Project Parade - Day 4: Divine Details

Hey There! Jen Tapler here with the fourth day of this Project Parade of "Divine Details". OK, I have to admit...when the Divas were told what the theme for this month's Project Parade was, I freaked out a little. Mostly because I felt like my designs are pretty straight-forward, clean and simple projects that just aren't very DETAILED!! But when I sat down and started really thinking about my creative process, I realized that I actually DO have a process!! Especially when I'm in panic mode and therefore my MoJo is nowhere to be found!! LOL!

So today I'm sharing with you a little secret of mine...I have a very basic, simple "Go-To layout" that I tend to fall back on time and time again. Now, don't get me wrong - I think I'm easily able to fool most of you by moving things around slightly, adding different embellishments here and there or even sometimes (like today) throwing in an extra layer!! But when I started browsing through my Verve Gallery, I realized I use this basic layout quite a bit (so I'm thinking that says I either lose my MoJo more often than I care to admit OR I'm not as creative as I thought!! HA!).

Anyway, here's a look at the card I made using Verve's Just for You and Abundant Blessings stamp sets, then I'll break things down for you:

When I sat down to create this card, I started out like I almost always do - with a few pieces of coordinating patterned paper (in this case I chose some of the Sonoma line from Scenic Route) and a handful of stamp sets that might work well with those papers. Next I gathered up other coordinating cardstock and embellishments that might make their way onto the card as well as any tools I might use. At this point, I still typically have no plans for a layout or sketch, but I do usually know what elements I want to include on my card.

The next step is usually where I get stuck - coming up with an original sketch or layout for my card. When I'm feeling stuck I fall back on this basic plan: Go with a vertically oriented card and divide it into 2 parts (one part being approximately 1/3 and the other 2/3 the height of the card). Two of my coordinating patterned papers will make up those 2 sections. And voila! There's my standard layout. There are lots of variations on this layout, as you can see in my Verve Gallery HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

After I've decided to use my standard "Go To Layout", the other steps are pretty straight forward - decide what goes where and add the details!! And it usually goes a little something like this:
1. Can I use Kraft on this card? (the answer to this question for me is almost always YES!!)

2. What papers look best where - this is usually a matter of trial and error for me. I usually try to lay my pieces of DP next to each other in various positions to determine what works best, then I start cutting. LOTS of times I end up deciding my original idea just doesn't look good and I have to re-cut and play around a bit before finding something that works.

3. Stamp. I usually stamp a few different combinations of ink colors. For example, for this card I stamped the circle once in Kiwi Kiss and once in Versafine Vintage Sepia and then stamped the sentiment inside each circle in the OTHER color. I knew I wanted to mat the stamped circle with a Chocolate Chip scalloped circle, but wasn't sure which ink combo would look best. So I cut both out and just tried them. At this point I could see that the circle was gonna need something else, and I thought flowers, so I dug through my Verve stamps and decided the flowers in Abundant Blessings looked good with the DP I had chosen, so I stamped them a few times on several coordinating pieces of cardstock (Dusty Durango, Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa, and Kraft) before deciding which would look best.

4. Add some ribbon across the Printed Paper dividing line - I almost ALWAYS use ribbon and grosgrain is my weakness (probably because I find it easiest to tie). And I NEVER tie a bow. Because I suck at bows. I keep it simple and just tie a knot!

5. Add the finishing touches - in this case, I added an extra layer consisting of a 3rd coordinating DP, a few corduroy brads, and some stitching around the entire thing.

6. The last thing I do is glue it all down. I always finish each layer individually and then "assemble" it without adhesive first to make sure it looks OK. Once it's all good to go, I add my adhesive. And I'm a sucker for some dimensionals!! As some of the other divas before me have mentioned - just adding some depth to your cards really gives them that extra "oomph"!

Here's a closer look at some of the details and dimension on this card (and trust me, this is pretty darn detailed for me!!)

So that's it. Like I said, nothing too fancy about my design process. We'd love to have you play along with us this month! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your Divine Details. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we love to see 'em! Then just add a link to your creation to the Mr. Linky form in this post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, August 1. Two lucky participants will win a stamp set of their choice from the Verve Store. We've also hidden another $25 gift certificate somewhere along the parade for a random commenter. So if you like what you see, be sure and give a little shout out in the comments of each post! Have fun and good luck!

October Project Parade - Day 4

Hi everyone, it's Michelle! Welcome to Day 4 of the Project Parade. If you are following along, you know the challenge this month is to emboss, wet or dry.

I needed to make a very special thank you card using my new Creative Memories DP Bountiful. The colors on this paper are so peaceful and rich I decided to emboss everything with copper and use the Abundant Blessings set again. I just LOVE the cat tails image, there is something so graceful about it. The butterflies are from Petals and Stems and the sentiment is from Artful Elegance. I cut out the butterflies and watercolored them with reinkers and used copper brads for the little heads. The ribbon bow was shot a few seconds with my heat gun, and it curls ever so slightly. This is a REALLY cool effect. Until recently, I didn't have a decent heat tool, so it never worked before. But now, I am happy as a clam :-). Some small piercing in the corners and sponging finishes off panels.

So, you wanna play along with us and have a chance to win $15 in Verve Bucks? Just upload your creation to this post by noon on Friday, October 24th. If you upload to SCS, use the keyword VVPP07 so we can see all the embossed creations in one place! A random participant will be drawn on October 25th to receive $15 in Verve Bucks to spend at the Verve Stamps store! Thanks for stopping by!

Card Deets:

Stamps - Abundant Blessings, Artful Elegance, Petals and Stems

Paper - soft sky, very vanilla, Tawny Dark prism paper, Creative Memories DP Bountiful

Ink - Versamark, soft sky and blue bayou reinkers

Accessories - copper brads, organdy ribbon, paper piercer, sponge, copper EP

Kraft Obsession

Over the past few months, I have become obsessed with kraft cardstock! So needless to say, I was overjoyed when Shannan told the Verve team that the Project Parade for this month was going to be all about "Gettin' Krafty"! Yippee!!!

I like to use kraft cardstock as the base for a lot of my cards. It's such a great neutral, and a nice change from the Whisper White or Very Vanilla cardstock. The first thing I did was use my SU scallop punch to make a scalloped edge on the right side of my card only. I really liked the look of the scallops only on one side. Then I ran it through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dot embossing folder.

The Abundant Blessings flower image was stamped directly onto designer paper and then cut out and mounted onto the Kiwi Kiss embossed layer using dimensional tape. I tied some natural colored hemp cording through a button and used that as the center of my flower. Then sentiment comes from the Verve Birthday Surprise set. Both of these sets are so versatile and can easily be used interchangeably.

Are you thinking about getting krafty with us too? Then upload your card to this post no later than Tuesday, September 30th to be eligible to win $15 in Verve Bucks! If you upload your card to SCS, be sure and use the code VVPP06 so we everyone can see it. A random participant will be drawn on October 1! Get Krafty!!!

Abundantly Krafty!

I don't know about you, but after seeing all the Diva's krafty projects, it's been making me pull the kraft cardstock out alot more! For my card, I chose to pair it with Kiwi Kiss and Chocolate Chip!

The base of my card is {obviously} kraft and then I cut a piece of the green floral print paper from the Urban Garden collection by SU! I mounted this on a piece of Chocolate Chip and then sewed them together. I also sewed a border around the whole background panel. The main image stamps are from Abundant Blessings. I stamped then in Chocolate Chip and in Versamark. The sentiment is from So Happy. I tied a piece of May Arts green satin ribbon around the background panel, added some Bazzill brads and wa-la! Super easy and elegant card! That's what I love most about Verve Stamps. They're all so elegant, I just love the fonts!

SO, if you're in a "krafty" mood, please feel free to join us! Upload your krafty creations to THIS post no later than noon on the 30th of September! If you upload to SCS, use the keyword "VVPP06" so we can all see your project! A random winner will be chosen on October 1st from all participants to win $15 Verve Bucks to spend in the Verve Stamps store! Yeah baby, that'll buy you some fun stamps! Good luck and have fun gettin' Krafty!

Gettin' Krafty Day Eight

Oh my, this has got to be one of my most favorite parades to date! I love the look of Kraft. For the longest time, I didn't even own any Kraft paper (gasp!). Surely, Stampin' Up's Creamy Caramel was close enough, I thought? NO!! Not even close. If you haven't picked up some Kraft before, do your neutrals a favor and add some Kraft to the mix - you won't regret it!

Like most of the other Divas, I chose to work with Abundant Blessings, a set that just begs to be paired with Kraft card stock and all things natural. Along with my Kraft card stock, I mixed in some of Stampin' Up's Ivory Naturals card stock, which has a nice, earthy, speckled look to it, and some retired Vintage Violet (for Jen's "Meet the Verve Diva" PURPLE challenge).

The flower images are stamped in Chocolate Chip craft ink, clear embossed, then colored with a water brush and a Vintage Violet reinker. In keeping with the natural theme, I added in some dry embossing using the Forest Branches Cuttlebug folder, tied on some natural hemp twine and linen thread, and then distressed the edges of most layers.

Wanna get Krafty, too? Just upload your creation to THIS POST no later than noon on September 30th. If you upload to SCS, please use keyword VVPP06. We can't wait to see how Krafty you can get! A random participant will be drawn on October 1st to receive $15 in Verve Bucks to spend at the Verve Stamps store! Good luck!

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Amy S~

Abundant & "Krafty" Blessings...

I just LOVE the versatility of Kraft c.s....so it was only natural (pun intended LOL!!) to pair it with my newest favorite Verve set, Abundant Blessings!




I embossed the silhouette flowers (from Abundant Blessings) using Chocolate Chip craft ink and Clear detail e.p. I added some "filler" using another one of the silhouette stamps inked in Sahara Sand. To create the quilted background, I lightly drew lines using a pencil at 1" intervals (mostly because I couldn't sew a straight line if my life depended on it LOL!). Then, I just stitched along the lines and afterward used an eraser to erase any leftover pencil markings. To finish the card, I added some Dew Drops, a sentiment tag (with some natural hemp and ribbon), and a scalloped lace edge (made with my Martha Stewart punch).


Want to win some Verve Bucks to spend in the Verve store? There's still time to participate! Just link your "krafty" creation in the comments on THIS post by September 30th, and a random winner will be drawn on October 1st. If you upload to Splitcoast, use keyword VVPP06.

Happy Monday, peeps! It's time for me to share my Gettin' Krafty creation. The challenge we issued is for you to use Kraft Paper or Natural Fibers on your project.

 I had so much fun playing with my Verve sets this weekend! My new Circle Nestabilities arrived on Saturday, so I knew I wanted to play with those. White, Black and Red are my favorite colors to use with Kraft paper. The white against the Kraft just pops right out! I also decided to use the SCS Dirty Dozen sketch (or my version of it anyway) for this challenge. Here's my card.

I stamped the circle element from Abundant Blessings in Versafine Black on Kraft paper. Then I highlighted the image with my Ranger White gel pen and colored the outside border with my Strong Red Copic marker. The borders were all cut out with my circle nestabilities.  I decided to add the small fern images stamped in Versamark onto the Kraft base to give it just a little something. To give my card some extra texture, I ran the Riding Hood Red panel through my Cuttlebug with my Forest Branches folder, then added the black panel across the bottom. Seven (Yes, SEVEN!) black brads and a sentiment from Fairy Tales added the finishing touches!

Have you gotten krafty yet?? No? You still have time to play with us! Just post your creation to this post by noon on September 30th. If you upload to SCS, use keyword VVPP06 so we can see all your Kraftiness in one place. A random participant will be drawn on October 1st to receive $15 in Verve Bucks to spend at the Verve Stamps Store! So what are you waiting for...go get Krafty!

Gettin' Krafty Day Three: Kraftly Floral Blessings

For this month's Verve Project Parade, I paired my kraft paper with black and Wild Wasabi, and some soft white edges. I love how crisp black is on kraft and the great look you can get with chalk, craft or hybrid inks, like I did here with VersaMagic's tea leaves color. Those Abundant Blessings flowers just pop in real life. I added just a tiny contrast of color to all that green with a pink Prima flower accent.

What's In It?
Stamps: Abundant Blessings (Verve)
Paper: wild wasabi, black, kraft (SU!)
Ink: onyx black (Versafine); cloud white, tea leaves (VersaMagic)
Accessories: ribbon (May Arts), ribbon tag trio and circle dies (Spellbinders), Score Pal, paper piercer (SU!), flowers (Prima), black licorice brads (Lasting Impressions), dimensionals

Have you pulled out your kraft paper yet? Or how about some other natural fiber material like hemp, twine, string, cotton, etc.? We can't wait to see YOUR project parade creations! Then link your project to this post for a chance to win $15 in Verve Bucks. Deadline: September 30. Keyword: VVPP06

Project Parade Day Two: Krafty Abundant Blessings

Susan kicked off the Septemeber Project Parade in style! I love the color combination that she used. It seems that I am reaching for the Kraft paper more and more these days. I don't know if it's just that I needed something new in the mix or what. Either way, I need to make sure I have a good stock of it at all times!

Each month we do the Project Parade so that you can see more ways to use the stamps that you just purchased from Verve Stamps and to get the creative juices flowing. Of course it wouldn't be a Verve-a-licious parade if there wasn't something in it for you! So....

Wanna get Krafty, too? Just upload your creation to THIS POST no later than noon on September 30th. If you upload to SCS, please use keyword VVPP06, so we can all drool over your Krafty loveliness! A random participant will be drawn on October 1st to receive $15 in Verve Bucks to spend at the Verve Stamps store! Good luck and go get Krafty!

Here's what I came up with. I used a Kraft base and added Kraft designer paper from Stampin' Up!. All the stamps shown are from the Abundant Blessings set that was released just last week. The "rope" that is tied across the cream panel is bundling rope I think. If my "rememberer" remembers correctly, I picked this stuff up in the Target $ Spot earlier in the year.

It's Time for September's Project Parade---Day One!

Who's Feeling Krafty?!! Can you believe it's already time for another Verve Project Parade? I am thrilled to be kicking it off this month and with the announcement that this month's theme would be "Gettin' Krafty"! I have always loved using Kraft cardstock. I know, I know, some of you out there shy away from it, but why? Because it's not girly enough? Because it lacks color? Because it looks like a paper bag? I tell you, I have a hard time NOT using it! To me, it's like a good ol' pair of comfy bluejeans that can go with anything! There's something so "earthy" about it, yet it can be dressed up or down. This time, I took a more modernistic, but still earthy approach with it, and used circles for my main images. Another look I love is stark white against the Kraft color, so I chose to heat emboss the main images with white embossing powder. I then added the brown cattails behind the embossed flowers--just a little "emboss resist" technique, I think. I don't know if that's the technical term for it or not. I stamped the brown right over the white and the embossed part resisted the ink, so that makes sense to me!

Wanna get Krafty, too? Just upload your creation to this post no later than noon on September 30th. If you upload to SCS, please use keyword VVPP06, so we can all drool over your Krafty loveliness! A random participant will be drawn on October 1st to receive $15 in Verve Bucks to spend at the Verve Stamps store! Good luck and go get Krafty!

Guest Diva Spotlight - Suzanne Dean

Today I'm happy to introduce you to another Guest Diva for September... welcome Suzanne Dean! I fell in love with Suzanne's designs from her blog Scrap Bitz...her coloring and style is amazing! You may have seen her on Splitcoast as suzannejdean as well. Let's get to know her, shall we?


1. When/how did you get hooked on stamping? I have been stamping for 5 years ever since one of my good friends became a Stampin' Up Demo. I had been scrapbooking for many years, but I really loved the selection of stamps and variety of ways you could use them. I have a degree in Computer Science but art has always been my true love and this allows me many ways to express it.

2. How often do you stamp? At least a couple of hours a day (mostly while my kids are in school or at night)--it's truly my escape and form of relaxation.

3. Tell me about your funniest or most embarrassing stamping related injury. I don't know if it's that funny but I actually stabbed a hatpin underneath my thumb nail and out the other side of my finger--a result of rushing to finish a project so I could start dinner. It is still hurting me--my left thumb is out of commission for awhile!

I love the feel of this card Suzanne created using So Happy and Abundant Blessings. The soft colors , the shimmer of the embossing powder, and the little pearl accents all make this card gorgeous!

Here's some more of Suzanne's Q & A:

4. How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with? It can take me anywhere from 1 to 5 hours. I usually have an idea of what I want to do, but sometimes the execution takes me awhile.


5. I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space. When I start a project my craft room has to be spotless and everything in its place or I can't think. After a project it looks like a tornado swept through, but I clean it all up before I start my next project. Crazy I know, but my mind doesn't work well when faced with lots of clutter and mess, not too mention losing things (which I have done)!

6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which craft tool could you not live without? Why? My Copics and Stampin' Up paper snips. This way I could color all the stamped images I brought with me and cut them out. I love to cut my images out and pop them up with dimensionals--I love the 3-D layered look. And 99% of the time, my images are colored with Copics--I just love them! This way when I got off the island I'd be able to go home and finish lots of projects--hee hee!!

I absolutely love this little scalloped circle card Suzanne made using the birdie from Birthday Surprise. He sparkles and shimmers, and she even created a little accent using Shrink Plastic and one of the birthday sentiments. So cute!!

And here's the end of Suzanne's Verve-i-view:
7. What is your biggest source of inspiration? Everything inspires me from gorgeous patterned paper to a beautiful ad in a magazine. I also love to visit other's blogs and see what they are creating--there are so many talented artists, how can you not but be inspired by them.

8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why? Let's see...any of the wonderful women who own their own stamp companies (Julee, Kim, Gina, etc.). That's been a dream of my own for awhile, someday maybe!

9. What is your favorite part of the creative process? Hands down it would be coloring. I have loved to color since I was a kid and it's just so relaxing. I love to pick out my patterned paper and then "decorate" my images the way I like them--there is nothing better!

This last project is probably my favorite of Suzanne's...I love the way she paper pieced the vase from Abundant Blessings and captured the softness and elegance with the sheer loopy bow and the added glimmer with the flowers.

Thanks again to Suzanne for playing with us this month. You can continue to see more of her Verve creations and other fabulous designs on her blog, Scrap Bitz. We're so lucky to have two fabulous guests for September!

We hope you have a wonderful weekend, and don't forget to mosey back here on Tuesday... Susan is kicking off a new Project Parade Challenge!!

Guest Diva Spotlight - Jennifer Meyer

Hello Verve Fans! We hope you had a great time at our Release Party on Tuesday night...we sure did! Thanks to all of you for making this a fabulous release!

Today is the day we turn the spotlight on Jennifer Meyer, who is one of our Guest Designers for September. You may know her from her blog, Jennifer's Sweet Designs, or from Splitcoast as Lovetostamp6. Today we get to learn a little about her and see some fabulous creations using the new Verve stamps!

I asked Jennifer a few fun questions about herself...here are the answers!

1.  When/how did you get hooked on stamping?

I got hooked on stamping about 5 years ago.  A friend of mine had several parties going on all on the same night.  While everyone was watching a Home Décor demonstration, I was in the other room playing with stamps from Stampin’ Up!  Needless to say, I was hooked immediately and about 6 months later I became a Stampin’ Up!  Demonstrator

2.   How often do you stamp?

I try to stamp every day but most of the time, it’s every other day.

 
3.   Tell me about your funniest or most embarrassing stamping related injury.

This is pretty silly, since I am left handed; I have to use my paper cutter upside down.  If anyone out there is reading this, I would LOVE a left handed paper cutter. LOL

Jennifer created this gorgeous card using the Abundant Blessings set. I love the soft colors she chose, and how she attached the tag with twine to create a natural feel. Simply gorgeous!!

Now, here's more of our Verve-i-view with Jennifer:

4.   How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with?

It usually takes a good hour or so.

5.   I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space.

Being a busy mom of 4, you know I can’t sit around and stamp all day so what is the next best thing… I power stamp, which then leads to a BIG mess everywhere!  Since my husband has to look at it, I clean my stamping space weekly and start all over again the following week! LOL

 6.  If you were stranded on a deserted island, which craft tool could you not live without? Why? Lately it’s been my Janome sewing machine but pretty much all of it!

I absolutely ADORE this card that Jennifer made with Black Tie Birdies. If you read Jennifer's blog or follow her SCS Gallery, you'll know that she loves the Verve Birdies! These are no exception...look how she created a cute little scene with these two lovebirds! I love every detail, down to the velvet ribbon and the balloon strings!

Now for the last few questions:

7. What is your biggest source of inspiration?  My biggest source of inspiration comes from the stamp itself and then the paper.  I LOVE when I see a stamp and know exactly what I am going to create with it.
8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why? That is way to hard to answer, if you LOVE stamps like I do, you LOVE it all!!

9. What is your favorite part of the creative process? My favorite part is the final piece and then putting it in an envelope and sending it out to someone special. 

The last card of Jennifer's that we're sharing today uses the So Happy set. I love how you can mix the stamps in this set to create your own sentiment...there are dozens of possibilities! Jennifer used her Nestabilities to show off the sentiment and added a little layered butterfly as an accent. Too gorgeous!

We're so lucky that Jennifer agreed to play along with us this month! You can read more about her and see more of her creations on her blog, Jennifer's Sweet Designs. Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to come back tomorrow for another Guest Spotlight!

Have a great day!

So Happy For Abundant Blessings

Actually, the title should read "So Happy AND Abundant Blessings." These are two of the sets that will be available on Wednesday, September 10. We hope that you will join us for the release party tomorrow evening in our SCS Member Company Forum HERE. We'll kick off the party at 10pm EST and you'll get to see set reveals, more sneak peeks and it wouldn't be a Verve party without some PRIZES!! Right now you have a chance to win the ENTIRE RELEASE by participating in the OSW (One Sheet Wonder) challenge. You can see all the details HERE.

We have several sneak peeks for you today, plus a chance to win these two sets, so I'll get on with the show...

From Verve Guest Designer, Suzanne Dean:

When I first saw this stamp set I knew I had to make a "Gratitude" Notecard Box with it. We all need these cards on occasion and what better gift to give someone. The great thing about this set is you can mix it up and make so many different sayings and sentiments with it. I also used Verve's Filigree Fantasy and Fairy Tales stamp sets for this project. That's what I love best about Verve, you can easily mix and match so many of their stamp sets. The notecard box is actually from Verve's own DT member Laurie Schmidlin's tutorial on SCS. Quick and easy to make, but wow what a lovely gift for someone to show your own gratitude.

From Verve Diva, Susan Liles:

When I first saw this set, Abundant Blessings, I fell instantly in love with the flower images in it! I love that there are three different sizes, making it easy to cut them out and layer them in so many ways. I had a really hard time choosing how I was going to stamp it with so many possiblities: Stamp in black and color? Then, Copics or Prismacolor pencils? Stamp them onto colored cardstock? Make my own background paper? Sponge them around the edges? Emboss the outline only? Seriously!! Endless possibilities here!! So as you can see I used a couple of those methods and I really like the simplicity of my end result! Much more playing to be done with this set...stay tuned!!

From Verve Diva, Bethany Paull:

I fell in love with Abundant Blessings the first moment I saw it, especially the silhouettes.  They make for such quick and elegant cards, like this one.  I knew I wanted sophisticated, so I chose my color palette of vanilla, black and kraft.  After stamping the florals (those are three separate stamps), I layered the panel with different sized borders.  The solid black vintage dies, as well as the vanilla strip behind them, add to the graphic feel of the card.  I added a few softening accents with the ribbon and tiny gemstones on the flowers and by the sentiment, which is from Artful Elegance.

From Verve Diva, Amy Sheffer:

The variety of images in Abundant Blessings is amazing, but I have to say it's the silhouette images that make this my all-time favorite Verve set to date. I've always wanted to try a Michelle Zindorf-inspired brayered scene, so I chose two of the Abundant Blessings silhouettes to frame an ocean horizon under a moonlit night sky. The water is coated with Stardust Stickles to make it glisten, just like the real thing. The moon, which is an ivory circle sponged with hints of yellow and blue, holds a sentiment from So Happy. With its mix-and-match format, So Happy is destined to become a staple in many stamp rooms!

From Verve Diva, Amy Westerman:

This new Verve set has the biggest images yet, and that makes me really happy! If you love large images like I do, Abundant Blessings is sure to please. The set is simplistic and filled with elements of nature, so my card took a simplistic turn too. No designer paper, and for the most part, no layers. Only two ink colors, white and brown, combined with two cardstock colors, Baja Breeze and Whisper White (on a Kraft base). What I love most about this set is the flexibility it gives you to take your cards in so many different directions. You can go simplistic and organic or bold and beautiful. The options are endless!

I like the options this new set, So Happy, gives me to mix and match my card sentiments! You can use the words as is, singly, or you can build your own small meaningful sentiments that are sure to touch the heart your recipient. This set contains only 12 words, yet the possibilities are endless. As you can see, I made a card that lets my recipient know that I am so thankful for them. Images from Abundant Blessings were used to create my own background paper, as well as a big, bold, beautiful layered flower! I love it! I am so excited to see all the fun cards and projects I can make using both these sets!

From Verve Diva, Laurie Schmidlin:

There are so many things that I like about this set...but my favorite is this flower! I love how there are different sizes...perfect for layering. This set is sure to become a Verve "classic"!
I paired the flowers with some more of my favorite things...red and white (I added some Kraft for contrast), an apple cinnamon candle, vellum, a tag, and of course some bling!

From Verve Diva, Jen del Muro:

The first thing that I thought when I saw these sets is "Oh the possibilities!" As I am sure that you have noticed, there are many! In a recent post on my own blog, I mentioned KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). There are so many times when I think that more is more, but some times the power of less stuff paired with vibrant colors is actually the more that I am looking for. Whatever your style is, I am sure that these stamps will be a perfect match!

We hope that you have enjoyed the previews of these 2 sets. Are you still wondering about that CHANCE TO WIN??? Just leave a comment on this post telling us one thing you're thankful for before Tuesday, September 9 at 8:00 Mountain time (10 PM ET, 9 PM CT, 7 PM PT) and we'll pick a random winner to receive both So Happy and Abundant Blessings. The winner will be announced during our release party that night on the Verve SCS Member Company Forum.

Be sure to check back tommorow when Verve Stamps will take flight with more sneak peaks! See you then!