Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Acorns

Acorns are the cutest things!  We have quite a few trees in our area that drop them this time of year and it is always fun to collect them.  When you remove their "hats" they are a perfect cat toy too!

I used PTI's Autumn Acorns and matching die set for my card.  Love how it has various acorn sizes and textured tops you can use.  I mounted them on a woodgrain background to pull in the photo background and added a few leaves and some black accents for a pop of colour.  A touch of twine and half pearls finished the cluster nicely.

ACORNS

Guest Designers 
 Laurel Seabrook, Seabrook Designs
Elizabeth Stewart - Paper Sweetness 
 
Betty Wright

 Kim Singdahlsen

Leigh Penner

Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler 
Lynn Magnan

Marisa Ritzen

Maureen Plut

Melody Rupple

Monika Davis

Sheri Gilson
Silk Ledlow

Stacey Schafer

Tammy Hershberger

Tara Godfrey 

Still having a bit of an issue wrapping my mind around the fact we are in November already!!  Time to get my Christmas letter and cards done - eeek!! We even had a surprise snowfall last week to keep us on our toes (very rare for us to get snow out on the West Coast never mind one in early November!!).  Was quite the week as we went from 20C on Sunday to snow on Thursday!  Time to get the winter tires on asap! 

Enjoy the challenge and I look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery.  Have a wonderful day and thanks for popping by :)

What's In It?
Stamps:  Autumn Acorns ( PTI)
Paper:   Going Grey, White (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Going Grey, Old Olive (Stampin' Up) 
Accessories:  Distressed Lines Embossing Folder, Autumn Acorns Die Set (PTI), Ribbon,  Twine, Black Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Viva la Verve October 2017 Sketch

Once again bringing up the rear with October's Viva La Verve sketch.  Still enjoying Fall to the fullest as we are having a glorious one here with lots of sunshine and warm temperatures.  Add that to beautifully turning maple leaves and I am in heaven :) 

I carried on with the Fall theme on my card, using one of my favorite lines ever, Stella and Rose by My Mind's Eye.  Lovely rich colours that remind me of the changing leaves and the blue sky I see out my front window - happy sigh....

Paired the paper with Verve's newly released Autumn Leaves and matching Falling Leaves die set.   Added pumpkins and for what it is worth, some tealish/turquoise maple leaves - only in card making can you make them any colour you want to match your card {grin}.   Always great to tell people you are thankful for them so replenishing my stash so I have a few on hand to give out.

Would love for you to come and play along - after all you do get a chance to win some free Verve!  Need some additional inspiration, check out the challenge gallery for some inspiration.

Have a fabulous day!  Thankful for you ♥

Challenges:  Inspired by All The Little Things
                       Simon Says Stamps






What's In It?
Stamps:  Autumn Leaves (Verve Stamps)
Paper:   Stella and Rose (MME)  
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Falling Leaves (A Cut Above by Verve), Twinkling H2Os, Woodgrain Embossing Folder, 5/8" Brown Ribbon (Michael's), Bling, Buttons, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Verve October 2017 Release Hop

Welcome to Verve's October Mini Release Spotlight Hop! There's something new in the Verve shop today, and we're celebrating with a blog hop. Along the hop you'll see the Divas' first looks at the new Autumn Leaves stamp set and Falling Leaves die set. We're also hosting a little giveaway,so why not join in the fun and hop along with us? Just leave a little shout out in the comments at each stop and you'll be in the prize drawing for the new products. Check out the Verve Blog today for a little more about the new goodies and all the prize info and deadlines.

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

For my first card, I used these wonderful Verve pumpkins and of course the maple leaves - happy sigh :)  Plus, our Thanksgiving was this past weekend, so the the sentiment fit as well.  I have always loooved maple leaves, and being Canadian, it is a good thing, after all, we do have one on our flag LOL!   We have lots of maple trees of various varieties on our street and a few in our back yard as well, so this time of year their beauty against a blue sky or evergreens often takes my breath away.   We also have various pumpkin fields in the area so I combined both elements on my card.  An embossed woodgrain background and some delicious autumn colours (my favorite to work with), and some twine and a few brown half pearls brought things together nicely.

For my second card, I continued with the maple leaf theme, only added latte's to the mix {grin}.  Another mix of fall colours and more opportunities for thankfulness.

1. Julee 6. Betty 2. Charmaine 7. Teresa 3. Maureen 8. Lesley 4. Marisa 9. Laurie 5. Christyne

Time to head on over to our Alumni Christyne's blog to see her fabulous creation and then carry on with the hop for a chance to win today's set. 
  

      

What's In It?
CARD 1

Stamps:   Autumn Leaves (Verve Stamps) 

Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Minds Eye), Early Espresso (Stampin' Up), Cream (LSS)
Ink:  Black, Rudy Red (Stampin' Up) 
Accessories:  Falling Leaves Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve),  Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Woodgrain Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Twinkling H2Os, Twine, Brown Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals


What's In It?
CARD 2

Stamps:  Autumn Leaves (Verve Stamps), Woodgrain (Echo Park)

Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Kraft, Cream (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:   Black (Momento), VersaMark
Accessories:  Falling Leaves Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders),   Twinkling H2Os, Sequins, Twine, Ribbon, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Coffee Lover's Fall Blog Hop

It is time for the Fall Coffee Lover's Blog Hop and I played along using last month's Viva la Verve sketch and images from the  new Verve Digi set called Coffee Please available for purchase on the Verve website.  

I absolutely love Fall colours and the Just Us Girls challenge this week had some lovely Autumn colours so I used them and and added a pop of turquoise/teal for some colour.   Added an  embossed wood grain background, coloured the pumpkin mug and added a corrugated maple leaf using a Starbuck's sleeve, because after all, they are the Pumpkin Spice coffee capital.

Thank for popping by and have a fabulous day!

Challenge:  Just Us Girls 






What's In It?
Stamps:  Coffee Please (Verve Stamps Digi)
Paper:   Kraft, Stella and Rose (MME), Floral Chic (Fancy Pants), Recollections Paper (Michael's)  
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Circle Nestability (Spellbinders), Woodgrain Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Maple Leaf and Button Dies (PTI), Arches Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Ribbon, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals  

Colour Throwdown #418

This week's Colour Throwdown has some gorgeous colours to work with!  I just love fall colours and when my eye caught the maple leaf in the picture I was giddy because I love using them on cards - and it is a very Canadian thing as well {grin}.

I used an MFT sketch and used some negative space for the oval, added some leaves using my beloved  PTI leaf dies as per the colours in the photo and then I added "blessed" in copper shimmer paper as per the pumpkins.  Added a bit if texture in the oval space and a bit of twine to ground things.

Now for the CTD rules:  Once you've finished your card or other paper crafted project, add a direct link to your creation using the Inlinkz tool at the bottom of the Colour Throwdown post.  And, don't forget to use the keyword CTD418 if you upload your project to an online gallery, or hashtag on social media with #ctd418 and/or #colourthrowdown.  Challenge guidelines are in the right sidebar on the Colour Throwdown Challenge Blog in case you have any questions.

Noted below are the Design Team members who are sure to have lots of inspiration for you!

Barbara Anders - Paper Pursuits

Broni Holcombe - Splashes of Watercolor

Lori Tecler - Inking Aloud

 Wanda Cullen - Cullen-ary Creations

 Jodi Collins- Stamping a Latte

Lynn Putt- The Queens Scene

Lisa Henke- My Little Creative Escape

Amy Rysavy - Prairie Paper & Ink

 Amy Rohl - Ink About Me

I look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery, and make sure to come back next Wednesday for my take on their next challenge.



 
  

What's In It?

Stamps:  Woodgrain Background Stamp (Hero Arts)   
Paper:  Kraft, Only Orange, Taken with Teal, Really Rust (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen

Ink:  Only Orange, Really Rust, Tempting Turquoise, VersaMark (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Leaf and Word Dies (PTI), Oval Spellbinders (Nestabilities), Hearts Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge ~ Felt

We are back with another fabulous fall themed challenge over at the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!

I just loved the colour pallet and was gushing at the fact there were leaves involved as I have not been able to make enough leaf cards this year!  Out came my PTI maple leaf die and my sorely  neglected felt stash so I could recreate the leaves on the photo.  The Aida cloth background lead me to emboss some kraft to get a similar look and I also added a circle as per the cross stitch ring - I was on a roll ;)   A few pops of dark brown for colour along with a button finished things off.  A masculine card for the men that can handle a twine bow LOL!  Or, Simply remove the twine and add some brads to the top right corner - all depends which guy ends up getting the card.

 FELT

Guest Designer

Jenny, Owl Be Crafty

Betty Wright

 Kim Singdahlsen

Laurie Willison

Leigh Penner

Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler 
Lynn Magnan

Marisa Ritzen

Maureen Plut

Melody Rupple

Monika Davis

Sheri Gilson
Silk Ledlow

Stacey Schafer

Tammy Hershberger

Tara Godfrey 

I am very much enjoying the maple leaves on our street as it is lined with maple trees.  So many gorgeous colours and our "burning bush" in the front flower bed is also screaming Fall - love it!  Must remind myself of the beauty when I have to rake all those maple leaves off the grass after they fall LOL!  



 
  

What's In It?

Stamps:  Leaf Prints (PTI)  
Paper:  Cream, Kraft, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up) 
Accessories:  Felt, Leaf Dies (PTI), Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Lattice Embossing Folder (Stampin' Up), Crimper (Fiskars), Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #470

We were hit by a big, blustery storm this weekend, so staying cozy and warm inside was the agenda for the weekend - perfect for a little crafting time :)

My poor son had to ref soccer this weekend, but managed to get away fairly unscathed as for the most part, his games fell during the "lulls" in the wind and rain.  I must confess to not going to this weekend's games as I do not do well in cold, windy weather at the best of times, so his dad got the honor and I stayed home warm and dry making some butternut squash soup for everyone to come home to.

I have been negligent in using my beloved leaf dies so they came out to play for this sketch.  Our street is lined with maple trees which just makes me swoon :)   The sentiment is from Lean On Me.

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)

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

Enjoy the sketch and have a fabulous week!




 
  

What's In It?

Stamps:   Lean on Me (Verve Stamps), Leaf Prints (PTI)
Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye)
Ink:  Black, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up) 
Accessories:  Leaf Prints Die (PTI), Stitched Rectangle Die (Lil' Inkers),  Doily Die, Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #464

It's the first Monday of the month which means it is contest time over on the Mojo Monday blog!  The more entries we get, the higher your chances of winning some Verve!!  Perfect timing after our release last month :)

The weather has changed, school starts this week and though I am not ready to say goodbye to summer just yet, September has me thinking Fall which means I get to work with my favorite colours and go to fall embellishment - leaves!

I had originally thought of  making a coffee card as the cooler weather has me wanting to drink warm beverages again, but things took a turn along the way.  I had the Coffee Helps set out and was ready to get my latte cups ready to go, but the leaves caught my eye and with a small focal panel, I used this wonderful sentiment and embellished it with leaves.

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)

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

I had a very productive week off with lots of purging being done, a basement that is under control once again, and a much more relaxed mind after being able to cross that off my To Do list after it being on it for a year!!   Ready to face the blitz to Christmas full on now LOL!






What's In It?
Stamps:  Coffee Helps (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Kraft, Early Espresso, Real Red, Mellow Moss (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black  
Accessories:  Crimper (Fiskars), Twinkling H2Os, Twine, Sequins, Glue Dots, Dimensionals Dimensionals 

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Foxy

Welcome to our second November inspiration challenge!  This time round our theme is Foxy.  Don't know about you, but I immediately thought of and started humming the "What Does The Fox Say?" song LOL!  Also flashing back to the Dancing With The Stars group dance which Derek Hough did to this song which was simply amazing!

The LEAD for this challenge will be invited to be a Guest Designer in an upcoming challenge.  Today our Guest Designers are Toni Maddox and  Kelly Schirmer - welcome ladies :)

I apologize for the dark photo, but with the crazy weekend I have had it was some late night creating and this was the best shot I could get at the time.  I will try to post an updated photo shortly.  Woes aside, I searched high and low through my papers, dies and stamps for a fox image and came up empty.  That lead to a very intentional and focused trip to my LSS, and thankfully they delivered by directing me to this adorable The Story of Fall paper by Echo Park.  Phew, crisis averted!  Added some fall leaves, just because I can {grin} and the die cut word.  Finished things off with a touch of twine.

  Foxy

Kelly Schirmer, Guest Designer
Toni Maddox, Gues Designer

Amy Kolling
 Amy Sheffer

Amy Tsuruta

Betty Wright

 Kim Singdahlsen

Laurie Willison

Leigh Penner

Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler

Marisa Ritzen

Maureen Plut

Melody Rupple

Monika Davis

Sheri Gilson

Stacey Schafer

Tracey McNeely

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





 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Leaf Prints (PTI)
Paper:  The Story of Fall (Echo Park), Kraft, Early Espresso, Real Red (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Close to Cocoa (Stampin' Up) 
Accessories:  Leaf Print and Word Dies (PTI), Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin Up), Twine, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #423

Lots of layers on today's sketch, and I opted to go with another fall themed card with my beloved maple leaves.  After the torrential rain we had this weekend, there are not many many maple leaves left on the tress which means it will be a soggy raking experience this coming week - ugh!  In the meantime, I will enjoy the paper version {grin}.

Mixed and matched some papers into a somewhat monochromatic colour scheme, added a stitched circle for a bit of texture, a die cut sentiment and two maple leaves and a button for a pop of colour.

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

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (that's me)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Justin Krieger

Lori Tecler

Wanda Cullen

Enjoy the sketch and have a fabulous week! 



 
 

What's In It?
Stamps:   Leaf Prints (PTI), Woodgrain (Hero Arts)
Paper:  Stella and Rose, On The Bright Side (MME), Snap (Simple Stories), Kraft (Stampin' Up),
Ink:   Rudy Red, Always Artichoke, VersaMark (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Stitched Circles (Lil' Inkers), Happy Hellos Die Set (MFT), Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals 

October Verve Diva Inspirations Hop

Welcome to Verve's October Diva Inspirations Hop. It's the 5th of the month and that means it's time for the Divas to serve up some fresh inspiration with their Verve stamps! Leave some comment love along the hop spots for a chance to win a prize, then grab some stamps and play along with our October inspiration challenge for another chance to win!

This month's challenge is entitled Fall Fancy:

The air is crisp and the colors are warm – celebrate fall with a spook-tacular creation or a thoughtful thank you using Fall as your inspiration!

If you have come here from Laurie'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.

I always enjoy making fall themed cards as it is my favorite colour pallet to work with.  I immediately thought of Bountiful Harvest as it has such a wonderful mix of pumpkin images!  I opted for the pumpkin trio and tried my best to colour them with my Twinkling H2Os.  Good thing pumpkins are forgiving LOL!  Added some hemp twine around the horizontal strip for some texture and promptly forgot to add my thank you tab.  Its been that kind of week... 

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've got a prize for one lucky commenter along the hop! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines!

	1. Julee	7. Sarah
	2. Amy	8.  Sony
	3. Anya	9.  Maureen
	4. Betty	10. Laurie
	5. Karen	11. Marisa
	6. Sankari	12. Jen

Time to head on over to Jen's blog to see her wonderful take on the inspiration photo!  Happy Hopping :)

What's In It?
Stamps:  Bountiful Harvest (Verve Stamps)  
Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Early Espresso, Kraft (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Crimper (Fiskars), Twinkling H2Os, Hemp Twine, Twine, Button, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #362

It's Monday and that means it's time for a Mojo Monday sketch - yeah! 

I was in the mood for another leaf card and lots of texture so I actually delved into the world of embossing paste.  Used a chevron stencil, added the paste and then let it dry.  Used a mix of fall colours and of course, my leaf dies wink, wink.  The maple leaf is die cut from a Starbuck's sleeve - love the olive colour and the writing on it added a little something.   I also embossed the sahara sand panel with my wood grain embossing folder for even more texture.  Replaced the ribbon with my die cut "thankful" and completed the card by adding the secondary sentiment.

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

Entering this into the Just Us Girls "leaves" word challenge, the NBUS challenge (new stencil and embossing paste) and The Paper Players Fall Theme.  Think I'll save this card to give to hubby from the kids and I at Thanksgiving as we are truly thankful for the wonderful father and husband he is - not to mention great cook! 

Wishing you a wonderful day! 

What's In It?
Stamps:  Great Friend (Verve Stamps), Leaf Prints (PTI)
Paper:  Sahara Sand, Kraft, Early Espresso, Real Red (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black, Close to Cocoa
Accessories:  Wood Grain Embossing Folder (Tim Holtz), Chevron Stencil (Heiki Swapp), Embossing Paste, Leaf Dies (PTI), Thankful Die (PTI), Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals