A Sad Goodbye, A Happy Hello

Today I have the sad job of announcing the retirement of one of our fabulous Divas, Laura Fredrickson. We've so enjoyed Laura's one of a kind Verve-alicious creations over the last year and her wonderful personality and gorgeous "why-didn't-I-think-of-that?" style will be missed by all of us. For a recap of the over 100 amazing masterpieces she's spun with Verve Stamps over the past year, check out Laura's Verve gallery. We wish you all the best, Laura! Thanks for all your fabulousness!

When we say goodbye around here, we always like to say hello, too. So please welcome the newest girl to join the Divahood...

Tosha Leyendekker of Stamp Talk with Tosh!!!
After clicking a link on Laurie's blog several months ago, I was completely blown away by Tosha's work. Her style is beautifully crafted, well layered, and pure elegance. The longer I followed her blog, the further in love I fell. Each project is a masterpiece and I'm so excited to have her as the newest member of the Verve Diva family. Below are a couple fabulous projects she's made with our latest release and a little get-to-know ya interview. Welcome Tosha!!!


When/how did you get hooked on stamping? I started stamping about 13years ago after being invited to a Stampin' Up! party. I was hooked and stamped on and off until about 3 years ago when I was introduced to Splitcoaststampers where I lurked for a year until braving my first upload. Since then I stamp almost every day.

How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with? I wish I were a faster stamper. I'd sure get a lot more done, but a card will take me anywhere from 2-4 hours. Sometimes all day if I have to stew about what embellishments to add or if I want to change the paper or layout.

Project features Sweet on You

I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space. Very messy....very, VERY messy. I will never show pictures as some of you brave souls have.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what craft tool would you take with you? Why? My cuttlebug. I use my cuttlebug for practically every project. Of course, then I'd need my spellbinders dies, and embossing folders to go with it...*grin*

What is your biggest source of inspiration? Other stampers and catalogs...I love looking at Pottery Barn and West Elm. They have lovely, trendy color combos and use a variety of textures and shapes.

Project features Up Up and Away

Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why? I could never narrow it down to one or two. I've grown so much in the last 3 years by observing many stamping artists with a variety of specialties: whether it be coloring with copics, watercolors, or tombows, or color combo queens and sketch artists.

What is your favorite set from Verve's latest release? Oh, the balloons!! I LOVE the balloons!! I went hot air ballooning over Lake Tahoe 9 years ago and remember it like it was yesterday. I've never done anything since that compares to that experience. In fact, I get to go again this summer and can not wait!! So the balloons speak to me. It could be that they're pure gorgeousness too!!!!

Okay everybody, thanks for stopping by and sharing in our news! Jen del Muro will be here on Friday, June 5 for the kick-off of our monthly Project Parade. You're not going to want to miss it, so be sure to check back and plan some time to play along! Have a fabulously creative week!

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Project Parade Day 9

Hi there! It's Laura, and welcome to day nine of our Project Parade. I'm quite excited to share my project with you today. You see, Jen's challenge this month to create something to honour the women in our lives, was just the push I needed to tackle a project that I'd had in the back of my mind for some time now.

I made this for my sister, who is not a cardmaker, despite many attempts to lure her over to the world of stamping. Now, she does like and appreciate handmade cards, and I don't think she buys store bought cards, because Mom keeps her supplied with as many cards as she might ever need. Except, what about the cards she gives Mom? I know she often pulls out a card Mom made and gives it right back to her, so I thought I would give her a selection of cards that covered all the occasions she might want to give Mom a card for.

I pulled out some old designer paper from my stash, and stamped the flowers from Wishful Elegance on a 4 1/4" x 12" panel. I pulled the stem from Thankful Blossoms one of my favorite Verve sets to create a garden effect. The flowers were coloured in with an SU! marker, then adhered to the tin with Modge Podge. I filled the flower centres with Gunmetal Stickles, and added some black trim to the top.

The lid was covered in the same manner, using two 2"x7" pieces of the designer paper, with small cut outs for the handle attachments. I added some flowers to the top and ribbon around the handle. The word "cards" are chipboard letters covered in Gunmetal Stickles. In hindsight, I wish I had coloured them black first, but the sparkles is still there, although it doesn't show well in the photograph.

I couldn't finish without creating a matching card, so using a scrap of the left over designer paper, I created the same scene on the lower portion with Wishful Elegance and Thankful Blossoms, and added the sentiment from Because of You above. I separated the two components with a strip of black satin ribbon. The flowers were coloured with a marker again, and their centres filled with Gunmetal Stickles.

I am looking so forward to giving this to my sister, and I think I met Jen's challenge head on! After all this honours two amazing women in my life!

So are you gonna play too? Just make a project or card that fits your style and celebrates a woman in your life. It can be any woman ... mom, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, teacher - you get the idea! Just add your project link to the Mr. Linky form IN THIS POST before 8PM Mountain on Thursday, May 14th. Two random participants will be chosen and win $25 gift certificates to the Verve Store. Have fun and good luck!

Have a fabulous day, and thanks for popping by!

Sneak Preview: Because of You

Welcome to day 3 of the Verve Stamps sneak peeks. You are sure to love the samples that the Divas have created with the new set, Because of You.

From Diva Jen del Muro:
When I sat down to make this Mother's Day card, I had light pinks and yellows laid out before me. It wasn't long before I was digging through my stash to find some bright fun colors to make this card come to life. I'm seriously addicted to polka dots and this card was not spared from 2 different polka dot papers. I thought that they might clash, but I actually love the way that it all came together. The silhouette is stamped in VersaMark and then I stamped the sentiment over it in Brilliance Graphite Black.

From Diva Jen Tapler:
Hey there Verve fans!! Aren't you loving all these beautiful new Verve creations!?! When I saw the new Because of You set, I instantly fell in love with the cluster of flowers image. I can imagine so many possibilities with that image alone!! My favorite way to use that flower cluster is in the corner of a sentiment panel, and this set has some amazing sentiments (as usual)!! You could paper piece the flowers, color them with Copics or pencils, or fill them in with your favorite glitter or flock - seriously, the possibilities are just endless!!! For my project, I made a card and matching gift box to hold the spa gift certificate we give my Mom each year for Mother's Day. I used the DP from SEI as inspiration for the colors and chose my cardstock (from SU) to match. The box is a cheap paper mache box that I covered with DP, using Mod Podge as adhesive. After paper piecing the flowers and popping them up on dimensionals, I added some champagne dew drops to the centers. I used a circle punchout as a guide to create a wide curve in lower left corner of my image/sentiment panel. A few pieces of folded ribbon and I was done!!

From Diva Lynda Benden:
I hope you have been enjoying the wonderful sneak peeks so far!! I absolutely LOVE all of the new stamps but because of my fondness for Grateful Elegance, I was instantly drawn to the Because of You stamp set. Oh my gosh, wait until you see the complete set, you will LOVE it!!!! For my card today, I chose one of the silhouette flowers and one of the beautiful sentiments included in this set. I used no patterned paper, just card stock. I wanted a soft, subtle look to put the emphasis on the beautiful stamps. The card is 4 ½” square and the black and Kraft background was embossed using a leaf Cuttlebug folder. I added Bashful Blue accents for the butterflies, rhinestones and ribbon. I stamped the image and sentiment on Kraft using Basic Black ink and cut it out using one of the Labels Four Nestabilities. I used Julee’s shading technique to add the “glow” around the sentiment as well the rest of the card. I then added some piercing, light blue rhinestones and a decorative brad.

From Diva Laura Fredrickson:
I love cards where the sentiment is the focus, and Because of You has even more of the amazing sentiments you have come to expect from Verve. I chose the title sentiment for my card which works beautifully for Mother's Day and equally well for a best friend card. I love the words and message and it fit so perfectly into the card with the gorgeous blossoms from the set framing it. I kept the colours simple and incorporated them into the sentiment by piecing several of the key words. The images are as fabulous as the sentiments...trust me, this will be your next "must have" set and will soon become your "go-to" for cards for the women in your life.

Recipe: Stamps: Because of You (Verve), Paper: Whisper White, Regal Rose, Old Olive, Georgia Peach DP(All SU!), Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, SU Markers Accessories: Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, scallop border punch (SU!), Stardust Stickles (Ranger), foam tape, pop dots


We hope you've enjoyed the sneak peeks of the today! If you're feeling lucky, one lucky commenter on this post will win this set that we've shared today! Just leave a comment with your answer to the following question before 8PM Eastern on Friday, April 17!

Question: Who is the most inspirational woman in your life?

Project Parade Day 10 and a Winner!!

Before I get going with my project, I have in my hand the envelope announcing the winner for Best Actress....ooops, sorry, that's next month. But I do have the name of a Random Winner from the posts made over the past three days!!

katy said... I just love this, these would be great to make for my students.March 27, 2009 8:53 PM

Congratulations Katy! You've just won your choice of a Verve stamp set (up to $24 value)!


Now onto the next order of business! It's Laura, and it's my day on the Verve Egg-stra Special Easter Project Parade! I have to say all the projects have been so fun and Easter-y, I've been lovin' every minute of it! Now it's my turn to share! I've had my little project done for a while now, and I'm so glad I finally get to share it! I love cool cards and these little stair step cards are just so cute! I had never done one before, although I loved all the one's that inspired me, so I decided it was time to make and Egg-stra Special Easter card!



I pulled out three sets for this card; Floral Symphony, Miracles Blossom, and of course Chocolate Bunnies! I stamped and coloured in the flowers and bunnies, and arranged them so it would appear as though the bunnies were hiding amongst the flowers. The big "eggs" in the background are cut with oval nestabilities, strategically placed so the sentiment from Chocolate Bunnies will show through.

The front, lower panel is tied with grosgrain ribbon and "Happy Easter" from Chocolate Bunnies is popped up over a pink oval. I stamped an coloured a set of Easter eggs to embellish and that's about all there is!


You can find the instructions for the stair step card here. And just a note, as you are making this type of card, you want to pay attention to the height of the items you attach so that it doesn't go beyond the size of envelope you want to use. My "eggs" ended up being too high, so I'll need to search out a 6"x6" envelope!!


So do you want some new Verve??? Play along with us during our Project Parade for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Verve Stamps store. All you have to do is create an egg-stra special spring project or card and link it up with the Mr. Linky form HERE. Entries will close at 8PM Mountain on Saturday, April 4! Verve Stamps are not required, but we do LOVE to see 'em if you've got 'em!


Have a Happy Tuesday, and we'll see you tomorrow for another Egg-stra Special Easter Project on Parade!

Sneak Preview - Practically Perfect

Are you ready for another VERVEalicious release? On Sunday, March 8th, Verve is releasing 8 new sets and 5 Plain Janes!!!! Can you stand it? Stay tuned this week to catch a peek at the new sets! Today we have a sneak preview of Practically Perfect for you!

from Diva Laura Fredrickson:

You knew when Verve introduced a baby set it would be classy and adorable and chock full of fabuous sentiments! Well that's exactly the way it is!

I chose to go with the girl and pink, since both my babies fell into that category! I pulled out some old designer paper, added pearls, flowers and Cotton Candy stickles and tied it off with pink ribbon! Don't you just love all those "girlie" things? A perfect little acknowledgement for a new little bundle of joy! Recipe: Stamps: Practically Perfect (Verve), Paper: PTI Whte, Pirouette Pink, Holiday Happenings DP, Ink: Versafine Onyx Black Accessories: Labels one (Spellbinders), Watercolour crayons & aquapainter, Pirouette Pink ribbon, dimensionals (SU), Prima Flowers, adhesive pearls (Michaels), Cotton Candy Stickles (Ranger)

from Guest Diva Jodi Collins:

Practically Perfect is my favorite set of this release!! I just adore this sassy little bunny with her big hair bow and fancy necklace and she is so much fun to color! This set is full of wonderful sentiments that just make my heart melt! I just know I will use this set over and over making cards for all the little people in my life.

from Diva Charmaine Ikach:

I thought the Practically Perfect set was not "practically" perfect, but absolutely perfect! The ADORABLE bunny images (both boy and girl bunnies) and the perfect sentiments (14 of them to be exact!) to go with the bunnies make this set a "must have" for all your baby needs. Not only is it perfect for the "welcome" and "congrats" cards you need to make, it's perfect for the "little miracle" and "praying for baby" cards too!

Like what you see? Well, this Verve-alicious set could be coming home to you! Just leave us a comment with the answer to the following question (see below) by Sunday March 8 at Noon (Mountain Time) and you could be the lucky winner! Winners will be announced at our release party on Sunday night (it starts at 8 PM ET in the Verve Forum on SCS—so mark your calendar NOW)! And for even more chances to win Verve goodies, be sure to participate in this week’s Mojo Monday sketch contest on the Mojo Monday Blog. Thanks for stopping by!

Your Question: What was your favorite childhood toy?

January Project Parade Valentine "In-Box"

Hi there! It's Laura, and I'm here with my take on the "Kid at Heart" challenge! I have to tell you I was really stumped with this challenge and it took me a while before I finally decided that my youngest who is in grade three could probably use a Valentine "In-Box" to collect all her Valentines. I didn't want to purchase a mailbox, because like you I am a compulsive keeper and collector off all things that could be altered! This little box is what my dishwasher soap comes in, and it opens and closes tight and is just a handy little container. But it's not very pretty...yet!

I had soaked the container to remove the labels but the adhesive still remained, so a little Goo-Gone took care of it nicely! Since the lid was anything but a Valentine colour, I painted it with pink acrylic paint...two coats to cover up the green. I painted inside and out.

I chose double sided papers since the container was clear, I wanted the inside to look nice too. They were adhered with Modge Podge and covered with Modge Podge to give it a bit more sturdiness in the hands of an eight year old. I thought it would make a good little storage container for all those things an eight year old seems to collect once Valentines was over.

On the front I stamped the sentiment from "A Hundred Hearts", which seemed so appropriate for a Valentine "In Box". The row of double hearts was stamped below it and I added some pink heart gems to the centre of every 3rd heart. DD loves them! I stamped the large and small hearts in pink and brown and cut them out and adhered them above the sentiment. Since I had thought this little box might make it beyond Valentines, I didn't adhere the sentiment panel, instead, threaded ribbon through the sides and tied it with a bow.

Atop the box I added "Happy Valentines Day" from "Sweet Valentine", and would you believe the luck...I had purchased these little epoxy hearts last year, and they fit perfectly inside the hearts on the sentiment! I did have to make a little cut out on one, but it's so cute and so perfect for an eight year old who has yet to appreciate the wonderful colouring skills I have honed so well!

I added ribbon along the edge and the box still closes tight! DD has already seen it and this kid is after my heart! She thinks it's the best ever and hopes that they aren't making mailboxes in art, so she can use this! I love her so!

Want to play along and be "A Kid At Heart?" To play, just link your project to THIS POST and you'll be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to Verve Stamps. Please be sure that your entries are linked there no later than 8PM (Mountain) on February 5th. The winner will be announced here on February 6th. Have fun and good luck!

Recipe: Stamps: One Hundred Hearts, Sweet Valentine (Verve) Paper: Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink (SU), Tawny Dark (Prism), Amy Butler designer paper (K&C0) Ink: Vintage Photo (Ranger), Pretty in Pink (SU), Versamark Acccessories: brown embossing powder (?), Regal Rose and Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, slot punch (SU), Modge Podge, Labels One dies (Spellbinders), Prima Flower, fabric brad (Dollarama), Acrylic Paint (Memory Makers), epoxy stickers (Walmart), Heart rhinestones (Marks Crystal Stickers)

Sneak Previews - Jeremiah 29:11 & Sweet Valentine

Happy Tuesday, Verve fans! It's Shannan here, and boy do I have some awesome stuff to show you! Today we're previewing not one, but two sets! I know...good stuff! This release is really fabulous. I know, I say that every time, but I'm serious!

I chose to work with Jeremiah 29:11, which is a set of 2 stamps. This is one of my all-time favorite verses, so I was over the moon when Julee showed it to us. I created this card based on the colors in the October Afternoon paper. After stamping the verse and embossing it with black detail embossing powder, I cut the panel with my Rectangle Nestabilities and sponged the edges with Old Olive ink. Stamping the cross over the verse was a last minute touch, but I really like it. A few brads, some ribbon, and I was done!

From Fabulous Guest Diva Lynda Benden:
What an awesome honor to be Julee's guest designer this month!!! I got even MORE excited when I saw the BEAUTIFUL stamps included in this months release!!! When I the saw Jeremiah 29:11 stamp in Julee's new release, I felt a bit intimidated since I don't usually use Religious stamps. Oh, don't get me wrong, I have ALWAYS admired the beautiful creations others have made and thought, I hope I can do this stamp set justice! Of course the first colors that came to mind were Silver, White, Vanilla, Black....etc.... I wanted to make something different and you know what, I LOVE how it turned out and will be giving it to my Mother in Law. I wanted to make just a generic, subtle all occasion card and chose decorative papers from K& Co. and Webster's Pages as well as Artichoke and Chocolate Chip cardstock. The cross was heat embossed using Gold Glory embossing powder, cut out and then mounted using dimensionals on top of some leaves punched from my Martha Stewart punch. The little Auburn rhinestones are from Kaiser Craft and added just a little shine to a very simple card.

From Diva Amy Sheffer:
If you're looking for a totally adorable Valentine set that won't break your bank, Sweet Valentine is for you! But don't be fooled by the set's name -- three of the four stamps work just as well year-round as they do for Valentine's Day. I know I {heart} my hearts all year long! And at only $9 ... what's not to love?

From Diva Laura Fredrickson:
I didn't start out with a clean and simple card in mind.
In fact there was a whole lot going on at the beginning of it's journey. But, as I started removing the things that didn't work, I was left with a clean and simple Thank-you that did! I popped up the double hearts and added some Burgundy Stickles to the tiny hearts on the sentiment to balance. A sweet Thank-You with big heart!








Like what you see? Well, this Verve-alicious set could be coming home to you! Just leave us a comment with the answer to the following question (see below) by Friday January 9 at Noon (Mountain Time) and you could be the lucky winner. And for even more Verve-alicious party favors, be sure to check out tomorrow's sneaky peek here on the blog as well as the Lookin' For Love Release Party Challenge on our SCS Forum. Winners will be announced at our release party on Friday night (it starts at 8 PM EST in the Verve Forum on SCS--mark your calendar NOW)!

Here's your question that goes along with the "Looking For Love" theme: My son told me he has his first crush...he's in 3rd grade. It made me remember my first boyfriend, Drew. I was in 1st grade and he was in 3rd, and he always brought me presents. So tell me how old were you when you had your first crush?

Project Parade: Day Two Anything but a Card

For this month's Project Parade, I wanted to make something fun and festive, and it also had to use my favorite set this release: Ornamental Christmas! I had several different ideas on what I could do with this set, and finally decided to root through my stamping room to find my abandoned shrink plastic to make some wine charms.

This set is just so perfect for shrink plastic wine charms, since the ornaments are large enough to still have substance when they're "shrunk"! I used Stazon inks in various colours to stamp the ornaments. I punched a hole just above the top with a 1/4" hand held punch, and then cut each ornament out. I used my heat tool to shrink them and you know, it doesn't matter how many times I've seen the effect, it thrills me everytime!

Wine charms are so fun and practical; they are a great way to help your guests find their glasses. Since each ornament has a space in the centre, this would be the perfect place to add a name or initial too!

The rings are earring hoops I picked up in the jewellry department at Michaels and the beads are from my vast collection of "stuff". Here's a closer look.

Wanna play along? All you have to do is create Anything but a Card and link up your creation to this post by noon on Friday, December 5th. You don’t have to use Verve Stamps, but if you have ‘em, why not give ‘em some love? If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword VVPP08 so we don’t miss your eye candy! A random participant will be drawn on December 6th to receive $15 in Verve Bucks to spend at the Verve Stamps store! Good luck and have fun

Laura

Recipe: Stamps: Ornamental Christmas (Verve) Paper: Shrink Plastic (SU) Ink: Blazing Red, Azure, Forest Green, Mustard Stazon Inks Accessories: earring hoops, Jump rings (Michaels), beads, heat tool

Sneak Previews: Poinsettia Christmas & Ornamental Christmas

From Designer Shannan Teubner
When I saw this paper mache' house the other day at the store and couldn't resist it for under a buck...it was a perfect match for this sentiment from the new set, Poinsettia Christmas. I added some designer paper and ribbon to decorate the house, and used an image and sentiment from Ornamental Christmas for the matching card. Inside is a gift certificate to Pottery Barn. Can I put it in my own stocking????

I love the way these sets (as well as old ones!) coordinate, mix, and match to create the perfect card or project. These are both sets that will stay on my desk all season!

From Designer Laura Fredrickson
I love to put a twist on traditional Christmas colours, so this time I chose pink over red. And since Christmas is definitely the time for a little extra sparkle, I decided to pull out the heat gun and do a faux diamond dust technique on this card. I started by stamping the poinsettias and colouring them in with markers. Then I took my versamark pad and schmooshed it all over the whole panel then embossed it in iridescent ice embossing powder. It seemed to darken the pink colour and lighten the yellow, so I added some yellow glass baubles to bring back the yellow. Some corner piercing and a double ribbon tab finishes it off!









From Designer Michelle Woerner
Once again Julee blew me away with the delicate and classic Poinsettia images from the Poinsettia Christmas set! I stamped it lightly multiple times in sahara sand on the white panel and then stamped it again in black. I colored each of the leaves separately with a blender pen for different shades of color. The 4 top leaves are cut out, pieced on top and then painted with shimmerz. The rich DP is Basic Grey Figgy Pudding, I still have plenty left over from last year and plan to use every last scrap this year! The Sahara sand panels are all sponged with Bravo Burgundy and the swirl panel was embossed after inking up the embossing folder. I forget the name of this technique, but it really makes those swirls pop! The ribbon is double wrapped with the silver cord adding that last bit of shine.




From Guest Diva Sarah Gough
I was so excited to asked to be a guest designer for November....I knew what that meant - Christmas Stamps!!! I love Christmas, I love making cards and gifts and I especially love gift wrapping. I picked up a couple of these tins recently (4" round) and knew Ornamental Christmas would be perfect for decorating one quickly and beautifully. I know I'll be labeling everything in sight with these stamps! On a recent trip to a big Christmas store with some friends I saw the most amazing tree - decorated in turquoise and lavender. I love non traditional Christmas colour schemes, so incorporated those colours onto my tin. This set was so much fun to play with...and I've only just started - it's huge! I haven't filled my tin yet, but I think a couple of gorgeous ornaments for someone special would make a perfect Christmas keepsake.

October Project Parade Day 6

You know when I first started stamping, I embossed everything! Although I don't emboss as much today, I still love it!

Our Project Parade challenge this month was embossing, heat or dry. Of course I chose heat embossing, and I decided to work with Thankful Blossoms which takes to embossing so beautifully! These were my first Verve stamps, and I still love them. I got them in the spring, and they always remind me of spring, so I took my spring colours from the Basic Grey, Lily Kate papers and went from there. I picked Julee's Mojo Monday 57 sketch to get me going and it all came together quickly from there.

The small flowers and leaf were stamped randomly on vellum card stock and embossed with gold embossing powder. Then I turned it over and coloured the images with markers, and when I flipped it back, I gasped as though it were the first time I saw it LOL! So simple, so beautiful! Add a few gems, ribbon and a scalloped border and voila!

Do you get as excited about embossing as I do? Whether you do or not, we want you to come play with us. Dry emboss or heat emboss a fabulous creation and then link it to this post or upload it to Splitcoast Stampers with the keyword VVPP07. Get it in by October 24th and you'll be entered for a chance to win $15 Verve Bucks!

That's it for Day 6 of our October Embossing Project Parade! Stay tuned for more embossing inspiration tomorrow...until then, have a great day!

Laura

Recipe: Stamps: Thankful Blossoms Paper: Vellum Card stock, White, Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery Ink: Versamark Accessories: Markers, Gold embossing powder, Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon, gems (Michaels), dimensionals

Just add Water!

I had a wink of an idea ever since the Fairy Tales stamp set was released. The sentiment "Make your own Happiness" seemed to lend itself to some type of pick me up gift. I sat on the idea for a while and let it gestate. Verve's Project Parade this month was to get Krafty...so I put two and two together and came up with this!

I thought it would be such a cute idea to have a gift that the recipient would "make" ! You know, Make your own Happiness! Something cute and sweet that you could drop on the table over coffee, or leave on their desk at work.


The little box was inspired by Lauren Meader's box here. This is slightly different, as I modeled mine based on the size of a votive candle, and it uses only one piece of paper. This little pick me up includes bath salts and a scented votive candle! Inside the little gift tag on the bath salts it says "Just add Water!" Is there a better way to happiness than a luxurious soak by candlelight?


The box is stamped with the filigree border stamp from "Artful Elegance" in Bashful Blue. I used the filigree circle stamp in Bashful Blue as the base of the sentiment, which is from "Fairy Tales". A scalloped border and scalloped circles bring it all together along with some Bashful Blue ribbon.

Now if you give a gift you need a card, so I created a really simple little 3x3" card to go along with it. There is something about Kraft paper that really makes me think simple! For this, I scalloped the border and added three rows of piercing, before the same sentiment treatment and ribbon was added.

Well, this wraps up the Gettin' Krafty Project Parade...the rest is up to you! If you want to Get Krafty with us, create a card or project using Kraft paper and-or any natural fibers like hemp for example. Then link 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 creation! 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!

Supplies: Stamps: Artful Elegance, Fairy Tales Paper: Kraft, Bashful Blue, white Ink: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip Accessories: scallop circle & border punches, paper piercer, Bashful Blue striped ribbon, circle punches, dimensionals.

It's a Black Tie Birthday!

Are you ready for more fun? I hope so! The divas have cooked up some Vervalicious previews for you again today...this time using Black Tie Birdies and Birthday Surprise, two new sets being released tomorrow, Sept. 10th! Hopefully you're planning to join us for the release party tonight in our Splitcoast Member Forum. The party starts at 10pm EST, and we've got lots planned including set reveals, more sneak peeks and of course some PRIZES!! You still have time to play in the OSW (One Sheet Wonder) challenge, which will give you chance to win the ENTIRE RELEASE! . All of the details are HERE.

Ok, enough blabbing...let's get on with the peeks!!

From Diva Charmaine Ikach:

I don't know about you, but the Black Tie Birdies set made me think of "fancy schmancy" parties. I decided to use the female bird for a bridal shower invitation. I created it to look a bit like "the envelope please." :) The organdy ribbon is weaved through the flaps of the card to be tied in a bow on front. All of the party detail are embossed in gold on the inside!

From Diva Michelle Woerner:

Yahooo an amazing Verve birthday set is coming your way! And, wow is this birthday set is so super cute and versatile.! I LOVE all the little details Julee put into it -you will love it when you see it! I really love the balloons and wanted to make them stand out, so I stamped them in Versamark and embossed them with silver embossing powder. I then cut them out and popped them up. I stamped the hat and wing on pink cardstock and pieced them for some contrast. The designer paper is from my new Basic Grey Eva pack -such elegant and fun colors. Lastly, I looped several ribbons and fastened them in the middle with a green gem brad to make a layered bow.

From Diva Amber Hight:

If you love the birds from the set Anniversary Birds, you will LOVE the birds in this set and Birthday Surprise as well! Julee has taken the sweet little bird and dressed him up! They're looking mighty good lately in their tuxedos and hair bows. For my sample, I chose to work with Black Tie Birds. Aren't their fluffy tails awesome? The balloon in this set also has the flourishes and this fun sentiment. I think this set would be perfect for a lot of occasions!

From Diva Laura Fredrickson:

I knew when Verve introduced a birthday set it would be elegant as well as fun, and I couldn't be happier with it. When I designed this card, I had a little girl in mind, but the images are so elegant it would work for anyone! I worked with fellow Diva, Jen del Muro's sketch, (also SC182 on SCS). I stamped the little gifts and embossed them in gold, then cut them out and popped each gift up on a square. The sentiment was embossed in gold and then cut and layered with Nestabilities, and voila!. A fun and elegant card with a fun and elegant set!

From Diva Shannan Teubner:

This new birdie set from Verve totally makes me smile! I love to celebrate, and I think this set will get used a LOT in my stamp room! One of my favorite things about Birthday Surprise is the selection of images and sentiments...it's very versatile!

From our Guest Diva, Jennifer Meyer:

I fell in love with Birthday Surprise the first moment I saw it. There are so many things I love about this stamp set, but my favorite is the bird and the variety of sentiments! I picked rich colors for my design and added lots of fun layers to the bird and balloons. Birthday Surprise was just a wonderful set to design and be creative with!

Did you enjoy today's projects? You can win the two sets we're previewing by simply leaving a comment on this post telling us about your favorite Birthday Surprise before Tuesday, September 9 (that's tonight!) at 8:00 Mountain time (10 PM ET, 9 PM CT, 7 PM PT). We'll pick a random winner to receive both Birthday Surprise and Black Tie Birdies. The winner will be announced during our release party tonight on the Verve SCS Member Company Forum. We hope to see you there!

August Project Parade - Day 4

You know I think pink and brown ranks in my top three colour combos...so this challenge came together quickly for me! Actually, I had been envisioning this card ever since I got the Fairy Tales set and it came together exactly as I saw it! When I look at this card I think Cinderella's pumpkin carriage or perhaps a stampers version of the MGM studio logo, any way, something very grand and "Fairy Tale-ish". What do you see?

Now if you're going for Fairy Tales, you have to have gold and bling. You just have to! So I made sure I had plenty of both! I also added a few Prima Flowers because I can't stop myself, and if you have one of the retired SU wrought iron corner punches...dig it out, because it works fabulously with all the sets in this new release! As it's name implies, Fairy Tales is one of the most uplifting and whimsical sets, and perfectly suited to pink and brown....don't you think?

You're invited to play along with us! And there just might be a prize in it for you if you do!! Create a card/project using pink and brown as your colours. You can have a look at the "ad" that inspired this project parade here! When you've finished, leave a comment with a link on this post and/or upload it to SCS by noon on September 5th using the keyword VVPP05. On September 5th a random winner will be selected to spend $15 in Verve Bucks at the Verve store!! I hope it's you!

Recipe:
Stamps: Fairy Tales (Verve)
Paper: Pirouette Pink, Purely Pomegranate, Close to Cocoa (SU)
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Detail Gold ep, Wrought Iron corner punch (SU), gems (Michaels), prima flowers, gold brads, 1 1/4", 1 3/8" and 1 1/2" circle punches, dimensionals

Amazing ATC's

Haven't all the ATC's just been awesome! It's a tad tough to be bringing up the tail end after all the wonderful creations the design team has shared! But here's the thing...I love my little ATC card, it turned out so soft and pretty, so I'm more than happy to share it with you!!

I used Thankful Blossoms and the little tiny flowers are from Floral Whimsy. I really wanted to do a vine, so that's where this got started!

Now I had to make this into a card, it was just so sweet! I carried the vine through to the card since I was just so hyped about the vine...see the envelope? More vine...just too much fun!

Are you sold on ATC's now? They're a really fabulous way to try out an idea, and they work wonderfully into a card. Go ahead, give it a go. I could be worth $15.00 Verve Bucks! Check out this post for all the deets!

Stamps: Thankful Blossoms, Floral Whimsy

Paper: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Always Artichoke (SU) DP Basic Grey "Blush"

Ink: Always Artichoke, Pink Pirouette (SU), Versafine Onyx Black

Accessories: ticket corner punch, Crystal Stickles, light pink polka dot organdy ribbon )Dots Dashes and Checks, marker (to fill in dots of flower cluster), dimensionals, gold brads

Two Set Previews and a Chance to Win!

It's Day 2 of our peeks at the new Verve sets (coming June 25), and today we are featuring two fabulous sentiment sets: Here for You and All About You.

From Jackie Pedro:

After seeing Jackie's projects for a few Verve contests, we had to ask her to be our guest this month! Her clean, simple style and attention to detail makes us say WOW every time. Jackie has used one of the six sentiments from Here for You. Thanks for joining us this month, Jackie! (Tune in tomorrow for a preview from the winner of last month's Sketch Challenge, Cyndi Bundy!)

From Laura Fredrickson:

I believe that the right words at the right time can really make a difference in someone's life, so when I saw the set Here for You, I decided to make an uplifting card that would brighten the day of the recipient. I used Julee's Mojo Madness #42 sketch since it was perfect for keeping the focus on the words and chose some designer paper from MAMBI that worked well with the sketch. I added a layered flower from Fancy Florals and a few gems to finish it off. "All things are Possible" is the perfect sentiment for someone in need of a little encouragement to move forward with their life.

From Amy Westerman:

Verve has the best sentiment stamps in town and the new All About You set is no exception. Letting that special someone in your life know how special they are to you is easy with this fabulous set of 5 amazing sentiments. Each one is more inspiring than the next! I wanted to create a romantic card to let my hubby know just how important he is to me, so I combined one of the sentiments from All About You with an ornate heart stamp that I embossed with silver embossing powder. The designer paper from SEI pretty much stands on it own because it’s so bold, so adding a simple, heart-touching Verve sentiment was all this card needed to be complete.

From Amy Sheffer:

When I saw the sentiments in the new All About You set, I kept thinking how perfect they all are for little notes of appreciation you might tuck into a spouse's packed lunch, or slip into the suitcase of a loved one who's traveling, or even leave behind on a pillow if you're the one traveling. I created this mini lunch box tin and card ensemble with my sweet mom in mind, who, if you can believe, has been packing my dad's lunch almost every workday for 45 years now!! The five notes are slightly larger than ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), and, like ATCs, they are card fronts only. That leaves plenty of room in the tin for a half-dozen or so additional "lunch notes." And just wait until you see how well tomorrow's set works with this same theme - you'll see right away why I saved room for lots more cards!

How would you like to win this pair of awesome stamp sets? Here's your chance! Leave a comment on this post by 10 pm MT (midnight ET) on June 24 with your answer to this question:

Are you a morning bird or a night owl?

Check back on Wednesday, June 25, when we'll announce the lucky winner and reveal all the new sets in full!

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