Verve Challenges and JustRite week

Hope you had a chance to pop in at the Verve Blog this past weekend to see Julee's newest releases. She's designed three more fabulous sets and two Plain Janes. Not only that, but the diva's have posted some challenges on the Verve blog giving all of you an opportunity to win some Vervaliscious stamps!! All you have to do is participate by midnight tonight. After making your challenge cards, stop by the store, because there's also an awesome sale going on. Check HERE!!

Now about the card...it's VERY simple and is only 4" x 4". I just stamped this fabulously fun and creative wreath from last months released set, O Christmas Tree, with Versamark, and embossed it with gold ep. I then added the sentiment from one of this month's released sets called Celebration of Thanks with Cranberry (Adirondack) ink. The bow is popped up and colored with Tombows, and the circles were cut with Nestabilities. The border was made with an EK Success Border Punch and is blinged up a bit with some Zva Creative Rhinestones, and the shiny dp is by Little Yellow Bicycle.

That's about it. Don't forget to check out the Verve Blog . You don't want to miss this fabulous opportunity to win some free stamps.

Also, this week is JustRite Week at Stamper's Dream with a 30% off sale of all JustRite Christmas Stamps. I will have a project to show you first thing tomorrow, so be sure to stop by. The rest of the Dream Team will be posting projects this whole week too.

Here's the schedule:
Monday: Michelle, Denise, Laurie
Tuesday: Michelle, Amy, Denise, Me
Wednesday: Michelle, Denise, Silke
Thursday: Michelle, Silke, Laurie
Friday: Michelle, Amy, Cammie, Me

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope you had a fantastic weekend!
Happy Stamping my friends!

Stamps: O Christmas Tree, Celebration of Thanks (Verve)
Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle, Neenah, Brushed Silver (SU!)
Ink: Versamark, Cranberry (Adirondack)
Accessories: Circle Nestabilities, Mini rhinestones (Zva Creative, Border Punch (EK Success), Glossy Accents, (Ranger), Gold ep, Tombows

Verve Blog Hop

It’s new release time at Verve and we’re topping off our Thankful Hearts Blog Party with a blog hop featuring three new sets that just released, all focused on thankfulness. If you’ve been hopping and arrived from Michelle’s blog , then you’re right where you should be. If you’ve just happened by, then you’ll want to hop on over to Poetic Artistry to start from the beginning! And to make this hop even sweeter, we’ve got a special treat hidden along the way for one lucky commenter. So if you see something that makes you smile, be sure to give a little shout-out in the comments for a chance to win our entire release!

Today, I made a Thank You Card Gift Set using Heartfelt Thanks, Heartfelt Accents, and Celebration of Thanks. They're all itty-bitty. The cards are only 2 1/2" x 3 1/2". How sweet is that?

Here's a look at the whole set: Each card has a different sentiment.


Here's a view of the itty-bitty cards in their box:




Here's one of the cards with a matching envelope:


Here's a look at the box:


The flower:


And finally, a side view of the box:


Thanks for hopping by! Next up on the hop is… Jackie.


Have fun!!




Stamps: Thankful Hearts, Thankful Accents, Celebration of Thanks (Verve)
Paper: Neenah, Blush Red Dark (Prismatics)
Ink: Cranberry (Adirondack), Black Onyx (Versafine)
Accessories: Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Rhinestones (Zva Creative), Piercing Tool, Dimensional Tape (Scotch)

Challenge Party at Verve!

Hello everyone!! I so hope all my American friends had a fabulous Thanksgiving yesterday. I had an absolute wonderful day with my two kids and husband. Good food and lots of games. My son's home from college for a few days, so we plan on squeezing as much fun in as we can.

Right now, though, there's a whole lot of fun going on over at the Verve Blog today. You'll definitely want to check it out!! Each hour a new challenge will be posted with a new set reveal providing an opportunity to win some fabulous prizes. And at 9:00 Eastern time tonight, we'll we'll end the day with a blog hop with all the divas. So, head on over to the Verve Blog to see how you can play along!


Laurie and I provided a sketch challenge for this hour. As always, sketches are open to your own interpretation. They're meant to inspire. I added a circle to the top of mine using the new sets Heartfelt Thanks and Heartfelt Accents. The Circle frame is embossed with Vanilla Cream (CHF), and the heart with gold ep. I added some Kaisercraft Rhinesones, embossed with rectangle panel with a SU! embossing folder, and punched the corners with a Fiskars Corner punch. The side border is Martha Stewart.

Now, head on over to the Verve blog and join in on the fun!
Don't forget to come to our blog hop tonight at 9:00 pm Eastern Time. The divas have outdone themselves this month!!
Thanks for stopping by!!




Stamps: Thankful Hearts, Thankful Accents (Verve)
Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle, Neenah, Brushed Silver (SU!)
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Circle Nestabilites, Rhinestones (Kaisercraft), Corner Punch (EK Success), Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Embossing folder (Cuttlebug), Vanilla Cream Scented ep (Cornish Heritage Farms), Gold ep (SU!)

Urban Tapestry

I was so excited when Michelle (Stamper's Dream) decided to carry some of Tim Holtz's images from his Stamper's Anonymous line. I LOVE these images, and they're so easy to work with. The Urban Tapestry set that I used has 5 images, and I used each one on this card with a different Brilliance Pearlescent Dew Drop Color. They have a subtle sparkle, which added to the rustic Kraft and Blush Red Dark Prismatics, gives this card a country elegance. Well, at least I think it does.

After stamping my main panel, I ink distressed the edges with Cranberry Adirondack Dye Ink, Brushed Corduroy and Walnut Stain (Ranger Distress), added the Martha Stewart punched border as a fence, and the Fiskars border along the bottom.

Here are the Brilliance Pearlescent Dew Drop colors I used for the bird scene:
Bird: Crimson
Flowers: Poppy
Create Script: Beige
Speckle: Rust
Corner: Olive

Now, it just so happens that I was talking to Laurie today, and she was working with this same stamping line: Stamper's Anonymous (Tim Holtz). But she was using a different set. To see what she did with these wonderful images, stop by her blog Just Give Me Stamps.

Thanks for dropping in today.
I hope all my American friends have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow.
I'll have some more projects to share with you on Friday.
Happy Stamping!


Supplies:
Stamps: Urban Tapestry (Tim Holtz Stamper's Anonymous)
Paper: Kraft, Blush Red Dark (Prismatics), Neenah
Ink: Cranberry (Adirondack), Brushed Corduroy and Walnut Stain (Ranger Distress), Crimson, Poppy, Beige, Rust, Olive (Brilliance Pearlescent Dew Drops)
Accessories: Border Punches (Martha Stewart and Fiskars), Ribbon (Offray), Buttons (Bag-o-Buttons - Foof-a-la), Copper sewing thread, Ivory embroidery thread, Silver cord

Christmas Kisses

There's a project parade going on over at the Verve Blog, and today is my day to share a project under $10. This one totaled $6.67.

eta: I've been asked about the Petal Pot. It's made of Blank Board, and you can find it at Emma's Paperie HERE.

I wanted to try something a little different and use black as my base and make it clean and simple. I rarely use black or go the CAS route. But I like how this turned out. I used the sentiments "Merry Christmas" and "from our house to yours" from the Verve set Oh Christmas Tree. And the flake from the set Frosty Flakes was stamped with White Craft ink onto black cardstock. The cardstock is all Papertrey. For the finishing touches, I embossed the card and petal pot panels, and added some rhinestones and decorative borders with punches.

Here's a close up of the Petal Pot:
Here's a close up of the card:

So, now it's your turn! We'd love for you to play along with us and show us your homemade goodies for the upcoming giving season! Verve stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em, why not use 'em? You could even win a $30 gift certificate to the Verve Store. So, head on over to the Verve blog to see how you could win.

Thank you so much for dropping by!!
I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
Happy Stamping!

You can't catch me!!!

I think gingerbread men are just super adorable, and I have a SIL who collects them. So when I saw Claire's sweet Gingerbread sets, I knew I had to own them!! The set I used is called Half Baked Gingerbread Joy (Waltzingmouse Stamps), and it's like playing paperdolls stamper style. You can dress these guys in different outfits, and even make gingerbread girls. So, so cute!! Since my SIL has four boys, I made 4 little magnets too, dressing each a different way. But I'll get to that in a bit.

It's the 20th, and that means it's time for another DD/DDA Challenge over on Splitcoaststampers. Here are the requirements set up by sweety, Kim Teasdale:

The Challenge: Create a project for any holiday of your choice - even obscure ones

Required Element: Your ornament must hang from something or have a loop of ribbon so that it can hang (ie: from a christmas tree, door, etc)

Restricted Element: None

Keyword: DCHOHO1109 (Dirty Challenge Hanging Out the Holidays with Ornaments 11 09...with a slight Christmas infusion! lol - HOHO...get it? )

I made my ornament with largest Spellbinders' Labels 6 Nestabilities die. There are 3 of them just folded in half and attached together with that darling little gingerbread guy in the center. I glued two of him back to back, so the ornament looks the same when it spins. I used the image that looks like a sheet portion to the bed for a banner at the top, and added the year by hand. Check out the ornaments Claire made with the Season of Love tags!! How CUTE!! That's where I got the idea to fold the Labels 6 shape.

I stamped this little guy with Brushed Corduroy (Ranger Distress) onto Kraft cs (Prism). His vest was stamped with Cranberry (Adirondack Dye Ink), and the rest of the pieces were stamped with Walnut Stain (Ranger Distress). I then colored in the ric-rac with my White gel Souffle pen. The button is PTI, and he's hanging with Ivory Burlap String.

Click HERE to see this months DD/DDA gallery of ornaments. We'd love it if you added some of your stamped ornaments. Remember to include the keyword: DCHOHO1109
so we can find it.

Now for the magnets:
Aren't these little guys fun?!?!? They're stamped the same as my ornament guy, but I added Glossy Accents to them. Honestly, if I had time to do them all over, I would just add a coat of Clear embossing powder to them instead. I knew better too. The glossy accents made the color run a bit. But I do like the sturdiness of them. I cut each of them out and adhered them to some balsa wood. It cuts like butter and gives the shape support. I got the thinnest you can get at Michaels. Then I just added some magnets to the back. So easy.

That's it for today.
Thank you so much for stopping by.

Stamps: Half Baked Gingerbread Joy (Waltzingmouse)
Paper: Kraft (Prism), The Paper Loft
Ink: Brushed Corduroy, Walnut Stain, Pine Needles, Aged Mahogany (Ranger Distress), Cranberry (Adirondack Dye Ink)
Accessories: Labels 6 (Spellbinders), Balsa Wood, Natural Burlap String, Magnests, Glossy Accents, White Gel Pen (Souffle), Button (PTI)

Winter Pelican

The ocean is one of my favorite places to visit. And California definitely has different beaches than the East Coast. We have pelicans here, but they never have to worry about snow. LOL I fell in love with this Winter Pelican (Impression Obsession) image when I saw it. I thought the pelican, standing on the posts in his sweet little hat and scarf, was just charming!! He's stamped with Versamark onto watercolor paper, embossed with Detail Black ep, and colored with Tombows. I also stamped the image onto Paper Loft dp with Versamark, and embossed it with Craft White (SU!). I then layered the pelican on top of the dp. The plaid dp is Little Yellow Bicycle, the charm says "By the Sea", and I got it at Michaels. The Ribbon is May Arts and the Buttons, PTI.

I used the Monday Mojo sketch found HERE for my inspiration.

If you click on the photo, you can see the charm better, as well as the sparkles on his sweet little hat.

Thanks for visiting!! Hope you're having a wonderful week!!
Happy Stamping!




Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Pelican (Impression Obsession)
Paper: Twilight Medium and Dark (Prismatics), Paper Loft, Little Yellow Bicycle
Ink: Versamark, Brushed Corduroy
Accessories: Labels 8 Nestabilites, Tombows, Ribbon (May Arts), Charm, Buttons (PTI), Embroidery thread, Glitter

One layer + a border + a flake

This is the final day of Penny Black week at Stamper's Dream, and the Dream Team has shown some fabulous examples of what can be done with these images!! I think these two hedgehogs called Here Comes Christmas are just the cutest ever!! They're stamped with Tuxedo Black (Memento) onto Simply Smooth (Prismatics), colored with copics, and cut out with the Labels 8 Nestabilities (Spellbinders). The Border was made with a Martha Stewart punch, and the Flakes were made with the Spellbinders Create a Flake 1 die. Ultrafine glitter was added to the border, flakes, and snow with a Quickie Glue Pen and an Essential Glue Pad. Lastly, I added a bit more bling with Kaisercraft Rhinestones.

That's it. Pretty easy. Now, check out what Amy and Michelle have to show you.

FYI: Michelle has all the JustRite Stamps priced at 20% off starting today! What a fantastic deal. Also, she has some new product in the store. Check out the new images she's carrying from Tim Holtz's Stamper's Anonymous line. Yummy stuff!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!
Happy Stamping my friends!!

Penny Black Week at Stamper's Dream

It's Penny Black week at Stamper's Dream, and Michelle has a fabulous supply of charming Penny Black images. This whole week, the DT will be sharing projects made with some of the images. I made a card with this cute and chubby snowman called Sweet Snowman (PB). I stamped him with Versamark onto watercolor paper, and embossed him with Detail Black ep. I then colored him with my Tombow markers. I added some Polar White Flower Soft to the stocking cap and snow underneath him, and ink distressed the edges with Frayed Burlap (Ranger Distress Ink). The Martha Stewart Border punched top has Ultrafine Glitter added to it with a Quickie Glue pen, and the adorable little snowballs along the top are called Glitter Domes (Mark Richards). I got them at a fabulous little Scrapbook store in Oakhurst, California called The Cat's Meow. It's a bit of a drive for me, but I went with my dear friend Pat, so the time just flew by. And the cat's there give you the warmest welcome. As did Melissa. She has a fabulous blog HERE.

I got the ribbon from a charming Scrapbook store in Missoula, MT called Memory Lane, and the buttons are PTI. Finally, I used some Ivory Burlap String to tie the buttons to the ribbon.

That sums up my card for today. Be sure to check out what the rest of the design team has to show you. Here's the schedule:

Monday - Denise , Amy , and Michelle

Tuesday - Becca , Michelle, and Me

Wednesday - Laurie , Denise , and Michelle

Thursday - Laurie , Silke , and Michelle

Friday - Amy , and Michelle and Me

Stamps: Sweet Snowman
Paper: Wild Asparagus (MME), Birchtone Medium (Prismatics), Neenah Solar White
Ink: Versamark, Frayed Burlap (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Tombows, Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Buttons (PTI), Glitter Domes (Mark Richards), Glitter, Quickie Glue Pen, Burlap String (May Arts), Polar White (Flower Soft), Ribbon (Miscellaneous), Dimensional Tape (Scotch)

Blog Award

Okay, I normally don't participate in blog awards, mostly because I feel guilty choosing only a certain amount of blogs that inspire me. My google reader is FULL of inspirational blogs. But I've seen this one floating around for awhile and thought I'd give it a go. Cammie gave me this award, and I have to say I'm more than honored because she is amazing as a stamper, and as a kind and generous person. Thanks my friend!!
So, here are the deets:

The rules are to answer these questions in one word, which is harder than you may think!

1. Where is your cell phone? desk

2. Your hair? brown

3. Your mother? loving

4. Your father? intelligent

5. Your favorite food? Pizza

6. Your dream last night? none

7. Your favorite drink? diet coke (two words...sorry!)

8. Your dream/goal? travel

9. What room are you in? stamp

10. Your hobby? stamping

11. Your fear? mingling

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here

13. Where were you last night? home

14. Something that you aren't? patient

15. Muffins? pumpkin

16. Wish list item? Studio

17. Where did you grow up? IL

18. Last thing you did? Blog

19. What are you wearing? sweats

20. Your TV? off

21. Your Pets? 3

22. Friends? treasured

23. Your life? interesting

24. Your mood? calm

25. Missing Someone? mom

26. Vehicle? SUV

27. Something you're not wearing? make-up

28. Your favorite store? Country Clutter

29. Your favorite color? green

30. When was the last time you laughed? yesterday

31. Last time you cried? today

32. Your best friend? All friends treasured (sorry ...couldn't use one word)

33. One place that I go to over and over? Supermarket

34. Facebook? yes

35. Favorite place to eat? Brazilian

Now I'm to nominate 5 blogs that I visit daily and am inspired by:

Gabriela

Laurie

Claire

Julee

Sandee

A Masculine Christmas Card

I wanted to make a Christmas card that wasn't all fancy shmancy so it could go to a guy. Many of you probably have Uncles, brothers, cousins, or guy friends that would appreciate no frou-frous on their card, I'm sure. So I chose to use this gorgeous tree from the Verve set O Christmas Tree. I Rock 'n Rolled it with Espresso and Pesto Adirondack Ink, and added a bit (just a little) of bling with some tiny rhinestones (Zva Creative). The sentiment is from the Verve set Blessed Christmas. All the edges were ink distressed with Tea Dye and Walnut Stain (Ranger Distress). If you click on the picture, the tree shows much better. For some reason it *glows* more here. Don't know why.

Hope you're having a nice weekend!
Happy Stamping my friends!




Stamps: O Christmas Tree and Blessed Christmas
Paper: Tawny Medium, Sage Medium, Suede Brown Dark (Prismatics), Neenah Natural White, My Mind's Eye
Ink: Pesto and Espresso (Adirondack Dye), Tea Dye and Walnut Stain (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Labels 4 and Standard Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Mini Multicolored Rhinestones (Zva Creative), Rhinestones (Kaisercraft), Button, Ribbon (PTI), Brown Burlap Twine (May Arts), Quickie Glue Pen, Ultrafine Transparent Glitter, Dimensional Tape (Scotch)

A Gerbera Birthday Wish

Ever have one of those cards where you keep looking at it and it feels like something is missing? And then.....you finally figure out what it is that it needs, stamp it, and by doing that one little thing, ruin everything? Yep, I knew you'd understand. That's exactly what I did with this card. *sniff*...I was following Splitcoaststampers sketch from Wednesday (SC253), but thought I needed to add a small sentiment on the bottom. Now, when working with clear stamps, sometimes I can be a little bit heavy handed and make the image appear too thick. So I practiced a few times on scratch paper, stamping out the sentiment. When I thought I had just the right pressure, I braved adding it to my already assembled card. *GROAN* Too heavy. Doesn't it just figure!! Guess it just shows that it's handmade and not perfect, eh? *grin*


So on to the deets...I watercolored the smallest Gerbera Daisies image (Flourishes) with my Tombows. The yummy paper is from the new My Mind's Eye line called Life's Stories!! I framed the image with Ovals and Labels 8 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), and added the ends of Fancy Tags (Spellbinders) in order to comply with the sketch. The bg strip is one of the new Martha Stewart Border Punches, and the sentiment is from Rubber Soul's clear set "Tiny Wise Words". Last, but not least, I added a couple of pearls (Kaisercraft) to my hinges.

That sums this card up. Sorry about the boo-boo. Didn't know how to cover that one up, and I didn't want to start over.

Hope you're having a happy stamping day!!




Stamps: Gerbera Daisies (Flourishes), Tiny Wise Words (Rubber Soul)
Paper: Life's Stories (MME), Kraft, Neenah Natural White, Watercolor
Ink: Versamark, Frayed Burlap
Accessories: Oval, Scalloped Oval, Labels 8, Fancy Tags (Spellbinders), Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Pearls (Kaisercraft)

Christmas Sentiment Set

Julee always has such fabulous sentiments included in her Verve releases each month. So I thought I'd make a Christmas Sentiment Set of four using some of her newest releases. The layouts are all the same, so I'll just list the sets I used along with the supplies below. They're each pretty self explanatory:

Christmas In The Air




Blessed Christmas



Star of Wonder

Thanks for visiting today!
Hope you're having a fantastic week!
Happy Stamping my friends!!





Stamps: Christmas In the Air, Blessed Christmas, Star of Wonder
Paper: Webster's Pages Holiday Collection, Tawny Medium (Prismatics), Neenah Solar White
Ink: Black Onyx (Versafine), Brushed Corduroy (Ranger Distress Ink)
Accessories: Labels 8 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Pearls and Rhinestones (Kaisercraft), Dew Drops, Ribbon (SU!, PTI, Miscellaneous), Button (PTI), Flowers and Leaves (Punch Bunch, Spellbinders, SU!, Martha Stewart), Sewing Machine, Natural Burlap String

Make it Merry & Bright

I love this sweet little tree from the Inkadinkado set Pattern Play Holiday. I just stamped it with Black Onyx (Versafine) onto Neenah Solar White and colored it with copics. I added a bit of sparkle with a Quickie Glue Pen, and Ultrafine Transparent Glitter. I then stamped the snowflakes with White Craft Ink (SU!) onto Stormy Light Prismatics for the bg. The sentiment is from the JustRite set A Merry Little Christmas Borders and Centers.

I used Mercy's sketch #46, found HERE, for inspiration.

I have a sneak peek of JustRite Images to share with you...Michelle ~ Stamper's Dream ~ will be getting them in her store Mid November. They're super charming!! LOVE the squares. Yep, I said squares.
They even have come up with some more circle frames and fonts. Here's a peek at the borders.




Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Stamping my friends!!

Stamps: Pattern Play Holiday, A Merry Little Christmas Borders and Centers
Paper: Stormy Light and Dark, Kraft (Prismatics), Neenah Solar White
Ink: Black Onyx (Versafine), Craft White (SU!)
Accessories: Labels 9, Circle and Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Embossing Folder (Sizzix), Copics, Glitter, Corner Punch (Fiskars), Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Ribbon (May Arts), Rhinestones (Zva Creative), Christmas Red Stickles, Candy Dots (Pebbles, Inc.)

Star of Wonder

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of shopping in a fabulous Scrapbook store in Missoula, Montana. It's called Memory Lane, and the owner is a gem!! One of the purchases I made (there were many....LOL) were some stencils (The Crafters Workshop). I thought one would work beautifully with the star from the Star of Wonder set by Verve. I ran it through my cuttlebug and added some glitter to the embossed parts in order to give the appearance of the star shining. The border was made with a Fiskars Circle punch. The rest is pretty self explanatory.

Hope your week is going well!
Happy Stamping my friends!!




Stamps: Star of Wonder
Paper: SEI, Island Mist Medium (Prismatics), Neenah Solar White
Ink: Smokey Gray (Versafine)
Accessories: Stencil (Peony - The Crafters Workshop), Circle Border Punch (Fiskars), Button and Ribbon (PTI), Rhinestones (Zva Creative), Border Punch (EK Success), Glitter, Silver cord, Dimensional Tape (Scotch)

Let Heaven and Nature Sing!!

Okay, I'm going to get right to this card because I'm so excited!! Isn't this Websters paper divine? (It's on back order right now, but I'll let ya know when Michelle gets it in her Stamper's Dream store again.) And if you're a regular blog follower of mine, you know I love using JustRite images also. So to combine these too was just too fun for me. Not only that......this card took me less than an hour to make. I know!! Isn't that super fabulous!?!?!?!? I just let the dp, tools and image do the talkin'!! *grin* Seriously, all I did was stamp the image onto watercolor paper, and watercolored it with my Tombows and an aqua pen. Quick as can be. The circles and Scallops were cut and embossed with my Circle Nestabilities and Cuttlebug, and the border is a new Martha Stewart punch. I added some rhinestones (Creative Imaginations), some ribbon (not sure who made this, it was in my stash), and sewed around the edges of the back panel. Okay...I did cut out some watercolored holly to add to the red circle bacground, and popped up the the birdhouse from the Christmas Treasures Borders and Centers set (JustRite), but that's it.

Have a wonderfully fantabulous week!!!
Happy Stamping my friends!!