Wishing You Sunny Days

It's Diva Dare time over at the Verve blog! 

 

Our theme is Sending Some Sunshine! We DARE you to make an uplifting and encouraging card AND send it to someone in need of a little pick-me-up! There's nothing like opening your mailbox and seeing a handmade card...especially with some of Verve's encouraging sentiments on it!  :-)

This month's theme is fantastic if you're anything like me and have loads and loads of handmade cards collecting dust in boxes somewhere in your house. The only box today's card is destined for is a good friend's mailbox. Life is handing her an unfair burden right now and doesn't appear to be taking a break anytime soon. Since I see her regularly, I think she'll be extra surprised to find this in her mailbox tomorrow!

The bold color combo comes from the Blissful papers by Authentique. The layout is last week's Mojo205 sketch. For the focal point, I started with a layered flower done with Sunny Days. The flower and sentiment (diecut with one of the Charming Oval dies) are layered onto a Curvy Bookplate piece and then a doily die-cut with an MFT Die-namics die. I love the pop of the coral/pink ribbon and flowers!

Be sure to head over to the Verve blog for all the Diva Dare details. There are two chances to win Verve goodies -- leaving comments and playing along! Can't wait to see how you'll answer the dare!

Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Sunny Days (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Authentique "Blissful" dp, Stampin' Up Basic Black card stock, Papertrey Ink Smoky Shadow and Vintage Cream card stock
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Pumice Stone Distress
Accessories: Copic markers, white gel pen, Stampin' Up Build-A-Brad, Verve Charming Oval Die Set and Curvy Bookplate Die, My Favorite Things doily and scallop border dies, Papertrey ribbon and button, The Twinery twine, pinking shears, paper piercer/needle/thread
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Enjoy the Moments

Eeeek, this may be my first Christmas card for the year! Eeek because it's already time to get going and eeek because I haven't started sooner! And then eeeek, how about this whimsical Impression Obsession Stocking image? Love it! I couldn't help but "see" this image in totally fun, bright colors, and My Mind's Eye's new 12 Days of Christmas was the perfect inspiration!

I colored with Copics, then die-cut the image with Spellbinders Labels Eighteen Nestabilities and sponged the perimeter with Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink. Accents include The Twinery's Marachino twine, machine stitching, Bubble Dots White Vintage crochet trim, a scalloped border (My Favorite Things), and a layered sentiment tag done with JustRite's Merry & Bright set, a scallop tag die (Verve), and a black library clip (Stampin' Up).

If you're in Irene's path, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Stay safe!




Stamps: Stocking (Impression Obsession), Merry & Bright (JustRite)
Paper: My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, Papertrey Kraft card stock
s: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink
Accessories: Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, blending stumps, Spellbinders Labels Eighteen Nestabilities, My Favorite Things scallop border Die-namics, Verve Tiny Sweet Scallop Tag set, Stampin' Up 1 1/4" circle punch and library clip, dew drops, foam tape, sewing machine, The Twinery twine, Papertrey button, Maya Road Bubble Dots White Vintage crochet trim
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Have A Jolly Good Day

This is sweet Elaine from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps -- isn't she adorable? Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is sponsoring this month's Sketch For You To Try. If you haven't already played along this month, check out the sketch on my right-hand sidebar and HERE on Jen's blog.

I had a blast coloring Elaine with my Copics and giving her a cozy paper home out of the gorgeous Authentique "Splendid" papers. The lovely crinkled and dyed seam binding is from the MemrieMare etsy shop.

At the risk of repeating myself ... have a jolly good day!

Loopy Birthday Wishes

Another shabby one today ... more of that yummy Authentique "Splendid" paper ... and brand-new Verve! Doesn't get any better! This one uses the new Making A Statement set. Love the modern, graphic feel of this set and was surprised when this more vintage/shabby card came together (and this one, too, for that matter). I had been picturing bold, bright colors and clean lines. Maybe next time!

The sentiment is stamped within a curvy frame image (from Tag Time) and die-cut with the coordinating Curvy Bookplate die. The flowers were stamped, colored, then die-cut using the Loopy Blooms die set. The leaves were simply die-cut straight from card stock (that is, no stamping), also with the Loopy Blooms die set. And last, the graph paper element in the background with the brown scalloped frame is also stamped, then die-cut with the Rounded Scallop Frame. Loving all the new dies! I accented with some crochet trim, burlap string, crinkled seam binding, a scalloped border (MFT die), lots of distressing, and stitching.

Wishing you a fantastic day!



Stamps: Making a Statement (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Stampin' Up Soft Suede card stock, Papertrey Kraft and Rustic Cream card stock, Authentique Splendid dp
Ink: Stampin' Up Certainly Celery, Versamagic Jumbo Java, Ranger Old Paper and Brushed Corduroy Distress
Accessories: Verve Curvy Bookplate Die, Rounded Scallop Frame Die, Loopy Blooms Die Set, Kaisercraft pearls, Papertrey button, May Arts burlap string, Melissa Frances crochet trim, My Favorite Things scallop border die, crinkled seam binding, distressing tool, paper piercer/needle/thread, Stampin' Up dimensionals
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Be Strong

Goodness, would you believe it took me the better part of the weekend to finish this card? Not because there's anything elaborate about it (there's not), but because instead of stamping, I've been nesting like crazy. I mean, seriously, you'd think I'm about to have a baby (I'm not)! The mud room re-do is finally complete, the breakfast room has been entirely re-done, and my daughter's room has a new coat of paint. She picked out the color (a turquoise blue) and I was a little hesitant, but after remembering my own paint color battles with my mom when I was a kid, I let her go for it. And I absolutely love the result! (It's Benjamin Moore Tropicana Cabana, if interested.) It was a productive weekend, even if the stamping yield was low!

Anyway, on to the card ... after seeing some of the previews of JustRite's new clear stamp set, Be Strong, I couldn't wait for it to arrive at Stamper's Dream. What an amazingly powerful set! I used it to make a breast cancer encouragement card. The ribbon is stamped and colored with Copics, then layered over an oval that has been stamped with an oval filigree frame image. Behind that is a Spellbinders Fancy Tags Two die-cut for some frilly elegance. The tag was cut with JustRite's Charms custom die set and stamped with an image and sentiment from Be Strong.

Be sure to check out the New Arrivals section at Stamper's Dream. Michelle is regularly adding new summer CHA arrivals. Spotted in there just a few minutes ago ... new JustRite, Flourishes, and Stampavie stamps, plus My Mind's Eye's Lost & Found Two paper collections. (Swoon! Save some for me, please!)

Have a great week!





Stamps: Be Strong (JustRite)
Paper: Authentique Splendid collection, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, Papertrey Kraft card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Tumbled Glass and Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks
Accessories: Spellbinders Fancy Tags Two Shapeabilities, Classic Oval Nestabilities; JustRite Charms custom die set, lace trim, Papertrey baker's twine, My Favorite Things scallop border die, foam tape, paper piercer/needle/thread, distressing tool
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Vintage Telephone

When I was a wee little tot, staying with my Aunt Lucille was a treat beyond all others. Whether it was the seemingly endless costume jewelry drawer or the Matchbox car collection her older son had outgrown or the not-so-secret stash of soft peppermint candy, my sister and I were in heaven. Our very favorite thing to do there was play with her telephones. Maybe it was because she had been an operator for the telephone company in her younger years, but she had phones in every room of her house, and even two in her hallway! I'm certain at least a few of them looked exactly like this vintage phone image from Webster's Pages' Call Me.

I went with a soft, shabby look today, with lots of distressing, paint, stitching, and some crinkled seam binding. The woodgrain paper is from Crate Paper (it's in both Restoration and Emma's Shoppe), and the other papers are all from the Melissa Frances 5th Avenue collection.

The layout is this month's Sketch For You To Try. Visit this post for all the participation details and to link up your entry. You have until the end of the month to play along!

Have a great weekend!





Stamps: Call Me (Webster's Pages)
Paper: Papertrey Aqua Mist card stock, Melissa Frances 5th Avenue dp, Crate Paper Emma's Shoppe
Ink: Ranger Pumice Stone, Brushed Corduroy and Walnut Stain Distress ink
Accessories: My Favorite Things Rolled Flower Die-namics die, Recollections mini roses, MemrieMare seam binding, Spellbinders Labels Fourteen Nestabilities, Seeing Spots embossing folder, pinking scissor, paper piercer/needle/thread, foam tape, white acrylic paint

Sip and Savor

I have a few more cards to share from last week's big Verve anniversary release, starting with this sweet one today using  the new Sip and Savor. I was inspired by a local tea room and antique shop -- the historic home it's in, the beautiful, worn, creaky floors, all the lace and china everywhere, and its wonderful, warm, cozy atmosphere.  I tried to capture all of that with the wood paper background (Crate Paper), lace trim and a doily, and lots of distressing. The focal point stack starts with a Verve Curvy Bookplate die-cut, then a Spellbinders Fancy Tags Two swirly piece. Behind that is a Spellbinders Labels Sixteen die-cut accented with blue pearls, and at the very back is a paper doily. Zigzag stitching, lace trim,  and crinkled and dyed seam binding (from MemrieMare) complete the look.

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We've just released 7 new sets, 4 plain janes and 8 new dies!

Now through August 31, while supplies last:

Buy the Anni-VERVE-sary 2011 Stamp Collection and save15%

Buy the August 2011 Die Collection and save 15%

Anni-VERVE-sary Special: Since orders have far exceeded our expecations, we have run out of our supply of free dies. We appreciate you all, so through August 31, we will substitute a free item of our choice as the free gift with a $35 order!And to make it easy, there's no need to do anything extra... if your order totals $35 or more, we'll automatically include a free gift when your order ships.

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And did you see this?

We're celebrating four wonderful years of Verve with a SALE! Now through August 31, save 10 - 40% on all stamps & dies, including new releases.

Thanks for checking in today!


 


Stamps: Sip and Savor (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Crate Paper Restoration dp, Melissa Frances 5th Avenue dp, Papertrey Rustic White card stock
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Tea Dye and Walnut Stain Distress inks
Accessories: Verve Curvy Bookplate Die, crinkled seam binding, Papertrey button, May Arts twine, Spellbinders Labels Sixteen and Fancy Tags Two dies, Wilton paper doily, lace trim (source unknown), sewing machine
Size: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"

Thinking of You

I planted my vegetable garden about six weeks late this year, so my harvest is also quite late. While I anxiously await the bounty, I'll keep myself entertained with garden-themed stamps! This one is Hello Dear from Penny Black. If mice really did look this sweet and wear overalls, they'd be welcome at my home anytime. The real field mice that we see from time to time .... well, a different story altogether!

Coloring is with Copic markers, papers are from the My Mind's Eye Out of the Blue 6x6 pad. The layout, especially the torn strips, is inspired by the amazing Inge Groot. I've long admired her coloring skills and her savvy with combining color and pattern. I embellished with some Divine Twine, a rolled rose that was made using a My Favorite Things Die-namics die, leaves done with Spellbinders Foliage Shapeabilities dies, and some zigzag stitching.

Wishing you a happy day! Back-to-school clothes shopping is at the top of my to-do list. Better not keep my 7-year-old shopaholic waiting any longer!!

Verve After Party: Be You

What a spectacular release Verve had last week to celebrate its fourth anniversary! I had so much fun with all the spotlight hops and then the chitchat and excitement of the release party. The release party may be over, but we're still celebrating! Every Monday after a release, over on the Verve blog, each Diva chooses a favorite card to post. Loads of gorgeous eye candy awaits, so take a moment and check it out!

Here's the card I chose as my favorite from this release:

I just adore the new Words of Wisdom set. Here, I've put together a relatively clean-and-simple design that shows off both the simplicity of the sentiment and a really cute piece of bicycle paper (from Jillibean Soup's Blossom Soup collection). The pink polka-dot butterfly was diecut with Verve's Flutterby die.

Warning ... change of scenery ahead ... promise not to judge? ...

Just for kicks, I thought I'd show you my personal "after party," which began on Saturday morning, as I faced the daunting task of cleaning up this ...

and this...

and this ...

What can I say? I'm a messy crafter! Besides, when the mojo shows up, who am I to ask it to wait while I clean up?

Have an awesome day and an awesome week, friends!

Indescribable Gift

JustRite has some beautiful new holiday stamp sets, including Rejoice, which I had the opportunity to design with for today's card. I absolutely love the beautiful cross image in this set! I wanted something kind of serene and elegant, and thought the different blue patterns from Cosmo Cricket's Odds & Ends line would be perfect. I usually have trouble with monochromatic cards, but these papers were super easy to work with!


Here's a look at the layered focal point:

The vertical striped piece in the background was cut with Spellbinders Labels Eighteen Nestabilities, and the open scallop oval border was cut with Spellbinders Lacey Ovals Nestabilities. I colored the cross with Copic markers. Embellishments include Kaisercraft Bliss pearls and May Arts crochet trim.

Have a blessed Sunday!




Stamps: Rejoice (JustRite)
Paper: Papertrey Smokey Shadow, Ocean Tides and Rustic White card stock; Cosmo Cricket Odds and Ends 6x6 Mini-Deck
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Stampin' Up Soft Sky, Ranger Antique Linen Distress
Accessories: Kaisercraft Bliss pearls, foam adhesive, Spellbinders Classic Oval, Lacey Ovals and Labels Eighteen Nestabilities, May Arts crochet trim, paper piercer/needle/thread
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Anni-VERVE-sary Spotlight, Day Six: Making A Statement

Welcome to the sixth and final Anni-VERVE-sary spotlight hop! What a week it's been!! All of the sets and dies we've peeked this week will be available in the store tonight at 11 pm ET. Join us in the Verve Forum for our release party, beginning at 9 pm.

Also, another bit of Verve news ... Get Your Diva On, our monthly guest designer contest, is going on now. Jackie is hosting this month and has chosen a tag theme. Read all about it HERE.

Remember, one lucky commenter from today's hop will win the sets and dies featured today, so be sure and leave a little love in the Divasphere! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and deadlines.

Today, the Divas are featuring a sweet set called Making a Statement as well as two more dies, the Rounded Scallop Frame and Loopy Blooms. I've put together a friendship card using this week's Mojo Monday sketch and some Authentique Splendid papers. The Loopy Blooms die-cuts are stacked on top of an accordian-fold rosette, the sweet birds in this set are paper pieced, and I've split the sentiment in half -- the first part is stamped onto a Curvy Bookplate die-cut peeking out from the horizontal panel, and the second part is on a sentiment flag tucked behind the accordian-fold rosette.

Here's the Mojo Monday #203 sketch I used:

And here's the full hop list for loads of inspiration:

1. Julee 10. Laurie 2. Charmaine 11. Maureen 3. Tosha 12. Amber 4. Andrea 13. Amy 5. Sankari 14. Jen d. 6. Teresa 15. Betty 7. Jackie 16. Lynda 8. Sarah {Guest} 17. Susan 9. Marisa {Guest}

Enjoy the rest of the hop, and thanks for visiting today!





Stamps: Making A Statement (Verve Stamps) 
Paper: Papertrey Rustic Cream and Kraft card stock, Authentique Splendid dp 
Ink: Versamagic Wheat, Ranger Peeled Paint Distress 
Accessories: Verve Loopy Blooms and Curvy Bookplate dies, Scor-Pal, hemp, MFT scallop die, Papertrey buttons, Kaisercraft pearl, paper piercer/needle/thread 
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Anni-VERVE-sary Spotlight: Day Five

 Welcome to Day Five of Verve's Anni-Verve-sary Spotlight hops. Remember, one lucky commenter from each day's hop will win the sets and dies featured that day, so be sure and leave a little love in the Divasphere! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and deadlines.

Today, we're featuring a wonderful workhorse of a set, Tag Time, along with three more dies. Actually, four dies, because Tiny Sweet Scallop, is a set of two. If you love making tags, you're going to love this set and all of it's shapely tag components!

For my spotlight, I went with a delightfully out-of-character, clean-and-simple (CAS) design. I stamped the large rounded rectangle tag from Tag Time in light blue onto white, die cut it using the Tagged Rectangle die and stamped "xoxo" in black. The stitched grouping of colorful hearts was die-cut with the new From the Heart die set (featured yesterday) using paper from Jillibean Soup's Blossom soup collection. I added two rhinestone gems to the heart grouping and some random, messy, horizontal stitching to the card base for a little extra pizzazz. I deliberately left the stitched ends untidy, which helped give this exactly the homespun, yet graphic, feel I was hoping for!

For a look at even more Tag Time possibilities and all the coordinating dies, here's the list of Divas posting spotlights today:

1. Julee 9. Marisa {Guest} 2. Charmaine 10. Laurie 3. Tosha 11. Amber 4. Andrea 12. Amy 5. Sankari 13. Lynda 6. Teresa 14. Susan 7. Jackie 15. Maureen 8. Sarah {Guest}

Hope you're enjoying all of this week's eye candy! I've been blown away by the creativity from the Divas this week. It all starts with great stamps, and Julee has really outdone herself with this release! Join the Divas tomorrow night at 9 pm for our Release Party over in the Verve Forum on SCS. It's always a fun time chatting with each other and showing off even more projects. Julee posts the full set reveals throughout the party, and then the store is open for business at 11 pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!





Stamps: Tag Time (Verve Stamps) 
Paper: Papertrey Kraft and Stamper's Select White, Jillibean Soup Blossom Soup dp 
Ink: Stampin' Up Soft Sky, Versafine Onyx Black 
Accessories: Verve Tagged Rectangle and From the Heart dies, Heidi Swapp bling, Papertrey button and twine, sewing machine, foam adhesive
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Anni-VERVE-sary Spotight, Day Four: Better With You

It's already Day Four of our Anni-Verve-sary spotlights -- only two more sleeps until Friday night's release party. I can't wait for you to see these sets in full! This is such an amazing release!!

Remember, one lucky commenter from each day's hop will win the sets and dies featured that day, so be sure to leave a little love in the Divasphere! Check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines. Today's featured sets are Better With You and Sip and Savor. We're also spotlighting From the Heart, a set of four adorable heart dies.

 From the Heart Die Set is our Anni-VERVE-sary special. It will be available exclusively as a free gift with orders $35 and over through August 31, while supplies last. From the Heart will be available for purchase in September.

 I am a die-hard coffee- and tea-drinker, so today's featured sets are right up my alley! I started with a mug and sentiment from Better With You and combined them with some bright, cheery Echo Park papers to make a fun encouragement or get well card for a fellow coffee lover. The mug is paper pieced and layered onto two Notebook Paper Plain Janes (part of yesterday's hop).

Better With You has a little bit of everything, right down to some super cute steam! Here's your hop list for today!

1. Julee 7. Sarah {Guest} 2. Charmaine 8. Marisa {Guest} 3. Tosha 9. Laurie 4. Andrea 10. Maureen 5. Sankari 11. Amy 6. Teresa

Thanks for visiting!




Stamps: Better With You, Notebook Paper Plain Jane (Verve Stamps) 
Paper: Papertrey Kraft and Stamper's Select White, Echo Park A Walk in the Park dp 
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Stampin' Up Soft Sky 
Accessories: Rounded Rectangle die, paper clip, 1/2" circle punch, Ranger Orange Peel Stickles, Spellbinders Classic Circle Nestabilities, Maya Road wooden button, Divine Twine, MFT Jumbo Scallops and Stacking Stars Die-namics. Stampin' Up Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, sanding block, Stampin' Up dimensionals, Copic markers 
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Anni-VERVE-sary Spotight, Day Three: Words of Wisdom

It's Day Three of Verve's Anni-VERVE-sary spotlights. Welcome! Hop along with the Divas all week long as we share our first looks at a few of the new products releasing from Verve on Friday night!  One lucky commenter from each day's hop will win the sets and dies featured that day, so be sure to leave a little love in the Divasphere! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and deadlines.
 

1. Julee 8. Sarah {Guest} 2. Charmaine 9. Marisa {Guest} 3. Tosha 10. Laurie 4. Andrea 11. Amy 5. Sankari 12. Shannan 6. Teresa 13. Betty 7. Jackie 14. Maureen

I'm absolutely smitten with today's featured set, Words of Wisdom -- so much so that it easily joins my short list of all-time favorite sentiment sets! It's not just that the sentiments are fantastic and thoughtful and empowering and uplifting, it's that the font combinations are so amazingly fresh and wonderful. This set is going to be very hard to put down!

For today's card, I decided to make a very pink and very girly breast cancer encouragement card using the "keep fighting" sentiment from Words of Wisdom and a sweet little pink ribbon from Believe. You could easily change the color combo and this would work with any of the awareness ribbon colors!

I took no fewer than 47 pictures of this card, trying to get one to come out just right. Alas, it proved tricky to photograph, so here's a close-up along with another full shot from a different angle:

Thanks for visiting!




Stamps: Words of Wisdom, Believe (Verve Stamps) 
Paper: Papertrey Stamper's Select White card stock, Melissa Frances dp 
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Stampin' Up Pink Pirouette 
Accessories: Martha Stewart paper doily and lace border punch, Recollections mini roses, crinkled seam binding, Prima pearl and crystal flourish, foam adhesive, May Arts crochet trim, sewing machin
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"