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Monday, May 30, 2016

Mojo Monday #450

Mojo 450 photo Mojo450pic.jpg

This week we get to play with a Tall and Skinny sketch over on the Mojo Monday blog :)  Love these as you can have embellishments, dies, banners etc. hang over the edge of a card and it will still fit into an A2 envelope!

I love this Watercolour Blue Daisy paper from Michael's so had to use it again.  It looks amazing with red and in accordance with my current obsession with these flowers from Beautiful Things, I used them again.  Sorry....just can't help myself.  I cut them out with the coordinating Beautiful Flowers Die Set and coloured the flower as per Lesley Croghan's gorgeous card here.  Added some black accents for some contrast, including the "beautiful" word die from the same die 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.


Had a very busy week with my daughter's 12th Grade / Senior Commencement ceremony.  They were the largest graduating class on record for their high school topping out at 450 graduates (not big by US standards, but big for our part of the world).  Two valedictorian speeches (senior class voted and it was a tie - the first time it has ever happened - so they let both candidates speak), a tribute to one of the triplets who died in an ATV accident this spring along with the presentation of a beautiful, commissioned wood panel carving by a local Native Indian carver to the family, School Board, School president etc. speeches and finally each graduate walking the stage for their diploma.  Five and a half hours later we were done, and five and a half hours of sleep later I had to go work a twelve hour day!  Good thing it was a busy one as it kept me awake LOL!  

A few amazing statistics on this graduating class.  They won over $600,000 in scholarships and bursaries - amazing!  One student got a full ride, $250,000 hockey scholarship to an American university (we grow good hockey players up here in Canada wink, wink - after all, it is our national sport), another student received an $80,000, another $42,000, another $30,000 and two others got $20,000 scholarships.  My daughter got a $1,250 Fine Arts scholarship for her photography skills, and there was a host of others who received scholarships ranging from $200 - $2,000 dollars.  In addition, 56% of the graduating class is on the Honor Roll!!   Many students received scholarships for volunteering, community work and leadership, as well as athletic, academic, artistic and excellence awards.  It is a truly exceptional graduating class in so many ways and it was wonderful being able to celebrate with the graduates and their parents. 

Weekend didn't slow down any either....worked on Saturday, played taxi driver for my son's two reffing gigs on Sunday followed immediately by our family's May birthday celebration that evening!!  I am peopled out and quite exhausted today - one more event and I would have been calling the men in the white suits to come and put me in a padded room with a straight jacket on LOL.  The joys of being an introvert and needing down time to recharge.  

Trusting you had a good weekend.  Enjoy the sketch and look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery :)

Challenge:  Simon Says




  

  
What Is In It?
Stamps:  Beautiful Things (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Watercolour Blue Daisy (Recollections at Michael's), Real Red, Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black
Accessories: Beautiful Flowers Die Set and Stitched Pennants (A Cut Above by Verve), Twinkling H2Os, Twine, Dimensionals

Friday, May 27, 2016

Verve May 2016 Release Retrospective Hop

Welcome to Verve's May Release Retrospective!  It's been a fabulous release week at Verve and today the Divas and Guest Divas are back with another dose of inspiration using the brand new release! Everything spotlighted is available to order in the Verve Store and is 25% off through the end of May! Plus, we've got a sweet hop prize in store!

If you have come here from LauraJane's blog you are right on track.  If you happened upon the hop you can check the Hop List below to get caught up.

VR RetroHop May 2016 photo VRRetroHopMay16pic.jpg

I have been hoarding this Hugs and Kisses paper by American Krafts and decided it was time to use a bit today {grin}.  I paired it with this wonderful sentiment from Beautiful Things (so many fabulous sentiments in that set - not to mention the flowers!) and the Stitched Pennants Die Set.  Some pops of pink and some bling along with the scalloped hearts from the Scalloped TrimTrio Die Set finished things off.



Want to win some shiny new Verve? Julee will be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win a $40 gift voucher to Verve! To be entered in the giveaway, leave a little comment love as you hop around to the blogs linked below! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines!

Release Retrospective Hop List
1. Julee7.  LauraJane {guest}
2. Lori {guest}8.  Marisa
3. Betty9.  Maureen
4. Charmaine10. Stacey
5. Laurie11. Teresa
6. Lesley

Time to head on over to Maureen's blog to see what she has showcased for today's Hop.  Don't forget the new release special going on over at the Verve Store AND the Memorial Day weekend sale - double the pleasure for double the shopping fun!!




Free first class shipping on US orders over $35 May 27 - 31, 2016.

Have a fabulous weekend and enjoy the Hop!!

Challenge:  Simon Says




 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Beautiful Things (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Hugs and Kisses (American Krafts), Turquoise (Bazzil), Real Red, Rose Romance (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Stitched Banners Die Set, Scalloped Border Trim Trio (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities, Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inker), Black Half Pearls, Bling, Button, Twine (Michael's), Dimensionals

Monday, May 23, 2016

Mojo Monday #449

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I'm still enamoured with the flowers and sentiments in the newly released Beautiful Things set so had to use it again - especially since they were still out on my desk from last week's release ;)

Tripped across this old Kioshi paper by Basic Grey and pulled the colours from there.  It was calling for purple flowers so purple flowers it is.  Coloured them with Twinkling H2Os and the leaves are from the Sprightly Sprigs die 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.


Busy weekend as my son was reffing in a tournament over the long weekend.  Twelve games in 3 days!! Good thing he is young and bounces back quickly!  Not sure sure about hubby though....he got called in to be his Assistant Ref for four games on Saturday as they were short ARs...needless to say he is not  moving too swiftly yet LOL!




 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Beautiful Things (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Kioshi (Basic Grey), On the Bright Side (My Mind's Eye), So Saffron, Always Artichoke (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Beautiful Flowers Die Set and Sprightly Sprigs (A Cut Above by Verve), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Twinkling H2Os, Twine, Button, White and Black Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Friday, May 20, 2016

Verve May 2016 Release Spotlight Hop ~ Day 3

Welcome back to Day 3 of Verve's May Spotlight Hops!  It's an exciting day as there's new Verve in the store this morning! 2 beautiful new sets, 3 die sets and a sequin mix just released and they're all available to order right now.   To celebrate our new release, we're putting on another blog hop!

Today's featured focus is designer's choice, so you might just sneak a peek at a whole bunch of must-haves!

If you have come here from Guest Designer LauraJane's blog you are right on track.  If you stumbled upon the hop, you can check out the Hop List below to get caught up.

VR May 2016 Day 3 photo VRMay2106Day3pic.jpg

I adore these new flowers from Beautiful Things so just hard to use them again.  I used this week's Viva La Verve sketch by Maureen and paired it with the entire Beautiful Flowers Die Set - score!!  Added a stitched banner from the Stitched Pennants Die Set for the second part of the sentiment, a touch of twine and some sequins from the Copper Blush Sequin Mix to finish things off.



Want to win some shiny new Verve? Today's prize is a BIG one. We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win our ENTIRE new 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 the full hop list and all the prize info and deadlines!

Beautiful ThingsBeautiful Flowers Die SetStitched Pennants Die Set
Love EverlastingEverlasting Heart Die SetCopper Blush Sequin Mix

Day 2 Hop List
1. Julee 7. Lesley
2. Lori {guest} 8. LauraJane {guest}
3. Betty9. Marisa
4. Charmaine10. Maureen
5. Christyne11. Stacey
6. Laurie12. Teresa

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 Is In It?
Stamps:  Beautiful Things (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Watching the Sun Rise (The Bugs in a Rug), Collectible (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Black
Accessories: Beautiful Flowers Die Set and Stitched Pennants (A Cut Above by Verve), Copper Blush Sequin Mix (Verve Stamps), Doily Die (Top Tog Dies), Tag Die (PTI), Twinkling H2Os, Twine, Dimensionals

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Verve May 2016 Release Spotlight Hop ~ Day 2

Welcome back to Day 2 of Verve's May Spotlight Hops!  The Verve Divas and special guests are back for another day of spotlighting our new release! Everything previewed this week will be available to order in the Verve online store on Friday, May 20.

Today we're sharing our first projects featuring the Everlasting Love stamp set, Everlasting Heart Die Set and the Copper Blush Sequin Mix.

If you have come here from Guest Designer LauraJane's blog you are right on track. If you happened upon the blog, you can check out the Hop List below to get caught up.

 photo VRMay2016Day2pic.jpg

I adore this gorgeous floral heart image and made it the focus of this wedding card.  I love black and white cards and with black and white wedding cards being the rage these days, decided to make one.  I used the heart image from Love Everlasting and matching Everlasting Heart Die to cut it out.  The Scalloped Trim Trio to form two heart borders and the sentiment from Love Story.  So great to be able to mix and match these two wonderful sets!  A touch of twine, pearls and a heart clip along with two sparkly, silver hearts glammed things up a bit.


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!

Love EverlastingEverlasting Heart Die SetCopper Blush Sequin Mix

Day 2 Hop List
1. Julee 7. Lesley
2. Lori {guest} 8. LauraJane {guest}
3. Betty9. Marisa
4. Charmaine10. Maureen
5. Christyne11. Stacey
6. Laurie12. Teresa

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 Is In It?
Stamps:  Love Everlasting, Love Story (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Wedding (Making Memories), Going Grey, Basic Black (Stampin' Up), Silver (Dollar Store) 
Ink:  Black, Silver
Accessories: Everlasting Heart and Scalloped Trim Trio (A Cut Above by Verve), White Half Pearls, Silver Twine, Heart Clip (Michael's), Dimensionals
 

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Verve May 2016 Release Spotlight Hop ~ Day 1

Verve Stamps May 2016 Spotlight Hops


Welcome to Verve's May Spotlight Hops! A new release is just around the corner and for the next couple of days we'll be shining our creative spotlights on the new Verve sets and dies.

VR May 2016 Day 1 A photo VRMay2016Day1apic.jpg

If you have followed my blog for any length of time you know I love flowers (and butterflies).   So it should not be a surprise that I chose to use this wonderful new flower from Beautiful Things and the coordinating Beautiful Flowers die set on my card.  I coloured them red and orange with Twinkling H2Os and paired them with the leaves from the die set along with a few black accents.  I adore this sentiment - such a great one to be able to add to a card to encourage someone - my favorite thing to do!


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!



Beautiful ThingsBeautiful Flowers Die SetStitched Pennants Die Set

Day 1 Hop List
1. Julee 7. Lesley
2. Lori {guest} 8. LauraJane {guest}
3. Betty9. Marisa
4. Charmaine10. Maureen
5. Christyne11. Stacey
6. Laurie12. Teresa

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:   Beautiful Things (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   Kraft, Black (Stampin' Up) 

Ink:   Black  
Accessories:  Beautiful Flowers Die Set and Sprightly Sprigs (A Cut Above by Verve), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Twinkling H2Os, Twine, Button, White and Black Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Monday, May 16, 2016

Mojo Monday #448

Mojo 448 photo Mojo448pic.jpg

I smiled when I saw this sketch because I remember when skewed panels on a sketch sent me into a tailspin and how much hated them.  Fast forward a few years and I can't believe I never liked them.  Practice definitely makes perfect LOL!

Still had this wonderful chicken wire embossing folder out so decided to use it again.  Combined it with some fun papers and a sentiment from Brighter Days.  I stamped the banner part of the sentiment on blue and fussy cut it out so I could overlay it on the stamped sentiment.  A touch of twine and a red half pearl finished 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.


Had a great time watching my son ref his first U14 boys soccer game this past weekend.  He is growing weekly in his reffing ability and it is so much fun to watch him doing something he has such a passion and skill set for.  Bonus:  it was a wonderful, sunny day :)

Enjoy the sketch and make sure to come back on Wednesday for some Verve sneak peeks - yes, there is new Verve in the house!!




 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Brighter Days (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Dots and Stripes (Echo Park), Recollections (Michael's) 
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Chicken Wire Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Crimper (Fiskars), Twine, Red Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Birdhouse


Welcome to the second Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge for May.  Our challenge is called Birdhouse - perfect for this time of year (we have a pair of doves nesting in our back yard this year!).  Use the inspiration photo however you wish and by whatever inspires you.

CC May 15 2016 photo CCMay152016.jpg

For my card, I pulled out a Cat's Pajamas Birdhouse Cut Up.  I pulled various papers out that matched some of the colours of the birdhouses in the photo and matted it with an embossed, woodgrain grey to pull in the stripes and fact most birdhouses are wooden.   Needed a little something so I added a little bird, a sentiment and bows on the tops of the birdhouses.

BIRDHOUSE

Guest Designers
Keeway Tsao, Kiwi Koncepts   
Marcie Sharp, Sharp Designs

Amy Kolling

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





 


What's In It?
Stamps:  In The Garden (Whimsy Stamps) 
Paper:   Recollections (Michael's), Dots and Stripes (Echo Park), Going Grey (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Rose Romance (Stampin' Up) 
Accessories:  Home Tweet Home Cut Up (The Cat's Pajamas), Woodgrain Embossing Folder (Tim Hotz), Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inker), Twine (MFT), Dimensioanls 

Friday, May 13, 2016

Viva La Verve May Week 1 Sketch Recap

VLV May 15 2016 photo VLVMayWk1pic.jpg

It's recap time for the first Viva La Verve sketch of May and it is my third post this week - something I haven't been able to do for some time :)   Feels good!!    Plus, I got to use a few things from my ever  growing scrap bin.

The sentiment is from Lean On Me.  Love the font art in this set as it has the bold lettering that pops so wonderfully on a card.  Had to toss in my beloved Flutterby butterfly too ;)

Want a chance to win some Verve?!!  Simply create a card using one or both May sketches and you will be entered in a random drawing for some free Verve.

You can get some great inspiration and also find out who I spotlighted on my recap post by heading over to the Viva La Verve blog.

Have a fabulous weekend and make sure to come back next week for an exciting week hint, hint ;)





 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Lean On Me (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Indigo Blue (Pink Paisley), Going Grey Perfect Plum, Sage Shadow (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:   Black
Accessories:  Flutterby Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Doily and Button Dies (PTI), Chicken Wire Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Crimper (Fiskars), Twine, Dimensionals