Winter Release Project Parade--Day 6

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Well, it's me, Susan and I'm here with Day 6 of our Verve-alicious Project Parade.
Well, it's me, Susan and I'm here with Day 6 of our Verve-alicious Project Parade.
Well, it's me, Susan and I'm here with Day 6 of our Verve-alicious Project Parade.
No, ya'll aren't seeing triple, I'm just getting into character and the spirit of our theme this month--The Triple Play! Jen challenged all the Verve Divas to come up with something in triplicate. This can be to create three different things that all coordinate (like a bag, a card and a tag) or to create three different cards or three different tags--just something in a group of three, it's up to you.


I went with this little box trio that hold a trio of goodies inside! It's a template that you can find and download HERE. So that means it's completely handmade (and super cheap)!


Wanna see what's inside? Keep reading...


Let's open the first one. Here we have some Hershey miniature chocolates that I wrapped with stamped Avery Address Labels. I used the Merry Wishes set for the snowflake flowers and the Holiday Phrases set for the sentiments. Can ya'll believe this little box holds almost the entire bag of chocolate? I had to exclude the Special Dark bars because they didn't match. And coincedence--they are my favorites (and they are gone.).


I filled the second box with 6 (because it's divisible by 3) tags ready to place on some brown paper packages tied up with strings. I finally got a chance to use my new Sweet Scallop Tag stamp along with the Sweet Scallop Tag Die that matches. At the same time I cut the stamped tags out, I also cut another tag in order to make the accent piece across the middles fit perfectly. The "to/from" stamp is from the set, Glad Tidings and was the perfect size for my little tags and the red berries are from the crazy fun Merry Wishes set.


And thirdly, I made a rosette ornament using the Vintage Oval Frame stamp and Vintage Oval Frame Die to match the front of the tray that holds all three boxes. The sentiment on the ornament is again from the Glad Tidings set.



Ok, well, that's all for now. Not a complicated project, just a lot of stamping, 6 different papers (again in keeping with 2 sets of three) and "putting together". I think ya'll can do it if you feel like duplicating it--or triplicating it, I should say!


NOTE: Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, there won't be a new post tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! (I know we have TONS to be thankful for this year!) Don't forget to stop back by on Friday, though as we have lots more to show! Say that three times fast.

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Challenges and Prizes:
---- One lucky contestant who plays along with the Triple Play Challenge, will receive the entire January Release AND will be our Guest Diva for the month of January!!! WOOHOO!!!

---- As always, we've hidden a little prize along the parade. A lucky random commenter on one of the official Parade Posts (11/17 through 12/7) will receive a $25 Verve gift certificate!! Woot!!!

View all the challenge and prize details and submit your Triple Play Challenge projects using the official Project Parade Entry Form and check out all the details of this month's project parade!!!!

August Release Project Parade--Day 9

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Well hi there friends, and welcome back this week to the Verve Project Parade for August. It's me, Susan! As a reminder, the theme this month is "Something Old, Something New". It's been forever since I've been to a wedding, so I wasn't inspired to go that direction. So I considered that since the idea of the theme was to use something old (older Verve stamps) along with something new (newer Verve stamps), just me being the "something old" wouldn't work. Teehee!

One of my very first favorites from Verve was Petals and Stems. I decided to pair it up with the Happy Hello set that was just released in August. I even grabbed something old and used something new from my stash--this little library card along with several new steel dies I've accumulated recently! I picked a few of these library cards up two years ago at the teacher store here near my house (it's authentic!).

I love how the flowers from Petals and Stems layer so cutely on top of the little felt flowers. I made the envelope myself and it really does open, but I haven't got anything inside it (yet). The library card is all sparkly, too, since I sprayed it with Marshmallow Glimmer Mist. It's a very happy little card and I can't wait to make another one like it!

We hope you get to whip up something happy and play along with us. Come on, it'll keep you young!! Here's all the details about how to try and win some VERVE!

1. Play along with us and link up your new SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW creation (posted August 25th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY 1 PARADE POST before midnight on Wednesday, September 15th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store.

2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we parade our SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

Verve Project Parade~Day Three...

Well, it's me, Susan. We've already reached Day Three of this month's Verve Project Parade! Last time (May), I think I was last in the Project Parade, and now here I am third up to bat! I've loved both Jen's and Amber's projects. I've actually seen Jen's in person and it's better than the pictures. I'm sure Amber's is too.


Here's mine. I just have to tell ya'll that the whole time I was putting this together, Lee Greenwood was singing, "Proud to be an American" in my head over and over. (There. Now he can be a broken record in your head too! Sorry, 'bout that!) It's a good song, though.


I love this month's theme--My HERO, so I thought I'd make something fun and patriotic...gotta love the RED, WHITE AND BLUE!!!


I've known from the minute I saw this stamp set, American Hero, that I wanted to make a little mini tag book using most of the sentiments from the set. So when Jen came up with this theme, I figured it would fit right in and be the perfect thing to make!


I started working on this a while back, but had to put it on the back burner to help out MY hero, my husband Eric, while he was in the hospital getting cancer treatments. I was glad to get to working on it again and see it come to fruition, which also meant he was feeling better!


I've had the acrylic tag book for quite a while, having good intentions to make something great of it someday. (Ya'll wouldn't know that habit, now would you?) So this little book was my first choice when I was deciding the format of my mini album. I only embellished the one side of each tag, so that pictures could be adhered to the other, but it's not even necessary, as it's cute just on its own!


What really helped this project along, was just "not thinking" too hard about layouts to begin with. I stamped the sentiments and stars (all from American Hero) randomly on various papers, cut them with different Nestabilities and made some embellishments using the patterened paper I had purchased for this project (Creative Imaginations), some adhesive rhinestones, brads and one Maya Road Star stickpin (couldn't resist).


Then I just started putting things together according to what went well and didn't blend too much with the papers I had already randomly adhered to the acrylic album (used the big 510 Xyron machine). It wasn't hard to make at all! I hope ya'll like it! I'm thinking of who I can send it to. Maybe I'll just give it to Eric. (smiles) No, he's not in the military, but to our family, he's a SUPERHERO!

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And as with all of our project parades, there are prizes!!!!

1. Play along with us and link up your new My Hero creation (posted July 12th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE parade post before midnight on July 30th. 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 My Hero creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (July 12 ~ July 28) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

I can't wait to see all your Hero projects, so link 'em up!:)

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. 

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!

Spring Fling: Challenge 4

Well, it's me, Susan here and I'm next to give ya'll a little challenge. My challenge is to MAKE A TAG (or two or three!). I love making tags even if I don't have a special need for them in mind. You can always turn them into a card later on if you don't use them for anything!




I asked one of my newest online stamping and truly talented friends, Edna Morrisedie to join me in creating a sample tag. Here's what she did (and it's gorgeous!): I chose to use some cream acrylic paint with the flowers from Budding Blossoms, double stamping the stems on a Label 5 Nestability in Kraft card stock. I rubbed Distress Inks around the image starting with Milled Lavender at the base and then some sunny Scattered Straw and Worn Lipstick in the remaining space. I finished the background with some very subtle stamping of the Heart Foliage from Loves Flower, just to add some depth to the space.

The little sentiment, from Because of You, is hand cut in the same cream card that I built the framed border from, with some tiny tiny gems scattered strategically for a bit of spring buzzzzzz. This Month's Featured Stamp Set--Enjoy provided the little butterflies, stamped in vintage cream ink and dressed up with some more tiny gems, bringing in the purple and yellow this time.

Amazing, right? Now here's what I did up for ya'll using the new set, Let It Shine. I decided to make a little Tag Trio using my latest favorite Nestabilitie die, Curvy Rectangles...a Baby Boy, Baby Girl and another tag just for fun. I cut three different sizes out from my dies and used "graduating sizes" of suns which are cut out and popped up, sentiments, buttons and ribbons. I also had fun deciding on different ways to accentuate the centers of each of my suns (a brad, chunky glass glitter and bling!).

Anyway, I hope ya'll get to play with Edna and I and ALL the Divas and then I'd love to answer any questions and/or do a little chatting with you later tonight!

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So are you ready to have some more crafty fun? Just create a stamped tag and upload a photo to your blog or online gallery. Then click the image above to add your link using the Mr. Linky entry form. Entries are due by 11:59pm on Monday, March 8.

One lucky entry will win a $25 Verve Stamps gift certificate!

Have fun and good luck!

Tags, Treats and Tins--Day 11

Well, it's me, Susan here! I'm ready to start your week off with another installment of the Verve Project Parade--Tags, Treats and Tins! I've been admiring all the fabulous projects each Diva has come up with so far. Haven't ya'll? There are so many great creations and so much talent here!


If ya'll will recall, the inspiration piece from Julee, found HERE, was brought about by her recollection of her grandmother's house and the fun candy jars and tins she had in her entryway, just inviting Julee to partake of the candy goodness. (Possibly where she got her sweet tooth!?) My fondest recollection of my grandmother's house was that she lived in a high-rise building in Houston with my granddad and I loved to sit and spin in her sewing room chair until I was sick. I'm sure she gave me candy, too, but probably learned to wait until I was done spinning for very good reasons that we won't talk about here.


Anyway, I do know that she liked to cook and I also had a great aunt that made the best fig preserves in the whole United States of America and that's where I was reminded of these canning jars with the tin lids, and homemade goodness of all sorts.


Upon brainstorming for my project, a sweet blogging friend told me you could actually bake right in them after she had figured out that it was a great way to send baked goods overseas. So, like her, I made some blueberry muffins and "canned" them! I then added my crafty touch, drawing from the vintage feel of the inspiration piece.


I first made some soft background paper on cream cardstock using the Accent Notes set to mock the beige pattern of the tins in the picture. Then I added the heart shapes from Heart's Desire and the Heart Flutter Plain Jane and was sure to clear emboss over them to make the color more intense. The little tag sentiments were cut with my Basics 1 card and my Slice machine. I even made a little "lacy" ruffle around the band on the larger jar using a strip of tissue paper that I rumpled up A LOT, ran some gold ink over and taped it to the back. In fact, everything is accented in the sparkly Galaxy Gold ink from Tsukineko. I think these will make the perfect teacher gifts for my girls' Valentine's parties this week! Of course there was enough mix to make extra blueberry muffins (hello, breakfast!). Now if only I has some of Aunt Nellie's fig preserves....

So, now it's your turn! We'd love for you to play along with us and show us your Tags, Tins & Treats! Verve stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em, why not show 'em a little love? ;)

And, as with all of our project parades, we've got prizes!
To enter, just link up your NEW creation (posted Jan. 25 or later) to the Mr. Linky widget on THIS post before midnight MST on Monday, February 15. One lucky stamper will win a $25 gift certificate to the Verve Store.

And for another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout out in the comments as they parade their fabulous creations inspired by this month's theme. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (Jan 25 - Feb 14) will win their choice of any Verve set.

Celebrating You & Love Monkey Sneak Preview

Happy Tuesday everyone! It's Laurie here, and I have the incredible honor of kicking off the Sneak Peeks for this month's all new Verve release!! All week there will be peeks of brand new sets right here on the Verve blog...which leads up to the Release Party over at the Verve Forum!

Today, we're sharing peeks of two sets - Celebrating You (a set of 7 ) and Love Monkey (also a set of 7)! Here's what some of the Divas have to show you...
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From Jen del Muro...

(Artist Trading Card)

Julee is at it again!! She has created another series of wonderful image stamps and sentiments for this release. For this card, I used the new set, Celebrating You, which will be released on the 15th. I first created an ATC and then used it as a focal point on the card. This is kind of a new way for me to create a card. I usually work from the base up on a card, but using this design "technique" I work from the top to the base. It's a fun way to get the mojo going since you really only have to concentrate on a 2.5" x 3.5" focal point.
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From Mercy Kerin...

Hi Everyone! It's Mercy, and I'm here with a little peek at one of the new sets being released this month called "Love Monkey". If you're looking for a cutie-patootie and whimsical set, then this one is for you! I adore this little monkey, and there are also several sentiments to choose from in order to convey your particular thought or wish. I stamped and embossed this sweet little fella in chocolate onto watercolor paper, then colored him with blush and caramel inks. I created a chipboard frame to showcase him, and covered it with a piece of paper from the Love Me Do patterned paper collection by My Mind's Eye. I added some sewing around the large kraft background panel, and pierced one edge of the plaid patterned paper strip at the bottom of the card. I punched out three heart sections from one of the pieces of patterned paper with a 1/2" Circle Punch, and added some sparkle to each one with some Christmas Red Stickles. I added another patterned paper heart to the lower left corner using the Heart-to-Heart Punch, and sponged the edges in red ink. A little distressing, numerous Dimensionals, and a whimsical sentiment later...you have my completed card. I hope you've enjoyed this sneak peek, and I hope that you will be back tomorrow to see what some of the other Divas have up their sleeves!
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From Susan Liles...

Hello Verve fans! It’s me, Susan. Are ya’ll ready for another Verve release? If so, hold on tight, because it’s going to be a wild ride! The stamps this time are exquisite, but we don’t expect anything less from Julee, now, do we? I’m sharing a card with you today using the new Celebrate You set. It consists of 7 stamps; 6 of which are some fabulous and unique sentiments and the last one is that fun flourish I used to make an awesome handcut border on this card. I thought the sentiment called for a masculine look, so that’s the direction I took (this time!). The sentiment and border is heat embossed. It reminded me of the trendy “tattoo” look in menswear, as I paired it with argyle paper and a little fleur de lis texture with some shimmer on the black panel. I can almost smell the cologne counter in Macy’s! Hunky!_____________________________________________________________

From Laurie Schmidlin...

Woooowie! That's what I said when I saw these new stamps!! Seriously...I was giddy with new stamp excitement! Julee has outdone herself...and I can't WAIT for you to see them!! There is something so unique about Julee's style...fun and whimsical meets grown-up elegance and sophistication! Even this sweet, sweet monkey...I mean, HOW CUTE IS HE!?!?!!! I tell ya, he stole my heart the minute I saw him!
I created my card with a masculine theme in mind...something I could give to my DH. Because I had to refrain from using my beloved lace, pearls, and bling I came up with another way to add interest to my card - a pull-out tag! I used some string to "hold" the tag in place and added just a few embellishments - all fitting my "non-frilly" guy theme!
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Like what you’ve seen so far? Just leave a comment here on this post before 6 PM Eastern on Friday, January 15 and you’ll be put in a drawing to win this set! Winners will be announced at our release party Friday night.

And for even more chances to win some Vervey goodness, be sure to check out the Release Week Challenges going on in the Verve Forum this week!

Blog PaRtY: Challenge 4

Hi everyone! How's your day so far? Ready for another challenge??? This one comes from Susan Liles and Jen del Muro...

Who’s gobbled up enough turkey to last them until next year? I know at the Liles’ house, we are “stuffed” to the waddle! So rather than dwelling on having to eat those leftovers AGAIN, Jen del Muro and I thought it would be fun to engage ya’ll in a little MINI PIZZA BOX challenge to get our minds off that turkey! As a matter of fact, just go ahead and call up Papa John’s while you make your little box!

The MINI PIZZA BOX is a lot of fun to put together and there are so many ways to embellish it! It’s the perfect size to hand to someone for a little “thank you” gift. Filled with peppermints, chocolate, gift cards or a wrapped up large cookie inside it makes for an inexpensive way to let someone know you are “thanking” of them. It’s also SUPER EASY to make and they come together really quick. The finished size is 4x4x1 inches.

{HERE} is link to a very short and simple tutorial on Splitcoast written by our very own Jen del Muro. You'll be hooked in no time!

And here's some sneaky peeky inspiration from Jen and Susan to get the juices flowing...

Designed by Jen del Muro
Jen's sample uses stamps from the new Thankful Accents set.

Designed by Susan Liles
Susan's sample uses stamps from the new Thankful Hearts set

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To play along, just make a new handmade creation using the pizza box template. Post a picture of your creation online and link us to it using the Mr. Linky widget below. Enter by 10pm Mountain on Monday, 11/30 for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Verve!

Here are the rules, they're pretty easy:

• Each entry must be unique and new
• Please do not combine any of today's 5 blog party challenges
• You may combine with any other types of challenges (SCS, blogs, etc)
• Verve stamps are NOT required
• If possible, please link back to this post when you upload your creation
• Have fun!

Home for the Holidays: Day 11

Well, it's me, Susan! Someone told me ya'll like easy and inexpensive projects! So today I have another idea that fits both of those categories! I've had this project in mind for quite some time now and was waiting for just the right opportunity to make and share it! Then when Julee came out with these wonderful Christmas stamps, especially this larger sentiment and these cute Christmas trees from the set, Christmas in the Air, it all clicked!

It started out as a plain wooden Organizer Box from Glue Art and Paper Studio. Now it's a wonderful way to display and store my Christmas cards that I'll be collecting as the season goes by. I spray painted it red and then sealed it with a Matte Clear Spray sealant.

I then made the panels to fit each side using some fun paper from Making Memories and my trusty Old Olive cardstock from SU!. They were easily adhered with Scor-Tape to make sure they will be staying on for the long haul! Then I made the little framed piece with my Slice machine and Noteworthy card.

I stamped the trees on some more of the patterned paper and covered them with Diamond Dust for a little sparkle and attached them as well. The fun felt snowflakes were added to each end of the box "just because". See? An easy, pretty and inexpensive way to wow your Christmas visitors with your cards on display!

So, now it's your turn! We'd love for you to play along with us and show us your homemade goodies for the upcoming giving season! Verve stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em, why not use 'em?

And, as with all of our project parades, we've got prizes!
To enter, just link up your Home for the Holidays creation to the Mr. Linky widget at Day One's post before midnight MST on Thursday, November 26. One lucky stamper will win a $30 gift certificate to the Verve Store. And for another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout out in the comments as they parade their fabulous creations inspired by this month's theme. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (Nov 11 - 25) will win their choice of any Verve set.