August Project Parade - Day 13

Happy Thursday, everyone! It's Mercy! I have been blown away by the gorgeous and creative projects the Divas have been cranking out these last few days...talk about some wonderful Hostess Happiness! For my project I wanted to focus on one of my true loves...writing. Each month I get together with a few of my "wanna be writer" friends to share poetry and/or short stories that we have written the month before. Here is the Writer's Hostess Gift Ensemble for next month's hostess:
I altered an old writer's journal, and covered it with cardstock. I added a lock for privacy, and decorated the cover using one of my favorite sets Enjoy for the focal image. The sentiment in the lower right corner of the journal is from Express Yourself.

My friend has never been to our county library, so I purchased a library card for the next year just for her. I wanted to put it in something cutesy, so I decided to make a gift card holder. I used the polka dots and sentiment from Bountiful Backgrounds, the flowers from Budding Blossoms, and the butterfly from Enjoy to create this trifold library card holder.

What girl doesn't love a little something sweet while she is in deep concentration?!? LOL! I created an acetate box filled with Werther's Original candies using the sentiment from Delightful & Delicious, and the same butterfly used in the other projects.

The hostess also gets to invite three of her personal friends to the next month's meeting, so I created some 3X3 invitations in the same color scheme using the sentiment from A Cup of Life. I added the same butterfly used in the other projects to the outside of the envelopes.

That's it for me today! I had such an amazing time creating my first official Project Parade projects and post! It still seems like a dream...I can't believe that I am a Diva! LOL! Julee...thanks for such an awesome opportunity!

Do you have a fabulous hostess gift idea? We would love to see it! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we love to see 'em! Just add a link to your creation to the Mr. Linky form in DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12th. 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!

Project Supplies:

Stamps: Enjoy, Bountiful Backgrounds, Delightful & Delicious, A Cup of Life, Budding Blossoms, Express Yourself

Papers: SU cardstock, SU retired designer paper

Inks: Chocolate Chip Craft Ink, Baja Breeze Classic Ink, Whisper White Craft Ink

Accessories: ribbon, linen thread, dimensionals, clear embossing powder, heat gun, aquapainter, stickles, spellbinders nestabilities, big shot, mat pack, paper piercer, lock assembly, red-line tape, kaiser brown rhinestones, SU border punch, Martha Stewart border punch, scissors, acetate, scor-pal, SU circle punches, 3X3 envelopes, brad, sponge dauber

August Project Parade - Day 10

Hi everyone, it's Amy here today with Day 10 of our Happiness for Hostesses Project Parade. I've been amazed at all the projects the Divas have shared to far -- so many great ideas!

Every few years, my mother's very large extended family gets together to make applebutter the old-fashioned way, in huge copper kettles over an open fire, using long wooden paddles to stir the apples as they cook. It's a two-day process, and takes about thirty to forty people altogether. The end product is worth the effort, and the family tradition is priceless. Plus we all leave with plenty to share. A jar of "secret family recipe" homemade applebutter is one of my favorite hostess gifts.



For my project, I've taken a plain jar of applebutter and packaged it up all nice and pretty. I first covered a small chipboard box with some pretty Melissa Frances designer paper, then I prettied up the jar itself (details below), and last I added some wide striped ribbon and a maple leaf-shaped tag bearing the Romans 12:13 Plain Jane and a butterfly from Enjoy.



For the tag, I cut a piece of ivory card stock into the leaf shape using one of the new Spellbinders Nested Maple Leaf dies. With the die still in place, I sponged on Ranger Distress ink in various shades of browns (Antique Linen, Tea Dye, and Vintage Photo). I removed the die, then stamped the Romans 12:13 Plain Jane in Ranger Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The butterfly shadow is stamped in Vintage Photo ink, and the butterfly outline image is paper pieced and popped up.

Here's a closer look at the jar top:



I layered classic and scalloped circle Nestabilities for the jar top, then added the stamped "Enjoy" sentiment and two butterflies from the Enjoy set. (The butterflies are done the same way as the one on the leaf tag). Last I added some ivory trim to the band. Before I tied the ribbon on, I used a few dimensional glue dots to secure the jar to the inside of the box so that it won't slip around. I almost don't recognize my plain little canning jar anymore. As they say, presentation is everything!

That's it for me! I hope you can play along in our Project Parade. Just make a project or card that fits with our Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!

August Project Parade - Day 7

Happy Tuesday! Jen Tapler here with another installment of the Happiness for Hostesses Project Parade. Wowza! The divas are sure outdoing themselves this Project Parade and I know I'll won't be lacking for gift ideas for quite some time!!

For my project, I decided to make a simple little gift to take to my next Book Club get together. I just love this group of girls and we always have such a good time gossiping, eating, drinking lots of wine, and sometimes we even discuss the book! We take turns hosting our informal "meetings" and everyone usually brings a little something to eat. Now, I do NOT cook. Like hardly AT ALL. Nothing. Joel does 99% of the cooking at our house. If Joel has to work late and (oh No!) I have to be responsible for dinner, it almost always is Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. No lie. (fortunately Joel likes to cook and is WAY better at it than I am so this doesn't happen very often!!). Anyway, I used to get really stressed out about book club meetings because the other girls would always bring these really yummy creative dishes to share and here I was with a box of Oreos or a bag of chips and bean dip or something (unless I could bribe Joel to cook something that I could pass off as my own - but that usually involved payment of the dreaded variety...LOL!!). So I came up with something that seems to have made everyone happy - instead of food I take the hostess some cute little papercrafted gift. Only one other girl in the group is crafty so these gifts are adequately oohed and aahed over and everyone seems to overlook the fact that I've arrived food-less!!

Anyway, all of that to say that today I'm sharing with you the gift I'll be taking to next week's Book Club meeting. It's just a little thank you card, a bookmark, and a little gift box full of the hostess' favorite candies. I stamped the polka dots from Bountiful Backgrounds in Fresh Snow ink (PTI) on Kraft CS (surprise, surprise) for the base of all 3 items. I also included Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip.

The little gift box was created using the Favor Box die from Sizzix, I filled it up with Macadamia Nut Hershey's Kisses, tied it up with some Riding Hood Red ribbon and added a little tag stamped with one of the sentiments from Bountiful Backgrounds.


For the bookmark and card, I used the butterfly image from the new Enjoy set along with my Circle Nestabilities. I added a jumbo eyelet and some more Riding Hood Red ribbon to the top of the bookmark. All in all, it was a quick and easy yet very effective gift for the next Book Club hostess!!

Have all of these Hostess Gift ideas got the wheels of creativity spinning yet? We'd love for you to join us this month! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!

August Project Parade: Day 3

Well, it's me, Susie here. I love little gifty things to just surprise someone with, especially if they are quick and easy to make. Even the simplest of things will bring a smile to someone's face and isn't that the end result we want? So when I found out about the August Project Parade and Jen's fun idea: HAPPINESS FOR HOSTESSES, I knew this would be a great way to showcase something easy to duplicate and not too complicated to make, even if massed produced. I even tried to set a time limit on how long I could spend on this project to show ya'll how fast it came together, so ya'll would not be intimidated if you want to make one or some of these on your own. This project literally took me about 30-40 minutes to make! (Much less time than I spend on just a card most times!) It could also easily be transformed into little Halloween gifts or sweet neighbor treats for the upcoming holidays (which I always love to give!).

I know a lot of you have the Top Note die from Sizzix/SU! (?), but I don't. I have Nestabilities, so I used my new Labels 8 die and cut two of them out of some thicker scrapbook paper (preferably double sided for extra umph). One for a front piece and one for the back. You could also use any other shape you like that would accomodate some sort of bag on the inside. Then I glued them to the front and back of a small (very small) lunch sack to create my little "box".

I stamped the image panel using one of my favorite new Verve sets called Enjoy, embellished it with clear butterflies that I stamped with the outline image and affixed them with brads. I then attached it to the front of my little treat bag/box with foam boosters.

All that was left was to make the closure. I attached the large black button by punching 2 small holes at the top of the front panel and tying it on semi-loosely with hemp twine strung up through the holes from the back. I then tied another longer piece of hemp through an eyelet I set through the top of the back panel. The longer twine, accentuated with some buttons for lack of beads (still cute!), just wraps around the button to hold it shut!

But before I closed it up, I couldn't forget to fill it with Raisinets--my favorite! (This may or may not make it to my friend I was planning on giving it to. Yep, too late--just ate the last one! Note to self: Buy more Raisinets.) So see how super easy and quick this was? And it's surely a smile bringer-onner! Try making one of your own just for grins!

So....have you decided what fabulous hostess gift you'd like to create? We can't wait to see it! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. 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 DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. 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!

Spotlight on Mercy Kerin

Hello All! Today I get to shine our little Verve spotlight on Guest Diva Mercy Kerin.

An awesome cardmaker and a fabulous sketch artist, I've been a fan of Mercy's for quite some time. Her cards are always detailed, colorful and have the coolest layouts. I was overjoyed when she agreed to be a guest designer for us this month, and she definitely did NOT disappoint! If you haven't been checking out her projects the last week or so, you're in for a real treat.

Before I get to Mercy's VERVE-iview, I'll start things off with this adorable girly girl card using the new Express Yourself set. I just love the flirty bold pink & black combo and the very interesting circle frame. Such a beautiful card!



When/how did you get hooked on stamping? I was introduced to stamping in 2004 when I attended a 24-hour crop at a local church. The hostess had arranged for a demonstrator to come and show us how to use stamping in our scrapbook layouts. Until then I was strictly a scrapbooker, but once I had made a card I WAS HOOKED! I am so many years behind in my scrapbooking now! :)

How often do you stamp? I try to stamp at least once a day, but with a hard-working husband, two teenage boys, two dogs, and one cat it can get crazy quick at the Kerin house! LOL! I like to stamp at least every other day...I sure do miss it when I don't get a chance to do it.

What's your favorite embellishment or finishing detail? It's definitely a tie for my favorite embellishment... ribbon and/or buttons (for now), but my favorite finishing touch would be piercing...LOVE IT!

I love this card Mercy made with the quirky little teapot from A Cup of Life. Her color choices and embellishments really give this teapot personality.



How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with? It really depends. There are some days that I can crank out several cards in a matter of a couple of hours, then there are days that it takes the majority of the day to complete one card that I am happy with.

Tell me about your creative space. I am totally OCD when it comes to organization and accessibility. I like to have everything within an arm's length when I am creating, so I have a compact and well-organized workspace...I always tell my friends that I have a label maker, and I'm not afraid to use it! LOL! I am a pretty messy stamper in the process of creating, but I like to clean up and re-organize between cards/projects...that's just how I roll! :)

What is your usual starting point for a project? As of late, I really like having a sketch to go by. I use Photoshop to resize them to exact card size, print them off, and then take exact measurements for each layer...I told you that I was OCD! I can always work in a color challenge, stamp set, inspiration, or embellishments with a sketch as they are needed.



What is your biggest source of inspiration? I love SCS, but I find that I am spending more time at sketch and other challenge blogs/threads. I also love cardmaking magazines!

Who in the crafting world do you most admire and why? Honestly, there are so many wonderful ladies out there that have touched my life at one time or another, so it isn't really fair to pick only one. There are some that I adore simply for their creativity, but then there are others that have been kind and encouraging when they didn't have to be. But if you are going to make me choose one....then it would have to be the-one-and-only Shannan Teubner! She has been such a wonderful and funny friend!

What is your favorite set from this release? I love them all, but if I had to pick one favorite, it would have to be Enjoy. I love the fact that you can create either a gorgeous flower or stunning butterfly with it. It is such an elegant and versatile set...I love using it!

So, you see what I mean? Beautiful designs and a fresh take on colors -- every one of Mercy's creations just captures your eye. I hope you've enjoyed learning a little more about this fabulous stamper as much as I have! Mercy's been crafting up a storm lately with her new Verve, so be sure to check out her blog for her newest creations as well as her Tuesday Sketch Challenge. Thanks for stopping by!

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Sneak Preview-Day 3: Enjoy and Budding Blossoms

Good morning fellow Verve-fans! It's me, Amber! I'm happy to bring you day 3 of the Verve Sneak Peeks today! Each day is more and more exciting here on the blog as we unveil Julee's newest works of art! Today, Shannan, Jackie, and I are bring you sneak peeks of a couple Vervalicious sets that you will NEEEED!

I know when I saw the sets Julee was going to release, there were two that I had to get inky as soon as I got them, Bountiful Backgrounds and Budding Blossoms!

I started with a card base of Melon Berry (PTI) and stamped the background stamp from Bountiful Backgrounds in Melon Berry. The lighter cardstock is Apricot Appeal (SU!) and the white is Rustic Cream (PTI). I just love that flower image! It's my favorite from the whole set, but really who can pick a favorite? You'll see what I mean when you see what the Shannan and Jackie have done!

From Diva Shannan:

When I first laid eyes on Budding Blossoms, it was love at first sight. It is one of my favorite sets from the August Release (I think I've said that about all of the sets - lol). The flowers Julee designed for this set are so fresh and original...every time I look at them I see something different. I also love how the stems and flowers are separate, so the combinations are endless! This card was the first one I created when my stamps arrived...I just couldn't help but ink it up right away! I stamped the stems in a repeated pattern across the white panel in Versamagic Spanish Olive, then stamped the flowers in Purple Hydrangea. My Kraft card base was stamped with a pattern from Bountiful Backgrounds in Versamark, then I matted the white flower strip with black cardstock with a scalloped bottom. Once I chose my sentiment (also from Bountiful Backgrounds), I thought the perfect finishing touch was a Turquoise flower, which I then cut out and popped up over one of the purple flowers. Super easy and fun!

From Diva Jackie:

Nobody does flowers like Verve does flowers....Nobody! When I saw the new Budding Blossoms set, I thought the flowers were so unusual and special that I couldn't wait to start playing. With so many different stem and flower combinations, the possibilties are endless! I paired this set with one of the Anni-VERVE-sary sketches, AVS205, to make this fun bright card. The butterfly and sentiment come from the other set being peeked today, Enjoy, which is another fantastic set. The butterfly can be turned upside down and used as a flower...so cool! I hope you enjoyed my peek today!

Did these ladies blow your minds today or what? Such talent, I'm lovin' it:)

Don't forget about all the fun stuff going on in the Verve Forums on SCS with lots of chances to win Verve prizes! Be sure to head on over to those links to find out how you can win!

We have one more little surprise up our sleeve for you today! Just leave a comment here on this post before 6PM Eastern on Friday, August 14 and you'll be put in a drawing to win more Verve Goodies! Winners will be announced during our release party!

We hope you enjoyed the sneak peek today. Check back each day this week for peeks of the other sets! You definitely don't want to miss them. . . and we look forward to chatting with you on Friday!