December Diva Dare-Day 3

 Favorite Things - December Diva Dare

Welcome to December's Diva Dare, it's Charmaine and it's my day to share this month's dare entitled Favorite Things.  

So this month, we are daring you to share your favorite Verve creation(s) for this year OR create a new one with one of your favorite Verve products.

It really is hard to choose a favorite because I have favorites for different reasons, but I did settle on two favorites from this year!   The first one uses Swan Song, which I believe is now retired.  :(  I just love the layers on this card because I'm usually a clean & simple kind of gal and this card is out of my "norm".  I also used the Elegant Leaves Dies along with the coordinating leaves image from Bloom & Grow.  

My second favorite uses the Coffee set along with the Cuppa Joe Die Set and the Coffee Word Die.  I created the background by embossing the Coffee Word Die onto white cardstock and then brayered with dark brown ink.  It left the outline of the word coffee since the ink didn't touch the embossed parts of the word. 

Two ways to win prizes for double the fun!

Win a $40 gift voucher to Verve! Take our Favorite Things dare and link your card up to be eligible to win.  Entries must include your favorite Verve creation(s) of 2014 (maximum of 3 entries) OR be an entry using your favorite stamp set, be posted 12/8 or later, include at least one Verve product and be linked up to the linky widget by 8pm Mountain on 12/21/14.  One participant will be randomly selected to win the gift voucher.  You can enter as many times as you like for a new creation (each card needs to be a separate post), and a maximum of 3 times for previously created cards.

Win a Verve set of your choice! For another chance to win some new Verve, leave a little comment love on our design team's Favorite Things Diva Dare posts!  One lucky commenter will win a Verve stamp set of his or her choice, so be sure to tune in each day!  Comment deadline to be entered in our prize drawing is December 21, 2014.
  

Winners will be announced on December 22, 2014.

August Diva Dare - Day 8

Hi Verve fans!  It's Charmaine bringing you Day 8 of the August Diva Dare!

This month's dare pays tribute to Diva Andrea (Ewen Style), and Diva Christyne (Stampin' with Sugar).  Both Divas are known for the wonderful way they can add layer upon layer on a card.  So what we're daring you to create this month is a card using lots of layers.   

If you want to kick this month's dare up a notch, you can add a flower cluster as per Diva Andrea, or go with a "sweet" theme as per Diva Christyne's blog name "Stamping with Sugar".  These are not required elements, but fun options should you wish to use them.  Just remember to use at least one Verve product on your creation!  

So, layers aren't normally my thing.  As much I LOVE and admire heavily embellished and layered creations, my brain just doesn't think that way.  I'm a Clean & Simple kinda gal!  ;)  When I read this challenge, I started looking at all of those cards I admire and tried to pick apart the different layers.  What I came up with isn't exactly heavily embellished, but it does have more layers than I usually use on a card!  :)   I used the Swan Song set along with the leaves from Bloom & Grow.  I paper pieced the swan using patterned paper from the Vintage Bliss Collection from Simple Stories and then colored the body of the swan with Copic markers.  

The larger sentiment from the set was stamped on a piece of cardstock die cut with the Banner Bundle Die Set.  The leaves were die cut using the Elegant Leaves Die.  I added some seam binding from the Spring Fling Collection as well as some adhesive pearls to add some "sweetness" to the card.  

So, how about YOU joining in the challenge??

 Deadline to link your cards is 8PM Mountain on Wednesday, August 28th.  Entries must be new (posted 8/9 or later), include at least one Verve product, include multiple layers, and be linked up to the linky widget by 8pm Mountain on 8/28/13.

During this month's Diva Dare, there are 2 prizes up for grabs!

Win a $40 Gift voucher to Verve Stamps! Take our "Pile on the Sweetness" Dare and link up your card (created August 9th or later) to the linky widget below to be eligible to win.  One participant will be randomly selected to win the gift voucher.  You can enter as many times as you like, but each card needs to be in a separate post.

Win a set of your choice! For another chance to win some new Verve, leave a little comment love on our design team's "Pile on the Sweetness" Diva Dare posts!  One lucky commenter will win a Verve stamp set of his or her choice, so be sure to tune in each day!  Comment deadline to be entered in our prize drawing is August 28, 2013.
Winners will be announced on August 29, 2013.

- Go forth and get inky! We DARE you! - 

 

March Diva Dare--Day 8!

Hiya my favorite peeps! How is everybody doing? Are you just ITCHING with mojo after seeing all these gorgeous Diva projects? I know I am and I'm super nervous to go after Andrea, her project with those eggs? A*mazing!!

Welcome to Day 8 of the March Diva Dare!! Here's how our Diva Dare works... following each release, we post a theme we dare you with, and you'll have two weeks to complete the challenge. During those two weeks, the release team will post their creations and tell you how they answered the dare!

This month we dare you to make a card, project, layout, or whatever fits your stamping style using this month's theme - Color Me Spring! Whether you are shoveling snow off of your sidewalks and only dreaming of warmer weather or you are already enjoying the first blooms of the season, this challenge is sure to put a spring in your step! How you interpret the challenge is up to you!Stay tuned to learn how you could win some shiny new Verve!!

I don't know about you, but I can't get enough of the spring colors lately! Here in Okinawa, Spring is HERE! And summer should be here by next week, lol! I kept a really springy feeling to my card by using soft yellows, pinks, and greens and WHAT is more springy than a bird? 

First I stamped the newly released Hope Perches Plain Jane in Tea Dye distress ink and then I inked up the bird from Swan Song in Tea Dye distress ink, stamped it off once, and then stamped it over the sentiment for a kind of "sunk in" appearance. I love how it came out, just how I envisioned! I tied some bows to the card front and then wrapped some twine around the ribbon and added buttons and another bow! I tell ya, I can't get enough of ribbon, buttons, and bows! My husband even noticed the trend once, he goes "Babe, they all look the same! Why do they all have ribbon and buttons?" *sigh* They just don't understand but God bless 'em for trying;)

Want to know how you can win some fabulous new VERVE GOODIES?

1. Play along with us and link up your new Color Me Spring creation (posted March 28 or later) to the linky widget on the DAY 1 POST before midnight MST on Sunday, April 10. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would  LOVE to see ‘em!
2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we share our Color Me Spring creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!  Winners will be announced on Monday, April 11th right here on the Verve blog.

Now it's YOUR turn!  We DARE you to show us your creations!! Enjoy your day and we'll see you back here tomorrow with another Diva project!

Encouraging Words - Day 11

Good morning! It's Laurie here, and it's my turn to share my creation for this month's Project Parade - Encouraging Words! I have to say, this is probably one of my favorite themes so far! Whether you have one Verve set or one hundred, then you already have beautifully scripted encouraging sentiments! Julee's sets are full of them!

I chose to create a little wall hanging using the sentiment from the Swan Song set. It's such a beautiful quote...definitely among my favorites! It's such a beautiful reminder...one that is deserving to be seen daily!

I used several chipboard pieces in my creation (a large one for the base, a branch, and the bird) which help to add sturdiness (and make for quick assembly :-). I love the look of patterned paper, but sometimes the pattern will overpower a verse if stamped directly on it. I decided to soften the pattern by embossing the sentiment on vellum and then adhering it to the patterned paper by stitching around the edge.

So, now it's your turn! We'd love for you to play along with us and show us your card or project focused on encouraging words or friendship. Verve stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em, why not show 'em a little love? ;) And, as with all of our project parades, we've got prizes!To enter, just link up your creation focused on encouraging words or friendship to the Mr. Linky widget on the DAY 1 POST before midnight MST on Sunday, October 18. One lucky stamper will win a $35 gift certificate to the Verve Store. And for another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout out in the comments as they parade their fabulous creations inspired by this month's theme. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (Oct 5 - 17) will win their choice of any Verve set. Can't wait to see your lovely projects!!!

Encouraging Words ~ Day 9

Hello Verve Fans!!! I hope you have been enjoying all the awesome creations by the Diva's so far!!! I sure have! Today is day 9 of our "Encouraging Words" project parade. It is no secret that Julee is the QUEEN of beautiful sentiments so since I had the beautiful Swan Song set out on my desk I thought it would be perfect for this theme! I went a different route than I have before for past project parades and made something very SIMPLE!!! LOL!!!

I chose the colors Pink Pirouette, Sahara Sand and Whisper White for a soft, simple feel. The top of the Sahara Sand panel was embossed using my textile (I think) embossing folder and punched the bottom with my Martha Stewart Doily punch. Of course, I had to add some pink Heidi Swapp rhinestones. The swan was stamped on Whisper White CS and then cut out using my circle Nesties. I then stamped the entire sentiment on a piece of Pink Pirouette CS and cut it out using my rectangle Nesties. I stamped just a portion of the sentiment on the top of the circle and then lined it up with my rectangle sentiment and adhered them together. I did stamp the swan a second time, cut it out, colored it using my Copics and then added white flock with a little glitter over the entire swan. The final step was to add my Heidi Swapp pink bling circle and white May Arts ribbon.

Here is a closer look at the BEAUTIFUL swan ~

On the inside, I added another beautiful sentiment from Verve's Thankful Blossoms set. The sentiment I chose from the set says ~ "Your thoughtfulness touched my heart".

So what do you think? I know you have enjoyed the fabulous work that the other Divas have been sharing during our Project Parade, but now it's your turn! Create a card/project that is focused on encouraging words, and link up your creation to the Mr. Linky widget on the DAY 1 POST before midnight MST on Sunday, October 18. As with all of our project parades, we've got prizes! One lucky project parade participant will win a $35 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Be sure to show some love for the Divas each day (Oct.5-17) for another chance to win, because ONE lucky commenter will also win their choice of any Verve set. We can't wait to see your creations...Happy Stamping!

Project Parade Challenge: Day One

Greetings Verve fans! It's day one of the new Project Parade and this month's theme is...

Encouraging Words/Friendship

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When we came up with this theme, I knew that I wanted to do something elegant and simple. This is what I came up with...

I started with a simple palette of black, white and kraft. To make it pop, I added the deep red satin ribbon and the rhinestones. The card measures 5.5" square and I used Nestabilities and my Slice machine (Vintage Findings cartridge) for the die cuts. I used one of the sentiments from Swan Song. I really like how I am finding that many of die cuts/cartridges match up with so many of the Verve sentiments. I feel like I doubled my use of the stamps, because not only is there a way to coordinate the sentiment with one of the stamped images, but now I can use the die cuts to enhance them as well.
-Jen

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So, now it's your turn! We'd love for you to play along with us and show us your card or project focused on encouraging words or friendship. Verve stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em, why not show 'em a little love? ;)

And, as with all of our project parades, we've got prizes!
To enter, just link up your creation focused on encouraging words or friendship to the Mr. Linky widget below before midnight MST on Sunday, October 18. One lucky stamper will win a $35 gift certificate to the Verve Store. And for another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout out in the comments as they parade their fabulous creations inspired by this month's theme. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (Oct 5 - 17) will win their choice of any Verve set.

Happy stamping!
We can't wait to see what you create!

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Sneak Peek - Day 1: Swan Song and Wishing You

Hi there! Jen Tapler here with the first day of Sneak Peeks of another FANTABULOUS Verve New Release!! Today the Divas and I are sharing a few projects using the new sets Swan Song and Wishing You. They’ll be available for purchase immediately following our Release Party this Friday night, so you don’t have long to wait! And be sure to read all the way to the end of this post to find out how you can have a chance at winning these sets for your very own!

First up is this beautiful card by Diva Tosha Leyendekker. Julee never ceases to amaze me with each new release!! And this time she included one of my all time favorite images: swans. My heart went all aflutter when I saw the set Swan Song. I'm so excited to be able to work with this new release. For this card, I stamped the swan and sentiment with Smokey Gray (Versafine) and paper toled the swan with 6 layers. I created the sentiment medallion with the Lattice Pendant, Labels 3 and Circle Nestabilities, and added some sparkle to each piece with some glitter. Finally, I topped it all off with some sewing, pearls, and a large Ivory bow.

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From Diva Mercy Kerin:
I am so stoked to be writing my first Sneak Peek post as an official Diva! It still feels like it's all been a wonderful dream! As with all the other Verve releases, I have loved each and every set that has come out...but there is always one that stands out to me a little more than the others. For this month it was Swan Song! As soon as I saw it I knew exactly what I wanted to do...that doesn't happen often, so when it does you know you have to roll with it! LOL! I stamped the swans on watercolor paper in Basic Black Craft Ink, embossed them with clear embossing powder, then colored them with an aquapainter and an ink pad. I added some yellow stickles, black rhinestones, yellow ribbon, and silver cording to finish off the card. I absolutely love the way it turned out, and I know that you will love this set as much as I do!

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From Guest Diva Kristina Biederman:
Hello Everyone! I am thrilled beyond words to be a part of this amazing release celebration! I think I almost fell out of my chair when an e-mail from Julee showed up back in July. Then, the stamps arrived and I ran through the house to find my roommate and show her how incredible they are! When I saw there was another sentiment set, Wishing You, I knew I had to get them inky right away. I love sentiment sets and Julee always makes the absolute best with the most gorgeous fonts!

I used Wishing You for my card and kept it pretty simple, keeping the words as the main focus point. I also snuck a little Beautiful Kindness onto my card - I can just see using these sentiments partnered with so many other sets!

Thanks again to Julee and the absolutely incredible Divas for letting me be a part of this wonderful release!!

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And from me, Jen Tapler:
Once again, Julee has outdone herself with this release! So many gorgeous sets!! Picking a favorite is nearly impossible, but I am a sucker for sentiment sets - and Wishing You is absolutely AWESOME!! I LOVE the idea of combining the "Wishing You" stamp with any one of the other 9 stamps in this set to create so many different sentiments. You could stamp them together as I did here to create a single focal sentiment, or divide them up (and this set is PERFECT for those of you crazies out there who take the time to finish the insides of your cards!!). I kept this little notecard-sized card simple, letting that "Wishing You the Best Day Ever" sentiment (a combination of 2 of the stamps from this set) be the focus. Some small Prima flowers were really all the embellishments this little card needed!

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Like what you’ve seen so far? Just leave a comment here on this post before 6 PM Eastern on Friday, September 18 and you’ll be put in a drawing to win these two sets! Winners will be announced at our release party that night.

And for even more chances to win, be sure to check out the Release Week challenges going on in the Verve Forum for your chance to win our entire release! Okay, that’s it for today, we’ll see you back here tomorrow for another peek at some more new sets!