Verve May 2014 Spotlight Hop ~ Day 4

Welcome to Day 4, the last day of Verve's July 2014 Spotlight Hops!   If you have come here from Chaitali's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened upon the Hop, you can follow the list below to get caught up.  Everything previewed this week will be available in the Verve online store Friday night, July 11th.   

For today's hop, the Divas are showcasing their choice of any of the newly released sets.  In addition, there is a big prize for today's hop!  You can find the details below :)

For today's card I used the new 2 Corinthians 12:9 Plain Jane.  Adore this verse and chose to showcase it with a doily and some wonderful Lime Twist papers that I have been hoarding for some time.  Trying desperately to make a conscious effort to work through what I already have!  Some twine and a few sequins from the Pastel Sequin Mix wrapped things up 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 for today's full set reveals and all the prize info and deadlines!

Tuesday, 7/11/14
Today's Prize: The ENTIRE release!

1. Julee	9. Charmaine
2. Stacey	10. Jen
3. Maureen	11. Sheri {Guest}
4. Chaitali	12. Laurie
5. Marisa	13. Andrea
6. Teresa	14. Amber
7. Kay {Guest}	15. Christyne
8. Janelle

Time to hop over to Teresa's blog to see her fabulous creation.  You can also hop over to the Verve Store to check out the new sets and partake in a little retail therapy wink, wink :)

What's In It?
Stamps:   2 Corinthians 12:9 Plain Jane (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   Lime Twist (My Mind's Eye), Kraft (LSS)
Ink:  Black
Accessories:   Doily Die (Top Dog Dies), Stitched Rectangle Dies (Lil' Inkers), Pastel Sequin Mix (Verve Stamps), Twine, Button, Glue Dot, Dimensionals 

Verve May 2014 Spotlight Hop ~ Day 3

Welcome to Day 3 of Verve's July 2014 Spotlight Hops!   If you have come here from Chaitali's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened up on the Hop, you can follow the list below to get caught up.  Everything previewed this week will be available in the Verve online store Friday night, July 11th.

Today's featured sets are Happy Place, Happy Doodles Die Set, 2 Corinthians 12:9 Plain Jane. 

I simple adore this paper by Simple Stories.  Went to my LSS and stocked up on a few pieces of each so I can enjoy it for a long time.  Such a delicious colour combination that is elegant and packs a lot of punch - love it!  I am also in love with this fabulous flower image from Happy Place and so happy it has a matching die set!  I was definitely smiling while making this 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 for today's full set reveals and all the prize info and deadlines!

Thursday, 7/10/14
Today's Prize: Happy Place (illustrated by Julee Tilman) , Happy Doodles Die Set, 2 Corinthians 12:9 Plain Jane

1. Julee 9. Charmaine 2. Stacey 10. Jen 3. Maureen 11. Sheri {Guest} 4. Chaitali 12. Laurie 5. Marisa 13. Andrea 6. Teresa 14. Amber 7. Kay {Guest} 15. Christyne 8. Janelle

 

Time to hop over to Teresa's blog to see her fabulous creation using today's showcased sets.  Tomorrow is our last day of hops and you want to come back for that one as there is a big prize up for grabs wink, wink :)

What's In It?
Stamps:   Happy Place (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   The Story of Us (Simple Stories), Kraft, Old Olive, Black, Going Grey (Stampin' Up)
Ink:   Black
Accessories:  Happy Doodles and Flag It Die Sets (A Cut Above by Verve), Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Chicken Wire Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Summer Sailing Ribbon Collection (Verve Stamps) Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals 

Verve July 2014 Spotlight Hop ~ Day 2

Welcome to Day 2, of Verve's July 2014 Spotlight Hops!  If you have come here from Chaitali's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened up on the Hop, you can follow the list below to get caught up.  Everything previewed this week will be available in the Verve online store Friday night, July 11th.   

Today's set, Peaceful Medallions illustrated by Chaitali Narala, has a wonderful mix of medallions you can use as stand alone images or to create a background.  I chose to create my own background.  I love black and white cards and thought this would be a great way to showcase this fabulous image.  Added a pink bow (love using this colour combination), embossed the sentiment on one of dies from the Flag It die set and finished things off with lots of bling.



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 for today's full set reveals and all the prize info and deadlines!

Wednesday, 7/9/14
Today's Prize: Peaceful Medallions (illustrated by Chaitali Narla)
 

1. Julee	9. Charmaine
2. Stacey	10. Jen
3. Maureen	11. Sheri {Guest}
4. Chaitali	12. Laurie
5. Marisa	13. Andrea
6. Teresa	14. Amber
7. Kay {Guest}	15. Christyne
8. Janelle

Time to hop over to Teresa's blog to see her fabulous creation using today's showcased sets.  Then make sure you come back tomorrow for our Day 3 Hop.

What's In It?
Stamps:    Peaceful Medallions (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   Black and White
Ink:  Black
Accessories:   Flag It Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), 5/8" Pink Satin Ribbon, Bling, Glue Dot

Verve July 2014 Spotlight Hop ~ Day 1

Welcome to Day 1, of Verve's July 2014 Spotlight Hops!   This week, we're excited to be spotlighting 3 new sets, one Plain Jane and a coordinating die set every day through Friday.   Everything previewed this week will be available in the Verve online store Friday night, July 11th.   

If you have come here from Chaitali's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened up on the Hop, you can follow the list below to get caught up.

Today we are featuring the first set by Chaitali, called Moments Remembered, and I just love the sentiments!  The one I chose for today's card resonates deeply within me.  It's so easy to complain about how things are but never try to do anything to change them, therefore never allowing an opportunity for change or the chance to be the one who brings about the change.  Be a change agent!  It's hard work, but the rewards are well worth it - thus the butterflies on my 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 full set reveals, an introduction of our 2 lovely guest divas, and all the prize info and deadlines!

Tuesday, 7/8/14
Today's Prize: Moments Remembered (illustrated by Chaitali Narla)

1. Julee 8. Janelle 2. Stacey 9. Charmaine 3. Maureen 10. Jen 4. Chaitali 11. Sheri {Guest} 5. Marisa 12. Andrea 6. Teresa 13. Amber 7. Kay {Guest} 14. Christyne

Time to hop over to Teresa's blog to see her fabulous creation using today's showcased set.  Then make sure you come back tomorrow for our Day 2 Hop.

What's In It?
Stamps:   Moments Remembered (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   Hello Baby (Simple Stories), Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Mint Medley (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black, VersaMark   
Accessories:   Flutterby and Elegant Leaf Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Pastel Sequin Mix (Verve Stamps), Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inker), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Crimper (Fiskars), Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Birthday Bash Reminder

** This is my second post of the day. Scroll down to see my Mojo Monday card ** 

There are still time to join the Birthday Bash over at The Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge.  Top Dog Dies is our sponsor and the LEAD will receive some Top Dog dies of their choice!

For my card I used one of the tag dies from the Cherish Doilies and Tag Die Set.  It was the perfect shape to create these three -D balls!  I cut four of each colour, scored them down the middle and then glued them together to form the balls.  Threaded some silver twine through the holes at the top and my garland was born.  The sentiment is from a new Verve set being released this Friday and was the perfect word for a birthday bash :)  

You can check out all the challenge details over on the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge. You have until July 10th at 8:00 a.m. CST to complete a new card/project using the inspiration picture and linking it up accordingly. The Lead and Show Stoppers will be announced on July 14th.

Thanks for popping by and hope you can find some time to play along with us if you haven't done so already.






What's In It? 
Stamps:   Moments Remembered (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:    Pretty in Pink, Yoyo Yellow, Passionate Pink, Black (Stampin' Up), Turquoise, Orange (LSS)
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Cherish Doilies and Tags Die Set (Top Dog), Scalloped Edger Die (PTI), Silver Twine

Mojo Monday #353

We are back for another month of Mojo Monday sketches, with today's bonus being the fact it is the first Monday of the month, so it is contest week!

Today's sketch allows all sorts of options.  I used the fabulous Jeremiah 33:3 stamp from the Scripture Medley 3 set.  Love this verse!  The papers are from Jillibean and the flower from Be Blessed.  I used the coordinating Petal Points die to cut it out and added some leaves using the Sprightly Sprigs die set. A touch of twine 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.  

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

This week will be a busy one as the kids and I are helping out at our church's Summer Camp.  There will be 410 kids on campus so things are going to be hopping!!  Oh my!!  Think I will definitely need a lot of peaceful, crafty time in the afternoons to unwind from the craziness each morning will bring LOL!

What's In It?
Stamps: Scripture Medley 3, Be Blessed (Verve Stamps)

Paper:   Pasta Fagioli (Jillibean Soup), Kraft, Real Red, Old Olive (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black, Real Red (Stampin' Up)

Accessories:  Petal Points and Sprightly Springs Die Sets (A Cut Above by Verve), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Twine, Button, Glue Dots, Dimensionals  

Verve Stamps Inspirations Hop July 2014

Welcome to Verve's July 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 July inspiration challenge for another chance to win!

Our July challenge is Red, White and YOU!

Red and white are always classic, pair this gorgeous color combo with a color of YOUR choice! Make a statement or keep it muted, it's all up to you! Feel free to use the graphic as inspiration or not, we just want to see you flash a little red, white and "up to you" color on your creation!

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

July 1st was Canada Day, as well as our eighteenth wedding anniversary, so I'm still in celebration mode.  Couldn't have asked for a better theme for this month's hop if I tried LOL!   I took my inspiration directly from our Canadian flag: red, white and a maple leaf.  To say I was excited to make this card is an understatement :)  I used Chaitali's Viva la Verve sketch from last month, and included a little sneak peek from a new Verve set due to release next week.  Lots to celebrate indeed!  

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

	1. Julee	8. Sony
	2. Amy	9. Susan
	3. Anya	11. Maureen
	4. Betty	11. Stacey
	5. Karen	12. Chaitali
	6. Sankari	13. Amber
	7. Sarah	14. Marisa

Trusting all the fabulous Diva inspiration from the hop has your mojo raring to go and ready to play along with us.  Simply create a card using the above theme, and link it up for an additional chance to win some Verve.  All the prize info and deadlines are on the Verve Blog.











 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Moments Remembered (Verve Stamps), Leaf Prints (PTI)
Paper:   Stampin' Up DSP, Kraft, Sahara Sand (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Maple Leaf Die (PTI), Cherish Doilies & Tags (Top Dog Dies), Brown Half Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Just Us Girls #248 - Time to Switch Things Up!

As you can see from the above graphic, we are switching things up her at Just Us Girls!  Sketch and Technique challenges have now been replaced with Word and Trend challenges.  Since we are in the first week  of July, we get to enjoy our very first new challenge!  The word of the week is "bird".  Any type of bird will do.

First of all, happy 4th of July to all my American friends and followers!  May you have a wonderful day celebrating, BBQing, relaxing or whatever is on your agenda today :)

For my card, I pulled out my Stampin' Up owl punch and went to work.  The coloured leaves are from PTI's Nuts About You die set, I embossed the "tree" with a wood grain folder and added a few leaves around the owl for a little something.

 The rest of the  JUGS team along with our new, July Guest Designer, Rebekka Reed, have some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so head on over to the Just Us Girls blog and check out what they've created.  Simply create a card using the sketch and link it up to the JUGS blog for a chance to be chosen as the Chic of the Week.  Remember, if you are chosen as Chic of the Week, you could be invited to be a Guest Designer.
 
Look forward to seeing all the different birds that are used!

Challenges:  The Pink Elephant


 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Happy Birthday (Hero Arts)   
Paper:  Kraft, Early Espresso, Mellow Moss, So Saffron, Real Red, Only Orange, Forest Foliage (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Circle Nestabilities, Wood Grain Embossing Folder (Tim Holtz), Owl Punch and Leaf Punch (Stampin' Up), Leaf Dies (PTI), Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Birthday Bash

We have an awesome new sponsor, Top Dog Dies, for the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Birthday Bash!  The designers received some fabulous Tog Dog Dies to work with for this challenge...such a quality product!  The LEAD of this challenge will receive some Top Dog Dies of their choice.

I just adore this Madison Doily Die which I used on my card.  It is such a delicate design, and I love that you can use it to make a doily in any colour to suit your project!

Since I don't have any aqua paper, I had to sub in a light blue (note to self:  get some aqua paper!!).  I embossed the background with chevrons to somewhat mimic the pattern on the paper balls, used the rest of the colours from the photo, and added the word "joy" because birthday bashes are joyful occasions :)

Birthday Bash Designers

Amber Kroening

Amy Kolling

Amy Tsuruta

Gayatri Murali

Kim Singdahlsen

Laurie Willison

Lisa Henke

Marisa Ritzen

Maureen Plut

Monika Davis

Sheri Gilson

Sarah Gough

Stacey Schafer

Tenia Nelson

Tracey McNeely

You have until July 10th to link your card us and the LEAD and Show Stoppers will be announced on July 14th.  We'd love you to stop by the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Birthday Bash and play along with us!

Have a fabulous day!

Challenges:  The Pink Elephant

 
 
What's In It? 
Paper:  So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Pink Passion (Stampin' Up), Making Memories
Accessories:  Madison Doily Die (Top Dog Dies), Chevron Embossing Folder (Darice), Flutterby Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Joy Die (WPlus9), Crimper (Fiskars), Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #352

It's the last Monday of the month and that means it's time for a Tall and Skinny sketch over at the Mojo Monday blog.  Love making these!

I needed a 50th birthday card for this weekend so jumped at the chance to use this sketch as it had a nice big circle for the numbers.  I used some papers from Carta Bella's Ahoy There set and added a big "5-0" front and center (in black none-the-less wink, wink) so you can't miss it.  Tweaked the sketch a teensy bit by adding the kraft strip as I felt the 50 needed a bit of grounding.  Chevrons were embossed on the white background panel for some texture, and out came my go to embellishment for masculine cards - stars.  Just realized there is absolutely no stamping on this card too.  A rare occurrence!

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

I am soooo excited Costa Rica made it to the quarter finals in the World Cup!  What a game!!  They played a man short for over an hour and won in a shoot out against Greece.  To say I was just a tad stressed during the game is an understatement LOL!  Good to be able to breathe again!!  They have a tough draw in the next round - The Netherlands - but it is the furthest they have ever gone so I am thrilled for them.

Also, just wanted to let you know things are going to be a bit quieter here over the summer months (after the next two weeks that is), as I will be enjoying time with my kids.  They are growing up waaaay too quickly and I deeply treasure the time we can spend together.

It's going to be a busy week with our eighteenth anniversary on the 1st, a family day at the water slides on the 3rd (oh ya!!) and our friend's 50th on the 4th.  Fingers crossed the weather cooperates!

Have a fabulous week!

Challenges: The Pink Elephant

What's In It?
Paper:   Ahoy There  (Carta Bella). Night of Navy, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Kraft (Stampin' Up) 
Accessories:  Number Dies (PTI), Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Chevron Embossing Folder (Darice), Star Die (Stampin' Up), Buttons, Twine, Black Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals