Mojo Monday #283

It 's the first Monday of the month so that means it's contest week over on the Mojo Monday blog! 

This week's sketch is brought to us by Carole and it was a great one to work with.  I know I say that just about every week, but it's true!  Love Mojo Monday sketches :)

I knew I wanted to use this sentiment from Surely Goodness as it has been calling my name (loudly) since I first got the set.  Needless to say, the fabulous hymn it is taken from has been my companion all day :)

Vaguely remembering a bit of the story behind why the hymn was written, I decided it was time to get the facts and this is what I discovered:  The hymn was written from a place of deep, deep loss.  Horatio Spafford lost his only son to Scarlett fever, then shortly thereafter, the real estate investments he had burned to the ground in the great Chicago fire wiping out his finances.  With all the stress of the past year, the family decided to take a vacation to Europe.  At the last minute, Spafford was detained by some business so he sent his wife and four daughters ahead and was to follow a few days later.  The ship his wife and daughters sailed on collided with another ship at sea, and all four of his daughters drowned.  Only his wife was spared.  Upon receiving the news from his wife, he immediately boarded a ship to Europe to go and get her.  While on the ship, he asked the captain to tell him when they were sailing past the area where the ship carrying his family went down.  When the captain advised him they were near the location, he went to his cabin and penned this amazing hymn.  Here is a You Tube link to the hymn if you want to give it a listen.  Sorry for the tangent, but just had to share that bit of info as it brings great depth to the hymn and this sentiment :)


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 their 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

Stephanie Kraft

Wanda Cullen

Thanks for sharing a bit of your day with me :) 



What's In It?
Stamps:   Surely Goodness (Verve), French Script (Stampin' Up)
Paper:  Garden Floral (Recollections - Michael's), Kraft, Cameo Coral, Early Espresso  (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Scalloped Nesties, Scalloped Trim Trio and Flutterby  (A Cut Above by Verve), 5/8" Brown Satin Ribbon, Crimper (Fiskars), Button, Bling, Twine, Dimensioanls

Just Us Girls #178 - Sketch Challenge

This week's Just Us Girls challenge is a sketch is brought to us by Lisa, and it is a great sketch to work with.

I combined the sketch with this week's Play Date Cafe colours as I just loooove that colour combination!

Happy mail arrive the other day and I was beyond giddy to finally own this PTI flower die and stamp set.  I have seen my blogging buddy and fellow Diva Maureen work wonders with it for the past few years and I finally caved in and got it.  Can you say love!!  Oh my...you may be seeing it a lot over the next little while.  What a fun, fun flower!!

The rest of the  JUGS team has some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so just hop 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 selected as Chic of the Week.  

Have a fabulous weekend, and I'll be back on Monday with my Mojo Monday card! 



What's In It? 
Stamps: Frilly Flowers (PTI), French Script (Stampin' Up), Beautiful You (Verve) 
Paper: Kraft, White 
Ink: Sage Shadow, Cameo Coral, Blush Blossom, Sahara Sand (Stampin' Up) 
Accessories: Frilly Flower Die (PTI), Bling, Button, Twine, Dimensionals

MFT Thanks

Love this week's MFT sketch. So many options for that big circle :)

I combined it with this week's Colour Throwdown as the colours screamed spring to me and spring means flower and butterflies to me so it was a perfect excuse to use Verve's new Surely Goodness and So Fluttery sets.

A nice, easy card that you can whip up and simply switch out the sentiment, depending on the occasion you need it for.

Thanks for popping by today, and I'll be back tomorrow with this week's Just Us Girls challenge.

Have a fabulous day and yeah for the weekend!!



What's In It?
Stamps: So Fluttery, Surely Goodness and Bloom and Grow (Verve) 
Paper: Kraft, Certainly Celery So Saffron (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Black, VersaMark, Rose Romance 
Accessories: Goodness Flower Die, Flutterby Die and Dreamy Leaves Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Lacy Circle and Circlel Nesties, Swiss Dots and Seeing Spots Embossing Folders, Button, Twine, Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Loved

This week's Verve sketch is brought to us by Janelle and it is a CAS sketch that I kind of gussied up a bit.

I am still smitten by the fabulous script and sentiments in Verve's new So Fluttery set so I paired it with a new embossing folder I picked up last weekend at one of my local scrapbooking stores.  Just love the X's and O's and just wish I had had it before Valentine's Day.  Oh well, at least I'll have it for next year's Valentine's Day :)  I used it on the brown banners, but it is a bit hard to see in the picture.  Lots of other Verve goodness making an appearance here too.

Still time to get all four of the February Verve sketches done and uploaded on to the Verve Forum over at SCS!   The prize is a doozie - a $100 gift certificate to Verve!  Good luck to all of you who are entering :)

Thanks for popping by today.

 

What's In It?
Stamps: So Fluttery and Love Notes (Verve) 
Paper: Pink Small Dots (Making Memories), Kraft, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:Black, Sahara Sand (Stampin' Up) 
Accessories:  Wavy Hearts, Classy Label and Banner Bundle Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Medium Scallop Border (PTI), Hugs and Kisses Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), 5/8" White Satin Ribbon, Distressing Tool (Stampin' Up), Crimper,  Button, White Half Pearls, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #282

It's round or square week over on the Mojo Monday blog and as usual, I tackled the round card sketch.

I fell in love with the Shining Star set from the new Verve release and just had to use it again.   With the sentiment panel being quite small,  I inked just a portion of a sentiment to get "shine" as it perfectly in the circle I was using.  The Starry Die provided the yellow star arrangement.

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 their 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

Stephanie Kraft

Wanda Cullen

Have a fabulous day, and if you've never made a round card before, I double dog dare you to make one wink, wink :)  Thanks for dropping by!



What's In It?
Stamps: Shining Star (Verve) 
Paper:  Going Grey, So Saffron, Designer Series Paper (Stampin' Up) 
Ink: Black
Accessories: Lacy Circle and Circle Nesties, Starry Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Provo Craft),  Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Just Us Girls #177 - Inspiration Picture (and a Verev Love Fest)

Today's inspiration challenge is brought to us by Tangii and she has provided this wonderful picture for us to work from. 

I loooove aqua/turquoise and brown together!  Added bonus:  they are Verve's signature colours -- and you all know how partial I am to Verve wink, wink.  That being said,  I'm also playing along with Verve's Love Fest challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers.  The challenge is to create a card using Verve's signature colours of brown and aqua plus either pink or yellow.  I chose to add yellow (and I snuck a little kraft in there too because it's a neutral in my books wink, wink).  You can find all the challenge details here (psssst, there is a prize too!).  If you don't have time to make a card, here is another fun way to be entered for an opportunity to win a gift certificates to Verve Stamps.

Now that Valentine's Day is over, it's back to flowers and butterflies.  I actually hand stitched the sides of the ribbon together so it would stay folded because I have had some ribbons totally unfold on me after being on a card for a day or so.  Not this time!  It's stitched and glued down but good LOL!  Marisa 1 - Ribbon 0 {grin}.

The rest of the  JUGS team has some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so just hop 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 selected as Chic of the Week.  

Have a fabulous weekend, and I'll be back on Monday with my Mojo Monday card!   

 





 










What's In It?
Stamps: Bloom and Grow (Verve), French Script (Stampin' Up) 
Paper:  Kraft, So Saffron, Early Espresso, Tempting Turquoise (Stampin' Up)  
Ink: So Saffron, VersaMark 
Accessories:  Labels 8 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Flutterby, Scalloped Flowers and Elegant Leaves Dies (A Cut Above from Verve), Seeing Spots Embossing Folder, 1" Striped Ribbon (Michael's Ribbon Bin), Buttons, Twine, Brown Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Verve Release Day!!

Welcome to our final day of the Verve Sneak Peek Spotlight Hop!  Haven't the Divas provided some amazing creations!!  It always gives me such joy to see how one stamp set can be expressed in so many ways, reflecting so many styles and personalities.  One of the reasons I love this hobby...ahem...addiction LOL!

Today, my post will showcase a few more sneak peeks of the sets that are being released today over at  the Verve Store.  My first card is a sneak peek from the Shining Star set.

This sentiment immediately touched my heart as I have lived it over the past few years. Thus, it became the focus of my card.  The navy polka dotted paper reminded me of the way we see stars in the  sky, then I stamped a starry background, and finally added star border along the bottom using the Scalloped Trim Trio border die.  The Starry Die, which has a variety of star sizes, provided the sprinkling of stars around the sentiment.

My second card showcases Calendar Countdown and Remember This along with the  matching dies.   They are dynamite stamps for scrapbookers and Project Life lovers!  Since I do neither (at least not yet), I wanted to showcase their flexibility by using them on a card.

Being that many of my friends are turning the big 5-0 this year, I thought I would get a jump on some starting with this masculine, 50th birthday card.  I have never participated in the "black theme" associated with 50th birthdays as I don't think it is a somber occasion at all, but rather a time to walk into a new decade armed with lots of experience -- said by one who is living it LOL!   However, there is a friend who loves a good joke so this card will be for him.

I used the two banner images and their coordinating dies as my focal point as well as three other die sets featured in this release: the Scalloped Trim Trio (which created the fun star border along the bottom), the Starry Die for the smaller stars in the "50" banner and the matching Banner Bundle Die Set for the banners.  A little faux stitching to "attach" the banners, and I just couldn't resist the double "hello" greeting ringing in 50 years :)

My last card showcases Surely Goodness once again as I just love the font, sentiments and of course the flowers!  Matched the flowers with three dies from previous releases -- Sweet Scallop Die, Flutterby and Dreamy Leaves.  Couldn't resist using some more of that Spring Fling seam binding either!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win the WHOLE release!  So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.  

1. Amber	7. Julee
2. Andrea	8. Laurie S.
3. Charmaine	9. Laurie W.
4. Christyne	10. Marisa
5. Janelle	11. Maureen
6. Jen S.	12. Teresa

Hope you have enjoyed seeing all the sneak peeks this week!  I sure enjoyed creating them :)   Sets and dies are now available for purchase over at the Verve Store.  Happy shopping!

Shining Star
Stamps: Shining Star (Verve Stamps), Background Basics (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Night of Navy and Bashful Blue DSP, Going Grey, So Saffron (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Black, Going Grey
Accessories:  Lacy Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Scalloped Trim and Starry Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Yellow and White Twine, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Calendar Countdown and Remember This 
Stamps: Calendar Countdown and Remember This (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Costco DP Pack, Black
Ink: Black, Silver
Accessories: Banner Die Set, Star and Star Border Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Crimper, White Gel Pen, Dimensionals

Surely Goodness
Stamps:  Surely Goodness (Verve Stamps), Itty Bitty Backgrounds and French Script (Stampin' Up)
Paper:  Kraft, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, DSP (Stampin' Up), Spring Fling (Echo Park)
Ink:  Black, VersaMark
Accessories:  Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Sweet Scallop, Flutterby and Dreamy Leaves Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Crimper, Spring Fling Seam Binding (Verve), Crimper (Fiskars), Buttons, Twine, Brown Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Verve Sneak Peek Spotlight Hop ~ Day 3

Welcome to Day 3 of Verve's Sneak Peek Spotlight Hop.  Today's hop is showcasing Surely Goodness and Mercy and the Happy Anniversary Plain Jane.

My first card showcases the Happy Anniversary Plain Jane.  I love making white on white cards, especially for weddings, so this card was great fun to create.  Rolled roses is also a bit of an addiction, and I used them along with the Dreamy Leaves die to frame the sentiment.  Sorry about the picture quality...having some issues photographing white cards, but working on perfecting it :)

My second card showcases the Surely Goodness and Mercy Set.  The large flower and matching die were calling my name -- loudly (they can be quite demanding at times LOL), so I decided I had better make a card using them.  Since I am not much of a colourer, I decided to just stamp the flower image and go bold and dramatic with the colour combo.  Topped the card with the heart die from the Scalloped Trim Trio set and the little thanks tab is an elongated version using one of the dies from the Flag It die set.


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 all the prize details and deadlines.  

1. Amber	7. Julee
2. Andrea	8. Laurie S.
3. Charmaine	9. Laurie W.
4. Christyne	10. Marisa
5. Janelle	11. Maureen
6. Jen S.	12. Teresa

Thanks for joining us today!  Come back tomorrow to see the final day of sneak peeks and then get ready to do some shopping as all the spotlighted sets will be available for purchase at the Verve store!

Happy Anniversary Plain Jane 
Stamps: Happy Anniversary Plain Jane (Verve Stamps)
Paper: White
Ink: Silver
Accessories: Lacy Circle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Provo Crafts), Dreamy Leaves Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Rolled Rose Die (My Favorite Things), 5/8" White Satin Ribbon, White Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals


Surely Goodness
Stamps: Surely Goodness and Mercy (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  White, Black, Turquoise
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Goodness Flowers Die Set and Flag It Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Edger Die (Papertrey Ink), 5/8" Turquoise Satin Ribbon (Michael's), Turquoise Half Pearl,  Dimensionals

Verve Sneak Peek Spotlight Hop ~ Day 2

Welcome to Day Two of our February 2013 Spotlight Hops!  Today we're taking some sneak peeks at So Fluttery, Shining Star and the Plain Jane Beautiful.   In addition, I'm sure a few of the coordinating dies are also going to be making an appearance.  Best part is, everything you see previewed along today's hop will be available in Verve's online store on Friday, February 22.

In honor of Jen Shults becoming a part of the Verve Release Team, I thought I would use her fabulous round card sketch to showcase the Beautiful Plain Jane.  I just love this sentiment!  It's just perfect for sending to a friend to encourage them or to remind them to quit comparing themselves to others and to believe in themselves -- a message we all need to hear now an then :)

My second card showcases So Fluttery.  I was so happy to see another butterfly set by Julee - you know me and butterflies!  Even better, the Flutterby Die (one of my all time favorite Verve dies) can be used for the butterflies!

The sentiments and font in this set just makes me happy!  I decided to use a list of them on a banner showcasing how I feel about my daughter (this card will be for her).  She's going through a bit of a rough spell, so I wanted to encourage her.  I topped the banner from the Banner Bundle Set with one of the dies from the new Flag It die set which has all kinds of fun toppers and banner shapes which you can mix and match.  The olive seam binding is one of the colours in the new Spring Fling seam binding collection.  Needless to say, this card was a lot of fun to make :)

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 all the prize details and deadlines.

1. Amber	7. Julee
2. Andrea	8. Laurie W.
3. Charmaine	9. Marisa
4. Christyne	10. Maureen
5. Janelle	11. Teresa
6. Jen S.

Enjoy the sneak peeks and come back tomorrow for Day 3!

           



Beautiful Plain Jane
Stamps:  Blessed (Verve Plain Jane) 
Paper:  Sage Shadow, Black, Real Red 
Ink: Black 
Accessories: Scalloped Circle, Circle and Labels 14 (Spellbinders), Rolled Rose Die (My Favorite Things), Leaf Punch (Martha Stewart), Glue Dots, Dimensionals


So Fluttery
Stamps: So Fluttery, Dream Big (Verve Stamps) 
Paper: Classic K McKenna (K & Company), Kraft, Early Espresso and Old Olive (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen 
Ink: Black, Real Red, VersaMark 
Accessories:  Lacy Circle Nesties (Spellbinders), Banner Bundle Die Set, Flag it Die Set, Flutterby Die and Dreamy Leaves Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Spring Fling Seam Binding (Verve), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Black Half Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Verve Sneak Peek Spotlight Hop ~ Day 1

Welcome to the first day of our February 2013 Spotlight Hops!  Today we're shining our Verve spotlights on the new stamps Remember This, Calendar Countdown and Smile Plain Jane.  Each of the release team Divas below (including 4 brand new talented designers -- waving madly) has posted her first look at these new stamps today.  As you hop through the list below, you just might see some sneak peeks of new coordinating dies, so keep your eyes peeled!  Everything you see previewed along today's hop will be available in Verve's online store on Friday, February 22.

Today, I am showcasing the Smile Plain Jane and giving you a sneak peek from Calendar Countdown.    First up, my card for the Smile Plain Jane.
 

Just love the big, bold font and that fun YOU banner down the side.  I had a few ideas mulling around in my mind which caused me to performed my very first "surgery" on an acrylic stamp (eeeek!).  I cut off the "you banner" so I didn't have to hassle with inking issues.  As it turned out, my ideas didn't pan out the way I wanted them to...  But, no problem :)   I just stuck it back together and stamped away (gotta love acrylic stamps!).  My card also showcases some fabulous raspberry coloured seam binding which is part of the new Spring Fling seam binding package.  I haven't worked with much seam binding, but after using this one, I'm hooked!  It has a bit of weight to it, but not too much, and ties like a charm!

My second card features the Calendar Countdown set.

Since we have a load of September birthdays in the family, I decided to get a jump start on making a few.  I used one of the larger banner dies from the Banner Bundle Die Set, added the date and a little faux stitching.  A rolled rose and a rounded corner finished things off nicely.  Though I am far from a pro when it comes to CAS cards, I am quite happy with the outcome and I think the recipient I have in mind will like it too :)

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 all the prize details and deadlines.  Woohoo!  Time to get started.

1. Amber	7. Julee
2. Andrea	8. Laurie S.
3. Charmaine	9. Laurie W.
4. Christyne	10. Marisa
5. Janelle	11. Maureen
6. Jen S.	12. Teresa

Thanks for joining us today, and hope you'll come back tomorrow for Day 2!




 
           


Smile Plain Jane
Stamps: Smile Plain Jane (Verve Stamps) 
Paper: Lime Twist (My Mind's Eye), Early Espresso (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen 
Ink: Black 
Accessories:  Lacy Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Flutterby Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Heart Punch (Marvy), Distressing Tool (Stampin' Up), Raspberry Seam Binding (Verve - Spring Fling Set), Button, Half Pearls, Bling, Button, Twine, Dimensionals
 
Calendar Countdown
Stamps: Calendar Countdown (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Bordering Blue, Sage Shadow
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Banner Bundle Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Leaf Punch (Martha Stewart), Rolled Rose Die (My Favorite Things), Corner Rounder, Dimensionals