Photo Shoot

Hi there peeps!  I was cruising along and realized it's the last day of the month and I hadn't shown my March Sketch For You to Try entry yet.  Oops!  For this card Dax the Duck got all dressed up (because what duck doesn't want a sparkly orange bill?) and went to one of those photo booth vending machines!

I couldn't wait to try this sketch, because I love a  tilted panel.  And the only thing more fun than a tilted panel is... a wonky titlted panel!  LOL  Little Dax from Lucky Ducky is stamped repeatedly on strips of white cardstock, then I colored his bill with a copic marker and matted on black.  The striped paper is from the Echo Park Springtime collection.   For the main panel, I cut the wonky rectangle, sponged around the inner edges with barely banana, then made a tag with the Sweet Scallop Tag Die, and the Charming Oval Die Set and Charming Banner Die Set.  I split the sentiment from Lucky Ducky up to fit the banner, then stapled the banner to the charming oval die cut.  I finished off with liquid pearls, stickles, and divine twine.  Oh, and that fabby little double bow uses gingham ribbon from Pizzazz Aplenty.  It's a dream to tie!  Love it!

Well, there you have it!  There's still a few more hours to get your cards in for Jen's Sketch For You to Try this month.  Tune in tomorrow morning for our April Diva Inspirations Hop!!!

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Lucky Ducky (Verve)
Paper: Springtime collection (Echo Park), Black, White
Ink: Black Dye Ink (A Muse), Copic Marker
Accessories:  Sweet Scallop Tag Die, Charming Oval Die Set, Charming Banner Die Set (A Cut Above Dies by Verve), Wonky Rectangles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Orange Peel Stickles, Lemon Liquid Pearls (Ranger), Black Licorice  Divine Twine (TCP), 3/8" Black & White Gingham Ribbon (Pizzazz Aplenty), flower center (Prima)

Flutterby CASE Study

Hi everybody! This is my final week of being the muse over on the Case Study challenge blog! I've had so much fun playing along with them and seeing all the beautiful inspired creations from my little cards!

I hope you'll play along with us this week as we CASE this creation of mine from back in July.  That butterfly from Blue Skies is one of my favorites and who can go wrong with a little wild wasabi?  You can read more about the inspiration card on my original post.

This was probably the easiest card of  the whole month for me to CASE.  Maybe after an entire month, I'm finally getting the hang of it!  Or maybe this card was just my favorite.  {wink}  When I started the month, I had no idea how hard it would be to CASE myself - especially when I'm the kind of gal who tries never to do the same thing twice!  LOL  Anyhow, I had a lot of fun and it stretched me to make some great cards, like this one with some of Verve's new stamps and dies!

I took my inspiration from the layout, the large scallop circles, the butterfly and the flower.  I started by cutting the large scallop circles, then embossed the flower trio from Chicks Rule in black and colored with Copics.  Next up I embossed the butterfly from the same set once on patterned paper and once on vellum, trimmed out and layered.  Then I cut a black mat for them with the coordinating Flutterby Die and added some black  pearls for the butterfly body.

I stitched and embossed piece of vellum directly to the For the Record designer paper, then inked up with Antique Linen and Vintage Photo and distressed the edges a bit.  Some stitched red ribbon was the perfect divider and I added a big bow.  The sentiment is from the Friendly Phrases set and is stamped and matted on die cuts using the Charming Banner Die Set.

The little trio of pearls is set off with the 4 petal flower punch from the SU! Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.  I just glued the pearls down, then folded up the petals.  Love how it turned out.  I finished off with the eyelet lace border punch and a few drops of liquid pearls.

Okay, that's all for this post, be sure to check out these inspired creations by the CASE Study Design team...

Iwona Palamountain

Amy Wanford

Andrea Ewen

Cristina Kowalczyk

Jean Martin

Julie Smith

Lenet Mos

Melyssa Connolly

Sue Kohler

Teneale Williams

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Chicks Rule, Friendly Phrases (Verve)
Paper: For the Record (Echo Park), Basic Black (SU!), Natural White (Neenah)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Copic Markers, Antique Linen, Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Charming Banner Die Set, Flutterby Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Clear Detail Embossing Powder (Judikins), Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Eyelet border punch (SU!), Big Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), 5/8" red grosgrain with side stiching, black and white flatback pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty), paper distresser, Diamond Glaze (Judikins), white opal liquid pearls (Ranger), Dots embossing folder (QuicKutz), sewing machine, Distrezz-it-All (Zutter)

Ducky Mojo

Hi peeps!  My Mojo Monday card for this week is just a tad bit late.  I actually made the card this weekend, but multiple oopses and a whole lot of re-diamond glazing delayed the picture taking.  As in... oops I put my thumb in the diamond glaze.... oops the cat stepped in the diamond glaze.... oops the fan blew the card off the bookshelf face down and there's diamond glaze on the desk.... oops a pile of papers just fell and landed in the diamond glaze.  Ever have one of those days?  These poor balloons have been through the ringer, I tell ya!

This card is for my big brother who just had a birthday.  I thought he'd get a kick out of Dax the Duck, so I created a little party scene using the new Life of the Party collection from BasicGrey.  Following this week's Mojo 184 sketch, I went for the square option.  I added a die cut border below and adorned the top half of the stage with a Charming Oval Die cut in half lengthwise and embellished with orange frosted flatback pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty.  The balloons are cut from DP using the oval in the Charming Oval Die Set and I stamped the balloon string from Egg-stra Special directly on the middle panel.

Dax from Lucky Ducky is cut out and I tucked a Charming Banner Die under his arm and stamped a sentiment from Big Wish.  I finished off with some layered SU! star punches, Liquid Pearls and umpteen coats of Diamond Glaze sprinkled with glitter on the balloons.  :)

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Lucky Ducky, Egg-stra Special, Big Wish (Verve)
Paper:  Life of the Party (BasicGrey), Night of Navy (SU!), white
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Copic Markers
Accessories: Charming Oval Die Set, Charming Banner Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), scallop border (MFT), star punches (SU!), orange frosted flatback pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty), Diamond Glaze, glitter, liquid pearls

Bundle of JOY

Happy Sunday peeps!  In case you missed all the fabulous samples the Divas shared at our release party Friday night, there's an After Party going on over at the Verve Blog today! The Divas are each sharing one of their favorite projects from the new release and it's a whole lot of awesomeness in one post, I tell ya.

Here's my favorite card.  Chloe and her basket from Chicks Rule had a little play date with the gang from To the Moon, and this is their little play date portrait...

 
Isn't that fun?  The basket from Chicks Rule is colored and cut out.  I stamped the handle on a long panel, then Emery the Elephant and JayJay the Giraffe from to the Moon and Chloe from Chicks Rule piled  inside and I placed the cut-out basket over them.  Since they're peeking over the sides, I was able to move the basket a ways below the end of the handle, giving more room for JayJay to peek his long neck out.

The sentiment is from To the Moon and I stamped it on an Embossed Oval Die cut.  Then to jazz it up, I cut and layered four of the new Charming Oval Die cuts, then arranged them as a backdrop for the Embossed Oval.  LOVE the look of it!   I tied a bit of Sahara Gold Metallic Dream String from Pizzazz Aplenty around the long rectangle. This stuff is so shiny and fun to work with!  A few little buttons and a whole lot of liquid pearls finished everything off.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day!

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Chicks Rule, To the Moon (Verve)
Paper: Dilly Dally (Making Memories), Crumb Cake, Barely Banana (SU!), Cream
Ink: Early Espresso (SU!), Copic markers
Accessories: Charming Oval Die Set, Embossed Oval Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Long Scallop Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Mini Punch Pack (SU!), Sahara Gold Metallic Dream String (Pizzazz Aplenty), Buttons (Making Memories), Sand Flower Soft, Bisque Liquid Pearls (Ranger)

Oh Baby!

Happy Saturday, peeps! Thanks for all your sweet comments the last few days of hopping - I had so much fun sharing peeks with you! We had a fabulous release party last night and all the new sets and dies are available in the Verve Store! Yippee!!!

I'm popping in to share a card using the new Lucky Ducky set and the Charming Oval and Charming Banner Die sets. And yep, that yellow gingham is back! I rediscovered it when I was re-arranging some papers and haven't been able to stop using it!

I made a fun little frame for the little dude from Lucky Ducky (Dax the Duck) to sit in by layering a classic circle and a pinking circle Nestabilities die together and running through my die cut machine together. Love the look of it! Dax is colored with Copics, cut out and tucked behind the frame. I layered the Charming Banners on top of the Charming Ovals for a fun little look, and added the Oh Baby sentiment from Munchkin Phrases.

A big gingham bow, adorned with some loopy loop Lemon Divine Twine adorns the side. Once again, I just used a little diamond glaze where needed to keep my loops in perfect position. I finished off with the Inside Pinking Border die from TCP and some pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty.

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

Enabler's List
Stamps: Lucky Ducky, Munchkin Phrases (Verve Stamps)
Paper: The Girl's Paperie, Black, Cream
Ink: A Muse Black Dye Ink, Copic Markers
Accessories: Charming Banner Die Set , Charming Oval Die Set
(A Cut Above by Verve), gingham ribbon (May Arts), Inside Pinking Border Die, Lemon Divine Twine(TCP), flatback pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty), Pinking and Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

Chloe's Casa Spotlight Day 3

Hola peeps!  Today is the final day of Spotlight Hops! Tonight we'll be revealing the new sets and dies from 9-11pm Eastern at our Release Party!  Drop on by... there will definitely be something to chirp about!

In the meantime, Let's Go to the HOP!!!  All the cats and CHICKS can get their kicks at the hop!  And today we're kicking off the first peeks at a set called Chicks Rule, a whimsical set for all the chicks in your life!  The Divas are also debuting the Flutterby Die today, which coordinates with the butterfly from this fun set.  And you guessed it... there's a prize hidden on one of today's hop spots, so leave a little shout-out in the comments as you hop about for a chance to win some new Vervey goodness!  But you better hurry, the deadline for commenting is tonight at 6pm Mountain!  Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and to meet the three Chicklets debuting in this set.

You can find the master hop list at the bottom of this post, but for now I'll turn your attention to my project for today... Chloe's Casa featuring Chicks Rule,  the Charming Oval Die Set and  the Sweet Birdhouse Template Set & Cutting Files from Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs.  Isn't this little birdhouse template just the cutest???

I cut the birdhouse shapes from Quite Contrary designer paper using my Cricut Expression and SCAL software, then assembled.  Although there's also a PDF included in Kelleigh's template set, so you could totally do this "old school" with scissors. {wink} The template cuts a peephole out, but I wanted a scallop edge to match the roof, so I simply punched a 1-3/8" circle punch out of espresso cardstock, then punched around the negative of the shape with the scallop circle punch and glued my resulting frame around the peephole.

Chloe from Chicks Rule is the perfect sized chick to hang out in this little Casa, so I colored her with prismacolor pencils and gamsol, then tucked her inside.  The flower in her hair matches the solo flower in the set, so I punched it out with one of the punches from the SU! mini punch pack, then colored with Copics and popped up for a little dimension.  It looked so cute, I decided to giver her a little garden of flowers at the base of her little casa.

The sentiment is one of my favorite's from the Chicks Rule set, and is stamped on the largest die from the Charming Oval Die Set.  To give it a quick little mat (and a little pouch to tuck my stick pin), I simply cut two more of the large charming oval from early espresso and staggered them above and below the cream layer.  That triple pearl stick pin is a scrumptious little treat from Pizzazz Aplenty and I finished off with some aqua shabby wrinkled ribbon.

So that wraps it up for me today!  I hope to see y'all tonight at the party!  Happy hopping!!!

1. Maureen 7. Sankari 2. Amy 8. Tosh 3. Amber 9. Julee (ME) 4. Janelle 10. Andrea 5. Teresa 11. Charmaine 6. Laurie

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Chicks Rule (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Quite Contrary (My Mind's Eye), Early Espresso (SU!), Cream
Ink: Early Espresso (SU!), Prismacolor pencils & gamsol, Copic markes, Antique Linen (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Charming Oval Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Sweet Birdhouse Cutting Files (Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs), Mini Punch Pack, 1-3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch (SU!), shabby wrinkled ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique), Triple Pearl stick pins (Pizzazz Aplenty, Cricut Expression, SCAL software

Charming Oval Spotlight Day 2

Hi friends!  It's Day 2 of our New Release Spotlights, and time to shine our sneaky Verve spotlight on some more new stamps and dies!  Follow the hop list at the bottom of this post to see our first looks at Egg-stra Special and the Charming Oval and Charming Banner die sets.  And because we love to celebrate, there's a prize hidden on one of today's hop spots, so leave a little shout-out in the comments as you hop about for a chance to win some new Vervey goodness!  You can check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details, deadlines and a little more chitchat about today's featured stamps and dies.

You can find the master hop list at the bottom of this post, but for now I'll turn your attention to the debut of the Egg-Stra Special set and Charming Oval Die Set. 

I went for an elegant looking card showcasing the new Charming Oval Die Set.  It's a set of three dies that layer together.  I used the smallest die as an Easter egg and cut three of them from some Hello Luscious paper.  I remember as a child  being mesmerized by all the colorful and ornate glass eggs in store windows at Easter time, so that was my inspiration for this card.  I added a cream charming oval mat and bermuda bay, purely pomegranate and wild wasabi outer mats.  Then I dressed things up with two sizes of shiny gold pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty.

That little loopy border is is one of my faves and is made using the Apron border from TCP.  I found this fun Sizzix embossing folder on my last trip to the craft store and had to bring it home with me.  For the sentiment panel, I embossed the Easter blessings sentiment and the Vintage Oval Frame stamp in detail gold.  I colored in the outer line of the vintage oval with a Copic marker, then matted on a Vintage Oval die cut from Wild Wasabi.

Well, that wraps it up for me today.  I posted my CASE Study challenge card a bit earlier, which has another peek at the new dies and an early peek of the set we'll be previewing tomorrow.  To see it, just scroll down to the next post or click here.  Tune in tomorrow for our final Spotlight Hop before the release party on Friday night!  Hope you have a fabulous time hopping today!  See ya soon!

1. Laurie 7. Julee (ME) 2. Charmaine 8. Sankari 3. Jackie 9. Janelle 4. Amber 10. Maureen 5. Tosh 11. Teresa 6. Andrea 12. Amy

Enabler's List:

Stamps: Egg-stra Special, Vintage Oval Frame (stamp) (Verve)
Paper: Hello Luscious (BasicGrey), Bermuda Bay, Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi (SU!), Cream
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: Charming Oval Die Set, Vintage Oval Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Gold detail embossing powder (Ranger), shiny gold pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty), Apron border die (TCP), Flourish, Dots & Ribbon Textured Impression set (Sizzix), gold ribbon, Corner Chomper

Chicklet CASE Study

Hi everybody! This month I'm honored to be the guest muse over at the Case Study challenge blog! Each Thursday in March they'll be challenging you to be inspired by and loosely CASE a given card of mine.  There's usually a pretty cool prize, so I hope you'll play along with us!

This week, we're CASE-ing this shabby little card I made during my last trip to Laurie's.  Her craft room is so inspiring and I remember having so much fun laughing with her while I made this card using Joy for the Journey and the Vintage Oval stamp and die.  You can read more about the inspiration card on my original post.

For the remake I was inspired by the colors (a very Vervey combo), the layered punches and dies, as well as the diagonal ribbon.  My original card was made as a sneak peek of Verve's October release and today's card is a sneak peek of our March release that's coming up this Friday!

This little chicklet is from the Chicks Rule set the Divas will be previewing on Friday.  Yep, I got all mixed up on my days, so you're getting an extra sneaky peeky!  Good thing  I'm the owner, or I might be in trouble!  {wink}  Charley (yep, that's her name) is colored with prismacolor pencils and gamsol, then I trimmed her out, along with her little scepter and glued the crown on top, adding some turquoise pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty.  She's on a crumb cake background stamped with the title sentiment from the Chicks Rule set.

There's also a few new die sets releasing Friday, and a couple showed up on this card.  The Charming Oval and Charming Banner Die sets can be layered together and were designed to fit many of the sentiments in our Phrases line of stamps.  Here I thought the Princess of Quite a Lot from Munchkin Phrases was the perfect fit.  These layered dies are matted with the SU! scallop oval punch, then I added a mini rosette fit for a princess behind it all.  I finished off with some silk ribbon and a bit of bling.

Okay, that's all for this post, be sure to check out these inspired creations by the CASE Study Design team...

Iwona Palamountain

Amy Wanford

Andrea Ewen

Cristina Kowalczyk

Jean Martin

Julie Smith

Lenet Mos

Melyssa Connolly

Sue Kohler

Teneale Williams

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Chicks Rule, Munchkin Phrases (Verve)
Paper: Road Show (Fancy Pants), Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Cream
Ink: Early Espresso (SU!), Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress), Prismacolor Pencils & gamsol, Copics
Accessories: Charming Oval Die Set, Charming Banner Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Martha Stewart border punch, Mini Rosettes Die (Tim Holtz), Say it in Pearls bling (Prima), silk ribbon (May Arts), aqua flatback pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty), Scallop Oval Punch (SU!), paper distresser, Diamond Glaze (Judikins)

Lucky Ducky Spotlight Day 1

Hi friends!  It's Wednesday, and time to shine our sneaky Verve spotlight on some brand new stamps!  The release Divas are putting on a little hop today to introduce you to a new set called Lucky Ducky and our Hope Perches Plain Jane.  And since we love to celebrate, there's a prize hidden on one of today's hop spots, so leave a little shout-out in the comments as you hop about for a chance to win some new Vervey goodness!  You can check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details, deadlines and a little bit about our fabulous Guest Diva, Janelle Stollfus.

Okay, so let's get this party started!!!  You can find the master hop list at the bottom of this post, but for now I'll turn your attention to this little debut of the Lucky Ducky set.  You'll also see a little peek-sy at one of the new die sets if you look closely.

My dear friend, Shannan, has been hinting around about wanting a ducky set literally since the dawn of Verve.  So when I sat down to illustrate some whimsical spring critters, I knew a duck would just have to make an appearance.  And thus began the happy little existence of a fellow I like to call Dax the duck. He's colored with Copics, cut out, then layered on two dies from the new Charming Oval Die Set.  I then stamped the sentiment from Lucky Ducky inside of the Vintage Oval Frame (stamped, colored and die cut with the Vintage Oval die).  And since he's just hanging out on a fine spring day, I added the kite from To the Moon.  I finished off with some Black Licorice Divine Twine, a little thin ric rac and some bling from Pizzazz Aplenty.  The trick to getting the twine to lay just right and curl up on the ends?  I place it how I want it, then use a toothpick to dab a tiny drop of Diamond Glaze on the paper below the twine, then press it in.  Once I get it just so, I then trim the ends and everything stays in place.  Here I added a couple drops under each side of the bow, to keep things all neat and tidy.

Well, that wraps it up for me.  If you missed my sneak peek of the Hope Perches Plain Jane, just scroll down to the next post or click here.  Tune in tomorrow for two sneaky peeks from me... my CASE study challenge card and our Day 2 Spotlight Hop.  Hope you have a fabulous time hopping today!  See ya soon!

1. Charmaine 7. Teresa 2. Janelle 8. Amber 3. Laurie 9. Tosh 4. Jackie 10. Amy 5. Sankari 11. Andrea 6. Julee (ME) 12. Maureen

Enabler's List:

Stamps: Lucky Ducky, Vintage Oval Frame (stamp), To the Moon
Paper: Roadshow Collection (Fancy Pants), Girl's Paperie DP, black, cream
Ink: A Muse Black Ink, Copic Markers
Accessories: Vintage Oval Die, Charming Oval Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Black Licorice Divine Twine (TCP), Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Swiss Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug), ric rac, rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty)

Mojo Perches

 Hi friends!  It's Monday already (where did the weekend go?) and time for another sketch over at Mojo Monday.  This week's sketch was based on this fun little card I made a little while back.  I loved how it came together and decided to turn it into this week's sketch.

For my sample Mojo 183 card today, I flipped the sketch and turned it into a square card to accommodate this early little sneak peek of the Hope Perches Plain Jane that will be releasing from Verve this Friday night.  Yep, it's release week, and we've got some fun sets and dies to show off starting on Wednesday with 3 days of Spotlight Hops.  Be sure to tune in then! 

Anyhow, this poem by Emily Dickinson has always been a favorite, so I just had to have a stamp with at least part of it! 

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops  at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chilliest land
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

And ever since I designed the stamp, I've had this little bird image from the Swan Song set in the back of my head, so I pulled it out and went for a soft shabby spring look.  The bird is trimmed out by hand and softly colored with Copic markers, then I added a little pink glass glitter to the branches.  Beneath him is a bit of twine rolled up in a circle and I added a little SU! glass glitter  to it, too.


Enabler's List:
Stamps: Hope Perches Plain Jane (releases Friday night, 3/25), Swan Song (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Stella and Rose - Hazel Collection (My Mind's Eye), Basic Gray, Cream
Ink: Smoky Gray (Versafine), Pumice Stone (Ranger Distress), Copic Markers
Accessories: Floral Doily Accents (Spellbinders), shabby wrinkled ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique), twine, pink Glitzy glass glitter (TCP), silver glass glitter (SU!), liquid pearls, Sizzix embossing folder

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Hi y'all!  Happy Saturday!  Today is Sarah Bigelow's (one of my awesome Mojo Makers) birthday and she's celebrating in style with a little blog hop and sketch challenge.  Be sure to check out Sarah's blog for all the details, since there are Verve prizes to be won.  The full blog hop list is below - leave a shout out as you hop along for a chance to win.  Then print out the sketch, give it a go and link your creation up to Sarah's blog by April 2 for another chance to win!

For my card, I pulled out some Roadshow paper from my stash. The sentiment and flourishes are from the Happy Days set, and I used the Labels 7 Nestabilities as a stencil as I stamped. The little rosette is made using the Tim Holtz mini rosettes die, then I added a round adhesive circle and shook a little German glass glitter over it for the center, then added some basic gray taffeta ribbon. A few little pearl clusters and some liquid pearls and I was done!

Okay, here's the hop list...  happy hopping!

1. Sarah	8. Betty
2. Teresa	9. Marisa
3. Wanda	10. Andrea
4. Debbie	11. Lynda
5. Tosh	12. Charmaine
6. Stephanie	13. Keva
7. Julee (Me)	14. Amy

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Happy Days (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Roadshow Collection (Fancy Pants), Basic Gray, Cream
Ink: Groovy Guava, Soft Sky, Basic Gray (SU!)
Accessories: Mini Rosettes Die, Tiny Attacher (Tim Holtz), corner rounder, Labels 9 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), pearl clusters, glass glitter, basic gray taffeta (SU!), platinum liquid pearls, embossing folder 

Spring Dreams

Hi y'all!  Have you played along with our Get Your Diva On challenge yet?  There's just a few more days to play for your chance to be a future Verve Guest Diva.  Tosh is the hostess with the mostess this month, and she issued a color challenge to use all neutrals with a splash of color to signify the arrival of spring.  Check out all the challenge details --> HERE <--.  Deadline is this Sunday night {3/20}.

Nothing says spring to me more than butterflies, so I knew I was going to pull out Blue Skies for my card.  I fiddled with papers for a while before deciding to use all newsprint and good old fashioned stamping.  :)  The newsprint is stamped randomly with the 2 sizes of butterflies in Blue Skies, then I shaded the butterflies lightly with warm grey Copics and sponged all of the edges with a little Pumice Stone distress ink.  The flags are stamped in Bermuda Bay with the little leaf flourish, then hand cut and matted with black.  The two butterflies on the sentiment panel are colored wtih Copics then popped up for a little dimension.  I finished off with a little divine twine and a button.

The sketch is this week's Viva la Verve! sketch by Jackie Pedro.  Isn't it fun?  Play along with all of this month's sketches  for your chance to win an entire Verve release!

Personal update:  My sickness is still hanging on, but I feel about 50% healthy now, which is worlds above feeling 100% sick!  LOL  Hopefully I'll regain some of my energy over the weekend!

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Blue Skies (Verve Stamps)
Paper: First Edition Specialty (SU!), Black, Natural White Classic Crest (Neenah)
Ink: Black Dye Ink (A Muse), Bermuda Bay (SU!), Pumice Stone (Ranger Distress), Copic markers
Accessories: corner rounder, black licorice divine twine, black pearls, button

Chirpy CASE Study

Hi everybody! This month I'm honored to be the guest muse over at the Case Study challenge blog! Each Thursday in March they'll be challenging you to be inspired by and loosely CASE a given card of mine.  And this week Verve is sponsoring the prize, so I hope you'll play along!

This week, we're CASE-ing this whimsical little card I made a while back with the Text Objects and Wordy Birds sets.  To read more about this card, you can check out my original post  here.

For the remake I was inspired by the whimsical feel, white accents and the bottom border of the card.  I chose this fun paper I just got by My Little Shoebox and thought the Wordy Birds set would fit perfectly with all the fun little birdhouses.

I started off by cutting my borders using the Big Scallop die from The Cat's Pajamas.  Next I stamped the birdie from Wordy Birds, colored with Copics and cut out.  I made a little nest for him by gluing some linen thread together in a nest like fashion, then added the sentiment strip using the Sentiment Flags die from Lil' Inker Designs.  I layered this all on some circle punches, accented with liquid pearls and glued on so it looked like the nest was about even with the branch on the dp.

My final touch was a bit of white twill knotted, then a big white grommet placed over it.  I highlighted each of the little bumps on the grommet with some liquid pearls to dress it up a bit and then added a bit of Stardust stickles to the birdie's wing and I was finished.

So before you run and start the challenge, be sure to check out these inspired creations by the CASE Study Design team...

Iwona Palamountain

Amy Wanford

Andrea Ewen

Cristina Kowalczyk

Jean Martin

Julie Smith

Lenet Mos

Melyssa Connolly

Sue Kohler

Teneale Williams

Okay, for those of you who read my blog regularly, I came back from the doctor on Monday armed with medicine to treat my sinus infection, ear infection and laryngitis. I had an afternoon and evening of relief and renewed hope that I was on the road to recovery only to wake up Tuesday morning with nausea and I've hardly kept any food down since then.  When it rains, it pours, I guess.  Maybe I'm just getting all my sickness out of the way for the entire year!  LOL  Thanks for all of you who've left such sweet get well wishes and comments.

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Wordy Birds (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Home Tweet Home DP (My Little Shoebox), White CS
Ink: Black Dye Ink (A Muse), Copics
Accessories: Big Scallop Die (TCP), Sentiment Flags Die (Lil' Inker Designs), Circle punches, jumbo grommett, linen thread (SU!), Stardust Stickles, White Opal Liquid Pearls (Ranger), white twill

Hope

It's Monday morning and that means it's time for another Mojo Monday sketch!  Be sure to check the Mojo blog for this week's sketch and a peek at all the samples from the design team.

I fell in love with this Salt Air paper from Cosmo Cricket the moment I saw it in a preview and couldn't wait to order it.  It's just so happy and colorful.  I chose the leaf sprig from Great Friend to coordinate with the paper, and made my own background for the Jeremiah 29:11 verse using daffodil delight and peach parfait ink.  The edges are sponged with Vintage Photo ink and I used a QuicKutz Nesting Label for the shape.

I gave an honest effort at reconnecting with my estranged sewing machine, but don't look too closely - it wasn't a happy reunion for either of us!  {grin}  For the diagonal ribbon, I wrapped some yummy fibers from a new Etsy shop I tried out .. bluehollow. Then added a tag using the Embossed Oval Die stamped with the Hope sentiment from Richly Blessed.  For accent I added some orange rhinestones and a triple pearl stick pin from Pizzazz Aplenty, as well as a metal photo corner from my stash.

Well, I'm on day 8 of my no-good, very-bad cold, which after seeming to zap the very life from me this last week, has now left me with out a voice and a healthy dose of excruciating ear pain.  So I'm hoping to get in to see the doctor today, then it looks like another day of hanging out in bed.  Hope y'all are staying healthy!


Oh, and it's the start of a new Get Your Diva On challenge over in our forum today!  Check out what Tosh's challenge is and play along for a chance to be a Verve Guest Diva!

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Great Friend, Jeremiah 29:11, Richly Blessed (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Salt Air (Cosmo Cricket), Cream, Early Espresso
Ink: daffodil delight, peach parfait, early espresso (SU!), Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories:  Embossed Oval Die (Verve), Nesting Label (QuicKutz), sewing machine, orange rhinestones and triple pearl stick pin (Pizzazz Aplenty), washer (Tim Holtz), fiber (bluehollow), photo corner (WRMK)

Black & White Blessings

Happy Friday!  I'm right in the middle of a no-good, very-bad cold, so I'm going to keep today's post short and sweet.  It's Friday, and that means it's time for another Viva la Verve! sketch.  This week's hostess is Maureen and I love her sweet little tilted panel sketch.

I started by stamping the swirl from Blessings in black on a circle, then stamping the Birthday Blessings sentiment from the same set on a Lil' Inkers Sentiment Flag die cut.  I then matted with a petite scallop circle and accented with white opal liquid pearls and a prima flower.

For the ribbon treatment, I laid down a piece of the polka dot ribbon, cutting tails on either end.  Then I simply made two separate bows, glued them to the flat ribbon and glued a prima flower center on top.  The black border is a Martha Stewart border punch and I used a couple different embossing folders and finished off with some distressed edges.

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Blessings (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Black, White
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories: Sentiment Flags Die (Lil' Inker Designs), Classic & Petite Scallop Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), border punch (Martha Stewart), polka dot ribbon (Creative Impressions), polka dot embossing folder (QuicKutz), texture fades (Tim Holtz), flower center, flower (Prima), white opal liquid pearls (Ranger)

Shabby CASE Study

Hi everybody! This month I'm honored to be the guest muse over at the Case Study challenge blog! Each Thursday in March they'll be challenging you to be inspired by and loosely CASE a given card of mine. They usually have some fun prizes, too, so be sure to check it out!

For this week, we're CASE-ing this card I made a while back with the Text Objects set and some dies from TCP.  To read more about this card, you can check out my original post  here.

It's kind of fitting that this is the card we're casing this week.  When I made the original card, I was going through a really rough time and chose the sentiments specifically to remind myself that I am blessed.  And when I sat down to CASE this card, I had just returned from my grandmother's funeral and wanted to give myself a reminder that through everything God is good.  My inspiration came from the subtle text stamping behind the sentiment, the light colors with dark accents and the way the sentiment/die shape looked like a flower.

I started off with a couple Waltzingmouse Stamps, first the tag from Very Vintage Labels No. 4, then I masked off the outer edges and stamped the background from Text-It in Sahara Sand on the tag.  I then embossed over this with the sentiment from Verve's Joy for the Journey set.  Then I did a little sponging and matted on a Labels 4 Nestabilities die cut.

While doing a little organizing, I rediscovered the Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers die in my stash, and thought it would be a great time to break it out and make a shabby flower.  These Julianne papers from K & Company are so soft and pretty, that I was inspired to add some aqua Oregon raindrops to the center and also highlight the Apron border die edge with them as well.  I also found a bit of transparent film strip from Tim Holtz and added that to the card, too.  I finished off with a little chocolate toffee metallic dream string (so shiny and pretty) from Pizzazz Aplenty.

Okay, so before you run and start the challenge, be sure to check out these inspired creations by the CASE Study Design team...

Iwona Palamountain

Amy Wanford

Andrea Ewen

Cristina Kowalczyk

Jean Martin

Julie Smith

Lenet Mos

Melyssa Connolly

Sue Kohler

Teneale Williams

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Joy for the Journey (Verve Stamps), Very Vintage Labels No. 4, Text-It (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Paper: Julianne (K & Company), Early Espresso (SU!), Cream
Ink: Sahara Sand, Early Espresso (SU!), Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Tattered Florals Die, Damask Texture Fades, Film strip transparency (Tim Holtz), Labels 4 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Aqua Oregon Rain Drops (Pink Hedgehog), Apron border die (The Cat's Pajamas), chocolate toffee metallic dream string (Pizzazz Aplenty)

Fabulous

 It's time for another Mojo Monday challenge, and since it's the first Monday of the month, that means it's a CONTEST week!  Play along for your chance to win a Verve set of your choosing!  Head on over to the Mojo Monday blog for the sketch and all the details, not to mention some fabulous eye candy from the design team.

For my sample card, I used some more of that Stella and Rose Mabel Collection paper.  I just love the colors and wanted to use this fun orange butterfly I found in my stash.  I had lots of fun with die cuts, using a flourish Sizzix die and the Notebook Edge die from MFT.  The little border along my triangles is the negative of that notebook edge.  So fun!

For stamping, I pulled out an old favorite, Love's Flower.  I noticed that the small flower fits really well in the flower punch from the SU Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack., so I stamped the small flower several times, colored with Copics, punched out, added some glitter/diamond glaze mixture and accented with orange bling from Pizzazz Aplenty.  I did the same with the larger flower, hand cutting a little border around it to match the others, then layered them over my circle and added the sentiment in Bermuda Bay.  A little bling on my flourish die cut and I was done.

Thanks to everyone who has left such sweet condolences on my grandmother's passing.  We spent the weekend surrounded by family, celebrating her life and putting her to rest.  Such a bittersweet time filled with much sadness, laughter and tears.  I'm still not feeling much like creating (thankfully I already had this card finished), so please forgive the silence here on the blog the next few days.

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Love's Flower (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Stella and Rose Mable Collection (My Mind's Eye), Really Rust, Bermuda Bay
Ink: Really Rust, Bermuda Bay (SU!), Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress), Copics
Accessories:  Notebook Edge Die-namics (MFT), Classic and Petite Scallop Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Flourish die (Sizzix), Butterfly (Prima), Tiny Attacher (Tim Holtz), Round-it-all (Zutter), light sapphire and orange flatback rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty), Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (SU!), glitter, diamond glaze (Judikins)

For the Birthday Girl

Hi everyone.  This week has been a rough one for me.  My grandmother passed away, so I've been laying low, trying to process things.  And so I missed a very special birthday yesterday... my best friend, Laurie's!  I actually made the card earlier this week and squeaked it in under the wire for the February SFYTT challenge.  Jen's sketch got my creative juices going and I only strayed a little when making this little number for Laurie!

Laurie loves leafy designs... like crazy love... so I stamped the basic gray, cherry cobbler and basic black layers with the leafy sprigs (embossing the black on black, which is something Laurie does and I always think it looks amazing!).

Next I went for the flower.  I stamped all three sizes of the line art flower from Great Friend on white, then cut out, sponged with a bit of Pumice Stone, curled the edges and layered on dimensionals.  Then I added a little German glass glitter, a prima flower center and a nice coating of glitter/diamond glaze mixture on everything.  It's so super sparkly in real life!

For the little horizontal strip, I used an SU! border punch, stamped the For You sentiment from Great Friend across it three times, then added some German glass glitter, red rhinestones and some of that polka dot ribbon I love so much.  And since Laurie got me hooked on those tiny library clips, I had to add the sentiment circle (from Birthday Bash) with a silver library clip, then accented with a couple star trinket pins, because Laurie's such a star!

Okay, that's all from me.  Have a fabulous weekend!  And here's a refresher of what's going on in Verveland...
March Diva Inspiration Hop: Deadline to comment is Saturday night
Verve Fan Hop: Deadline to link up your creation is noon (Mountain) on Saturday
Verve Fan Hop Commenting:  Commenting is open until Sunday night
Viva la Verve! March Week 2:  Charmaine's this week's hostess

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Great Friend, Birthday Bash (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Basic Gray, Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler (SU!), Natural White (Neenah)
Ink: Basic Gray, Cherry Cobbler (SU!), Pumice Stone (Ranger Distress), Frost VersaMark
Accessories: circle punches, glass glitter, mini library clip, eyelet border punch (SU!), star stick pins (Maya Road), diamond glaze and glitter mixture, flower center (prima), rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty), paper distresser (Tonic), polka dot ribbon, file folder die

Case Study Friend

Hi everybody! This month I'm honored to be the guest muse over at the Case Study challenge blog! If you haven't heard of them, I hope you'll take a moment to check out their fun challenge! Each Thursday in March they'll be challenging you to be inspired by and loosely CASE a given card of mine. They usually have some fun prizes, too, so be sure to check it out! 

For this week, we're CASE-ing this card I made for Mark for our anniversary. It's one of my recent faves and I hope you find some inspiration there!  To read more about this card, you can check out my original post here.

I took my inspiration from the overall shabby chic feel, the rosette and the flower... oh and those little hearts from the Text Objects set.. love them!  My card for today went with a much more feminine feel, but Mark seemed just as impressed by it.  He even momentarily stopped his video game to ooh and ahh over it!  And he knew right away exactly which card I had CASE'd.

I started with the Good Day Sunshine collection by My Mind's Eye and embossed the cheerful friend quote from Text Objects in Early Espresso directly onto the coral paper. Next I used the Damask texture fade to dry emboss above and below the sentiment, then sanded lightly for a super shabby feel. The rosette is made from coordinating paper using the Tim Holtz Rosette die and I matted it onto a Petite Scallop Circle Nestabilities die cut for a little more oomph! Next I added the stamped heart, sponged with a little Groovy Guava then the friend sentiment punched with the modern label punch. The Prima sets it off and I added a hint of glitter and diamond glaze mixture for a little sparkle.

Okay, so before you run and start the challenge, be sure to check out these inspired creations by the CASE Study Design team...

Iwona Palamountain

Amy Wanford

Andrea Ewen

Cristina Kowalczyk

Jean Martin

Julie Smith

Lenet Mos

Melyssa Connolly

Sue Kohler

Teneale Williams

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Text Objects (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Good Day Sunshine (My Mind's Eye), Early Espresso (SU!), Cream
Ink: Groovy Guava, Early Espresso (SU!), Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Rosette Die, Damask Texture Fades (Tim Holtz), Petite Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Prima flower, Modern Label Punch (SU!), Flourish die (Sizzix), Loop trim punch (Martha Stewart), lace, tiny pearls (Pizzazz Aplenty)

Blessings Be More and a HOP

Happy March!  It's time for the March Diva Inspirations Hop and I'm the first stop on the hop!  Hop around to the entire list and leave a little comment love for a chance to win a $30 Verve gift certificate!  Then once you've found a little inspiration, go ink up some Verve and enter yourself in our March Verve Fan Hop!  There's a couple more awesome gift certificates up for grabs if you do!  You can read all the details over on the Verve Blog today!

With the start of a new month, comes a new Stamp of the Month and this month we're featuring Blessings!  I used it here on a little home decor project.  The Blessings set has a few large Irish blessings, two elegant flourishes and several all occasion sentiments, making it perfect for St. Patty's Day and year-round use too!  And during the month of March it's 30% off!  Check it out over at the Verve store and while you're there don't miss the Spring Savings Sale page.

For this project, I created a wall hanging from a chipboard frame I picked up on clearance.  I covered the chipboard with Bo Bunny Paper, then inked up the edges with Vintage Photo ink.  The center frame is a QuicKutz die and I embossed the Irish blessing in Chocolate Chip Craft ink, then stamped the flourish in Bermuda Bay.  For embellishment, I chose a fabulous Prima butterfly from my stash then used some swarovskis and teardrop rhinestones from Pizzazz Aplenty.  To finish things off, I simply punched two holes with my crop-a-dile and threaded some May Arts ribbon through, knotting the ends on the back.

That's all from me today.  Be sure to check out the rest of the fabulous Diva inspirations below.  Next up on the hop is BETTY!

1. Julee 6. Michelle 2. Betty 7. Lynda 3. Dawn 8. Shannan 4. Jen d. 9. Sony 5. Jen T. 10.Susan

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Enabler's List
Stamps: Blessings (Verve Stamps)
Paper: BoBunny DP, Chocolate Chip (SU!), Cream
Ink: Chocolate Chip Craft, Bermuda Bay (SU!), Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Chipboard frame (Daisy Bucket), Nesting Label Die {QuicKutz), Butterfly (Prima), swarovski crystals and teardrop rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty), Crop-a-dile, ribbon (May Arts)