Hugs and Smiles

 It's CAS week over at the Verve forum on SCS and I just loved this sketch.  Lots of options, that's for sure!

This ribbon which I found in the Michael's ribbon bin a year or so ago was my starting point.  Such a classic colour combo.

While editing my picture I noticed my sentiment was a bit squint - sorry about that!!  The circle has been remounted and adjusted so all is nice and straight now - promise LOL!  I'll replace the picture as soon as I get a chance to take a new one.  Until then, you'll just have to pretend it is straight by tipping your head to the side a bit ;)

All the Verve sketches for February are done.  Now the waiting game to see if I am the lucky winner of the $100 Verve gift certificate begins.  Wouldn't take me long to spend it, that's for sure!

Hugs and smiles to you all :)

 


What's In It?
Stamps: Kind Words and Dream Big (Verve)

Paper: Black, Real Red, White
Ink: Black, Going Grey
Accessories: Ribbon, Lacy Scallop and Circle Nesties, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Flutterby Die (Verve), Black  Half Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Spring Has Spring

Loved this MFT sketch so decided to play along this week.  I found a scrap of this wonderful Pebbles paper and decided to use it to make a spring themed card as I can't wait for Spring  to arrive!!  Just planted primroses in the planter by my front door and my tulips are beginning to push through the ground so Spring is on my mind big time!

The paper has one of my favorite colour combos:  pink and green.  I'm still hooked on the Vintage Flower border punch by Martha Stewart and paired it with two of my other favorite addictions - lacy circle nesties and my beloved Verve Flutterby die.  Spring has definitely sprung in my craft room.  Now just need it to arrive outside :)

Off to teach Sunday School this morning and then we plan on having a relaxing day as a family.  Well..... maybe not all that relaxing as we can get pretty intense when it comes to certain Wii games, but good family fun none-the-less :)

Feeling better bit by bit too and for that I am extremely grateful!  Three week bugs and I don't get along very well LOL!    

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Amuse 
Paper:  Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Ever After Blushing Bride (Pebbles)
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Flutteby Die (Verve), Lacy Circle and Circle Nesties, Martha Stewart Vintage Flower Border PUnch, Silver Half Pearls, Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensinoals

Shamrocks Are Multiplying

 
One more St. Patrick's Day card for you using this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch.  I changed the squares to circles because IMHO shamrocks look better on circles and I kept things rather simple as it is going to a male.  Know there is a bow on there, but he can handle it LOL!

I've had so much fun working with all the greens on these St. Patrick day cards (for those that don't know, it is my favorite colour and pairing it with kraft makes it even more fun).  Makes my heart sing -- and be glad it is just my heart that's singing, otherwise it would be a sad, sad, situation LOL!   Yes, tin buckets and I get along very well thank you ;)

Love the fact there are various shamrock sizes and matching dies to this Verve set!  Julee is the bestest :)    

Have a glorious day and a great weekend!



What's In It?
Stamps: Lucky You (Verve) 
Paper: Sonoma Fall Oak (Scenic Route), Wild Wasabi, Kraft 
Ink: Garden Green, Black 
Accessories:  1 3/8" and 1 1/4" Circle Punches, Shamrock Die (Verve), SU Border Punch, 5/8" White Satin Ribbon, Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Welcome Pink Polka Dotted Emerietta

I took some artistic liberties...okay....a lot of artistic liberties, with this week's Verve sketch.  The one circle became a heart and moved to the left side, the buttons became the bow and the sentiment panel was the magically moving hidden half circle.  So I'm bobbing and weaving so the Verve police won't catch me LOL!

Since I did a baby boy card for the Mojo Monday sketch, I figured I had to make a baby girl card so I had one of each in my stash.  Emery became Emerietta and a pink, polka dotted elephant was born :)   I paired her with this fabulous Sandy Lion paper and some pleated pink ribbon I won on Sharon Johnson's blog last year.  Also used my  new nestie heart circles which my blogging buddy Tanis "got" me for my birthday.  She included a Michael's GC with my birthday card and I was able to snag them at 40% off at Mike's - score!  Thanks Tanis!! I love them and will think of you every time I use them (((hugs))).

I'm still not one hundred percent healthy but moving in the right direction.  Some have mentioned it is a three week bug - ugh!!  If that's the case, one down two to go.  Hopefully it won't take that long, and if it does, at least I've had a heads up.

Off to tackle my busiest day of the week.   Have a great day and thanks for sharing a bit of yours with me today.



What's In It?
Stamps: Emery Plain Jane (Verve), Studio G
Paper: Sandy Lion, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Rose Romance, SU Pretty In Pink DSP
Ink: Black
Accessories: Heart Circle and Circle Nesties, Heart Dies (Verve), Pink Pleated Ribbon, 5/8" White Satin Ribbon, Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday Baby Blog Hop For Julee

I have the wonderful honour of being part of a surprise Mojo Monday   Baby Blog Hop for Julee!  If you haven't heard, she is expecting twin boys in mid-March, so we wanted to share our love, support and happiness for Mark and Julee on the upcoming birth of their sons :)

If you have arrived from Amber's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened upon the hop and want to start from the beginning, or if there is a glitch somewhere along the way, you can go to the bottom of this post for the master hop list.

Being that Julee is Verve's owner and creator, I just had to use Emery!  I paper pieced him twice and went with a blue and brown colour scheme as it is such a fun combo for boys.  Since the paper also has an eyelet pattern, it's my way of sneaking in a girly tribute to mama Julee :)

Another part of this hop is to give Julee some advice on motherhood.  Though I did not have twins, and have no clue what to advise on that front, my two kids lead me to give the following advice:

• Sleep when they sleep.  The housework can wait!!!

• Have some prepared meals in the freezer so you have quick and easy access to meals!  That way you won't have to cook in your exhausted state those first few months.  Makes for good milk too.  

• Keep a "baby's firsts" book (many are available on line) where you can note your child's milestones their first year of life:  first tooth, first smile, first roll over, when they sat up, used a sippy cup, ate their first solid food etc.  Best part is your kids will love looking through it when they are older.

• Make sure you have some adult interaction time (mommy group, visiting friends etc.)

• Don't be afraid to ask for/receive help. 

• Take lots of pictures. Fun twist is to take a picture every month by the same object/stuffy so you can easily see how much they grow from month to month.

• Pray, pray, pray and pray some more as you raise them to love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength and equip them with the skills and character required to be amazing men and husbands.    

• Treasure special moments in your heart because the years go by waaaay too quickly!!

I know you and Mark will be wonderful parents, Julee :)  Look forward to hearing the birth announcement and names you have chosen!  Hugest of (((hugs)))!!!

The next stop on the hop is Janelle's blog, so pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy the fabulous creations along the way!
 

Master Hop List

Julee Tillman

Teresa Kline

Laurie Schmidlin 

Jen Tapler

Andrea Ewen

Debbie Carriere

Charmaine Ikach

Sankari Wegman

Shannan Teubner

Lori Craig

Maureen Plut

Toni Storie

Wanda Cullen

Amber Hight

Marisa Ritzen  (you are here)

Janelle Stollfus

Tosh Leyendekker

Jackie Pedro

Betty Wright

Jen del Muro

Lynda Benden

Stephanie Kraft

Mary Fish

Sarah Bigelow

Alma de la Rosa

Carole Burrage

Susan Lilies

Amy Sheffer

Taylor Van Bruggen

Clarire Brennan

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Emery Plain Jane (Verve)
Paper: Cute as a Button (Pebbles), Bazzil Brown, SU Bashful Blue DSP 
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  5/8" Blue Satin Ribbon, Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Thanks a Bunch

Yeah!! This week's Mojo Monday sketch didn't have a skewed panel!  Can't complain too loudly though as my card from last week was graciously included as one of the finalists :)  Thanks, Julee. 

Still on a polka dot craze and  managed to sneak some hearts in as well - can't give up on Valentine's Day quite so quickly LOL!

It's been a while since I've used some flowers and butterflies on a card so I decided it was time to change that.  A little breath of spring to brighten my day and hopefully yours too.

Busy weekend ahead running kids around, but also making sure I don't over do it as I don't want a relapse of this horrible bug!  If all goes well, may be able to sneak a little workout in - gotta keep on track with my fit and firm at 50 :)

Thanks for popping by today and wishing you a wonderful weekend.


 

What's In It?
Stamps: Bloom and Grow (Verve)
Paper: Dots and Stripes (Echo Park), Small Polka Dots (Making Memories), Rose Red, So Saffron, Going Grey, Pretty in Pink
Ink: Going Grey, Black
Accessories:  Scalloped Border Punch (SU), Labels 8, Hearts Embossing Folder, Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch, Elegant Leaf  and Floral Circle Dies (Verve), Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Shamrock Wishes

Decided to get this month's SFYTT done before the month slips away on me.  Plus, I have a few Irish friends and two friends with birthdays on St. Patrick's Day so it was shamrocks all the way :)

Jen's sketches are usually a bit tough for me as I don't colour images with Copis to pop up and I find her layouts gravitate towards that style of stamping, and so they should as she does a fabulous job at it!!

However, this time the cold/flu meds I'm taking may have come to my rescue LOL!  The three circles immediately brought shamrocks to mind.  I inked up Verve's Lucky You set again and this card card was born :)  Bonus: love the colour combo, hearts, polka dots and lacy nesties so I felt a whole lot better after making this card LOL!

Only glitch along the way was the fact I wanted to use the St. Patrick's Day sentiment from the set but it was too long to work well on the card so went with a birthday sentiment instead.

Good news is I feel like I am back in the land of the living again - yeah!!!  Not all the way there, but at least two thirds of the way - a far cry from Sunday, that's for sure.

Have a fabulous day and thanks for popping by today :)  

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Lucky You, Love Notes and  Birthday Phrases (Verve) 
Paper: Kraft, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, Happy Go Lucky (Pebbles) 
Ink: Green Galore, Black 
Accessories:  Lacy Circle Nesties, Jotted Heart and Shamrock Dies (Verve), 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 Circle Punches, Seeing Spots Embossing Folder, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimesionals

Happy 50th

I hate being sick!!!  It happens so rarely that when I do get sick it is not a pretty thing LOL!  Some sort of flu bug got me but good - ugh!  Coughing, soar throat, fever, chills, you name it!  Good news is my two kids have pretty well recovered from their bugs so now we just need mommy to get healthy.  Hoping a few more long sleeps and low key days will get me around the bend.

But you didn't come her to hear me moan and complain about being sick - though I thank you for listening ;)   This week's Verve sketch was perfect for a masculine, 50th birthday card I needed.  Kept the papers quite subdued so the 50 would really pop - think I accomplished that LOL!  Embossed a weathered brick background and added some distressed stripes to the numbers to emphasize the "aged" concept.  Sure it won't be an issue as I just know the "you're already there old timer" comment will undoubtedly come up.  Gotta love good friends :) 

 

What's In It?
Paper: Stella Rose Gertie, Kraft, Real Red
Accessories:  Tim Holtz Brick Embossing Folder, Scalloped Circle and Circle Nesties, PTI Number Dies, Brads, Button, Twine, SU Distressing Tool, Glue Dots, Dimensioanls

Polka Dots and Shamrocks

 This week's Mojo Monday sketch didn't make Marisa very happy....grrrr!!!  I am actually fairly comfortable with one skewed panel on a sketch (fairly being the operative word), but when there are two skewed panels on a sketch I go into a tail spin.

This sketch is also testing my blogging relationship with its creator, Debbie.  Lucky for her/me/us I love Verve too much too pass up an opportunity to win some, otherwise, I'm sure I would have passed on it.  So, this one is for you Debbie!  I'll send you the psych bill later LOL!

Took the opportunity to ink up my new Verve set Lucky You and make a St. Patrick's Day card.  Bonus is the fact I looove the colour green and have several Irish friends this card can be sent to.  Not expecting the set to bring me winning luck, but stranger things have happened!

Off to go watch my son's soccer game and then home to have a relaxing rest to the day in an attempt to get us all healthy again. 



What's In It?
Stamps: Lucky You (Verve)
Paper: Dots and Stripes (Echo Park),  Happy Go Lucky (Pebbles ), Wild Wassabi, Black
Ink: Black, VersaMark
Accessories: Labels 18 Nestie, Marvy Heart Punch, Ribbon, Button, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Simply Adored

Sorry to make yet another Valentine's Day card but I have an extreme addiction to hearts and with this Card Positioning Sketch basically making my card for me, I couldn't resist!   As an added bonus, I was pressed for time and it was a great excuse to cut a few corners and make a quick card....oh the shame of it LOL!

Some fun papers and this delightful Studio G stamp from Mike's $1.50 bin brought this card together in no time.  Love it when that happens :)

Kids are off school today due to a Professional Development Day for the teachers.  Good thing, as they are both sick (cold and flu of some sort) and I'm fighting something as well - ugh!  Think we're going to enjoy a jammie day today and keep the weekend as low key as we can amidst our commitments so we can all recover quickly.

Thanks for visiting.  You are simply adored :)

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Studio G (Michael's)
Paper: Yours Truly (Echo Park), Lovey Dovey (Bella Blvd), Kraft, Basic Grey
Ink: Black 
Accessories:  Scalloped Heart and Heart Nesties, Martha Steward Heart Border Punch, 5/8" Red Satin Ribbon, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

You Are Beautiful

 
Another great Verve sketch this week. I can't beleive my luck!!  No skewed panel sketches for five weeks in a row!  Makes for a very happy Marisa LOL!

Can't wait for spring to arrive so while digging through my DP pile I found this lovely floral paper from my Costco pack and decided to use it to "wish" spring here early.

My Verve "U" die came out to play again, and I paired it with a portion of a sentiment from Fabulous You.  Also got to play with my new MFT flower die - love birthday money!!

Sorry about the dark picture.  We have had a few gloriously sunny days, and as a result, I have forgotten what time of day is best for picture taking!  Cloudy skies do have their advantages LOL!  Will try to retake it later today.  New picture is up!

Remember:  You are beautiful :)  Enjoy your day!

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Fabulous You (Verve) 
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Brocade Blue, So Saffron, Rose Romance, Certainly Celery, Costco DP Pack 
Accessories:  Flower Die (MFT), I Heart You Die Set (Verve), Label 4 (PTI), 1" Green Grosgrain Ribon (Michael's), Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

On Last Inkspirations Card

This is my last Inskpirations challenge card that I had pre-made in advance prior to it being wrapped up in December.  Loved the yellow and plum or the yellow and green together but for some reason when all three were in the mix I had issues.  Thankfully I was able to surmount my "bad mojo day" by going with my fall back theory: "when there is green in the mix, make a flower card" and it worked once again :) 

I tried a ton of different layouts and finally settled on using this sketch and took some creative license by re-orienting the ribbon placement.  So many wonderful possibilities I know I'll be using it again :)  Only problem is I can't remember who it is by, so if someone knows, please let me know so I can add the link.

The PTI doily die dressed things up a bit and I rolled some roses with my MFT rose dies.  Snuck the green in with the leaves and added a pop of black to finish things off.  Great sketch with all sorts of possibilities.

We finally had some blue skies and sunshine around here and it was a sheer delight! Everyone has a spring in their step and the cat took full advantage of laying in the sun and sleeping as it streamed through the window.   Oh how I would love his life for a week LOL!      

Hoping  you have a fabulous day!





What's In It?
Stamps: Circular Sayings (Verve)
Paper: SU So Saffron DSP, Perfect Plum, Wild Wasabi, Black
Ink: Black
Accessories: PTI Doily Die, Circle Nesties, MFT Rolled Rose Dies, Martha Stewart Leaf Punch, SU Scalloped Border Punch, 5/8" Sheer Black Ribbon, Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Moxie Mojo

Love round or square week over at the Mojo Monday blog because I love making round cards and it is always a great excuse to make one as the sketch is provided :)

I used this week's Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger with the sketch as it had such a wonderful mix of colours to work with which ever so easily enabled me to make yet another Valentine's Day/Love card.  I layered my card as per the layers in the chocolate and embossed the kraft panel for a nugget feel.  Pulled in the doily from the picture with the PIT die and the striped ribbon I found a Mike's a few years ago was a perfect match as it had all the colours from the inspiration picture. 

Think I'll give this to my daughter for Valentine's Day.  I am so proud of her.  She got straight A's in her first semester of high school and that was no easy feat as she had four academic courses (Socials, English, Math and Science) and worked really, really hard in all of her classes.  In addition, she did very well on her Grade 3 piano exam last Friday!  We had great fun celebrating her successes by going on a shopping spree at Old Navy :)   To top things off, we didn't have to pay a dime for all the clothes we got as our purchases were fully funded by gift cards, coupons and a discount card - that's my kind of shopping!  Our cashier called us extreme couponers.  Must say it is almost as fun as getting new stamping supplies LOL!

 

What's In It? 
Stamps: Love Notes (Verve) 
Paper: Dots and Stripes (Echo Park), Pretty in Pink, Kraft, Rose Romance 
Ink: Black 
Accessories:  Scalloped Circle and Circle Nesties, Dainty Doilies (PTI), Lattice Embossing Folder (SU), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Heart Punch (Marvy), Striped Ribbon (Michael's Ribbon Bin), Bling, Dimensionals

Nuts About You

Yet another sketch from last year that I had to tuck away for future used due to the insane business of December which lead to very little stamping time. 

The round circle was taunting me to use the "U" die once again, but alas, my "U" Die support group meetings have been doing their job LOL! 

I've  had my eye on these adorable acorn dies and matching stamp set from PTI for a while now, and can gratefully say some birthday money provided them a one way ticket to my house - happy, happy, joy, joy!  Lots of great sentiments and different styled "tops" for the acorns so you can mix and match to your heart's content.

I knew the "nuts about you" sentiment would be great fun to use for a Valentine's Day card - thus the red acorns were born LOL!  Still playing with polka dots and paired them with stripes this time.  A fun, simple card that was great fun to make :)




What's In It?
Stamps: Autumn Acorns (PTI) 
Paper: Dots and Stripes (Echo Park), Pink Stripe (Making Memories), Real Red 
Ink: Black, Real Red 
Accessories:  Lacy Circle and Circle Nesties, Acorn Dies (PTI), 5/8" Sheer Black Ribbon, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals