Distressing at the 4 Crafty Chicks!

Hey everyone!  I'm sorry I've been so quiet lately but between work and the kids and trying to get packed and organized to move, extra crafting time has been at a minimum.  Hopefully things will settle down soon but we're still unsure as to the *exact* move date.  I'm pretty excited!

So, this week's hostess-with-the-mostest over at the 4 Crafty Chicks is my PIC, Lori, and she has given us a technique challenge - distressing.  There are lots of ways to use this technique so have fun with it.  For my card I decided to sponge the edges of the panels to give it a distressed look.  I got to use a few of my new Verve goodies - the sentiment stamp as well as the scallop tag die - I love my Verve!

Stamps: Smallest Things Plain Jane (Verve)  Paper: Hello Luscious DSP (Basic Grey), Early Espresso, Very Vanilla  Ink: Early Espresso  Accessories: Sweet Scallop die (Verve), twine, adhesive pearls, sewing machine, sponge dauber, Apron border die (TCP), Rose Red seam binding, button

The sketch is from the Viva la Verve forum over at Splitcoast - it is April's Week Four sketch by Shannan.  Initially, I was *very* frightened by it but she had such a great tutorial on her blog, I gave it a try and think it turned out pretty nicely.  :)

I hope you will play along with us over at the 4 Crafty Chicks - we love it when you do!  Enjoy your week!

Happy Easter From The 4 Crafty Chicks!

Are you ready for another fantastic challenge from the 4 Crafty Chicks??  This week's hostess extraordinaire, Tamie, has given us the theme of Easter to work with... can you dig it?  I only own three Easter-ish stamps so this was actually a rather difficult challenge for me.

I found a new-to-me color challenge (y'all know how much I {heart} me my color challenges...) over at CR84FN - get it??  Create for Fun???  Love it!  This week's combo was perfect for a pastel-y Easter card:

I used one of my Stamping Bella stamps that, *eek*, has NEVER seen ink... isn't it cute???

Stamps: Cracked Up Huggabugg (Stamping Bella), Teeny Tiny Wishes (SU!)  Ink: Baja Breeze, Versafine Onyx Black  Paper: Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze, Soft Sky, SU! DSP  Accessories: Very Vanilla satin ribbon, adhesive pearls, Charming Oval and Charming Banner dies (Verve), sewing machine, button, twine, Nesties, Copics

My card was loosely based on week's Mojo Monday sketch - VERY loosely based...

Thanks for stopping by this week - I hope you will play along with us at the 4CC so we can see all of your wonderful Easter creations!  Enjoy the Easter weekend - hopefully you will be able to spend some time with family and friends.  See you later!

More Verve-y Goodness Combined With the Play Date Cafe Equals...

Pure loveliness!!  Hi everyone - I've got a quick mid-week card for you all.  This is one of the cards I made last week as Verve's Guest Diva for their newest release - and let me tell you... this release is AWESOME!  If you haven't had a chance to check everything out, you'd better get over there!  The new dies are amazing... and the stamps are designed to coordinate with them.  Can it get better than that??  How about a deal if you buy ALL of the new stamps???  Gotta love it!  :)

I wanted to make a more masculine card since most of my other ones are distinctly feminine and found this great color combo over at the Play Date Cafe:

I found this sketch a few weeks ago over at clean & simple stamping and it worked perfectly for what I had in mind:

My card uses the new Proverbs 16:9 Plain Jane as well as one of the sentiments from Happy Phrases.  I also used the Charming Banner and the new Elegant Leaves die.  The elegant leaves die coordinates perfectly with the leaves stamp in the Bloom & Grow set...

Stamps: Bloom & Grow, Proverbs 16:9, Happy Phrases (Verve)  Ink: Wild Wasabi, Crumb Cake, Rich Cocoa Memento  Paper: Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Crumb Cake  Accessories: Elegant Leaves Die (Verve), Charming Banner Die (Verve), Labels Seventeen Nestabilities (Spellbinders), sponge dauber, sewing machine, buttons, twine, eyelets

Thanks for stopping by - see you tomorrow for a new 4 Crafty Chicks challenge!

Spring Has Sprung at Sentimental Sundays

Oh my goodness!  I am SOOOOO sorry I forgot to post this yesterday.  I was so busy with the Verve release last week that I completely forgot to come back and schedule this post for yesterday!  I'm going to make it short and sweet for you all...

This week's challenge over at Sentimental Sundays is Easter/Spring - and don't forget your sentiment!  My card uses the Color Throwdown's color combination and Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch from last week.  And, yep, you also see another one of Verve's newest Plain Janes - Proverbs 31:28...isn't it gorgeous?

All the Verve-y goodness on this card makes me smile - the new Flower Circles and Elegant Leaves dies, the Flutterby die and the wonderful verse all work together perfectly. 

Thanks for stopping by - enjoy the sun this week!

Verve Release Blog Hop - Day Four!

Is it Friday already?  *sniff*  That means it's the last day of Verve's Spotlight Hops and the last day for your chance to win some of the newest Verve-y goodness!!

It's time to shine our sneaky Verve spotlight on some brand new stamps! We're counting down to Verve's release party TONIGHT, Friday, April 15, with FOUR days of Spotlight Hops! And since we love to share, there's a prize hidden on one of today's hop spots! Just leave a little shout-out in the comments as you hop about for a chance to win some new Verve of your very own! You can check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.

For today's card I used one of the lovely sentiments from the Hope Blooms set.  I also used the largest flower and I used my new-favorite die, Floral Circles, to cut it out.  The die is a teeny bit smaller than the stamp so you can't really see the great outline of the flower -- I have a feeling this is going to be a very well-used set in my house.  :)  I stamped the sentiment on Whisper White and then used my new Sweet Scallop Tag die to cut it out. 

Stamps: Hope Blooms (Verve)  Ink: Not Quite Navy, More Mustard  Paper: Not Quite Navy, More Mustard, Whisper White, "Hattie" DSP (MME)  Accessories: Floral Circles Die & Sweet Scallop Tag Die (Verve), paper piercer, adhesive pearls, button, twine, white taffeta ribbon, corner rounder

I got to use Andrea's FABULOUS Viva la Verve Sketch for April - Week Two:

OK ladies, this is it - I'm your last stop.  Did you have as much fun as I did???   Did you remember to leave some love for all of the Divas for your chance to win some of the new releases?  If you didn't, please go back to the beginning to see the amazing stuff these girls create - I promise you won't be sorry!

I hope to see you all tonight for the release party - I can't wait!!!  See you later!

	1. Julee 8. Jackie 2. Tosh 9. Charmaine 3. Amber 10. Janelle 4. Amy 11. Teresa 5. Maureen 12. Laurie 6. Cresta 13. Sankari 7. Andrea 14. Melissa
TODAY'S PRIZE: Hope Blooms, Proverbs 16:9 Plain Jane and Floral Circles Die Set

Verve Spotlight Hop - Day Three!!

Welcome back, crafty peeps!  Are you having as much fun checking out the Divas' blogs as I am???  OH.  MY.  GOODNESS.  Can you say stunning?  I am still in shock and AWE that I am playing right along with them all!!  Does it get any better??  Uh - YEP!  How about prizes?  :)

It's time to shine our sneaky Verve spotlight on some brand new stamps! We're counting down to Verve's release party this Friday night, April 15, with FOUR days of Spotlight Hops! Today we're spotlighting Love Deepens & Proverbs 31:28 Plain Jane.  And since we love to share, there's a prize hidden on one of today's hop spots! Just leave a little shout-out in the comments as you hop about for a chance to win some new Verve of your very own! You can check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.

	1. Tosh 8. Janelle 2. Teresa 9. Jackie 3. Maureen 10. Charmaine 4. Laurie 11. Andrea 5. Julee 12. Amber 6. Cresta 13. Melissa 7. Sankari 14. Amy
TODAY'S PRIZE: Love Deepens, Proverbs 31:28 Plain Jane and Elegant Leaves Die

I {love} the new Love Deepens set...so many ways to mix and match and really personalize a card for the special ladies in your life.  When I started my card, I had a *vision* in my head but just couldn't get it to work and even though it evolved into something completely different, I kind of like how it turned out.  I knew I wanted it to be classy and elegant and what better for that then black and white and a splash of red?

Stamps:  Love Deepens (Verve)  Paper:  Bayberry Cottage DSP (Pink Paislee), Basic Black, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler (Stampin’ Up!)  Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black   Accessories:  Floral Circles die (Verve), sewing machine, clear embossing powder, Snow Cap embossing folder (Sizzix), black satin ribbon, filigree brad, rhinestone brads

I used Jen's April Sketch For You To Try - another winner, Jen!

Okie dokie - off you go to Amy's.  If you didn't get to see all of the Divas' work, hop on over to Tosh's and start at the beginning for your chance to win some Verve-y goodness!  See you all back here tomorrow morning for our last day of Spotlight Hops and sneak peeks before the fun-filled Release Party at Splitcoast tomorrow night!  Ciao!

Getting Sketchy With the 4 Crafty Chicks!

Hey everyone!  Here we are...another Thursday and you know what that means - a brand new 4 Crafty Chicks challenge.  I'm your hostess-with-the-mostest this week and I have created a sketch for you to play with.  I kept it pretty basic and didn't designate a place for your sentiment and/or image - that's going to be left up to you.  :)

For my card, I found Arielle's Colour Q and got to work:

Stamps: Hello Pumpkin (Verve)  Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Cherry Cobbler, SU! DSP  Ink: Cherry Cobbler  Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, paper piercer, twine, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Little Leaves Sizzlit, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, silk flower, Square Lattice embossing folder, adhesive pearls, square punch, corduroy brad

I hope you will find a few minutes this week to play along with my sketch challenge - thanks for stopping by!  See you a bit later for Day Three of Verve's Spotlight Hops for the new release... I'm having so much fun!!!  Ciao!

Verve Spotlight Hop - Day Two!

Hello everyone!  I am SOOOOOO excited to be part of this month's release over at Verve as one of their Guest Divas along with Cresta Woodruff and last month's Guest Diva, Janelle Stollfus.  I have been stalking my mailbox for the past two weeks waiting for the stamps to arrive and, after spending three glorious days in Customs, they arrived YESTERDAY!  Unfortunately, that meant I wasn't able to play along for the first day of the Splotlight Hops but I am ready to go for the rest of the week - including the oh-so-much-fun release party over at Splitcoast on Friday night!

So, without further ado, it's time to shine our sneaky Verve spotlight on some brand new stamps! Today's Spotlight shines on the Bloom and Grow stamp set as well as the two new "A Cut Above" dies, Elegant Leaves and Floral Circles. We're counting down to Verve's release party this Friday night, April 15, with FOUR days of Spotlight Hops! And since we love to share, there's a prize hidden on one of today's hop spots! Just leave a little shout-out in the comments as you hop about for a chance to win some new Verve of your very own! You can check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.

	1. Amber 8. Julee 2. Amy 9. Laurie 3. Andrea 10. Maureen 4. Charmaine 11. Teresa 5. Cresta 12. Tosh 6. Jackie 13. Sankari 7. Janelle 14. Melissa
TODAY'S PRIZE: Bloom & Grow, Elegant Leaves Die and Floral Circles Die Set

Hopefully you hopped here from Sankari's blog but if you didn't, PLEASE hop back to the beginning and check out ALL of the Divas' creations - I'm POSITIVE they will knock your pants off!!  If you happen to get lost along the way, hop over to the Verve Stamps Blog to get you back on track.

OK - so let me tell you how much I {heart} me my Verve... this month's releases are amazing, awesome, stunning, elegant...how many more adjectives could I use?  The stamp sets are so great and the dies??  To *die* for!  (Pun totally intended!)  I didn't have any of the Cut Above dies before and now that I have a nice selection, I can't wait to use them all!  When I first saw this week's Mojo Monday sketch, I wasn't sure if I'd play along this week but, after seeing the new "Bloom and Grow" set, I knew it was the PERFECT sketch to use. Not only could I use the stamps but I could use BOTH of the new dies, "Floral Circles" and "Elegant Leaves."

 ...and one of my newest paper pads to create this:

Stamps: Bloom and Grow (Verve)  Ink: Basic Grey  Paper: Basic Grey, Taken With Teal, 'Hazel' DSP (MME)  Ink: Basic Grey, Taken With Teal, Old Olive  Accessories: Floral Circles die (Verve), Elegant Leaves die (Verve), paper piercer, Basic Grey satin ribbon, button, twine, sewing machine, Scallop Edge border punch

I hope you all enjoyed today's Spotlight Hop - don't forget to visit the Verve blog tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. (Eastern Time) for the Day Three Hop list!  I'll see you back here tomorrow - same time, same place!

Treasured Memories at Sentimental Sundays

Hey everyone!  I hope this finds you all enjoying your wonderful spring day - it is sunny and clear here in Central Alberta and I am *itching* to get outside and play.  First things first, though, the SNOW has to melt away!  The roads are nice and dry so I was able to go for a nice, long jog/walk up to my PIC's house to visit her on Friday and that felt awfully good.  :)

This week's challenge at Sentimental Sundays is one that had me kind of stumped - "Treasured Memories."  I tried to think of some stamps that reminded me of when I was a kid or ones that had a vintage feel to them but I came up empty.  Then I thought I'd take a different view and so I created a sympathy card.  I figured that when someone passes away, everyone remembers the moments they shared with their loved one... that fits the theme, right?  It might be a bit of a stretch but it's all I could do and I had a Verve sentiment that fit perfectly.

I used the Utah Divas International Color Challenge #30 and the Viva la Verve April Week One sketch:

Thanks for stopping by today!  If you play along with us over at Sentimental Sundays, don't forget to use a sentiment on your card because we can't include you for our Top Three consideration if you don't!  Have a great week!



Stamp: Forever in Our Hearts (Verve)  
Ink: Early Espresso  
Paper: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Early Espresso, SU! DSP  
Accessories: Victoria embossing folder, adhesive pearls, sponge dauber, twine, Nesties

It's Time To Get Inspired!

Hey everyone!  It's time for another 4 Crafty Chicks Challenge - can you believe we are up to #32 already?  I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone!  This week's hostess-with-the-mostess is Leanne (who is down helping Miss L. out while she recovers from surgery) and she has given us this wonderfully SPRING-Y photo for our inspiration this week:

I love inspiration challenges because everyone is going to take something different from it and we LOVE seeing those differences.  The only thing we ask is that when you post your card to your blog, please let us know how you were inspired by the picture.  For me, it was all about the flowers and the springtime colors.

This week is a Mojo Monday contest week and you all know how much I love me my Verve.  :)  I am so excited to get to play along with the Divas for this month's release... I am stalking my mailbox for the stamps to arrive so I can play with them.  This week's sketch is a fun one:

I bought some new 6x6 paper pads last week and have been itching to use them so I ripped open the MME "Gertie" and got to work:

Isn't that the prettiest paper?  I am in {love} with all of the Stella Rose line from MME - I had to control myself in the store because I would have bought all of them!  Seriously, you've gotta check them out...be-yoo-ti-ful!  I had fun layering the flower and popping each layer up so it looks more 3-D.

If you've got some time this week, we'd love it if you would play along with us at the 4 Crafty Chicks.  Have fun with the inspiration picture.  :)  Enjoy the rest of your week!




Stamps: Black Tie Birdies, Love's Flower (Verve)   
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Early Espresso   
Paper: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Ruby Red, Early Espresso, Old Olive, "Gertie" (MME)  
Accessories: Paper piercer, sewing machine, Early Espresso satin ribbon, button, twine, dimensionals, adhesive gems, Apron border die & Big Scallop border die (TCP)

Let's Get Wet at Sentimental Sundays

Morning everyone!  I know I'm a bit late this week but we've just been busy and it really doesn't leave me much time for playing on the computer.  I can't wait until the renovations on the new place are done and I can really start packing and getting stuff moved over...the best will be when we are all moved in! 

So, this week's challenge at Sentimental Sundays is "Let's Get Wet!"  However you interpret that theme, run with it but don't forget your sentiment!!!  For my card I decided to "go rogue" this week...no color challenge and no sketch to go from.  I just picked my stamp and got to work creating this:

I used some cork for sand and I think it  looks pretty neat, don't you?  I wish I had a cloud die or something to add to the sky but I had to settle for a big, yellow button for a sun and a  place to land my sentiment flag.   I hope you will join us over at Sentimental Sundays this week - there are so many ways to interpret this theme so have fun with it!!  Enjoy your Sunday!


Stamps: Surfer Emma (CC Designs)   
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Tempting Turquoise   
Paper: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Lime Rickey DSP (Basic Grey)   
Accessories: Button, gingham ribbon, cork sheets, adhesive gem/pearls, Copics, sewing machine, distressing tool, Waves Die (TCP)