Happy Birthday, Dear Julee!

My ATC for this month's Verve Project Parade was inspired by the Tippy-Top Diva herself, none other than the one and only Julee Tilman. How, you ask? Well, let me tell you. # 1. She's a rockstar! Who else do you know that designs such fabulous graphics and combines them with the greatest sentiments known to stamping kind? #2. It's her birthday! Happy, happy birthday, Julee!

Be sure to check out the other Verve Divas' blogs, because they have a little something special up their sleeves for Julee! We're having a Mojo-licious birthday party and the gals are picking their favorite Mojo Monday sketch to create a birthday card for Julee. Want to join the fun? Then go to this post on the Verve Member Company Forum on SCS for the details how to play along. Did I mention that one lucky participant will win the Verve set of her choosing? I didn't? It's true!

Now, on to my ATC. I agree with what Amber said yesterday: making ATCs are strangely satisfying! And they're just so dang cute, too! I don't know how I came up with this strange color combo. I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo, but the background card stock isn't white -- it's actually PTI's Aqua Mist. So I've got Green Galore, Aqua Mist and Basic Black -- weird, but I think it has a good rocker vibe to it. Reminds me of something that Jeffrey or now Stella from Project Runway would throw together (sooo love that show and I'm thrilled a new season has just started!). I used the Swirly and Polka Stars set, as well a sentiment from the first Verve set I ever bought, Starlight Starbright. The focal image and sentiment were heat embossed with black embossing powder. I had some jump rings on my desk from a different project I was working on, so I decided to throw it on here, too, and make a little tag. I'm liking those little things all over again!

The weekend's ahead, and it's too darn hot to do anything outside these days. Instead, why don't you stay in the cool comfort of your stamping space and join our cyber ATC parade? Check out this post for the details and to find out how to win $15 in Verve Bucks!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Swirly Stars, Polka Stars, Starlight Starbright
Paper: Basic Black, Green Galore (SU!), Aqua Mist (PTI)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, VersaFine
Accessories: black embossing powder, ribbon, oval punch, Junkitz Jump Ringz, foam mounting tape, ticket corner punch, brads from Queen & Co.

Night With the Stars

I don't know about all of you, but since having children, something as simple as this gift set would be SO APPRECIATED by me! I call it a "Night With the Stars". Included in this set for one of my friends is popcorn, flavorings for the popcorn, a gift card to the video rental store and a card that says we'll take their kids so that they can enjoy an uninterrupted movie or two by themselves! How does that sound to you? I used the Swirly Stars and Seeing Stars sets from Verve's latest release. I embossed all of the stars with gold embossing powder and the gift card is in a matchbook-type holder. The mirror gold cardstock gives it a "flashy" red carpet kind of feel, don't you think? If you haven't been checking out the wonderful creations the other members of the Design Team have been posting, be sure and scroll down! There's also LOTS of beautiful designs in the Verve gallery!


SUPPLIES USED: Swirly Stars, Seeing Stars (Verve Visual); Paper- Basic Black (SU), mirror gold (unknown); Ink- Versamark; Accessories- gold embossing powder, staple

Variety Is the Spice of Life

I am truly a fan of variety -- so much so that I always want to order the "sampler platter" at a restaurant so I can try various dishes. You don't have to look too hard around here for variety! Take, for example, Laurie's wonderfully soft and flirty card that she presented yesterday. Wasn't it gorgeous? And today, for variety's sake, I have something bold and bright to share.

My inspiration for this piece came from the combination of stars with dots. How could one resist using this American Crafts patterned paper for this project? The Dew Drops from The Robin's Nest helped add continuity to the dot theme.

A design genius, Julee made sure that the Fiskars squeeze star punches and the Stampin' Up! star punches fit the stars perfectly. After stamping and punching, two stars were added to the top and one to the bottom of the card using dimensional adhesive for a little 'pop'.

Supply List:
Stamps: Polka Stars, Swirly Stars (Verve Visual)
Paper: Celebration Collection (American Crafts); Caribbean Breeze (Bazzill Smoothies)
Ink: VersaMagic Chalk Aloe Vera (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Large Squeeze star punch (Fiskars); Leaves Dew Drops (The Robin's Nest); dimensionals

If you're also a fan of variety, you'll want to make sure you have all five of the great sets that were just released. As Lila mentioned earlier this week, you only have until Thursday the 24th to get these sets in the money-saving launch pack and save $18!

Stay tuned for a creative gem from Jen tomorrow. Happy Stamping!

Look at all these STARS!

I don't know about you guys, but I have thoroughly enjoyed all the eye candy that our Guest Designers have given us!! If you haven't checked out their creations, make sure you look at the last few days here on the Verve blog and post some love for them!

When I sat down to make a project for you, I knew exactly what I wanted to do! These stars (and the way all 3 star sets work together) are perfect for a One Sheet Wonder! Now, I will say that I didn't get all the way through because let's face it...I just don't have that kind of attention span. But I have 3 cool and simple cards for you, all made with about a 1/2 sheet of cardstock.

First I randomly stamped stars of all sizes and patterns from Polka Stars and Seeing Stars on a piece of Georgia Pacific White cardstock in Brilliance Graphite Black Ink. After a blast with my heat gun, I colored them with Copics that match Cameo Coral, Apricot Appeal, So Saffron, Soft Sky, and Certainly Celery. Then I cut my cardstock into 2 pieces measuring 2 1/8" x 5 1/2", and then 3 rectangles measuring 1 1/2" x 2".

I then matted them onto Basic Black cardstock and added some details like piercing, ribbon, and doodling, and then sentiments from all three sets. I wanted them to be very simple, so I didn't add much "stuff"...I think it gives the stars center stage, don't you?

Here's a close up of the cards:




I hope you enjoyed my project, and I'd love to see what you're doing with your Verve Stamps! So feel free to post a link in the comments here for us all to take a peek at your creativity!

Have a fabulous day and stay tuned for more mojo from the Verve Team!

Guest Designer: Julie Campbell

Today we're spotlighting the very talented Julie Campbell! Julie has such a colorful, layered style that's just cool, cool, cool. It's always a treat to check in on her blog, Stamped in His Image and see the fabulous creations she's been working on. I was so excited to have her as a guest designer this month working with Swirly Stars, and I'm sure you'll agree that her projects are cute, cute, cute. I especially love the baseball frame for her little All-Star! Okay, on with the virtual interview and the darling projects! Just click the photos below to see Julie's creations close-up with an ingredient list.

How did you get hooked on stamping? My first experience with stamping was 9 years ago when I designed my wedding announcements. Our last name is 'Campbell' and my husband goes by the nickname 'Soup'. I found a 'Campbell's Kids' wedding couple stamp and added it to the front of our invitation with gold embossing. It sounds strange, but it turned out really pretty. Stamping is an easy way to personalize and make things your own!

How often do you stamp? How often do I get to stamp or how often do I want to stamp? LOL! I usually only get to sit down and stamp when my boys are asleep. So, I have a lot of late nights, but I love it! I wish I could stamp every day, several hours a day, but that's just not possible right now.

Do you have your own stamping space or do you share it with the cat, dining room, coat closet, etc . ? I am happy to say that I have my own stamping space! The room I stamp in use to be the nursery. I have two boys who love to be together all the time. In the mornings, I would always find my oldest son curled up on the floor in the nursery room just to be close to his brother. Finally, we thought it was best to just put them in the same room. It worked out great for them, but even greater for me!

Do you stay true to a stamping budget, or are you swayed by all the enabling out in stampland? Ok. Don't let my husband read this! I TRY really hard, but I'm definitely swayed. I love the newest and latest and have a hard time controlling myself. I'm definitely a big fan of coupons and try to tell myself that it's not too bad because "I got a great deal!".

What is the latest stamping toy you've picked up that just made your heart go pitter patter? I've been wanting a stamp to put on the back of my cards that includes my name and website address. I finally found something that works perfectly! I bought a Round Monogram Stamper & Letter Set from JustRite Stampers that you can customize yourself! I easily spelled out all of my information and love how it self-inks every time you stamp!

Name one stamp or stamp set that you don't think you'll ever part with. This is a tough one! I have several favorites! One of my 'go-to' sets is Papertrey Ink's Paper Tray set. I love the fact that their images are clear and you don't have to worry about stamping something crooked or off-centered. This set is full of sentiments and each word is it's own stamp, making it really easy to come up with almost any combination.

What do you love most about papercrafting? I love the feeling of creating something! There is something about creativity that energizes me! It is the best stress reliever that I've found and I consider it my therapy! I love sending cards to people and finding out that it really meant something to them. It's amazing how much you can touch someone's life just by using the gift of creativity.

What do you consider to be your stamping strengths? Ooh! Another tough one! I think I have an eye for what 'fits' and what doesn't. It's sort of like decorating a house. I like to 'rearrange' things until it's pleasing to the eye. I'm also really good at fixing mistakes. If people took apart my cards and could see all of the boo-boos that I cover up, they would probably be surprised! I've found that sometimes mistakes can lead you in a direction you never expected to take... and can create some amazing results!

Who is your stamping hero (someone whose work inspires you challenge yourself creatively)? One of my stamping heroes is Kim Hughes. If you've never checked out her work, don't walk! Run! Not only is Kim an amazing stamper, she is also an illustrator. She has her own stamp line with Cornish Heritage Farms that I love! Her publication resume is as thick as a book. My eyes literally bulged when I started scrolling down the list. Kim's style is so unique and fun --- and just as sweet as she is!

Okay, be sure to leave a comment and let Julie know how fabulous her projects are! I'll be back tomorrow to show you Paula Goff's projects using Heart to Heart!

Light

When I first received Verve Visual's new sets, I couldn't decide what to make first. . .a card, a 3D item, a scrapbook page. I found the sentiments in the sets perfect for each of those. This first card uses the Polka Stars set. This is a set of 7 with the uplifting sentiment of "You Light Up My Life". It's perfect for just letting someone know what they mean to you. Being that the 4th of July is my favorite holiday, I used a red, white and blue theme. I thought the "firecracker" theme would work well with the "light up." The paper is from the Daisy Bucket Rock Star Collection.

The second item I chose to create was a candle cover using chipboard coasters and the Swirly Stars set. I covered the punched out star opening with a window sheet and stamped "Let your light" on the window sheet. I stamped the last word of the sentiment, "Shine" on the candle cover. It looks really nice when you light a candle on the inside and it glows behind the sentiment. I also added some punched out stars over the top of the candle. There are so many things you can create with any of these new sets being released on January 10th! Hopefully you've been following this blog and have seen all of the wonderful creations the Design Team has posted so far. Keep coming back, because there's more in store for you!

SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Swirly Stars, Polka Stars (Verve Visual); Paper- Star Kissed, Rockstar (Daisy Bucket); Ink- Red Brick, Thatched Straw, Night Sky, Wheat, Jumbo Java (VersaMagic); Accessories- rust satin ribbon (May Arts), Navy grosgrain, large star punch, key tag punch, paper piercer, photo corner punch (SU), Bind It All, coasters star brad.

Shine On!

Talk about quality clear stamps! These new sets releasing in a few days are incredible to work with. They give deep, high-quality, great impressions, which makes it easier for me to forget all else but stamping with them!

This was the first design I came up with when I opened my new Verve Visual stamps. I ended up using at least one stamp from each of Swirly Stars, Polka Stars, and Seeing Stars, because I just couldn't contain myself to one set!

From looking at the previous sneak peaks on here, it would seem that a few of the same colors are calling out to the designers lately. I'm even showcasing the same sentiment that Shannan did before me!

Wanna know a secret? *Chuckle* I didn't have silver star brads so I colored some white star eyelets with a silver paint leafing pen! Worked like a charm. The sentiment is embossed with silver too, but it doesn't show up too well in this photo.

I hope you've enjoyed this little sneak peak. You won't believe the versatility of the FIVE new stamp sets being released on January 10th!

Stamps: Swirly Stars, Polka Stars, Seeing Stars

Paper: Chocolate chip, Barely Banana, Soft Sky, White (SU!)

Ink: Versamagic chalk, SU, Versamark

Accessories: silver EP, SU Ribbon, eyelets, pop dots

Want To See A Sneak Peek?

Happy New Year!! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season! I can't think of a better way to ring in the new year than with some *brand new* stamps!! Verve has 5 amazing new stamp sets that will be released on January 10th! I have to tell you...I have had the privilege of "working" with these new sets and I am totally smitten!!!

I wanted to mention to you something that really impressed me about these stamps. I've used clear stamps before and have had problems getting a good ink coverage using water based dye inks. That was NOT the case with these new Verve stamps...the coverage was wonderful with all of the inks I used with them (including the water based dye inks)!

Here is a sneak peek of the new Wild Thing stamp set (set of 8). After I finished this card, I was convinced that this was my favorite of the new sets....that is, until I stamped with the others! LOL! I drew my colors from this yummy Daisy Bucket patterned paper. For the swirly panel, I ran a piece of Soft Sky c.s. through my Cuttlebug using the Divine Swirls embossing folder then "highlighted" the swirls with my white gel pen.

For this ensemble, I used the new Swirly Stars & Seeing Stars sets. Swirly Stars is a set of 8 stamps and Seeing Stars is a set of 12.

The Swirly Stars set has two different types of swirly stars and each comes in two different sizes...which is perfect for layering! This little gift card was so fast and easy to put together! After stamping my stars, I used Stampin' Up!'s large and small star punches to punch them out. They are a perfect fit!

I stamped one of the small stars (from Seeing Stars) on the lid of the tin with White Stazon ink. I created another star "duo" (like the one on the gift card), wrapped a stamped piece of cardstock around the side and Voila! This set was so much fun (and very quick and easy) to put together!

Make sure to stop back by tomorrow for another "peek" at these must-have new sets!!

~Laurie

Recipe for Valentine Card

Stamps: Wild Thing (Verve) Paper: Garden Gate patterned paper (Daisy Bucket), Whisper White, Soft Sky, Cranberry Crisp (Stampin' Up!) Ink: Soft Sky, Cranberry Crisp (Stampin' Up!) Accessories: Cuttlebug and Divine Swirls embossing folder (Provo Crafts), Dbl. Stitched Soft Sky ribbon (Stampin' Up!), Micro Twinkle Stickers (A Muse), White gel pen

Recipe for Star Tin & Gift Card

Stamps: Swirly Stars, Seeing Stars (Verve) Paper: Brilliant Blue (Stampin' Up!), Shiny metallic silver c.s. Ink: Encore Silver pigment pad, Brilliant Blue (Stampin' Up!) Accessories: Micro Twinkle Stickers (A Muse), Lg & Sm Star punches, Elastic silver cord (Stampin' Up!)