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Day 2 Holiday Hop

Hi friends!  It's time for Day 2 of Verve's Holiday 2012 Spotlight Hops!


I'm the first stop on the hop, so grab a cup of joe (or whatever strikes your fancy) and hop along to see the first sneaks at a new set called Merry & BrightOh, and by the by... we've picked a mystery blog from today's hop and hidden a prize! So be sure to give a little shout out in the comment section as you hop around to each blog on the list. We'll draw a random winner from all of the comments on the mystery blog to win today's featured stamps. Check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.


Merry & Bright has all sorts of ways to wish you a Merry Christmas, with buildable sentiments and three sizes of a classic snowflake design.  For my card, I used the Merry Christmas stamp and the darling stamp to make a little card for Mark.  I'm a big fan of the Carpenters, and for our wedding (which is very close to Christmas) he gave me their Christmas CD and I can still remember sitting by the fire on our honeymoon listening to the song Merry Christmas, Darling.  So that was my inspiration for the card. There's even a sentiment that says happy new year, too which I'll be stamping inside the card.  I really wanted to use these new sparkle brads I picked up at the Inspiration Boutique this weekend, and the Tim Holtz tinsel was just begging to be used too!  The sentiments and snowflakes are embossed onto a Tagged Rectangle Die cut, then hand matted.  The paper is from BoBunny and I distressed it a little with a black gelato and a baby wipe, then took a paper distresser to a few of the layers.  The tinsels is stapled on, so it won't sneak off anywhere!


That's today's little peek, keep clicking down the list to see what everyone else did with this fun new set!  Next up on the hop is Laurie!  Have fun!

1. Julee6. Amber
2. Laurie7. Amy
3. Maureen8. Andrea
4. Teresa9. Charmaine
5. Tosh10. Janelle
  
  

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Merry & Bright (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Enchanted (Bo Bunny), Black, White
Ink: Black, Schoolhouse (Mix'd Media), black gelato (Faber Castell)
Accessories:  Tagged Rectangle Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), tinsel (Tim Holtz), sparkle pebble brads (Karen Foster), clear detail embossing powder (JudiKins), baby wipe, Tiny Attacher (Tim Holtz)

Day 1 Holiday Hop

Hi friends!  It's the first day of Verve's Holiday 2012 Spotlight Hops! And that means that new Verve is releasing this Friday, November 2! We'll be hopping each day this week, showcasing the new sets and counting down to our release party!



I'm the first stop on the hop, so grab a cup of joe (or whatever strikes your fancy) and hop along to see the first sneaks at a new set called Peace on EarthOh, and by the by... we've picked a mystery blog from today's hop and hidden a prize! So be sure to give a little shout out in the comment section as you hop around to each blog on the list. We'll draw a random winner from all of the comments on the mystery blog to win today's featured stamps. Check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.


So I mentioned last week, that I was heading out to my friend's new store, the Inspiration Boutique, this weekend.  While I was there I picked up some fabulous goodies.  This fabulous vintage paper, as well as the silver star paper, the silver ribbon and the journaling tag all came from her store.  I started by embossing the sentiment from Peace on Earth in Brushed Corduroy.  Next I colored the star in the sentiment with a colorless blender and embossed with silver.  Then it was simply a matter of adding the ribbons and embellishing with a chipboard star.

There's the first little peek, keep clicking down the list to see what everyone else did with this fun new set!  Next up on the hop is Laurie!  Have fun!

1. Julee6. Amber
2. Laurie7. Andrea
3. Maureen8. Charmaine
4. Teresa9. Janelle
5. Tosh

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Peace on Earth (Verve Stamps)
Paper: cherry cobbler, silver star paper, vintage papers, Journal Tags (Kaisercraft)
Ink: Frayed Burlap (Ranger Distress)
Accessories:  ribbons, City Sidewalks chipboard (Pink Paislee), paper distresser (Tonic), silver and clear detail embossing powder

Bless You

Happy Friday, friends!  It's time for the final Viva la Verve! sketch for October, and Laurie is this week's hostess with a sweet little CAS design.  I wanted to use the new Now & Then paper pad I picked up earlier this week and I thought it would be the perfect layout to use one of these gorgeous green butterflies I got on clearance a while back.


Some paper crimping, border punches and a half width of the wide striped ribbon from SU! were my other accents and the sentiment is a partial sentiment (I masked off the top half of the stamp, then stamped just the bless you portion) from the Wonderfully Made set.

That's all on the card front.  Remember, if you play along with all 5 of the October Viva la Verve! sketches and link them up in our forum, you'll be eligible for the $100 Verve gift certificate prize drawing.  And with a release coming a week from today, there's no better time to win a little Verve!  {grin}


Oh, and if you're in the Boise valley, be sure to head on out to Kuna on Saturday {10/27} from 10-3 for the Grand Opening of my friend's new scrapbook store, the Inspiration Boutique!  While you're there, sign up for a Verve card class taught by Janelle!  Pretty exciting!  I'm trying to line up a little time away from the twins to head out there and see my stamps in a store for the first time.

Well, I better skee-daddle.  I hope you have a fantastic start to your weekend!


Enabler's List:
Stamps: Wonderfully Made (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Now & Then (Teresa Collins), crumb cake, basic black (SU!)
Ink: black
Accessories:  butterfly (Recollections), wide striped ribbon (SU!), Dotted Wave border punch (EK Success), clear embossing powder (Judikins), paper crimper, hot glue gun

Rosettes and Gingham and Scrolls Oh My

Hi friends!  It's another fine Tuesday October day and I'm back with my take on this week's Viva la Verve October Week 4 sketch.  This one was designed by Tosh and well, I flipped it and strayed a bit from the sketch, but the inspiration is still there!


There was a bit of a chaotic heap of stuff on my desk when I sat down to make this card and I decided to just go with it.   I wanted a shabby chic feel, and I remembered a card I made a while back that had a half rosette, so I started with that, just using a scor-pal to score the paper every 1/4 inch and accordion folded.  The tan panel is dp that I cut with Martha Stewart scissors all around the edges, then drew in the dividing panels with a black pen.  (Although I forgot about this little detail and ended up covering up the dividing lines with ribbon, so the two boxes in the sketch are in hiding.)   Then it was just a matter of layering some lace, a border punch and adding some ribbon and roses.  Those fabulous little skeleton banyan leaves from Pizzazz Aplenty are a fun little accent and I used the Scroll PJ and coordinating Scroll die along with a sentiment from Friendly Phrases to finish off the card.

Okay, that's all from me today!  Hope you have a fantastic Tuesday!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Scroll PJFriendly Phrases (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Earth Angel (Cosmo Circket), Basic Black (SU!), Cream
Ink: black
Accessories: Scroll die (A Cut Above by VERVE), skeleton banyan leaves (Pizzazz Aplenty), fringe scissors (Martha Stewart), roses (Wild Orchid Crafts), glass glitter (SU!), lace trim, knockouts border punch (American Crafts), gingham ribbon (May Arts), Scor-pal

Autumn Splendor

Hi all! It's Monday again, and that means it's time for a new Mojo Monday sketch.

As I've mentioned before, October is my favorite month of the year. Our new house has this gorgeous tree in the backyard that turns bright red in the fall. A year ago we were having the house built and when I saw that tree I was just so happy! So Mark asked me yesterday if it had turned colors yet, and I said I wasn't sure. Well, yes indeed, it had turned colors, but unfortunately the tree was completely bare with a layer of red at its feet. And then the wind blew, and scattered everything, so I missed out on the photo shoot with the boys I had been planning in my mind. Doh! So when I started my Mojo Monday card, I was thinking about those red leaves scattered in the wind, and so I picked out Autumn Splendor and some new Cosmo Cricket paper and got to work. There aren't a lot of extra frills on the card because nap time didn't last too long, but I was just happy to get a little bit of stamping in.

For those of you who are excited about some new Verve in the future, our release date has been pushed out another week due to production delays. So we'll be showing off the new sets next week and releasing on the night of November 2.

Enabler's List: 
Stamps: Autumn Splendor (Verve Stamps)
Paper: S'more Love (Cosmo Cricket), Early Espresso (SU!), cream
Ink: Cajun Craze (SU!), Antique Linen (Ranger), Truffle (Mix'd Media)
Accessories: Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Knockouts border punch (American Crafts), metal photo corner, ribbon, Chevron embossing folder (SU!)

Hope

It's Thursday.  Thursday?  How did that happen?  It's been one of those weeks.  You know, the week that does not go according to plan and just kind of takes on a life of its own?  Yep, that's the kind of week it's been for me.  This card took a combined total of 25 minutes to make over the span of 5 days.  And now it's taken me 2 days to find time to post it.  :)




The week started out on Monday, when after a night of little to no sleep between the twins, I grabbed Trevor to take him downstairs for another feeding.  Somehow I tripped over my own feet and fell down a couple of stairs to the landing.  Trevor was fine (actually giggling a little bit at the fun ride)... my toe... and ankle... and knee were less than fine (and NOT giggling at all).  After a lot of waiting between calling the doctor's office, going to urgent care, getting x-rays, waiting for results, going to pharmacy, waiting, waiting to talk to pharmacist, finding out that the Dr. had prescribed a medication with codeine in it, which I'm allergic to and her office was now closed, I realized that somewhere along the way I had lost my iPhone.  So home I went to check out my iPad find my phone app.  Luckily the phone was recoverable.  Hooray

No sleep for mama that night.  One of the boys was up every hour and my foot was throbbing.  In the morning I drug myself off the couch, fed the boys, readying myself to do a little work and... the power went out.  And stayed out for 3.5 hours.  Which was really upsetting to the boys, since their swings wouldn't swing and they REALLY wanted them to!  Power was still out when it was time to leave for my haircut appointment and I had to pull the emergency cord on the garage door, then try to hop on my good leg while trying to pull the garage door (which has no handles) open and closed by myself in the wind and rain.  I kept looking around hoping none of the neighbors were peeking out their windows staring at the crazy lady!  LOL

Finally something went right and I love how my new color and style turned out.  I felt so good about my new look (might have been the pain meds talking) I decided on the spur of the moment to walk in and get my nails done by some Vietnamese guy named Steven whom I had NO IDEA what he was saying.  All I understood was, "gels good.  you no wreck nails.  you LOVE what Steven do for you."  A very comical half hour passed as I received the second manicure of my life and listened to The Steven Show without understanding a word.  {grin}

Home again to find out there's more drama with our vendor and our stamp order has been delayed... AGAIN.  I'm beginning to think it's the plight of a crazy woman to attempt to run a business and take care of twins... even WITH a part time nanny.  There's so much stuff at Verve that needs daily attention that I just can't give.

I know that every person has their own life struggles and battles and our own always seem so much larger than life.  But it ain't easy being me right now. In fact, it's really, REALLY hard! I hate to sound all whiny... but it's true and I'm just being REAL.  This twin thing is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.  Each day is a struggle and the boys are relentless. R-E-L-E-N-T-L-E-S-S.  I know, they look like such sweet little angels all happy and smiling for the camera, but it's behind the scenes that the "real" life happens.  More often than not, It's the screaming fits and the blank expressions that fill the days.


Nobody said it would be easy, but they also didn't mention the times you'd be so tired and cranky and one twin is pooping in your hand because you started changing his diaper a little too soon and just realized the extra diapers are out in the garage.  And the other twin is on the floor screaming, violently spewing sweet potato yak all over the carpet.  And all you want to do is cry.  Or maybe sleep... then cry.  Nope, no one ever mentions those days when they're rambling on about the "miracle of life".  But those are the "REAL" days.... (a little too real, and not very miraculous, if you ask me!).  And Mark and I are dragging and tripping over each other and pacifiers and toys and stumbling by on the 2-3 hours of "real" broken sleep we're getting a night.  The only miracle right now is if one of us gets 4 hours of sleep... in a row!  So Verve HQ is anything but glamorous these days... although the boys often have a bit of sparkle on their face when Katrina takes a break from packing orders to help out with one of the twins.  The glitter on that sparkly tissue paper just reaches out and grabs ya!!!  {grin}

Anyhow, sorry I've rambled on and on and didn't even talk about the card.  Just had a lot on my mind today, I guess.  As you might have guessed from reading all that, I needed a little hope in card form, so I went with the Hope Perches Plain Jane and paired it with the birdie from With Love and played with some new punches, embossing folders and washi tape.  Such a fun combo!


Thanks for "listening".  Have a fantastic day.. may a little hope perch on your soul!

Stamps: Hope Perches Plain Jane, With Love (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Curiosity (Authentique), Basic Gray (SU!), cream
Ink: Basic Gray (SU!)
Accessories: Knockouts border punch (American Crafts), sewing machine, washi tape, Chevron embossing folder (SU!)

Christmas Joy

Hi friends!  Another weekend is over and it's time for a brand new Mojo Monday card sketch to jump start your week.  With as fast as the time has been flying, I think I needed to start working on my Christmas crafting like 2 months ago!  {grin}



As I was blog surfing last week, I was completely inspired by Lynn Mangan's use of the Snowflake Tidings Die Set and had to give it a go.  I had every intention of using them as snowflakes, but once I got them all glittered up, I thought they would look so pretty as a poinsettia with some cranberry pearl centers, so I went with it.  Pretty simple to make... cut from cream cardstock using the Snowflake Tidings dies, embossed with the Crackled Texture Fades, then sponged with a bit of Antique Linen distress ink before outlining with a glue pen and dipping in glitter.  Easy peasy, and so classy looking!  I added some Dreamy Leaves die cuts as greenery, using a pencil to sketch in the outline of the leaves.  The only stamps here are the Christmas and the Joy, both from the Merry Wishes set.  Otherwise, it's simply patterned paper, cardstock, a bit of embossing and some glitter.

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Merry Wishes (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Joyeux Noel (Glitz), cream
Ink: Schoolhouse (Mix'd Media by Colorbox), Antique Linen (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Snowflake Tidings Die Set, Dreamy Leaves Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Curvy Label punch (SU!), ribbon, Crackled and Snowflakes Texture Fades (Sizzix), clear embossing powder, fairydust glitter, distressing tool, glue pen, cranberry pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty)

Thank You

Hi friends!  Happy Friday!  Another week has absolutely FLOWN by and it's time for the next installment of our October Viva la Verve sketch challenges.  This week's hostess is Andrea.  Play along with all 5 of this month's sketches for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to Verve.



I still hadn't had a chance to use the new Loopy Petals Plain Jane, so I pulled that one out and since there were still some Halloween papers on my desk, I decided to go with a black, white and a splish splash of color combo.  I decided to flip the sketch horizontally to fit my images.  The Loopy Petals Plain Janej is stamped onto text paper, cut out with the Scalloped Flowers die and colored with a Pumice stone marker.  The leaves are cut with the Dreamy Leaves Die Set set from Core'dinations card stock that had been embossed and sanded.  I added an outline of glitter with a glue pen and some fairy dust glitter.

The thank you sentiment is from the With Love set, and cut with classic and large scallop ovals nestabilities.  For my other oval layer, I decided to go with a dry embossed vellum layer, accented with a little glitter and some distressing.  I added just a pop of color with some pink rhinestones on the diamond prints and in the center of the flower.

That's all on the card making front today.  I hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Loopy Petals Plain Jane, With Love (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Michievous (My Mind's Eye), Black, Vellum (SU!), cream, Distress Core'dinations
Ink: Black (Mix'd Media), Pumice Stone (Ranger)
Accessories:  Scalloped Flowers Die Set, Dreamy Leaves Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Classic Ovals and Large Scalloped Ovals Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Texture Fades embossing folders (Sizzix), Fairy Dust glitter, EK Success border punch, paper distresser, glue pen, rhinestones.

Much Love this Christmas

Hi friends!  It's Thursday and about time for something other than Halloween here.  Today's card is inspired by a rough sketch I had for a mixed-media canvas, but haven't had the time to create it yet.  I figured why not try a little prototype in card form? 


The tree is hand cut in layers, then modpodged down and doodled in.  The background is two patterns of dp (hounds tooth and red text paper) that I added gesso and paint and gelatos to, as well as a little texture stamping with the Snowflake Splendor set.  The top sentiment is the Much Love Plain Jane, which I colored with a gelato and water brush, then finger painted a little white paint for some dimension and added a few little doodles.  It's matted in black and then I clipped a little mini library clip to it.

I completed the sentiment with a partial sentiment (I masked off the top part of the stamp) from Richly Blessed so I could stamp just the this Christmas and always section.  I cut this out and matted it to match the much love panel up top, then got to the business of decorating my tree with some flatback pearls and a star rhinestone from Pizzazz Aplenty.  A little paint on the tips of the ornaments completes the snowy scene.

This is truly my "style".  I enjoy trying a lot of different things in crafting, but I just find the messiness of mixed-media so freeing.  Maybe it's me rebelling against a lifetime of exacting perfectionism.  In so many ways I've felt like a wannabe artist my entire life, but working on mixed-media projects is the only time I ever feel like I might actually BE an artist.  And that's a GOOD feeling.  {grin}

Hope you have a wonderful day today!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Much Love Plain Jane, Richly Blessed, Snowflake Splendor (Verve Stamps)
Paper: misc DP scraps, Black, cream
Ink: Black (Mix'd Media), acrylic paints, gesso, gelatos (Faber-Castell), black micron pen
Accessories: pearls, rhinestone star (Pizzazz Aplenty), mini library clip (SU!), paper distresser, waterbrush, Mod Podge

Sweet Treats

Hi friends!  Welcome to Wednesday!  Yesterday I told you I'd be back with something a little "sweeter".  And that's just what today's project is all about.  The twins are loving their organic peas, carrots, squash and sweet po-TAY-toes (that's how Mark says it, and it makes the boys giggle!), and now I've got a TON of baby food jars that I can't bring myself to throw away.  Especially since we don't have a glass recycling program.  So I had a little idea to make some Halloween treat jars and thought the new So Sweet Plain Jane would be perfect paired with the Trick or Treat sentiment from Boo to You, so it would read, "Trick or treat... you're so sweet".  Clever, no???  {grin}




I started with a couple strips of SU! designer paper that I wrapped around the jar and secured with strong glue so it would stick to the glass.  The orange strip is stamped repeatedly with the Loopy Medallion Plain Jane for a fun background, and then I accented each square with a black square rhinestone.  The So Sweet plain jane is embossed in black onto a Mini Classy Label die cut, then colored with a copic marker and sponged with Black Soot ink.  I punched a small hole in the label to turn it into a tag and tied it on with some black and white cording I had.  The lid is painted with black gesso and then sprayed with a clear sealant so it won't chip off.  I added the Trick or Treat sentiment to the top with a classic circles nestabilities die cut and finished with a little sponging to blend it in.

The jar is filled with orange Reese's Pieces.  And yes, I totally took one for the team and ate all the brown and yellow ones for photography purposes!  {grin}  I can totally see a lot of baby food jar treats in the future.  Especially in combination with the Mini Classy Label Die Set.  So much fun to make!

Okay, I'm done with my Halloween crafting kick for a little bit.  I'll be back tomorrow with a little mixed-media Christmas card making fun!

Enabler's List:
Stamps: So Sweet Plain Jane, Loopy Medallion Plain Jane, Boo to You (Verve Stamps)
Paper: SU! DSP, black cardstock
Ink: Black (Mix'd Media), black soot (Ranger), copic marker, Black gesso
Accessories: Mini Classy Label Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), scallop border punch (EK Success), square rhinestones, Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), ribbon, black embossing powder, baby food jar, reese's pieces

Spiderwebs

Hi friends! Happy Tuesday! As I mentioned yesterday, I've been on a bit of a Halloween crafting kick lately. I don't like Halloween and I REALLY don't like spiders, but for some reason I combined the two on today's card! What can I say? If inspiration strikes, I follow! {grin}


The new Loopy Medallion Plain Jane looked a little bit like a spiderweb when it was sitting on my desk, so I decided to emboss it on vellum, then add the little star from Snowflake Splendor that I used the other day as a spider. I even gave it a beady little body with a black flatback pearl. The medallion is cut out with the Scalloped Flowers Die Set and then I matted it with a black Scalloped Circles Nestabilities that I looped some linen thread around each scallop for a fun look. I added a few of the last scraps of my stash of my favorite polka dot ribbon (sniff sniff).

For the side bar, I used an EK Success border punch, then stamped the Loopy Medallion three times in Pumice Stone, then the spider in black. I know, it's kind of creepy. I keep getting the heebie-jeebies just looking at them! The sentiment is from this month's Stamp of the Month, Boo to You, and it's embossed in white onto a Mini Classy Label die cut, stamped with the coordinating frame from Borderline. A bit of distr5essing with a black gelato and baby wipes grunged things up, and I finished up with a little wrap around of black scrapper's floss. Hope you enjoyed this spooky edition of the new Loopy Medallion Plain Jane! I'll be back tomorrow with something a little "sweeter"! {grin}

Enabler's List: 
Stamps: Loopy Medallion Plain Jane, Boo to You, Borderline, Snowflake Splendor (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Mischievous (MME), Black, Vellum, Cream
Ink: Black, Jasmine (Mix'd Media), Rusty Hinge, Pumice Stone (Ranger), black gelato (Faber Castell)
Accessories: Scalloped Flowers Die Set, Mini Classy Label Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), Scalloped Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), border punch (EK Success), ribbon, linen thread, flatback pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty), paper distresser

Halloween Greetings

Hi friends!  Can you believe Monday is here again?  I don't mind so much this month, since October is my favorite month.  I just love the crispness of the air.  Slippers in the morning, hot apple cider, sweatshirts layered over t-shirts and especially cuddling up in a nice cozy blanket.  There was lots of cuddling to be had this weekend, as the twins haven't been feeling very well.  I did sneak a little time when the grandparents were visiting to make a little card for today's Mojo Monday sketch, though!



Even though I love October, I've never been much of a Halloween fan.  But for some reason I've totally been on a Halloween card making kick this year.  This twin ghostie image from Boo to You (40% off this month at Verve!) just makes me smile and I knew I wanted to use it with the Night and Fall papers from Recollections that literally JUMPED into my cart last week at Michael's.  Seriously, CUTE paper!!!

Anyhow, the ghosties are stamped and hand cut and distressed a bit with a black gelato and baby wipe.  I made a rosette with the Tim Holtz rosettes die and layered it with a Scalloped Flowers die (distressed with a few colors of paint) and a Star Circles Nestabilties die cut.  The star flag is stamped with a border from Borderline and I hand cut and matted the tails.  I stamped the coordinating frame from Borderline onto the Mini Vintage Oval die cuts and added a little stickles and the Halloween Greeting sentiment from Boo to You.  The Pennant Trim Die made another appearance, layered behind a punched border and I finished off with some rounded corners and good old fashioned distressing.

Okay, that's all for today!  If you missed it, be sure to check out the 5 new plain janes that released on Saturday!  They're on sale 15% off through the end of today (Monday, 10/8).







Enabler's List:
Stamps: Boo to You, Borderline (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Night and Fall (Recollections), Black, Soft Sky (SU!) cream
Ink: Black Soot (Ranger), copic markers, black micron pen, craft paints, black gelato (Faber Castell)
Accessories:  Mini Vintage Oval Die Set, Scalloped Flowers Die Set, Pennant Trim Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), Star Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Rosette Die (Tim Holtz), Dotted Wave border punch (EK Success), corner chomper (WRMK), sewing machine, stickles (Ranger), paper distresser

WCMD Greetings

Hi friends!  Happy World Card Making Day!  It's the official start to the holiday crafting season and we've combined our monthly Diva Inspirations Hop with a WCMD celebration hop!!! And what better way to celebrate than a few new Verve stamps?  Yep, that's right we've got a mini release this morning with 5 new plain janes!  Hooray!




My card for the hop uses the new Square Medallion plain jane and I've combined it with a sentiment and the small star (stamped in the center of the medallion) from the Snowflake Splendor set.  The medallion is cut out with the Scalloped Flowers Die and matted on a Nestabilities Scallop Circle.  A few fun scraps from my stash and some thin ribbon and sparkly rhinestones finish it off stylishly. 

I think the layout is a perfect simple design for holiday cards, so I designed a little sketch for you.  Play along for a chance to win our upcoming holiday release!  You've got until the 25th of October to enter, so be sure to carve out a little time to play!  In the meantime, hop on down the blog list and leave a little comment love for the Divas and you might just win some Verve of your very own... to the tune of a $50 gift certificate!  The full hop list, the sketch challenge entry form, the plain jane reveal and all the prize details are over on the Verve Blog today!  Happy hopping!

1. Betty9. Andrea
2. Jen T.10. Charmaine
3. Julee11. Janelle
4. Sankari12. Laurie
5. Sony13. Maureen
6. Susan14. Teresa
7. Amber15. Tosha
8. Amy

Enabler's List
Stamps: Snowflake Splendor, Square Medallion (Verve Stamps)
Paper: miscellaneous holiday DP, Black, cream
Ink: Black (Mix'd Media), Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap (Ranger Distress)
Accessories:  Scalloped Flowers Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), ribbon (SU!), rhinestones (Jolee's), Scallop Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), corner chomper, paper distresser, clear embossing powder

Boo to You

Hi friends!  Welcome to October and the first Monday of the month!  That means it's CONTEST time over at Mojo Monday!  We hope you'll have time to show us your take on this week's sketch, for a chance to win some Verve of your very own!


Since it's October (even though I have no idea where the summer went!!!) I thought I'd kick things off with a little Halloween card.  Boo to You is the October stamp of the month over at Verve and it's 40% off all month long!  It's funny, when I designed this set last year, the twin ghosties were inspired by the twins I was carrying.  Now the boys are here and they totally remind me of this image in the wee hours when they're trying to wiggle free from their muslin swaddle blankets!  So cute!

Anyhow, I used a Spellbinders die I bought sometime before or after the twins were born and just now "rediscovered".  I thought it was perfect for a little Halloween theme.  The papers are some old Prima papers from my miscellaneous drawer and I added some wide striped ribbon from SU!  A little doodling and distressing with a gelato and a baby white kept things from looking to stark and I finished off with a little Zva flourish of bling.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  We've got a few plain janes we're releasing this Saturday for World Card Making Day, so I've got some crafty time in the studio ahead of me this week.  Woohoo!  Have a fabulous week!

Enabler's List
Stamps:  Boo to You (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Dude Collection (Prima), Black (SU!), cream
Ink: Black (Mix'd Media), black micron pen, black gelato (Faber Castell)
Accessories:  Star Circles and Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), rhinestone bling (Zva Creative), baby wipes, clear detail embossing powder, distressing tool, wide striped ribbon (SU!), rhinestones