New Digi Sets from Verve

Julee has created three new Verve digi sets and they are loads of fun! Quick and easy card, which uses this wonderful sentiment from the Love From Me set.  So versatile as you can use it for so many occasions: birthday,  Anniversary, Valentine's Day, boyfriend, girlfriend, son, daughter, grandparent etc.  I know I will be using it tons!  I adore the  large font and of course, the chance to make a Valentine's Day card with hearts on it ♥

I paired the sentiment with the Wavy Hearts die set and this fun Echo Park heart paper.  I crimped the pink heart for some dimension, though it is hard to see, and added a few buttons to give it a little something, something.  Think I will save it and give it to my daughter when she is in the middle of mid-terms to encourage her, remind her we love her and that we are are blessed to have her as our child.  Can't wait to make another card using these fun sets!

Have a blessed day and thanks for popping by.






What's In It?
Stamps:  Stronger Love (Verve Stamps)
Paper:   Devoted (Carta Bella), Going Grey, Basic Grey, Pretty in Pink, Rose Romance, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Heart Quartet, Wavy Heart, Scalloped Trim Trio Die Sets (A Cut Above by Verve), Stitched Rectangles and Circles (Lil' Inker), Crimper (Fiskars), Silver Half pearls, Button, Twine, Dimensionals   

Viva La Verve Sketch - January 2018

Was setting up this post and realized it has been over a month since I have posted - my apologies!  And Happy New Year to everyone!!    After such a busy and stressful year last year, our family literally shut the world out for two weeks over Christmas and it ended up carrying over for a few more weeks into the New Year.  Glad to say, the time off/away did wonders and I am ready to face all 2018 brings our way.

Sure felt good to get inky again and what better way to create than to use a Viva La Verve sketch and some Verve Stamps.  Still miss Mojo Monday so this is a good filler.

Haven't made any Valentine's Day/heart cards for a while so it was the perfect excuse.  Pulled out Stronger Love for the sentiments and the Heart Quartet , Wavy Hearts and  Scalloped Trim Trio dies for the plethora of hearts on the card - can you tell I love hearts {grin}!  Heck just realized even the paper has hearts on it - oh my!  Now that I look at the card, I realize I put the bow on the wrong side - serves me right for not making a card for so long lol.

Would love to have you join us over on the Viva La Verve blog.  Simply create a card using the sketch and add it to the link up for a chance to win some Verve!  

Wishing you all a fabulous 2018 and I look forward to creating and posting again :)






What's In It?
Stamps:  Stronger Love (Verve Stamps)
Paper:   Devoted (Carta Bella), Going Grey, Basic Grey, Pretty in Pink, Rose Romance, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Heart Quartet, Wavy Heart, Scalloped Trim Trio Die Sets (A Cut Above by Verve), Stitched Rectangles and Circles (Lil' Inker), Crimper (Fiskars), Silver Half pearls, Button, Twine, Dimensionals  

Mojo Monday #484

Last chance to sneak in a heart card {grin} and I took the sketch very literally once again.

Love this fun heart paper by Bella Boulevard, and decided to go with more of a blue than a pink theme.  I rarely use navy so it was fun to play with it :)   Cut out the "XO" from my PTI border die, and used Verve's Heart Quartet Die set for the hearts.   It needed a little something so I added a button.  Will most likely use it for my hubby or my son's Valentine's Day card.

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

We had quite the week weather-wise!!  Seven inches of snow Friday night which made for some very heavy shoveling on Saturday morning!  Took me a whole hour to shovel our driveway as the snow was not light!!  Then two more inches of snow on Monday (nice and light - yeah!!) followed by a glorious, sunny day on Tuesday, snow and freezing rain on Wednesday and then heavy rain on Thursday and Friday.  Needless to say, Vancouver has had it with snow this year as we are not set up for the stuff!   The freezing rain added a whole other dimension and some very hazardous conditions!  Our city's schools were closed for three days this wee - the first time in 20 years!   And our cat was far from impressed LOL!

Further inland they had almost three feet of snow and people were stuck in their homes as we do not have the snow plowing equipment needed to deal with the stuff, never mind three feet of it!  You couldn't find salt anywhere.  It has been the coldest and snowiest winter I remember.  We have had large snowfalls before, but the snow is usually done within a few days as it warms up and rains. Not this time!  We had snow and then cold temps to keep it around for some time.

I personally love the brightness the snow brings and seeing blue skies, sunshine and white everywhere just makes me happy as it sure beats grey skies and rain all the time.  However,  navigating the roads is not always a pleasant experience!  Some good memories to talk about for years to come!

Challenges: Just Us Girls




 
  

What's In It?

Paper:  Kiss Me (Bella Blvd), Night of Navy, Cool Caribbean, Rose Romance (Stampin' Up) 

Accessories:  Heart Quartet Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve),  XOXO Border Die (PTI), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Crimper (Fiskars), Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - XOXO

Hard to believe it is February 1st already!  January flew by and we are moving on and celebrating love.

 

I kept things simple and focused on the pink, xoxo and black.  Used last month's Sketch For You To Try, Paper Smooches for the sentiment and PTI's  "XOXO" die.  Added a little glitter for some sparkle.  Check out what the Design Team came up.

  XOXO

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 

Have a fabulous week and I look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery!

What's In It?

Stamps:  Paper Smooches
Paper:  Recollections (Michael's)   
Ink:  Black  
Accessories:  XOXO Die (PTI), Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #482

Five Monday's in January means we get a bonus sketch this month :)   Love working with square sketches.  It is such a nice, compact size and the smaller space is always fun to work with.

I pretty much copied the sketch as it had a big old heart on it and you know how much I love hearts {grin}.

Pulled out my Jotted Heart and Flag It die sets along with Love Notes  and went to work.   The background paper is another of my hoarded papers that came out to play this week.  It is a lot more dramatic than my usual papers, but I just love the heart flowers it has and the colour combination is always fun to work with. A little Valentine love for all of my followers :)

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

We are back in soccer mode again after a seven week hiatus due to the  snow and ice which caused the fields to be closed.  The rain and warm temperatures are back and through everyone is sucking wind pretty badly after almost a two month break, everyone is glad to be playing/reffing again.  My son had five games to ref this weekend and was able to pick up some games in another district which gives him more experience and exposure so we are celebrating with him :)  With the days getting longer again, I can't wait for spring soccer to start for as much as I am a huge Ref Mom (alumni soccer mom LOL) I do not like the cold and rain which come with the winter soccer season.

Wishing you all a fabulous week and thanks for popping in to visit my little corner of cyber world ((hugs))!!

Challenge:  Simon Says



 
  

What's In It?

Stamps:  Love Notes (Verve Stamps)

Paper:  Hugs and Kisses (American Crafts), Turquoise (LSS), Pretty in Pink, Rose Romance (Stamping Up) 
Ink:   Black, VersaMark

Accessories:  Jotted Heart and Flag It Die Sets (A Cut Above by Verve), Doily Die (Top Dog Dies),  Word Dies (PTI), Twine, Button, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #481

Another great sketch to use for a Valentine's Day card - any excuse will do to be able to use some hearts on a card {grin}.

Since I still had MME's Lost and Found Heirloom papers on my desk, I decided to use them again.  Chose this fun, bold chevron paper for my background as it really packs a punch!  Tamed it down a bit with the neutrals and added this wonderful sentiment from Stronger Love.  The double hearts are from The Cats Pajamas and dressed things up a bit with the twine, buttons, and half pearls.

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

This girl turned another year older this weekend.  The big five-five this year - meeep!!!  Where do the years go and how did I get this old LOL!  Actually, my age doesn't bother me much at all as it is only a number and I thoroughly enjoy every day I am given and am still a big kid at heart.  When it comes into play is when I begin to ponder the fact that I have one less year on this earth to make and impact in the lives of my kids, those I love, and those who cross my path.  Each day is a such a gift, and I want to maximize my time on this earth by touching the lives of the people I come in contact with and continually growing towards the person I was created to be through living out my life verse of Philippians 1:6:   "for I am confident of this very thing, that He who has began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus".

My word for 2017 is prayer, and my two main goals are fitness (I was a slacker last year and the flab factor from lack of working out sure comes around much more quickly the older you get LOL!) and reading through the Bible as it has been some time since I have done that.  Happy to say, all three are going strong :) 

Have a wonderful week, and I look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery!



 
  

What's In It?

Stamps:  Stronger Love (Verve Stamps)

Paper:  Heirloom (My Mind's Eye), Early Espresso, Rose Romance (Stampin' Up), Cream 
Ink:   Black

Accessories:  Heart Die (The Cat's Pajamas), Doily Die (Top Dog Dies), Stitched Rectangle Dies (Lil' Inker), Twine, Button, Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #480

Happy Monday everyone!   Time to play with a new sketch by the sketch master, Julee {grin}.

With Christmas over and Valentine's Day approaching, I jumped at the chance to use some hearts (my favorite accessory for this time of year).   The papers are from MME's Lost and Found Heirloom collection and I paired them with my beloved Jotted Heart Die and the Love Notes, and Stronger Love sets.   I was really wanting to add some ribbon to girly it up a bit, but everything I tried didn't work so went "commando" 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)

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

My body clock has finally adjusted back to kids-at-school and work mode schedule (was pretty rough for a few weeks there!).   However, due to our cold temperatures (well, cold for us anyway!!) and snow, my son has yet to ref a soccer game.  He has had a seven week hiatus and I have a feeling both players and refs will be sucking wind big time when games are back in full swing LOL!

Have a wonderful week, and I look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery!



 
  

What's In It?

Stamps:  Love Notes, Stronger Love (Verve Stamps)

Paper:  Heirloom (My Mind's Eye), Kraft, Burgundy
Ink:   Black

Accessories:  Heart Quartet and Jotted Heart Dies (A Cut Above by Verve),  Word Dies (PTI),  Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #434

Had fun making this Valentine's Day card for my daughter.  She is a pink loving girl and also loves a bit of sparkle so this is what I came up with.  Most likely not quite girly enough for her, but unless I get a chance to make another this will be her card.

Adore this shimmer paper I found at my local dollar store!  This heart absolutely glistens in the sunlight.  Paired it with some pink polka dotted paper, a few buttons, some twine and a few sequins for added dimension and sparkle.  The sentiment is from Stronger Love.

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

Going to be a tough week as my MIL is going in for bowel cancer surgery on Wednesday.  From what the surgeon says, she has lots of tissue to work with so they should be able to go in, remove the cancer and then reconnect her right then and there with no need for a colostomy bag - phew!!  That would be amazing and we continue to pray for that outcome.  On second thoughts, I think I will send this card with hubby to give to her to encourage her and remind her of how much we love her and are praying for her.

Have a fabulous week and enjoy the sketch!!

Challenges:  Simon Says




 

What Is In It?
Stamps:  Stronger Love (Verve Stamps) 
Paper: Bee Mine (3 Bugs in a Rug), Rose Romance (Stampin' Up), Silver Shimmer paper (Dollar Store) 
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Scalloped Heart, Heart and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Paper Distresser (Stampin' Up), Sequins, Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals    

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Sachet

We are back with our first Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge for February.  This time round, our challenge is Sachet.  Made me think of my grandmother's lavender sachet's and brought back some great memories of her : )

The LEAD for this challenge will be invited to be a Guest Designer in an upcoming challenge.  Today our Guest Designer is Tricia Traxler.  Welcome Tricia :)

 

I used last week's Friday Mash Up sketch, and paired it with this fabulous Bella Boulevard paper as the flower patterns matched the ones on the sachets.  The sentiment is from Verve's Making a Statement and I added an arrow for interest and some sequins to glam it up a bit.

SACHET

Guest Designer - Tricia Traxler

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?
Stamps:  Making a Statement (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Spring Fling and Easter Things (Bella Blvd), Pretty in Pink, Bravo Burgundy (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Scalloped Heart and Heart Nestabilities, Arrow Die (Reverse Confetti), Sequins, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Viva La Verve Sketches Are Back

Welcome back to Viva La Verve sketches!  After a December hiatus, we are back in action with a few tweaks for 2016.

This week I am recapping Charmaine's sketch.  I used some scraps from MME's Love Me collection (always a bonus to use scraps!) and as per Charmaine's card, I accented with hearts using the Heart Quartet die.  The sentiment is from Stronger Love. 

This year, we are switching things up a bit...there will be only two sketches per month, and each month there will be a draw for two winners to receive a $40 gift certificate to the Verve Store - that doubles your chances of winning! The new schedule will be as follows:

1st Friday: Sketch 1

2nd Friday: Recap of Sketch 1

3rd Friday: Sketch 2 posted

4th Friday: Recap of Sketch 2

5th Friday: Winners posted

If a month only has four Fridays, winners will be posted on the 1st Friday of the following month. Other than that all the same RULES apply.  Feel free to link up as often as you like. Verve Stamps are not required, but we do LOVE to see them! :)

If you want to see who I showcased in my recap post, or if you simply want to enjoy some card candy or added inspiration, head on over to the Viva La Verve blog - the gallery is full of it!

Have a fabulous day!



What's In It?
Stamps:  Stronger Love (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Love Me (My Mind's Eye), Going Grey, Rose Romance (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Heart Quartet (A Cut Above by Verve Stamps), Stitched Rectangle Dies (Lil' Inker), Circle Nestabilties (Spellbinders), Bling, Twine, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #431

Found this fun Bo Bunny Love Letters note paper at my LSS and since my daughter plays the piano, I thought it would make a fun card for her.  It ended up being a bit on the masculine side so this may end up for hubby.  Thankfully he is manly enough to handle the twine bow.

Adore the font of the "love" sentiment.  So elegant and classy.  You can find it in the Love Notes set.  Added hearts from the Heart Quartet die set and a set of notes by MFT.

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

Wishing you all a fabulous day and hope you have time to play along!





 

What Is In It?
Stamps:  Love Notes (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Love Letters (Bo Bunny), Black, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black 
Accessories: Heart Quartet Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Stitched Circles (Lil' Inkers), Notes Die (My Favorite Things), Button Die (PTI), Crimper (Fiskars), Twine, Dimensinoals

Mojo Monday #430

It is Mojo Monday time today, and Julee has provided this great sketch for us to work with this week.

I wanted to created a Valentine's Day card for my stash -- or more truthfully, just wanted to play with hearts as I just love them!  Pulled out some Devoted Carta Bella papers and accented them with blue and a few pops of red.

Love this sentiment from Stronger Love!  It is so, so true!  Certain people can bring out the best in us and sometimes show us a side of ourselves we never knew we had.  Added a few hearts from Heart Quartet and couldn't resist leaving me crimper out of the mix.

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

I finally got some much needed down time this weekend and boy did it feel good!!  December was abnormally busy for us due to some unforeseen circumstances popping up, and a month of way too much socializing and activity, paired with a busy time at work, just about sent this introvert off the deep end.  Thankfully, I was able to recharge this weekend.  I stayed home, had a jammie day, spent time in my craft room, read, and didn't interact with anyone other than family - and then only when it was necessary LOL!!  Just what I needed as I am feeling much more like myself.  The joys of being an introvert and needing down time to stay sane.

Enjoy the sketch and have a fabulous day!






What Is In It?
Stamps:  Stronger Love (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Devoted (Carta Bella), Cool Caribbean, Going Grey (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Heart Quartet (A Cut Above by Verve), Lacy Circle and Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Heart Punch (Marvy), Crimper (Fiskars), Button, Twine, Black Half Pearls, Glue Dot, Dimensinoals

Viva La Verve September Week 3 Sketch

It's recap time for this week's Viva La Verve sketch and I am swinging from holiday to holiday!  Yesterday was Christmas and now I am fast forwarding to Valentine's Day LOL.

Love these Yours Truly papers by Echo Park and paired them with my beloved Jotted Heart die and "U" die from the I Heart You die set.  Needed a little something, something so I added a tie on the U and a button on my heart.  Adore this "hugs" sentiment from Love Notes as it is just so much fun to add to a card :)   Keeping this for my daughter when she needs a pick me up during the year or it may very well be her Valentine's Day card.

Need or want to see some extra inspiration for this fabulous sketch by Stacey?  Simply head on over to the Viva La Verve blog to check out the gallery.  You will also find my top picks for this week.

Enjoy the sketch!

Challenge:  Simon Says Stamps

 



 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Love Notes (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Yours Truly (Echo Park) 
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Jotted Heart and I Heart You Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Crimper (Fiskars), Corner Rounder (Marvy), Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals