February 2014 Diva Dare ~ Day 3

"Perk Up", February Diva Dare

This month's Dare is entitled "Perk Up" and here's what we are challenging your creative minds to join in on with the Divas. 

What we're daring you to do this month is make a card or project to perk someone up, whether it’s with a warm beverage or just a heartfelt sentiment to brighten someone’s day.  No shortage of options as Verve has some wonderful coffee and tea sets as well as a plethora of uplifting/heartfelt sentiments.

Janelle here today with something that I love to share. Coffee! Or Chai Latte, or Soothing Green Tea... well the list goes on until you've exhausted my supply of K-cups®. Tee-hee. My original idea ended when a cutting file search for K-cup® holders came up with coffee sleeves and my creative mind said "let's use it".

Do you remember those personalized scrapbook travel coffee mugs? Take off the bottom, slide out the paper insert to scrapbook and when finished put it all back together again. Well, my coffee sleeve is the same concept.

Open up a used coffee sleeve for your template (or find one online somewhere) and cut out the base paper of your sleeve. I stamped a pattern using the heart in More than Love on kraft paper. Use some clear acetate and sew the two together leaving the top open and cut the acetate away from the base. Round the corners so they won't be pokey. I cut some half circles on the base so it would be easier to insert odds and ends later. Wrap it around your sample latte cup, mark the over lap and slide off to punch holes for brads.

Now have some fun "perking up" someone's day with die cut hearts using the Heart Quartet Die. Use any of Verve's uplifting sentiments like Small Phrases die cut out with Flag It Die Set and accent with Poppy Birthday flowers and coordinating Build a Poppy Die Set.

I used the static cling from the clear acetate to hold the pieces in place and then the bend of the sleeve when put together should tighten up against them so they don't fall out.   

If you get carried away with too many goodies stuffed in there it won't bend to close... yes, I know that from experience. Take the sleeve apart when you're ready to use those extra goodies that wouldn't fit the first time.

Okay, it's your turn. Where will your creativity take you?

Deadline to link your cards is 8PM Mountain on Wednesday, February 26th.  Entries must be posted 2/7 or later,include at least one Verve product, a warm beverage or heartfelt sentiment, and be linked up to the linky widget by 8pm Mountain on 2/26/14.   

During this month's Diva Dare, there are 2 prizes up for grabs!

Win a $40 Gift voucher to Verve Stamps! Take our "Perk Up" Dare and link up your card or project (created February 7th or later) to the linky widget to be eligible to win.  One participant will be randomly selected to win the gift voucher.  You can enter as many times as you like, but each card needs to be in a separate post. 

Win a set of your choice! For another chance to win some new Verve, leave a little comment love on our design team's "Perk Up" Diva Dare posts!  One lucky commenter will win a Verve stamp set of his or her choice, so be sure to tune in each day!  Comment deadline to be entered in our prize drawing is February 26, 2014.

Winners will be announced on February 27, 2014. 

- Go forth and get inky! We DARE you! -

May Diva Dare ~ Day 10

Hi everyone!  Maureen here winding up the week with Day 10 of  this month's Diva Dare.

Stars & Stripes May Diva Dare

This month's dare pays tribute to Diva Amber's (Stamping Scrapbooker) military service and Diva Laurie Willison's (Soapbox Creations) wonderful use of stripes on her cards.  So we're daring you to create a card using stars and/or stripes.  While the title may conjure up visions of red, white and blue any stars and stripes will do! If you're feeling pretty in pink, go for it! Just remember to use at least one Verve product on your creation!  If you want to get really daring, you can add the extra challenge of making it a CAS card with stars and/or stripes, as that is Diva Laurie's signature style.  However, that is not a requirement, just an optional twist to the Dare if you're feeling daring!

 

 

I had plenty of inspiration this month...not only with our talented Divas we are highlighting, but with my son's graduation from Engineering next week :)  His university colours are gold and navy (my alma mater!) so that took care of the colour scheme.  Then came some stripes from Strong Anchor and a whole bunch of sparkling stars from the Starry Die and glitter cardstock.  I couldn't resist adding a little extra note from Small Phrases to let Jake know I am extra proud of him.  But the part I love best is the centre piece, Happy Graduation.  I was so excited that it was part of the latest Release...perfect timing for me! Then last, but not least,  I added some fun golden flag ends from the Flag It die set.

During this month's Diva Dare, there are 4 prizes up for grabs!
 Win Verve's ENTIRE May Release! Take our Stars & Stripes Dare and link up your card (created 5/13 or later) to the linky widget below. One random participant will be drawn to win all of the stamps, dies and ribbons in our May 2013 release. You can enter as many times as you like, but each card needs to be in a separate post.  Here's a little look-see at what the winner will receive..

May Stamp Collection	May Die Collection	Black Beauty Ribbon Collection	Polka Dot Basics Ribbon Collection
Deadline to link your cards is 5PM Mountain on Thursday, May 30. Entries must be new (posted 5/13 or later), include at least one Verve product, use stars and stripes and be linked up to the linky widget by 5pm Mountain on 5/30/13.

Win a set of your choice! For another chance to win some new Verve, leave a little comment love on our design team's Stars & Stripes Diva Dare posts! THREE lucky commenters will win a Verve stamp set of his or her choice, so be sure to tune in each day! Comment deadline to be entered in our prize drawing is May 30.

Winners will be announced on May 31, 2013.

- Go forth and get inky! We DARE you! -

July Diva Dare 2012 ~ Day 7

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Hello!  It's Maureen and I can't tell you how excited I am to finally show you my Diva Dare project!  Excited because I love the mix of digital and stamped images I've used AND I got to eat cupcakes!! LOL  More on that later ;)  But first, some details...

This month, we dare you to make a card or project using a BIRTHDAY theme. July happens to be a big birthday month here at Verve...five of our Divas have July birthdays, including the boss lady, Julee. Let's celebrate with some fun birthday projects, shall we? We can't wait to see how you answer the dare! (Stay tuned to see how you could win some shiny new Verve!)

I've been having fun recently with my Keep Calm app, not to mention seeing all different versions of the poster on Pinterest.  So when the Diva Dare birthday theme came up, I knew I wanted to make my own little poster...

I wanted an authentic font for the words, so I googled "Keep Calm font" and I was able to download my own version and install it into my Word Program.  I measured the cupcake from Carpe Cupcake as well as the sentiment I wanted to use so I knew how big to make the "Keep Calm and Seize."  Oh, I love how the Verve images worked perfectly (and no colouring needed! LOVE!)  I added a little file folder die cut so I could also add the sweet "happy birthday" from Small Phrases.

 

Now, I couldn't just make a cupcake card and not have some props for the photo shoot!  LOL  So I headed over to our local Sweet Cupcake Shoppe and bought some lemon filled cupcakes {drool}.  I wanted to make some fun little flags with the Ribbon Banner die.  I've used it 3 times here, cutting 2 of them smaller for the mini cupcakes.  The Birthday Girl should always get the biggest cupcake, so I made her banner a little more special with the matching banner outline stamp from Super Dad.  All the sentiments are from Birthday Bash...I just love the fonts in this set!

So, are you wondering the fate of these cupcakes?  Let's just say they were delicious! LOL  Gotta love a yummy photo shoot (eh, Melissa! teehee)!

Would you like a chance to win some fabulous new VERVE GOODIES? There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with our Birthday Diva Dare. Link up your creation (posted July 16 or later) to the linky widget HERE on Day 1 before 6:00 pm MT on Sunday, July 29. One lucky stamper will win a $30 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would 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 share our birthday creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing. 

 Winners will be announced on Monday, July 30 right here on the Verve blog.

July Diva Dare 2012 - Day 1

Hola, Verve fans, welcome to Day One of our July Diva Dare! We haven't done one of these in a while, so as a reminder, here's how it works. We post a theme we dare you with, and you'll have two weeks to complete the challenge. During those two weeks, the release team will post their creations and tell you how they answered the dare. 

This month, we dare you to make a card or project using a BIRTHDAY theme. Did you know that July is a big birthday month here at Verve? Five of our Divas have July birthdays, including the boss lady, Julee. Let's celebrate with some fun birthday projects!  We can't wait to see how you answer the dare! (Stay tuned to see how you could win some shiny new Verve!)

Here's what I came up with …

The cupcake tote is a cut file designed by Lori Whitlock for the Silhouette store. I enlarged the pieces by 125%, then cut them on my Silhouette out of a combination of ivory card stock and papers from Crate Paper's Random collection. I tied the top closed with some jute string, added some crinkled and dyed seam binding, then topped it with a red checked button (to look like a cherry on top). I further embellished with some paper flowers and a small tag that I die-cut with Verve's Tiny Sweet Sallop Die Set. On the tag I added a sentiment using stamps from the Birthday Bash stamp set. 


While making the cupcake tote, I fell in love all over again with Crate Paper's Random collection and decided to make a coordinating card: 

The balloons are from Birthday Bash and the tiny "happy birthday" sentiment is from Small Phrases. I die-cut the heart using the Jotted Heart die and the chunky letter "u" using the I Heart U
Die Set. I finished up with a little bit of this and that here and there, or maybe I should say quite a bit of this and that here, there, and everywhere! 


Here's the pair:

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Would you like a chance to win some fabulous new VERVE GOODIES? There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with our Birthday Diva Dare. Link up your creation (posted July 16 or later) to the linky widget below before 6:00 pm MT on Sunday, July 29. One lucky stamper will win a $30 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would 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 share our birthday creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing.

Winners will be announced on Monday, July 30 right here on the Verve blog.

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Click the "Click here to enter" link at the bottom of this post for the Diva Dare 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.  Please link directly to the specific blog post or gallery page where we can view your creation.  If you're having problems linking, 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.

July Diva Dare - Day 7

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Hi Everyone! It's Sankari here today, with Day 7 of our July Diva Dare. This month's release was full of amazing sentiments - so we wanted to highlight that for the July Diva Dare:

This month we dare you to make a card, project, layout, or whatever fits your stamping style using this month's theme - Sentimental About Paper!  It's time to dig into all that gorgeous patterned paper you've been hoarding saving (we know you have some!!)!  Showcase all those amazing sentiment stamps (no images) to create a new and never before seen project!  Paired with pretty patterned paper, Verve's famous sentiments will take center stage!  While it is not necessary to use Verve stamps to enter, we would love to see them if you've got 'em!  To sweeten up the challenge even more, stay tuned to learn how you could win some brand new Verve!

The sentiments that Julee has created are perfect for every single occasion - or even where there is no occasion - but you want to make a "just because card". I love all the phrases in the Small Phrases stamp set and combined two of the sentiments to create this one welcome home baby card for my friend's son: 

"Sweet Baby Boy, You Are Loved": 

I used the fun papers from the My Mind's Eye Alphabet Soup Collection (Boys) and used the star cut outs to decorate this horizontal long card. Each star was tied to the top with some Baker's Twine and then I stamped both sentiments onto the ticket cut out that popped up on the side with some hearts for accents. I love that these stamps are so flexible together and it was so easy to line up and stamp the second sentiment because it is acrylic and you can easily see where you are stamping! This was such a fun card to make and I can't wait to combine more of these Small Phrases together!

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Want to know how you can win some fabulous new VERVE GOODIES?

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sentimental About Paper creation (posted July 15 or later) to the linky widget on the Diva Dare Day 1 post before 9PM Mountain on Sunday, July 31. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would  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 share our Sentimental About Paper creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!  Winners will be announced on Monday, August 1 right here on the Verve blog.

Now it's YOUR turn!  We DARE you to show us your creations!

Click here to go to the Diva Dare Day 1 post and link your blog post up on our Linky Tool!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs!

Sankari :)

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July Diva Dare ~ Day 6

Tosh here with day 6 of our Diva Dare. Have you all enjoyed seeing the Diva's interpretation of this month's theme? I'm never disappointed by the creativity and inspiration these girls serve up each time they make a card or project.

This month we dare you to make a card, project, layout, or whatever fits your stamping style using this month's theme - Sentimental About Paper! It's time to dig into all that gorgeous patterned paper you've been hoarding saving (we know you have some!!)! Showcase all those amazing sentiment stamps (no images) to create a new and never before seen project! Paired with the pretty patterned paper (Peter Piper picked a pack of pretty patterned paper LOL!), Verve's famous sentiments will take center stage! While it is not necessary to use Verve stamps to enter, we would love to see them if you've got 'em! To sweeten up the challenge even more, stay tuned to learn how you could win some brand new Verve!

Now, for my card. I LOVE decorative paper. And I adore Julee's sentiments. So putting these two together just seems natural to me. I used some sentiments, from one of the sets in the most recent Verve release, called Small Phrases.

It's my 22nd Anniversary in a couple of weeks, so I made this card for my husband. I know, it's a bit frou-frou for a guy, but I figured I included black on the card...right? And love ought to be warm and fuzzy like a felt heart, full of sparkle like the glitter, layers like the paper, and all woven together like the stitches. So, do I sound corny now? lol



I thought these two sentiment portions, from Small Phrases, fit perfectly for what I wanted to say: Love always, with all my heart. I think the fonts are just super charming and fit the style and feel I wanted to achieve in today's card.

I diecut the heart out of one of the Fancy Tags 3 Spellbinder dies, and backed it with a piece of felt. I also inked up the entire diecut with Versamark, and Embossed it with Irridescent Ice ep by Stampin' UP!.


The medallion in the bow center was made with Viva Decor gel and an antique button silicone mold, and the dp is all "It's the little things" by Fancy Pants. Including the cute "ace" card.

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Want to know how you can win some fabulous new VERVE GOODIES?

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sentimental About Paper creation (posted July 15 or later) to the linky widget on the Diva Dare Day 1 post before 9PM Mountain on Sunday, July 31. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would 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 share our Sentimental About Paper creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing! Winners will be announced on Monday, August 1 right here on the Verve blog.

Now it's YOUR turn! We DARE you to show us your creations!

Click here to go to the Diva Dare Day 1 post and link your blog post up on our Linky Tool!

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July 2011 Diva Dare - Day 2

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TGIM! Oh wait...something's off about that acronym. Oh yeah, it's Monday so it makes no sense, haha! Well, nothing will make your Monday happy and cheery like jumping into your stamp room and cranking out a card for our newest Diva Dare!

For those of you that are new to this challenge, here is how it works...following each release, we will post a theme that we dare you with, and you'll have two weeks to complete the challenge.  During those two weeks, the release team will post their creations and tell you how they answered the dare!

This month we dare you to make a card, project, layout, or whatever fits your stamping style using this month's theme - Sentimental About Paper!  It's time to dig into all that gorgeous patterned paper you've been hoarding saving (we know you have some!!)!  Showcase all those amazing sentiment stamps (no images) to create a new and never before seen project!  Paired with the pretty patterned paper (Peter Piper picked a pack of pretty patterned paper LOL!), Verve's famous sentiments will take center stage!  While it is not necessary to use Verve stamps to enter, we would love to see them if you've got 'em!  To sweeten up the challenge even more, stay tuned to learn how you could win some brand new Verve!

I decided to go with straight cardstock and stamps for my card today! All you REALLY need is a versatile stamp set and some cardstock to create beautiful, heart-felt cards. I pulled out the newly released "Small Phrases". This set really has a sentiment for anything you can imagine, you definitely NEED it in your stamp room;) I decided to pull out my Stampin' Up! butterfly dies for my Big Shot and then stamped and embossed a text stamp from "Text Objects." I layered another butterfly on top, cut some butterflies from tulle, and then stuck little pearls on the butterflies. The sentiment was stamped on labels cut using the "Charming Oval" dies.

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Want to know how you can win some fabulous new VERVE GOODIES?

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sentimental About Paper creation (posted July 15 or later) to the linky widget on the Diva Dare Day 1 post before 9PM Mountain on Sunday, July 31. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would  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 share our Sentimental About Paper creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!  Winners will be announced on Monday, August 1 right here on the Verve blog.

Now it's YOUR turn!  We DARE you to show us your creations!

Click here to go to the Diva Dare Day 1 post and link your blog post up on our Linky Tool!

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Amber~

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July Diva Dare - Day 1

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Hello Verve fans!!  Laurie here, and I am delighted to be kicking off the July Diva Dare!

For those of you that are new to this challenge, here is how it works...following each release, we will post a theme that we dare you with, and you'll have two weeks to complete the challenge.  During those two weeks, the release team will post their creations and tell you how they answered the dare!

This month we dare you to make a card, project, layout, or whatever fits your stamping style using this month's theme - Sentimental About Paper!  It's time to dig into all that gorgeous patterned paper you've been hoarding saving (we know you have some!!)!  Showcase all those amazing sentiment stamps (no images) to create a new and never before seen project!  Paired with the pretty patterned paper (Peter Piper picked a pack of pretty patterned paper LOL!), Verve's famous sentiments will take center stage!  While it is not necessary to use Verve stamps to enter, we would love to see them if you've got 'em!  To sweeten up the challenge even more, stay tuned to learn how you could win some brand new Verve!

This is how I answered the dare!  I finally cut into some patterned paper (from Imaginisce) that I've had in my stash for almost a year!!  ((blush))  Pairing the patterned paper with the newly released Small Phrases set, I created a fun birthday card.  Mimicking the circles in the patterned paper, I created two sentiment circles and then added a third at the bottom to resemble a banner. 

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Want to know how you can win some fabulous new VERVE GOODIES?

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sentimental About Paper creation (posted July 15 or later) to the linky widget below before 9PM Mountain on Sunday, July 31. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would  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 share our Sentimental About Paper creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!  Winners will be announced on Monday, August 1 right here on the Verve blog.

Now it's YOUR turn!  We DARE you to show us your creations!

Click the "Click here to enter" link at the bottom of this post for the Diva Dare 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.  Please link directly to the specific blog post or gallery page where we can view your creation.  If you're having problems linking, 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.

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July After Party!!

Welcome to the July Verve After Party!!  The Monday following each release, we will bring you the lowdown on all of the current sale info as well as share some of our favorite creations the Divas have created!

The first bit of juicy release gossip is that Julee is including a fabby goody bag with each purchase over $75!!  Awesome new Verve stamps AND free papercrafting goodies...it doesn't get much better than that!!

You won't want to miss the July 2011 Stamp Collection!  All three brand new sets (Small Phrases, New Mercies, & Words Cannot Express) and 3 new Plain Janes (Light Tomorrow, Philippians 1:6, & Life is Good) are all bundled together at a 15% discount!  Prices are good through July 31st, while supplies last.

And now for your viewing pleasure and inspiration, we have compiled our favorite creations for you using the newly released stamps!



Created by Amy Sheffer using the Light Tomorrow Plain Jane and Classy Label Die.

Created by Andrea Ewen using the New Mercies and Words Cannot Express sets.

Created by Charmaine Ikach using the Philippians 1:6 Plain Jane and Classy Label Die.

Created by Jackie Pedro using the Small Phrases and To the Moon sets.

Created by Julee Tilman using the New Mercies set.

Created by Laurie Schmidlin using the New Mercies set.

Created by Sankari Wegman using the New Mercies set and Light Tomorrow Plain Jane.

Created by Teresa Kline using the Philippians 1:6 Plain Jane.

Created by Tosha Leyendekker using the Small Phrases set.

Thanks so much for joining us here today!  We will be back this Friday to kick off the July Diva Dare!  We hope you see then!

July New Release Spotlight HOP: Small Phrases

Hey Verve Fans!  Welcome to the final day of our July New Release Spotlights!  Have you been enjoying the previews?  I know I have!  It's always so fun seeing what these amazing designers create!  If you haven't had a chance to hop yet, there's still time!!  One lucky commenter from each day's hop will win the ENTIRE release, so be sure and leave a little love in the Divasphere!  Deadline for commenting to be eligible for the prize drawing is 6pm Mountain time on TONIGHT {July 8}.  Winners will be announced during our release party.

Speaking of the party, we hope you'll join us tonight from 9-11pm Eastern in our SCS forum for a little chatting, more fabulous samples from the Divas and the full set reveals as we countdown to our release!  We're pretty laid back, but fast paced, so drop in and say hi if you can!

Before that, we've got another day of hopping lined up for you.  Today the Divas are previewing Small Phrases and our three new plain janes...  Philippians 1:6, Light Tomorrow and Life is Good.

TODAY'S Featured Set:

plus the Philippians 1:6, Light Tomorrow and Life is Good PJ's

Small Phrases is a set of 22 small sentiments perfect for smaller punches or dies, like our Charming Banner and Charming Oval dies.  A partial remix of some of our first phrase sets with some all new sentiments thrown in, Small Phrases has a casually modern feel to it. And with everything from thinking of you to birthdays to babies covered,  this set will definitely be a go-to sentiment set in your stamp collection.

Enough chitchat, it's time to see these stamps in action.  Happy hopping!  See you at the party tonight!

1. Amber 7. Laurie 2. Amy 8. Robin {Guest} 3. Andrea 9. Sankari 4. Charmaine 10. Teresa 5. Jackie 11. Tosh 6. Julee

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