Verve Diva Inspiration Hop - May 2016

It's time for the Verve Divas to bring you our monthly Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop!

There are TWO $30 gift vouchers to the Verve store up for grabs this month and two ways to win! First, comment on the design team's blog hop posts (linked below) for an entry in the first giveaway. Then to be entered into our challenge prize drawing, go get inky and link up your take on the challenge. You have until June 5 to link up. Feel free to play along with the challenge as many times as you like. Verve stamps aren't required to play, but we do smile a little brighter when we see them!

 

The end of spring always brings a touch of wanderlust.  This collection of bracelets has me wishing for a sun drenched road trip filled with gypsy wonder and delight. There's no script for this inspiration... channel your inner gypsy, go floral, follow our color pattern or forge your own path. We can't wait to see what you create!

Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Sunday, June 5.
Prize: $30 gift voucher to the Verve online store!

If you have come here from our newest Diva Lesley's blog you are right on track.  If not, you can go to the Verve blog for the hop list to get caught up.  

I dug through my designer papers and found this old Stella and Rose paper by MME which had the perfect mix of colours - score!  The sentiment is from Kind Words, one of my all time favorite Verve sets.  Added a few sequins (a little sneaky peaky of things to come) and another all time favorite, the Flutterby die butterfly.

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're giving away a $30 gift voucher to Verve to one random commenter along the hop.  Just leave a little love as you hop about for a chance to win!

	1. Julee	7. Marisa
	2. Betty	8. Maureen
	3. Charmaine	9. Sankari
	4. Christyne	10. Stacey
	5. Laurie	11. Susan
	6. Lesley	12. Teresa

Time to head on over to Maureen's blog to see her take on the inspiration photo :)

What's In It?
Stamps:  Kind Words (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Cool Caribbean, Cameo Coral (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Flutterby Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inker), Doily Die (Top Dog), Sequins, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #447

I needed a wedding card for this past weekend and had great visions in my head but they didn't translate to paper.  Didn't help that I was rushed for time as I totally forgot about the wedding until the day of, and not being a person who crafts well under pressure, this was the result :(   So, keeping it real here today....

Was going for a soft look with the doilies in the corners, colour combo and vellum.   It needed a little something extra so added the half pearls.  Good thing she loved her shower gift card 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)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day.    And for those who struggle on this day, huge cyber ((hugs))!!





 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Love Story (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Going Grey, Blushing Bride (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  VersaMark
Accessories:  Doily Die (Top Dog Dies), Heart Punch (Marvy), Black and White Embossing Powder, Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Mojo Monday #446

It's contest time over on the Mojo Monday blog and Julee has provided this fun sketch for us to work with.  There is one winner per 50 entries so the more entries we have the greater your chance of winning.

I needed a baby card as good friends of ours are first time grandparents to a little boy.  I took the sketch very literally as stars were a perfect fit.  I stamped the "oh boy" background and added the cute raffie and sentiments from To The Moon.  The stars are a combination of the Starry die and a Sizzix star die.  Sorry about the picture quality, I had one window of time to work with today and unfortunately it was a bit too early in the morning so the sun was not high enough for a good photo - my apologies!

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 can not believe we are in May already!!  This year is passing by way too quickly!!  I could use a slower paced year, but life happens so just holding on to my hat and making sure I get little respites along the way!

Challenge: Simon Says







What's In It?
Stamps:  To The Moon (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Bundle of Joy (Echo Park), So Saffron and Early Espresso (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black, VersaMark
Accessories:  Starry Die (A Cut Above by Verve),  Medium Scallop Die Cut (PTI), Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Charming

Welcome to the first Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge for May (how did we get to May already!!).  Our challenge is called Charming and the sky is the limit regarding how you wish to use the inspiration photo.

For my card, I pulled out some of the main colours from the pillows. I was heavily inspired by this amazing card by Tracey McNeely!  Absolutely adored her vellum flower.  I embossed some script font on to the vellum flowers and then used Tim Holtz distress inks to sponge the backs of the vellum die cuts.  Assembled the flower, added a center finished it off with a touch of twine at the top.  No where near as wonderful as Tracey's but had great fun making it.  

CHARMING

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 "simple" creations in the Curtain Call gallery.

Challenge:  Simon Says



 


What's In It?
Stamps:  Signature Greetings (PTI), French Script (Stampin' Up)
Paper:   White and Vellum (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black (Momento), Tim Holtz Distress Inks
Accessories:  Flower Die (PTI), Flower Punch (Stampin' Up), White Embossing Powder (Stampin' Up), Twine, Dimensioanls

Mojo Monday #445

This week it's your choice - round or square!!   In the past I have defaulted to round but this time round (no pun intended!), I opted to go with the square sketch.

I am still loving the Coffee Helps set.  My co-worker is a huge coffee lover and I always like to have a few in my stash to be able to use as thank yous or a surprise Starbuck's gift card for her.  Papers are from an old Stella and Rose MME set which I still love and the stitched circle is from the Springtime Stitches Die Set.   I paper pieced the latte cup and sponged some Antique Linen around the edges as I should have used cream coloured paper instead of white as the white was just too bright!

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

We had a wonderful family outing Saturday night celebrating the 40th year of drama productions by our kids' high school.   This year their production was The Adams Family Musical.  Our daughter was a part of the makeup crew and has loved being a part of this amazing production.   Gomez was my favorite as he was absolutely brilliant, and his tango with Morticia was so fun to watch :)  The cast did a fabulous job, there were lots of laughs and all involved did an excellent job.

Was great to have the first drama teacher hired by the school there that evening too.  He was hired for the position while I was a student there myself (yes, I am feeling very old LOL), and produced top notch productions for over 30 years, and just recently retired.  A fun and serial night for me.   






What's In It?
Stamps:  Coffee Helps (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), So Saffron,  Kraft (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black, Antique Linen Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:  Springtime Stitches Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Border Punch (Fiskars), Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #444

This sketch was perfect for a birthday card I needed this past weekend.  With spring in the air, I went with polka dots, flowers and butterflies - three of my favorites :)

The sentiment is from Simply Amazing along with the corresponding Amazing Adjectives Word Die Set. These two sets are so much fun to use together as there are lots of great sentiment combinations you can create.

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

Weekend was a blur - actually 2016 has been a blur and I am very much looking forward to the summer when life slows down a bit!!  A truly crazy, busy year it has been!  Thankfully, the days are getting longer, and spring with all its new growth, blooming flowers and added sunshine always energizes and brings me joy :)  Hanging moss baskets are now up and I can't wait to plant my annuals - a month to go before I can do so, but it is getting close - whoo hoo!!!

Wishing you a blessed day and thanks for popping in today!

Challenges: Simon Says






What's In It?
Stamps:  Simply Amazing (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Simple Pleasures (3 Bugs in a Rug), Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Wonderful Adjectives Word Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Stitched Circles (Lil' Inker), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), White Half Pearls, Button, Dimensionals

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Simplicity

Welcome to the second Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge for April!  This time round, our challenge is Simplicity.  All you CAS card makers - this is your challenge!  I greatly admire CAS card makers as I have such a hard time with them!!  After a few attempts, I decided to go with my version of CAS {grin}.  Went with neutral pallet in the photo an the orange flowers for a pop of colour.  

Realized after I had made this card that is is the same set I used for my last Curtain Call card....oops!   It was still out on my desk as we have had a very tough week emotionally.  My daughter has gone to school with a set of triplets since first grade and they were all in their senior year in high school. Sadly,  one of them was killed in an ATV accident last weekend....  He was the nicest, most responsible boy and a seasoned ATV driver.  Just a fluke bump into a rut that tipped his ATV into the concrete bridge support and threw him him off the bridge and down 30 feet.  My heart ACHES for their mom as I did many a hot lunch and field trip driving with her when our kids were in elementary school.  Memorial service was on Wednesday, and I was a crying mess.  Hug your kids tight and tell them you love them every day as we are never guaranteed tomorrow...

SIMPLICITY

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 "simple" creations in the Curtain Call gallery.



 


What's In It?
Stamps:  Petals and Posies, Lots to Say (Reverse Confetti)
Paper:   Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Early Espresso (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black, Only Orange (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Petals and Posies Confetti Cuts (Reverse Confetti), Notebook Die (My Favorite Things), Twine, Dimensioanls

Mojo Monday #443

Mondays mean it is time for a Mojo Monday sketch and this is what I came up with for this week's sketch.

I recently used Wishing You and this card was calling its name {grin}.  Paired it with some Simple Life papers by Echo Park.  The flower is from Petals and Wings and I used the coordinating Wings and Petals Die Set along with the Sprightly Sprigs Die Set die to add a bit of foliage to the flower.  Red accents for some pop and I was good to go.

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

We had a glorious week weather wise and I was once again reminded of how simply blessed I am by the beauty around me.  Blue skies, snow capped mountains, flowers blooming, trees budding, birds chirping - it is spring indeed :)

The weekend was topped off  with my son's very first Head Ref position for a U13 boys HPL (high performance league) game.  He has been a AR (assistant ref - they do the sidelines) for the past year, learned and earned his stripes and was granted the Head Ref position --  "between the lines" as they say.  It was wonderful seeing him excel in something he loves - the first of many and the beginning of an era for him and his reffing career.  We couldn't be prouder!!   Added bonus:  great pay!!

Had to post a few pics for anyone who is interested as I am one proud mama!!

Teams lined up in the middle of the field for the National Anthem .  They are short one of the ARs in this picture as a ref for another game was late due to traffic, so the other AR filled in until the ref arrived and then came back to this game.  Love how they work together so the games can go on as scheduled and start on time.

 

Keeping up with the play.

 

Ball turnover.

 

He had to really hustle to get in position to see the play. Those little U13 boys can really move at times!

  

The young Rookie between two veterans :)  His two ARs (Assistant Refs) are great guys who have been reffing for a long time and were a wonderful support for his first "between the lines" HPL game.  He absolutely loves reffing soccer and if he has what it takes, he wants to be a FIFA Ref one day.  Love a kid with a dream who is taking steps towards making it happen.

Thanks for letting me gush :)

What's In It?
Stamps:  Wishing You, Petals and Wings (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Simple Life (Echo Park) Basic Grey, Real Red (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Sprightly Sprigs Die Set and Wings and Petals Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inker), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), White Half Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Verve Diva Inspiration Hop - April 2016

It's time for Verve's monthly Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop!

There are TWO $30 gift vouchers to the Verve store up for grabs this month and two ways to win! First, comment on the design team's blog hop posts (linked below) for an entry in the first giveaway. Then to be entered into our challenge prize drawing, go get inky and link up your take on the challenge. You have until May 5 to link up. Feel free to play along with the challenge as many times as you like. Verve stamps aren't required to play, but we do smile a little brighter when we see them!

A little tropical flair is in the air for inspiration this month. Bright pinks, aquas, golden tones and a touch of white promise easy breezy days ahead. There’s no script for this inspiration… go floral, keep it modern, follow our color pattern or forge your own path, just show us your tropical chic inspired creations.

If you have come here from Laurie's blog you are right on track.  If not, you can go to the Verve blog for the hop list to get caught up.

Love this colour combo - so fun to work with :)   Love the colour of the yellow walls and found some great polka dotted paper to match.  I paired them with the flowers from Happy Place and matching Happy Doodles die set.  The butterfly is from Sidekicks Die with matching All Aflutter die set.  Needed a little something something so added a few sequins from the Pink Sparkle Sequin Mix.  Finished it off with ribbon, a bow and a button.

Need a little inspiration? Check out the blogs linked below to see what the other Divas did with the challenge!


Time to head on over to Maureen's blog to see her take on the inspiration photo :)

What's In It?
Stamps:  Happy Place, Surely Goodness, Tag Time (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Simple Life (Echo Park), Sun Kissed (Doodlebug), Tempting Turquoise, Going Grey (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Happy Doodles and Sidekicks Die, (A Cut Above by Verve), Tag Die (PTI), Crimper (Fiskars), Pinsk Sparkle Sequin Mix (Verve Stamps), Black Half Pearls, Black Buton, Twine, 3/8" Pink Grosgrain Ribbon (Michael's), Glue Dots, Dimensionals 

An InLinkz Link-up

Viva La Verve April Sketch 1 Recap

It's recap time over on the Viva La Verve blog and  today I am recapping Julee's first sketch for April.

I played around with a few options for this card and settled on using The Buzz and matching The Buzz die set.  Love this fun sentiment and paired it with three of the images and dies to create my card. A touch of twine finished things off.

The Viva La Verve blog showcases my viewfinder selections for this sketch and you can also get some great inspiration from the cards in the gallery.

Off to enjoy a long phone call with a wonderful friend who now lives in a different province.  Miss her dearly, but thankful for cheap phone plans that allow us to talk for three plus hours at a time 4 - 6 times a year.

Have a fabulous day!!




 

What's In It?
Stamps:  The Buzz (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Small Dots (Michael's) 
Ink: Black
Accessories:  The Buzz Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Twinkling H2Os, Twine, Dimensionals