Sensational Stripes Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop

Hi Verve fans!  It's time for the Verve Divas to bring you our monthly Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop!  There are two ways to win Verve prizes... check out and comment on the design team's blog posts to see their take on the inspiration, then go get inky and link up your take on the challenge to be eligible in our prize drawings!  Be sure to scroll down for all the challenge details and the master hop list!

The stripes theme made me think of the Seeing Stars set, and I was in need of a baby card, so decided to swap out the blue in the inspiration piece for pink.  I stamped the stars on pink pirouette and hand cut, then matted with smoky slate stars cut with the large star punch from SU!  Next I pulled out the Emery Plain Jane and stamped it a few times on some stripey pink paper, then cut individual pieces out and layered on foam tape to add some dimension.

The Little Star plain jane is my focal piece, stamped in crumb cake, then cut with stitched circle dies and matted with smoky slate.  I colored the stars with a copic marker and then highlighted with a touch of glossy glaze.  Next I stamped the card base using the Peaceful Medallions set randomly in pink pirouette, crumb cake and smoky slate.  I added in a piece of pink card stock embossed with strieps, then finished off with some twine wrapped around the card and a couple of enamel stars to adorn the stripey stars.

Our July challenge is Sensational Stripes


Stripes go with everything! Make them nautical, or pair with florals for a graphic look. Use stripes however you're inspired! Use the inspiration graphic or head off in your own direction, just show us your stripes! 

Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Friday, July 31. 
Prize: $30 gift voucher to the Verve online store!

Now let's get to the inspiration!  Check out the blogs listed below and leave a little shout out in the comments section at each stop for a chance to win our comment prize of a $30 gift voucher to the Verve store!  Comment deadline is Friday, July 31.

The hop starts over on my blog, Poetic Artistry.

	1. Julee	8. Susan
	2. Amy	9. Maureen
	3. Betty	10. Marisa
	4. Jen	11. Stacey
	5. Karen	12. Laurie
	6. Sankari	13. Amber
	7. Sarah

Enabler's List
Stamps: Seeing Stars, Little Star, Emery,  Peaceful Medallions (Verve Stamps)
Paper: bundle of joy dots & stripes (Echo Park), pink pirouette, smoky slate (SU!), white (neenah)
Ink: pink pirouette, crumb cake (SU!), black archival (Ranger), copic marker
Accessories:  stitched circles stax (MFT), large star punch (SU!), enamel stars, glossy glaze, string

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! 

Spring Fling: Challenge 2

Hi Verve fans, it's Amy here this hour. The Divas are all so excited to have you join in with our Spring Fling Blog Party! It's going to be a super fun day!!

I get to present your second challenge of the day - a sketch challenge:





I invited the fabulously talented Denise Marzec to guest design a sample with the sketch. I don't know how she does it, but every single one of her creations is like a breath of fresh air. Have a look:



See what I mean? I love her clean lines, her white background, the touch of sky blue with the patriotic red, white and blue elsewhere, and her well-placed accents. Click for a close-up to see the sparkly swirls. Denise has used an oldie but goodie, Seeing Stars. What a fantastic quote! Thanks for the inspiration, Denise!

And here's my sample:



I've used the new set Easter Joy. I adore the designs on these Easter eggs, and then to arrange them into a wreath? Ahhh, be still my heart! I stamped the wreath and sentiment onto white card stock, clear embossed, and colored with Copics. The leaves each have a dash of clear glitter for a little extra somethin'. I kept the colors and design soft, fresh, and clean to really capture that Easter feel. The patterned papers are all from Webster's Pages 6x6 packs, the ribbon is Papertrey, and the oval button is Making Memories.

Can't wait to see what you do with this sketch!

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So are you ready to have some more crafty fun? Just make a stamped card, project or scrapbook page using the sketch provided and upload a photo to your blog or online gallery. Then click the image above to add your link using the Mr. Linky entry form. Entries are due by 11:59pm on Monday, March 8.

One lucky entry will win a $25 Verve Stamps gift certificate!

Have fun and good luck!

Project Parade Day 12

Hey there! Jen Tapler here to share my It's a Guy Thing project with all you Verve fans (get ready, this is gonna be a long-winded post!!). I don't know about all of you, but the other divas have been knocking my socks off with their amazing projects this month!!

My guy-themed project is a little mini-album I made for Joel, my hubby, for Father's Day featuring about 8 of my favorite photos of him with our son Dean from the day of his birth through last month. The album itself is a tabbed MDF Kaiser Crafts album I picked up at a scrapbook store on the mainland last week. I used printed digital papers from Dani Mogstad's Tough Guy kit (Sweet Shoppe Designs) along with Chocolate Chip and Kraft CS (SU). I added various ribbons, buttons, hemp twine, staples and punches for embellishments and used several new and old Verve sets (all stamped in Chocolate Chip ink) throughout the album. Here's a look at some of the pages...

For the front cover, I used the large "Dad" image from Protector as well as some of the star outlines from Seeing Stars:On the next set of pages, I used a few of the images from the new Dad's Day set (click image for closer view):I love combining my Verve sentiments and for the "Rockstar Dad" sentiment on this set of pages, I masked a sentiment from Starlight Starbright and combined with "Dad" from World's Best, then added more stars from Seeing Stars.On this page, I used another sentiment from World's Best and my Trio of Tags Spellbinders die to create a little photo tag:And finally, for the back cover I used the same printed papers as the front cover, but this time combined the Father's Day Plain Jane with some stars from Seeing Stars.
I think Joel is going to love this little album and it will make a nice addition to our collection of keepsake mini albums!

Remember, just for playing along with our theme, you'll have a chance to win a Verve stamp set of your choice! Just link your creation to the Mr. Linky form on the Verve Blog Day 1 post before 8 pm MT on Saturday, June 20. We've also hidden another $25 gift certificate somewhere along the parade for a random commenter. So be sure to check out each day of the parade, and leave lots of comments along the way! Have fun and good luck!

Project Parade ~ Day 10

Hi everyone! It's Jackie here and it's my turn on the Verve Project Parade! Haven't the Diva's done a fabulous job so far? Oh my word....awesome projects!! I decided to alter a frame this time...but let me give you a little background on me....I DON'T ALTER THINGS! LOL! It's not to say that I have never altered anything, but it is really out of my comfort card making zone! I decided I needed to challenge myself a little more, thus the frame! I bought this three tiered frame at Michael's a few months back. It came unfinished with a really ugly ribbon hanger! LOL! I painted it with white acrylic paint and went about working on the individual frames.


This is a picture of the top frame. The DP is from Stampin' Up! and is called Urban Oasis. I used the new set from Verve, Dad's Day and a classic Verve set called Seeing Stars. The sentiment was stamped in Basic Gray (SU!) and punched out with a Wide Oval Punch (SU!). The stars were punched out with two different star punches. (SU!)


This frame holds a picture of both of my girls, Lauren on the right and Sarah on the left. I really wanted a picture of my hubby WITH my girls, but the three just wouldn't cooperate, so I settled on a recent pictures of the girls from my stash instead!


On this frame I used another new Verve set, Protector. "DAD" was stamped in Basic Gray (SU!) and cut out with Curved Rectangle Nestabilities, but before removing it from the die I sponged some Kiwi Kiss classic ink (SU!) around the edges. That is how I achieved the white edge. LOVE that look! The dotted strips came from one of my favorite Verve sets ever, Father Figure. I added some Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain ribbon as the hanger and I was done! Not so scary at all!! LOL!

Remember, just for playing along with our theme, you'll have a chance to win a Verve Stamp set of your choice! Just link your creation to the Mr. Linky form ON THIS POST before 8PM Mountain Time on Saturday, June 20th. We've also hidden a $25.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store somewhere along the parade for one random commenter. So be sure to check out each day of the parade and give a little shout out!! Good luck and have fun!

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Project Parade - Day 8

Woohoo! It's my turn to share my project for this month's Project Parade "It's a Guy Thing"! I happen to be sharing my house with lots of guys (my DH and three wonderful sons) so this was a great opportunity for me to make something for them! My middle son Bryan (who is 5), came to me the other day and told me how "pretty I stamp...and could I please make him something sometime". Talk about a heart melter! Well, as I sat down to make him a little "something", I realized that I couldn't make something for just one of my boys...so that is how this little "treat trifecta" came to be! :-)



I just love the new Sweet on You set!! The sentiments are so clever and perfect for little treat containers! These actually came together SO quickly!! I found some amazing templates online (I'll share the links in just a second), printed them out on to colorful c.s., added some stars (made with the Seeing Stars set, punches, & Star Nestabilities) and the coordinating sentiment tags! That's it! I could not believe how easy these were...and I plan on making more for upcoming birthday parties!! Oooh, wouldn't these make fun party favors??!? :-) So fun!

All three templates are from Splitcoast Stampers! You can find the Fry Box HERE, the Sweet Treats Surprise Box HERE, & the Acetate Box HERE.

So, how would you like to play along with us? Do you have a special guy in your life (Dad, Husband, Grandpa, etc...) that you'd like to create a project for? This is the time to do it!
To play along, just make a project or card that fits your style and celebrates a man in your life. 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 in --->{THIS}<--- post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, June 20. 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 5!

Well, it's me, Susan here. How are ya'll liking all the "Father Knows Best" projects so far? LOL! Really, the project doesn't have to be a "father/dad" thing. Jen came up with a great way to encompass all the men in our lives by officially calling this Project Parade "It's a Guy Thing". I think "Boys Will Be Boys" would have suited it as well! But for me, I wanted to create something fun that my girls could give to their dad. They loved this idea and are almost certain he will share it with them! I was in Target buying some totally unrelated stuff, but had this project on my mind. I had thought up a completely different idea, but wasn't crazy about it when I passed the soda aisle. "DAD's" Rootbeer immediately came to mind, however they didn't have it. Neither did our local grocery store.

So I settled on this little four-pack of Boylan Old Fashioned Soda (I've never heard of it either, but what dad doesn't like to try new drinks?). I thought it was cool that it still had the word "boy" in the name of it and I liked the writing on the bottles.

I went ahead and used the same color scheme they had going on with it (worked for them, right?) and drew my inspiration from the original packaging--layout and all! I used two new stamp sets--Dad's Day and Up, Up and Away, and two older sets--Snowflake Splendor and Seeing Stars (one of my all time favorite Verve sets) and simply made panels to cover the sides. Anyway, this project didn't take hardly any time at all. The most time was consumed looking in the two stores up and down the soda aisle for the DAD's Rootbeer! Do they even make it anymore?

So, how would you like to play along with us? Do you have a special guy in your life (Dad, Husband, Grandpa, etc...) that you'd like to create a project for? This is the time to do it!

To play along, just make a project or card that fits your style and celebrates a man in your life. 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 in --->{THIS}<--- post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, June 20. 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!

Challenge Junkie

I think I'm getting addicted. I used Julee's Mojo Monday sketch for this week, Susan's Meet the Diva button challenge from the Verve Forum, and of course, this July Project Parade challenge to make an ATC. That's Artist Trading Card. You have until noon Eastern time on July 31 to make your very own mini masterpiece if you'd like a chance at winning $15 in Verve Bucks. Check out all the fine print here.

And now for my pocket sized Picasso. I'd say it's pretty straight forward. I stamped the star and swirl, then cut it out to layer on the circles. I chose to actually sew on my buttons, which double as a scalloped edge, because I wanted the white thread to match the other white layers.

What's In It?
Stamps: Seeing Stars (Verve Stamps)
Paper: old olive, night of navy, pumpkin pie (Stampin' Up!); harmony: stripe (Paper Salon); pearlized white (Paper Accents)
Ink: night of navy (SU!)
Accessories: swiss dots cuttlebug folder (ProvoCraft); buttons (Dollar Store); ribbon (American Crafts and SU!); circle nestabilities dies (Spellbinders); thread; dimensionals

Shrinkin' It Up ATC Style

Oh! It's been so much fun seeing all the Verve Diva's shrink their "thang" down to 2.5"x3.5"!!!! I knew they could all rock the 4.5x5.25 sized cards like nobody's business, but who'd of thought they could do the same thing with something sooooooo small?

I have to be honest, I've done exactly 3 of these little guys in my short lifetime, this one being the 3rd! I've had an aversion to them because they're as much work as a standard sized card! I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you that just the thought of making inchies give me hives! But shhhhhh, I better watch what I say, cuz now that I've said the word inchies, Shannan is FOR SURE gonna make them our next challenge!!!! Hopefully she's too busy to be reading my post today....a girl can only hope, can't she...????.

Awwww, I'm just kiddin' with ya, I had lots of fun making my ATC for you today. It was really a simple layout using the flower from the Verve Feeling Groovy set, a sentiment from Seeing Stars, and the square underneath the flower is from Asian Flair. I stamped the flower twice, once with brown ink, and once with Tangerine Tango (my favorite new In Color by SU). I sponged around the edges of both flowers with Tangerine Tango (see, I told you I love it). I mounted one flower on top of the other, and then mounted the double flower on top of the square from Asian Flair. A simple straight stitch around the card finished it off.

Want to see what I did with my ATC after I was done with it? I added it to the front of an empty journal! The background paper was made using the flower from Feeling Groovy. I loved how it turned out!

Well, now that you've seen another Verve Diva rock an ATC, so it's time for you to do the same. Check out this post for more details on what you have to do to win $15 in Verve bucks. The contest is open until noon (Eastern time) on July 31st, so there's still time for you to shrink your "thang" ATC style!

Hitting the Creative Wall

What do you think is the one most asked question in the paper crafting world? I'm pretty sure it has got to be, What do I do to get the creative juices flowing again? Otherwise known as the dreaded SLUMP.

Well, my schedule had been quite busy with some deadlines quickly approaching, and I had hit the creative wall. Rather than stare at my stamps and ink any longer, I made a cup of tea and pulled out my pencil and ruler. Yep, a ruler, I do not draw well. Before long I had doodled out this sketch. From there, the card pretty much fell together. So, if you're stuck, try it from a different approach.


I stamped the sentiment, stars and swirls with Timber Brown StazOn (so that I could watercolor over them without smearing). Then I did just that...water colored with sage shadow, ruby red, and so saffron inks. Sponge the edges with chocolate chip ink. And the strip of stars also got lots of dots with the pen tip of a chocolate chip marker. With all of the papers from the Wanted line by Cosmo Cricket (on sale right now, by the way), I rubbed the edges along the Timber Brown StazOn pad. The little red photo corner tab is a punched circle, cut in half, then folded over the corner.

Supplies:
Stamps: Seeing Stars(Verve Visual)
Paper: Wanted (Cosmo Cricket); Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Sage Shadow, Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Timber Brown (StazOn); Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, So Saffron, Sage Shadow (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Brads (Creating Keepsakes); circle punch (EK Success); Coluzzle, dimensionals, sponge dauber, aquapainter

Night With the Stars

I don't know about all of you, but since having children, something as simple as this gift set would be SO APPRECIATED by me! I call it a "Night With the Stars". Included in this set for one of my friends is popcorn, flavorings for the popcorn, a gift card to the video rental store and a card that says we'll take their kids so that they can enjoy an uninterrupted movie or two by themselves! How does that sound to you? I used the Swirly Stars and Seeing Stars sets from Verve's latest release. I embossed all of the stars with gold embossing powder and the gift card is in a matchbook-type holder. The mirror gold cardstock gives it a "flashy" red carpet kind of feel, don't you think? If you haven't been checking out the wonderful creations the other members of the Design Team have been posting, be sure and scroll down! There's also LOTS of beautiful designs in the Verve gallery!


SUPPLIES USED: Swirly Stars, Seeing Stars (Verve Visual); Paper- Basic Black (SU), mirror gold (unknown); Ink- Versamark; Accessories- gold embossing powder, staple

Look at all these STARS!

I don't know about you guys, but I have thoroughly enjoyed all the eye candy that our Guest Designers have given us!! If you haven't checked out their creations, make sure you look at the last few days here on the Verve blog and post some love for them!

When I sat down to make a project for you, I knew exactly what I wanted to do! These stars (and the way all 3 star sets work together) are perfect for a One Sheet Wonder! Now, I will say that I didn't get all the way through because let's face it...I just don't have that kind of attention span. But I have 3 cool and simple cards for you, all made with about a 1/2 sheet of cardstock.

First I randomly stamped stars of all sizes and patterns from Polka Stars and Seeing Stars on a piece of Georgia Pacific White cardstock in Brilliance Graphite Black Ink. After a blast with my heat gun, I colored them with Copics that match Cameo Coral, Apricot Appeal, So Saffron, Soft Sky, and Certainly Celery. Then I cut my cardstock into 2 pieces measuring 2 1/8" x 5 1/2", and then 3 rectangles measuring 1 1/2" x 2".

I then matted them onto Basic Black cardstock and added some details like piercing, ribbon, and doodling, and then sentiments from all three sets. I wanted them to be very simple, so I didn't add much "stuff"...I think it gives the stars center stage, don't you?

Here's a close up of the cards:




I hope you enjoyed my project, and I'd love to see what you're doing with your Verve Stamps! So feel free to post a link in the comments here for us all to take a peek at your creativity!

Have a fabulous day and stay tuned for more mojo from the Verve Team!

Guest Designer: Ana Wohlfahrt

I'm so excited to show you the projects Ana Wohlfahrt created for Verve this month! If you haven't seen Ana's work before, you're in for a real treat. I've been a lurking admirer since the first time I saw her cards on SCS, where she's known as annieht. And then once I found out she had her own blog {Ink A Stamp}, I was completely hooked! With a fabulous eye for layout and design, not to mention her mad coloring skillz, Ana rocks the house every time she uploads a project! I'm sure you'll agree that these cards she designed using Seeing Stars are H-O-T, hot! Just click the photos below to see Ana's fabulous creations close-up with an ingredient list.

I wish I could peek inside Ana's stamp room to see where the magic happens, but since it's a bit of a drive (LOL!) I'll just share my virtual peek into her stamping life....

How did you get hooked on stamping? I first became hooked on stamping when I attended a friend's SU party. I've always been a creative person so I was instantly drawn to the hobby.

How often do you stamp? I stamp everyday! I don't think my day would be complete without some type of stamping. It's my form of therapy.

Do you have your own stamping space or do you share it with the cat, dining room, coat closet, etc . ? I have my own stamping room but my 3 year old son likes to bring his toys inside and "occasionally" unwind some ribbon, peel off stickers, or build towers with my wooden stamps. So technically, I share a room with him.

Do you stay true to a stamping budget, or are you swayed by all the enabling out in stampland? Budget.....what budget?! I think my husband could answer this question better than I. I tend to get "enabled" ALL the time. I really should be on a budget but will all these AMAZING companies it's really hard to do.

What is the latest stamping toy you've picked up that just made your heart go pitter patter? I would have to say that my new Copics hold the key to my stamping heart right now. I love everything about them!

Name one stamp or stamp set that you don't think you'll ever part with. Oh...this is a tough one. I have so many stamps that I could never part with but if I had to pick just one I would have to say My Favorite Thing's Let's Go for a Walk because I can relate to having three doggies. Plus its a blast to color.

What do you love most about papercrafting? I love papercrafting because it's a wonderful creative outlet. I can express my visions through paper and ink. I would also say that through papercrafting I have had the opportunity to make and meet some amazing women that also share my passion.

What do you consider to be your stamping strengths? I think my stamping strength is coloring. I still remember my mother teaching me at a very young age to stay inside the lines and to color in one direction.

Who is your stamping hero (someone whose work inspires you challenge yourself creatively)? From the first day I subscribed to Splitcoast Stampers I was instantly drawn to Taylor VanBruggen's work. I love her style and her attention to detail. She is definitely my "stamping hero".

Okay, be sure to leave a comment and let Ana know how fabulous her work is! Just amazing! I'll be back on Monday to show you Karrie Baker's projects using Wild Thing. They're so yummy, and her answers to my nosy questions will definitely make you smile. Have a fantastic weekend!

I'm Seeing Stars!

I just couldn't stop making cards when Julee sent me the five new Verve stamps sets that are debuting in a few days (1/10). Seriously. Do I look like I'm pulling your leg? Do I look like I'm trying to hold back a smirk saying that? I can assure you, my statement is 100% TRUE, I'm not pulling your leg, nor am I smirking whatsoever! These stamps are SOOOOOOO cool.

I'm pretty much at the tail end of the big sneak peek period here on the Verve Visual blog, so I'm guessing you know pretty much everything a girl could possibly want to know about all these sets, don't you? I know you've heard that all five stamps sets are made from clear photopolymer, and that each and every one stamps amazingly clear and sharp. I also know that you heard there are 3 star sets (Polka Star, Seeing Stars, Swirly Stars) and 2 heart sets (Wild Thing and Heart to Heart). I'm not sure there's much more to tell you other than you will love these new stamp sets!

For the card I'm sharing with you today, I wanted to take a non-traditional route with the stamps for a little change up. I wanted it to take on a distressed, old look instead of a bright, happy look typically associated with stars. The stars on this card are from the Seeing Stars set.

First, I took a vanilla tag and aged it up with an Adirondack paint dauber in Lettuce. Then I rubbed Ranger's Distress Ink in Walnut and Tea Stain all over the tag. Next, I stamped a few stars with Versamark over the tag and poured heat and stick on top, heated them, and then sprinkled on glitter for some sparkle. The sentiment, also from Seeing Stars, was stamped on a scrap piece of designer paper and then aged as well. I took my edge distresser all the way around the edge of the tag to give it an even more rustic, beat-up look! Finally, I stamped more stars on Basic Grey designer paper, cut them out and mounted on top of the tag with dimensional tape.

Trust me when I say, you're going to want all five sets for your own collection! I'm not pulling your leg. You will come back to these sets time and time again! Remember, the stamps debut on Thursday...be the first in line to buy yours....you won't regret it!

Stamps: Seeing Stars (Verve Visual)
Ink: Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Dark Brown

Paper: Kraft, Choc. Chip (Stampin' Up!), BasicGrey, others unknown
Accessories: glitter, tag, Stardust Gel Pen, dimensionals

Shine On!

Talk about quality clear stamps! These new sets releasing in a few days are incredible to work with. They give deep, high-quality, great impressions, which makes it easier for me to forget all else but stamping with them!

This was the first design I came up with when I opened my new Verve Visual stamps. I ended up using at least one stamp from each of Swirly Stars, Polka Stars, and Seeing Stars, because I just couldn't contain myself to one set!

From looking at the previous sneak peaks on here, it would seem that a few of the same colors are calling out to the designers lately. I'm even showcasing the same sentiment that Shannan did before me!

Wanna know a secret? *Chuckle* I didn't have silver star brads so I colored some white star eyelets with a silver paint leafing pen! Worked like a charm. The sentiment is embossed with silver too, but it doesn't show up too well in this photo.

I hope you've enjoyed this little sneak peak. You won't believe the versatility of the FIVE new stamp sets being released on January 10th!

Stamps: Swirly Stars, Polka Stars, Seeing Stars

Paper: Chocolate chip, Barely Banana, Soft Sky, White (SU!)

Ink: Versamagic chalk, SU, Versamark

Accessories: silver EP, SU Ribbon, eyelets, pop dots

Want To See A Sneak Peek?

Happy New Year!! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season! I can't think of a better way to ring in the new year than with some *brand new* stamps!! Verve has 5 amazing new stamp sets that will be released on January 10th! I have to tell you...I have had the privilege of "working" with these new sets and I am totally smitten!!!

I wanted to mention to you something that really impressed me about these stamps. I've used clear stamps before and have had problems getting a good ink coverage using water based dye inks. That was NOT the case with these new Verve stamps...the coverage was wonderful with all of the inks I used with them (including the water based dye inks)!

Here is a sneak peek of the new Wild Thing stamp set (set of 8). After I finished this card, I was convinced that this was my favorite of the new sets....that is, until I stamped with the others! LOL! I drew my colors from this yummy Daisy Bucket patterned paper. For the swirly panel, I ran a piece of Soft Sky c.s. through my Cuttlebug using the Divine Swirls embossing folder then "highlighted" the swirls with my white gel pen.

For this ensemble, I used the new Swirly Stars & Seeing Stars sets. Swirly Stars is a set of 8 stamps and Seeing Stars is a set of 12.

The Swirly Stars set has two different types of swirly stars and each comes in two different sizes...which is perfect for layering! This little gift card was so fast and easy to put together! After stamping my stars, I used Stampin' Up!'s large and small star punches to punch them out. They are a perfect fit!

I stamped one of the small stars (from Seeing Stars) on the lid of the tin with White Stazon ink. I created another star "duo" (like the one on the gift card), wrapped a stamped piece of cardstock around the side and Voila! This set was so much fun (and very quick and easy) to put together!

Make sure to stop back by tomorrow for another "peek" at these must-have new sets!!

~Laurie

Recipe for Valentine Card

Stamps: Wild Thing (Verve) Paper: Garden Gate patterned paper (Daisy Bucket), Whisper White, Soft Sky, Cranberry Crisp (Stampin' Up!) Ink: Soft Sky, Cranberry Crisp (Stampin' Up!) Accessories: Cuttlebug and Divine Swirls embossing folder (Provo Crafts), Dbl. Stitched Soft Sky ribbon (Stampin' Up!), Micro Twinkle Stickers (A Muse), White gel pen

Recipe for Star Tin & Gift Card

Stamps: Swirly Stars, Seeing Stars (Verve) Paper: Brilliant Blue (Stampin' Up!), Shiny metallic silver c.s. Ink: Encore Silver pigment pad, Brilliant Blue (Stampin' Up!) Accessories: Micro Twinkle Stickers (A Muse), Lg & Sm Star punches, Elastic silver cord (Stampin' Up!)