Saturday, July 15, 2017

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Surf's Up


It is the middle of July and sun, surf and sand is on the summer agenda for many.  Believe it or not, I do not have one single nautical image other than this sailboat, so I am sailing instead of surfing today.

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I must admit, I struggled with this one and it shows...my apologies.  Think there is a reason I don't have surf themed stamps LOL!  I love this sailboat image that has been retired by Stampin' Up as it makes great masculine cards.  I sponged on the colour blocks as per the blocks of surfboard colour in the photo and added a touch of twine and a button for a bit of interest.  Think hubby or son will end up with this one as they are not as enamoured with receiving a "pretty" card as they care a lot more about what is on the inside - phew!  Check out the rest of the Crew for some great inspiration.

SURF'S UP

Guest Designer:  Lenae of SugarGem

Have a fabulous week and I look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery!

 




What's In It?
Stamps:  Sail Away, Warmest Regards (Stampin' Up)
Paper:  Kraft, White (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Bliss Blue, Tempting Turquoise, Brilliant Blue, Black (Stampin' Up)  
Accessories:  Twine, Button, Glue Dot

Monday, July 10, 2017

Verve Release July 2017 Spotlight Hop ~ Day 4


Welcome back to Day 4 of Verve's July Release Spotlight Hops!  It's an exciting day as there's new Verve in the store this morning! Three beautiful new sets and coordinating die sets just released and they're all available in the shop right now. To celebrate our new release, we're putting on another blog hop with a fabulous giveaway!

Today's featured focus is designer's choice, so you might just sneak a peek at a whole bunch of must-haves!

If you have come here from Charmaine's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened upon the Hop, check out the hop list below so you can get caught up.

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Love the new Happiness Is set!  So many amazing sentiments and just had to combine this with my three loves:  polka dots, hearts and my family ♥  All three bring me great joy as did making this card.


Want to win some shiny new Verve? Today's prize is a BIG one. We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win our ENTIRE new release! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for the full hop list and all the prize info and deadlines!

Always TimeKettle Time Die Set
Happiness IsHappiness in a Cup Die Set
Fill My Cup

Day 3 Hop List
1. Julee7. Teresa
2. Kathy (Guest)8. Maureen
3. Sheri (Guest)9. Betty
4. Wanda (Guest)10. Christyne
5. Charmaine11. Laurie
6. Marisa12. Lesley


Time to head on over to Teresa's blog to see her fabulous creation and then over to the Verve Store  for a bit of shopping - you can thank me later for the enabling {wink and a grin}.
  

      




What's In It?
Stamps:   Happiness Is (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Dots and Stripes (Echo Park), Going Grey, Pretty in Pink, Rose Romance, Black (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Happiness in a Cup and Heart Quartet Die Sets (A Cut Above by Verve), Tag Die (PTI), Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inker), Twine, Dimensionals

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Verve Release July 2017 Spotlight Hop ~ Day 3


Welcome back to Day 3 of Verve's July Release Spotlight Hops!  The Verve Divas and special guests are back for another day of spotlighting our new release! Everything previewed this week will be available to order in the Verve online shop on Monday, July 10. And if you just can't wait, you can pre-order our July Release Collection at a 25% discount through tonight.

Today we're sharing our first projects featuring the Fill My Cup stamp set. This set also coordinates with the Happiness in a Cup Die Set we shared yesterday.

If you have come here from Charmaine's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened upon the Hop, check out the hop list below so you can get caught up.

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So many fabulous sentiments in this set, and a perfect pairing for Jesus loving coffee drinkers - that be me :)   I will often have a coffee while reading my Bible in the morning and it is indeed a wonderful combination! Found a piece of this old Basic Grey paper I had been hoarding and pulled the rest of the colours from there.  Added some Stickles to the heart on the drink for a little pop of sparkle :) 

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A quick and easy card with this great sentiment from today's set and the cups from Get Together.   Love how there are quite a few coffee/tea themed Verve sets you can mix and match!  Polka Dots and hearts are two of my favorite things so this card, albeit simple, made me smile :)   


Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win today's featured products! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for the full hop list, a little more about our new products and all the prize info and deadlines!

Fill My CupHappiness in a Cup Die Set

Day 2 Hop List
1. Julee7. Teresa
2. Kathy (Guest)8. Maureen
3. Sheri (Guest)9. Betty
4. Wanda (Guest)10. Christyne
5. Charmaine11. Laurie
6. Marisa12. Lesley


Time to head on over to Teresa's blog to see her fabulous creation - she always has such gorgeous cards!
 
      




First Card:
What's In It?
Stamps:   Fill My Cup (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Kioshi (Basic Grey), Lime Twist (My Mind's Eye), Perfect Plum (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Happiness In A Cup (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Square and Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Twinkling H2Os, Button, Twine,  Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Second Card:
What's In It?
Stamps:   Fill My Cup (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  I Heart Summer (Simple Stories), Back To Basics (Bo Bunny), Old Olive (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Happiness In A Cup (A Cut Above by Verve),  Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Crimper (Fiskars), Mini Heart Punch (Michael's Dollar Bin), Button, Twine, Sequins, Dimensionals

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Verve Release July 2017 Spotlight Hop ~ Day 2


Welcome back to Day 2 of Verve's July Release Spotlight Hops!  The Verve Divas and special guests are back for another day of spotlighting our new release! Everything previewed this week will be available to order in the Verve online shop on Monday, July 10. And if you just can't wait, you can pre-order our July Release Collection at a 25% discount through July 9!

Today we're sharing our first projects featuring the Happiness Is stamp set and coordinating Happiness in a Cup Die Set.

If you have come here from Charmaine's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened upon the Hop, check out the hop list below so you can get caught up.


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I just love this set!! So many fabulous sentiments, and as usual, Julee as worked her font magic!  Love the big, bold words and how you can pair sentiments or just one them individually.  So much flexibility with this set!  I used some earthy colours for this card as I always associate them with coffee. 

A fun story for you...I grew up in Costa Rica, a major coffee producing country even back then (cough, cough....yes I am feeling my age so it will remain unmentioned LOL).  The neighbouring property had a small coffee plantation on it and we used to jump the fence and pick the ripe coffee beans.  The pods they are in turn a lovely shade of dark read when they are ripe, and we would open the pod and then pop the beans in our mouth and suck the sugary substance around them off the beans and then spit the beans out (most likely contributing to the growth of some new coffee trees).

My father also figured out a way to retrofit steam turbines on to sugar mills and by doing so quadruple their production capacity.  Many of the sugar mills also had small side line of coffee and I remember them spreading the coffee beans out on huge concrete slabs to dry the "slime we used to eat LOL" off the coffee beans before they were either sold and shipped to a roasting facility or done on site.

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This second card is so me :)  I love reading, and I love coffee (although now I only drink decaf as I burned my adrenals out in my 30s at a high stress job) and if I can find a quiet corner with a good book and a nice cup of coffee I am a very happy lady.  I originally wanted to add the "a teensy bit of silence" between these two sentiments as that is nirvana {grin}, but with three bold sentiments one after the other, it was a bit overpowering.  Maybe I need to have a little card I can hold up with all three of them on it when I want just that on a weekend - ha!  May have to try it ;)


Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win today's featured products! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for the full hop list, a little more about our new products and all the prize info and deadlines!

Happiness IsHappiness in a Cup Die Set

Day 2 Hop List
1. Julee7. Teresa
2. Kathy (Guest)8. Maureen
3. Sheri (Guest)9. Betty
4. Wanda (Guest)10. Christyne
5. Charmaine11. Laurie
6. Marisa12. Lesley

Time to head on over to Teresa's blog to see her fabulous creation - she always has such gorgeous cards!

      




First Card:
What's In It?
Stamps:   Happiness Is (Verve Stamps), Itty Bitty Pieces (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Really Rust, More Mustard, (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black, Really Rust, Going Grey, More Mustard (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Happiness in a Cup, Heart Quartet (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Twine, Button, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Second Card:
What's In It?
Stamps:   Happiness Is (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Real Red, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black, Taken with Teal (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Happiness in a Cup, Heart Quartet (A Cut Above by Verve), Twine, White Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Friday, July 7, 2017

Verve Release July 2017 Spotlight Hop ~ Day 1


Welcome to Verve's July Release Spotlight Hops! A new release is just around the corner and for the next few days we'll be shining our creative spotlights on the new Verve sets and dies releasing Monday, July 10.

Today the Divas and special guests are sharing inspiration featuring the new Always Time stamp set and coordinating Kettle Time Die Set. Check out the Verve Blog post today for the full hop list, prize details, reveals and a little more on this fun new set.

If you have come here from Charmaine's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened upon the Hop, check out the hop list below so you can get caught up.

VR July 2017 Card 1 photo VRJul2017Day1pic.jpg

Absolutely love this sentiment!  A nice warm mug of coffee (decaf latte in my case) on a cold winter day, while out with a friend, or after a hectic day is indeed the equivalent of a hug :)    I sneak peeked this wonderful die and mug image from tomorrow's set as it just fit the sentiment perfectly.

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For the tea lovers out there, this tea pot and the other one in the set are adorable!! Unfortunately, my colouring skills have much to be desired...sorry!  Such a cute sentiment too.  I cased the flowers around the tea pot from this card by Julee.  Such a wonderful way to ground the teapot.  Layered up the doilies and added black half pearls around the top of the teapot for some dimension.


Always TimeKettle Time Die Set

Day 1 Hop List
1. Julee7. Teresa
2. Kathy (Guest)8. Maureen
3. Sheri (Guest)9. Betty
4. Wanda (Guest)10. Christyne
5. Charmaine 11. Lesley
6. Marisa

Time to head on over to Teresa's blog to see her fabulous creation - she always has such gorgeous cards!

      




First Card:
What's In It?
Stamps:   Always Time and Happiness Is (Verve Stamps), Polka Dot Basics II (PTI)
Paper:  Kraft, Only Orange, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black, Old Olive, VersaMark
Accessories:  Happiness in a Cup (A Cut Above by Verve),  Reverse Confetti Dies, Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inker),  Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Second Card:
What's In It?
Stamps:   Always Time (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Kraft, So Saffron, Cameo Coral (Stampin' Up), Dollar Store Paper
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Kettle Time (A Cut Above by Verve), Lacy Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Doily Die (Top Dog Dies ), Crimper (Fiskars), Seam Binding, Button, Twine, Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge ~ Red White and Blue


Happy Canada Day everyone!! It is July 1st and Canada turns 150 today so I swapped out the blue for black on my card and am celebrating this milestone in our country's history with a card.   Plus, it is also our 21st wedding anniversary so lots to celebrate today!!

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Picked up the maple leaf stamp, punch and the sentiment from Micheal's dollar bin and used last weeks Paper Players sketch for my card.  May just use this as my anniversary card with a fun sentiment on the inside to the effect of "We haven't been married for 150 years, but aren't you glad we get free fireworks compliments of Canada on every anniversary". 


RED, WHITE AND BLUE

Guest Designer: Hannelie Bester, Desert Diva

Enjoy celebrating Canada Day my Canadian followers, and Happy 4th of July to all my American followers!  We are SO blessed to live in our countries and have SO much to be grateful for.  I would be remiss if I didn't thank those who serve in our armed forces as it is their sacrifice that allows us the freedoms we have.  Thank you for your service ♥

Off to enjoy BBQ ribs a la hubby and then the local Canada Day festivities and fireworks.  Going to be a fun filled day indeed :) 

Have a fabulous week everyone and I look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery.


 





What's In It?
Stamps:  Studio G (Michael's Dollar Bin)
Paper:  Dots and Stripes (Echo Park), Real Red, Basic Black (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Real Red, Black (Stampin' Up)  
Accessories:  Stitched Circles (Lil' Inker), Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Maple Leaf Punch (Michael's Dollar Bin), Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals