October Project Parade - Day 3

Welcome to day 3 of the Project Parade! Do you love to emboss? Either wet OR dry? Well then, this month's project parade is JUST FOR YOU! The theme this month is embossing! SO many of Verve's awesome stamps are PERFECT for embossing. I didn't know where to start! I finally decided to use the wonderful Fairy Tales set! I started with this weeks sketch challenge over on SCS and then the rest kind of took care of itself! I embossed the sentiment and flourished circle frame in gold embossing powder. The pink dp is from the Pink Pirhouette prints pack by SU and the ribbon is by PTI.
If you love to emboss, please play along with us! Not only do you get to stamp and have fun but you can win $15 in VERVE Bucks to spend in the store! Win Win! All you have to do is upload your creation to your blog or online gallery by noon on Friday, October 24th, and link your embossed creation to THIS thread for your chance at the Verve bucks! If you upload to SCS, please use keyword VVPP07 so we can see all the pretty embossing in one spot!

Also, don't forget this months Double Feature in the store! One click will get you Beautiful You and Cupcake Affair for only $35!

Have a Vervilicious weekend!!

Just add Water!

I had a wink of an idea ever since the Fairy Tales stamp set was released. The sentiment "Make your own Happiness" seemed to lend itself to some type of pick me up gift. I sat on the idea for a while and let it gestate. Verve's Project Parade this month was to get Krafty...so I put two and two together and came up with this!

I thought it would be such a cute idea to have a gift that the recipient would "make" ! You know, Make your own Happiness! Something cute and sweet that you could drop on the table over coffee, or leave on their desk at work.


The little box was inspired by Lauren Meader's box here. This is slightly different, as I modeled mine based on the size of a votive candle, and it uses only one piece of paper. This little pick me up includes bath salts and a scented votive candle! Inside the little gift tag on the bath salts it says "Just add Water!" Is there a better way to happiness than a luxurious soak by candlelight?


The box is stamped with the filigree border stamp from "Artful Elegance" in Bashful Blue. I used the filigree circle stamp in Bashful Blue as the base of the sentiment, which is from "Fairy Tales". A scalloped border and scalloped circles bring it all together along with some Bashful Blue ribbon.

Now if you give a gift you need a card, so I created a really simple little 3x3" card to go along with it. There is something about Kraft paper that really makes me think simple! For this, I scalloped the border and added three rows of piercing, before the same sentiment treatment and ribbon was added.

Well, this wraps up the Gettin' Krafty Project Parade...the rest is up to you! If you want to Get Krafty with us, create a card or project using Kraft paper and-or any natural fibers like hemp for example. Then link your creation to THIS POST no later than noon on September 30th. If you upload to SCS, please use keyword VVPP06, so we can all drool over your Krafty creation! A random participant will be drawn on October 1st to receive $15 in Verve Bucks to spend at the Verve Stamps store! Good luck and go get Krafty!

Supplies: Stamps: Artful Elegance, Fairy Tales Paper: Kraft, Bashful Blue, white Ink: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip Accessories: scallop circle & border punches, paper piercer, Bashful Blue striped ribbon, circle punches, dimensionals.

Happy Monday, peeps! It's time for me to share my Gettin' Krafty creation. The challenge we issued is for you to use Kraft Paper or Natural Fibers on your project.

 I had so much fun playing with my Verve sets this weekend! My new Circle Nestabilities arrived on Saturday, so I knew I wanted to play with those. White, Black and Red are my favorite colors to use with Kraft paper. The white against the Kraft just pops right out! I also decided to use the SCS Dirty Dozen sketch (or my version of it anyway) for this challenge. Here's my card.

I stamped the circle element from Abundant Blessings in Versafine Black on Kraft paper. Then I highlighted the image with my Ranger White gel pen and colored the outside border with my Strong Red Copic marker. The borders were all cut out with my circle nestabilities.  I decided to add the small fern images stamped in Versamark onto the Kraft base to give it just a little something. To give my card some extra texture, I ran the Riding Hood Red panel through my Cuttlebug with my Forest Branches folder, then added the black panel across the bottom. Seven (Yes, SEVEN!) black brads and a sentiment from Fairy Tales added the finishing touches!

Have you gotten krafty yet?? No? You still have time to play with us! Just post your creation to this post by noon on September 30th. If you upload to SCS, use keyword VVPP06 so we can see all your Kraftiness in one place. A random participant will be drawn on October 1st to receive $15 in Verve Bucks to spend at the Verve Stamps Store! So what are you waiting for...go get Krafty!

Project Parade - Day 11

I don't even drink coffee and this challenge has been making me drool for over a week now! If you can pull yourself away from your coffee long enough to stamp something, we'd love to have you play along with this pink and brown inspiration challenge. Get all the deets, learn how you can win $15 in Verve Bucks, and link your creation HERE!

I thought these colors would work perfectly with the new Fairy Tales stamp set. The frame in that set has been calling me to add a picture ever since I first saw it. I stamped the frame in Jumbo Java VersaMagic, and embossed with clear embossing powder on kraft card stock. A 1-3/8 inch circle punch is a great fit for this frame. So I easily punched out the center. I embossed the sentiment in the same way on the circle I had just punched out and added a glazed brad. After layering everything together I stitched double lines around the bottom half with brown thread. Another decorative brad, some flowers with Stickles, and a few ribbon scraps finished it off. It's a little more shabby chic than my usual style, but I think it turned out so cute.

What's In It?
Stamps: Fairy Tales (Verve Stamps)

Paper: chocolate chip, kraft, pretty in pink (Stampin' Up!); Sultry (Basic Grey)

Ink: jumbo java (VersaMagic)

Accessories: sewing machine and thread; ribbon: polka dots(American Crafts), tafetta and grosgrain (Stampin' Up!); 1-3/8" circle punch (SU!); paper flowers (Prima); brads: glazed (Basic Grey's Sultry), pearl (Michael's); clear embossing powder (Stampin' Up!); fruit punch Stickles

Fairy Tales Bliss

Unlike Laura, Pink and Brown isn't quite my favorite color combo lately, but thank goodness these YUMMY stamps are quick to inspire ideas! I knew right away I wanted to do a shaped card and fell back on the ole' Nestibility circle card! It's so quick and fun and has an easy "WOW" factor! I used the new set called "Fairy Tales" for my card, I just LOVE the flourished circle, it's so pretty and fun to layer! I also used some pink organdy ribbon I picked up at the craft store and some half-back pearls as well! That Prima flower started out white so I colored it pink with a Copic marker and it matches PERFECTLY!

You wanna win some Verve bucks? Of course you do! All you have to do to win is upload your project for the project parade on THIS post! That particular post also gives you the inspiration piece to use in order to qualify! You have until September 5th, noon, to upload your vervalicious creations! Good luck and happy stamping!!!

Recipe:

Stamps: Fairy Tales (Verve)

Paper: Close to Cocoa, Purely Pomegranate, Pink Pirouette (SU!) White (PTI)

Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Close to Cocoa (SU!)

Accessories: Nestibilities, Rhinestone brad (GinaK), Pearls (manf unk), Organdy ribbon (manf unk), Flower (Prima), Copic markers

August Project Parade - Day 4

You know I think pink and brown ranks in my top three colour combos...so this challenge came together quickly for me! Actually, I had been envisioning this card ever since I got the Fairy Tales set and it came together exactly as I saw it! When I look at this card I think Cinderella's pumpkin carriage or perhaps a stampers version of the MGM studio logo, any way, something very grand and "Fairy Tale-ish". What do you see?

Now if you're going for Fairy Tales, you have to have gold and bling. You just have to! So I made sure I had plenty of both! I also added a few Prima Flowers because I can't stop myself, and if you have one of the retired SU wrought iron corner punches...dig it out, because it works fabulously with all the sets in this new release! As it's name implies, Fairy Tales is one of the most uplifting and whimsical sets, and perfectly suited to pink and brown....don't you think?

You're invited to play along with us! And there just might be a prize in it for you if you do!! Create a card/project using pink and brown as your colours. You can have a look at the "ad" that inspired this project parade here! When you've finished, leave a comment with a link on this post and/or upload it to SCS by noon on September 5th using the keyword VVPP05. On September 5th a random winner will be selected to spend $15 in Verve Bucks at the Verve store!! I hope it's you!

Recipe:
Stamps: Fairy Tales (Verve)
Paper: Pirouette Pink, Purely Pomegranate, Close to Cocoa (SU)
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Detail Gold ep, Wrought Iron corner punch (SU), gems (Michaels), prima flowers, gold brads, 1 1/4", 1 3/8" and 1 1/2" circle punches, dimensionals

Another Warning...this time for ICE CREAM!

Happy Tuesday, Verve Fans! It's my turn to show you a project using the pink and brown inspiration piece that Julee found for us. You can find it in {this post} if you haven't seen it.

Since it's summer and still hot around here, this color combo immediately had me craving Neopolitan Ice cream! So add me to the list of people pointing fingers at this month's Project Parade for causing increased chocolate and ice cream cravings. *wink* Here's my pink & brown card!

I stamped the background from Grateful Elegance in Regal Rose ink on my Pretty in Pink panel, and then sponged the edges with Regal Rose and Chocolate Chip ink. I used my Martha Stewart border punch to create the gorgeous scalloped edges and sponged the edges to make them stand out. I tied a big Chocolate chip bow, and mounted those layers on dimensionals onto my 5 1/4" square card base. The corners of the Close to Cocoa piece are punched with the Ticket Corner Punch, and all of the edges are sponged with Chocolate Chip as well. To finish it off, I added some swirls and a sentiment from the Fairy Tales set and some Bella Pearls.


Wanna play along with this fun Pink and Brown inspiration piece? Just upload your creation to this post no later than noon on September 5th. If you upload to SCS, please use keyword VVPP05, so we can see all your lovely creations in one happy place! A random participant will be drawn on September 5th and receive $15 in Verve Bucks...that's cash to spend at the Verve Stamps store! Good luck!

August Project Parade... Day One

I'm pretty sure that you will be making a run to your local gourmet coffee shop today. How do I know? Because the power that this inspiration piece may have on you. "Oh YUM" are the exact words that came out of my mouth as I peered at this picture of not-so-diet-friendly heaven. Let me know if you agree...

Ok, so here I am having to think about stamping and not sipping while viewing this. By the way, that is harder said than done! Where do I start? It's just so pretty and yummy I kept thinking...LOL. Ok, so I write down the word "sweet" followed by several others that included "pinks," "browns," and, of course, "coffee." This is what I came up with, a coffee lover's gift set...

To start, I took one of the clear plastic card boxes that have gained immense popularity in the past year. I cut and scored my pieces for the bottom and top. Then, I clear embossed the filigree image from Artful Elegance on the brown Prism paper. Along the edges, I ran white ruffle edged ribbon from May Arts and a piece of scalloped pink paper. The topper and bottom can slide right off with a little tug.

The tubes are from Impress, and can be found HERE. The labels were created by printing out the contents on a label, then stamping over it and punching it out. Four of these tubes fit perfectly across one of these boxes (YAY!).

**Please note, I am not sure if these are actually food grade. If you plan to purchase and use these for this kind of purpose, that is something that should be looked into.

Detail shot of the center panel, which matches the labels on the tubes (for the most part, at least). Sentiment is from the new Fairy Tales set...

Template:
Note, that this is not to scale. Red marks indicate where to cut.

Wanna play along with this fun Pink and Brown inspiration piece? Just upload your creation to this post no later than noon on September 5th. If you upload to SCS, please use keyword VVPP05, so we can see all your lovely creations in one happy place! A random participant will be drawn on September 5th and receive $15 in Verve Bucks...that's cash to spend at the Verve Stamps store! Good luck!

Sneak Preview Day Two: Fairy Tales

I know you can't wait to get a looksy, so here's another Verve set, available Wednesday, August 13. It's called Fairy Tales, and it's absolutely charming! A thirteen piece set that will have you stamping happily ever after.

From Amy W:

What an elegant new set! I love Fairy Tales! Everything about this new set is elegant…the swirly font, the sentiments, the images. I wanted to make a really fun, bold wedding card for my sneak peek….so I chose to make it red, black and white. Don’t you just love to see weddings with these colors? Oh so elegant! My card is a joy-fold. When opened up, there is an additional sentiment on the inside from Wonderful Wishes. Black gingham ribbon and pearls adorn the front of the card, taking this card from ordinary to extraordinary….just like the bride and groom it’s intended for! This set is a must-have!

From Charmaine:

When I first saw the Fairy Tales set, I knew exactly what the first thing I'd make was. . .a set of Fairy Tale cards! A while ago, I bought these Cuttlebug embossing folders with the intention of using them for and with my 4 year old daughter. She LOVES anything Disney Princess. The cards came together very quickly and make such a nice gift. Perfect for the little princess in your life! :)

From Bethany:

Of course I thought of weddings when I saw this Happily Ever After sentiment. So right away I wanted to make this box, perfect for a wedding or bridal shower favor with some yummy chocolates tucked inside. I used the 2-5-7-10 box instructions with a few personalized adjustments. I can not get over how romantic that label is with all of the beautiful swirls. I also used a smaller stamp from the set to add white flourishes all over the box.


We have two more days of sneak peeks, right here on the Verve blog. And there's still tons of fun (as in, ahem, prizes!!!) to be had at the Verve Forum, right up to the release party Tuesday night. Please join us, and enjoy!