Getting Sketchy

Hi Verve fans!  It's Julee popping in to give y'all the skinny on a couple of our current challenges!

First up, it's the first Monday of the month and that means Verve is sponsoring Mojo Monday this week. Play along with the Mojo 348 Sketch and link it up to the entry form on the Mojo Monday blog for a chance to win a set of your choice from Verve.  The more entries we have, the  more winners we choose, so play along as often as you like!  Contest deadline is 8PM mountain on Sunday, June 8.

Mojo 348 Contest

Here's my take on this week's challenge.  I adjusted it for a horizontal layout to fit the images I wanted to use from the new Wonderful Marvelous set...

by Julee Tilman using Wonderful Marvelous

Next up is our monthly Viva la Verve challenge!  Our final May sketch was posted last Friday, so that means you have until this Thursday, June 5 to get your entries in and be entered into our drawing for a $100 gift voucher to Verve!  You don't have to do all the sketches, but the more entries you make, the greater your chances of winning are!  Below are the challenges and links to the original posts all in one handy dandy spot.

MAY Week 1 {5.2.14} MAY Week 2 {5.9.14} MAY Week 3 {5.16.14} MAY Week 4 {5.23.14} MAY Week 5 {5.30.14}

May Contest Deadline: 8:00pm MT June 5, 2014 Link Up Entry Form

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We Have a Winner!

Hey there Verve fans! Did you think I forgot about you? I've actually been spending almost every waking hour shipping over the past week. I'm currently finishing up shipping orders placed on December 31, then we'll do a quick year-end inventory count to close out our books and finish up with the orders we've had in the new year! Hooray!

I took a little break this afternoon to finish up checking out all the entries for the Winter Mittens Digi Contest.

So without further adieu, the winner of our contest is....

#24 --> Mary (Happy Now)
Congrats Mary! Email me at contests@vervestamps.com to claim your $30 gift certificate.

Thanks to everyone who entered our challenge! I simply adored peeking at all your creations! There were so many amazing entries that I thought I'd share my five favorites below. You can click the picture to go their entry.

Designed by Brandi

Designed by Vicki

Designed by Christi

Designed by Lori

Designed by Vera

And here's the final list of entries....

April 2009 Release Week Challenges!

Hey Everyone! It's release week here at Verve, and we've got some special challenges going on. Play along for your chance to win some new Verve stamps!

All the details can be found in this thread in the Verve Forum.

Deadline for prize drawings is Friday, April 17 @ 8 PM Eastern

July Project Parade WINNERS

We had 39 fabulous entries in this month's project parade challenge. It was so fun to see everyone's spin on these cute little Artist Trading Cards. Be sure to check out the slideshow below to see all of the entries. We've got two winners to announce today, both will receive $15 in Verve Bucks. The first winner was selected by the design team from all the entries using Verve stamps. Drumroll please....

Congrats to Dawn (TreasureOiler) ....
for this gorgeous ATC using a sentiment from Floral Whimsy. Isn't it just beautiful? The orange brings the perfect zip to this beautiful card. Congrats, Dawn!

And congrats to our random winner.... Janette (blessingsx3)
who submitted this ATC using Psalm 37:4. Such beautiful flower embellishments, and I love the row of piercings at the bottom.


Congrats Jen and Denise!
Email info@vervevisual.com to claim your prize!

Okay, we've got a big old Anni-VERVE-sary bash going on in the Verve forum. There's daily sketch challenges, prizes, sneak peeks of some of our new sets, and all sorts of other fun things going on now through August 12. And then we'll release 6 new sets on August 13!

And before you go, be sure to take a peek at all the fabulous entries for the ATC Project Parade. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Stamp Set WINNERS!

Winner of Asian Flair is....
Patti Gingrich who wrote:
All of your card designs are lovely! I'm really looking forward to this month's release! Like most, the firt color combo that comes to mind is red, black and gold, however I also think of plum, teal and grey. Thanks for the chance at the new stamps! :)

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Winner of All About Here For You is....
Colleen who wrote:
I agree with Amy about Verve having the BEST sentiments.... very heartfelt and sweet!As for the contest... hmmmm, I have to say I am a night owl... for sure! If I could wake up at 10 and go to bed at 3 (am) I would be a happy camper! LOL

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Winner of Feeling Groovy is...
Suzanne J Dean who wrote:
I think "You've Got The Right Stuff, Baby" by New Kids On The Block would be awesome. I'm still a fan & will be screaming the loudest at their concert this fall--lol!!

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Thanks everyone for playing!
Winners, please email your shipping address to info@vervevisual.com to claim your prize!

June Project Parade WINNERS and Slideshow

We had 29 fabulous entries in this month's project parade challenge. What a treat to check out everybody's unique takes on the inpiration photo. Be sure to check out the slideshow below to see all of the entries. We've got two winners to announce today, both will receive $15 in Verve Bucks. The first winner was selected by the design team from all the entries using Verve stamps. Drumroll please....

Congrats to Jen Tapler ....
for this beautiful card using Floral Whimsy and Filigree Fantasy. I absolutely love the fabulous background she made with the filigree stamp. Red on white is just so eye catching. The little pearls on the flowers are the perfect accent too.

So congrats, Jen! Beautiful work.




Random.org chose the other winner...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 29
Timestamp: 2008-06-22 03:40:53 UTC


Congrats to our second winner, Denise (peanutbee)
who submitted the 29th and final entry. This beautiful card uses Petals & Stems and Fluttering By. I absolutely adore the way she added the swirls to the butterflies. Her layout and embellishments are beautiful, and the card is finished on the inside - making it twice as nice!

Congrats Jen and Denise!
Email info@vervevisual.com to claim your prize!

Okay, be sure to checkout all the eye candy in the slideshow below. Then stay tuned this week for daily sneak peeks of the four new Verve sets releasing on Wednesday!

Inspired Whimsy

I was just lovin' the inspiration piece from the Pottery Barn. Here's my take on it; reds, yellows with a sectional and linear design...I love the way it translated to paper!

Now, this month, Carole, fellow Verve designer, challenged the Verve Design Team to answer the same questions put to the Verve Guest Designers. Ok...so you really want to know?

1. When/how did you get hooked on stamping? I scrapbooked for many years and I don't suppose I really got "hooked" on stamping until last spring when I started trying the Splitcoast weekly challenges, and last summer when I started posting them. Until then, stamping took a backburner to scrapbooking, and now I can definitely say the trend has reversed.

2. How often do you stamp? I would love to stamp every day, and occasionally I do. But for sure 4-5 times a week.

3. Tell me about your funniest or most embarrassing stamping related injury. I was exchanging the blade of my Fiskars trimmer for the scoring blade and poked my finger. Honestly it hardly hurt, but it wouldn't stop bleeding, and of course it happened right in the middle of a class I was teaching. Definitely a "what not to do" lesson!

4. How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with? I'm a slow stamper, so it usually takes 1 or 2 hours. I have to try every possible embellishment and then some. Although some days I can bang out about 4 cards if everything is working...you just never know.

5. I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space. I am very messy too! At least while in the midst of a project. However, I am fanatical about putting everything away after every stamping session, so I start fresh the next day.

6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which craft tool could you not live without? Why? I would definitely want my punches. I use at least one on every card; they are so versatile and easy to use! Can I count them collectively as one item? Next, I would have to say my paper piercer...I use that one a lot.

7. What is your biggest source of inspiration? Blogs. I love peeking in at my favorite artist's works. There are so many amazing stampers, and every blog I visit makes me think why didn't I think of that, or I want that!

8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why? Hmm....there are so many fabulous stampers; Lauren Meader amazes me with her ability to do WOW so creatively; Beate Johns puts paper and ink together so fabulously, and Debbie Olsen just has a way with WOW! I guess when I grow up I will have a severe split personality disorder!

9. What is your favorite part of the creative process? Embellishing. I love simple, but I love embellishments more! Gems, stickles, hardware, ribbon....really, it would simply be no fun without them!

Well now you know more about me than you probably ever wanted to! Did it get you thinking about how you would answer the questions? Well, I hope right now your favorite source of inspiration the fabulous Pottery Barn ensemble in the post below! It could just win you $15 Verve bucks! All you have to do is play in this Vervalicious challenge with us! Leave a comment with a link to your project on this post by 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Time on June 21st, and you will be entered for a chance to win! Using Verve stamps is not a requirement, although it doubles your chance of winning.

We will have two winners, one randomly drawn from a pool of all entries, the other will be selected as our favorite from all the projects using Verve stamps. Both winners will receive $15 in Verve Bucks. We will announce the winners later that day.

So, it's time to get inspired! Use the photo to let your creativity soar. There are no guidelines - take your inspiration from the images, designs, patterns, colors - whatever strikes your fancy! If you upload to Splitcoast, please use the keyword VVPP03 so we can all see your creations!

Recipe: Stamps: Floral Whimsy

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black

Ink: Real Red, So Saffron, Regal Rose, Versafine Onyx Black

Accessories: 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" square punches, striped grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals, Stardust stickles

May Project Parade WINNERS

So did you all have fun with our color challenge this month? We saw so many fantastic projects and had so much fun checking them all out.

As I was gathering all the entries for the slide show below I was just blown away by the talent and effort put into some of the entries. So, I decided to add another winner to our monthly challenges. One winner will still be randomly chosen from all the entries. The second winner will be my favorite entry using Verve stamps. So here are the May project parade challenge winners. If you want to see all of the design team entries in one place, the Project Parade album is now open in the Verve Gallery.

Lucky Number 8....
Congrats to Dannie G.!

Julee's Verve-alicious Pick....
Congrats to Jen Tapler!
Jen's mini album was a total stunner, and if you take a look at this post to see all the photos of the inner pages in the album, you'll agree that this project just takes the take. Congrats, Jen!

Both winners will receive $15 in Verve Bucks. Just email me to claim your prize and I'll get your special Verve Bucks code to you.

Thanks for playing everyone! We'll be back with another challenge next week. :)

Father Figure & Great Expectations Now Available!

Our Great Expectations random winner is:

Teresa who said...
The cards are incredible and I love Verve products. I have been shopping the site and love the new sets. An opportunity to win a set is absolutley awesome, thanks for your generosity.
April 23, 2008 2:13 PM

Our Father Figure random winner is:

Paula who said...
Wow, what fun new sets. I am always in need of Guy Sets. We can never have enough words is my saying. bring on the words.

April 24, 2008 12:13 PM

Congrats to both our winners! Please email your mailing address to Verve Visual to claim your prize!

Pillow Talk Inspiration Winner!

Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the diverse projects that came from our Pillow Talk inspiration piece! All of the entries were beautiful! Be sure to check out the slide show below to see all the entries. And now for our winner...


Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

15 Timestamp: 2008-04-23 07:07:27 UTC

Congrats to Maren of Zany Not Crazy, for entering the 15th project into our inspiration challenge! Woohoo! You're a winner! :) Maren, please send me an email so I can send you your $15 in Verve Bucks. Thanks again to everyone who participated. Check out the Sneak Peeks today and tomorrow for a chance to win more great prizes from Verve.

Verve Visual Honored Guest Challenge #2

So is anyone ready for another contest? We've got some exciting new changes going on at Verve, and to celebrate we're holding another card contest. The winner will be our Guest Designer for the month of June. If you love Verve stamps and think you've got what it takes, this is your chance to strut your stuff. To enter, here are the rules...


1. Make a card using the sketch.
2. The card must be a long card.
3. You must use at least one Verve Visual stamp on the card.
4. Submit a link to an online photo of your card by April 30, 2008. Please submit links as a comment on this post.

The contest winner will be announced on May 2 and will be our Honored Guest for the month of June. If you need a little somethin’ somethin’ to rev up your engines, be sure to check out the samples below from our brand spankin' new Design Team members. Check out the Verve Gallery to see what the rest of our talented Design Team did with the sketch.

Yep, that's right! We've been busy here at Verve, and we're excited to introduce you to the four newest faces of Verve.

Amy Sheffer comes to us from Pickled Paper Designs. She has a unique style that's both clean and crisp, and well layered and embellished. It's always a treat to see what Amy's been up to in her studio, and I know you're going to enjoy her Verve creations just as much as we do.

Carole Burrage comes to us from her blog, Mother's Little Helper. Her fabulous flair for color and design combine to produce the most uniquely original designs. And if the amazing eye candy wasn't enough, this chickadee has a fabulous sense of humor. I know you'll love checking out her projects as well as tuning in to her witty blog posts.

Susan Liles comes to us from her blog, Susiestampalot. Her fantastic creations wowed us when she guest designed for Verve in November, and we're so excited to bring her back as a permanent member of the team. Her projects have amazing dimension, are perfectly embellished, and are always fresh and fabulously fun to look at it.

Laura Fredrickson comes to us from her blog, Scrapnextras. Laura has a crisp, clean style that is always perfectly executed. Her creations are a joy to behold with a classy feel and beautiful embellishments. We know you're going to enjoy each and every one of her creations in the coming months.

We also want to congratulate Shannan Teubner who has accepted a position as our new Design Team coordinator. She's an amazing design team member and we're so excited to have her helping to keep us all organized.

Be sure to check out their blogs, as they'll be doing a little bit of celebrating Verve Style this week. :)

Honored Guest Contest Winner

Wow! We thoroughly enjoyed viewing all of your fabulous creations for our first Honored Guest contest. After asking the Design Team for their input, I spent most of the weekend trying to make a decision. You all amazed us with your talent! I finally decided that with 156 entries, it was impossible to choose just ONE winner, so I added two runner-up positions. There's a slideshow of all the entries at the bottom of this post, so you can see just how tough this decision was!

Our March 2008 Honored Guest winner is Paula of Paper Possibilities. Her card just knocked our socks off with all the little details. From the intricately cut flowers, to the perfectly stitched border around the card, this card is top-notch. I swear when I first looked at this card, I thought the flowers were die cuts!

Congrats, Paula! Email me your address (info@vervevisual.com) so I can get your Guest Designer kit on its way!

Our runners up will be asked to be our April 2008 Honored Guests.
Our 1st runner up is Amber of The Stamping Scrapbooker. This card is so beautiful! Amber's use of embellishment and ribbon is phenomenal, and the vellum overlay for the main panel was the perfect blend of softness for this gorgeous card.

Our 2nd runner up is Laura of Scrapnextras. Her card is crisp clean, and spectacular. From the striking color combo to the perfect embellishments, this card is definitely a treat for the eyes.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated! Narrowing it down to just these three winners was so tough, but I have several of you on my watch list now, so don't lose heart if your card wasn't picked this time! :)

I've also got two more random winners, who will each receive their choice of any Verve stamp set.

Random Winner: Robbie of Inkedx2
Random Winner: Linda of Stampin' in the Moonlight

Congrats, Robbie & Linda! Please email me your snail mail address and choice of stamp set and I'll get it in the mail! :) Okay, that's a wrap! Be sure to check out all the entries in the slide show below.




NOTE: If you get a message that says no photos found, please hit the refresh button on your browser or the F5 function key on your keyboard, and hopefully it will reload with the pictures!

Honored Guest Sketch Challenge Contest

This contest is now closed and commenting has been disabled on this post. Thanks to all who participated. Our winner will be announced on Monday, February 18.

Want to be a designer for Verve Visual? Well, now’s your chance! We’re having a card contest that gives everybody the opportunity to strut their stuff. All you have to do is make a card using the following sketch and submit a link to an online photo of your card by Friday, February 15. Please submit links as a comment on this post. Since we want everyone to have a shot, you don’t even have to use Verve Visual stamps (although we LOVE it when you do)! Just create a stamped masterpiece that makes us ooh and ahh using the provided sketch.

A winner will be announced on Monday, February 18 and will be our Honored Guest for the month of March. Our Honored Guest will receive the same kit our Design Team receives, including pre-releases of the new Verve sets releasing in March. The winner will be required to submit 6 projects using the pre-release stamps. We will also be doing some random prize drawings throughout the contest, so be sure to get your cards submitted! There is no limit to the number of cards you can submit, and the contest is open to everyone, including previous Verve Guest Designers.

So, if this sounds up your alley, get your mojo in motion and start stamping! If you need a little somethin’ somethin’ to rev up your engines, be sure to check out the samples our talented design team cooked up with this sketch in the Verve Gallery.

Please Note: Due to time constraints, if your project is selected and you live outside the US or Canada, your Honored Guest position will be scheduled for later in the year.

And The Winners Are....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Card Contest & Labor Day Sale!

We're having a card contest and you're invited! All you have to do is make a project using Verve Visual stamps and post it to your blog or online gallery. (Sorry, no emailed photos will be accepted for this contest, but there are plenty of free galleries that you can upload to, like SCS, 2Peas, Flickr, etc.) Then just post a comment with the link to your photo on this post and you'll be entered to win!

You may use stamps and supplies from other companies, but at least one Verve Visual stamp must be prominently displayed on the card. Entries are due by Midnight Mountain Time Wednesday, September 26. ETA: Deadline extended to Midnight MT Friday, September 28.

Contest Prizes
First Place: 2 of Verve Visual's October release sets.
Second Place: 1 of Verve Visual's October release sets.
Third Place: Cosmo Cricket L'il Boys 8 x 8 Paper Set
Fourth Place: Sakura Stardust Galaxy 6 pen set
Fifth Place: Ribbon assortment of 20 May Arts ribbons.

The fine print: You may enter as many projects as you wish, but prizes are limited to one per person. Winners will be announced here on Friday, September 28. ETA: Winners will be announced Monday, October 1. You must have a mailing address in the US or Canada to be eligible for this contest. Current Verve Visual design team members are not eligible to win.

Don't have a Verve Visual stamp set? We know where you can get one!
And for 3 days only (Saturday, September 1 through Monday, September 3) they're on sale!

Here are just a few of the sales going on right now...
Verve Visual Stamps - 10% off
Acrylic Blocks - 10% off
Embellishments - 10% off
Check out our Sale page for more great deals!