behind the wave is from Relax, and the fun wavey circle is from Happy Days! I really love this fun, summery color combination! The papers are from the new collection by Cosmo Cricket called DeLovely! 

SO have you loved the Diva's creations this past week? Well hold on tight cause there is plenty more on the way! 

Now it's your turn!!! As with all of our Project Parades, we’ve got some wonderful prizes...and there are two ways to win:

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creation (posted May 17 or later) to the linky widget on Day One's parade post before midnight June 7th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we LOVE to see them if you have them! 

2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we parade our Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (May 17 ~ June 4) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

We can't wait to see how you make your summer sizzle, so GO CREATE!!! :)

May Project Parade ~ Day 5!!!!

Hi, it's Lynda! I hope you have been enjoying the AWESOME projects the Diva's have been showing you so far this week!! I sure have!!!

My daughter's birthday is in July and for the past few years, we have had a pool party here at the house for her. We keep it small so I thought it would be perfect to make some goody bags for the girls!

I bought the little canvas bags at Joann's. They are on clearance, 5 for $2.97! For this ensemble, I used the BRAND NEW Relax set, Happy Days and Dude set. I also used the clouds from the Up, Up & Away set. Speaking of Up, Up & Away, don't forget that this month's, Ready, SET, Stamp challenge is to use the Up, Up & Away set! All the details can be found HERE!!!


This will be the invitation. I did not complete the inside yet since I am not sure exactly what to put yet. The DP is from Pink Paislee's 365 Degree Collection. The first thing I did was to print the "You're invited" sentiment from my computer. I then added the Dude sentiment, using Soft Sky ink and then the flourish, using Pumpin Pie. The flowers were cut out and colored using Copics.

Here is a picture of the bag ~

For the bag, I sponged Ranger Frayed Burlap and Antique Linen inks. To get the rough edge, I just tore a scrap piece of CS, laid it where I wanted my "sand" to end and then sponged up to it. I added some Cinnamon Stickles on the "sand" by basically using a pin to dot the Stickles lightly all over the "sand". I then sponged Soft Sky ink for the water. The palm trees, clouds and sun were all stamped using Black Stazon. I colored using my Copics. When you color on fabric, don't go right up to the edges until you see how the ink will absorbe in to the fabric because it will run. DON'T ask me how I know this!!! LOLOLOL!!! I then added some Stickles to the sun and clouds.

Because I can't leave well enough alone, I made a little coordinating keychain using Polyshrink. I stamped the circle flourish from Happy Days on the Polyshrink using Olive Stazon. Stamped the flowers and "You're so" sentiment using Black Stazon and the "Cool" sentiment using Pumpkin Stazon. I cut the piece out and then heated it. Once it cooled I added some Stardust Stickles and tied it on a clip I got at Walmart.

Now it's your turn!!! As with all of our Project Parades, we’ve got some wonderful prizes...and there are two ways to win:

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creation (posted May 17 or later) to the linky widget on Day One's parade post before midnight June 7th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we LOVE to see them if you have them!

2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we parade our Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (May 17 ~ June 4) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

We can't wait to see how you make your summer sizzle, so GO CREATE!!! :)

May Project Parade ~ Day One

I don't know about you, but I can't believe it's May already!  School is coming to a close and my FAVORITE season is just about here. . .Summer!  For this month's Project Parade, the Verve Divas are going to cook up some. . . SIZZLIN' SUMMER FUN! 

I'm kicking it off today with an idea I had for a kid's pool party or beach bash favor!  When I was thinking about Summer and what my kids love, one of the first things that came to mind was Capri Sun.  My kids would drink Capri Sun all day everyday if I let them!  I recently got this Pucker Up template from My Time Made Easy and I thought it looked like a Capri Sun, so I thought I'd fill it with some Starburst, Kool-aid, swim googles, chapstick and even a fun, crazy straw for a party favor! 

I used the Relax and Happy Days sets from the latest release to mimic the look of a Capri Sun.  I sponged some color on the panel and then stamped the palm tree.  I added some Dew Drops for coconuts and tore some Kraft cardstock for the sand.  The sun and surf boards were stamped on pieces of scrap cardstock, cut out and attached to the favor.  I punched a hole in the top of the box to add the crazy straw. 

So, now it's your turn!!  As with all of our Project Parades, we’ve got prizes! There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creation (posted May 17 or later) to the linky widget on TODAY'S (Day 1) parade post before midnight on June 7th. 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 Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (May 17 ~ June 4) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

We can't wait to see your Sizzlin' Summer creations!! 

New Release Spotlight - Day 1

Hey there! Jen Tapler here and I'm soooo excited to be sharing the first day of New Release Spotlights with you for this Totally Rad Verve Beach Party Release!! I know I say it every time, but this time I really do mean it - this is my absolute favorite release Julee has put together. I don't know, maybe it's the Maui Surfer Girl in me *wink*, but this entire release has me SO excited!! I've been bugging Julee for just about forever for some tropical-ish stamps and boy did she deliver!! But don't worry, not ALL of the sets this release are beachy - they are all super fabulous though! Some of the Divas and I will be sharing a few projects with you using the new Relax set, which is a totally "beachin" (ha! get it?) set of 19 stamps that will have those of you on the mainland even more anxious for summer than you already are (and those of us on Maui just anxious for the weekend!).

Take a look at what we've done...

From Diva Jackie Pedro:

Have you been yearning for warmer weather? Well, hold onto your sun hat ladies, because Verve is going tropical with this month's release! Julee has come out with some fun, whimsical and beautiful stamps for this month's release! You will not be disappointed! I couldn't wait to give you a sneak peek of the set we are previewing for you today called Relax. I created a fun beachy scene using the palm tree, sun and two of the five surfboards that are included in the set. The sand is a cool new product that I recently picked up at my local Scrap Store. It's called Sand Paste (by Mudd Puddles) and this particular sand is called Jamaican Beach. I cut the image out with a Labels One Nestability and before removing it from the die sponged Cool Caribbean ink around the edges. I added some fun sugared glitter (Doodlebug) to the coconuts and the center of the sun. The patterned paper is Thrift Shop by October Afternoon and the sketch is from our own Diva, Mercy Kerin (MTSC70). The inside reads simply "Relax". Can you see yourself relaxing on this beach? I sure can!!


From Diva Susan Liles:
Well, Aloha! Susan here and I'm so excited about the newest release from Verve! These stamps are going to fill the void a lot of us have when it comes to masculine stamps. And the fear of making masculine cards? Well, kiss it good-bye! These stamps will make handsome, manly cards a breeze! Speaking of which - making a handsome, manly card was my first thought when it came time to create this project, but I was inspired to go a different direction as I was browsing the Target "dollar-to-two-dollar-and-fifty-cents" spot a couple of days ago. They had some adorable wooden signs that were perfect for a sunroom, pool area or any room decorated in an island or Hawaiian theme. So I took a picture (I'm old and needed that to remember) and came came home and put my own spin on it solely from stamps, paper and cardstock - well, and a little cork! I used 8 stamps from the new set, Relax. There are so many fun elements to it, I just couldn't stop myself! I'm sure ya'll are already drooling at what Jen and the other girls made, too, but hold onto your surfboards, because you're going to love "hangin' ten" with all the stamps coming your way with this new release!

From Diva Lynda Benden:

Oh my gosh, I LOVE this set and believe me, you are going to as well! I had such a great time putting this card together!! The card base is Select White and is 5 1/2" square. I also used True Black and Pumpkin Pie CS. The decorative orange paper is from Fancy Pants and the "sand" paper is some old stuff I had in my stash!! I cut an oval in the Fnacy Pants DP using my oval Nesties and then added a Prima Say it in Crystals Frame. To make the sunset in the window, I sponged Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun and Barely Banana ink on glossy whiteCS for the sky and Night of Navy, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze and Soft Sky for the water. I also added some Clear Ranger Crackle paint on the water to make it look more realistic! I then tore the sand paper, sponged Frayed Burlap (Ranger) ink and layered it toward the bottom of the "window". I stamped the AWESOME palm trees on Select White CS, colored using my Copics, cut them out, added brown flock to the coconuts and adhered them using dimensionals. The DARLING sun was stamped on Select White as well, colored using Copics, cut out and then added Yellow Stickles because there HAS to be glitter on the sun!! LOL! The final step was to add the black Pink Paislee ruffled ribbon and topped it off with some linen thread.

And from me, Diva Jen Tapler:
I think I already pointed out that I am totally in love with this Relax set!! Living on Maui, I am constantly on the lookout for a stamp set like this! I know what a shortage of cute tropical / Hawaiiana / Beach themed stamp sets there are out there and Julee totally nailed it with this set! And I can see so many uses for this set besides just summer cards - it's the PERFECT set for those vacation scrapbook pages, for a fun beach-themed birthday party, and I have about a gazillion little gift ideas planned! For my sneak peek I created a bright a cheerful hybrid card using 3 of the 5 surfboard images in the set and the Relax sentiment. I used Kraft and Chocolate Chip CS along with printed digi papers (the label is a printed digi embellishment too) from the Color Me Crazy kit by Melissa Bennett (Sweet Shoppe). The card sketch is an old Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge by Karen Giron (SSSC52). I finished it up by adding some messy stitching around the perimeter of the card.

Like what you've seen so far? Just leave a comment on this post and tell us at what Tropical Destination you dream of finding yourself RELAX-ing. Comment before 6:00 PM Eastern on Friday, April 23 and you'll be put in a drawing to win this set! The lucky winner will be announced at our Beach Party Release Party Friday night. And for even more chances to win some new Verve, be sure to check out the Beach Party Challenges going on in our forum! Stay tuned tomorrow for another fabulous new release spotlight!