Verve Release July 2017 Spotlight Hop ~ Day 2

Welcome back to Day 2 of Verve's July Release Spotlight Hops!  The Verve Divas and special guests are back for another day of spotlighting our new release! Everything previewed this week will be available to order in the Verve online shop on Monday, July 10. And if you just can't wait, you can pre-order our July Release Collection at a 25% discount through July 9!

Today we're sharing our first projects featuring the Happiness Is stamp set and coordinating Happiness in a Cup Die Set.

If you have come here from Charmaine's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened upon the Hop, check out the hop list below so you can get caught up.

I just love this set!! So many fabulous sentiments, and as usual, Julee as worked her font magic!  Love the big, bold words and how you can pair sentiments or just one them individually.  So much flexibility with this set!  I used some earthy colours for this card as I always associate them with coffee. 

A fun story for you...I grew up in Costa Rica, a major coffee producing country even back then (cough, cough....yes I am feeling my age so it will remain unmentioned LOL).  The neighbouring property had a small coffee plantation on it and we used to jump the fence and pick the ripe coffee beans.  The pods they are in turn a lovely shade of dark read when they are ripe, and we would open the pod and then pop the beans in our mouth and suck the sugary substance around them off the beans and then spit the beans out (most likely contributing to the growth of some new coffee trees).

My father also figured out a way to retrofit steam turbines on to sugar mills and by doing so quadruple their production capacity.  Many of the sugar mills also had small side line of coffee and I remember them spreading the coffee beans out on huge concrete slabs to dry the "slime we used to eat LOL" off the coffee beans before they were either sold and shipped to a roasting facility or done on site.

This second card is so me :)  I love reading, and I love coffee (although now I only drink decaf as I burned my adrenals out in my 30s at a high stress job) and if I can find a quiet corner with a good book and a nice cup of coffee I am a very happy lady.  I originally wanted to add the "a teensy bit of silence" between these two sentiments as that is nirvana {grin}, but with three bold sentiments one after the other, it was a bit overpowering.  Maybe I need to have a little card I can hold up with all three of them on it when I want just that on a weekend - ha!  May have to try it ;)

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 the full hop list, a little more about our new products and all the prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee 7. Teresa 2. Kathy (Guest) 8. Maureen 3. Sheri (Guest) 9. Betty 4. Wanda (Guest) 10. Christyne 5. Charmaine 11. Laurie 6. Marisa 12. Lesley

Time to head on over to Teresa's blog to see her fabulous creation - she always has such gorgeous cards!

      

First Card:
What's In It?

Stamps:   Happiness Is (Verve Stamps), Itty Bitty Pieces (Stampin' Up)

Paper: Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Really Rust, More Mustard, (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black, Really Rust, Going Grey, More Mustard (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Happiness in a Cup, Heart Quartet (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Twine, Button, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Second Card:
What's In It?

Stamps:   Happiness Is (Verve Stamps) 

Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Real Red, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Black, Taken with Teal (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:  Happiness in a Cup, Heart Quartet (A Cut Above by Verve), Twine, White Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Verve Release July 2017 Spotlight Hop ~ Day 1

Welcome to Verve's July Release Spotlight Hops! A new release is just around the corner and for the next few days we'll be shining our creative spotlights on the new Verve sets and dies releasing Monday, July 10.

Today the Divas and special guests are sharing inspiration featuring the new Always Time stamp set and coordinating Kettle Time Die Set. Check out the Verve Blog post today for the full hop list, prize details, reveals and a little more on this fun new set.

If you have come here from Charmaine's blog you are right on track.  If you just happened upon the Hop, check out the hop list below so you can get caught up.

Absolutely love this sentiment!  A nice warm mug of coffee (decaf latte in my case) on a cold winter day, while out with a friend, or after a hectic day is indeed the equivalent of a hug :)    I sneak peeked this wonderful die and mug image from tomorrow's set as it just fit the sentiment perfectly.

For the tea lovers out there, this tea pot and the other one in the set are adorable!! Unfortunately, my colouring skills have much to be desired...sorry!  Such a cute sentiment too.  I cased the flowers around the tea pot from this card by Julee.  Such a wonderful way to ground the teapot.  Layered up the doilies and added black half pearls around the top of the teapot for some dimension.

1. Julee 7. Teresa 2. Kathy (Guest) 8. Maureen 3. Sheri (Guest) 9. Betty 4. Wanda (Guest) 10. Christyne 5. Charmaine 11. Lesley 6. Marisa

Time to head on over to Teresa's blog to see her fabulous creation - she always has such gorgeous cards!

      

First Card:
What's In It?

Stamps:   Always Time and Happiness Is (Verve Stamps), Polka Dot Basics II (PTI)

Paper:  Kraft, Only Orange, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black, Old Olive, VersaMark
Accessories:  Happiness in a Cup (A Cut Above by Verve),  Reverse Confetti Dies, Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inker),  Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Second Card:
What's In It?

Stamps:   Always Time (Verve Stamps) 

Paper:  Kraft, So Saffron, Cameo Coral (Stampin' Up), Dollar Store Paper
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Kettle Time (A Cut Above by Verve), Lacy Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Doily Die (Top Dog Dies ), Crimper (Fiskars), Seam Binding, Button, Twine, Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge ~ Red White and Blue

Happy Canada Day everyone!! It is July 1st and Canada turns 150 today so I swapped out the blue for black on my card and am celebrating this milestone in our country's history with a card.   Plus, it is also our 21st wedding anniversary so lots to celebrate today!!

Picked up the maple leaf stamp, punch and the sentiment from Micheal's dollar bin and used last weeks Paper Players sketch for my card.  May just use this as my anniversary card with a fun sentiment on the inside to the effect of "We haven't been married for 150 years, but aren't you glad we get free fireworks compliments of Canada on every anniversary". 

RED, WHITE AND BLUE

Guest Designer: Hannelie Bester, Desert Diva

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

Tara Godfrey 

Enjoy celebrating Canada Day my Canadian followers, and Happy 4th of July to all my American followers!  We are SO blessed to live in our countries and have SO much to be grateful for.  I would be remiss if I didn't thank those who serve in our armed forces as it is their sacrifice that allows us the freedoms we have.  Thank you for your service ♥

Off to enjoy BBQ ribs a la hubby and then the local Canada Day festivities and fireworks.  Going to be a fun filled day indeed :) 

Have a fabulous week everyone and I look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery.


 

What's In It?

Stamps:  Studio G (Michael's Dollar Bin)
Paper:  Dots and Stripes (Echo Park), Real Red, Basic Black (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Real Red, Black (Stampin' Up)  
Accessories:  Stitched Circles (Lil' Inker), Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Maple Leaf Punch (Michael's Dollar Bin), Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Coffee Lover's Summer Blog Hop

Sneaking in under the wire for the Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop!  Thank you Amy for organizing this yet again :)   Love looking at all the wonderful creations!

I used this week's Freshly Made Sketch for my card and Verve's Coffee Helps.  I love lattes so this sentiment is a go to for me :)   Coloured with Twinkling H2Os and needed to ground the latte cups so added a daisy chain border to to bottom of the focal panel. 

 

What's In It?

Stamps:  Coffee Helps (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Kraft, Rose Red, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black 
Accessories:  Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inker), Daily Edge Punch (Martha Stewart), Twinkling H2Os, Dimensionals

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge ~ Sorbet

Middle of June and time for a new Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge.  With Summer comes the need for a bit of cooling down, and this picture has me craving sorbet now LOL!   Since I don't own any ice cream stamps, I went for the look alike cupcake {grin}.

Used last week's Case This Sketch #225 for my card, pulled the colours from the photo and tossed some polka dots in for good measure :)

SORBET

Guest Designer:  Laurel Seabrook, Seabrook Designs

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:  Cupcake (Verve Stamps), Tiny Tags (PTI)
Paper:  Dots and Stripes (Echo Park), Rose Romance (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Bliss Blue, Regal Rose (Stampin' Up)  
Accessories:  Lacy Square and Square Nestabilities,  Tiny Tags Die Set, Twine, Stickles, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #500 ~ And a Farwell....

Today, we are celebrating 500 Mojo Monday sketches!!  To put that in perspective, that means Julee has been creating fabulous sketches for us just shy of ten years!!  Sadly, this will be the last Mojo sketch.....sniff, sniff...  :(   Be sure to pop on over to the Mojo Monday blog to read her post.

I have a big lump in my throat and a big hole in my heart right now....but at the same time am celebrating with her as she can now dabble in other things with her extra time each week.  Needless to say, I am very thankful for my Mojo Monday sketch binder to be able to go back to.

Out of curiosity, I dug back through my Splitcoast Stampers account (I was  on there for a few years before I started my blog) to see which Mojo sketch was the first one I participated in, and found it was sketch #39 during her first year of sketches when the challenge was still run off her personal blog.  This is the card I made using that sketch and is a tribute to where it all began. 

   
Mojo sketch 120 was my first sketch win for a free Verve Stamps set, followed by four finalist positions, and then that fabulous day, August 6, 2012, when I posted my first card for sketch #263 as a Mojo Maker.  This card brought back memories and made me laugh as I was having a strong, love/hate relationship with skewed panels at the time and as fate would have it, this was the first sketch I had to deal with LOL!  Btw, I now love skewed panels {grin}.

To say I have enjoyed the past 9 years of Julee's sketches is an understatement.  It has remained my favorite challenge over the years, and I will miss it dearly.   Thank you Julee for blessing card makers all over blogland with your amazing sketches!  As the sentiment says on my card, you are a beautiful soul indeed, and I thank you for the honor of being a Mojo Maker ((hugs)) ♥♥♥

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

A huge thank you to those of you who have been faithful participants in the challenge and who have left me so many lovely comments on my Mojo Monday posts over the years. And, to Teresa Kline for all her behind the scenes work.

Would love to have you join us by creating a card and linking it to the challenge!  In honor of sketch number 500, I would love to see 500 cards in the gallery, so please come an play along :)  The challenge is open for two weeks so lots of time to get crafty.

Have a fabulous day, and thank you for stopping by!

Challenges:  CAS-ual Fridays
                    Just Us Girls




 
  

What's In It?

Stamps:  Beautiful You (Verve Stamps)

Paper:    On The Bright Side (My Mind's Eye),  Early Espresso, Certainly Celery, Taken with Teal, So Saffron (Stampin' Up), Dots and Stripes (Echo Park)  
Ink:   Black 
Accessories:  Rounded Scalloped Frame, Flutterby, Scalloped Trio Trim Set and Sprightly Sprigs Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Crimper (Fiskars), Button, Glue Dot, Twine, Bling, Dimensionals

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge ~ Succulent

Time for our first June challenge, and this time round we have a wonderful arrangement of succulents for our inspiration.

 

I pulled colours from the picture and chose to use some spiky flowers that somewhat resemble the shape of the succulents.  My sketch and card was inspired by this fabulous card by Wanda.

  

SUCCULENT

Guest Designer:  Laurel Seabrook, Seabrook Designs

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!

Challenge:  Simon Says

 

What's In It?

Stamps:  Be Blessed (Verve Stamps) 
Paper:  Kraft, Blush Blossom, Mint Medley (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Perfect Plum, Regal Rose (Stampin' Up), Mermaid (Lawn Fawn) 
Accessories:  Petal Points and Sprightly Sprigs (A Cut Above by Verve), Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inker), Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #499

Last sketch of the month and with the extra Monday in May this year, we get a wonderful square sketch :)

Went into spring mode as our weather has finally decided to turn sunny after six months of rain!  Yup, we have set all time rainfall records, cold records, lowest daylight and a few others I am sure.  It has been quite the ride - not!!

But I regress....with the sunshine outside, yellow came to mind and this fun MME paper jumped out at me.  The sentiments if from Kindness Matters.

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 son tweaked his knee on Friday as he missed a step on his way down the stairs (too busy yapping to his buddy and not paying attention to where he was going).  We had to cancel his five reffing games this weekend, and as a result, we got a mellower weekend :)   Good news is, icing it and keeping off it for two days has got him basically back to normal.   My FIL made it through is melanoma surgery with flying colours (was on the top of his head) so we are very thankful for that as well.  Never a dull moment around here I tell you!

Have a fabulous week and thanks for popping by today :)



 
  

What's In It?

Stamps:  Kindness Matters (Verve Stamps)

Paper:  Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye), Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Taken with Teal (Stampin' Up)   
Ink:   Black 
Accessories:  Square and Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Provokraft), Heart Punch (Michael's Dollar Bin), Crimper, Twine, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #498

A wonderful, quick and easy sketch this week that you can keep CAS or glam up a bit.  I went more on the CAS side as we have a very busy weekend and time was limited.

Love this happy paper by My Little Shoebox and pulled the turquoise out from the centers of the flowers for the strips behind the sentiment panel.  Adore the Beautiful Things set as there are so many wonderful, uplifting sentiments in it.  Into my stash to give to my daughter when I give her a little something to help her through exams or the like.

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 a busy long weekend, with my son reffing 11 games in 3 days at a soccer tournament.  Thankfully, his games were at our local soccer club fields which are just a ten minute drive from home and even better, the sun showed up!!!   It was so nice to feel some warmth and sunshine - everyone was almost giddy after a six month stretch of more rain than we ever want to experience again - heck we were close to having Noah's ark appear LOL!

Have a fabulous week and thanks for popping by today :)



 
  

What's In It?

Stamps:  Beautiful Things (Verve Stamps)

Paper:  Garden Party (My Little Shoebox), Black, Taken with Teal, Certainly Celery (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:   Black 
Accessories:  Lacy Scalloped Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Martha Steward Butterfly Punch, Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #497 With A Touch of Curtain Call Frosting

This week's Mojo Monday sketch coincided with the second Curtain Call Inspiration challenge so I doubled up on challenges once again as it was a busy Mother's Day weekend.

I loved the colours of grey and coral in the inspiration photo and the touch of wood grain in the background so drew on them for my card.  I stamped a wood grain background in Versamark on the grey, added two coral panels, crimping one for some dimension and texture, stamped and die cut two flowers using Brighter Days and the coordinating Scalloped Flowers  die set as the flower pattern resembled the cupcake frosting designs on the cupcakes.  I opted to use lace for the diagonal strip to "girly" it up a bit, the  sentiment is from Beautiful Things, and added a pop of green with the leaves for some contrast, and a few butterflies to finish things off.

Made this card for my daughter as she finished her freshman year of university, and did exceptionally well, earning herself a $5,600 academic scholarship for next year!!  She also interviewed for and got one of the 12 Collegium Assistant positions on campus.  It has been such a delight watching how she has grown in so many ways, tackled university, learned the ropes and excelled, stretched yourself, matured and "adulted" well :)  She is continuing to blossom and grow into the beautiful, intelligent, gifted and tender hearted woman God created her to be, and I am beyond blessed to be her mom.

All the challenge details are over on the Mojo Monday and Curtain Call blogs where you can view all the wonderful design team samples. 

Have a fabulous day, and I look forward to seeing your creations in the galleries :)



 
   

What's In It?

Stamps:  Brighter Days, Beautiful Things (Verve Stamps)

Paper:  Going Grey, Cameo Coral, Blush Blossom, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery (Stampin' Up) nk 
Ink:   Black 
Accessories:  Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inker), Heart Die (The Cat's Pajamas), Heart Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Sequins, Black and Crystal Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals