Verve June Diva Inspirations Hop

Hi there and welcome to the Verve Diva Inspirations Hop for June!  This month we've got a few of the Verve Diva's hopping with the Diva Inspiration team!  We're here to get your month kicked off with a little Verve Inspiration!

If you've arrived from Betty's Blog then you're in the right place.  If you've just happened along then head on over to the Verve Blog to start the hop from the beginning.  Don't forget to leave comments along the way for your chance at a $30.00 Verve gift certificate!

Julee recently designed two new Plain Jane stamps for Verve that are releasing today! Both Plain Jane's are beautiful.  I've used the new Grace Plain Jane for my card paired with Joyful Blooms, Bloom & Grow and the Elegant Leaves Die.  The flowers from Joyful Blooms were cut by hand, with two of them layered and popped up for dimension.  I stamped the leaves from Bloom & Grow in Versamark ink and cut them out with the Elegant Leaves Die.  The right corner was rounded with a Corner Chomper.  Some machine stitching and some twine tied buttons finish the card.  The sketch is June's Sketch For You To Try by Jen del Muro.  The papers are MME Indie Chic "Nutmeg:"  

And speaking of Jen del Muro......she is your next stop on this hop!  I KNOW she'll have something beautiful to share!

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Wishes!

Hi there and welcome to the Verve Diva Inspiration Hop for May!  We're here to get your month kicked off with a bit of Verve inspiration!

If you've arrived here from Betty's Blog then you're in the right place.  If you've just happened along, head on over to the Verve Blog to start the hop from the beginning!  Don't forget to leave comments along the way for a chance to win some Verve of your very own!

Great Friend is one of my all time favorite Verve sets and I was so happy to see Verve come out with Joyful Blooms.  The same beautiful flowers as Great Friend, only smaller!  My flowers were cut out and popped up for dimension.  Each was finished with some linen thread and a button.  The sentiment was added to a flag that was cut using the Ribbon Banner die. The leaves are from Bloom and Grow and were stamped in Versamark ink and cut out with the Elegant Leaves die.  Some rounded corners and machine stitching finish the card.

Your next stop on this hop is to the wildly talented Jen del Muro's Blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

March Diva Inspirations Hop!

Hi there and welcome to the March Diva Inspirations Hop!  The Diva Inspiration Team is here to start your month off with a little Verve Inspiration!

If you arrived here from Betty's Blog then you're in the right place.  If you've just happened along, head on over to the Verve Blog to start the hop from the beginning!  Don't forget to leave comments along the way for your chance to win some Verve goodness of your own!

My card today uses one of my favorite Verve sets, Making a Statement along with it's coordinating dies:  Loopy Blooms and Rounded Scallop Frame.  I paired these stamp goodies with some beautiful MME On the Bright Side "Two" papers and the Week One Viva la Verve sketch for March!  Such a fun and simple sketch.

The blooms were cut using the same patterned paper.  I layered the two sizes together over the frame.  Each bloom was finished with an adhesive black pearl.  Some machine stitching finishes the card!

Your next stop on today's hop is to Jen del Muro's Blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

Boy Oh Boy! What a Suprise!!

Hi there and welcome to Julee Tilman's Surprise Baby Shower!!  If you live under a rock and hadn't heard the news, Julee and her hubby Mark are expecting IDENTICAL TWIN BOYS in March!  Such an exciting time!

If you arrived here from Tosh's blog, then you're in the right place!  If you've just happened along, you can head on over to Teresa's blog to start from the beginning!  

I thought long and hard about what advice I could offer Julee and Mark and here's what I came up with:

Julee:  Don't try to be Superwoman.  ACCEPT help when it is offered from others!  (see, I thought I was Superwoman and wouldn't accept help from others....please learn from my mistake!)

Mark:  CHANGE DIAPERS.......(my hubby wasn't a diaper changer thanks to my Superwoman attitude :)

LOL!  How's that for advice?

And here is my card for the twins....affectionately known as Jack and Moe.......

I used my fave all time baby set from Verve, To the Moon and paired it with some fun MME Miss Caroline "Dilly Dally" papers.  Jack and Moe (the bears) were colored with Copics and cut out.  I cut along their arms so I could "hang" them over the frame and the plaid flag.  The kite was tied to Jack's arm using twine.  The sentiment is actually just "Oh Boy"  To get the "Boy" on top, I simply masked the sentiment with scotch tape so I could stamp Boy....giving me "Boy Oh Boy."  Fitting for twins, dontcha think?   Some machine stitching a few adhesive gems finish the card!

Oh, and BTW....the sketch is today's Mojo Monday 229!   Isn't it a goodie?

Your next stop on this hop is to Betty's Blog!

Congratulations, Julee and Mark!  I'm so happy for the both of you!!!

February Diva Inspirations Hop!

Hi there and welcome to February Diva Inspirations Hop!  The Diva Inspiration team is here to start your month off with a little Verve inspiration!  

If you've arrived here from Betty's blog, then you're in the right place, but if you've just happened along you can start the hop at the Verve Blog.  Don't forget to leave a comment along the way for a chance to win some Verve goodness of your own!

I used my new favorite set from Verve, Wings of Love, for my card.  I had the corrugated cardboard heart left over from another Verve project I made a few weeks ago and had to put it to good use!  The wings were stamped in Versamark ink onto a sheet of acetate and were heat embossed with white embossing powder.  The heart is from the Wavy Hearts Die set and was cut from corrugated cardboard.  I swiped a Vintage Cream inkpad across the heart for some added interest.  The papers are MME Love me (6x6).  I rounded the corners with my Corner Chomper, added some machine stitching, a pearl flourish and some beautiful lace trim.

Your next stop on the hop is to the amazinly talented, Jen del Muro's Blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

Verve Diva After Party Blog Hop!

Welcome to our January 2012 After Party Hop!  Last night we released 3 new stamp sets, 4 plain janes and 4 dies!  All of the new products we've been showcasing this week are available now in the Verve store! Be sure to leave a little comment love as you take a stroll through the Diva blogs. One lucky commenter from today's hop will win the ENTIRE Release! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and deadlines.

I am the caboose on this Diva party train, so if you arrived here from Shannan's blog then you're in the right place.  To start the hop from the beginning head on over to Amy's blog!

I LOVE this new release and it was hard to choose which set to use but I finally settled on Wings of Love with the coordinating Wavy Hearts die.  The sentiment is from Twitterpated.  I LOVE the simple sentiments from each of these sets and the heart with wings?  SWOON..........

I started my card with this week's Deconstructed Sketch, although I left off a couple panels in the long run.  It was, however, the inspiration for my card!  I stamped the heart/wings stamp in Versamark ink onto acetate paper and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  The heart itself was cut from corrugated cardboard with the Wavy Hearts Die.  I finished the heart by swiping some Vintage Cream ink across some of the raised cardboard.  The sentiment was cut with a die and was scored so I could fold it to give it "wings".  Some lace trim, adhesive gems and some twill ribbon tied with a button and some linen thread finish the tag.  I rounded the corners with a corner chomper and finished the card with some machine stitching.  All of the patterned papers are from the Crate Paper Paper Heart Collection (6x6).

Here is a close up of the corrugated cardboard heart and acetate wings......

January 14, 2012 1. Amy 8. Tosha 2. Maureen 9. Laurie 3. Sankari 10. Julee 4. Andrea 11. Janelle 5. Teresa 12. Betty 6. Amber 13. Shannan 7. Charmaine 14. Jackie

Well, that's all from me today!  I hope you enjoyed the hop!!

Stamps:  Wings of Love, Twitterpated (Verve)

Paper:  Crate Paper Paper Heart Collection (6x6)

Ink:  Dark Chocolate (PTI), Versamark

Accessories:  Wavy Hearts Die (Verve), Tag You're It Die-namics (MFT), Fine Linen Twill Ribbon and Button (PTI), Linen Thread (TCP), Lace Trim (Melissa Frances), Adhesive Gems, Corner Chomper, White Embossing Powder, Sewing  Machine, Foam Tape

January Diva Inspirations Hop.....

Hi there!  I'm happy to welcome you to the very first Diva Inspirations Hop of the New Year!  I have made a few changes in my stamping life and moving from the Verve Release Team to the Verve Diva Inspiration Team is one of them!  I'm really excited to be here!

  The Diva Inspiration Team is here to start your month off with a little Verve inspiration!  You may notice we've changed the date to the 5th of each month......same fabulous inspiration, different date!  You can start the Hop at the Verve Blog!  Continue to each blog and leave a comment as you go for your chance to win some Verve goodness of your own!

I started my card with this week's awesome Mojo Monday sketch, Mojo222.  The sentiment, from Making a Statement, was stamped in Dark Chocolate ink and was cut out with the Curvy Bookplate Die.  The outline stamp, from Tag Time, was stamped in Taken With Teal ink.  The butterfly, from Blue Skies, was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black, was colored with Copics and was cut out.  I glued the center of the butterfly down and popped with wings up with foam squares.  Some adhesive gems and machine stitching finish the card!  All of the papers are Authentique Splendid (6x6).

Your next stop on the hop is to the amazing blog of Jen del Muro!

Thanks for stopping by!

Verve Holiday Diva Dare!

Hi everyone!  Can you believe that today is December 1st?  It's crunch time, baby!  Thankfully I am about 95% done with my Christmas shopping!  I've never been done so early but I plan on doing this from now on! It feels great!

Verve is in the middle of the Holiday Diva Dare over on the Verve blog, but for those of you who are new to this challenge, here is how it works: Following each release, we will post a theme that we dare you with and you'll then have two weeks to complete the challenge. During those two weeks, the release team will be posting their creations and sharing how they answered the dare!

This month's theme is A Handmade Christmas! The theme is pretty broad and can be interpreted in so many different ways...from a lovingly made card, to heartfelt gifts and homemade decorations! With the Holidays right around the corner, this will be the perfect time to get a jump start on your card and gift making!

I'll give you one guess as to how I answered the dare.....Give up?  TAGS, of course!

You all know I LOVE to make tags!  So here's a peek at what I made!  To see a few more pictures and more details on how I made them, just head on over to the Verve Blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

Verve After Party!

Were you able to party it up with the Diva's on Friday night at the Verve release party?  Well, if you weren't able to be there, you can join us right now at the Verve After Party here and on the Verve Blog!  All the Diva's are back to day to share with you our favorite project from the release!  So sit back, relax and prepare to be inspired.....

Surprise Surprise!  I made another set of tags!  This is my favorite time of year to make tags!  They finish off a package just perfectly!  I also couldn't resist Rudy, the adorable reindeer, from the new Verve set, Santa's Helper.  He's fun and EASY to color and is too darned cute.

I colored him with Copics, cut him out and popped him up for dimension.  The Kraft tags were embossed with a snowflake embossing folder.  The frame was cut using the Rounded Scallop Frame die from Verve.  I cut it two times.....from the striped paper and the snowflake paper.  The frame itself was popped up for dimension.  A little sentiment flag, a snowflake ghost shape and a button tied with linen thread finish the tags!  All of the patterned papers are from the LilyBee Designs Jingle Tiny Tablet.

Well that's all from me today!  I hope you all have a great week!

Verve Final Holiday Spotlight Hop!

Welcome to our final Holiday Spotlight Hop!  Last night we released 2 new stamp sets, 5 plain janes and 6 dies to coordinate with new and old Verve holiday sets!  All of the new products we've been showcasing this week are available now in the Verve store! Be sure to leave a little comment love as you take one last stroll through the Diva and Guest Diva blogs. One lucky commenter from today's hop will win the ENTIRE Release! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and deadlines.

Were you able to join us last night for the Verve release party last night?  It was a ton of fun!  I always enjoy chatting with my paper crafting friends!  Anywho...onto my card!

I used the just released set, Bright Spirits for my card.  I paired this set with the awesome Mojo Monday sketch from this week.  I will definitely be using this sketch again!

I have been hoarding saving the new My Mind's Eye Signature Christmas for awhile because I was afraid to cut into all of the beautimous papers, but took the leap for this card.  Aren't the blues so soothing?  The sentiment was stamped in Dark Chocolate ink and was cut out with the Curvy Bookplate die.  I lightly sponged the edges with some Tea Dye Distress Ink.  The poinsettia/snowflakes were stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and were colored with Copic markers.  Some machine stitching and adhesive pearls finish the card!

1. Julee 8. Sankari 2. Andrea 9. Teresa 3. Vickie {Guest} 10. Charmaine 4. Amy 11. Tosha 5. Maureen 12. Wanda {Guest} 6. Laurie 13. Jackie 7. Gretchen {Guest}

I hope you enjoyed this release as much as I did!  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Verve Holiday Release Spotlight ~ Day 3!

Welcome to our Holiday Spotlight Hops!  Hop along with the Divas over the next few days as we share our first looks at a few of the new products releasing from Verve this Friday night!  One lucky commenter from each day's hop will win the sets and dies featured that day, so be sure and leave a little love in the Divasphere! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and deadlines.

Today we are spotlighting the cutest new set, Santa's Helper, plus the Snowflake Tidings Die set, Frosty Snowflakes die set and Lovely Marquee die.

 I paired today's peek with this week's Viva la Verve sketch.  I am this week's host and I have a fun sketch for you to play with!  You can find all the details for this week's sketch here!

Isn't this reindeer ADORABLE?  I literally gasped when I saw him!  He was colored with Copic markers, was fussy cut out and popped up for dimension.  See those two little shapes peeking out from behind the striped panel?  Those were cut the new Lovely Marquee die.  It's such a pretty shape!  Some machine stitching and a rounded corner finish the card.  All of the patterned papers are from the LilyBee Design Jingle 6x6 pad.

1. Julee 8. Sankari 2. Andrea 9. Teresa 3. Vickie {Guest} 10. Charmaine 4. Amy 11. Tosha 5. Maureen 12. Wanda {Guest} 6. Laurie 13. Jackie 7. Gretchen {Guest}

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a great day!

Verve Holiday Release Spotlight ~ Day 2

Welcome to our Holiday Spotlight Hops!  Hop along with the Divas over the next few days as we share our first looks at a few of the new products releasing from Verve this Friday night!  One lucky commenter from each day's hop will win the sets and dies featured that day, so be sure and leave a little love in the Divasphere! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and deadlines.

Today we are introducing Bright Spirits, Winter Tree PJ, Winter Fun Die Set and Love Birds Die Set!  

I couldn't resist making a set of Christmas tags......

These are the first three in a set of six tags I made using Bright Spirits and the coordinating Winter Fun dies and Love Bird dies!  Fun, aren't they?  I love to simply wrap my presents and then add a fun tag.    The papers are from the Authentique Wonder collection.  The green gingham paper was cut with the Classy Label Die.  They were finished with some rope twine and adhesive gems.  

Here are the other three, using the same patterned papers.  I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the fonts on the sentiments from Bright Spirits!  

Well, that's all from me today!  Thanks for stopping by!

Here is a list of Diva's for today's hop!

1. Julee 8. Andrea 2. Jackie 9. Vickie {Guest} 3. Teresa 10. Amy 4. Charmaine 11. Laurie 5. Maureen 12. Gretchen {Guest} 6. Tosha 13. Sankari 7. Wanda {Guest}

I Heart U So Much.....

Exciting things are happening with Verve this week!  We are gearing up for a new release this Friday with some amazing new sets and dies that you won't want to miss!  All of the fun starts on Wednesday on the Verve Blog!  And to top it off, Verve is sponsoring this month's Sketch For You To Try from Jen del Muro!  I HAD to find time to play this weekend because Jen always has great sketches!  You'll notice that I flipped my sketch on it's side!  I'm a rebel like that......LOL

I used the I Heart U die set paired with a sentiment from You and I.  The letters and heart were cut from Terracotta Tile and Vintage Cream felt.  I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black.  A button tied with Linen Thread and some machine stitching finish the card!  Easy Peasy!  All of the papers are from the MME Six By Six Honey Cake pad.

Well, that's all from me today!  Thanks for stopping by!

Oh Boy! {VLVOct2011}

Hi there and happy Saturday!  I hope you're all having a great weekend!  We're just hanging out today all tired from a sleepover last night that involved four 12 year old girls!  I'm happy to say we survived but we're all a bit tired and maybe a bit cranky.......

I have a card to show you today that I made yesterday for this week's Viva la Verve sketch over in the Verve forums on SCS!  Charmaine is our host this week and she gave us a wonderful sketch to work with.  I did go a bit rebel by making the circle a square though.

My youngest brother and his wife are expecting a baby SOON.....next week to be exact, and we are all very excited!  I made this card to give to them once my nephew, David, is born!  I feel so organized having a card done BEFORE hand!  HA!

I used one of my fave Verve sets of all time, To the Moon.  The bear was colored with Copics, was cut out and popped up over the frame.  I tied the kites to his arm with some Brown Sugar Divine Twine.  The card was finished with some buttons, adhesive pearls, some lace and machine stitching!  

We'd love to have you play along!  If you complete all the sketches for October, you'll be entered to win a Verve gift certificate!  You can see all the challenge details here!

Well, that's all from me today!  Thank you all so much for stopping by!

Viva la Verve Just Because!

Hi there and Happy Friday!  I'm happy it's almost the weekend!  We don't have many plans this weekend, just hanging out at the in-laws tomorrow and football on Sunday!  Oh, and maybe I'll sneak in a couple cards!

I sat down this morning to make a card for today's Viva la Verve sketch!  Maureen is our host this week and she has a fantastic sketch for you to play with!  I tweaked it just a bit by making my card a square, but I pretty much stuck to the original sketch!

 I pulled out Great Friend (one of my fave Verve sets and it's ON SALE) because it had been awhile since I'd used it.  The flowers were paper pieced.  I cut out each layer of flower and popped it up on foam tape for dimension.  Each flower was finished with a decorative brad.  The sentiment was cut out with an oval tab die from MFT.  The ribbon is some gorgeous seam binding from The Cat's Pajamas.  A little machine stitching finishes the card.

Here is the sketch:

We'd love to have you play along!  If you complete all the sketches for October, you'll be entered to win a Verve gift certificate!  You can see all the challenge details here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Verve September Diva Dare!

To see my MFTeaser for today just scroll down!  Thanks!

Hi there and Happy Friday!  Today is my post day and the final day for Verve's September Diva Dare!  The dare was to CASE a Diva, as in Copy and Share With Everyone!  I got to case my friend, Charmaine!  What a fun challenge this was!

Just head on over to the Verve Blog for all the juicy details on my card and to learn how you can play along to win some prizes!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Verve After Party!

Hi there!!  I hope you're all having a great Monday.  I'm a little late with my post because my girls started back to school today (HOORAY) and we've been busy getting them to school!  It was a rough morning for them....you know....getting up early, getting ready early, eating early....listening to their mother singing a happy tune......LOL!

Anywho.....Verve celebrated it's 4th Anni-VERVE-sary with a TREMENDOUS release this past Friday and the Divas are still celebrating with the August After Party over on the Verve Blog.  We're all sharing our favorites from the release and I'm here to share mine with you!

I used the new set Making a Statement combined with the Loopy Blooms dies, the Rounded Scallop Frame, and the Rounded Rectangle Die.   I have to say I'm in love with those Loopy Blooms dies.  I love the unique look of the flowers and leaves with the cut outs in the center!  So fun!

A detail shot......

Well, that's all I've got for you today!  I'm now going to celebrate some "me time" with what few hours I have left until I have to get my girls at school! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  Making a Statement (Verve)

Paper:  True Black, MME Lost and Found TWO Rosy DP

Ink:  ColorBox Pigment ink in Black, Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories:  Loopy Blooms Dies (Verve), Scallop Rectangle Die (Verve), Rounded Rectangle Die (Verve), Lace Trim, Linen Thread, Adhesive Pearls, Corner Chomper, Sewing Machine, Foam Tape



Anni-Verve-sary Spotlight Hop ~ Day 6!

Hi there!!  It's the final day of peeks for this week long Anni-VERVE-sary celebration and I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!!   Hop along with the Divas today as one lucky commenter from today's hop will win the sets and dies featured today, so be sure and leave a little love in the Divasphere! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and deadlines.

Today the Divas are spotlighting a fantastic new set, Making a Statement, along with the Rounded Scallop Frame Die and the Loopy Blooms Die set.

Birthday Wishes For You:

Making a Statement is so fun!  I am in love with this set!  It has the most fun mix of fonts and the flowers are so unique.  But I can't forget the adorable scallop frame and the two sweet birds!  There is nothing about this set that I don't love!  You will, too!

For my card I used some new (yes, I'm ADDICTED to patterned paper) MME Lost and Found TWO Blush papers.  I used the new Loopy Blooms dies to cut out the flower and the leaves.  L.O.V.E!!!!  I stamped the scalloped frame in Dark Chocolate ink and cut it out with the Rounded Scallop Frame.   The Rounded Scallop Frame cuts out the center so you get an actual FRAME.  It's awesome....I stamped the sentiment in Dark Chocolate ink and assembled my card.  It was finsihed with some Linen Thread tied buttons and machine stitching.

1. Julee 10. Laurie 2. Charmaine 11. Maureen 3. Tosha 12. Amber 4. Andrea 13. Amy 5. Sankari 14. Jen d. 6. Teresa 15. Betty 7. Jackie 16. Lynda 8. Sarah {Guest} 17. Susan 9. Marisa {Guest} Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a great day!