A Verve Kind of Day #5

After a number of days of bold and bright cards, I had to go running back to my preferred calm and mellow colors!!  Here's my fifth and last card for the Viva La Verve sketch challenges for May.

• Stamps: Verve Believe
• Ink: Versamark
• Paper: Stampin' Up Blue Bayou and Porcelain Prints dsp, Papertrey Fine Linen
• Accessories: Stamp-n-Stuff Classic Pewter Embossing Powder, brads (that I heated and then dipped in the embossing powder, then reheated to change their color), Stampin' Up Border Punch, Papertrey Fine Linen ribbon

A few weeks ago, I did this post with a picture tutorial on Magic Cards.  I mentioned that we were planning on mass producing these cards at a church service day for use by a family services agency.  This morning, as I was reading the Splitcoast Weekly Inklings, I saw that they had pointed out an older tutorial on Magic Cards and seeing this reminded me that I had never shown you the final results.  Here's a small sampling of what my wonderful group of cardmakers (and even non-cardmakers) accomplished that day.

A Verve Kind of Day #4

I saw this morning's Splitcoast Color Challenge and walked away - definitely out of my comfort zone.  But...there is a reason they are called challenges.  So I decided to give it a try.  I forced myself to fully embrace these colors (vs. finding subtle patterned papers that matched) and I also went for a bold use of the dessert option: summer!!   Although I am happy with the final card, every decision and step of the way was painful!

The layout is from a May Viva La Verve Sketch.  Just one more to go for May and, for the first time, I will have finished that challenge!!

• Stamps: Verve Miracles Blossom
• Ink: copics
• Paper: Stampin' Up Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil CS and dsp, Pacific Point dsp
• Accessories: Mark Richards Yellow Glitter Domes and Black Nailheads, Stampin' Up Daffodil Grosgrain and Scalloped Border Punch, Nestabilities Pinking Circles, Papertrey Ink Fillable Frames and Clouds dies

A Verve Kind of Day #3

I had promised this post yesterday and I was all ready to go, but my family insisted we watch a History Channel special together.  No problem - I figured that I would just write up the words after the show.  But I fell asleep, I'm embarrased to tell you how early it was!  It was just so cozy curled up next to my husband and the kids weren't arguing - just quietly watching the show.

Of course, this is the kids earlier on their Memorial Day holiday!  The "lump" under the blanket is the teenager!

Here is my third card for the May Verve Sketch challenges:

• Stamps: Verve Dare to Be
• Ink: Stampin' Up Early Espresso
• Paper: Kaisercraft Secrete Bird Society, Stampin' Up Early Espresso and Shimmer White, Papertrey Aqua Mist, misc vellum
• Accessories: Spellbinders Tag (cut in half so it peeks out from each side of the square), Spellbinders Beaded Oval, Clear Spica pen (on each bead), Martha Stewart butterfly punch

A Verve Kind of Day #2

Here is the second of my five cards for the Viva La Verve Sketch Challenge in May.  I have a number of Verve sets that I ordered during their last sale and I have sworn to not put new stamps away until they have seen ink.  This seemed like the perfect time to play Viva La Verve!

I just love how CR84FN uses inspiration photos for their color challenge.  These photos made the colors look gorgeous together so I had to give it a try!

• Stamps: Verve Floral Symphony and Amazing Wishes
• Ink: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Perfect Plum, copics on flowers
• Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum CS and dsp
• Accessories: Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Quickutz corners, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Martha Stewart seam binding, gems by Michaels (they have the tiniest little gems!!), Nestabilities oval to cut window.

A Verve Kind of Day #1

A month or so ago, Verve had a stamp sale and I ordered a number of sets that I had on my wishlist.  But they have been sitting under my desk unopened because I didn't want to "index" them. 

I actually take every stamp that I buy and stamp them into a three-ring notebook organized by sentiments and by themes.  So if a set has birthday, thank you, thinking of you sentiments and has flowers, leaves and flourishes - that's six different sections of my notebook!  It takes forever, but it's worth it to be able to easily page through and find the right sentiment or flower, etc.  Verve sets are particularly time consuming to index because you an amazing variety of stamps in each set.

I have time today to do it and I was thinking to make it more fun, I might play along with the Viva la Verve! sketches on Splitcoast, but there are five sketches for May and I hadn't even started them.  Totally overwhelming!

But when the Friday Free For All challenge was to use a freebie, my decision was made for me!  Verve sends a free thank you stamp with their order!!  Obviously it's the stamping goddesses sending me a message to work with Verve today!!

Here's #1:

• Stamps: Verve Hope Blooms and freebie Thank You
• Ink: Stampin' Up True Thyme, River Rock
• Paper: Stampin' Up True Thyme, River Rock, Daffodil CS and dsp, Naturals White, K&Co Julianne
• Accessories: Verve flower dies, SU True Thyme ribbon, Cuttlebug border die, Stampin' Up Spiral Border Punch, Martha Stewart microbeads (on flower center), gems colored with copics