Fun & Fancy Frame

This was such fun to create! It's a small framed piece, with the opening in the frame only 5" across by 3-1/2" high. It would make a great gift or a nice element up on a mantle for the holidays.



No, by 'fancy frame' I do not mean the pretty gold frame that houses this cute home decor piece. What I mean is the cool frames we can create using the circles from Seasonal Circles and a circle paper punch. This technique is a great way to add a fancy accent to a frame around another circle.

I stamped the open poinsettia ring onto a distressed beige piece of the Be Good paper from Cosmo Cricket. Then, I punched a 1-3/8" circle into the center of the stamp. As you can see, the circle punch snipped about a third of each of the little flowers off. Not a big portion, but just enough to create a cool frame around a second (in this case, solid) circle of 1-1/4". Try this with the other three circles in the Seasonal Circles set. I bet you'll like how the other patterns look, too!


Stamps: Seasonal Circles (Verve Visual)
Paper: Be Good (Cosmo Cricket), Pine Cardstock (Archiver's)
Ink: Warm Green ColorBox Chalk (Clearsnap), VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Paper Shaper Punches in 1-3/8" and 1-1/4" circles (EK Success), Gold Embossing Powder (Ranger), Gold Picture Frame (Quality Art Boise), Dimensional Foam Squares (3L)

For those of you who have already received your new Verve Visual stamp sets, I hope you're enjoying them and finding lots of extra inspiration both here and in the gallery. And guess what? The countdown to two more NEW sets kicks off in just a few more days, so check here for those sneak peeks!

Happy Stamping!
Kim R.

Inspired By Nature

We just returned home from a trip through Yellowstone National Park. Late Fall is my absolute favorite time to visit there...there are hardly any people and the animals are out in abundance! One thing that really made an impression on me this visit, it the amazing colors!! Not just the colorful Fall leaves, or the deep greens of the trees...but how the water takes on an almost Aqua hue in the crisp cool mornings and the wide variety of muted greens that surround the water really "set it off". The morning we were leaving, a fresh blanket of pure white snow covered the amazing scenery, making me think of the coming Winter season. It was that very scene that inspired this card!


The finished size of this card is a 5 1/4" square. Although, most of these images come from the Winter Wonder set, I love that the snowflake circles from the Seasonal Circles set coordinate so well...giving me so many different options!


I hope that I have inspired you to take a look around at the amazing color palette that nature offers us!


Stamps: Winter Wonder, Seasonal Circles Paper: Sage Shadow, Old Olive, Vellum cardstock (Stampin' Up!), Dutch Girl (Cosmo Cricket) Ink: Versamark, Oasis Green Versamagic Dew Drop, Tea Leaves Versamagic Dew Drop (Tsukineko) Accessories: White gel pen, Winter White e.p., Old Olive brads, Coluzzle (Stampin' Up!), Olive Satin ribbon

One sheet Winter Wonder

When I first saw the Winder Wonder and Seasonal Circles stamp sets, I knew that I wanted to try a OSW. I'd never attempted a one sheet wonder before so I was scared!

It was so simple! I could kick myself for not having done them before now. These stamps lend themselves so easily to random stamping patterns, and I managed to make 10 simple, quick, yet pretty cards from one 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of stamped paper.

I wanted to keep them simple, so I used no embellishments other than more cardstock and some ribbon. They could easily be stepped up a notch with more matting, some paper piercing, and some metal! I kept thinking of all the possibilities while I was creating.

I decided upon grey, sky blue and pomegranate for my ink and CS colors. I randomly stamped the OSW using only the Winter Wonder stamps and then cut it apart into pieces.

I made my card bases from the same colors and then used the Seasonal Circles stamp set to add highlights and a sentiment to each card. A touch of ribbon was the perfect ending.

I'm so pleased with the outcome and plan on using these stamps to do this over and over again until I have all the holiday cards I need. Just imagine the possibilities!

Stamps: Winter Wonder & Seasonal Circles (Verve Visual)

Paper: Pomegranate, Soft Sky, Basic Grey, Whisper White (SU!)

Ink: Pomegranate, Soft sky, Basic Grey (SU!)

Accessories: Pomegranate and soft sky stitched ribbon (SU!), grey velvet ribbon (SU!), white grosgrain dyed grey with ink (Offray), Scalloped circle punch.

Purple Flakes?

Sure! Why not? Give your creations a special touch by changing up the colors on your snowflakes. Try the traditional light blue and white for a crisp, clean look. Go vintage with brown and blue or pink. Or, do like I did, and add a bit of chic whimsy with purple, green, or whatever tickles your fancy.

I wanted my snowflakes to sparkle, so I used Versamagic Dew Drop inks. They're a hybrid dye/pigment ink. So you can emboss on them if you do it quickly. I only stamped a couple of flakes at a time, then covered with Iridescent Ice EP. I added these purple flakes to a gorgeous sheet of Webster's Pages Winter Wonderland paper. The lower portion of the card is dry embossed with the Cuttlebug Textiles folder, then the whole thing got mellow moss ink sponged around the outside. The photo corners and tag also came courtesy of my Cuttlebug (Vintage and Flower dies, respectively). I added even more shimmer and sparkle with a Sakura glitter pen (dots around the tag) and some miscellaneous rhinestones (tag and corners).

And here's an easy way to do the bow and tag combo, because I'm not very good at tying bows attached to the card: Just run a straight strip of ribbon across the card. I tape it down on the back of the layer. Then put an O-ring through your tag, then around the strip of ribbon. Close the O-ring. Now you can thread a second piece of ribbon through the O-ring and tie your bow. It also makes the tag hang very nicely.

So go look at your color choices, and decide what kind of "feel" you want for your next card.

Stamps: Winter Wonder (Verve Visual)
Paper: Mellow Moss, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Old Olive (Stampin' Up!); Winter Wonderland Collection: Starbright (Webster's Pages)
Ink: Purple Hydrangea, Spring Pansy (VersaMagic); Mellow Moss, Old Olive, Pale Plum (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Vintage and Flower Dies and Textile Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug); adhesive rhinestones (Darice); ribbon (Dashes, Dots & Checks); jump ring; Glitter pen (Sakura); 1.25 inch circle punch, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (Stampin' Up!); sponge

The Gift of Chocolate!

Who doesn't love chocolate? It's one of those gifts that you can rarely go wrong giving!

Recently, for some unknown reason, I had a spare canning jar sitting in my stamp room. I think it was from a project my son did with the children this summer at church camp (he was a counselor). Whatever had been inside was now gone, so I saw the jar as ripe for a makeover!

I had been itching to cover some Hershey's Nuggets with my own hand stamped labels, like the ones I have been seeing on all the blogs lately. Can I just tell you how simple these things are? All I did was take a full sheet of Avery mailing labels (size 8160 if you want to buy some for yourself) and randomly stamped a few of the snowflakes from the Verve Visual Winter Wonder set all over the labels (there are 30 labels per sheet). I stamped the snowflakes in both Old Olive and Cranberry Crisp ink. Then I stamped my sentiment, "Joy to the World", in the center of each label. I slightly distressed the labels by rubbing my Ranger Distress Ink in Tea Stain all over them, which took the bright white of the labels down a notch! Now, the next part of this process is slightly more difficult, so pay CLOSE attention....after you are done wrapping your label around the chocolate nugget, very carefully unwrap another nugget and pop it into your mouth! Continue this pattern until all the nuggets are wrapped! Wrap one, eat one. Wrap one, eat one. It's easy once you get the hang of it! Hee-hee! Once I had enough candies wrapped with my hand stamped label, I tossed them into my canning jar, which I had decorated with a little bit with ribbon and a little bit of Cosmo Cricket paper.

The accompanying gift card actually got it's start as part of a pre-packaged set of 3x3 gift cards from the $1 bin at Michael's! All I did was cover it with some fabulous Cosmo Cricket designer paper (Be Good) to start with. Then I glued a piece of gold metallic cardstock to the back of the inside front cover and then cut around it with my decorative scissors. The main image was really simple as well. I took a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, stamped one of the snowflakes from Winter Wonder with Cranberry Crisp ink and then glued gold Martha Stewart glitter on the snowflake! Then I stamped the sentiment four times, once on each side of the snowflake just for something a little different! After I matted the main image with gold metallic cardstock, I adhered it to the front of the card with dimensional tape. This project was just so much fun that I decided to keep stamping! Can you see the envelope, laying right in front of the mini gift card? I decorated it too! Just a few more snowflakes, stamped in Old Olive and Cranberry Crisp ink, finish off the envelope perfectly and tie it into the rest of the gift!

This Verve Visual stamp set is going to be a favorite of mine this season, I can tell!

Stamps: Winter Wonder (Verve Visual)Paper: Be Good (Cosmo Cricket), Very Vanilla(Stampin' Up, gold metallic cardstock (unknown)Ink: Cranberry Crisp, Old Olive (Stampin! Up)Accessories: Olive Satin Ribbon (Basics),Cranberry Ribbon (Basics),glitter (Martha Stewart), Candy (Hersheys), Labels (Avery)

Re-Creating Creativity

On October 10th Verve Visual released 2 new sets, Winter Wonder and Seasonal Circles, and WOW!!... These have been so much fun to work with! The other night I sat down to create a few projects for this article and without even realizing it I used my circle punches on each one. Does this mean that my mojo is in a slump and I am finding it difficult to think outside the box? Or does it mean that these sentiments fit perfectly in circle punches and this is a fun way to display them? Of course, I would like to think that the latter is true, especially since I used the some focal panel layout (on purpose) on the "Make the Season Bright" card and the "Comfort and Joy" box. This takes me to my point on what I like to call "re-creating creativity". What in the world is that you ask? Well, to me it's when you find something that you like on a project. In this case, I really liked the focal panel on this card.


I knew that I wanted to use it again, but not make it look like a repeat, so I "re-created my creativity" on the box shown below. I changed the orientation of the ribbon and eliminated the bow. Rhinestones where added to the sentiment circle. The base is now scalloped and the panel under the sentiment is stamped. Not to mention, I used it on a completely different project.
The How To:
(I have slighty re-worded the directions that I found from Yvette on SCS.)

• Cut a piece of cardstock to 9x9"
• Score at 3" and 6" on both sides so that you have nine 3x3 squares.
• On the outside corner squares, score across diagonally. Do not score across the center square.
• Fold the box into itself
• Glue, staple or brad the sides together. Also, you can add a handle to make it a little basket.

For the final project I created for this article, I made a Criss Cross Card. You can find the directions HERE on Splitcoast. These cards are so fun and easy to make, but they do take a considerable amount of paper in comparison to other types of cards...just something to think about if you plan on mass producing these. The decorative paper is from Webster's Pages and is available in the Verve Store.


I've been poking around SCS and love what I am seeing done with the Verve stamps!! I can't wait to see more of what is created with these 2 new sets. Also, be sure to be on the lookout for 2 more sets coming next month.

Another Seasonal Circles Project by Shannan Teubner

Lately I have been a fan of using stamps and images for things other that what they were initially designed for. I knew I wanted to do this with the awesome flower from Seasonal Circles, and so this card was born.

The color combo was inspired by an SCS Color Challenge a few weeks ago, which was to use River Rock, Chocolate Chip, and Bayou Blue. I added a little bit of red in there, just cause I wanted to!

I used Pearlized Cream cardstock for my main image. I love that stuff!!! The shimmer is amazing, let me tell ya. I stamped the 3 flowers on the panel, and then stamped them each again on scraps. I cut them out, painted on some Diamond Glaze, and then sprinkled on the glitter. I put a small brad through the center of each flower, and then adhered to the main panel with a Mini Pop Dot.

The stems are from Fancy Florals, and they're stamped in Old Olive. For the greeting, I really didn't want a Holiday greeting, so I chose to ink up just the "Comfort" part of the Comfort and Joy from Winter Wonder with a marker, and stamped it on the corner. You can do this same thing with some of the other sentiments in this set, for example: Joy, Peace, Snow, & Wishes. Those are just a few that come to mind.

I hope you enjoy this card, and hopefully you were inspired to take another look at your stamps using a different perspective. What else could you use them for? Take a good look and try it! You never know what genius will come of it! For more inspiration, stay tuned here for the next few days, and also check out the Verve Gallery for some rockin samples!

Stamps: Winter Wonder, Seasonal Circles, Fancy Florals (Verve Visual)
Paper: Pearlized Cream (Paper Accents), Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Blue Bayou (Stampin Up!)Ink: Ruby Red, Old Olive, Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip (Stampin! Up)
Accessories: Dark Red Sheer Pinstriped Ribbon (May Arts), Brads (Making Memories), Diamond Glaze (Judikins), Crystal Ultrafine Glitter, Pop Dots, Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls Folder

Parade of Projects by Lila

It's been easy peasy working on my Christmas and holiday cards the last few weeks. Verve's new Winter Wonder and Seasonal Circles stamp sets have been effortless to work with. I've been able to create simple cards for mass production (maybe with a few slight variations) and more labor (I like to refer to it as more love) intensive - but sometimes more is more.

These samples demonstrate the versatility of "Seasonal Circles". They show three seasons (now I know there are 4 seasons - but Summer was giving me problems - so you can imagine) just by changing the colors that you think of during the season - at least that's what the intent was. I love how the Winter card turned out. I stamped the white poinsettias first, masked and then used my Copic airbrush. Details for papers and inks are posted to each photo in the Seasonal Circles Gallery.

I also have to comment on the awesome Design Team Julee has put together. Each member is very talented and so willing to help and be supportive in any way they can. I encourage you to do two things (1) Go take a peek at the VV Gallery - even if you have already visited there are new projects to get your creative juices flowing and (2) now that you have your stamp sets go make some cards . I'm looking forward to November's release!!! Just you wait.....

Enjoy, Lila

The Big Unveiling!

Release day is finally here! Are you as excited as I am? You can now purchase Seasonal Circles and Winter Wonder at the Verve Store. Each set is only $10 and includes a CD case with printed index sheet for easy storage. In addition, I've added the option to purchase a 1/4 sheet of EZ Mount with your set for just $1 more! And to kick your mojo into gear, the design team has uploaded over 30 fabulous projects using Winter Wonder and Seasonal Circles to the Verve Visual Gallery.


Winter Wonder is a set of 9 classic snowflakes and 6 sentiment stamps on a 4.25" x 5.5" sheet of unmounted rubber. This is a set you'll reach for time and time again as you start in on your winter projects. The sentiments read Winter Wishes, Comfort and Joy, Merry and Bright, Peace on Earth, Joy to the World, Let it Snow and Winter Wonderland. The six larger sentiments are designed to fit perfectly in the circle frames of Seasonal Circles and the Winter Wonderland sentiment fits inside the Word Window punch.


Seasonal Circles includes four circle frame stamps that are designed to coordinate with the sentiments from the Winter Wonder set. Two of the circle designs match the snowflakes from Winter Wonder and the other two match the solid and outlined flower included in this set. The sentiment reads Make the Season Bright. Just by changing the colors you use with these gorgeous flowers, you can have a card for any season. Seasonal Circles comes as a 4.25" x 5.5" sheet of unmounted red rubber, with a CD storage case and printed index sheet.


This month's guest designer is the oh-so-talented Taylor Van Bruggen. Many of you know her from her blog, Taylored Expressions, or as a former "Dirty Girl" on the SCS Dirty Dozen Design team. She's a busy girl, doing design work for Stampendous, My Favorite Things and Papertrey Ink. We are so fortunate to have her as a Guest Designer this month to highlight these great new sets. Her projects are postively gorgeous...



Let it Snow by Taylor Van Bruggen
Stamps: Seasonal Circles, Winter Wonder
Ink: Stampin' Up Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue, Encore Silver, VersaMagic
Paper: Stampin' Up Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Other: Ribbon, Stampendous dot sparklers, Stamp N Stuff Silver Tinsel EP, Creative Memories Circle Cutting system, dimensionals



Peace on Earth by Taylor Van Bruggen
Stamps: Seasonal Circles, Winter Wonder
Ink: Stampin' Up Purely Pomegranate, Old Olive
Paper: Stampin' Up Purely Pomegranate, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Other: Ribbon, Stampendous dot sparklers, Crystal Stickles, dimensionals, Cuttlebug Textile A2 folder, Tonic paper distresser, copper brads, dog tag punch, oval punches, Chocolate Chip marker



Winter Wishes by Taylor Van Bruggen
Stamps: Seasonal Circles, Winter Wonder
Ink: Stampin' Up Real Red
Paper: Stampin' Up Bashful Blue, Whisper White, SEI patterned paper
Other: Ribbon, Stampendous dot sparklers, snowflake charm, silver cording, dimensionals, white ric rac, Creative Memories Circle Cutting system

New Design Team Member

I'm super geeked to announce Verve Visual's newest Design Team member, Charmaine Ikach!

If you've been hanging around Splitcoaststampers (she's Charmwarm there) or at her fabulous blog, Oodabug Alley, you know that Charmaine is a gold mine of talent. Creativity just oozes from her, and she's just as sweet as can be! Who wouldn't be honored to have her on their team? Her fabulous work speaks for itself - whether you're a long time fan of her work or just discovering her, we know you're going to love her projects.

Charmaine spent most of her life as a Musical Theater performer, singing and dancing in shows from national tours and regional theaters to cruise ships. Once Charmaine started having children, the traveling performer's life became very difficult. She was introduced to rubber stamping about 7 years ago and it quickly became a new and exciting creative outlet for her. Charmaine lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband of 7 years, their two daughters, 4 and 15 months, and is awaiting the arrival of their newest little one. In addition to being a member of the Verve Visual Design Team, Charmaine is also part of the Design Team for Paper Pretties.

Here's a sampling of Charmaine's work with Seasonal Circles & Winter Wonder. For more gorgeous samples, check out her album in the Verve Visual Gallery.

Stamps: Winter Wonder, Thoughtful Phrases
Paper- Glossy White CS, Whisper White
Ink- Basic Black, Blue Breeze Kaleidacolor
Accessories- white organdy ribbon by Darice, bling from Walmart, Stampendous Glitter, Tsukineko Glue Pad, Word Window punch, clear embossing powder, brayer.
Technique used: Bouncing Brayer



Stamps: Seasonal Circles
Paper: Purely Pomegranate, Papertrey White CS, DCWV olive
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Old Olive, Basic Black
Accessories: clear rhinestone brads, Cuttlebug Flower die, 1", 1 1/4", 1 3/8" circle punches, dimensionals, Old Olive and Basic Black markers, duo satin ribbon by Darice.

Stamps: Winter Wonder
Ink: Regal Rose, Craft White
Paper: Regal Rose, Whisper White, DCWV rose
Accessories: white organdy ribbon by Darice, small mason jar.
Technique used: Faux Dry Embossing

Only One More Day...

Have you been enjoying all the gorgeous "Sneak Peek" projects the Verve Visual Design Team have posted over the last several days? Well, only one more day to wait and you will be able to see these two new wonderful sets for yourself!

I love how Seasonal Circles (set of 7) and Winter Wonder (set of 16) can be used alone or together! I used both sets in my Vintage Snowflakes card below. For the main image, I stamped one of the snowflake circles (from Seasonal Circles) onto Vanilla c.s. in Sage Shadow ink. Then, I stamped the Linen background stamp (inked in Creamy Caramel) over that to "age" it a little. I embossed the "Make The Season Bright" sentiment (also from Seasonal Circles) in the center with Ivory embossing powder and then used my Dauber (it's like a little sponge) to add just a hint of Sage Shadow behind it.

For the Sage Shadow layer, I stamped one of the snowflakes from the Winter Wonder set (it matches the snowflakes in the circle!) randomly, all over. I then duplicated the "aged" feel of the circle and stamped the Linen stamp over the snowflakes. I layered them on to a piece of patterned paper (from the Be Good collection by Cosmo Cricket). I have to tell you, I think this is my most favorite Christmas patterned paper....ever! It's heavy weight, double sided, has amazing vintage-like patterns....and the best part is that it will also be available from Verve Visual! This paper is what inspired my whole card. I just loved the soft vintage look of it, and thought by sewing around the edges of the card, stitching through the snowflakes (around the sentiment), and sponging/distressing the edges a bit would add to that "Days gone by" look.

If you haven't already, make sure you check out Kim's post below (she has made a beautiful snowflake card that you won't want to miss)!

Have a wonderful day...and make sure to visit the Verve Visual store tomorrow! ~Laurie

Stamps: Seasonal Circles, Winter Wonder (Verve Visual), Linen (Stampin' Up!) Paper: Very Vanilla, Sage Shadow (Stampin' Up!), Be Good (Cosmo Cricket) Ink: Sage Shadow, Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up!), Versamark (Tsukineko) Accessories: Ivory e.p., Ivory Buttons, Vanilla 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!), Sewing machine, Thread, Coluzzle

Sneak Peek: Eleven Weeks & Counting!

Do you know that as of today we're a mere eleven weeks from Christmas morning? Amazing how time flies, isn't it? And with Thanksgiving approaching, travel to plan, parties to attend and gifts to purchase & wrap, it really doesn't seem like enough time to get ready for it all.

I know many of us set out to create gorgeous and elaborate cards for everyone on our Christmas card list. But, by the tenth or twelfth card, assembling all the layers and tying all those ribbons is no longer fun. For this reason, I present to you a simple alternative card that's a special combination of elegant style and easy replication. Not everyone on your list has to receive the same card, you know. Perhaps the elaborate cards are reserved for family members and close friends that really appreciate all the hard work that goes into creating them. This could be the card for the second or third tier of recipients on your list.

This card has some definite pluses:
* Only one color of ink. No extra stamp cleaning or ink mixup.
* No time-consuming, bulky or expensive embellishments.
* A minimum of cutting. One easy layer.
* No extra postage.
* No messy glitter or embossing powder.
* No noisy steps, so you can enjoy creating these in front of the TV with the family. Better yet, get them involved! It's an easy project.
* Flexibility. Experiment with using a color other than dark blue. Try using purple ink & cardstock for the friend who's a purple nut!

Title: Letting the Snow Fall by K. Ross
Stamps: Winter Wonder (Verve Visual)
Paper: Pearlized White Cardstock (Paper Accents), Not Quite Navy (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Not Quite Navy (Stampin! Up)
Accessories: Not Quite Navy Stampin' Write Marker and Large Stipple Brush (Stampin' Up!)

Don't forget to check back here tomorrow for the big unveiling! You're in for some terrific stamps! In the meantime, I'm curious... how many cards will you be making for this holiday season? Please post a comment and let us know.

Happy Stamping!

-Kim

Sneak Peak: Just Two More Days

Have you been enjoying the fabulous sneak peaks by the Verve design team? They're all so talented. Well, here's my contribution to the countdown.

I used the Seasonal Circles set with some non-seasonal, but fun, colors. I masked off a thin border with Post-It Notes, before stamping the outline flower in Timber Brown StazOn on pearlized white by Paper Accents. I stamped just one of the flowers from a circle in the set by coloring the stamp directly with a chocolate marker. After I colored the flowers with an aquapainter and dye-based inks, I drew in the free-hand squiggly border. The background paper is from the Cosmo Cricket: Be Good six pack. I did the scallops with my slit punch on both River Rock and Chocolate Chip, so I could layer them. The tiny rhinestones are just from the craft store, and I adhered them with glue. This is only my second time using Rub-Ons, and I could really get used to these. They show up great on colored card stock and are really easy to apply. Here, I used a sentiment from Crate Words.

Stamps: Seasonal Circles (Verve Visual)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, River Rock (Stampin' Up!); Pearlized white (Paper Accents); Be Good (Cosmo Cricket)
Ink: Timber Brown (StazOn); Certainly Celery, Sage Shadow, Not Quite Navy, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Rub-On (Crate Words); Circle Punches, Slit Punch (Stampin' Up!); Ribbon (American Crafts); large rhinestone (Darice); small rhinestones (misc.)

Stop by again tomorrow for another Sneak Peak double dose with Laurie and Kim. And October 10 will be the big release date, when BOTH of the gorgeous new Verve Visual stamp sets will be available for purchase.

Another Peek...

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and World Card Making Day! I was in Houston with my family visiting old and new friends (waving hi to Ana). Since I was away from my stamps, ink and cardstock, I made sure to fold a piece of paper in half just to say that I made a card...LOL!! That counts, right??? Ok, maybe not, but that just means that I have to make up for it. Very easily done with the two fun, new Verve Visual sets that are coming out on the 10th of October.



Before I left for my lil' weekend adventure, I got a chance to play with Winter Wonder. This set just speaks "gift sets" to me. I love to make containers of all sorts and I had not made a cone in a long time. So, I broke out my handy dandy Creative Memories cutting system and cut out 2 circles. The first circle is a solid white circle, which I stamped the different size snowflakes on in Soft Sky. The second circle is "hollow"-- for lack of a better term, or like a big "O". To do this, I cut a 6" circle from Soft Sky paper and then without changing the placement of the cutting system, I cut out a 6 1/2" circle. I then glued the "O" onto the stamped base, creating a trim that matches the color of the stamped images. Finally, I created the cone, filled it with white paper shred and adhered the tag created from scalloped punches. I made a matching card to make it a small gift ensemble. The "bling" is Swarovski crystals...so spar-ka-lay!!!

Stamps: Winter Wonder(Verve Visual) Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky (SU!); White Cardstock (PaperTreyInk) Ink: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou (SU!) Accessories: White Organdy Ribbon; Crystals (Swarovski); Jumbo Eyelets (SU!); Scallop Punches (Marvy)

Fourth Sneak Peak!

Happy World Card Making Day! Are you out there creating a card? Don't you wish you had some new stamps? Wait until you see the newest releases from Verve Visual!
These new stamp sets are just so exciting! I can't seem to stop creating with them. Today's card uses the Seasonal Circles set that will be released on October 10th.

When I saw this set, it just cried out "Christmas" to me! ( This is strange because I'm not a Christmas-y type of person.) I started by creating my own patterned paper using the flower wreath and the larger matching flower stamped in red. Then I over-stamped the large open flower in olive green on top.

After matting with some coordinating CS (SU), I knew it needed some sparkle, so I adhered tiny gemstone blings to the center of each red flower. Paper piercing also helps to draw the attention to the stamped pattern, as does the deckled edge of the olive mat. A red textured (Bazzill) card base brought it all together.
The sentiment was stamped in black and tiny gems were added near it also, to highlight the concept of "Merry and BRIGHT!" This was then ringed with the open flower wreath in olive and matted on a scalloped black circle.

This card only took about 15 minutes to create (including the design) so to mass produce them for the holiday would be quite simple in an assembly-line fashion. 5 minutes per card, TOPS! And the colors are easily interchangeable.

Keep watching for some more AMAZING designs using the soon-to-be released stamps from Verve Visual! And have a great WCMD!

Let The Countdown Continue!

Don't you just LOVE all of these sneak peeks for the newest Verve Visuals stamp sets? Remember, the two new sets, Seasonal Circles and Winter Wonder, are scheduled to be released on October 10th in the Verve Store. Trust me (famous last words!), they will be the stamps you reach for time and time again this holiday season as you create your holiday masterpieces!

For my sneak peek, I used the Winter Wonder set, which I ADORE! Over the past few years, I've been on a never-ending search for the perfect snowflake stamp, and guess what? I think I've finally found it in Winter Wonder! The set contains not 1 but 6 different snowflake designs, 7 sentiments, and three stars, for a total of 16 stamps!!!

There are SO many different ways to use the snowflakes in Winter Wonder. For this card, I wanted to make a holiday wreath! It was uber easy to do. First, using one of the medium sized snowflakes, I stamped it 4 times, at the top, bottom, and sides of an "imaginary" circle. Then I stamped the same snowflake again, in between the first 4 snowflakes, in the same color ink (Cranberry Crisp).Finally, using a small snowflake stamp, I stamped in between each of the snowflakes previously stamped, but in a different color (Old Olive). A ribbon at the top finishes the wreath off with style! That's all there is to it! Super easy and fun to do!

The base of my card is River Rock cardstock. It was the perfect color to highlight the gorgeous designer paper from Cosmo Cricket. I love the vintagy, distressed look of this whole line of papers (Be Good), and felt that the feel of the whole card then needed to be distressed as well. So, I muddied up and ripped up everything my hand came in contact with, using my Ranger Distress Ink in Tea Stain and Walnut and my Heidi Swapp edge distresser! Since I'm a sewing addict, I couldn't resist sewing a little straight stitch on the main panel for some fun detail as well!

Want to know a secret? Do you see how the sentiment within the wreath has been punched out and adhered to the card using dimensional tape? I had to do that because I originally stamped the sentiment directly inside the wreath but stamped it crooked! Grrr! I hate when I make mistakes! But instead of pitching the whole thing in trash, I just stamped the sentiment again on different piece of cardstock, and punched it out with my circle punch. The circle now hides the crooked sentiment underneath it! Genius,uh? Just remember, you don't ALWAYS have to pitch a card because of a mistake. This ended up being a happy mistake because I love the three dimensional look the card has with the sentiment done this way!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for sneak peeks from two more Verve designers (Bethany Paull & Jen del Muro), and then a final sneak peek from Verve designer Laurie Schmidlin on Tuesday. Wednesday will be the BIG DAY you can buy these sets for yourself!! Let the countdown continue!

Stamps: Winter Wonder(Verve Visual)
Paper: Be Good (Cosmo Cricket), Very Vanilla, River Rock(Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Cranberry Crisp, Old Olive (Stampin! Up, Black Onyx (Versafine, Ranger Distress Ink in Tea Stain & Walnut
Accessories: Cranberry Striped Ribbon (May Arts), sewing machine

Sneak Peek: Day 3

I am loving the new Winter Wonder set that Julee designed...Love it, I say! There are SIXTEEN stamps in this set, and they are all AWESOME!! It's stylish and classic at the same time, definitely something I will reach for again and again. You can get yours at the Verve Store on October 10th!

I got my inspiration for this card from Kristina Werner aka starofmay on Splitcoast. I cased this card of Kristina's for the Featured Stamper Challenge last week. Yeah, ok, I'm a little behind. *wink*

The card base is Chocolate Chip (Stampin Up!), and there are 3 panels that make up the main image. The top and bottom strips are from the new Cosmo Cricket Be Good collection.....soooooo yummy! The center strip is Pearlized Cream (Paper Accents), and I stamped the snowflake 3 times in Sage Shadow, and once in Chocolate Chip ink (Stampin Up!). I stamped the sentiment in Chocolate Chip ink as well and distressed all the edges with my Tonic Distresser tool. May Arts gold edged Aqua and ivory ribbons tied in a knot finish off the top strip before I popped the panel up on Mini Pop Dots for just a little bit of dimension.

I hope you guys like this set as much as I do...I can't wait to see what you think! Have a happy weekend, and stay tuned tomorrow for more eye candy!

-Shannan

Stamps: Winter Wonder (Verve Visual), Linen (Stampin Up!)
Paper: Be Good (Cosmo Cricket), Pearlized Cream (Paper Accents), Chocolate Chip (Stampin Up!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow (Stampin Up!)
Accessories: Aqua Gold Edged Ribbon, Ivory Gold Edged Ribbon (May Arts), Tonic Distresser, Mini Pop Dots, Stampamajig

October Sneak Peek: Day 2

Today's Sneak Peak features Seasonal Circles, a set of 7 individual stamps. I love this set because it has so many possibilities. You could use the florals for any season just by simply changing your color choices. This sample was created using reds, greens and gold making it a traditional Christmas holiday card.

The layout is one I often use when incorporating pattern papers. The focal point of the card is the little outline flower (colored with reds making them poinsettias) and the framed and popped up sentiment.

Stamps: Seasonal Circles (Verve Visual) and Pine Bough wheel (SU)
Paper: Shimmer, Old Olive, Confetti Cream (SU); Winter Wonderland Collection "Candy Cane" (Webster's Pages); St Nick double sided "Hollyberry Stripe" (Making Memories)
Ink: Noir Black (Palette); True Thyme and Always Artichoke (SU); Krylon 18 kt Gold Leafing; Copic R37 and R39
Accessories: Oval Punch (EK Success); mini scallop scissors (Provo Craft); Dimensional (pop dots SU); mini adhesive pearls (K&Co Wedding Collection) painted with gold leafing pen

Check back tomorrow for another sneak peek from the Verve Design Team!

-Lila

October Sneak Peek: Day 1

Are you all ready for a sneaky peek at Verve's newest releases? Today's card uses a set called Winter Wonder that will be available in the Verve Store on October 10! That's only a week away!!! Yay! This set includes 16 beautiful winter themed images and sentiments, which I hope you're going to love! :)

The layout is from this week's sketch challenge on Splitcoaststampers. The card itself is pretty basic, I used three of the new stamps... two snowflakes (although you can't see the second snowflake very well because it's under the ribbon) and the Winter Wonderland sentiment.

Stamps: Winter Wonder (Verve Visual)

Paper: Blush (BasicGrey), Pearlized Cream (Paper Accents), Chocolate Chip (SU!)

Ink: Cool Caribbean, Chocolate Chip (SU!)

Accessories: Word Window punch (SU!), Corner Rounder (EK Success), Rhinestones (Hero Arts), Organza ribbon

Be sure to check back tomorrow (and every day through October 10), same bat channel, for more sneaky peeks from the Verve Visual Design Team! Have a happy day, peeps!

-Julee

New Design Team Member

We're super excited to announce Verve Visual's newest Design Team member, Laurie Schmidlin! If you've been hanging around Splitcoaststampers (she's Lauraly there) or at her fabulous blog, Just Give Me Stamps, you know that Laurie is just dripping in stamping talent. With a style all her own, each and every one of her creations are beautifully embellished and perfectly executed. We just know you're going to love her as much as we do!

It was "love at first sight" when Laurie was first introduced to rubber stamping eleven years ago. Although card making is her primary focus, she also enjoys scrapbooking and altering 3-D items. Even though her style varies, you can always count on seeing some sort of embellishment (or two) on each creation! Laurie, along with her husband (of twelve years) and four children, currently live on a ranch outside of Dillon, Montana. When she's not stamping or helping her husband on the ranch, she also enjoys traveling, baking, & playing music.

Here's a sampling of Laurie's work with Fancy Florals.


Stamps: Fancy Florals (Verve Visual)
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey Blush DP, Very Vanilla
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel, Coffee Bean Brilliance, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" square punches, Cuttlebug, Jewels, Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, Pink taffeta ribbon


Stamps: Fancy Florals (Verve Visual), All Holidays, En Francais (Stampin' Up!
Paper: Shimmery White c.s., Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Bravo Burgundy, Always Artichoke, Gold Encore, Versamark
Accessories: Gold e.p., Burgundy 5/8" grosgrain, Pearl Brad, Crafter's Tool Kit, Corner Rounder punch



Stamps: Fancy Florals (Verve Visual)
Paper: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Courtyard DP by Chatterbox, Vellum c.s.
Ink: Sky Blue and Coffee Bean Brilliance pads Accessories: Antique Copper brads, Decorative brad by Making Memories, ribbon

And The Winners Are....

Thanks to everyone who made our first card contest a huge success! I've re-done the Verve Visual gallery, so be sure and check out and comment on all the contest submissions, as well as some new Fancy Florals and Thoughtful Phrases additions from the Design Team.

The card contest entries were all fabulous, and the judging was really, really tough. After much deliberation, the winners are...

Best Overall: Kathie B of Just an Inkling
Winner of the 2 Verve Visual stamp sets releasing October 10.

Best Use of Fancy Florals: Suzy T of Ink-a-dink-a-doo
Winner of 1 of the Verve Visual stamp sets releasing October 10.

Best Use of Thoughtful Phrases: Lisa S of Silver Stamping
Winner of one Cosmo Cricket L'il Boys 8 x 8 Paper Set

Best Use of Color: Julie C of Stamped in His Image
Winner of a Sakura Stardust Galaxy 6 pen set

Best Use of Sentiment: Kim R of Kraftin' Kimmie's Korner
Ribbon assortment of 20 May Arts ribbons.

If you're a winner, CONGRATS! And please email me your snail mail address so I can ship out your goodies. (New Release winners won't ship until October 10)