March Verve Spotlight Hop

Hi Verve fans! Are you ready to see some new Verve? We're counting down to our Friday, March 25 release with three days of Spotlight Hops! This release is all about spring whimsy, lucky ducks and hip chicks and we're starting things off with a look at our brand new mini set and plain jane. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck... well, then, it's probably a Lucky Ducky, which is today's featured set! All the new stamps and dies you see over the next three days will be available following our ReLeAsE pArTy this Friday night from 9-11pm Eastern.

Now, let me show you my card.

I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch, and sweet and talented diva Jackie was the inspiration behind the tag. She made the cutest little tags with the set To the Moon. So, I thought I'd use the duck from the new set Lucky Ducky in a similar way. It's a sweet set with 2 little ducks with 3 fun sentiments to match. I colored the duck bill with Copics and added some Polar White Flower soft to him to give him that fluffy look. I also used the Sweet Scallop Tag Die (Verve), along with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Boy MME paper, PTI buttons and Ribbon, and some liquid pearls. That about sums is up for me.

Now here's the list of spotlight hoppers:

1. Charmaine	7. Teresa
2. Janelle	8. Amber
3. Laurie	9. Tosh
4. Jackie	10. Amy
5. Sankari	11. Andrea
6. Julee	12. Maureen

And hopping along with us this month is our March Guest Diva, Janelle Stollfus! Her gorgeous entry in our February 2011 Get Your Diva On challenge won her a spot as this month's Guest Diva, and I'm so excited for you to see what she's come up with for this release! You're definitely not going to want to miss a thing!

Oh, and did I mention there's a prize??? We love to celebrate here at Verve, so we've hidden a prize along the hop today! One lucky commenter on one of the Diva Hop Spots below will receive today's featured stamps, (Lucky Ducky and the Hope Perches Plain Jane) plus the Charming Oval Die Set we'll be previewing tomorrow! Deadline for commenting is 6PM Mountain on Friday, March 25. Winners will be announced during our ReLeAsE pArTy that night!

Hope to see you Friday night!!
Happy Stamping my friends!!
Tosh

JustRite Blog Hop with Stamper's Dream

There's a JustRite blog hop going on, and the Stamper's Dream team is joining in. Along the hop, there are 3 great blog candy prizes hidden. For your chance to win, simply leave a comment on each blog. Blog comments will remain open until 8 pm CST, Tuesday March 22nd. The 3 winners will be announced on the Stamper's Dream Blog and the JustRite Blog on March 23rd. Prizes: 4 JustRite Stamp sets of your choice, a $50 Prize package from Stamper's Dream, or a $50 Shopping spree to the JustRite Webstore. (I've included the hop list at the bottom of my post.)


For my card, I colored one of the new images from the Vintage Oval Labels JustRite set with Copics, popped up the two center panels, and added some sparkle with glitter and Zva Creative Rhinestones. The sentiment is from the Happy Everything Tag Making Kit. Lastly, I added some loopy ribbon, Prima flowers, crytstal gems from Wild Orchid Crafts, and a Martha Stewart Punched border along the side. Oh, and the dp is all Timeless by Teresa Collins.

Here's the yummy blog candy offered by Stamper's Dream!!

That's it for my project today. Now check out what the other gals have created today.

JustRite Inspiration Blog
Becca Feeken
Michelle Rodgers
Debbie Olson
Amy Sheffer
Kazan Clark
Cindy Lawrence
Heidi Blankenship
Kellie Fortin
Tosh Leyendekker <~~you are here
Barb Schram
Arlene Cuevas
Michele Kovack
Teresa Kline
Kathy Jones
Mariana Grigsby
Sankari Wegman
Christina Fischer
Angela Barkhouse
Lea Lawson
Eva Dobilas
Kim Teasdale

Loopy Flower Tutorial

For Sarah's Celebration blog Hop, scroll down, or click HERE.

I've had some requests for a tutorial on how to make the flower found HERE. It's really easy, and only involves a few steps. However, sewing is involved.

I started with a 1 1/2" circle and 3 strips of felt: width: 2", 1 1/2", and 1" (the length is up to you depending on how large a flower you want to make. The top two are about 9", but you won't use the whole length of each.

Fold them all in half and sew as close to the edge as you can.

Cut 1/4" or 1/8" strips along the whole length. Don't go past the stitches though.

Glue along the outside edge of the circle, cut off excess, and attach the excess on the inside again forming two layers of loops. (I use hot glue.)

Continue by attaching the next size strip, and then the smallest size in the center.

Glue an embellishment to the center. This time I used a Pearl.

It's quite easy and can be made in a very short amount of time. I used felt from Prairie Point Junction, and the pearl is from Prima.

Hope this was clear enough. If you make some of these, send me the links. I'd love to see your creations.

Happy stamping!!
Tosh

Celebration Blog Hop for Sarah!

Sarah Bigelow is celebrating her Birthday and Blog Anniversary with a blog hop and I have the honor of joining along. She's provided a fabulous sketch for us all to use and I've listed the blog links below. We'd love to have you join us by making a card using her sketch and linking it to her blog by April 2. There are Verve prizes to be won!! You can head on over to Sarah's Creations for all the specific details.



For my card, I used a sentiment from the Verve set Big Wish, with some Glitz Paper Love Games as the backdrop. I also made my own flower out of felt. Here's a little bit closer look of the flower. If you click on the photo, you can see it better.

Stamps: Big Wish
Paper: Vintage Cream and Black (PTI), Love Games (Glitz)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Black Soot (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Oval Nestabilities and Fancy Tags (Spellbinders), Rhinestones (Prima and Iroc), Felt (Prairie Point Junction), Rhinestone Brad (JoAnn), Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Ivory Satin Ribbon (PTI)

I've kept this short so you can visit the other blogs on the hop. You won't want to miss their inspirational creations!

Sarah
Teresa
Wanda
Debbie
Tosha ~ you are here
Stephanie
Julee
Betty
Marisa
Andrea
Lynda
Charmaine
Keva
Amy

Happy Stamping!!
Tosh

Dream Big Viva la Verve

Jackie is hosting the Viva la Verve challenge over in the Verve Forum this week and has provided this fun sketch.


I stamped the flower, from the Verve set Dream Big, with Perfect Plumeria and Spanish Olive VersaMagic, and the sentiment with Onyx Black Versafine. The Patterned Paper is from Echo Park's Line Springtime. I also added some lace from Kaisercraft, some Rhinestones by Zva Creative, a button from PTI, and a bit of sparkle to the flower with a Quickie Glue Pen and some Ultrafine glitter.

Lastly, I punched the border with an EK Success Border punch, and scored some lines with my Scor-Buddy.

That's it from me today. Be sure to check out the Verve Forum to see some examples by the divas. And we'd love to see how this sketch inspires you.

Thanks so much for stopping.
Have a super weekend!
Tosh

Stamps: Dream Big
Paper: White (PTI), Springtime (Echo Park)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Perfect Plumeria, Spanish Olive (VersaMagic)
Accessories: Corner Rounder, Corner Tag Punch (SU!), Lace (Kaisercraft), Rhinestones (Zva Creative), Border Punch (EK Success), Baker's Twine (Twinery), Scor-Buddy

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I have a CCEE challenge card to share with you today, and since it's St. Patrick's Day, we've been challenged to include green on a critter or person. Well, I chose to make my critter a green butterfly that I made with a Martha Stewart punch.

I used this week's Mojo 182 sketch as my inspiration. The sentiment is a Plain Jane verse Psalm 3:3 by Verve, and the flower was made with the Spellbinders Sunflower Set.

Here's a close up of the butterfly and flower.

I have another card to share with you today also. You see, it's my husband's 50th birthday today, so of course I had to make him a special card. Everything on this card came from the Echo Park kit "For the Record". Notice the green celebrate and button? It is St. Patrick's Day after all. :)

Stamps: Psalm 3:3 (Verve)
Paper: Vintage Cream (PTI), Stella Rose Mabel (MME)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Black Soot, Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Sunflower Set (Spellbinders), Quickie Glue Pen, Glitter, Seam Binding Ribbon, Button (PTI), Rhinestones (Kaisercraft)

Stamps: None
Paper: Black and White (PTI), For the Record (Echo Park)
Ink: None
Accessories: Echo Park Stickers, Black Burlap String (May Arts), Button (PTI)

That's it for today ya'll!! Thanks for dropping by. Be sure to stop by the CCEE Stamper's Blog to see their green critters!!

Happy Stamping!!
Tosh

Get Your Diva On for March!

Last month Charmaine kicked off a new Verve challenge in the Verve Forum. It's called "Get Your Diva On. Each month one of the divas will host a week long challenge of their choice. And there's a super prize too. So click HERE to read about all the details.

I decided to do a color challenge. Since we're all looking forward to Spring's arrival, and the disappearance of all the bare trees, and dead grass, I thought it would be a good idea to get in touch with nature and go "au naturale". Use all natural colors: brown, gray, black, white, ivory, and just a splash of color...kind of like the flowers poking through, the trees budding, etc.

For my card, I used browns, ivory and a smokey gray with a hint of teal. I used the flower and the leaves from the Verve set Great Friend, and the Plain Jane Verse Psalm 46:1. The leaves were stamped onto the kraft with Pumice Stone Ranger Distress Ink after being stamped off once.

That's it for my card. Now I'd love to see your ideas with these colors. Please stop by the Verve Forum to check out the samples made by some of the divas, and to see how you can participate!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Stamps: Great Friend, Psalm 46:1
Paper: Vintage Cream, Smokey Shadow, kraft (PTI), Melody (Prima)
Ink: Smokey Gray (Versafine), Pumice Stone (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Labels 3 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Ribbon (Maya Road and SU!), Brad (JoAnn), Pearls (Zva Creative)

Butterfly Blog Linky Party

Sweet and talented Eva Dobilas is hosting a Butterfly blog linky party, and everyone is invited to participate. All you have to do is make a project with butterflies on it, and link it on her blog. I love butterflies and spring, so I'm thrilled to join her party.

Here's what I made:

I purchased some fabulous Creatables Dies from Marianne Design and thought this large scalloped circle with flourishes would be a perfect starting point. I used Making Memories' Je t'Adore patterned paper for my base, and framed the Verve sentiment, "A Cheerful friend is like a sunny day spreading brightness all around"~ John Lubcock, from the set Text Objects. I framed it with the Labels 14 Nestabilities die by Spellbinders. Now the whole point of this project is to include butterflies, so I punched out this gorgeous Martha Stewart butterfly and added some glitter with my Quickie Glue pen.

Here's a close up: (click on the photo for a closer look at the sparkle)

All the edges were ink distressed with Antique Linen Ranger distress ink, and I added some Kaisercraft pearls to the border..

That's it for my project. Be sure to stop by Eva's Blog "For the Love of Life", either to join the hop, or to see everyone's butterflies!

Thanks so much for dropping by. I hope you're having a blessed weekend!!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Stamps: Text Objects
Paper: Vintage Cream (PTI), Je t'Adore (Making Memories)
Ink: Smokey Gray (Versafine), Antique Linen (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Creatables die (Marianne Design), Labels 14 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Butterfly and border Punch (Martha Stewart), Pearls (Kaisercraft), Silk Ribbon (May Arts), Flower (Jo-Ann)

Delightful Viva la Verve Sketch

It's Friday!! Woo-Hoo!! The weekend is finally here, and my imac is all better thanks to the apple doc!! I tell ya, the service department at the apple store in Fresno, is "the bomb"!! So kind, so helpful, and oh, so smart!! I even got my daughter set up with a macbook for college. I know...she's spoiled. :)

As for my card for today, well I used the fantastic Viva la Verve March Week 3 sketch by Maureen. I just got some fun new MME Stella Rose "Journal cards", and this sketch was perfect for it! I just added two charming coffee cups from the Verve set Delightful and Delicious, some MFT scallops, a couple of PTI buttons, and some natural burlap string that I colored with the N5 Copic marker to match the papers. The sentiment panel was ink distressed with Pumice Stone and Scattered Straw Ranger Distress Ink. Lastly, I added a couple of Iroc rhinestones a bit of stitching and paper distressing with my Distrezz-it-All. That's it. Fun and easy.

Thanks for dropping by!!
Have a fun, safe weekend!
Hope you get some stamp therapy in. I know it does me some good!!
Happy stampin' ya'll!
Tosh

Stamps: Delightful and Delicious (Verve)
Paper: Vintage Cream (PTI), Stella Rose Hattie (MME)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Pumice Stone and Scattered Straw (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Labels 2 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Copics, Buttons (PTI), Natural Burlap String (May Arts), Iroc Rhinestones, Scallop die (MFT), Distrezz-it-All, Sewing machine

A Monochromatic CCEE Challenge

It's Thursday!! Woot! Hopefully today is better than yesterday (this is postdated). My IMAC decided to throw a temper tantrum and won't turn on. With technical support, I was able to get it back on a couple of times, only to have it spontaneously shut off again a few minutes later...thus a trip to the apple doctor. Hopefully it's only a minor ailment and will recover quickly. Therefore, I'm posting this on my laptop, which doesn't contain the proper watermark for my photos, and is slower at times with our wireless server. I'm thrilled to get this card posted. It was touch and go all day Wed.

Well, since it's thursday, it's time for a CCEE Stamper's challenge, and we have been challenged to make a monochromatic blue card since Spring is on its way bringing with it some beautiful blue skies. We're able to include some neutrals also. I chose ivory. Well, mine's more a blue/green...hope I don't get the buzzer....lol

For my sentiment I used the verse Ecclesiastes 3:11 Plain Jane by Verve. I love this encouraging verse!! It was diecut with Labels 4 (Spellbinders), and shaded with Antique Linen Ranger Distress Ink.

eta: When I was typing this up, I totally forgot to mention that I used Charmaine's fabulous VLV sketch found HERE!

I also used some new yummy papers by MME: Stella Rose Gertie and Mabel. Lastly, I added some Pearls by Kaisercraft, seam binding ribbon, a Rose by Wild Orchid Crafts, and some Candy Gems by Prima. The border was made with a Martha Stewart all around punch.

That's it from me today. Be sure to stop by the CCEE Stamper's blog to see what the other gals have come up with. We'd love to have you join us for this challenge too.

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Happy Stamping my friends!!

Tosh

Stamps: Ecclesiastes 3:11 (Verve)

Paper: Vintage Cream (PTI), Stella Rose Gertie and Mabel (MME)

Ink: Smokey Gray (Versafine), Antique Linen (Ranger Distress Ink)

Accessories: Labels 4 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Paper Rose (Wild Orchid Crafts), Seam Binding, Pearls (Kaisercraft), Candy Gems (Prima), All Around Punch (MS)

You Make Me Smile!!

I have another PC Go-to Sketches reject to share with you today. :) I used the Butterflies from the Verve set Blue skies for sketch #31, colored them with copics and added a touch of sparkle with some Stardust Stickles. These have to be my absolute favorite butterflies!! They're just so elegant!! Lastly, I added a few rhinestones.

That's it...easy peasy!

Have a Happy Tuesday!! Hope you got some crafting in today. A day's just not complete until you craft a bit, even if you only get to sift through some of your supplies!!

Happy Stamping my friends!!
Tosh

Stamps: Blue Skies (Verve)
Paper: White (PTI), Flutter Butter Honey (BoBunny)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories: Stardust Stickles, Rhinestones (Melissa Frances), Copics

A Happy Hello!!

Hello everyone!! I hope you had a fabulous weekend!! I tried something new yesterday...fondue. Didn't turn out as well as I would have liked though. I'm going to have to try some different recipes.

Today I'd like to share a little 3x3 card that didn't get picked for the Paper Crafts Go-to Sketches for Card Makers that I entered. It was based on Sketch #64.

It's pretty easy and straight forward. I just stamped the sentiments, from the Verve set Happy Hello, onto Basics Manilla Paper by Basicgrey and assembled with a little library clip from SU! The card base is Kraft by Papertrey Ink.

I actually was blessed to have a few cards picked for publication, but also have a few that were rejected. So I'll be sharing those in the next few days.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Have a super week and Happy stamping!!
Tosh

Stamps: Happy Hello (Verve)
Paper: Kraft (PTI) and Basics Manilla Paper Pad (Basicgrey)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Brushed Corduroy (Ranger)
Accessories: Library Clip (SU!), Binding Edger Punch (EK Success)

Butterfly Suite

March has arrived. And it's colder here than it was in January!! Crazy!! But I love it!! Cold and rainy weather just makes me feel all cozy when I'm in the house, and creating in my stamp room!! Now I just need an extra hot vanilla latte!! *sigh*

Okay...you probably came here to see a card, not listen to me ramble about weather. *grin* Since it's Thursday, it's time for another CCEE Challenge, and this week our fearless hostess Joanne has challenged us to include swirls on our cards. I used some swirly rhinestones for the butterfly trails.

I just fell in love with this Penny Black image when I saw it in the Stamper's Dream Store, and just had to have it. I mean seriously...it has music, flowers and butterflies!! Be still my heart. It's called Butterfly Suite. I stamped it with Tuxedo Black Memento ink, and colored it with my Copics, and then framed it with the Labels 10 die. I also added some lace, a punched and scored border, some ribbon, and a sweet little button. The sentiment along the bottom left is from a JustRite set called Fancy Tags. Lastly, I thought this sweet image needed a bit of sparkle, so I added some Startdust Stickles to top it all off. Oh, and that beautiful dp is from Echo Park's Springtime line!!! I'm in love with this collection!!!
Here's a close up so you can see a bit of the sparkle. If you click on the photo you can see the sparkle a bit more.

That's it for my card today my friends!! Be sure to check out what the other CCEE gals have to share over at the CCEE Stamper's Blog.

Thanks for Visiting!! And happy stamping!!
Tosh

Stamps: Butterfly Suite (Penny Black), Fancy Tags (JustRite)
Paper: White (PTI), Springtime (Echo Park)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Tumbled Glass (Ranger Distress Ink)
Accessories: Copics, Labels 10 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Border Punch (MS), Scor-Buddy, Stardust Stickles, Lace (Wild Orchid Crafts), Ribbon and Silver Cord (May Arts), Button (PTI), Rhinestone Flourish (ZVA Creative), Sewing Machine

An Irish Blessing

Hello my friends!! It's been awhile since I've posted, and I'm sorry. I've been busy stamping though and will have tons to share with you soon.

I made today's card for this months first Viva la Verve sketch designed by Amber, and for an uber talented stamping friend who has a St. Patrick's Day birthday. I thought this Irish Blessing from Verve's Blessings set would be perfect!! She also adores Shamrocks, and I'm sure she has quite a collection, so I included another sentiment on the inside.


Is this sentiment perfect or what?! Love it!! I found a photo of the shamrock online, printed it out, and cut it out of felt. I know it's not the traditional bright green, but I'm more of a "mellow" stamper. *grin*

Now, I should also let you know that this Blessings set that I used is the Stamp of the Month over at Verve, and you can get it for 30% off!!

That's it for today ya'll!! Have a super week!! And Happy Stamping!!
Tosh

Stamps: Blessings (Verve)
Paper: Vintage Cream (PTI), Steampunk Debutante (Graphic 45)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Antique Linen (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Labels 17 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Felt (Prairie Point Junction), Button (PTI), Lace (Wild Orchid Crafts), Pearls (Kaisercraft), Sewing Machine, Zutter Distrezz~it~All

Diva Inspirations Blog Hop

No card to share today (check back tomorrow), but I wanted to let you know that there's some Verve~a~liscious fun going on that you don't want to miss. First of all there's a Diva Inspirations hop, and there are prizes to be had. (the hop list is below) One lucky commenter will win a $30 gift certificate to the Verve store!! How awesome is that? But that's not all....if you participate in the Verve Fan Blog Hop, you'll be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to Verve!! And, to top all this goodness off, if you comment on the Verve Fan Hop entries, you'll be entered to win a $30 Verve gift certificate also. How cool is all of this? Seriously...that's a lot of Verve goodness.

Click HERE to read up on all the deets!

And Here's a list of the Divas participating in the hop.

1. Julee	6. Michelle
2. Betty	7. Lynda
3. Dawn	8.Shannan
4. Jen d.	9. Sony
5. Jen T.	10.Susan

I have another good thing to share. The Featured set over at Verve this month is Blessings. It will be 30% off for the month of March. I have a card that I made with that set to share with you tomorrow. So please stop by.

Thanks for the visit!! Hope your week is off to a great start. Our mountains are covered with snow, and the skies are a deep blue with a slight chill in the air!! Heaven on earth for sure!!

Happy stamping my friends!!
Tosh