Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Tropical Trip

It's time for another Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!  This time our challenge is entitled "Tropical Trip".

I am still revelling in the memories of our trip to Hawaii earlier this year, and this inspiration photo immediately made me think of the beautiful, tropical fish we saw while snorkeling there.  Having no fish stamps meant checking Pinterest for ideas, and there I found some great punch art fish. In the end, I decided to case this card.  Wanted to use a larger googly eye, but didn't have any in my stash so had to settle for this smaller one.

Tropical Trip Designers

Amy Kolling
Amy Sheffer
Amy Tsuruta
Gayatri Murali
Kim Singdahlsen
Laurie Willison
Lisa Henke
Marisa Ritzen
Maureen Plut
Monika Davis
Sarah Gough
Sheri Gilson
Stacey Schafer
Tenia Nelson
Tracey McNeely

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Stop by the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Tropical Trip for the challenge details and to play along with us!

 
 
What's In It?  
Stamps:  Happy Birthday (Memory Box), Moments Remembered (Stampin' Up) 
Paper:  Real Red, So Saffron, Brilliant Blue, Tempting Turquoise (Stampin' Up) 
Ink: Old Olive, Black (Stampin' Up)  
Accessories:  Catch a Wave Die (My Favorite Things), 1 3/8", 1/2" and 1/4" Circle Punches, Five Point Flower and Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), Heart Punch (Michael's $1.50 Bin), Stitched Rectangle Die (Lil' Inkers), Twine Dimensionals 

VLV Recap and Viewfinder

It's my turn to do the Viva La Verve recap for this week's sketch provided by Diva Maureen.

I was in need of a sympathy card this week after hearing of the unexpected drowning of the husband of a mom whose kids attended the same elementary school mine did.  It is heartbreaking as they have three children, the oldest being fourteen and the youngest nine.  The autopsy found he had a brain tumor at the base of his skull which most likely caused a seizure when he was in the water, causing him to drown.  So thankful for the wonderful school community that has rallied around the family and many close friends that will walk along side them during this difficult time.

I used this wonderful verse from New Mercies and over stamped it with the foliage image in the same set for some dimension.  Added a secondary "praying for you" sentiment, along with a bow and some butterflies to finish things off.

Thanks for popping by and if you want to see which cards I chose to highlight for this week's VLV sketch and Inspiration Photo, head on over to the Viva La Verve blog and check it out.

Wishing you a fabulous day!


 
What's In It?
Stamps:   New Mercies (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  So Saffron, Kraft (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black, Certainly Celery (Stampin' Up)   
Accessories:  Flag It Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Swiss Dots and Heart Blocks Embossing Folders (Provo Craft), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), 5/8" Satin Saffron Ribbon, Button, Black Half Pearls, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #358

Had a desire to make a baby card when I tripped across this fun paper I found at one of my local dollar stores.  Unfortunately, it is pretty well covered up, which is a shame as it has the cutest zebras and butterflies with glitter on them.  

To the Moon is my go to baby set, as it has so many wonderful images and sentiments.  Decided on the cute bear image was a good mix with the zebras and butterflies, so I stamped the image and then fussy cut it out.  Punched a trio of hearts to pull in some of the colours in the background paper and added a button for balance.

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

Got some fabulous, organic blueberries this weekend and it took two days to freeze them all on cookies sheets and then bag them because I got 50 pounds - my standard quota each year.  Our small freezer is now full and it is like playing Tetras if you need to get anything in or out of it LOL!  

Another hot, humid day expected today - ugh!  At least we had a week's reprieve before the humidex hit us again.  Let the frizzy hair begin LOL!  Have a fabulous day :) 

What's In It?
Stamps: To The Moon (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   Small Dots (Making Memories), So Saffron, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, More Mustard (Stampin' Up), Dollar Store Paper
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Heart Quartet Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Heart Punch (Marvy), Crimper (Fiskars), Martha Stewart Punch, Bling, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Just Us Girls #253 - Trend Week

Sorry I've been out of the loop for a few weeks....I've been training for my new PT job the past two weeks, and this Wednesday and Thursday were my first days "flying solo".  Enjoying it immensely, and once I learn about 500 patients' names, it will be even better as I won't have to ask them their name every time they come in :)  Plus still helping mom out quite a bit now that she is home from the hospital, but the good news is she is slowly healing and  progressing in a positive direction :)

Fun challenge this week!  I don't own a ton of washi as I do not use it a lot, but it was fun to dig it out and play with it a bit.  Kept things rather  simple as I haven't stamped in some time, but loving the mix of colours and of course, the hearts :)

The rest of the  JUGS team along with our August Guest Designer, Kristie, 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


 
What's In It?
Paper:   Basic Black, Real Red (Stampin' Up)  
Accessories:  Heart Dies (The Cat's Pajamas), Washi, 5/8" Black Satin Ribbon (Michael's), Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals 

Verve Diva Dare August 2014

This month's Verve Diva Dare is entitled "Celebrate Good Times".  Verve is turning 7 this month and we’d love to see your celebration cards.  Think wedding, birthday, anniversary… anything that brings the confetti out!

Hubby and I will be attending a wedding at the end of August so this was the perfect opportunity to get a card done.  I used last week's Viva La Verve sketch for my layout and this fabulous, large font, "Celebrate" sentiment from Moments Remembered.  I adore this stamp as it can be used for so many occasions and you definitely can't miss the fact there is something to celebrate!  The Lovely Marquee die provided the shape for my secondarily sentiment from Love Story.  A touch of seam binding from the Signature Series Ribbon Collection and I had to add some bling because the bride looooves bling :)

Of course, where there is a Verve Diva Dare, there are prizes, and this month's dare provides two prizes: one for a randomly selected participant and one for a randomly selected commenter! 

Want to get all the details on how you can win some Verve Stamps?  Simply head on over to the Verve Blog to get all the challenge details!

What's In It?
Stamps:   Moments Remembered, Love Story (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Wedding Words and Brocade Tie The Knot (Making Memories), Black, Going Grey (Stampin' Up) 
Ink: Black, Silver
Accessories:   Lovely Marquee Die (A Cut Above Verve), White Seam Binding (Signature Series Ribbon Collection by Verve Stamps), Heart Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Bling, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #357

It's the first Monday of the month which means it is contest week over on the Mojo Monday blog, and Julee has this great sketch for us to work with.

The sketch made me smile because a few short years ago, skewed panels on sketches sent me into a tail spin LOL.  Practice makes perfect, and now they are a welcome addition to any sketch.  Love how you can continually grow and evolve in this wonderful hobby (aka: addiction)!

I just "had" to use this wonderful flower image from Happy Place again - sorry!  Just can't help myself!  The sentiment is from the same set and the fabulous monarch butterfly is from Each Day.

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 having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact we are now in August and my son just turned fourteen!  I was seven months pregnant with him when we moved into our home and it feels like yesterday when I gave birth to him - well, not exactly yesterday, but you know what I mean LOL! Mom is home from hospital now, but struggling a bit so we are monitoring her closely.  Hoping it is temporary and she just needs time to heal, otherwise, we may have to make some hard decisions regarding her need for assisted living....been quite a month! 
 

What's In It?
Stamps: Happy Place and Each Day (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:   The Sweetest Thing (My Mind's Eye), Kraft, Real Red, So Saffron (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Happy Doodles Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Chicken Wire Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Crimper (Fiskars), Corner Rounder, Twine, Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #356

It's tall and skinny week over on the Mojo Monday blog.  A great way to switch things up and away from your standard A2 sized card, and Julee has provided yet another fun sketch for us to work with.

I took a few artistic liberties with this week's sketch as I wanted to use this fun peacock image from Moment's Remembered.  Fussy cut the peacock, and layered it on top of a doily with one of the medallions from Peaceful Medallions.  The papers are from MME's The Sweetest Thing.  Added a sentiment tab and some seam binding and called it a 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.  

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

Can not believe it is the last week in July!!  Summer is half over and it is going waaaay to quickly!  Hope you've been able to enjoy the summer so far, and if you have never made a Tall and Skinny card, give it a try - they are great fun to make!

What's In It?
Stamps: Moments Remembered and Peaceful Medallions (Verve Stamps)

Paper:   The Sweetest Thing (My Mind's Eye), Sahara Sand, Mint Medley, Kraft (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black

Accessories:  Circle Nestabilities, Doily, Signature Ribbon Collection (Verve Stamps), Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals 

Verve July 2014 Release Retrospective

Welcome to Verve's July Release Retrospective Blog Hop! The Verve Divas and guests are hopping today and serving up some more inspiration using the July release stamps & dies! Besides a peek at some really cool cards, there are also a couple of prizes up for grabs!  If you have come here from Chaitali's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened along the blog, you can check the hop list below.

For my card I just had to go with the fabulous Happy Place set.  I just about used my favorite flower from this set, but decided I needed to not use it for a change, so I opted for this gorgeous butterfly instead.  Used the Happy Doodles matching die set to cut out the butterfly, coloured it with Twinkling H2Os and paired it with this wonderful sentiment from the set.  Next up is Teresa's blog.

 
Want to win some shiny new Verve? We're giving away a $40 gift voucher to one lucky commenter along the hop, so be sure to leave a shout out in the comments as you hop about.

1. Julee	10. Jen
2. Stacey	11. Sheri {Guest}
3. Maureen	12. Laurie
4. Chaitali	13. Andrea
5. Marisa	14. Amber
6. Teresa	15. Christyne
7. Kay {Guest}	16. Sarah
8. Janelle	17. Anya
9. Charmaine	18. Betty

Want another chance to win? Now it's your turn! We'd LOVE to see what you've done with the July release. Link up your cards using at least one product from our July release and you'll be entered in a drawing to win our entire next release! All the details and the linkup widget are on the Verve Blog today. The deadline is August 23, so there's still plenty of time to get the July release if you haven't already.

Don't miss this weekend only discount offer in honor of Julee's birthday!
 

Next up on the Hop is Teresa and she is sure to have some wonderful card, eye candy for you to enjoy!


 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Happy Place (Verve Stamps)   
Paper:   For The Record 2 (Echo Park), Night of Navy, Old Olive, Kraft (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Happy Doodles Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Stitched Rectangle Die (Lil' Inkers), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), 5/8" Yellow Ribbon, Shine Bright Sequin Mix (Verve Stamps), Black Liquid Pearls, Dimensionals 

Have A Happy Day!

Time to recap this week's Viva La Verve sketch created by Diva Maureen.

For my card I pulled out some fun paper by Three Bugs in a Rug.  Such a fun pattern which unfortunately got mostly covered up.  Anyway, it was one of my favorite colour combos (pink and green) so all is good LOL!   Used the circle scalloped die from the Scalloped Trim Trio die set, though most of it is covered up, and adore this fabulous, big, bold sentiment from Be Blessed. Of course, where there are flowers, there has to be a Flutterby butterfly {grin}.  Finished things off with a touch of twine.

Thanks for popping by and if you want to see which cards I chose to highlight for this week's VLV sketch and Inspiration Photo, head on over to the Viva La Verve blog and check it out.

Well, I survived Day 1 of training for my new part time job.  The old brain got a work but is was a wonderful day and today I'm at it again :)  Crazy busy week here as mom is the hospital again....she had a fall the other night and was in excruciating pain when she tried to sit up.  Laying down is fine as is standing up, but the movement of getting into a sitting position causes her to almost pass out with pain.  Nothing broken (which is a huge miracle as she has osteo!), just an old compression fracture that was aggravated by the fall so the physio team is working with her and showing her how she is to move in and out of bed, use the walker etc. until she heals up.  Needing about five extra hours a day this week!  Being the sandwich generation is definitely not fun... 

 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Be Blessed (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Heart Flower (Three Bugs in a Rug), Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black   
Accessories:  Flutterby and Calloped Trim Trio Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilties (Spellbinders), Crimper (Fiskars), Twine, Button, Glue Dot, Bling, Dimensionals

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Anything Goes Reminder

** Second post of the day. Scroll down for my Mojo Monday card ** 

We are half way through our one year anniversary celebration challenge over at the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge, so that means you still have time to play along for some amazing prizes!

I used the colours as my inspiration and pulled out this fabulous Hello Baby paper by Simple Stories.  The frame picks up the cubbies and the butterfly...well...they are always appropriate in my books LOL!  

You can check out all the challenge details over on the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge. You have until July 25th 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 31st.

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:   Lots to Say (Reverse Confetti) 
Paper:    Hello Baby (Simple Stories), Cool Caribbean, Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Butterfly Die (Stampin' Up), Monarch Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Chevron Embossing Folder (Darice), Black Half Pearls, Twine, Dimensionals