Goodness and Mercy

TGIF people! I am glad the weekend is almost here, even if it will be a lot of errand-running.

Back again this Friday to share with you the new Viva la Verve sketch for this week's challenge.

This week is also one of the fun weeks where we combine the sketch with a twist - we have an inspiration photo to share today. You can combine the sketch and inspiration or do one or the other. Me, I love the extra little jump I get from mashing them both together.

Today's sketch is brought to you by Christyne Kane.

And my card for you today..

I loved the gray, black and purple color scheme in the photo, so that was where I started. The stars in the Bright Spirits set were the spitting image of that fancy coffee table in the inspiration picture, so I knew I wanted to incorporate them into my design. I colored them with Copic markers and cut them out, adding yellow rhinestones to their centers.

The sentiment is from Surely Goodness, and I just love the whimsy of the design.

So what will you do with this week's challenge? Is it going to be the straight sketch, or did one of the fun elements in the photo pique your interest? Whatever it is, I can't wait to see how you are inspired. Join us!

And don't forget that Verve is having a sale - 30% off all love themed sets!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Bright Spirits, Surely Goodness - Verve Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Soft Stone - PTI; Basic Gray - SU!; Black - Wplus9
INK: Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko
OTHER: Modern Wallpaper Embossing Folder - ProvoCraft; Doily - Wilton; Rhinestones - Recollections; Copic Markers

Serendipity Stamps Challenge #27

Hi there!

Hope you are having a good week. I'm already looking forward to the weekend, so you can tell how things are going around here! I am here today to share some inspiration for January's challenge on the Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog. The customer challenge this month is to use buttons on your project (the DT will provide inspiration twice each month, but you have the whole month to play along!)

This week we are combining buttons with the chalkboard technique.

I thought I'd like to try making my chalkboard green this time. Did you have green chalkboards when you went to school? I remember them in Elementary school. I used Ocean Tides cardstock to go with the green look. I stamped my Keep Your Face to the Sunshine image in Versamark and heat embossed it in white, adding some other details with a white colored pencil and some white pigment ink.

The sunny patterned papers bring it all together, and its topped off with my buttons, one of my favorite embellishments.

Be sure to stop by and visit the rest of the Design Team:

Jenny Gropp
Marybeth Lopez
Miriam Napier
Pauline Pollington
Anya Schrier - you are here!
Jeanne Jachna
Vickie Zimmer
Julie Warner
Karen Amidon

I hope you'll join us for this month's challenge - all you need to do is use buttons and at least one Serendipity Stamps image or die. Need to add to your collection? This week's sale is free shipping on all continental US orders of $10 or more. The sale runs through 1/22/14. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Keep Your Face to the Sunshine - Serendipity Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Ocean Tides - PTI; Oatmeal - Wplus9
PATTERNED PAPER: Farmhouse - October Afternoon
INK: Pigment White - Wplus9; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger
OTHER: Detail White Embossing Powder - Stampendous; Woodgrain Embossing Folder - Darice; White colored pencil; Buttons; Crochet thread

My Cup of Tea

Howdy! How is your week going?

Bill and I are busy working on our new floor - we've been doing a little each night and the end is most definitely in sight. Its a good thing!

Today I am here to share my card for this week's Viva la Verve sketch challenge. Did you have a chance to check out the new VLV Blog? Do you just love it?

Here is this week's sketch, from Diva Teresa Kline:

And here is the card that I created, using the Verve sets Borderline and Better With You:

Its the perfect time to start stocking up on a few Valentines. I hope you'll join us for this week's Viva la Verve sketch challenge! Have a great weekend!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Borderline, Better With You - Verve Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Pure Poppy - SU!; Oatmeal, Kraft - Wplus9
PATTERNED PAPER: North Pole - We R Memory Keepers
INK: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Smoky Slate - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger
OTHER: Pennant Trim Die - Verve Stamps; Sewing machine

January Verve Diva Inspirations Hop

Hello!

Welcome to Verve's January Diva Inspirations Hop. It's the 5th of the month and that means it's hopping time! This year we're spicing up our monthly hops with the addition of a challenge! So in addition to a comment prize hidden along the hop, you can play along with the challenge and link up your creation for a chance to win another prize! Woohoo!

Our January challenge is:

The year is shiny and new, so let's add shimmer and shine to our cards.

Think glitter, sequins, rhinestones, pearls, heat embossing - anything with some gloss.

You are on the right track if you've arrived here from Amy's blog. The hop is kicking off on Sarah's blog, so be sure to head there so you don't miss any of the eye candy!

What better way to add shimmer and shine to your card than the twinkle of lots of stars! I flipped through all my Verve sets, and pulled any that had star images in them. Here I used: Birthday Bash, Holiday Greetings, and Learning to Sail. I stamped my star pattern onto my card first and then some extras onto scrap, which I cut out and popped up in my design. Some of my stars were glittered, others were colored with Perfect Pearls, and the rest I left plain. Then I added a sprinkling of rhinestones for good measure :)

The sentiment is from the Birthday Bash set and was stamped on an Embossed Oval die cut.

Need a little inspiration? Check out the blogs linked below to see what our Divas did with the challenge! It's sure to be a treat, and speaking of treats, we've got a prize for one lucky commenter along the hop! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines.  Betty Wright is your next stop along the hop!

	1. Sarah	10. Tiffany
	2. Amy	11. Maureen
	3. Anya	12. Stacey
	4. Betty	13. Amber
	5. Jessica	14. Teresa
	6. Karen	15. Marisa
	7. Sankari	16. Charmaine
	8. Sony	17. Verve Blog
	9. Susan

Verve Stamps is also having a little sale - all Valentine and love themed sets are 30% off!

Take care, and thanks for stopping by!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Birthday Bash, Holiday Greetings, Learning to Sail - Verve Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Kraft, Oatmeal - Wplus9
INK: Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko
OTHER: Embossed Oval Die - Verve Stamps; Perfect Gold Perfect Pearls - Ranger; Antique Silver Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Adhesive Rhinestones - Recollections

Viva la Verve!

Hiya! Happy first Friday of 2014! Well, as if that wasn't exciting enough, today we are kicking off the first Viva la Verve sketch challenge of 2014 AND announcing its very own blog! Yay yay yay!

It is the same fabulous Viva la Verve sketch challenge you've always loved, with a fresh new twist - optional color and inspiration challenges to jazz things up. For all the info on the rules and how to link up your creations, head to the new VLV Blog, where Julee will give you all the deets!

Here is today's challenge:

You can use the sketch by itself, the colors by themselves, or throw them together for an extra good time!

I used the Holiday Treats set from Verve Stamps for my card. I love all the chevron patterns in the set, along with the cute coordinating dies.

I'll be looking for you over on the Viva la Verve blog! Have a great day!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Holiday Treats - Verve Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Close to Cocoa, Baja Breeze - SU!; Oatmeal - Wplus9
INK: Close to Cocoa, Baja Breeze, Ruby Red - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Cup of Cheer Die Set, Tagged Rectangle Die, Pastel Sequin Mix - Verve Stamps; Chevron Embossing Folder - Sizzix

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2014 is good to you.

Just a quick note to let you know that I am posting on the Waltzingmouse Inspiration Blog today! I hope you'll stop by :)

Serendipity Stamps Challenge #26

Hi there!

Hope you are doing well, staying relaxed and enjoying the season. I am trying! Today it is time once again for a new challenge on the Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog. The challenge this week is chalk. I have such fun with the chalkboard technique, and that's what I used for my card.

I wanted to use something wintery and festive, so I used the Birch Candles image. I stamped it onto dark gray cardstock with white pigment ink, and then added a few accents with a white colored pencil. I also added some crystal glitter, because everything at the holidays needs to have a little sparkle! In the past, I've only ever used sentiment stamps for the chalkboard technique, but why not a pretty image?

Be sure to stop by and visit the rest of the Design Team:

Jenny Gropp
Marybeth Lopez
Miriam Napier
Pauline Pollington
Anya Schrier - you are here!
Jeanne Jachna
Vickie Zimmer
Julie Warner
Karen Amidon

I hope you'll join us for this week's challenge. If you're in the mood for a little shopping, Serendipity has more than 100 stamps on the 50% Off Wood Mounted Sale. They also have 3 different grab bags – unmounted, Sticky cushion, and Cling Cushion. Each has 10 small stamps. Just search for "grab bag"!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Birch Candles - Serendipity Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal - Wplus9; Smokey Shadow - PTI
PATTERNED PAPER: North Pole - We R Memory Keepers
INK: White Craft Pigment Ink - Wplus9; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger
OTHER: Crystal Fine Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts

Holiday Greetings

Hello, hello!

I am just going to pop in and out and share a little card with you that I made using this week's Mojo Monday sketch.

I used Verve's Holiday Greetings stamp set. I am kinda super crazy about those adorable Christmas trees, but I used the charming wreath from the set on my card.

I used Copic markers to color the wreath, and was inspired by a color combo in Basic Grey's 25th & Pine collection.

Did you know that Verve Stamps is having a holiday sale? All the stamps released in 2013 are 25% off! What a great deal!

So glad you stopped by today!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Holiday Greetings - Verve Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Soft Sky - SU!; Oatmeal - Wplus9
PATTERNED PAPER: 25th & Pine - Basic Grey
INK: Tuxedo Black Memento - Tsukineko; Soft Sky - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger
OTHER: Standard Circle Nestabilities - Spellbinders; Diamond Stickles - Ranger; Melon Berry Button - PTI; Crochet thread

December Verve Diva Inspirations Hop

Hello!

Welcome to the December Verve Diva Inspirations Hop!

It's the 5th of the month and that means it's hopping time. We love to get our Verve inky around here.  So pull up a chair and take a tour of some fun creations using Verve favorites. It's sure to be a treat, and speaking of treats, we've got a prize for one lucky commenter along the hop! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines.

You are on the right track if you've arrived here from Amy's blog. The hop is kicking off on the Verve Blog, so be sure to head there to get all the details!

This week there is also a contest going on at the Mojo Monday Blog. I used this week's sketch to help kick start my inspiration.

The holidays are in full swing around here, and I'm adding to the holiday card stack whenever I can.  For today's card, I used the Bright Spirits set, a fabulous holiday set (with the most gorgeous font EVER!) that was released in 2011.

There are lots of lovely Verve ladies joining us today - some of the release team is with us, so be sure to keep on hopping! Betty Wright is your next stop along the hop!

	1. Julee	12. Andrea
	2. Amy	13. Teresa
	3. Anya	14. Charmaine
	4. Betty	15. Laurie S,
	5. Jessica	16. Stacey {Guest}
	6. Karen	17. Jen
	7. Sankari	18. Amber
	8. Sarah	19. Maureen
	10. Susan	20. Marisa
	11. Tiffany	21. Christyne

And since the holidays are just around the corner, Verve Stamps has a little holiday sale going on! Don't forget to pick up a little something for your own stocking! 

Take care, and thanks for stopping by!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Bright Spirits - Verve Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal - Wplus9; Soft Sky - SU!
PATTERNED PAPER: 25th & Pine - Basic Grey
INK: Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko; Vintage Photo Distress Ink - Ranger
OTHER: Corner Chomper - We R Memory Keepers; Star Dust Stickles - Ranger; Melon Berry Button - PTI; Eggshell Seam Binding - Hug Snug; Copic Markers

Serendipity Stamps Challenge #25

Hello, hello!

How is your week going? It didn't take long to get right into the swing of the holidays, did it? Today it is time once again for a new challenge on the Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog. The challenge this week is to create a shaped card.

Using a few circle dies and some freehand cutting, I came up with this guy.

This idea really started when I was looking through my stamps and saw the Merry Christmas Arc stamp. It reminded me of a banner, and I thought it would be cute to have a snowman hold the message.

I also used some other Serendipity images to decorate him - his body is stamped with the Large Snowflake Flourish and then brushed with Perfect Pearls for some shimmer. His scarf and glove patterns were created using the Large Cupcake stamp. Just a little fun :)

Won't you join us for this week's challenge? All you need to do is use at least one Serendipity Stamps image on your shaped card and link it up over on the Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog.

Be sure to stop by and visit the rest of the Design Team:

Jenny Gropp
Marybeth Lopez
Miriam Napier
Pauline Pollington
Anya Schrier - you are here!
Jeanne Jachna
Vickie Zimmer
Julie Warner
Karen Amidon

I hope you'll join us for this week's challenge. If you're in the mood for a little shopping, this week's sale is buy 3, get the 4th free. The special is good through 12/11.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Merry Christmas Arc, Large Snowflake Flourish, Large Cupcake - Serendipity Stamps
CARDSTOCK: White, Cupid's Bow - Wplus9; Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie - SU!
INK: Buckaroo Blue - SU!; White Pigment - Wplus9
OTHER: Detail Gold Embossing Powder - Stewart Superior; Perfect Pearls - Ranger; Standard Circles Large and Small Nestabilities - Spellbinders