Just Us Girls #202

This week's challenge is brought to us by Vicki and monochromatic blues it is to be!  I'm don't gravitate towards blue very often as it isn't a colour that does much for me, but love I must say, I had great fun making this card :)   That's why these challenges are so much fun, because they stretch you out of your comfort zone or your rut and it never ceases to amaze me what it causes one to create!

When I think of blue I think of a baby boy card, so that is the venue I pursued.  Love Verve's To The Moon set and this delightful Emery Plain Jane.  I used lots of embossing folders to add texture, paper pieced Emery twice, once for the body and one more time for his head to add extra dimension, and finished things off with a couple of blue buttons.   I must say, I am quite happy with the outcome :)

The rest of the  JUGS team has some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so head on over to the Just Us Girls blog, and check out what the Design Team has created.  Then put your creative genes to work and add your card/project to the challenge post on the JUGS blog for the chance to be chosen as the Chic of the Week.  

Going to be a quiet week on the blog next week as the kids and I are off to Summerland in the Okanagan Valley to do some camping with good friends of ours (will be waving to you Moe!).  Hubby is gladly staying home as he is not a camper and it's just moms with kids up there LOL!  Have a fabulous week everyone!

 

What's In It? 
Stamps:  Emery Plain Jane, To The Moon (Verve Stamps)  
Paper:  Night of Navy, Bordering Blue, Stampin' Up DSP (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black  
Accessories:   Seeing Spots Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Hugs and Kisses Embossing Folder (Cricut), Crimper (Fiskars), Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Carnival Craze

Welcome back to another Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!  This time our theme is "Carnival Craze" and it is sponsored by Lawn Fawn.  That means the Show Stopper for this challenge will win some goodies from them :)  Stacey has put together this fabulous collage for us to work with and it has me wanting to go to a fair LOL! 

I used Lawn Fawn's Blue Skies set. What a fun set indeed - just love the hot air balloons!  Since I'm not much of a colourer, I paper pieced them and added the pennant banner across the large one for a bit of colour.   A crimped cloud (could be a first LOL) a few scattered hearts, an arrow and bows on the balloons finished things off.

You can check out all the challenge details over on the Curtain Call Inspirations Challenge and also get a chance to view all the wonderful Curtain Call Crew samples!  Should you wish more details on the Curtain Call Crew's cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.

Amber Kroening
Barb Murphy
Christina MacLaren
Debby Hughes
Gayatri Murali
Jessica Kephart
Kim Singdahlsen
Laurie Willison
Marisa Ritzen
Maureen Plut
Monika Davis
Sheri Gilson
Stacey Schafer
Tenia Nelson
Tracey McNeely

You have until August 25th at 8:00 a.m. CDT to complete a new card/project using the inspiration picture and linking it up accordingly.  The Lead and Show Stoppers will be announced on August 31st.  Can't wait to see what you create!!

 
What's In It? 
Stamps:   Blue Skies (Lawn Fawn) 
Paper:  The Sweetest Thing (My Mind's Eye), Cool Caribbean (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black
Accessories:   Lattice Embossing Folder (Stampin' Up), Crimper (Fiskars), Twinkling H2Os, Twine, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #306

With all the elements on this card, it's a great card to use some designer paper on, so I pulled out My Mind's Eye Lime Twist papers which I have been hoarding and put them to good use!  Just love that top paper and of course, no need to ask me about polka dots wink, wink :)

The sentiment is from Treasured Words and I used buttons in lieu of the flower element on the sketch.

You can check out all the challenge details over on the Mojo Monday blog and also get a chance to 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

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

Have fun with the sketch and thanks for popping in!

What's In It?
Stamps: Words of Wisdom (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Lime Twist (My Mind's Eye), Early Espresso, Sahara Sand (Stampin' Up) 
Ink: Black 
Accessories:  Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Buttons (Michael's Dollar Bin), Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Just us Girls #201

This week's Just Us Girls challenge is hosted by Lisa and she has a great technique for us to try out this week:  shaker cards!   Here is the link to a tutorial on SCS.

I have never made a shaker card, though I have admired them from a distance, so it was a delight to finally make one!   Love the final product - no pun intended :)  Getting there was a bit of an issue as my beads did not want to cooperate and were sticking to the dimensional tape at the top of the heart until I took it apart and knocked them all down.  Thankfully, we are all happy now LOL!

The rest of the  JUGS team has some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so head on over to the Just Us Girls blog, and check out what the Design Team has created.  Then put your creative genes to work and add your card/project to the challenge post on the JUGS blog for the chance to be chosen as the Chic of the Week.  

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

 

What's In It? 
Stamps:   Tag Time (PTI) 
Ink:  Black
Paper:  Real Red, White (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:   Tag Time Dies (PTI), Heart Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Hugs and Kisses Embossing Folder (Cricut), Acetate, 5/8" Red Satin Ribbon, Pink Beads, Dimensionals

August Diva Dare

Welcome to August's Diva Dare!!   This month's theme is "Pile on the Sweetness" and showcases Diva Andrea and Diva Christyne, who are both known for their amazing work with multiple layers  on their cards.

In addition, if you want to kick this month's dare up a notch, you can add a flower cluster as per Andrea, or go with a "sweet" theme as per Christyne's blog name "Stamping with Sugar".  These are not required elements, but fun options should you chose to take the double dog dare wink, wink.

Here is my take on this month's dare.

I used Diva Maureen's VLV sketch and the papers are from My Mind's Eye In Bloom 6x6 pad.  Still love this paper pad and I'm glad I bought two of them when it was at Michael's!  I added some lace, seam binding, lots of layers and used a sentiment from Love Story which is a bit generic so the card can be used for multiple occasions.  A crimped Wavy Heart die and some pearls finished things off nicely.   I counted nine layers so I think I'm good LOL!

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 - I dare you!











What's In It?
Stamps:  Love Story (Verve Stamps)
Paper:   Going Grey, Cameo Coral (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen Paper, In Bloom (My Mind's Eye) 
Ink:  Black, 
Accessories:  Wavy Heart Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Oval and Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Lace, Spring Fling Seam Binding (Verve Stamps), Crimper (Fiskars), Half Pearls, Bling, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Feeling Like The Flintstones

Just had to share these pictures of my son enjoying the birthday hat at Montana's a bit too much!  He is definitely a ham and a lover of life :) 

Reminds me of the hat Fred Flintstone used to wear for his meetings, and had to laugh when I remembered how they put that rack of ribs on the side of his car at the drive in and it tipped over.   Yes, we could all relate that evening LOL!

Longhorn in the headlights.

 A better smile for mom and the camera.

A GQ pose.

Laughing at himself.

The picture I was hoping for. 

Love how they get along :) 

Now there is a picture of me in this hat but it is so bad I can't post it LOL!  Hubby's turned out pretty well and great fun was had by all -- never mind the great ribs we ate!!

Just had to share :)

Verve Inspiration Blog Hop

** This is my second post today, so if you are here for my Mojo Monday card, just scroll down ** 

Welcome to Verve's August Diva Inspirations Hop! It's the 5th of the month and that means it's time for the Verve Divas to breathe new life into some much-loved stamps and dies.  I'm thankful to be able to join the Inspiration Team for this month's hop as you know how much I love my Verve stamps!  Even better, there's a PRIZE up for grabs, so be sure to leave a little shout out in the comment section of each blog as you hop about to be entered in a drawing for a $30 gift voucher to Verve Stamps! Check out all the details and prize info over at the Verve Blog.  Below is the list of those participating in this month's hop.

Since pink and green is a favorite colour combo of mine which I haven't used it for a while, it was time to rectify that issue.  Once on a favorites roll, I decided to add a few more:  polka dots, a heart (Wavy Hearst Die) and a butterfly.  The sentiment is from Words of Wisdom and I just love it because it is so true!  Life is about your attitude and is so much better when you appreciate and are thankful for what you have rather than pining away for what you wish you had or how things could be different.  So, this card brings me a whole lot of happy :)

The rest of the Divas involved in this month's hop are noted below and they have some fabulous, inspirational creations for your viewing pleasure!

	1. Julee	9. Tiffany
	2. Amy	10. Teresa
	3. Anya	11. Charmaine
	4. Betty	12. Christyne
	5. Karen	13. Maureen
	6. Sankari	14. Marisa
	7. Sarah	15. Amber
	8. Susan	16. Andrea

In addition, we're celebrating 6 years of VERVE this month with a huge sale!  Your favorites are bound to be marked down, since all stamps and dies are 10-50% off during the month of August!  Now that's something to celebrate!

Thanks for popping by today and happy hopping!!

Challenges: 
Friday Mash Up: Polka Dots
Simon Says: Anything Goes
Dare to Get Dirty Challenges


 
What's In It? 
Stamps: Words of Wisdom (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Dots and Stripes (Echo Park), Pink Dots (Making Memories), Mellow Moss, Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Wavy Hearts Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Hugs and Kisses Embossing Folder (Cricut), 5/8" Rose Romance Grosgrain Ribbon (Stampin' Up), Crimper (Fiskars), Bling, Black Half Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #305

It's the first week of the month and that means it is contest week over on the Mojo Monday blog! Julee has created a fabulous sketch for us to work with and you get to play with some skewed panels this time round.

Since I have stocked up on a few 6 x 6 paper pads, I decided it was time to start using them instead of just staking them up - ever do that?  I used MME's Quilting Bee and ended up going a bit overboard on the polka dots, but then I love them so I enabled myself wink, wink :)   I used the Curvy Bookplate Die and the matching border from Tag Time.  The sentiment comes from Words of Wisdom, which seems to be getting a lot of blog time recently as there are so many wonderful sentiments in that set and I just love the mix of fonts -- Julee's specialty!  Just "had" to sneak in a butterfly too...

You can check out all the challenge details over on the Mojo Monday blog and also get a chance to 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

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Wanda Cullen

This past weekend we celebrated  a huge milestone birthday in our family.  I am now the mother of two teenagers! Oh my!!  Where do the years go??!!  I remember giving birth to my son like it was yesterday.  He brings so much joy into our family as he is a lover of life, has a huge heart and gives the best hugs :)   He is also a smart, athletic boy who stands by what he knows is right. I am so proud and blessed to be his mom!

Off to enjoy our holiday Monday as a family.  Thanks for popping in!

Challenges:
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Friday Mash Up - Polka Dots
Dare to Get Dirty Challenges

What's In It?
Stamps: Words of Wisdom , Tag Time (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Quilting Bee (My Mind's Eye), Night of Navy, Tempting Turquoise, Going Grey (Stampin' Up) 
Ink: Black 
Accessories:  Flutterby, Curvy Bookplate Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Seeing Spots Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon (Michael's), Crimper (Fiskars), White Half Pearls, Bling, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Just Us Girls #200

 

Welcome to Just Us Girls' 200th challenge!!  We are celebrating this week by giving the Chic of the week a $15 gift certificate to Inspired By Stamping.

This week Maria has provided a sketch for us to work which provides lots of creative flexibility.

I used some papers from The Sweetest Thing paper pad by Recollections and when I saw this ledger paper, I just had to create a notebook page for the sentiment panel.

I combined two of the sentiments from Verve's Words of Wisdom set and added an arrow at the bottom in lieu of the sentiment panel on the sketch. 

The rest of the  JUGS team has some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so head on over to the Just Us Girls blog, and check out what the Design Team has created.  Then put your creative genes to work and add your card/project to the challenge post on the JUGS blog for the chance to be chosen as the Chic of the Week.  

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Challenges:
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Dare to Get Dirty Challenge on SCS

 

What's In It? 
Stamps:   Words of Wisdom (Verve Stamps)
Ink:  Black
Paper:  The Sweetest Thing (Recollections), Basic Grey (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:   Notebook Die (My Favorite Things), Crimper (Fiskars), Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Wish Big

Amber has created a fun sketch this week and a great opportunity to work with a diagonal.  I went for some funky background paper to step outside my box to mix things up a bit and I think the paper won LOL!

I'm far from thrilled with the card, but am posting the good the bad and the ugly here to keep things real.  Sometimes things just don't come together the way you want them to and you have to live with it -- I'm trying to in this case, but it's hard!  I could have tossed it, but then that would be total defeat and darn if I will let some paper beat me LOL!  I know, it's as sad statement when I am fighting inanimate objects that aren't a Facebook game.  Yah....

Moving on....I had fun using this new to me cupcake image from Verve's Carpe Cupcake set.  I paired it with a sentiment from Birthday Phrases, a die from Flag It for the sentiment, and the Pennant Trim die for a little "oomph".

Now it's your turn.  Complete all the VLV sketches in August and you will be entered to win a $100 gift certificate to Verve Stamps.  Plus, Verve is having their six year Anniversary Sale this month which allows you to enjoy 10% - 50% off their stamps and dies!!  A great way to chip away at your wish list!

    
Thanks for popping by and I'll be back tomorrow with my Just Us Girls card.

Challenges:  Simon Says
                   Dare To Get Dirty Challenges
                   Friday Mash Up - Polka Dots


 

What's In It?
Stamps:  Carpe Cupcake and Birthday Phrases (Verve Stamps) 
Paper: Bold Basics (Recollections), Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery and Sage Shadow (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Flag It and Pennant Trim Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities, Seeing Spots Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Twinkling H2Os, White Half Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals