You’re a Force to be Reckoned With {and craft room work in progress..}

Hello there...I'm popping in to share a card for a friend who is fighting breast cancer. She'll be having a double mastectomy in a few weeks and I wanted to let her know I was thinking of her. She has an amazing positive attitude.  Certainly lifting her up in prayer and thought this Verve sentiment was perfect for her.  I always love making cards with specific people in mind.

I thought I'd also give you an update on my craft space.  Since we moved in October I've been working off folding table.  Of course, I'm happy with any space, but looking forward to having a space where I can get more organized.  

This is the current set up...a filing cabinet and a long folding table.

And some unpacked boxes on the other side of the pool table :)

A view into the room that Pat is currently remodeling for my craft room and his poker table. It will be a bit more poker room than craft room, but we have ordered cabinets to go along that wall with a nice long counter.  The cabinets will be in at the end of April. I'll be sure to keep you updated with pictures as we make progress!

Curtain Call: May Your Heart Be Kind...

It's time for a new challenge over at Curtain Call!

This week we are inviting you to join us for...

thisivyhouse

I loved all the green...at first I thought I'd go for the crayons in the inspiration but then changed my mind...and went down my traditional style of focusing on the sentiment.  I love Verve stamps and their fabulous verses and sentiments.

Now, it's your turn!  To enter the challenge, simply follow these instructions:

1.  Create a new Anything Goes paper project (card, scrapbook page, 3D item)...with the option of drawing inspiration from the challenge graphic.
2.  Post your project to your blog or public gallery that directly mentions and links to this challenge here at the Curtain Call. You must also copy and paste the inspiration graphic into your post.
3. Feel free to combine our challenge with a maximum of five other challenges.
4.  Complete the Inlinkz section below using the direct link to your project before the deadline on  March 10th at 8:00 AM CDT.
5. Prizes, when applicable, will be awarded to randomly selected challenge participants. The LEAD of each challenge will be invited as a Guest Designer for the next challenge.

The LEAD, Show Stoppers and Prize Winner will be chosen by the crew and announced on March 14th at 8:00 AM CDT.

Thanks so much for joining us at Curtain Call!  

Create Together: Playing with Marcie

Happy Monday my friends. I'm starting my week off by playing with Marcie!  Marcie and I were lucky enough to meet in person this fall during our craft house weekend.  How awesome is that?  Aren't crafty friends the best?  But we don't always get to create together in person so Marcie has an awesome blog feature where she creates together with different bloggers. Today...we're playing together!  

{source}

Marcie choose this inspiration photo for us to play along with.  At first I went for that pillow thinking about the graphic design in it...but as I was thinking about my stamps it just wasn't coming together in my head.  But how about those green apples and the pattern on the coffee table?  You can see below how I translated the apples...and the numbers in the background are meant to mimic the pattern on the coffee table. Love the fabulous shades of green in the inspiration photo!

Pop on over to Marcie's blog where you'll be inspired by her colorful designs and witty sentiments!  Thanks so much for asking me to play along Marcie!

Grace to Help in Time of Need

I have less than ten cards in my stash right now...yes crazy I know...so I've been making cards as I need them.  I actually bought one card over Christmas...can't remember how many years it as been since I did that!  Working to find the time to rebuild my stash vs. making as I go.

So this card is for a very tragic situation.  A prior co-worker and very dear friend of mine lost her daughter (in her mid 30s) suddenly last week to severe pneumonia. So upsetting to hear this news and my prayers are with my friend and especially her grandchildren.  My friend has a strong faith so I thought this verse from one my first Verve sets would convey a message of love and strength to her.  

I played along with CAS(e) this Sketch for my card.

Unfailing Love...

Happy Sunday my friends.  Had a touch of time in the craft room this afternoon working on a couple design team cards. I then did one for a friend of a friend who is in her last stages of cancer (playing along with CAS(E) this Sketch).  Wanted to send her a card of love and strength before she passes. She has fought so hard for many, many years.

Life is busy around here so I apologize for not stopping by all of your blogs very often.  We're in robotics and show choir season for the boys and putting the finishing touches on my mum's room in our new house. Her house sold last week so we're crossing our fingers that all goes well with the inspection and that we close on February 8th. Pat has been a rock star getting everything packed up, moved or donated. I so appreciate him!  We're all looking forward to only having one house to worry about.

I hope life is good for all of you!  xx  ETA:  The sentiment is from this Verve set.  

 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year my friends.  Happy to be popping in with a card to celebrate the new year. My cousin, Sandie, is guest designer over at Less Is More and there are so many fabulous cards there for their current challenge of adding dimension to your card.    I thought this verse from Verve was perfect for the new year.  You'll need to zoom in closely to see the dimension from the PTI linen impression plate.  I love a CAS card with a touch of dimension.  The sentiment panel is also popped up to add a touch of dimension too.  Yes...I might be pushing it a bit but my CAS loving heart loves this card :)  

I hope your new year gets off to a great start and that the new year brings lots of crafty time for you.

Verve Release Retrospective!

Welcome to Verve's November Release Retrospective Blog Hop!  

Have you had a chance to get your inky fingers on the latest Verve release? It's a beautiful holiday release and the Verve Divas and November Guests are hopping again today with a fresh dose of inspiration using the new stamps! Everything in the shop is on sale 25% off right now, so it's a great time to stock up. Come take a tour of our blogs to see these fun stamps in action, then leave a little comment love as you hop about for a chance to win today's prize!

I made three cards for the blog hop. The first two at the top of the post are very similar...just used a different color for the beautiful holy family image.  Love the touch of shimmer with the silver paper.  The stamps are from the Beyond Measure set.  The second card below is using the adorable stamps and dies from Jolly Jingles and the Winters Friend Die set.  Love how fun and whimsical the stockings are! I have loved being a guest for Verve's release and hope you have had a chance to shop and pick up the new stamps!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? One lucky comment from all of the stops along today's hop will be randomly selected to win a $40 gift voucher to Verve! To be entered in the giveaway, comment on each of the stops below. Comment deadline for the prize drawing is Monday, November 28.

1. Julee 6. Laurie 2. Lee Ann (Guest) 7. Charmaine 3. Lynn (Guest) 8. Betty 4. Tenia (Guest) 9. Maureen 5. Marisa 10. Teresa

Verve Release Day!

Welcome back to Day 3 of Verve's November Release Spotlight Hops!  It's an exciting day as there's new Verve in the store this morning! Two beautiful new sets and coordianating die sets just released and they're all available in the shop right now. To celebrate our new release, we're putting on another blog hop with a fabulous giveaway!

Today's featured focus is designer's choice, so you might just sneak a peek at a whole bunch of must-haves!

First up is a card featuring Jolly Jingles. I embossed the sentiments and images and then add a touch of color with patterned paper and coordinating Verve sequins. To finish off the card I used a touch of twine and rounded the bottom corner.  My preppy loving heart loves the combination of pink, green, gray and blue. 

For my second card, I had fun with a touch of water coloring.  First I embossed the sentiment from Beyond Measure in gold.  I then stamped the leaf images.  I applied a brush to the leaves to blend them in a bit and then added a touch of blue behind the sentiment to finish off the card.  

I hope you've been inspired and are ready to shop and pick up some new Verve goodies!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? Today's prize is a BIG one. We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win our ENTIRE new release! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for the full hop list and all the prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee	7. Charmaine
2. Lee Ann (Guest)	8. Betty
3. Lynn (Guest)	9. Maureen
4. Tenia(Guest)	10. Teresa
5. Marisa	11. Christyne
6. Laurie

Verve Release Day 2: Beyond Measure

Welcome back to Day 2 of Verve's November Release Spotlight Hops!  The Verve Divas and special guests are back for another day of spotlighting our new release! Everything previewed this week will be available to order in the Verve online shop on Friday, November 4.

Today we're sharing our first projects featuring the Beyond Measure stamp set and coordinating Christmas Spirit Die Set.  Oh la la do I love a clean and simple card!  And these silhouette images are perfect for creating a CAS design. I added a little dimension by the die cut I added to the card base and a touch of ink to ground the wise men. This would be a great card to mass produce for the holidays!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win today's featured products! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog today for the full hop list, a little more about our new products and all the prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee 7. Charmaine 2. Lee Ann (Guest) 8. Betty 3. Lynn (Guest) 9. Maureen 4. Tenia(Guest) 10. Teresa 5. Marisa 11. Christyne 6. Laurie

Verve Release Day 1: Let it Snow

Welcome to Verve's November Release Spotlight Hops! A new release is just around the corner and for the next few days we'll be shining our creative spotlights on the new Verve sets and dies releasing this Friday, November 4.  I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to be a guest designer with Verve!  When Julee emailed me I jumped up in my chair with excitement. I've been a long time Verve fan and these stamps/dies are no exception. They have fabulous images and incredible sentiments in true Verve fashion!

Today we're sharing inspiration featuring the new Jolly Jingles stamp set and coordinating Winter Friends Die Set. Check out the Verve Blog post today for the full hop list, prize details and an intro to our fabulous Guest Divas Lee Ann Barrett, Tenia Nelson and me! I had fun making this Let It Snow card featuring the adorable little snowman.  For my background, I water colored over a stencil to add a touch of a CAS type pattern!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win today's featured products! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances!

1. Julee 7. Charmaine 2. Lee Ann (Guest) 8. Betty 3. Lynn (Guest) 9. Maureen 4. Tenia(Guest) 10. Teresa 5. Marisa 11. Christyne 6. Laurie