Mojo Monday #339

It's the last Monday of the month so it's Tall and Skinny week over on the Mojo Monday blog.  I am totally loving this size card and trusting you are too.

I kept things pretty clean and simple this week, as Spring Break just finished and I was going full tilt with both kids home for the past two weeks so not a lot of extra crafting time.

With the magnolia trees in the neighbourhood starting to bloom along with the cherry trees just shy of bursting to do so too, I have Spring on my mind - even if the weather isn't cooperating.  I used one of my favorite color combos for spring - pink and green and played along with this week's Dynamic Duo's.

The sentiment is from Let It Be.  Just adore this sentiment - a great reminder to enjoy the many little joys of life we are blessed with every day.   I'm practicing this very thing again this year as I do Ann Voskamp's 1000 Gifts.  You write down three gifts you are thankful for each day and by the end of the year you will have 1000 gifts - love it :)   It is a fabulous way to truly enjoy the little things and brings loads of joy into your life no matter what your circumstances may be.  I even have my kids doing it with me so they learn to look for things to be thankful for every day, and by doing so, I hope to model and develop this wonderful habit in their lives so they will remember there is always, always, something to be thankful for.

All the challenge details are over on the Mojo Monday blog and you can also view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples.  Should you wish more details on the Mojo Maker's cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.  
 

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

Early wake up time today was not fun, especially after two weeks of being able to sleep an extra hour or more.  Thankfully, the days are getting longer and with any luck, Spring will decide to show up sooner than later.  

Have a fabulous day and look forward to seeing your Tall and Skinny cards!

 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Let It Be (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Cut and Paste (MME), My Girl (Pebbles), Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black    
Accessories:  Flutterby Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Oval and Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Crimper (Fiskars), Flower Punch (Michael's Dollar Bin), Black Half Pearls, Button, Twine, Bling, Glue Dot, Dimensionals 

Just Us Girls #234 - Wild Card

Since we have five Friday's in March, this week's challenge is a Wild Card challenge and I get to host.   This week, our challenge is to make a "Tall and Skinny" card.  Dimensions can be 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" or 3 1/2" x 6".  Or you could go all our and do a 3 1/2" x 8" card which will fit in a regular business sized envelope.

If you want to browse a few Tall and Skinny sketches, you can head over to the Mojo Monday blog and look for the fourth sketch of the past three months or modify a sketch you have to fit the dimensions of "tall and skinny".

I chose to use a Mojo Monday sketch from a few weeks back and alter the dimensions to make a 3 1/2' x 5 1/2" card.    Love this Reverse Confetti tag die so had to use it on the sketch and added an MFT flower and butterfly as I still hoping for Spring to arrive!

The rest of the  JUGS team, along with our March Guest Designer Calypso Basitan (who gets an extra week with us do to having five Fridays this month), have some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so head on over to the Just Us Girls blog and check out what they've 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 chosen as the Chic of the Week.  Plus if you are chosen as Chic of the Week, you could be invited to be a Guest Designer.

Hard to believe Spring Break is almost over.   The two weeks just flew by and we had many wonderful family times together as well as a good mix of activities and down time.  Back at it full force on Monday - darn early wake up time LOL!

Have a fabulous weekend!

 
 
What's In It?
Paper:  In Bloom (My  Mind's Eye), Cameo Coral, Basic Grey, Going Grey (Stampin' Up)   
Accessories:  Tag Die (Reverse Confetti), Butterfly and Pretty Posies Dies (My Favorite Things), Leaf Die (Sizzix), Corner Rounder, 5/8" Yellow Satin Ribbon, Button, Twine, Half Pearls, Glue Dot, Dimensionals 

Mojo Monday #338

Wondering why I am posting a St. Patrick's Day card a week late?  Let me explain.... I had this card all finished and ready to go, being all excited that it was a St. Patrick's Day card to be posted on St. Patrick's Day itself as a happy birthday wish to Diva Maureen.  How perfect is that!  Thankfully, I woke up and smelled the coffee Sunday afternoon when I was preparing my post and was able to make a card for the right sketch!   So here you go, Moe, a week late so your birthday can stretch into birthday week :)

This week's sketch is brought to us by Debbie and was a fun sketch to work with.  Lots of Verve goodness on this card too:  Lucky You and the matching Shamrock die set, my beloved "U" die from the I Heart You die set, and one of the banner dies from the Flag It die set.  Couldn't resist using polka dots as well as this month's Verve Diva Dare is to use polka dots.

All the challenge details are over on the Mojo Monday blog and you can also view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples.  Should you wish more details on the Mojo Maker's cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.  
 

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

We had a fabulous weekend over on Vancouver Island visiting my hubby's parents and being able to have dinner with our old neighbours.  Not to mention the added bonus of finally meeting Lesley Croghan face to face - meep!  So nice to meet cyber stamping friends in real life and though our visit was briefer due to our dinner plans with friends, we had a wonderful visit :)  Thank you Lesley for a wonderful visit ((hugs))!

Have a great day and enjoy the sketch! 

 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Lucky You (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Bots and Stripes (Echo Park), Real red, Kraft (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black, Garden Green (Stampin' Up), VersaMark   
Accessories:  Shamrock Die Set, I Heart You Die Set, Flag It Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Twine, Button, Black Half Pearls, Glue Dot, Dimensionals 

Just Us Girls #233

First off I want to thank Calypso for being such a fabulous Guest Designer this month.  Her work is amazing and it has been great fun  having her join us.

This week, Nancy has provided us with this fabulous image as our inspiration photo to work from.  I went with the monochromatic theme and the hot air balloon as this image from Lawn Fawn is perfect.   As fate would have it, I had just purchased this fun cloud paper at my LSS and it worked perfectly with the balloon image from Lawn Fawn.  I paper pieced the balloon and added the "hi" sentiment as it was rather blah without a pop of black.  Had to go with the "rule of three" so added two other black accents and called it a card.

The rest of the  JUGS team, along with our March Guest Designer Calypso Basitan, have some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so head on over to the Just Us Girls blog and check out what they've 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 chosen as the Chic of the Week.  Plus if you are chosen as Chic of the Week, you could be invited to be a Guest Designer.

Week one of Spring Break was great, and I'm looking forward to week two.  Time as a family and with kids home all day has cut into my stamping time, thus the lack of posts this week, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.  So glad my kids still like to hang with mom :)   My son and I are off to see Divergent this weekend and I can't wait! 

Have a fabulous weekend!

 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Blue Skies (Lawn Fawn) 
Paper:  Love and Marriage (Bella Blvd), Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue and Black (Stampin' Up)    
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Happy Hellos (MFT Dynamics), 5/8" Turquoise Stain Ribbon (Michael's), Button, White Half Pearls, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Curtain Call Farm Fresh Reminder

We are half way through the current Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge entitled Farm Fresh and Taylored Expressions is our sponsor.

Still love the colour combination in this inspiration picture so I did a do-over, chicken wire included.  Added some burlap - I always think burlap when I think of farms as the feed and grain often comes in burlap bags - and a tag along with the feathers.

 You can check out all the challenge details over on the Curtain Call Inspirations Challenge.  You have until March 25th at 8:00 a.m. CST to complete a new card/project using the inspiration picture and linking it up accordingly.  The Lead and Show Stoppers will be announced on March 31st.

Thanks for popping by and hope you can find some time to play along with us!


 
What's In It? 
Stamps:   Light as a Feather (Taylored Expressions)
Paper:   Kraft, Baroque Burgundy, Sage Shadow, Brilliant Blue (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black, VersaMark
Accessories:  Light as a Feather Dies (Taylored Expressions), Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inkers), Chicken Wire Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Tag Die (PTI), Burlap Ribbon, Buttons, Twine, 5/8" Yellow Satin Ribbon, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #337

Loved working with this week's Mojo Monday sketch by Teresa.  So many wonderful ways you can go with it.

I'm still smitten with Verve's latest release, Better Together.  Simply adore the sentiments and mix of fonts Julee has put together for this set.  Hmmm, hmmmm good :)

A scrap of Basic Grey paper was the springboard for my card.  Haven't used these flowers from Bloom and Grow and the matching Floral Circle dies for what seems forever so it was good to dig them out again.  Love the Dreamy Leaves dies which match the leaf images from Dream Big, and I just "had" to use the heart die from the Scalloped Trim Trio set as I never get enough of it.  Managed to find a peachy coloured button in my stash to finish things off.

All the challenge details are over on the Mojo Monday blog and you can also view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples.  Should you wish more details on the Mojo Maker's cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.  
 

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

We had another very wet weekend, and it was definitely not fun weather for the soccer tournament my son's team was in.  Four games in two days in the pouring rain is not my idea of a good time!  The boys are okay as they are running around playing and keeping warm, but as for the spectators, let's just say it is far from ideal.  Oh the "joys" of being a soccer mom - not!  Life and times when you live on the West Coast LOL! 

Kids are off for two weeks for Spring Break and I am looking forward to spending time with them, as well as enjoying a slower schedule, not to mention being able to sleep in on days I'm not working!  Now all we need is the sun to show up!

Have a great day and enjoy the sketch! 

 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Bloom and Grow, Dream Big, Better Together (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Basic Grey, Blush Blossom, Mellow Moss, Kraft (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black, Sahara Sand (Stampin' Up), VersaMark   
Accessories:  Dreamy Leaves, Floral Circles, Scalloped Trim Trio Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Cross My Heart Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Crimper (Fiskars), Twine, Button, Brown Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals  

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Farm Fresh

** Second post of the day.  For the Verve Release Hop please see my first post ** 

This week's Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge is entitled "Farm Fresh"  and our sponsor is Taylored Expressions!

The LEAD of this challenge will receive their choice of TWO PETITE SETS from Taylored Expressions!

I chose this fabulous set from Taylored Expressions called Light As A Feather.  Yeah!  I finally have some feathers and feather dies in my collection!

The sketch is from  I Heart Sketches and I immediately pulled out my chicken wire embossing folder - oh how I love this thing!  Such a fun pattern to add to cards and it fit the "farm" theme perfectly.  Chose my colours for the feathers from the inspiration photo and off set them against the kraft.  Added this fun sentiment and a few extra black half pearls for a little something as the focal panel was a bit plain. Finished things off with some orange twine and a button.

You can check out all the challenge details over on the Curtain Call Inspirations Challenge and also get a chance to view all the wonderful Curtain Call Crew samples as well as our two guest designer samples!  Should you wish more details on the Curtain Call Crew's cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below. 

Farm Fresh Designers

Amber Kroening

Amy Kolling

Amy Tsuruta

Barb Murphy

Gayatri Murali

Kim Singdahlsen

Laurie Willison

Marisa Ritzen

Maureen Plut

Monika Davis

Sheri Gilson

Sarah Gough

Stacey Schafer

Tenia Nelson

Tracey McNeely

You have until March 25th at 8:00 a.m. CST to complete a new card/project using the inspiration picture and linking it up accordingly.  The Lead and Show Stoppers will be announced on March 31st.

Thanks for popping by and hope you can play along.

 
 
What's In It? 
Stamps:   Light as a Feather (Taylored Expressions)
Paper:  Kraft, So Saffron, Baroque Burgundy, Mellow Moss, Brilliant Blue, Kraft (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black, VersaMark
Accessories:  Light as a Feather Dies (Taylored Expressions), Chicken Wire Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Scalloped Edge Punch (Stampin' Up), Twine, Button, Black Half Pearls, Button, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Verve Stamps Better Together Release Hop

Verve Stamps has released a new set called Better With You, and we are celebrating by having a Release Hop.  If you came here from Laurie's blog you are right on track. If you just happened across the hop, you can check out the master Hop List below.

I loved how Teresa used the textured image in Better with You to create a background on her card, and just had to case it.  It creates a subtle texture and adds a fabulous touch to your card.  So many wonderful sentiments in this set it was hard to chose which one to showcase!  I settled on this one and accented it with the arrow image to fill in the sentiment panel.  Some of my favorite Verve dies (Pennant Trim, Flutterby  and Elegant Leaves) were used to embellish the card, and some distressing around the edges finished things off.

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win a $40 gift voucher to the Verve store! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines!

	Hop List: 1. Julee 2. Amber 3. Andrea 4. Charmaine 5. Christyne 6. Janelle 7. Jen 8. Laurie 9. Marisa 10. Maureen 11. Stacey 12. Teresa

Next up is Maureen and she is sure to have something fabulous to showcase this new set!

And if you haven't heard, Verve is having a Spring Cleaning Sale!  Lots of great sets to chose from and 50% off sets which will be retired.

Thanks for popping by today! 












 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Better With You (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Bashful Blue, Perfect Plum, Mint Medley, Pretty in Pink, Basic Grey, Going Grey (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Going Grey, Mint Medley, Black (Stamping Up)   
Accessories:  Flutterby, Elegant Leaves and Pennant Trim Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Lacy Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Doily Die (PTI), Crimper (Fiskars), Black Half Pearls, Twine, Button, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Just Us Girls #232 - Colour Challenge

This week's challenge is a colour challenge and Cheryl put together this wonderful pallet to work with.

The colours had me thinking baby for some reason so I pulled out some old SU papers with these colours and had fun pairing them with last week's Freshly Made Sketch.  The sentiment and cute elephant are from Verve's To The Moon (a must have baby set).

The rest of the  JUGS team, along with our March Guest Designer Calypso Basitan, have some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so head on over to the Just Us Girls blog and check out what they've 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 chosen as the Chic of the Week.  Plus if you are chosen as Chic of the Week, you could be invited to be a Guest Designer.

Spring Break is upon us, which means I get my kids all to myself for two weeks :)  This weekend my son's team is in a soccer tournament and the weather does not look promising - ugh!  Then it will be a mix of hanging out, swimming, visiting friends, and a quick trip to the Island to visit hubby's parents.   The perfect mix.  Hopefully we get some sunshine along the way!

 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:   To The Moon (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Stampin' Up Designer Paper, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Going Grey (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Star Die (Stampin' Up), Crimper (Fiskars), Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Speak Truth

Welcome to another week of Viva La Verve sketches.  This week's sketch is brought to us by Maureen.

I cheated on the background a bit as I used some of the wood panel paper from MME's On The Bright side.  Love this paper pad, as the rustic wood background reminds me of the side of an old barn.

Following along that thought, I used the Loopy Blooms die set to add some pink polka dotted flowers as they remind me of the first sign of spring coming up against an old barn.

To say I love this sentiment from Words of Wisdom is an understatement.  I am not a status quo girl and have stood my ground many a time by speaking truth in a relativistic world, so this sentiment is very dear to my heart.

Would love for your to come and play along with us!  You don't have to complete all the sketches to be entered to win the $100 Verve Stamps gift certificate, but the more sketches you enter the more chances you have of winning.    

Enjoy the sketch and make sure you come back tomorrow for Verve's newest release Hop!

 
 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Words of Wisdom (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  On The Bright Side, Cut and Paste (My Mind's Eye), Certainly Celery, Black (Stampin' Up)   
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Loopy Blooms Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Buttons, Twine, Bling, Ribbon Glue Dots, Dimensionals  

Viva La Verve - Hi Friend

Welcome to the first Viva La Verve sketch for March 2014.  Julee is our hostess and has created this wonderful sketch for us to work with as well as a fabulous colour combination.  You can use just the sketch, just the colour combination or both - your choice :)

I was busily working away on on the sketch when it dawned on me that I totally forgot about the colour combination...hate when I do that!!  Didn't have time to make a second card so I have to save this fabulous combination for another time.  

Used MME's Quilting Bee papers (love this paper pad) and one of my favorite Verve sentiment sets, Lean On Me.  Adore the mix of fonts Julee used in this set.  The sentiment panel uses the Classy Label Die and matching image from Love Notes and a stamped image of the heart from More Than Love which was left over from a prior card project.  I finished things off with a touch twine and some bling.

Thanks for popping by and if you want to see which cards I chose to highlight for this week's VLV sketch and Inspiration picture, head on over to the Viva La Verve blog and check it out.

Thanks for popping by today! 

 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Lean On Me (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Quilting Bee (My Mind's Eye), Going Grey (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Going Grey, Baroque Burgundy, Black (Stamping Up)   
Accessories:  Classy Label Die and Wavy Hearts Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Stitched Rectangle Dies (Lil' Inkers), Bling, Twine, Button, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #336

This week's Mojo Monday sketch is brought to us by Debbie and I just loved working with it!  Big circles with flower accents is my kind of card, especially since Verve has so many wonderful flower sets to work with.

The papers are from the Love You More collection by Pebbles - just couldn't resist this butterfly paper and of course the polka dot paper that goes with it - happy sigh :)   The flower is from Great Friend, the leaves are from Dream Big and the sentiment is from Poppy Birthday.  Nothing like being able to mix and match my Verve sets :)

All the challenge details are over on the Mojo Monday blog and you can also view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples.  Should you wish more details on the Mojo Maker's cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.  
 

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

I think we needed to build an ark this weekend as it just poured - ugh!!  My poor son reffed three games on Saturday and two on Sunday and got royally drenched both days.  Looks like it will carry over into this week too :(  Come on Spring, where are you??!!


 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Great Friend, Dream Big, Poppy Birthday (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Love You More (Pebbles), Real Red, Mint Medley, Orange (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black, Mint Medley (Stampin' Up)   
Accessories:  Dreamy Leaves Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Twine (My Favorite Things), Button, Bling, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Just Us Girls #231 - Technique Challenge

Sharyn has found a great technique for us to use this week - the Weathered Wood Background.  Here's a video clip showing you how to use it:   http://stamptv.ning.com/video/weathered-wood-background.  It's a super quick and easy technique and the sky is the limit as far as what colour "weathered wood" you want to make.

With St. Patrick's Day coming up, I decided green wood would be perfect.  Gable Green and Green Galore were my two colours of choice, and they created a very bright green background!  Yikes!! I love green but this may be too much for me, not to mention any Irish friend of mine LOL!  Gotta go out on a limb every once in a while even if you crash and burn. 

Used this week's MFT sketch and I love how the black trim brings out the green and makes the black pop. The shamrocks are from Verve's Lucky You set and I used the matching Shamrock die set.

The rest of the  JUGS team, along with our March Guest Designer Calypso Basitan, have some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so head on over to the Just Us Girls blog and check out what they've 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 chosen as the Chic of the Week.  Plus if you are chosen as Chic of the Week, you could be invited to be a Guest Designer.  

Another busy weekend for us - can Spring Break come soon enough?!  Hope yours is a little quieter than ours will be.  Enjoy! 

 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Lucky You (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Black and Kraft  
Ink:  Gable Green, Green Galore, Black (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Shamrock Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Stitched Circle Dies (Lil' Inker Designs), Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Verve Diva Dare ~ March 2014

This month's Diva Dare is entitled "Do The Polka" and the dare to use polka dots somewhere on your card. Whether you choose to strut your polka dot stamps, paper, ribbon or all of the above, we want to see you do the polka!

I just love using polka dots on cards, have a ton of polka dotted paper in my stash, and am always on the lookout for more LOL!  I opted to go with some spring colours as I am desperately waiting for it to arrive.  Not that I have anything worth complaining about versus those of you on the East Coast who have been pummelled with cold temps and snow this winter!  This cute umbrella from Rain or Shine is so much fun to paper piece, and I added some liquid pearl "sand" to ground it.  The secondary sentiment is on one of the Flag It dies and comes from Friendly Phrases (pssst, it's one of the sets being retired so it's 50% off right now over at the Verve Store!)  
  
Of course, where there is a Verve Diva Dare, there are prizes, and this month's dare provides two prizes: one for a randomly selected participant and one for a randomly selected commenter! 

Want to get all the details on how you can win some Verve Stamps?  Simply head on over to the Verve Blog to get all the challenge details - I dare you!

What's In It?
Stamps:   Rain or Shine and Friendly Phrases (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Cut and Paste (My Mind's Eye), Green Galore, So Saffron (Stampin' Up),
Ink: Black, Going Grey (Stampin' Up) 
Accessories:   Flag It Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Large Sun Die and Stitched Rectangle Dies (Lil' Inkers), Liquid Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals