Just Us Girls #182

Fist and foremost, I want to thank Andrea, one of our DT members, for all her wonderful work at Just Us Girls.  With life pulling her in many directions, she has decided it is time to step down for the team.  We will miss you, Andrea, and wish you nothing but the best!

With five Saturdays in March, this week is a Wild Card week over at the Just Us Girls blog.  Our hostess Maria has chosen the Puzzle Piece Resist technique as our challenge.  You can find the SCS tutorial for it here.

I cheated an itsy bitsy bit in that I didn't use white and sponging but rather embossed in white right on to my coloured paper.  I also caught a minor "oops" when I die cut my "U" ....see if you can spot what I did :)

The rest of the  JUGS team has some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so just hop on over to the Just Us Girls blog, and check out what the Design Team has created.  Then put your creative genes to work and add your card/project to the challenge post on the JUGS blog for the chance to be selected as Chic of the Week.  

It's been a busy and fun Spring Break with the kids - thus the lack of posting - and we will finish up with our Easter dinner on Saturday night.  Chef Jeff will be cooking up a storm and sous chef and clean up girl (aka: me LOL) will be right in there with him.  Wishing you a blessed Easter weekend and I'll be back on Monday with my Mojo Monday card! 



What's In It? 
Stamps:  French Script (Stampin' Up)
Paper:  Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Love Die (WPlus9), I Heart U Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), 5/8" White Satin Ribbon, Dimensional

Mojo Monday #286

It's round or square week over on the Mojo Monday blog.  Keeping with tradition, I have made a round card.

The star caught my attention due to the new Shining Star set by Verve.  I wanted to make a baby card so pulled out this fun yellow and blue paper.  Sorry, I don't have the name of it as it had been cut off earlier by yours truly.  Note to self:  don't do that LOL!

I used the largest star from the Starry Die as well as the Charming Oval dies to frame the sentiment from the Shining Star set.  Love how there are three sizes you can nest into each other.  I doubled up on the lacy circle nesties to give it a "frilly" baby feel (even though the colours are geared to a boy!) and then crimped my star so it would stand out a bit.

You can check out all the challenge details over on the Mojo Monday blog and also get a chance to view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples!  Should you wish more details on their cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.

Carole Burrage

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Stephanie Kraft

Wanda Cullen

Week one of Spring Break is over, and we spent a wonderful weekend visiting relatives in the Seattle area.  To say I am blessed with all the wonderful in-laws I have, is truly an understatement!  Great times, great food and wonderful memories made!



What's In It?
Stamps:  Shining Star (Verve), Itty Bitty Backgrounds and Background Basics (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Cool Caribbean, So Saffron and Going Grey (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black, VersaMark
Accessories: Starry Die and Charming Oval Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), Lacy Circle and Circle Nesties (Spellbinders), Crimper, Button, Twine, Black Half Pearls, Dimensioanls

Just Us Girls #181 - Inspiration Picture

This week's hostess is Andrea and she has found this fabulous inspriation picture for us to work with this week.  MME's In Bloom pack matched the colours quite well, plus I just love this paper pack so any excuse to use it is fine by me LOL!

Jen's Deconstructed Sketch #93 showcased this fabulous paper perfectly.  I used Verve's Ecclesiastes 3:11 Plain Jane for the sentiment panel and the Pennant Trim die in lieu of the scallops.   Finished things off with this wonderful butterfly I haven't used in some time.

The rest of the  JUGS team has some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so just hop on over to the Just Us Girls blog, and check out what the Design Team has created.  Then put your creative genes to work and add your card/project to the challenge post on the JUGS blog for the chance to be selected as Chic of the Week.  

Have a fabulous weekend, and I'll be back on Monday with my Mojo Monday card! 



What's In It? 
Stamps:  Ecclesiasties 3:11 Plain Jane (Verve) 
Paper:  Mellow Moss and Blush Blossom (Stampin' Up), In Bloom (My Mind's Eye)
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Labels 4 (Spellbinders), White Half Pearls, Dimensionals

New Mercies

Love this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch and it's one I'm sure to use again.

Unfortunately, I am in need of a few sympathy cards, and this is the first one to be created.  One of my blog followers, Sharon Jones, lost her husband last week to a pulmonary embolism.  My heart aches for her and her thirteen year old son.

I immediately reached for Verve's New Mercies set as I just love this verse in Hebrews - such a powerful verse.  I over stamped the leaf image to pull in the pink from the paper and added a pink button and a bow to fulfill my "rule of three".  Hoping this brings them some comfort.  If anyone else knows Sharon and would like to send her a card, just let me know and I can forward you her address. 

Spring break has been great so far, with a nice balance of house jobs/chores getting done and fun times together.  We played Wii Sports doubles in tennis the other night and it was so much fun!  Biggest hazard was trying to to get hit by your partner as they swung their Wii remote to hit the ball!  Then on to the Wii Sports fitness challenge and I am proud to say this old gal scored an age of 29 - oh yah :)   No old mama here - just a fierce competitor LOL!

Have a fabulous day!



What's In It?
Stamps:  New Mercies (Verve), French Script (Stampin' Up)
Paper:  Garden Florals (Recollections - Michael's), Kraft
Ink:  Black and Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up), VersaMark
Accessories:  Scalloped Trimmed Trio Die Set (Verve), 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 5/8" Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #285

It's Monday and time for an other Mojo Monday sketch. This week's sketch is brought to us by Julee and it may make you think a bit - at least it did me {grin}.  However, once I narrowed down which papers to use, I was on my way.

These wonderful MME papers were a fun pairing and I added kraft and sahara sand to the mix perfect.  Just had to use this wonderful sentiment again as it gives me something to hum all day long :)   Felt there was a little something missing so I added a flower and some foliage to the sentiment panel and use red ribbon for a pop of colour.

You can check out all the challenge details over on the Mojo Monday blog and also get a chance to view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples!  Should you wish more details on their cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.

Carole Burrage

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Stephanie Kraft

Wanda Cullen

We are into our first week of Spring Break today and the kids and I are starting off by doing the house "chores" I have planned - can you guess how much they like their mom right about now LOL!.  Once we get a few done, off to the recycling depot we go as their reward - they get to split the money we make there.  If I'm a betting mama, I'm sure we will end up at the dollar store right afterwards!

If posting is a bit scarce over the next two weeks, it's because my kids have worn me out LOL!   Thanks for popping by and I hope to be back before my Just Us Girls post Friday night. 



What's In It?
Stamps:   Surely Goodness and Dream Big (Verve) 
Paper:   Gerttie (MME), Kraft, Cream Linen
Ink: Black, Going Grey
Accessories:  Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Dreamy Leaves Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Rolled Rose Die (MFT), 5/8" Red Satin Ribbon, Glue Dot, Dimensioanls

Kind Words Expressed

Loved this CCMC sketch and decided to use it for this week's Play Date Cafe colour combo of black and white plus a splash of coral.  Love adding a pop of colour to a black and white card!

Kept things pretty CAS.  Pulled out the flower from Kind Words (love this flower!) and inked the "center" on each flower.  Added a sentiment from Words Can Not Express (which just happens to be on sale right now) and a coral button. Quick and easy.

With the kids on spring break, it may get a bit quieter her on the old blog as we will be out and about a fair amount, or working on a few projects we need to get done around the house.  Just hoping the weather cooperates and gives us a little bit of sunshine so we can enjoy being outside a bit.  But not to much sunshine or I'll have to mow my lawn LOL! 

Have a fabulous day, and I'll be back as soon as I can.



What's In It?
Stamps: Kind Words and Words Can Not Tell (Verve) 
Paper: Black and White 
Ink:  Black and Cameo Coral (Stampin' Up) 
Accessories: Scalloped Square and Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Button, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Just Us Girls #180 - Colour Challenge

  

This week's colour challenge is brought to us by Lisa and she has selected green, orange and white in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

I decided to make a tag to change things up a bit and after quite a few shamrocks I opted for a flower instead.  Polka dotted garden green and bright orange were my colours of choice and where there are flowers, there must be a butterfly {grin}.

The rest of the  JUGS team has some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so just hop on over to the Just Us Girls blog, and check out what the Design Team has created.  Then put your creative genes to work and add your card/project to the challenge post on the JUGS blog for the chance to be selected as Chic of the Week.  

Have a fabulous weekend, and I'll be back on Monday with my Mojo Monday card! 



What's In It? 
Stamps: Circular Sentiments and Love Notes (Verve)
Paper:  Garden Green DSP, Kraft, Only Orange (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black and VersaMark 
Accessories:  Tag Die and Flower Die (PTI),  Classy Label Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), 3/8" Green Grosgrain Ribbon (Michael's Ribbon Bin), Button, Twine, Black Half Pearls,  Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Lucky Shamrock

Welcome to week three of Verve's VLV March sketches.  Diva Maureen is our hostess this week and she has provided a wonderful inspiration picture and sketch for us to work with.  Green is my favorite colour so I'm enjoying bringing on the green :)

In honor of Diva Maureen's birthday on Sunday (St. Patrick's Day), shamrocks took center stage.  I used the background paper in the picture as my launching point and pulled out some Scenic Route paper that had a similar pattern.  Next, I used use Verve's Lucky You set which ever so conveniently has a "lucky you" sentiment, and of course, had to add a shamrock (which I die cut with the matching Shamrock die set).  Some yummy, dark brown ribbon added a pop of colour against the green and I just had to add the arrow to reinforce the point of "how lucky you are".

Would love you to join us over on the SCS Verve Forum.  As an added bonus, if you get all four of this month's sketches completed and uploaded by midnight CST on Thursday, March 28th, you will be entered for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to the Verve store!  Worth playing for in my books (but then of course I am just a "tad" biased LOL)!

Have a fabulous day and wishing all my Irish followers and any St. Patrick's Day babies out there a fun weekend of celebrating :)

Challenges:
-  Flourishes - Go Green
-  Bellie Challenge - Green



What's In It?
Stamps: Lucky You (Verve) 
Paper:  Scenic Route DP, So Saffron, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Old Olive, Black 
Accessories:  Shamrock Die Set and Arrow Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nesties (Spellbinders), 5/8" Brown Satin Ribbon, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Good Luck Shamrock

Another fun sketch to work with over at the Verve Forum on SCS.  Since I have a few more St. Patrick's Day babies to make cards for, this sketch was a perfect choice.

Found this wonderful piece of green polka dotted paper in my stash and gleefully cut into it for this card.  Oh how I love green {grin} :)   The kraft background was created by using VersaMark and the smallest shamrock from Verve's Lucky You set.  The largest shamrock die and matching stamp became the focal image with a Lucky You sentiment to go with it.   A perfect fit for this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge   and Bellie Challenge too.

Can't believe the kids are on Spring Break at the end of this week!  Yikes!  The first quarter of the year is almost over and we have two weeks to hang out together.  Love having my kids all to myself :) and hopefully they concur about having me all to themselves LOL! 

Have a fabulous day!



What's In It?
Stamps: Lucky You (Verve) 
Paper: Kraft and Certainly Celery (Stampin' Up), Small Green Mini Dot (Simple Stories) 
Ink: VersaMark, Chocolate Chip 
Accessories: Scalloped Circle and Circle Nesties (Spellbinders), Shamrock Die Set and Pennant Trim Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Corner Rounder, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Bling, Dimensionals

Merry Monday Joy

Since my new WPlus 9 word dies were still out, I decided to play along with this week's Merry Monday sketch.

Joy is one of my favorite words and it was great fun using this die.  I pulled out some Carta Bella Winter Fun paper and focused on a snowflake theme.

I added a dark brown snowflake for a pop of colour and some bling in the middle for a bit of sparkle.  Yeah! Made my first Christmas card of 2013.

Short and sweet today as I have a busy day ahead.  Thanks for visiting!



What's In It?
Stamps: Snowflakes (Amuse) 
Paper:  Kraft, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up), Carta Bella 
Ink: Versamark 
Accessories: Scalloped Oval and Oval Nesties, Seasonal Sentiments Die (W9 Plus), Scalloped Border Punch, Jumbo Snowflake Punch (Martha Stewart(, Bling, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #284

This weeks Mojo Monday sketch is a delightful one to work with.  I opted to go with a St. Patrick's Day theme as I have three friends that have a birthday on this day.  Lots of green and polka dots for your viewing pleasure wink, wink.  Decided to add a little tag with March 17th on it, to highlight the exact birthday date :).   Was a perfect card for this week's Simon Says challenge of a Bit 'O Green and There She Goes green challenge.

Sorry about the picture quality.  The sunshine is still messing with my picture quality, so the challenge to overcome is on - I hate losing to inanimate objects LOL!  

You can check out all the challenge details over on the Mojo Monday blog and also get a chance to view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples!  Should you wish more details on their cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.

Carole Burrage

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Stephanie Kraft

Wanda Cullen

Thanks for sharing a bit of your day with me :) 



What's In It?
Stamps:   Lucky You and Calendar Countdown,  (Verve) 
Paper:  Dots and Stripes (Echo Park), Happy Go Lucky (Pebbles), Kraft
Ink: Black, Garden Green 
Accessories:  Shamrock and Flag It Die Sets (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), 5/8" Brown Satin Ribbon, Button, Twine, Brown Half Pearls, Dimensioanls

Just Us Girls #179 - Technique Challenge

Vicki has brought this week's technique challenge and it is a fun one.  You just need to use a negative die cut on your card - easy peasy and loads of fun :)

This week's CASE(E) this sketch was perfect for today's challenge and as luck would have it my new W9 Plus dies arrive today in the mail so I got to use them!

I also just "had" to use Verve's new Banner Trim Trio die again as I just love them!!  The hearts border is my favorite and fit perfectly with the card's love theme.  I also used one of the Wavy Hearts die and the cute falling heart from Stronger Love.  Happy accident: the heart left two holes where the alignment tools are on the die so I filled them in using bling :)

I apologize profusely for the poor picture - argh!!  I have a hard time taking pictures of white cards at the best of times and today's sunny day has wrecked havoc on my lighting!  Will edit the photo as soon as I get a chance.   CAS gals out there - if you have any photography tips for white cards, please let me know!

The rest of the  JUGS team has some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so just hop on over to the Just Us Girls blog, and check out what the Design Team has created.  Then put your creative genes to work and add your card/project to the challenge post on the JUGS blog for the chance to be selected as Chic of the Week.  

Have a fabulous weekend, and I'll be back on Monday with my Mojo Monday card! 



What's In It? 
Stamps: Stronger Love (Verve)
Paper: Pink Dots (Making Memories), Going Grey
Ink: Going Grey (Stampin' Up) 
Accessories:  Seasonal Sentiments Dies (WPlus 9), Wavy Hearts (A Cut Above by Verve), Bling, Dimensionals
    

Verve Diva Dare ~ March 2013

Today marks the beginning of this month's Verve Diva Dare.  Each month, the Verve Divas put together a challenge for you to play along with.  This month's challenge is entitled Just Give Me Stamps, Buttons and Bling.

Here is a a sneak peek of my card.

To find out about all the challenge details and how you can win some Verve goodies, simply head on over to the Verve Blog.

Look forward to seeing your creations!

Sweet Sunday Sketch #179

It has been way too long since I've played along with Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge so it was time to rectify the issue.   Think the round circle sucked me in wink, wink.  Always love it when there is a big circle to play around with on a sketch as there are so many possibilities.  Since I loved this week's Colour Q I paired the two challenges for this card.  

Initially, I was aiming to use some leaves as these colours just scream fall, but then I decided to continue on with my inadvertent theme this week -  verses that have been turned into songs.

Psalm 46:10 is one of my favorite verses.  Think I've said the same thing about the verses I have used on my last two cards...what can I say...I have quite a few favorite verses :)  Love that Verve has them as Plain Janes!

This verse speaks to me often, especially when catch myself running on life's hamster wheel.  As a kid I used to love watching what happened when our hamsters could no longer run on their wheel due to exhaustion.  They couldn't get off because the wheel was spinning too quickly so they had to stop running, hang on for dear life, and let the momentum they had generated take them for a few loops around the wheel.  Once the wheel stopped, they were able to walk away.  Oh how true this is of real life!  Note to self:  Get off the wheel before you are exhausted so you don't get thrown for a loop ;)

There you have it, a little insight into my world.  Just don't think of me as a hamster very time you see my name and I'll be good LOL!

Have a great day everyone :) 


What's In It?
Stamps:  Psalm 46:10 Plain Jane (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Springtime (Echo Park), Mini Dot (Simple Stories), Kraft, Cameo Coral 
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Scalloped Trim Trio, Loopy Bloom and Banner Bundle Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders),  Felt, Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

The Joy Of The Lord Is My Strength

Hard to believe we are in March already!  Yikes!!  Spring Break is just two short weeks away -- says a mom who needs to get her act together planning activities to do with her kids over the break!  I decided to avoid that thought for a while while I worked on this week's Verve sketch.

I went back to my Verve roots and used the very first set I purchased called Serenity.  That was the beginning of my love affair/addition to Verve Stamps.   Guess you could say it is our six year anniversary wink, wink :)

The sentiment and over stamped image are both from the set and after singing It Is Well all day yesterday, today I'll be singing the course that goes with this sentiment!  May have to keep the song theme going this week ;)  



What's In It?
Stamps: Serenity (Verve) 
Paper: Garden Florals (Recollections - Michael's), Mellow Moss, Blush Blossom 
Ink:  Black, Blush Blossom 
Accessories:  Scalloped Circle and Circle Nesties, Butterfly Punches (Martha Stewart), 3/8" Brown Grosgrain Ribbon (Stampin' Up), Distressing Tool (Stampin' Up), Brown Half Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals