Viva La Verve October 2014 Sketch Recap

It's time to recap this week's Viva La Verve sketch created by Diva Charmaine.

Love the focal cluster of elements she had on her sketch - especially the heart, wink wink :)

Lots of elements and panels so it was perfect for working my way through more of my Stella and Rose MME paper stash.  The sentiment is from the newly released Inspire Hope, a wonderful set with great sentiments and the option to build your own too! 

Want to see whose card I spotlighted this week?  Head on over to the Viva La Verve blog and find out! 

Challenges:The Pink Elephant

What's In It?
Stamps:   Inspire Hope (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Real Red, So Saffron (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black 

Accessories:   Wavy Hearts Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle, Circle and Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Scalloped Punch (Stampin' Up), Crimper (Fiskars), Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Mojo Monday #369

It's tall and skinny week over at the Mojo Monday blog!  Love making these cards with a narrower canvas as it mean you can hang things off the side and still get them to fit in a regular A2 sized envelope.

I'm still smitten with Pink Power!  I apologise for the plethora of cards using it this month, but I wanted one more card to go in my gift pack to the lingerie store who helps fit ladies with beautiful, prosthetic bras after their mastectomies.  

The small squares were a perfect fit for the Ribbon die (love this die!!).  Lots of pink, polka dots and a touch of bling to glitz things up a bit.  Just "had" to add the sentiment banner with the life giving word "hope".

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.

Carole Burrage

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

Can't believe it is almost the end of October! Yikes!  Time to switch over to making Christmas cards - one of my favorites to make :) 

Hoping your weekend was a good one!

Challenges: The Pink Elephant

What's In It?
Stamps:  Pink Power  (Verve Stamps)   
Paper:  Making Memories, Pretty in Pink, Rose Romance (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Ribbon Die (A Cut Above by Verve), 5/8" White Satin Ribbon (Michael's), Bling, Dimensionals 

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Burlap Banner Reminder

Time for our mid point, Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge Burlap Banner reminder.   Still lots of time to play, and here is my second take on the challenge.

I decided to have fun with some burlap this time round.   After all, it is in the challenge title LOL!  Pulled out my stash and made a fish tail banner instead of a pendant one.  With all the glorious fall colours beginning to emerge on our maple tree lined street, I had leaves on the brain so went with it (plus I have been neglecting my favorite leaf dies just a bit wink, wink).

The maple leaf is actually dark chocolate brown, even though it does look black in the photo.  Used our sponsor, The Twinery's, orange twine for my accent colour, and it wasn't until after the photo was being edited that I noticed the one twine "tail" on the button bow was crossing over into my sentiment- sorry about that!   As a side note, I coloured in the skull and crossbones image on the bottom border hexagons as it just didn't fit my theme.  The many uses of my black, felt pen LOL!

Love to have you come and join us if you have not already!

What's In It?
Stamps:   Autumn Acorns, Leaf Prints, Modern Wood Mats (PTI)   
Paper:  Thrilling (Authentique), Early Espresso, Only Orange, Kraft (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Leaf Prints and Labels Die (PTI), Burlap, Twine (Twinery), Button, Glue Dot, Dimensionals 

Mojo Monday #368

Welcome back to another Mojo Monday :)   Debbie has provided this week's sketch and the large panel makes for all sorts of wonderful possibilities!

I delved into the scraps of my MME In Bloom paper pad to create this card.  Used this fabulous Luke 1:45 Plain Jane and added some red highlights, one of which is an "autumn butterfly" wink, wink :)

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.

Carole Burrage

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

Mowed the lawn and cleaned out my flower beds and most of my planters this weekend as the rain is a comin'....  So sad to pull the flowers out, but I would rather do it on a sunny day than on a cold, wet day.  Thankfully the planters by the front door are sheltered and survive a good month longer due to the heat from the house, so I will still get to enjoy some colour :)

Hoping your weekend was a good one!

What's In It?
Stamps:  Luke 1:45 Plain Jane (Verve Stamps)   
Paper:  In Bloom (My Mind's Eye), Going Grey, Real Red (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen 
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Scalloped Punch (Stampin; Up), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Black Half Pearls, 1/4" Red Satin Ribbon, Button, Glue Dot, Dimensioanls

Verve Release Retrospective Hop

Welcome to Verve's October Release Retrospective Blog Hop! The Verve Divas are hopping today and serving up some more inspiration using the October release stamps & dies! Besides a look-see at some really nifty cards, there's also a comment prize up for grabs!

If you have come her from Stacey's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened upon the hop, you can check the hop list below to get caught up.

In honor of Diva Chaitali's mother's current battle against breast cancer and her subsequent creation of Pink Power, as well as my sadly having to miss her Breast Cancer awareness Hop this past Monday, I created a card using this set.  I have said it before, and I will say it again, this set is a must have!  So many wonderful, encouraging sentiments to be able to put on a card for any woman who is in the midst of her battle with breast cancer, or celebrating an anniversary of victory over it.  I plan on dropping a few I've made off at a lingerie store who works with women who have had mastectomies and are being fit for prosthetics.  The options are endless!

 

For my card I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch. The papers are from MME's Lost and Found Heirloom paper pack and the seam binding is from Verve's Truly Madly Deeply ribbon collection.  I used the Ribbon Die to create a border and garnished them with white half pearls.  Love this "fight like a girl" sentiment, and when I found a heart shaped button, I knew I had to add it to the bow.  Pink power all the way :)


Want to win some shiny new Verve? We're giving away a $40 gift voucher to one lucky commenter along the hop, so be sure to leave a shout out in the comments as you hop about.

1. Julee	8. Laurie
2. Stacey	9. Christyne
3. Marisa	10. Teresa
4. Chaitali	11. Andrea
5. Amber	12. Betty
6. Jen	13. Sarah
7. Charmaine	14. Maureen

Next up, Chaitali's blog, where you are sure to be treated to a wonderful, card creation.  Happy hopping, and I'll be back on Monday with my Mojo Monday card. 

What’s In It?
Stamps:  Pink Power (Verve Stamps) 

Paper:   Lost and Found (My Mind’s Eye), Blush Blossom (Stampin’ Up), Cream Linen 
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Ribbon Die (A Cut Above by Verve Stamps),  Truly Madly Deeply Seam Binding (Verve Stamps), Button, Twine, White Half Pearls, Glue Dots

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Burlap Banner

It's time for another Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge.  This week our sponsor for the Curtain Call Inspiration: Burlap Banner is The Twinery!  A randomly selected participant in the Burlap Banner challenge will receive a fabulous bundle from The Twinery, while the LEAD will be invited as a Guest Designer in a future challenge!

 

I took the inspiration photo quite literally this time round and created a Halloween banner on my card. Love this bright orange twine!  Such a fun, under loved colour by many - but not me :)  A few more orange accents and I was good to go as the paper from Authentique's Thrilling did most of the work for me.    

The Twinery Designers, our Guest Designer and the Curtain Call Crew have lots of additional inspiration for you today!  Make sure you visit each of the designers' blogs!

Burlap Banner Designers

The Twinery Designers 

Guest Designer, Kelly Latevola

Amy Kolling
Amy Sheffer
Gayatri Murali
Kim Singdahlsen
Laurie Willison
Lisa Henke
Marisa Ritzen
Maureen Plut
Monika Davis
Sarah Gough
Sheri Gilson
Stacey Schafer
Tenia Nelson
Tracey McNeely

Follow us!

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge Facebook Page

Curtain Call Pinterest Boards

Stop by the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Burlap Banner for the challenge details and to play along with us!

Thanks for popping by and hope you can play along with us!

 

What's In It?
Stamps:  Lower Case Letter Set (Hero Arts), Neat and Tangled  
Paper:  Thrilling (Authentique), Black, Kraft (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Twine (Twinery), Buttons, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Mojo Monday #367

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian followers!

This week's sketch is brought to us by Sarah.  When I saw the stripes, I thought of designer paper, and since I was in the mood to change things up a bit, a Christmas card emerged!  Not exactly the right theme for today, as it is Canadian Thanksgiving, but it is the next major holiday so I'm going with that LOL!

Dug out some old Stampin' Up papers for the bottom panels, add scallops with half pears, some twine and this sentiment from Christmas Carols by Cas-ual Fridays Stamps because it has my favorite word, "joy". A quick, CAS card that would be easy to mass produce if you needed to.

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.

Carole Burrage

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday and it was great to have mom back at the table with us. She has been release from hospital and is doing much better.  Fingers crossed the trend continues!  Off to enjoy a fun day as a family.

What's In It?
Stamps:  Christmas Carols (CAS-ual Friday Stamps)   
Paper:  Designer Series Paper, Real Red, Sahara Sand (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen 
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Medium Scallop Die (PTI), Twine, Black Half Pearls, Button, Glue Dots 

Verve Diva Dare ~ October 2014

This month's Diva Dare is entitled "Pink Power".  In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness, this months we are daring you to flash some PINK on your card or project.

I absolutely adore the new Pink Power set, especially this beautiful silhouette, and find it hard not to use on a card.  The sentiments in this set are fabulous too!  A definite "must have" set in my books, and one I wish I had a few years back when two of my good friends were battling breast cancer.   

I combined two pink papers and used silver as my accent colour.  Added some scallops, bling and half pearls to girly it up a bit, along with the Ribbon Die for a little accent.  Finished things off by adding the butterfly from the set as a symbol of new birth after metamorphosis.  Sorry if the last few cards have looked somewhat the same.  I'll try to branch out next time, honest LOL! 

You can check out all the Diva Dare details over on the Verve blog.  Would love you to come and join us this month!

Challenges: The Pink Elephant

What's In It?
Stamps:   Pink Power (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Lovey (Bella Boulevard), Letterbox (American Crafts), Rose Romance, Brushed Silver (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:   Black, Silver
Accessories:   Ribbon Die (A Cut Above Verve), Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), Silver Half Pearls, Bling, Heart Button (Michael's), Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Verve Release Celebrations ~ Day 4

It's the final day of Verve's October 2014 Release Celebration! Three new sets, three new dies and a sequin mix just released on Saturday and today we're back sharing our inspirations with a new set designed by Julee Tilman called Inspire Hope.

If you have come here from Stacey's blog, you are right on track.  If not, you can check the Hop List below.

Today's set, Inspire Hope, has a wonderful mix of sentiments which you can frame or use on their own.  I chose to use the frame and matted it with the Rounded Scalloped Rectangle.  Some cream seam binding from the Signature Series ribbon collection, a touch of twine and a pearled, scalloped border provided the feminine feel I was going for.


Want to win some shiny new Verve? One random winner of a $30 gift voucher to the Verve store will be drawn from the comments on the blogs linked below. So be sure to leave a little shout out in the comment box at each stop along the way to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for the scoop on prizes and today's featured products!


Featured Products: Inspire Hope, Pink Sparkle Sequin Mix
Today's Prize: $30 gift voucher to Verve

1. Julee 7. Charmaine 2. Stacey 8. Laurie 3. Marisa 9. Christyne 4. Chaitali 10. Teresa 5. Amber 11. Andrea 6. Jen

Now it is time to head on over to Chaitali's blog to see what she was inspired to create with this wonderful set. Happy hopping and happy shopping wink, wink.

Challenges:  Your Next Step Challenge

What's In It?
Stamps:  Inspire Hope (Verve Stamps)  
Paper:  LBW Madeline (K & Company), Sahara Sand, So Saffron (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen

Ink:  Black, Old Olive, Rose Romance (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Rounded Scalloped Frame (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), Cream Seam Binding (Signature Series), Button, Twine, Cream Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Smooches Reminder

This is my second post of the day. Scroll down for my Verve Release post. 

We are half way through our current "Smooch" Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge so there is still time to play.

Paper Smooches is our sponsor and they have a ton of fun stamps you can chose from should you be the randomly selected winner of this challenge!  In addition, don't forget the LEAD for this challenge will be a guest designer for one of our upcoming challenges :)

For my card, I used We Connect, a fun sentiment set for Valentine's Day, Wedding, and love themed cards.  So many fun sentiments to mix and match - love it (no pun intended LOL).  I created a background by versamarking a sentiment on it and then built the sentiment on the tag, finishing it off with a row of hearts.

If you haven't played along yet we'd love to have you join us!

What's In It?
Stamps:   We Connect (Paper Smooches)  
Paper:  Recollections (Michael's), Real Red, Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black, VersaMark
Accessories:  Tag, Medium Scalloped Border and Heart Border Dies (PTI),  5/8" Black Satin Ribbon (Michael's), Button, Twine, Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals 

Verve Release Celebration ~ Day 3

Welcome back to Verve's October 2014 Release Celebration! Three new sets, three new dies and a sequin mix just released on Saturday and today we're back sharing our inspirations with a new set illustrated by Chaitali Narla called Masquerade and the new Gown Die and Mask Die Set!

If you have come here from Stacey's blog, you are right on track.  If not, you can check the Hop List below.

I found this fantastic sparkly, chevron paper at my local dollar store and knew I had to use it with this set, especially after reading a book this summer that had a "glitzy, masked costume party" in it.  I simply adore this amazing mask image and matching die, and love the different accessories you can add to it!  Added a pop of colour with the raspberry coloured seam binding from the Spring Fling ribbon collection and a few touches of bling.


Featured Products: Masquerade, Mask Die, Gown Die
Today's Prize: $30 gift voucher to Verve

1. Julee 7. Charmaine 2. Stacey 8. Laurie 3. Marisa 9. Christyne 4. Chaitali 10. Teresa 5. Amber 11. Andrea 6. Jen

Want to win some shiny new Verve? One random winner of a $30 gift voucher to the Verve store will be drawn from the comments on the blogs linked below. So be sure to leave a little shout out in the comment box at each stop along the way to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for the scoop on prizes and today's featured products!

Time to head on over to Chaitali's blog to see what she has created with this fabulous set!  Don't forget to come back tomorrow for another chance to win a Verve gift certificate!

What's In It?
Stamps:  Masquerade (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Black, Specialty (Dollar Store)
Ink:  Black, VersaMark
Accessories:  Mask Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Clear Embossing Powder, Bling (Michael's), Spring Fling Ribbon Collection (Verve Stamps), Black and Silver Half Pearls, Bling, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Viva La Verve - October Week 1 Recap

 

Time for this week's Viva La Verve sketch recap.  I was thrilled when I saw the sketch as it meant I could use the newly released Masquerade set again.  This is such a fun set, especially for those of us who are not big on Halloween.

I always think of glitz and glitter when I see these fabulous Mardi gras masks and I was dying to use the gown die to create a glittery ball gown to go with a swanky mask LOL!

Decided to go with the classic and dramatic red, black and white colour combo after tripping across this wonderful, sparkly red paper I got at my local dollar store last year.  I die cut just the bodice of the gown in red using the Gown die and then die cut one out of white and stamped it.  Then, I used the Mask die to die cut the red masks and the rest of the mask ensemble.  I fussy cut the feathers, added some red bling to the dress to glitz it up a bit, and embossed the background.

I learned a great "trick" from "Jedi Julee" for proper placement of the tassels to the mask.  Simply stamp the mask in VersaMark where you want it to be on your card, and then stamp the tassels on the mask so when you place the die cut mask over top, they are perfectly placed.  Brilliant idea, Julee, thank you!  Needless to say, I had great fun creating this card :) 

Want to see whose card using this week's sketch I spotlighted this week?  Head on over to the Viva La Verve blog and find out! 

What's In It?
Stamps:   Masquerade (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Black, Sparkly Red (Dollar Store)   
Ink:   Black
Accessories:   Gown and Masks Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Nat Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Bling, Dimensionals