Blog Hop WINNER & Challenges

Hey there, beautiful stampers!  It's Julee here again, popping in with the lucky winner from our New Release Blog Hop and a few reminders about current challenges.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by and left comments on our blog hop posts - we had such a fun weekend celebrating the new release with you!

The blog hop prize was hidden on Amber's blog.  Weren't all three of her cards just fabulous?  GOOD stuff, I tell ya!  :)  Random.org picked #15...

So the winner is.... Kelly Lunceford! 

who said, "wow! You have been one busy girl! I love all of these cards! Your coloring is absolutely amazing, but I think I tell you that all the time! LOL! "

Congrats Kelly! You just won our entire June Release!  Email your shipping address to  contests@vervestamps.com to claim your prize!

And if you didn't win, there's still a few little Verve prizes out in blogland! 

Sketch For You To Try (SFYTT)

First off, there's a $30 Verve gift certificate up for grabs for participants in this week's SFYTT.  Just play along with the sketch and link your project up to Jen's SFYTT post  no later than 6pm (Central) on Friday, July 2, for a chance to win!

Ready, SET, Stamp: Seeing Stars

This month's Ready, SET Stamp challenge is to use Seeing Stars.  To play along, submit a link to a new card or project using Seeing Stars on the official challenge post.  Deadline is 8PM Mountain on Monday, July 16.  One lucky winner will receive a $30 Verve gift certificate!

Viva la Verve June 2010

Another month of fabulous sketches in the Viva la Verve! forum is coming to a close.  This month we've been walking through kids' rooms for inspiration along with the great sketches below.  Participate in all 5 challenges and post your links before 11:59pm, Thursday, July 1 to be in the running to win our next ENTIRE RELEASE.  Click the link below each photo for the original challenge thread with inspiration photos.  When you're done with all 5, head on over to the June Champions Thread to post your links.

	JUN Week 1 {5/28/10}	JUN Week 2 {6/4/10}	JUN Week 3 {6/11/10}	JUN Week 4 {6/18/10}	June Week 5 {6/25/10}

New Release Blog Hop!

Happy Saturday! We had a rockin' release party last night, and to continue the celebration of Verve's new release, the Divas are putting on a blog hop today. They'll be sharing some fantastic projects with the new sets and I just KNOW there'll be some drool-worthy creations to check out. So come hop along with us!

But first, maybe you'd like to know a little secret? I thought so! We've hidden a super fun prize at one of the 14 blogs along the way, so as you're hopping, give a little shout out in the comments if you see something that makes you smile. So what's the prize??? One lucky commenter will win our ENTIRE June release! Comments entered before 8PM on Monday, June 28 will be entered in the drawing. Have fun and happy hopping!

First up on the hop is..... ME! Head on over to my blog, Poetic Artistry, for the first card along your journey!  If something goes wrong, head back here to the master list to get back on track!

New Stamps Just Released!

We've just added 3 fabulous new sets and 2 plain jane singles to the Verve line up! With heartfelt sentiments designed with a fun hand-lettered look, beautiful butterflies and flourishes, a touch of Americana and a darling little notebook stamp, there's something for everyone in this release. Have fun mixing and matching for all those encouraging cards to loved ones near and far. For a little inspiration, check out the gorgeous samples in our design team gallery.

All of our new releases are at an introductory price of 10% off through July 5, 2010, while supplies last. Or you can buy the whole release as the June Stamp Collection and save 15%. Be sure to check out our sale page for good deals on some coordinating sets, too!

American Hero	Blue Skies	Always on My Mind	Psalm 3:3	Amazing Grace

Tune in tomorrow morning at 8AM Eastern for a special New Release Blog Hop with a sweet prize!

Looking for the winners of our New Release Spotlights and Release Week Challenges?
Click here for the Winner's Announcement.

New Release Spotlight - Day 3!

Let's hear it for the red, white, and blue! Today, we're looking at American Hero, a fabulous set for honoring all those who proudly serve the USA, for thanking everyday heroes, and for showing American pride! In true Verve style, you'll find the most meaningful, heartfelt sentiments, along with some patriotic imagery with a touch of delightful Verve whimsy. Let's get started!

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From Diva Amber:

This month's releases are RIGHT up my alley, as you can probably see with the set we're peeking today! American Hero makes my heart go THUMP every time I see it! The sentiments are so sweet and meaningful, they bring a tear to my eye when I think of everyone deployed, protecting our country. I know the people out there. They are young, they are brave, they are willing, and they do it all for us. I just want to make a whole bunch of cards with this set and send them to every single soldier out there, but I don't have that kind of time, lol!

I think you're going to love this set because it's not only the PERFECT patriotic set, but it can be used for any hero in your life! I went the traditional route!

I stamped the stars in Cherry Cobbler and Night of Navy ink on Kraft cardstock and then added some Stardust Stickles. The sentiment is also stamped on Kraft and I used some Enchanted Evening ribbon and some random buttons! I love the rustic feel to this card, I wish I had left the Stickles off, but I really love the sparkle too!

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From Diva Charmaine:

The American Hero set has such a whimsical feel to it. I just love that it can be used for a cute and fun card as well as something more vintage. As with all Verve sets, it contains wonderful sentiments. This is a great set to round out (and spice up) your collection of patriotic stamps. I used the Old Glory Collection from We R Memory Keepers for my card as well as the Stars Cuttlebug folder.

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From Diva Jackie:

Hi there Verve fans! Are you ready for another great release? Just wait until you see these sets in full.....that's all I'm sayin'! I was thrilled to work with the new American Hero today! This set makes me proud to be an American!!! I can honestly say I will never need another Patriotic set in my stamping arsenal as American Hero covers it all! It's chock full of the most wonderful sentiments and some pretty fabulous images! I chose to work with just one sentiment for my card today, and believe me it was hard to choose! I finally settled on "Thanks For Protecting Our Freedom" I went the traditional red, white and blue route, with a pair of my old denim jeans acting as the blue. I used Star Nestabilities to cut the denim star, added some ruffled red and white gingham ribbon and a blue button. I used the Corner Chomper to round all the corners (a new favorite look of mine) and added some cross-hatch stitching and adhesive gems to finish it off!

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From Diva Amy:

I am both honored and proud to show you a peek at American Hero. This set's fabulous mix of powerful sentiments and patriotic imagery had me choked up when I first saw it! Look no further for heartfelt ways to express both your gratitude and your American pride. And check out the super cool font - love it! I chose to feature the sentiment, "Humbled By Your Willingness To Serve," along with one of the three stars in this set. An assortment of Girls' Paperie On Holiday papers carries out a traditional red, white, and blue color combo in a fresh, fun way.

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It's not too late to participate in our Release Week Challenges over at the Verve Forum! Complete all of them for a chance to win the ENTIRE VERVE JUNE RELEASE! (You know you want it!) Short on time? Each individual challenge also has a $25 Verve gift certificate for one random participant.

Join us tonight at 9 pm EST at our Release Party. We'll chat it up, share projects made with the new stamps, announce contest winners, and of course reveal the new sets!

Like what you’ve seen so far? Just leave a comment here on this post before 6 PM Eastern tonight, Friday, June 25th and you’ll be put in a drawing to win this set! Winners will be announced during the party. Good luck!

New Release Spotlight - Day 2!

Hello everyone, it's Teresa and I am thrilled to be able to introduce the new set Always On My Mind.  Jen d, Mercy, Sankari, and myself are bringing you the peeks for today.  This release is amazing, full of great quotes and sentiments using fantastic fonts.  Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win this set!

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From Diva Jen d.


I just {heart} this set!  It's inspirational, caring and fun all in one.  I thought that this sentiment would make a good baby card and since baby blue decorates most of my house these days, I went ahead and made a boy{ish} card.

I used my pinked circle and star Nesties to create the focal point with the sentiment.  Each of the rectangular panels is stitched around the edge...I love doing that on baby cards!  And how about this FONT!!...oh my!  I love it and will be reaching for this set often because of it! 

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From Diva Mercy

Julee always has such a great eye for design, and always comes up with the best fonts in the whole world! This release is very whimsical and fun with lots of swirly fonts and fantastic images. Every set is a winner, but I wanted to peek one of my favorite sets called Always On My Mind.

I stamped one of the hanging elements three times in Black Ink onto a piece of PTI Cream Cardstock, then colored them with Copics Sketch Markers.  I stamped one of the sentiments in the set into the lower right corner, then added some Hot Pink Rhinestones for a little sparkle.  I reached for my October Afternoon Farm Fresh and Fly A Kite paper pads to coordinate with the colors of my little hearts.  A little stitching, distressing, numerous Dimensionals, and Spiral Punch later...you have my completed card.

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From Diva Sankari

HI Verve Fans - its Sankari here - and I simply adore this awesome release that Julee has created! The sentiments in this (like every) release are so perfect - they express exactly what is in your heart! I loved this sentiment "You're in every one of my thoughts today" - it really expresses something so heartfelt and full of love and its almost like you are sending a piece of your heart when you give this to someone.

I wanted to create a feeling of the love from my heart emanating outwards - so I created little rays and waves flowing out by curing some paper and popping it up with dimensionals - of course I had to add a little liquid pearls to embellish (what can I say - I am addicted to liquid pearls and Verve :)) I love this sentiment - and can't wait to create more cards with the beautiful stamps in this lovely set!

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From Diva Teresa


This set is a must have, but hey all Verve is a must have, don't ya think?  I adore the sentiments, they are perfect for lots of occasions.  I could not help but think about those men and woman who are serving in the Armed Forces and the family members who are back home waiting for there safe return while making this card.  I had to add the heart from Hundred Hearts, I even made it blue to symbolize the missing you.  

I used one of the sketches for the Verve Release Challenges, this is from Viva la Verve Archives May '10 Week 1.  I used Chloe's Closet designer paper from Making Memories, I stamped the sentiment and flower onto the designer paper and heat embossed them.  I added a gemstone to the center of the flower and to the blue heart.  Enjoy!

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To celebrate this new release, there are some Release Week Challenges going on over at the Verve Forum!  Not only are they a fun way to jump start your creativity, but if you complete all of them, you will be entered for a chance to win the ENTIRE VERVE JUNE RELEASE!  OH yeah, that's what I'm talking about!  :-)

Speaking of the new release, we would love for you to join us for the Release Party over at the Verve Forum this Friday (June 25th) at 9 p.m. ET!!  We will be there chatting it up, sharing projects made with the new stamps, announcing all the contest winners, and of course revealing the new sets!

Like what you’ve seen so far? Just leave a comment here on this post before 6 PM Eastern on Friday, June 25th and you’ll be put in a drawing to win this set! Winners will be announced at our release party that night.

New Release Spotlight - Day 1!

Hi there Verve fans!  Laurie here, and I'm SO excited to be able to kick off this month's new stamp previews!!  I should just start off by telling you all to hold on to your seats, because these new stamps will blow you away!!  In true Verve form, Julee has created new sets that are encouraging, classy, & unique!

Today, some of the Divas will be sharing projects made with the new Blue Skies set!  Along with several uplifting sentiments and quotes, this set of 16 has beautiful butterflies, both fancy and bold flourishes, and a fun new way to display all of it! Read on, for some delicious eye candy and a chance to win this set!
 

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From Diva Lynda

I’m SO excited to be sharing a sneak peek with you today using Verve’s NEW Blue Skies stamp set!! Let me say that you are going to LOVE this set! It includes 16 stamps and is SO versatile. I used the small butterfly and notebook (is it not the cutest thing EVER?!?!?). The stamp already layers the pages so I stamped the notebook twice, once on Basic Grey Kraft paper and then again on Select White. I cut just the top sheet from the Kraft Paper and then I cut out the entire white notebook and adhered the Kraft piece on top. I then added 3 jump rings for the 3 ring binder look! Julee has DEFINITELY done it again with the sentiments. The Courage sentiment I used here is amazing and believe me, there are more amazing sentiments included in this set!

I used some decorative Pink Paislee paper to mat the book as well as Select White and Dark Chocolate. The butterfly was stamped on Select White using Cocoa Momento and then colored using a blender pen and Raspberry Fizz ink pad. The rhinestone flourish is from Zva and the decorative brad is from Basic Grey. I also added some Raspberry Fizz CS!

I hope you enjoy the rest of the sneak peeks this week! Have a great day! ~Lynda

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From Diva Shannan

Good morning, y'all! I hope you're excited to see the new sets that Julee has for you this month...you'll love them, I'm sure of it! I had to use this quote for my first project with Blue Skies...it was one that I requested, and I couldn't have imagined it any better!

I paired the sentiment with one of the flourishes from the set, overstamped in Antique Linen Distress Ink. I also stamped the small butterfly in Tea Dye, colored it with Copics, and cut it out to "fly" off the edge of the card. I had to cover it with Stickles, of course! Some October Afternoon paper and silk ribbon were the perfect balance of shabby and chic, and I finished everything off with some sponging with various Distress Inks. Now it's ready to send to someone who I know could use a lift!

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From Diva Laurie

I was trying to be more "professional" in my description at the beginning of this post, but now I get to tell you in my own words what I think of this set!  AH-MAZING!!  I flipped when I saw this set!  For real.  Literally flipped!  I mean, just LOOK at that notebook page!!  Oh, and the flourishes and butterflies....{{{HUGE happy sigh}}}!  Honestly, I can't wait for you all to see this set!! 

For me, this card was all about that super cute notebook page image!!  Honestly, I was so giddy stamping with it, I barely noticed what other goodies I was adding to me card!  ((giggle))  I tried out some new Bo Bunny patterned paper using some "new for me" colors.  At first I thought the notebook page got a little washed out by the busy pattern (and since my card was ALL about the notebook page, that wouldn't do LOL!), so I threw on a piece of embossed vellum cardstock.  A few buttons, some ribbon and lace, and one heart later my card was finished!  :-)

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To celebrate this new release, there are some Release Week Challenges going on over at the Verve Forum!  Not only are they a fun way to jump start your creativity, but if you complete all of them, you will be entered for a chance to win the ENTIRE VERVE JUNE RELEASE!  OH yeah, that's what I'm talking about!  :-)

Speaking of the new release, we would love for you to join us for the Release Party over at the Verve Forum this Friday (June 25th) at 9 p.m. ET!!  We will be there chatting it up, sharing projects made with the new stamps, announcing all the contest winners, and of course revealing the new sets!


Like what you’ve seen so far? Just leave a comment here on this post before 6 PM Eastern on Friday, June 25th and you’ll be put in a drawing to win this set! Winners will be announced at our release party that night.

Three Great Companies, One Great Cause

Hi Verve fans!  Today, I've got a little heartfelt public service announcement to make.  Our friend and Diva extraordinaire, Susan Liles, could use a helping hand.  Susan's been on the Verve team for over 2 years, and her bright, bubbly personality has had me laughing so hard I cried too many times to count.  She's an incredibly talented stamper, but also inspiringly upbeat, always willing to lend a helping hand, and shines so much light into the world that you just can't help but smile when you think of her. 

Well, Susan and her family could use a little light shining their direction right now.  Her husband, Eric, has been undergoing treatment for a very aggressive form of lymphoma the last few months. He's a fighter, but round after round of chemo has left him out of sick days at work with medical bills piling up. And I think we can all agree that there's enough stress in focusing on getting someone better without the headache of a mounting stack of bills looming in the back of your mind. 

So to give a little sunshine back to the Liles family, Verve has teamed up with 2 exceptional stamp companies, The Cat's Pajamas and My Favorite Things for a benefit sale. Save 10% when you shop our stores Friday, June 18 through Sunday, June 20 and we'll pass a portion of every sale on to the Liles family!   You get to save some dough on new stamps, and in the process help the Liles focus their energy on getting Eric better, instead of worrying about how to pay for it all.  Sounds like a win/win to me!  If you want, you can read more about Eric's cancer journey on Susan's blog, and if you feel led to lend a helping hand through a direct donation, there's a "donate" button on her sidebar, too. 

Ready Set Stamp Challenge: Seeing Stars

Hi there, Verve fans!  It's Julee here with the next installment in our monthly Ready, SET, Stamp challenge!  With the 4th of July quickly approaching, it seems I've got stars on my mind.  One of my favorite Verve star sets is Seeing Stars, so this month I'm challenging you to pull out this oldie but goodie and get it inky!  I love the patterned stars in this set - they make it easy to make your own backgrounds and create your own fun embellishments and focal points.  Plus they lend themselves to both masculine and feminine styles, which is two thumbs up in my book!  If you don't have Seeing Stars, you can pick it up at 20% off through July 16 - that's the challenge deadline, so you've got plenty of time to create!

For my sample card, I paired Seeing Stars with the June Week 3 Viva la Verve! challenge.  I loved the parisian feel to the second inspiration photo and I've been waiting for the perfect excuse to pull out this Zebra print flocked paper I got at Hobby Lobby a while back.  I used the stripey star stamped in melon mambo to mimic the stripes in the bedding, then embossed the Emerson quote on a deckled rectangle, which I inked up with some melon mambo ink.  The little horizontal strip is cut with a Tim Holtz On the Edge Die and I embossed it with a Cuttlebug stitches border.  The stars are cut out and matted with black, then covered with a mixture of glitter and diamond glaze for a glitzy glam look.

For more inspiration, be sure to check out the fabulous cards from our Divas in the Seeing Stars Design Team Album, and you can also check out cards uploaded by customers in our SCS gallery.

Contest Details:
To play along, submit a link to a new card or project (posted June 17 or later) using Verve's Seeing Stars set before 8PM Mountain on Monday, July 16 and we'll pick a winner to receive a $30 gift certificate to the Verve Store!

Click the red link that says "click here to enter" at the bottom of this post for the entry form. Please type your name or screen name in the Caption or Title field, then choose the link and photo you'd like to enter. If you're linking to a blog, please link directly to the specific blog post where your card is posted, and not your general blog url.}

Note: If you have problems linking your card (especially from SCS), try entering the link to your card, then choosing From File instead of From Web. Then just browse to where your picture is saved on your computer to get your thumbnail.  Keywords for uploading to online galleries are:  VSSTARS and VERVE.

Okay, good luck and have fun! 

Up Up & Away Challenge WINNER

Hey Verve fans! It's Julee, popping in again to announce the winner of our Up, Up & Away Ready, SET, Stamp Challenge!  Thanks so much to everyone who played along!  I just loved seeing all your whimsical creations with Up, Up & Away - it's one of my all-time favorite sets I've designed and seeing y'all get it inky just made me smile.  Okay, enough chitchat.  On with the winner's announcement.

And the Verve-alicious winner is  ...

Vera who made this whimsical little clean & simple card.  I just love how she built on the design in the patterned paper, and the teeny little white mat around the perfectly cut out images gives such a professional look.   To finish it off, the Best of Luck sentiment from Great Expectations embossed in white balances the card out beautifully.

Congratulations Vera! Email me at contests@vervestamps.com to claim your $30 gift certificate.

Okay, that wraps it up for this challenge.  Stay tuned (either later today or tomorrow) for the announcement of the next Ready, SET, Stamp challenge!  I'm sure we just might find a STAR or two in our midst! (hint, hint)  ;-)

Sizzlin' Summer Fun Project Parade : WINNERS

Hey Verve fans! I'm just popping in to quickly announce our project parade winners!
The Divas did such a FABULOUS job with our Sizzlin' Summer Fun Project Parade, don't you think?  Each day I just kept dropping my jaw a little bit more - such incredibly inspiring projects and ideas.  Love these gals!  And y'all made some super fabulous creations as well.  So much stampy goodnesss all in one place!  :)  Thanks to everyone who participated - it's so much fun seeing what you create.

And Random.org picked #7...

Terri who made this sweet little clean & simple card with a splash of summer fun.  :) The sentiment is from Party Time (which is actually on sale right now!), and I just love the way she used all those different prints!  Be sure to check out her blog to see it in all its glory!

Congrats Terri! Email me at contests@vervestamps.com to claim your $30 gift certificate.

We also had a mystery gift hidden along the parade. This month's prize was hidden in Michelle's post. Didn't you just adore her sweet little birthday treats?  Such summery fun, I tell ya!  Be sure to check it out if you missed it - it's definitely worth a click!  :)



Our random comment winner is...
Marisa who said... "Love how you used the bright colours together. Totally summer and a great set." She wins her choice of any Verve set.

Congrats Marisa! Send an email to contests@vervestamps.com with your choice of set and shipping address and I'll get your prize out to you.

Thanks again to everyone who played along!  If you're still up for some fun, you have until June 14 to get your Up, Up & Away cards or projects enterd in our Ready, SET, Stamp challenge for another chance to win some Verve!

May Project Parade--Day 15--The End

Well, it's me, Susan and I'm here to be the caboose of this May Project Parade Party Train! Hasn't it been a great ride?! All the wonderful projects have been absolutely stunning and I'm always amazed at how all the Divas come up with so many creative ideas. Great job, girls!

Even though summer has not officially started yet, it certainly feels like it here in Texas! This weekend we are already looking at highs to be around 102-105 degrees! Along with the end of May/beginning of June comes high school and kindergarten graduations, of which my family has one of each! (Crazy, I know!) So I had already made the high schooler a little gifty with some money in it, but I needed to come up with something fun to give to my kindergarten graduate, Audrie.


I thought it would be fun to make a "crayon box" of sorts but for sidewalk chalk (hopefully it will cool down a little so it will be fun to use outside). I designed this box similar to a 2-4-6-8 box, but with a few modifications to fit 8 pieces of Crayola brand chalk that I picked up at the grocery store and wrapped with some 2" strips of paper (I hate the feel of chalk! It totally oogs me out!). The box measures 3 5/8" by 4 1/2" by 2" and the handle is 1 1/2" wide.

Audrie's nickname is "Audrie Awesome", so I knew I had to use the sentiment stamps from Verve's Happy Days set to help congratulate her in her kindergarten accomplishment and again tell her how awesome she is. She really is (but then again, I'm biased.)!!

I stamped the big Hibiscus flower from the Plain Jane Collection and punched it out and then matted it on another circle and scallop circle to serve as the fastener to keep the box closed. I used temporary adhesive for this, but I would suggest using Velcro if you want to be able to carry it by the handle with something a bit heavy inside. I just didn't want to look for where the Velcro was in my bucket o' embellishments--I've been too busy with all this graduation stuff and took a shortcut this time!

I hope you've loved every minute of this Project Parade as much as I have! As with every Project Parade, we've got prizes! You still have until Monday to get your Summer Sizzle on and create a HOT project. Here's some more details on how this all works:

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There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creation (posted May 17 or later) to the linky widget on the Day 1 parade post before midnight on June 7th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we LOVE to see 'em!

2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we parade our Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (May 17 ~ June 4) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

May Project Parade - Day 14

Hi everyone!  Laurie here, and I am excited to be able to share my "Sizzlin' Summer Fun" project with you (although it's not easy following in the footsteps of the rest of the Divas!!)!  :-)

Having four kids, Summer is as much about the fun "treats" as it is about the weather!  :-)  One of those special Summer treats that our family especially enjoys is smores!  We even have a small fire pit on our property near our house (we live waaaay out in the country) and love to have campfires several times a week.  It never fails, that when we have company over for dinner...we somehow end up out by the fire!  LOL!  Well, I thought it would be fun to "plan" for it...and made up these cute little "smore kits"!

I started by stamping some large glassine bags using one of the decorative stamps in the Relax set and some Palette ink (it will dry and not smear on the glossy bag surface).  I then filled the bags with everything needed for several delicious smores - graham crackers, marshmallows, and of course a Hershey bar!!

For the "tags", I combined stamps from the Relax and Happy Days sets with some left over patterned paper (by Stampin' Up!) that I found in my stash.

On each of the tags, I added a punched bottom border, a wooden heart, and some satin ribbon.

Here's a close-up picture of the stamped glassine bags. 

So, what do you think?  What fabulous projects have you been using your new Verve stamps for?  There's still time for you to play along with us (Psssst, there's prizes involved if you do)!  But hurry, because the deadline is approaching fast!  Here's some more info on how to enter...

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As with all of our Project Parades, we’ve got prizes! There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creation (posted May 17 or later) to the linky widget on the Day 1 parade post before midnight on June 7th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we LOVE to see 'em!

2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we parade our Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (May 17 ~ June 4) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

May Project Parade - Day 13

Good morning everyone, it's Sankari here :) Haven't all the summer sizzilin' projects been HOT HOT HOT!!! Simply and totally awesome! Don't forget that you have until June 7 to submit your totally rad creations for a chance to win!!

Summer always reminds me of cooking with garden vegetables and sauteing with freshly picked herbs. One of my very good friends is an amazing gardner and is a wonderful cook - and she loves the colors yellow and teal. So I decorated a terracotta pot for her using the Happy Days and One Person stamps and wanted to give her this special present

I painted the pot with her favorite colors and then stamped the beautiful flowers from the One Person stamp set . The circle image in the center is also from this same stamp set. I love that these stamps are clear because it is easy to see where to stamp and also to bend the stamp a little to match the curve of the pot. I stamped the sentiment: "You're So Amazing" and used the stamps from the Happy Days stamp set to create this sentiment. This side of the pot says: "You're So....

And the other side of the pot says: "Amazing". After stamping and then coloring the pot, I added some liquid pearls - really - I couldn't help myself - what can I say - I simply {heart} liquid pearls :).

For the finishing touch - I sprayed an acrylic protective finish onto the pot so that it seals the paint in and can be displayed outside even in inclement weather. I planted some basil into the pot and hope that she gets a big smile on her face everytime she goes to use her basil plant!

Here's a picture of the plant outside after the rainstorm:

I loved creating this little basil pot for my friend and can't wait to give it to her! Speaking of giving away.... As with all of our Project Parades, we’ve got prizes! There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creation (posted May 17 or later) to the linky widget on the Day 1 parade post before midnight on June 7th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we LOVE to see 'em!

2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we parade our Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (May 17 ~ June 4) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!