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If you're looking for my October Release Retrospective Hop post, click here or scroll down.

Hi friends!  It's Monday again and time for another Mojo Monday sketch.  This week's sketch is from Debbie and has a great big focal panel that leaves you lots of room for options.


For my card, I picked out my favorite color combo (aqua + brown) from my scrap pile and got to work distressing with ink and a paper distresser.  I stamped the bluebells from Framed Florals in the corner of my aqua paper, then stamped the solid flowers in pool party to color them in.  I highlighted with glossy glaze.  The butterflies are a Martha Stewart punch that I punched from the same paper, sponged around the edges and embellished with some dark chocolate pearls for the body.

The sentiment is stamped in early espresso on vellum, then layered over a circle punch of designer paper and matted with early espresso.  Soft and serene and hopefully will give a little comfort to the recipient.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a fabulous start to your week.  If you've got a little time, be sure to check out what the other Mojo Makers did with this week's sketch...



Enabler's List
Mojo Monday 368
Stamps: Framed Florals (Verve)
Paper: designer paper scraps, vellum, soft sky, early espresso
Ink: early espresso, pool party (SU!),  brushed corduroy (Ranger Distress)
Accessories:  circle punches, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, glossy glaze, dark chocolate flatback pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty), classic circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

Hope and Strength Release Retrospective Blog Hop

Hi friends!  It's been a couple weeks since our latest release, so it's time for our October Release Retrospective Blog Hop!  New to us?  It's just a fun way the Divas can share bit more inspiration with the new stamps now that you've had a chance to get them in your stamp rooms.  Plus, there's a Verve gift voucher up for grabs for a lucky commenter!  Woohoo!  I'm the first stop on today's hop, so grab your treat of choice and let's go to the hop!


I was cleaning up my catastrophe of a desk the other night and quite by accident (die cuts and rejected stamped images strewn all over the place) discovered that the Ribbon Die fit perfectly inside the leafy image from the Inspire Hope.  I was giddy, I loved the look of it so much, and had to completely abandon my cleaning  (twist my arm) and make a card!  This one's pretty simple, but it's got a strong message.

I started by stamping the leafy image from Inspire Hope in mossy meadow on a square of white cardstock.  Next I stamped the strength stamp from Pink Power in the bottom center and the hope stamp from  Inspire Hope on either side of it.  I added a little silver washi tape border up top and embellished with a string of adhesive rhinestones.  The ribbon is cut with the Ribbon Die from designer paper and popped up over the leafy image.  I finished with some chevron ribbon behind and a metal heart to "pin" it down.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Next stop on the hop is Stacey!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We're giving away a $40 gift voucher to one lucky commenter along the hop, so be sure to leave a shout out in the comments as you hop about.  Head on over to the Verve Blog today for the prize details and deadlines and a recap of our October release.


1. Julee8. Laurie
2. Stacey9. Christyne
3. Marisa10. Teresa
4. Chaitali11. Andrea
5. Amber12. Betty
6. Jen13. Sarah
7. Charmaine14. Maureen


Enabler's List
Stamps: Inspire Hope, Pink Power (Verve)
Paper: designer paper (7 Gypsies), white, black, brushed silver
Ink: black, mossy meadow (SU!)
Accessories:  Ribbon Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), washi tape, ribbon, metal heart, adhesive rhinestone strip.

Snowflake Celebration

Hi friends!  It's Friday and that means it's time for a new challenge over at the Viva la Verve Sketches blog.  This week's hostess is Chaitali and she has a super fun sketch and inspiration pic for you.  Play along with the sketch OR the inspiration, or combine them both.. it's up to you!



I knew when I saw the inspiration pic that I wanted to use the new gown from Masquerade along with the coordinating Gown Die. I'm also playing along with the HYCCT Hope Floats challenge and figured a dress floats across the dance floor and snowflakes float through the air.  I had images of a fun holiday bash or winter formal going through my head, so interpreted the circles on the sketch as snowflakes.  While I was making the card, I discovered the major reason why I'm not a clean & simple stamper... I'm too messy!  {grin}

I had a pretty clean and simple concept for the card, using the snowflakes from Glad Tidings and sentiment from Moments Remembered.  I whipped it up really quickly, glued everything down, then OOPS.. my inky fingers got blushing bride ink where it wasn't supposed to go while I was adding the silver pearls.  {big sigh}  So, out came the Snowflake Tidings Die Set and I stamped a few more snowflakes and die cut them to layer over my oopsies.  I finished with a thin mat of brushed silver cardstock and a white card base.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a wonderful start to your weekend!

Viva la Verve October Week 3
Enabler's List
Stamps: Masquerade, Glad TidingsMoments Remembered (Verve Stamps)
Paper: blushing bride, brushed silver (SU!), white
Ink: blushing bride (SU!), Versamark
Accessories:  Gown Die, Snowflake Tidings Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), adhesive silver pearls, silver embossing powder

Pink Power Blog Hop

Hi friends!  Today I'm participating in a very special Pink Power Blog Hop.  Chaitali has rounded up some of her crafty friends to help spread breast cancer awareness. This is a cause close to her heart after her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. She designed the Pink Power set for her mom with a lot of love and is sponsoring this hop by providing this set to her invited hop guests. Some of the Verve design team members are joining in the hop today as well, rounding out a list of power crafters!

So if you've been hopping along, you should have come by way of Catherine Pooler's awesome blog.  If you're just popping in and want to check out all the crafty goodness from the very beginning, the hop starts over at Chaitali's blog.


Chaitali would love to see cards made and sent for this cause, and a perfect way to do that is the Hope You Can Cling To challenges going on every day this month at Splitcoaststampers.  For my card, I chose the Stripping Down challenge and this week's Mojo Monday sketch is just perfect for using scraps and paper strips.  All of the pieces on my card came from scraps I had on my desk.  I glued each strip of paper down on top of the one before it in 1" intervals to make a 4" background for the card, then cut 1" circles from each of the papers to add as the scallops.

I sort of pieced together the sentiment to say "beautiful hope" using stamps from the Pink Power set. I really do think hope is the most beautiful thing and the most caring thing we can try to nurture in those who are struggling with illness.  Hope can change everything.  To make the sentiment, I masked off the bald is words with tape before inking, then peeled off the tape and stamped the beautiful in black.  Then I added the Hope stamp in pink.  The silver striped banner is a piece of washi tape I taped to white cardstock, then trimmed into a banner.  I added the butterfly from Pink Power embossed in white on vellum, then hand trimmed and layered over some white thread.  I colored the ribbon body pink so it would stand out, then added some sparkle with a mix of pearls, rhinestones and glass glitter.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a wonderful time hopping along and a fantastic start to your week.



Mojo Monday 367
Enabler's List
Stamps: Pink Power (Verve Stamps)
Paper: dp scraps (Echo Park, SU! and BasicGrey), vellum, white
Ink: blushing bride (SU!), black, VersaMark, Copic marker
Accessories:  thread, rhinestones, pearls, glass glitter, washi tape, paper distresser


Oops

Oops!  Pink Power Blog hop starts at 6:00am Pacific on Monday.  I'll be back then!  :)

Hold it Together

Hi friends!  It's Friday (hooray) and that means it's time for a new sketch over on the Viva la Verve blog.  This week's hostess is Stacey and she's got a super fun sketch for you.


For my card, I combined the VLV sketch with the HYCCT Holding it Together challenge.  I started by embossing the butterfly from Pink Power onto some pink striped paper in white and then fussy cutting.  I cut the Ribbon Die three times from the same striped paper and used the left over strip for the sentiment panel.  I thought stamping on the stripes would be a bit too busy, so I stamped the power of pink sentiment on vellum and layered it on top to soften things up.  These two panels are stitched to the grey designer paper to hold them together.

Next I cut a circle from a lighter pink striped paper and a mat from smoky slate.  I had intended to place the butterfly in the center with pink ink splatters and sequins behind, but then realized a) I didn't have a way to attach the sequins without using glue  and b) my ribbon banner was going to hang down too far and would cover up the butterfly.  So I decided to move the butterfly over the sentiment and use a brad to attach it, the pink striped paper, and the smoky slate mat to the grey designer paper.

Next came the banner.  I had looped some twine through the three ribbon die cuts and had intended to attach it with staples on either end.  But the banner just didn't lay right and the ribbon die cuts were sliding and not giving me the look I wanted.  So I pulled it off, leaving all sorts of staple holes.  BUT, I'd already attached everything else to the card, so I needed a way to cover up my staple holes.  I ultimately decided to cut a circle frame by layering two nestabilities together and running through the die cut machine.  I cut it off to the place I needed, slid the three die cuts onto it, then slowly stitched it onto the card.  It still didn't cover up all my staple marks, so I pulled out some of the twine and tied a bow onto each of the outer ribbons to finish off the banner.

Then at the very end, I decided the center circle was too plain, so trepidatiously stamped the stars around the outer edges of the circle.  All in all, a super fun challenge to think outside my usual little dimensional on dimensional box.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

VLV OCT Week 2 Sketch
Enabler's List
StampsPink Power (Verve)
Paper: dp (SU! and Echo Park), smoky slate (SU!), white
Ink: pink pirouette (SU!), black, VersaMark
Accessories: Ribbon Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), clear and white embossing powder, circle nestabilities (Spellbinders), pink divine twine, heart brad, sewing machine

Inspire Hope Spotlight Hop

Hi friends!  We're wrapping up our October Release Celebration Hops today!  Last weekend we released three new sets and three new dies.  Monday and Tuesday we spotlighted the new Pink Power and Masquerade  sets, and today we are spotlighting the set I designed for this release... Inspire Hope.



My card today came together so quickly (under 10 minutes).  I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to do with the stamps, and it worked out perfectly.  First I cut the circle out of lost lagoon and stamped the leafy image from Inspire Hope 4 times around the edges.  I then stamped the spiky flower in lost lagoon four times and lightly sponged the edge of this panel with black soot ink.

The sending thoughts & prayers your way sentiment is stamped onto a circle shaped scrap of designer paper, which I also sponged, and then matted black.  To make the card base, I start with two scalloped circles die cuts.  I then line them with the bottom two scallops touching the vertical length of my scor-pal (this makes sure that the card will stand up properly when you're finished).  Then I score near the top on the back circle, apply scor-tape above the score line and stick the two circles together.  Easy peasy!  I was feeling like the card was too quick, so I decided to add some liquid pearls around the scallops and inner circle.  I like the added interest, but it looked great without them, too!

I've got another card using this set with a similar eazy breezy look and color scheme over on the Verve Blog today, so I hope to "see" you over there, too.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Next up on the hop is 
 Stacey!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? One random winner of a $30 gift voucher to the Verve store will be drawn from the comments on the blogs linked below. So be sure to leave a little shout out in the comment box at each stop along the way to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for the scoop on prizes and today's featured products!


1. Julee7. Charmaine
2. Stacey8. Laurie
3. Marisa9. Christyne
4. Chaitali10. Teresa
5. Amber11. Andrea
6. Jen
Enabler's List
Stamps: Inspire Hope (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Mischievous (MME), basic black, lost lagoon (SU!)
Ink: lost lagoon (SU!), black soot (Ranger), black
Accessories: Classic & Scallop Circles Nesatabilities (Spellbinders), onyx liquid pearls (Ranger)

Masquerade Spotlight Hop

Hi friends!  We're continuing on with our October Release Celebration today!  On Saturday we released three new sets and three new dies.  Yesterday we spotlighted the new Pink Power set, and today we are spotlighting the new Masquerade set illustrated by Chaitali and two new dies... The Mask Die Set and the Gown Die.

I'm the first stop on today's hop, so settle in for some fun, then leave a little shout out to each person on the hop for a chance to win a $30 Verve gift voucher.




For my card, I just had to use make another mask.  I seriously have not had this much fun stamping in the longest time.  The combination of the Mask Die Set with the stamps just leaves me giddy every time! I love the swirly girly look to them.


I pulled out some fun My Mind's Eye papers from my stash, then made a rosette from black cardstock with the Tim Holtz rosette die.  The happy halloween sentiment from Masquerade is stamped onto white cardstock, spritzed with black dylusions spray and then punched out with a 1-3/8" circle.  I matted it with black and then a lost lagoon circle.  The mask is cut from white cardstock and then stamped with lost lagoon.  I layered a black mask die cut behind, a little offset for a shadow, then added some orange striped designer paper behind the eyes to make them pop.  I stitched my background layers together, added a little strip of orange stripey paper with 3 black enamel stars, then finished off with a bit of black string on each side of the mask.


Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Next up on the hop is 
 Stacey!
Want to win some shiny new Verve? One random winner of a $30 gift voucher to the Verve store will be drawn from the comments on the blogs linked below. So be sure to leave a little shout out in the comment box at each stop along the way to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for the scoop on prizes and today's featured products!


1. Julee7. Charmaine
2. Stacey8. Laurie
3. Marisa9. Christyne
4. Chaitali10. Teresa
5. Amber11. Andrea
6. Jen
Enabler's List
Stamps: Masquerade (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Mischievous (MME), basic black, lost lagoon (SU!), cream
Ink: lost lagoon (SU!), black, black ink spray (Dylusions)
Accessories: Mask Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), rosette die (Tim Holtz), 1-3/8" circle punch (SU!), Classic Circles Nesatabilities (Spellbinders), enamel stars, sewing maching, embroidery thread

Pink Power Spotlight Hop

Hi friends!  The Verve October Release Celebration continues today!  On Saturday we released three new sets and three new dies.  (If you missed the World Card Making Day Release Hop, there's still a little time to comment for a chance to win the whole release!) Today the Divas are back shining their spotlights on the first set, Pink Power illustrated by Chaitali.

I'm the first stop on the hop, so why not grab your beverage of choice and settle in for a fun time?  As with all of our hops, there's a chance to win a prize for a lucky commenter, so be sure to give the gals a little shout out as you check out their Pink Power creations.



Want another chance to win?  It's also the first Monday of the month, which means it's contest week over at Mojo Monday!  Play along with this week's sketch and link it up over on the Mojo Monday blog for a chance to win a Verve set of your choice!  Here's what I did with the Mojo 366 sketch and the new Pink Power set and Ribbon Die.

I knew I wanted to use the fantastic bald silhouette, so stamped it and the fight like a girl sentiment on a scrap of pink striped DP, then embossed in white and sponged around the images with blushing bride ink to add a little depth and define the edges a bit more.  The smoky slate layer is spritzed with some white linen Dylusions ink spray and the pink panel is the same striped paper stamped with the star trio from Pink Power and then sponged with blushing bride.  I added basic gray mats to each panel, then cut the Ribbon Die from Blushing Bride, sponged the edges and popped up over my top panel.

For embellishment, I added some chevron ribbon around a white card base that was embossed with chevrons, then finished off with some adhesive pearl stars.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Our weekend free shipping promotion on US orders over $30 is still going through 11:59pm Pacific tonight, and all of our new releases are 10% off, so it's a great time to grab yourself some new Verve!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? One random winner of a $30 gift voucher to the Verve store will be drawn from the comments on the blogs linked below. So be sure to leave a little shout out in the comment box at each stop along the way to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for the scoop on prizes and today's featured products!

Next up on the hop is Stacey!

1. Julee7. Charmaine
2. Stacey8. Laurie
3. Marisa9. Christyne
4. Chaitali10. Teresa
5. Amber11. Andrea
6. Jen

Mojo Monday 366
Enabler's List
Stamps: Pink Power  (Verve Stamps)
Paper: smoky slate, blushing bride, basic gray, pattern DSP (SU!), white
Ink: blushing bride (SU!), Versamark, white linen spray (Dylusions)
Accessories:  Ribbon Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), ribbon (May Arts), Charles embossing folder (Cuttlebug), adhesive star pearls, corner rounder

Fall Fancy Diva Inspirations Challenge Hop

If you're here for my WCMD Release Day Hop, please click here or scroll down.

Hi friends!  It's the 5th of the month and that means its time for another Diva Inspirations Challenge Hop.  I'm the first stop on the hop, so settle in and let's head out on an eye candy excursion to see what the team has created with this month's theme... Fall Fancy! The full hop list and other hopping, prize and challenge info can be found at the bottom of this post.  Ready to hop?


Verve just released some brand new sets yesterday, but for this hop I pulled out some Verve faves from autumns past and made one of my favorite things... a card and treat box set.


I still had these papers on my desk from making my Viva la Verve challenge card, so continued on with the yellow + ocean blue + orange VLV color challenge.  I came across this Open Basket tutorial using the envelope punch board and thought it would be perfect to hold some chocolates.  I loved that the box only takes one 6x6 sheet of paper.  After creating the box, I wanted some stamping, so added a little tag, stamping the vintage oval frame from Die Sidekicks on patterned paper and cutting with the coordinating Vintage Oval Die .  The solo pumpkin from Tall Oaks is stamped directly onto the tag, then I stamped it again on hello honey paper and added some orange Stampin' Pastels to achieve the orange color and paper pieced over the image.  The Give Thanks sentiment (also from Tall Oaks) is stamped onto designer paper, then I finished things off with some seam binding from the Autumn Elements Ribbon Collection.


For the matching card, I did the letterpress technique again with the leaves embossing folder and vintage photo ink, then lightly colored in the raised parts with Stampin' Pastels.  The pumpkin trio is from the Tall Oaks set.  I embossed it in gold on vellum, then colored the back side with chalks.  The effect wasn't quite dark enough when I layered the panels, so I stamped the pumpkins again on hello honey, then glued behind the vellum to make the pumpkins stand out a bit more.  I added some more of the Autumn Elements Ribbon to tie in with the treat box, then added the Happy Thanksgiving sentiment from Tall Oaks embossed in gold on a banner down the side.  Finished card size is 4.25" square.

I've shown you mine, now I'd love to see your Fall Fancy creations!
Link them up to the October challenge linky for a chance to win some shiny new Verve!

Need a little inspiration? Check out the blogs linked below to see what the other Divas did with the challenge! It's sure to be a treat, and speaking of treats, we've also got a prize for one lucky commenter along the hop! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Next up on the hop is the oh-so-talented Amy Kolling!

1. Julee7. Sarah
2. Amy8. Sony
3. Anya9. Maureen
4. Betty10. Marisa
5. Karen11. Jen
6. Sankari



Enabler's List
Treat Box
Stamps: Die SidekicksTall Oaks (Verve Stamps)
Paper: hello honey (SU!), Harvest (WRMK)
Ink: early espresso, Stampin' Pastels (SU!)
Accessories:  Vintage Oval Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), Autumn Elements Ribbon Collection (Verve), circle punch, clear detail embossing powder, envelope punch board (WRMK)

Card
Stamps: Tall Oaks (Verve Stamps)
Paper: hello honey, crumb cake, vellum (SU!), Harvest (WRMK)
Ink: early espresso, Stampin' Pastels (SU!), Vintage Photo distress ink (Ranger), Versamark
Accessories:  Autumn Elements Ribbon Collection (Verve), gold detail embossing powder, leaves embossing folder (Darice), corner rounder

World Card Making Day Verve Release Hop

Hi friends!  Happy World Cardmaking Day and welcome to Verve's October 2014 Release Celebration! I just put the finishing touches on the website, adding three new sets, three dies and a sequin mix to the online store.  The release is a little different this month.  Everything is available in the store today and the Divas will be sharing their choice of stamp sets along today's blog hop.  Then next week we'll be spotlighting each set individually. I just wanted y'all to be able to get your hands on these sets as soon as possible!

I'm the first stop on the ole hop, so grab a cup of your favorite something and settle in to take a peek at the brand new Verve!  Then be sure to leave comments as you hop about to be entered to win the October Release Collection!  Woohoo!




My card today combines two of the new sets.  The mask is from a new set called Masquerade designed by Chaitali.  The sentiments is a builder sentiment in a set called Inspire Hope that I designed.  I thought the two combined perfectly for the Hold on To Your Hope challenge over on the SCS Hope You Can Cling To forum.

I started by building my image panel.  I designed the Mask Die Set to coordinate with the masks in the Masquerade set.  These dies do not have alignment tools and are an exact cut, so you can use them with or without the coordinating stamp set.  If you use the coordinating stamp, the stamped image will cover your entire die cut.  Here I cut the mask once from white paper and also from blackberry bliss.  I stamped the mask in blushing bride on the white die cut, then layered over the blackberry die cut for a nice shadowing effect.  The handle is also cut from blackberry bliss.

To easily be able to figure out where to stamp my mask accessories, I stamped the mask where I wanted it in VersaMark. Then I added the feather twice in black, the ribbons in pink and the dangle 6 times in blackberry bliss.  Then I layered my handle and mask over the versamarked image and everything's lined up!  Hooray!  I stamped the star image randomly in the background in soft sky, then sponged all of the layers with my very inky sponge I use for blacks and browns.  I liked the vintage feel the brown and black together gave it.

The sentiment from Inspire Hope is actually 3 stamps, (wishing you, much and happiness) which I stamped onto a circle die cut.  I like to build sentiments from the bottom up so I know I have the right spacing.  I added a scallop circle mat to this, then finished with a grosgrain knotted bow and some stardust stickles and black liquid pearls accents.

Okay, before I go, just wanted to let you know we're running a Free Shipping Promotion this weekend only on US orders over $30.  The cart does the magic, all you have to do is add at least $30 worth of product to you cart and choose US Shipping.  Not valid on Priority, International or Canadian shipping options.


Want to win some shiny new Verve? One random winner will be drawn from the comments on the blogs linked below to win our entire October Release Collection! So be sure to leave a little shout out in the comment box at each stop along the way to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for the prize details and the scoop on all the new releases!

So next up on the hop is the fabulous Stacey!
1. Julee7. Charmaine
2. Stacey8. Laurie
3. Marisa9. Christyne
4. Chaitali10. Teresa
5. Amber11. Andrea
6. Jen


Enabler's List
Stamps: MasqueradeInspire Hope (Verve Stamps)
Paper: blackberry bliss, basic black, soft sky and pretty in pink pattern DSP (SU!), white (Neenah)
Ink: soft sky, blushing bride, blackberry bliss (SU!), black
Accessories: Mask Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), classic & scallop circles nestabilities (Spellbinders), stardust stickles, black onyx liquid pearls (Ranger), black grosgrain (SU!)