Mojo Monday #441

Happy Easter Monday!!  Enjoying a day off work today and having some good family time.  Trusting you all had a wonderful Easter weekend.  Easter is always a moving weekend for me, and this year was no different.  Fabulous church services Friday and Sunday, and once again I am humbled and overwhelmed by God's love for me.   Good thing my eye liner and mascara are tear proof LOL!

When I saw this sketch I immediately thought of a setting or rising sun - most likely due to the Rise Above set that was just released and the matching Partly Cloudy die set.  Either that or I am having subliminal messages about going to Hawaii to enjoy some much needed sunshine! 

Mixed a few papers and things fell together quickly - a rarity for me so an extra ray of sunshine for me today :)

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.

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Justin Krieger 

Lori Tecler  

Marisa Ritzen (that's me)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

We got great news that all the margins around my MIL's bowel cancer surgery are clear so no chemo or radiation needed and she is free to move on with her life - God is good!!  Allowed us to have a much needed, quiet, family weekend :) 




 

What's In It?
Stamps:  Rise Above (Verve Stamps), Tiny Tags (PTI)
Paper:  On The Bright Side (My Mind's Eye), So Saffron, Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up), Orange (LSS)
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Partly Cloudy and Springtime Stitches Die Sets (A Cut Above by Verve), Tiny Tags Die (PTI), Chevron and Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Sequins, Glue Dots, Twine, Dimensionals 

Viva La Verve March 2016 Sketch 2 Recap

It's time for the second Viva La Verve sketch of March.  This week's sketch is brought to us by Maureen.

Since St. Patrick's Day is over, shamrocks were out wink, wink.  That lead to me digging through my patterned paper and I found this one which I have never used yet.  Great reason to cut into it!!

Not sure what is up, but I have been an a fall colour binge the past few weeks and loving it.  These are my favorite colours to work with and I think they got short changed this Fall, thus the current obsession ;)

Used the flowers from Happy Place and the matching Happy Doodles die set to cut them out.  The butterfly is from Die Sidekicks and the matching All A Flutter die set.  The sentiment is from Wishing You, an oldie but a goodie and a personal favorite as I love the font and how you can build the sentiment you want/need.

My recap and viewfinder picks can be found over on the Viva La Verve blog.  Still time to play to be entered into the draw to win some Verve too :)




 

What's In It?
Stamps: Happy Place, Wishing You (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Prairie Hill (Pink Paisley), Basic Black, Real Red (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Happy Doodles and All A Flutter Die Sets (A Cut Above by Verve), lacy Circle and Circle Nestabilties (Spellbinders), Black Half Pearls, Sequins, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Mojo Monday #440

I was in the mood to make a coffee themed card due to the Spring Coffee Lover's Blog Hop that is on right now.

Didn't have to go far as Verve has some great coffee/tea sets :)   I used the newly released Coffee Helps along with the coordinating Cup for all Seasons die set.

After I was done, realized I didn't go with a spring theme or colour combination (pumpkins in March only occur in Cinderella I think LOL), so the Coffee Lover's police may put me in jail, or if I am lucky, just a warning wink, wink.  Regardless, it was great fun making this card and it now calls for a quick trip to Starbucks to satisfy my latte carving LOL!

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.

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Justin Krieger 

Lori Tecler  

Marisa Ritzen (that's me)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

We had a full weekend with my son reffing two games and my daughter and I touring one of the universities she applied and  got accepted to.   My son was actually reffing on campus so we were planning to take a quick tour while he reffed, but as fate would have it (or as I like to say, a total God thing occurred), we tripped across the fact they were having a "preview weekend" for incoming and interested students.  That allowed my daughter and I to attend some info sessions, talk to profs from the history and education department (she wants to be a history teacher),  got a campus tour and an overall scope of the campus.

My mama heart knows this is where she is meant to be.  So many doors are opening to make this possible :)   They have a very hefty tuition which we could not afford short of a miracle, and she has received a sizable academic and financial scholarship that brings the tuition on par to the places she has applied to, the commute is very short (20 minutes), she gets a mentor her first year, classes are small and so much more.  She is a bit of a "deer in the headlights" right now as everything is quite overwhelming now and she hates change, but once she takes some time to decompress, I am praying she reaches the same conclusion without our having to play the heavy.    Fun times {grin}!




 

What's In It?
Stamps: Coffee Helps (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Collectible and Indie (My  Mind's Eye), Sage Shadow (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Cup For All Seasons Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve),  Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Crimper (Fiskars), Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals 

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Rainbow

We are back with our second Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge for March!  This time round, our challenge is Rainbow!  Spring is a comin' and April showers can bring some beautiful rainbows!

In addition, the LEAD for this challenge will be invited to be a Guest Designer in an upcoming challenge.

Rainbows are such a wonder of nature!  They are captivating, beautiful and I love how people stop in their tracks to look at them - myself included.  I chose to create a tag rainbow and pull in the daisies by adding one to each tag.  A black "hi" grounded the tags and pulled everything together.
 

RAINBOW

Amy Kolling

Amy Tsuruta

Betty Wright

 Kim Singdahlsen

Laurie Willison

Leigh Penner

Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler 
Lynn Magnan

Marisa Ritzen

Maureen Plut

Melody Rupple

Monika Davis

Sheri Gilson

Stacey Schafer
Tara Godfrey

Tracey McNeely

Have fun with the challenge and I look forward to seeing your creations in the Curtain Call gallery.

 

What's In It?

Paper:  Real Red, Only Orange, Yoyo yellow, Green Galore, Brocade Blue, Elegant Eggplant (Stampin' Up)

Accessories:  Mini Tag Dies (PTI), Happy Hello Die Set (My Favorite Things), Twine, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #439

This week's Mojo Monday sketch was the springboard for a baby card.  With spring in the air and several clients expecting, it is a good thing to have in my stash!

Used this adorable bunny from Verve's newly released Hip Hop Bunnies stamp set and the coordinating die from the Bunny Hop die set.   Girlied things up a bit with the doily and scalloped edges, and just had to add a little "xoxo" heart :)

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.

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Justin Krieger 

Lori Tecler  

Marisa Ritzen (that's me)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

Another busy weekend with my son reffing six games in two days as part of one of the largest soccer tournaments in BC.  There are over 330 teams and 650 games!!  Thankfully he was assigned to games at our club's field and another one close by so travel time was kept at a minimum.  Sunday night equaled one tired, but happy boy :)

Also had some great news in that my daughter got accepted to all the colleges and universities she applied to :)  I know in my mam heart which one she should/needs to go to as it is the perfect fit for her in sooooo many ways.   Going to visit each campus so she can get a feel for them and then sit down with her and walk through a decision making process.   Fun times!

Enjoy the sketch!!




 

What's In It?
Stamps: Hip Hop Bunnies (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Blooming Collection (Studio 8), Recollections (Michael's), So Saffron (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Bunny Hop Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Doily Die (Top Dog Dies), Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), Tiny Tags Die Set (PTI), Twine, Dimensionals   

Verve March 2016 Release Spotlight Hop ~ Day 5

It's the final day of our March Spotlight Hops!  Have you enjoyed the spotlights we've been sharing this week? Thanks so much for hopping along with us and celebrating the new release this week! Everything previewed this week is available to order in the Verve online store. So come let's hop along one more time for a closer look at Rise Above, New Beginnings and the Partly Cloudy and Springtime Stitches die sets.

If you have come here from Guest Designer Mackie's blog you are right on track.  If  you just happened upon the Hop, today's hop list is a bit lower down or you can head over to Verve Blog for the full Hop List.

My first card, I had to use this big old sun from Rise Above and matching die in Partly Cloudy as we have been quite short on sunshine out here on the West Coast and I needed a little pick me up :)   I cased this wonderful card when making it and added a few sequins from the Harvest Gold Sequin Mix for a bit of "oomph".  Needless to say, I will now be humming the "You Are My Sunshine" song all day LOL!

For my second card, I used New Beginnings and the Springtime Stitches die set, and paired them with the current Viva La Verve sketch.  Used up some scraps from MME's The Sweetest Thing, used Twinkling H2Os to colour my popped up flower (read novice colouring medium lol), and added an orange butterfly for good measure.

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!

1. Julee	7. Mackie
2. Amber	8. Marisa
3. Betty	9. Maureen
4. Charmaine	10. Stacey
5. Christyne	11. Vicki
6. Lee-Anne

Time to head on over to Maureen's blog to see what kind of Verve eye candy she has created for your viewing pleasure today.  Happy hopping!




 

What's In It?
Card #1
Stamps:   Rise Above (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   Springtime (Echo Park),  Grey Whimsy (Pebbles), Summer Sun (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:   Black  
Accessories:  Partly Cloudy Die Set and Harvest Gold Sequin Mix (Verve Stamps), Stitched Rectangle Die (Lil' Inker), Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Card #2
Stamps:   New Beginnings (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   The Sweetest Thing (My Mind's Eye), Real Red, Only Orange (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:   Black  
Accessories:  Springtime Stitches Die Set (A Cut Above By Verve), Scalloped Square and Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Twinkling H2Os, Black and Red  Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Verve Diva Inspiration Hop - March 2016

It's time for the Verve Divas to bring you our monthly Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop! There are two ways to win Verve prizes: comment on the design team's blog hop posts (linked below) to see their take on the inspiration, then go get inky and link up your take on the challenge to be eligible in our prize drawings! You have until April 5 to link up, so feel free to play as often as you like.

After a few month of winter, nothing soothes the soul like a burst of vibrant color. This boho kids bedroom does that and more!  Feel free to take your inspiration from the photo or the color combo, whatever suits your fancy!  We can't wait to see what you create.

Click here to link up your challenge entries

Challenge deadline: Tuesday, April 5.

Prize: $30 gift voucher to the Verve online store!

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

 

These colour sent me for a loop LOL!  Oh my....bright indeed!!   I took the easy way out and went with flowers (my go to for this type of a situation wink, wink).  Pulled out the showcased colours, used the Simple Daisies die set and matching Simply Amazing daisy image for the flowers, stamped a daisy background on the green panel for a bit of texture (hard to see in the picture), and then used "fantastic" from the Amazing Adjectives word die set for the sentiment.

Need a little inspiration? Check out the blogs linked below to see what the other Divas did with the challenge! It's sure to be a treat, and speaking of treats, we're giving away a $30 gift voucher to Verve to one random commenter along the hop! 

	1. Julee	7. Laurie
	2. Amber	8. Marisa
	3. Amy	9. Maureen
	4. Betty	10. Sankari
	5. Charmaine	11. Stacey
	6. Christyne	12. Teresa

Time to head on over to Maureen's blog to see her take on the inspiration photo :)






What's In It?
Stamps:  Simply Amazing (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Gable Green, Tempting Turquoise, Passionate Pink, Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Amazing Adjectives Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Hearts and Swiss Dots Embossing Folders (Cuttlebug), Paper Piercer, Dimensionals

Verve March 2016 Release Spotlight Hop ~ Day 4

Welcome back to Day 4 of Verve's March Spotlight Hops!  The Verve Divas and special guests are back for another day of spotlighting our new release! Everything previewed this week is available to order in the Verve online store. So come hop along and take a closer look at Simply Amazing, and the Simply Daisies and Amazing Adjectives die sets.

If you have come here from Guest Designer Mackie's blog you are right on track.  If  you just happened upon the Hop, today's hop list is a bit lower down or you can head over to Verve Blog for the full Hop List.

Found this fun Sweet Daisy Cream paper by Bazzill Basics and combined some sentiments from Simply Amazing with the "fantastic" word from the Amazing Adjectives Word Die Set to make this birthday card.  No missing the intention of the card LOL!

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!

1. Julee	8. Mackie
2. Amber	9. Marisa
3. Betty	10. Maureen
4. Charmaine	11. Stacey
5. Christyne	12. Teresa
6. Laurie	13. Vicki
7. Lee-Anne

Time to head on over to Maureen's blog to see what kind of Verve eye candy she has created for your viewing pleasure today.  Happy hopping!






What's In It?
Stamps:   Simply Amazing (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   Sweet Daisy Cream (Bazzill Basics), DSP, Wild Wasabi, Rose Romance, Basic Black (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:   Black  
Accessories:  Amazing Adjectives Die Set (A Cut Above By Verve), Tag Die (PTI), Stitched Rectangle Die (Lil' Inker), Ribbon (Michael's Dollar Bin), Twine, Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals 

Verve March 2016 Release Spotlight Hop ~ Day 3

Welcome back to Day 3 of Verve's March Spotlight Hops!  The Verve Divas and special guests are back for another day of spotlighting our new release! Everything previewed this week is available to order in the Verve online store. So come hop along and take a closer look at Hip Hop Bunnies, the Bunny Hop die set and the Welcome Plain Jane.

If you have come here from Guest Designer Mackie's blog you are right on track.  If  you just happened upon the Hop, today's hop list is a bit lower down or you can head over to Verve Blog for the full Hop List.

Adore the bunny images from this set, so they lead directly to making a baby card.  Used some Simple Stories Hello Baby paper and the bunny image from Hip Hop Bunnies that reminded me of the Velveteen Rabbit {grin} and the coordinating Bunny  Hop Die Set to cut it out.  A few girly touches, some sequins and a bow in her ear, called it a card.

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!

1. Julee	7. Mackie
2. Amber	8. Marisa
3. Betty	9. Maureen
4. Charmaine	10. Stacey
5. Christyne	11. Teresa
6. Lee-Anne	12. Vicki

Time to head on over to Maureen's blog to see what kind of Verve eye candy she has created for your viewing pleasure today.  Happy hopping!

 




 What's In It?
Stamps:   Hip Hop Bunny (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   Hello Baby (Simple Stories), Small Dots (Michael's), Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Cool Caribbean, Cream (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:   Black  
Accessories:  Bunny Hop Die Set (A Cut Above By Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders),  Lacy Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Crimper (Fiskars), Button, Twine, Sequins, Glue Dots, Dimensionals