Viva La Verve November 2014 Week 4 Sketch

It's time for another Viva La Verve sketch and I get to be your hostess this week!

Continuing on my Christmas card run, I had great fun making this card.  Loved the colour combination of the patterned paper, and just had to use this fabulous tree die from the Winter Fun Set as it is one of my favorites.  The star die from the Scalloped Trim Trio set added a nice trim across the top and a few sequins from the newly released Holiday Sequin Mix along with some gold twine and bells added some sparkle.  I did move things around a bit to make the card work - a little artistic license was a must LOL.

Remember, the more VLV sketches you complete each month, the greater your chance of winning the $100 Verve gift certificate!  A great way to do some Christmas shopping for yourself wink, wink!  You can check out all the challenge details over on the Viva La Verve blog.

Hope you enjoy the sketch!

What's In It?
Paper:  Cozy Christmas (Simple Stories), Baroque Burgundy, Creamy Caramel, Kraft, Real Red, Early Espresso, Always Artichoke (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  VersaMark
Accessories:   Winter Fun Set and Scalloped Trim Trio Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Holiday Sequin Mix (Verve Stamps), Wet Pain Christmas Dies (PTI), Chicken Wire Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Crimper (Fiskars), Gold Cording and Gold Bells (Michael's), Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Banner Birthday

Ever get so excited about making a card for a challenge and when you are done you realize you goofed and didn't fulfill the challenge requirements!  Well, such was the case with this card.  I got so excited about using this fabulous MME paper pad again that I totally forgot about the inspiration picture and was nowhere near the proper colour combination LOL!  Upside:  I have an extra card to post :)

A quick and easy card with banners which is a great way to use up some scraps - that is unless you "should be" using a "certain" colour scheme pffffft! 

Have a fabulous day!

What's In It?
Stamps:  Sentiment Sampler (Paper Smooches)   
Paper:  In Bloom (My Mind's Eye)
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inkers), 5/8" Grey Satin Ribbon, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals. Dimensioanls

Mojo Monday #373

It's Tall and Skinny week over on the Mojo Monday blog.  I just love making this size of card - it changes up the layout size and it's amazing how lopping off 1/2" can make such a dramatic difference in the card's appearance.  That being said, my brain was going a hundred miles an hour the day I made this card, thinking about all I had to get done etc., when thankfully it idled just long enough to make me realize I had cut my card base a regular A2 size.  A quick 1/2" trim down the right side and I was back on track - phew!

I am hoarding this Bo Bunny snowflake paper as I just love it.  Got it a few years ago at my LSS and it only comes out to play on special occasions LOL!  Perfect for a Mojo card as it has Verve's signature colours of brown and aqua :)   The sentiment is from the newly released Weary World, my favorite set from this last release as it is full of quotes from some of my favorite Christmas carols.  Have caught myself humming more than once while working with this set.

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

Wishing you a fabulous week ahead, and look forward to seeing your creations.

Challenge:  The Pink Elephant

What's In It?
Stamps:  Weary World (Verve Stamps), French Script (Stampin' Up)
Paper:  Snowfall Blizzard (Bo Bunny), Early Espresso, Cool Caribbean, Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen
Ink:  Black, VersaMark
Accessories:   Snowflake Die (My Favorite Things), Crimper (Fiskars), Silver Cording, Bling, Silver Bells (Michael's), Dimensioanls

25 Days of Christmas Tags

Today  I'm playing along with Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags.

I simply love making tags!  They are quick and easy, and you can keep them CAS or dress them up as much as you like.  They really do dress up a gift, especially if you wrap your gifts in butcher paper or white paper because that lets the tag do the talking :)   I know some families who keep recycling gift tags year after year and people wait to see which one they will get, or there is a certain tag that gets you a special something if it is one your gift.  Needless to say, you can have loads of fun with them!

The flip side is it can be excruciatingly painful to see your tag end up in the recycle bin with all the Christmas paper.  Think that is why I only  make them for hostess gifts now!  The anal crafter in me wants to shake some people and say "Did you not notice it was hand made, with lots of fun details and papers as an extra special something on your gift?!"  As you can guess, it took just one Christmas of making tags for gifts and I was cured LOL!  However, fear not, these will be put to good use on gifts for co-workers, teachers, coaches etc. as I don't have to witness what they do with them!  Okay, enough about my anal retentive side!  Time to move on to my tags.  I couldn't just stop at just one so I made two!

 

This tag uses two of my favorite things about Christmas:  Snowflakes and "JOY"!  Went for big, bold and in your face so you don't miss it LOL!  Love it!  Five dies and some dimensionals made for a quick and easy tag.  Thinking this would be great on a card too so may have to go round two with it.

For my second tag, I used the current Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge for this tag and pulled the colours from one of the pin cushions.  This adorable Christmas tree die from  Lil' Inkers was calling my name and I couldn't resist making it a gingham as per the pin cushion pattern.

By the way, there are some pretty amazing prizes to be had over on Tracey's blog.  Sponsors include:

  

 

   

Plus you have an opportunity to win by simply leaving a comment on my post!  You can check out all the contest details HERE.

Thanks for popping by today!

What's In It?
TAG 1

Paper:  The Sweetest Thing (MME), Kraft, So Saffron, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  VersaMark 
Accessories:  Tag Die (MFT), Tree Die (Lil' Inkers), Christmas Word (PTI), Crimper (Fiskars), 5/8" Saffron Satin Ribbon and 1/4" Red Satin Ribbon (Michael's) Dimensionals

  
TAG 2
Paper:  Real Red (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Tag Die (MFT), Snowflake Die (PTI), Joy Die (WPlus9), Silver Half Pearl, Silver Twine, Dimensionals

Verve Stamps Holiday Release ~ Day 4

It's release day at Verve and we're celebrating with Day 4 of our November 2014 Spotlight Hops!  Have you enjoyed the spotlights we've been sharing this week? Well, the wait is over and everything previewed this week is available in the Verve online store now! And to cap off this release, we're giving away the entire release to one lucky commenter along today's hop, so come along with us as we share one last look-see at our holiday spotlights!

If you have come here from Laurie's blog you are right on track.  If  you just happened upon the blog, today's hop list is a bit lower down.

Today's spotlight is on the November 2014 Release Collection, so grab a treat and hop along!

I have been humming Amy Grant's song all day after making this card - though I am dating myself by mentioning this song LOL!  Pulled out my dwindling The Sweetest Thing MME paper pad to use up some scraps, and paired it with a tweaked version of a Deconstructed Sketch to create this card. Was a very masculine card initially, so I dressed it up a bit with the pearls and punched daisy chain.


Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win our ENTIRE November 2014 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 all the shopping and prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee	8. Teresa
2. Laurie	9. Andrea
3. Marisa	10. Christyne
4. Amber	11. Nancy
5. Diana	12. Maureen
6. Charmaine	13. Janelle
7. Stacey

Time to hop on over to Amber's blog to see what wonderful card creation she has for us today, and once you are done the hop, you can head on over to the Verve Store and do a little Christmas shopping wink, wink.

What's In It?
Stamps:   Psalm 119:105 Plain Jane (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  The Sweetest Thing (My Mind's Eye), Kraft, Real Red, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:   Chicken Wire Embossing Folder ( Cuttlebug), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Daisy Chain Punch (Martha Stewart), Crimper (Fiskars), Twinkling H2Os, Silver and Cream Half Pearls, Twine, Dimensionals

Verve Stamps Holiday Release ~ Day 3

Welcome back to Day 3 of Verve's November 2014 Spotlight Hops!  The Verve Divas and special guests are back for another day of spotlighting the new holiday release! And the wait is almost over... everything previewed this week will be available in the Verve online store tomorrow (Thursday, 11/20). So come hop along with us and see our first looks at today's featured products!

If you have come here from Chaitali's blog you are right on track.  If  you just happened upon the blog, today's hop list is a bit lower down.

Today's spotlight is shining on the Weary World set and Psalm 119:105 Plain Jane illustrated by Julee Tilman, as well as the coordinating Starry Stable Die Set.

I simply adore this Nativity image (as well as the many fabulous sentiments from Christmas carols in this set) so I had to use it.  Since Christ's birth was a very humble birth, I decided to keep things very CAS.  A woodgrain embossing folder in the background to represent the stable he was born in and neutrals for the surroundings.  The star and baby Jesus are in yellow to signify God's glory and the touch of twine added that little something, something.



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 a little more about our new products and all the prize info and deadlines!

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

Time to hop on over to Amber's blog to see what wonderful card creation she has for us today.   Then  make sure to come back tomorrow for Day 4 of our Holiday Release Hop!

What's In It?
Stamps:   Weary World (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Kraft, Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, So Saffron (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen 
Ink:  Black, Chocolate Chip  
Accessories:   Woodgrain Embossing Folder (Tim Holtz), Crimper (Fiskars), Twinkling H2Os, Twine, Dimensionals 

Verve Stamps Holiday Release ~ Day 2

Welcome back to Day 2 of Verve's November 2014 Spotlight Hops!  The Verve Divas and special guests are back for another day of spotlighting the new holiday release!  Everything previewed this week will be available in the Verve online store on Thursday, 11/20. So come hop along with us and see what's new at Verve!

If you have come here from Chaitali's blog you are right on track.  If  you just happened upon the blog, today's hop list is a bit lower down.

Today's spotlight is shining on the Pinecone Christmas set illustrated by Chaitali Narla and the coordinating Poinsettia Pinecones Die Set.

I went with another traditional card today using this wonderful pine cone image.  I love pinecones!  A pinecone wreath decorates one of our doors and huge pinecones on red ribbons hang from various places for decoration at Christmas.

I used the Flourished Trim Die to create the bottom border, stamped a snowflake from Merry and Bright in VersaMark and added a half pearls to the centers for a little something to the red panel.  I stamped the pine bough, popped up the pinecones, added this fabulous mix of solid and scripted word sentiment, and a few sequins from the Holiday Sequin Mix for a little something, something.  A touch of gold twine finished things off nicely.



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 a little more about our new products and all the prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee	7. Charmaine
2. Laurie	8. Stacey
3. Chaitali	9. Teresa
4. Marisa	10. Andrea
5. Amber	12. Nancy
6. Diana

Time to hop on over to Amber's blog to see what wonderful card creation she has for us today.   Then  make sure to come back tomorrow for Day 3 of our Holiday Release Hop!

What's In It?
Stamps:  Pinecone Christmas (Verve Stamps)   
Paper:  Kraft, Real Red, Forrest Foliage (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Forrest Foliage, VersaMark (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Flourished Trim Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Crimper (Fiskars), White Half Pearls, 1/4" Moss Satin Ribbon, Gold Twine (Michael's)

Verve Stamps Holiday Release / Mojo Monday #372

Welcome to Verve's November 2014 Spotlight Hops!  Over the next few days the Verve Divas and special guests will be spotlighting 3 new sets, a Plain Jane and 2 coordinating die sets! Everything previewed this week will be available in the Verve online store on Thursday, 11/20. So come hop along with us and see what's new at Verve!

If you have come here from Chaitali's blog you are right on track.  If  you just happened upon the blog, today's hop list is a bit lower down.

Today's spotlight is shining on the Light My World set illustrated by Chaitali Narla and the new Holiday Sequin Mix

Today's set is a wonderful set which covers Christmas, Hanukkah and Nirwali.  I went with a traditional Christmas theme for my card, using this beautiful candle and poinsettia image along with the traditional Christmas colours of red and green.  A little gold string was tossed in for some sparkle as well as a few sequins from the new Holiday Sequin Mix.  Let the Christmas card making begin!



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 a little more about our new products, an introduction of our 2 fabulous guest divas, and all the prize info and deadlines!

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

Time to hop on over to Amber's blog to see what wonderful card creation she has for us today.   Then  make sure to come back tomorrow for Day 2 of our Holiday Release Hop!

What's In It?
Stamps:  Light My World (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Authentique (Wonder "Expectation"), Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Kraft (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Scallope Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), Twinkling H2Os, Cream Half Pearls, Gold Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals