August Diva Dare ~ Day 9

Good morning, it's Maureen with the ninth installment of our August Diva Dare! 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 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's theme is Sending Some Sunshine: we DARE you to make an uplifting and encouraging card AND send it to someone in need of a little pick-me-up! There's nothing like opening your mailbox and seeing a handmade card...especially with some of Verve's encouraging sentiments on it!  :-)  I'm actually pretty good about sending birthday and thank you cards out, but as soon as I heard this month's dare, I knew I wanted to make a very special project and send it to my dear blog friend, Janelle, who has a very serious medical condition.  Back in March, Janelle made this VERY cool project for a coworker.  I fell in love with it and tucked the idea in the back in my mind.  Little did I know I would bring it out for Janelle.  So here's the set of inspiring tags along with the card I made for her (both of which are already on their way to her :)

I started with deciding on the papers I would use on the card, then chose the colours for the tags.  There are 12 altogether. Then I went through my Verve Plaine Janes and a few other sets (Hope Blooms and Serenity) for the inspiring tags that were eventually put together with a little key chain and decorated with some coordinating ribbon.  Here are all the tags before I put them together. I also used the Blessings, Believe, and  New Mercies sets to decorate the tags a bit.  Everything was kept simple and flat so that they wouldn't be too bulky when put together.

As you can see, I used several different die cut shapes including Verve's Rounded Rectangle and Curvy Bookplate Dies.  And here they are all tied up together.

After making the tags, I started on the card.  I picked this verse from Jeremiah .  I just love the comfort it talks about.  I also added "You inspire me," from Dare to Be because that is exactly what Janelle is doing to me and so many others touched by her story (not to mention the gorgeous projects she creates with love and thoughtfulness).

 

Whew! Are you still with me?  Thanks for letting me share my special gift :) 

Okay now that I'm done, here are the details...

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

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sending Some Sunshine creation (posted August 26 or later) to the linky widget at the bottom of THE DAY 1 POST before 9PM Mountain on Sunday, September 11. 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 Sending Some Sunshine creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing! Winners will be announced on Monday, September 12 right here on the Verve blog.

Now it's YOUR turn! We DARE you to show us your creations!  

And then DARE you to send it away!!

April Diva Dare ~ Day 8

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Hi Verve fans! Welcome to Day 8 of the April Diva Dare!

For those of you that 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 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 - April Showers Bring May Flowers! With the warmer weather, new growth, and all the fresh and beautiful blooms that abound, it is easy to be inspired by Spring! How you interpret the dare is completely up to you! To sweeten up the challenge, stay tuned to learn how you could win some brand new Verve!

Here's how I answered the challenge:

I mixed one of Verve's newest releases Hope Blooms, with May's Stamp of the Month set Dare to Be. One of the many beauties of working with Verve images is that they all mix and match so well!!

My daughter graduates from High School next week, so I thought "Dare to be You" was the perfect sentiment to use to make a card for her with a frame of bright and cheerful flowers. All I did was stamp the largest Hope Blooms flower with Rocket Red Gold Brilliance ink, and shade the edges a bit with Persimmon VersaMagic. After the sentiment panel and flowers were dry, I added a layer of Shimmer with some Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz by Tsukineko. If you click on the photo below you can see it a bit better. It's very subtle.

Lastly, I added some Stardust stickles dots around the flower centers, some basic vertical embossing stripes with my Scor-Buddy, a button with embroidery thread and a punched border. Very easy!

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

1. Play along with us and link up your new April Showers Bring May Flowers creation (posted April 22nd or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE post before midnight MST on Saturday, May 7th. 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 April Showers Bring May Flowers creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!  Winners will be announced on Monday, May 9th right here on the Verve blog.

Now it's YOUR turn!  We DARE you to show us your creations!

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May Diva Inspirations Hop

Welcome to the May Diva Inspirations Blog Hop! Our Diva Inspirations team, along with a few special guests from the Release team are here to start your month off right with a little Verve inspiration! Take a little peek at each of the fabulous blogs below for some Verve-alicious eye candy and you just might win some Vervey goodness of your very own! 1. Julee 8. Sony 2. Betty 9. Susan 3. Dawn 10. Teresa 4. Jen d. 11. Andrea 5. Jen T. 12. Charmaine 6. Lynda 13. Maureen 7. Shannan We've hidden a little mystery prize on one of today's hop spots, so be sure to leave a little comment love as you hop around for a chance to win! Comment Deadline: 11:59pm Mountain, May 5 Prize: $30 gift certificate to Verve And since it's a new month, that means we've got a new Stamp of the Month to feature! In May we're featuring the sentiment set, Dare to Be. With 5 uplifting and encouraging sentiments, this set is perfect for graduation, congratulations or just a little pick me up. Or pair it with the To the Moon, Chicks Rule or Lucky Ducky sets for perfect little love notes to tuck into a lunchbox. And at 40% off during the month of May, Dare to Be is a pretty big deal!

A brand new month also brings along a new sale here at Verve! During the month of May, you'll find savings on some favorite flower and Mother's Day sets.

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Encouraging Words Challenge: Day 3

Hey everyone! It's Julee, here with day three of our project parade focusing on encouraging words. I'm filling in for my girl, Shannan, who has been extremely sick and could use a few encouraging words herself. The first person I told about Verve (besides Mark, of course!), Shannan has been my #1 cheerleader and has helped me every step of the way through this Verve journey. I couldn't ask for a better friend, encourager and inspiration. She truly is a ROCKSTAR, which is what inspired my project for today - a little Encouraging Words Card Candy.


For the card candy base, I took a 4.25 x 11" strip of heavy cardstock, scored at 2" and punched with the Martha Stewart Half Spiral punch. Next I rounded the bottom corners of the sheet, and folded on the scored line. I added a 4.25" x 1" strip of pink cardstock, embossed with the Stars Cuttlebug folder. Next I cut a 4.25 x 9" strip of acetate and adhered behind the fold with sticky strip, to make a carrier sheet, so the card embellishments can be pulled off. I tied a grey taffeta bow around the whole ensemble, then made a little you're a star title embellishment.

All of the embellishments use either the Starstruck or Dare to Be You sets and a myriad of punches and diecuts. Here's a list:

SU! Punches: Large Oval, Scalloped Oval, Word Window, Modern Label, Tag, Large Tag, Small Star, Large Star
Dies: Lots of Tags (Sizzlets/SU!), Fancy Tags (Spellbinders)

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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 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.

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

Project Parade - Day 4

Hey y'all, it's Shannan here! I hope you're enjoying the Project Parade so far...I know I am! I have to admit, when Jen announced this month's theme, I was a little scared! If you don't know why, just check out the name of my blog. *grin* I don't "do" boy things very often...it's wayyyy out of my comfort zone! But I was brave and gave it a shot, and I'm excited that I did!

When I was at my LSS last week, I stumbled upon this cool stuff called Sophisticated Finishes. It's a two-part process that involves painting a surface with a Metallic Surface finish (I used Copper), and then applying an Antiquing Solution (I used Patina Green) to areas to create a cool finish. Off to the store I went to look for something to antique! I happened upon this unfinished wood cube with inserts for photos, and it is on a little turntable so it spins. I thought it would be a perfect addition to my dad's desk.

 After the antiquing process (which I have the urge to do on all non-moving objects at this point), I went to work on the inserts for the cube. They measure just over 3 1/4" square, so I cut some Classic Cream cardstock to size and then decorated them with my stamps. For the first square, I stamped the second generation image of the background from the Protector set in Distress Tea Dye ink. I repeated that image until the entire square was covered. Then I stamped Whimsy Tree in Distress Walnut Stain (stamped off once), and added the sentiment from Dare to Be You in Walnut Stain full strength.The edges were then sponged with Tea Dye and then Walnut Stain.

The next square was stamped with the "another name for love" stamp from World's Best. I then stamped the frame from Dad's Day in Tea Dye ink, and the sentiment in Walnut Stain, and finished by sponging the edges.

For the third square, I inked up the "DAD" image from Protector in Tea Dye, and then created a pattern from the strip of dots from Father Figure in second generation Tea Dye. The sentiment is also from Father Figure, and I stamped it in Walnut Stain before sponging the edges.

The last square is probably my favorite. I stamped the Dad image from Protector repeatedly in second generation Tea Dye to create a background. Then I added the sentiment (my favorite!!) from Dad's Day in Walnut Stain before sponging the edges.

Once I finished all four of the inserts, I glued some Natural Jute along the bottom of the box, along the trim. I also covered the top with the same jute, wrapped in a square pattern working from the edges to the inside.

All in all, a very manly, rustic gift that took me about an hour and cost less than $10 to create! I'm pretty proud, if I do say so myself. *wink*

So, are you ready to play along yet? Everyone is welcome! Just make a project or card that fits your style and celebrates a man in your life. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we love to see 'em! Then just add a link to your creation to the Mr. Linky form in --->{THIS}<--- post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, June 20th. Two lucky participants will win a stamp set of their choice from the Verve Store. We've also hidden another $25 gift certificate somewhere along the parade for a random commenter. So if you like what you see, don't forget to leave a little love in the comments of each post! Have fun and good luck!

Sneak Preview - Day 3

Happy Friday, Verve Fans! It's Shannan here, wavin' howdy from Texas. Today is the final day of the Sneak Previews for our May Release, and boy, did we save the best for last! Ok, well at least my favorite, anyway. *wink* We have previews for two more sets today - Up, Up & Away and Dare to Be You, both of which will be available to order tonight (May 22nd) after the Release Party in the Verve Forum. Let's get the eye candy started, shall we?


From Diva Lynda Benden:

Oh my gosh, can I tell you how much I LOVE the NEW Up, Up and Away set?!?!? When I saw it, I immediately thought how perfect bright, primary colors would look on the balloons and then I started my card and ended up using blue and brown!!! LOL!!! I will definitely use primary colors in the future but for today’s Father’s Day card, the blue and brown are perfect! I wanted a masculine feel so I pulled out one of my favorite SU! DP collections, Parisian Breeze. I used the Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White CS that matched the striped DP. The layout is from Julee’s Mojo Monday sketch #87. The tree (I stamped it one time and then masked it in order to stamp the second), the clouds (stamped using Baja Breeze ink and then I added fine clear Martha Stewart glitter) and hot air balloon (balloon was paper pieced, basket colored with Prismacolor pencils) are ALL included in the new Up, Up and Away set! On the inside, I added the NEW Plain Jane ~ Happy Father’s Day sentiment using Chocolate Chip ink.


From Diva Jackie Pedro:

I may sound like a broken record, but Julee has done it again with these fabulous new sets! For today's card I used the new set Up, Up and Away along with a sentiment from Dare To Be You. I used just ONE of the Three hot air balloons from the set! Not only is this set beautiful, but I think it is also whimsical at the same time. I really wanted to capture the whimsical nature of this set so I used some fun papers to get the look I wanted. This set would be perfect for so many occasions....graduation, birthdays, thinking of you....the possibilities are really endless!


From Diva Amy Sheffer:

I'm especially excited to preview Up, Up & Away! A while back I was browsing home decor catalogs when a trio of hot air balloon wall hangings caught my eye. There was something so sweet and magical about the balloons, and, as we stampers so often do, I thought "wouldn't that make a cute stamp?" I shared the idea with the Divas, and Julee ran with it. I don't know how she does it, but once again, she's created a set with the perfect balance between whimsy and elegance. I couldn't be happier with "my" hot air balloons! This set will be perfect for so many occasions - congratulations, pick-me-up, encouragement, even baby and travel. The other set we're previewing today is Dare to Be You. The title sentiment, Dare to Be You, jumped out at me as a fantastic message for a new graduate. Paired with the balloons, it makes a great send-off for someone entering "the real world"! If only life were always blue skies and smooth sailing (or should I say smooth floating?). I hope you'll fall for these two sets every bit as much as I have!

From Diva Shannan Teubner:

Sometimes when you see a stamp set, a special little magic happens...your mind immediately sees exactly what you want to create with it. That's what happened when I saw Up, Up and Away. I could picture a group of balloons floating through the air together, so I thought I'd create that scene on paper. All it took was a little masking (save those masks...you can re-use them!), coloring, liquid applique, and voila! Exactly how I pictured it. I didn't want the card to be too fussy, so I let the images and colors do all the work here. The sentiment from Sweet on You went with it just perfectly. I love the time and effort that Julee takes to make all of her sets so versatile. I can see using these balloons for all sorts of occasions!

So, how would you like to win these two new Verve sets? We have one of each set (Up, Up & Away and Dare to Be You) to give away to one lucky reader! All you have to do is leave a comment with your answer to the following question before 8 PM Eastern on Friday, May 22nd!

What is the most adventurous thing you've done with your family?

We hope you'll join us for the release party tonight, May 22nd at 9pm Eastern in the Verve Forum. The sets will be shown in their entirety during the party, and afterwards will be available to order from The Verve Store. We hope see you there!