July 2014 Diva Dare - Day 4

Hello Verve fans, Christyne here welcoming you to day 4 of the July Diva Dare!

Inside Out - July Diva Dare

This month we're daring you to create a stamped card and continue the design on the inside for a special surprise for the recipient.  Simply carry over some portion of the card front design on to the inside of your card. 

Here is my card, beginning with the outside:

I took this opportunity to ink up the beautiful new butterfly in the Happy Place set and cut it out using the new Happy Doodles Die Set.  While the outside is pretty simple, using this week's Mojo Monday sketch (MOJO354) as an inspiration, I carried some of the design elements along to the inside of the card.  For my sentiment, I inked up the beautiful Where Flowers Bloom PJ since is coordinated well with my "Smile" from the Happy Place set on the outside.  Here is the inside of the card:

Two ways to win prizes for double the fun!

Win a $40 gift voucher to Verve! Take our Inside Out dare and link up your card to be eligible to win.  Entries must have an element from the front of your card carried over to the inside, be posted 7/14 or later, include at least one Verve product and be linked up to the linky widget by 8pm Mountain on 7/31/14.  One participant will be randomly selected to win the gift voucher.  You can enter as many times as you like, but each card needs to be in a separate post.

Win a Verve set of your choice! For another chance to win some new Verve, leave a little comment love on our design team's Inside Out Diva Dare posts!  One lucky commenter will win a Verve stamp set of his or her choice, so be sure to tune in each day!  Comment deadline to be entered in our prize drawing is July 31, 2014.

Winners will be announced on August 1, 2014.

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!!

March Project Parade ~ Day 4

Hi there! It's Jackie here with some more Fun With Flowers inspiration! Haven't the Diva's made some gorgeous stuff so far? When Jen presented us with this month's Project Parade theme, I was thrilled because I am a HUGE fan of Julee's flower designs as I'm sure you are! I knew it would be a cinch to come up with something creative!

I have always admired people who put together a matching gift bag with the cards they make! I tend to be a bit lazy and just make the card, but that has now changed! This was super fun and so easy to make! Once I had the design for the card, I coordinated the bag to match....that easy!

I used the new Verve set, Feel the Sun and paired it with the new Happy Birthday Plain Jane. I LOVE the font on this new Plain Jane. I also used some new goodies from Papertrey. The cardstock I used is Hawaiian Shores, New Leaf and White, the DP is the new Green Boutique. I paper pieced the flowers and embossed the Labels 10 Nestabilities with the Picnic Plaid Impression Plate (Papertrey). A little machine stitching, ribbon and adhesive gems and I called it done!

This is a close up of the gift bag. I purchased a set of ten of these Kraft gift bags on a recent trip to my local Michael's. They've been sitting here just waiting to be used! I'm sure whoever receives this will love it.....at least I hope so!!

We'd love for you to play along in the Fun With Flowers Project Parade this month! As with all of our Project Parades, we've got prizes! There are two ways to win:

1. Link up your new creation (posted March 22nd or later) to the Mr. Linky widget on this post before Midnight on April 8th. One lucky stamper will win a $25.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store

2. Be sure to leave the Diva's a little shout out in the comments section as we parade our creations using this month's theme. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (March 22 ~ April 7) will win his/her choice of any Verve stamp set!

Blog PaRtY: Plain Jane Reveal

Hi everyone! Welcome back to our Thankful Hearts Blog Party, already in progress! If you haven't seen the first two challenges yet, be sure to scroll down to the previous posts and check them out.

Right now, it's time for the first reveal of the day! We'll be releasing two Plain Janes (individual stamps) tonight. The first is called Grateful Heart...


For my sample card, I chose to work with Laurie and Tosh's sketch challenge. I thought the strips in the sketch were perfect for the sentiment, so I masked off each part to ink the two lines separately on Kraft paper. the gorgeous DP is from the Life Stories collection by My Mind's Eye, and I added a little piercing and sponging, but really made the DP do most of the work. To complete the them of the sentiment, I cut some hearts out with the Cuttlebug Concentric Hearts die and added a little bow for easy elegance.

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The second plain jane being released tonight is 1 Corinthians 15:57...


For my sample card, I borrowed inspiration from Mercy and Teresa's color challenge to use turquoise, olive, black and white. The sentiment is stamped on a Labels 5 Nestabilities die cut and I sponged olive ink around the inner edges. The olive panel is stamped with a flourish from the Celebration of Thanks set releasing tonight, for a nice tone on tone background. I added some scalloped edges and embossed the bermuda layer with the Victoria Cuttlebug folder. Some ribbon, a prima flower center and swirly bling finish it off in style.

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Okay, so now it's time for our first giveaway! Just leave a comment on this post to be entered in a random drawing for a Plain Jane Prize Pack! The pack will include an assortment of Plain Janes, {including the two we've revealed in this post}, as well as some luscious ribbons, papers and embellishments! Deadline to enter is Monday, 11/30 at midnight Mountain time.

Project Parade Day 12 - Divine Details

Hi Verve Fans. It's Tosh here bringing up the rear with the final Parade project. I hope you've enjoyed reading about the thought process that each Diva goes through while creating, and seeing their fabulous creations!! It was encouraging to me to know that there is a bit of trial and error with some of the gals, cause that's how I work. I admit, when I found out about the "Divine Detail" theme for this month, I thought it was creative and clever, but at the same time it worried me. I have a hard enough time not getting lost in my own thought process. How do I explain it so I don't lose ya'll!! Yikes!!

Well, here goes....

I usually start with an image that I want to use, and for this one I wanted to use the Kindred Spirits set with the Plain Jane Hebrews 11:1 sentiment. Then I either design a sketch or choose a recent one from either the Mojo or SCS sketch challenge. (This time I used the Mojo96 sketch) After I have an idea of what direction I want to go with the sketch, I try to pick out dp, or cs colors that will compliment the image and sketch I've chosen to work with. Notice I used the word "try". That's because the colors, dp and cs can change many times until I get the look I'm going for. I also peruse my Nestabilities to see what shape will best compliment my image. They are my "go to" for almost every card. I'm a huge Nestabilities and Punches freak. I rarely make a card without one or both.

I was inspired the other day by Kimberly Crawford to haul out my Fun Flock again. I love working with that stuff, and I thought the solid Fleur de lis image would look great black on black. I just stamped my image with my Essential Glue Pad and patted the fun flock on it. I then cut my pieces into 3 1 1/4" x 5" strips, and framed them with the EK success Fleur de lis border punch.

After I have my pieces all cut to size, matted (I'm a framer...I rarely put a piece on a card without a frame), and laid out, I then play around with different embellishments and ribbon. Add, take away, add some more, etc. I NEVER attach anything until I have everything laid out the way I want it, including embellishments.

Finally, I either ink distress the pieces, and or sew around their edges, and attach all the pieces with double stick tape, or dimensional tape. I'm pretty big on dimension too. I'm a sucker for depth.

I got a little carried away with this one. *grin* I usually ask one of my kids (depending on who's closest) if the card is okay, or if it needs something. After finishing this one, I asked my son what he thought...to my horror, he said it looked like Lingerie!!! No way!! I was going for elegant, and it has scripture on it. He said, it's elegant, but the pink on the bottom is a bit understated, and all the frills make it look like black lingerie. My stomach shrank. I asked him if I should make a different one for the parade, but he said it was beautiful and that I should go with it. So here's my Faith and Hope lingerie card. LOL I hope I haven't offended anyone.

I also have to add that I'm really inconsistent with card size; Whatever it takes to accomplish the design I'm going for. I usually put my more detailed cards in a padded envelope anyway. This particular card is 5 1/2" x 6 1/4". Odd size. I know. Mostly my cards are either 5 1/4" x 5 1/4", 5" x 7", or A2.

One last thing. I thought I'd share really quick where I get my inspiration from: West Elm catalog and Pottery Barn have fabulous color combos, and wonderful shapes and designs. I also peruse many blogs, and am constantly inspired to use different color combos, shapes, textures, etc. As well as to try different techniques. I always have my eye out while shopping too, whether it be an art piece, frame, or just a design on some dinner plates.

That's it. Hope I didn't lose ya along the way.

You still have time to participate, and we'd love to see...and read...about how you get from point "A" to point "B". To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your Divine Details. 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, August 1. 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, be sure and give a little shout out in the comments of each post! Have fun and good luck!

Project Parade - Day 11

Hi, it's Charmaine sharing my It's a Guy Thing project for this month's Project Parade! I don't know about you, but I've been LOVING what the Divas have shared so far for the Project Parade. So many great ideas for the men in our lives! :)

For my project, I continued with my husband's wish of filling our entryway with framed scrapbook pages. Now he has three that are his very own! LOL It's funny, but all three of them were created using Verve Stamps! For this frame I used the Protector and Father's Day Plain Jane sets. The papers are Intense Teal from Prism Papers and the patterned paper is from the Lil' Man Collection by Cosmo Cricket.

We can't wait to see what you come up with for this month's Project Parade! To play along, 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 HERE before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, June 20. 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, be sure and give a little shout out in the comments of each post! Have fun and good luck!

New Release & Winners Link

Thanks to everyone who attended last night's Release Party! It was a blast, as usual! To find out if you're a winner of one of our challenges or the Sneak Preview Giveaways, check out the Winner's Thread on our SCS Forum.

Check out all the new sets at the Verve Store!

And I'll leave you with a quick little clean & simple card I made using the new Elegant Flower Plain Jane and the Sunshine Plain Jane.



What's In It?
Stamps: Elegant Flower Plain Jane, Sunshine Plain Jane (Verve)
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Kraft, Barely Bananan (SU!)
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Baja Breeze, So Saffron (SU!)
Accessories: Doily Lace punch (Martha Stewart), glitter & diamond glaze picture, pop dots, pearls

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Sneak Preview - Plain Janes

Are you ready for another Verve release? I know I am! :) On April 17th at 9pm EST, please join us in the Verve forum on SCS for our next release party! Over the next couple of days you get to see some sneak peeks here on the Verve Blog, so stay tuned! Today's sneak peeks are of the FOUR new Plain Janes that will be released! Enjoy!

from Diva Amber Hight:
The stamps being released this month are nothing short of exquisite! I think we can all agree that Julee has that special touch and can turn anything into gold! I chose to work with the Medallion PJ because I saw a couple matching medallions on a much smaller scale in the new Wishful Elegance set. I thought it would make a really nice background so I created my own dp! I hope you're enjoying the peeks this week, much more goodness to come!





from Diva Amy Sheffer:
I've been a big fan of Verve's Plain Jane line ever since it was introduced, and I'm an even bigger fan now, because this month, in addition to two new sentiment stamps, for the first time, Verve is introducing two image stamps as well! I was especially drawn to the Medallion image. It is quintessential "Verve" -- sophisticated, elegant, timeless. Plus it's versatile enough to use as a focal point or as an accent or background. I paired it with some formal papers from the La Creme stack by Die Cuts With a View to make an anniversary card. Fancy paper piercing and dry embossing, black satin ribbon, bling, as well as two different decorative borders all help play up the elegance. To keep the focus on the medallion, I placed the sentiment on the inside, which is also decorated to coordinate with the card front. While this image works beautifully as a focal point, long-time Verve enthusiasts are sure to appreciate how well it goes with so many of Verve's previously released sets.


from Diva Michelle Woerner:
This month's Plain Janes are amazing! It's the return of the amazing 6 petal flower from Grateful Elegance!! My card uses the Mother's Day Plain Jane. The size of this stamp is big enough to be the focal point of the card. I love how the "O" in Mother is that gorgeous flower! I colored the flower with a copic marker and put a tiny rhinestone in the center. The other flowers are colored the same way and stamped from another set to be peeked soon!! The designer paper is Basic Grey Infuse and the lovely taupe silk ribbon is from Sharon Johnson's Ribbon store. Doesn't it make the most lovely bows??







from Diva Charmaine Ikach:
When I first saw the Plain Janes for this month's release, I chose my favorite right away! The Sunshine Plain Jane is so perfect for me and the "everyday" kind of cards I make. It might also be because "You Are My Sunshine" is an all time favorite song of mine and one that I sing to my kids regularly. :) Who wouldn't smile if they opened up a card with this sentiment? I also used the Wishful Elegance set to create the background for my card. You'll see peeks of that set tomorrow! :)

We hope you've enjoyed the sneak peeks of the Plain Janes today! If you're feeling lucky, one lucky commenter on this post will win all four of the Plain Janes we've shared today! Just leave a comment with your answer to the following question before 8PM Eastern on Friday, April 17!

Question: What is your favorite song from childhood?

Be sure and check back tomorrow and the day after for the other two sets to be released! In the meantime, if you'd like to win some new Verve Stamps, check out the challenges that Julee is having for release week HERE!

Project Parade--Day 5!!

Are you in the Easter spirit yet? I am getting there! Seeing all these adorable baskets and card sets is getting me excited for Easter! I have never been much of an altered art/gifty type stamper so I stuck with an Easter card because I *LOVE* the little Easter bunnies just recently released!
I used two new releases for this card, Chocolate Bunnies and the Happy Easter plain jane! I started out using the Mojo Monday 79 sketch but added an extra panel.

So do you want some new Verve??? Play along with us during our Project Parade for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Verve Stamps store. All you have to do is create an egg-stra special spring project and link it up with the Mr. Linky form HERE. Entries will close at 8PM Mountain on Saturday, April 4! Verve Stamps are not required, but we do LOVE to see 'em if you got 'em!


And to put a little spring in your step, we'll be picking five random commenters over the course of the parade who will win their choice of any Verve Stamps set. You never know which Diva will be drawing, so if you see a project you like, be sure to leave the girls some love! :) Good luck and thanks for visiting!
Card Recipe:
Stamps: Chocolate Bunnies, Happy Easter pj (Verve)
Paper: Crate Paper dp, Choc Chip, Whisper White, Watercolor Paper (SU!)
Ink: Pale Plum, Summer Sun, Baja Breeze, Sage Shadow, Close to Cocoa (SU!), Rich Cocoa (Momento)
Accessories: Scalloped Lace punch, Photo Corner punch (SU!), Ribbon (Martha Stewart), Shimmerz, Prima flower, Button (PTI)

Guest Diva Spotlight - Lynda Benden

Welcome to our first January Guest Diva Spotlight! Today I'm showcasing my favorite projects from Lynda Benden. Lynda has such an elegant style that just takes my breath away! I have long been a fan of Lynda's work, so I was so excited to be able to ask her to be our guest for January. When she plays with her Verve stamps, magic happens! If you'd like to see more of her work, you can check out her blog: Stamp Act.

 The first card I wanted to showcase of Lynda's was this gorgeous black, white, and red card made with Hundred Hearts. This card is a perfect example of how her details put a project over the top. I love the ribbon treatment, the paper pieced heart, and the rows of hearts along the bottom. Gorgeous!!

We asked Lynda our Verve-i-view questions, so here are a few of her answers:
1. When/how did you get hooked on stamping? About 6 years ago I got TALKED into having a SU! party! 2 of my friends booked off me so by the time the second friend had her party, I was HOOKED! I wanted to buy EVERYTHING and wanted to know EVERYTHING so I signed up to be a demonstrator.
2. How often do you stamp? I try to stamp every day but that doesn't always happen. I do find that if I don't stamp for 2-3 days I get grumpier than usual!!! LOL!!!
3. Tell me about your funniest or most embarrassing stamping related injury. Believe me, I would be the first to tell a funny or embarrasing story about myself but I can't think of anything in regards to stamping!!! Oh my gosh, if this question was asking to tell you a funny or embarassing story about something I have done in my, ummm...., 25 years (yeah right), I would have PLENTY to share!!!

Are you sitting down? Because this card totally knocked my socks off! Lynda used the Comfort Plain Jane for this project. I love everything about it! Check out the sponging around the sentiment, the butterfly with pearls, and the lace...totally Vervalicious!! This one is just a beauty.

More Q&A:

4. How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with? It can vary but USUALLY, a card takes me at least two hours. I can make a card much quicker if I have a sketch in hand and know exactly which stamps I am going to use. Most of my time is spent figuring out what I am going to use!
5. I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space. What space??? I don't have any space because I am such a messy stamper! I do clean my area and swear that I won't let it get so messy again but...well...you know what happens, I get busy and say I'll put that away when I'm done (doesn't happen) and then there is a huge stack of stuff to put away! You know, now that I think about it, it is NOT me that is messy, my room is too small!!! LOL!!!!
6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which craft tool could you not live without? Why? Paper Piercer definitely!!! I use mine for everything ~ unclog my glue, pick up rhinestones to put on my card, lift off something that I glued down before I should have and last but not least, I do occasionally pierce my paper with it (unless it has glue all stuck to the end, then I have to get a new one!). BUT, on a deserted island, you could use it to hunt for your food!!! Not only that, if there were natives that wanted YOU for food, you could use it as a weapon!!! LOL!!!

The last card I have to share of Lynda's is this stunning creation using Hearts on Fire. When I try to tell you my favorite part, I am totally speechless!!! The velvet ribbon, the scallops, the crystals...it's all fabulous! Don't you agree?

Since I'm lost for words, here is the end of Lynda's Verve-i-view session:
7. What is your biggest source of inspiration? I would have to say SCS first and then MANY blogs! In the evenings I like to check out the new additions for the day on SCS and then visit some blogs.
8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why? Wow, this is hard to name just one! I would have to say that Debbie Olson is someone who I really admire. She makes things look so easy to re-create, full of awesome ideas, is so shareful with her ideas and is just SO very talented!
9. What is your favorite part of the creative process? I love choosing and coordinating the papers, stamps and embellishments!

As you can see from just these 3 samples, Lynda's work with Verve is amazing. If you'd like to see more of her Verve creations, you can check out her Guest Diva Gallery HERE. Tomorrow I'll be spotlighting the work of our 2nd Guest, Stephanie Kraft, so stay tuned!

Guest Designer Spotlight - Sarah Gough

Hi Everyone! I hope you enjoyed Maria's projects on yesterday's Guest Diva Spotlight. If you missed it, check it out HERE.

Today I have some more awesome stuff to show you! This time, we're featuring the work of Guest Diva Sarah Gough. After seeing some of Sarah's Verve creations, we knew she needed to be a Guest Diva for us!







The first project I'm featuring today is Sarah's Triangle Box using Poinsettia Christmas. I love how she created depth with the circles and cut out flowers, and the multi-colored sentiment is to die for! I think my favorite part, though, is the ribbon treatment. The white sheer ribbon paired with gold cord is totally STUNNING!

 

We asked Sarah to tell us a few things about herself. Here are a few of her answers:

1. When/how did you get hooked on stamping?
I started stamping almost exactly a year ago. I had dabbled previously....but stumbled on SCS while looking for Cuttlebug advice in late 2007 and haven't looked back since! Because of SCS I "discovered" all the amazing stamp companies and artists out there - yup, I'd been living in a bubble till then!
2. How often do you stamp?
I try to stamp every day. Sometimes life gets in the way....but doing something creative is essential for my sanity!
3. Tell me about your funniest or most embarrassing stamping related injury.
Uh oh! Let me think.....you know, I don't think I've ever injured myself stamping - does that mean I'm not doing it right?!? I did manage to open a Stampin' Up! ink pad so forcefully once that it came apart and hit me in the face!!! I blame creative energy and enthusiasm for that one. 

The next card I have to show you is this colorful and adorable snowman Sarah created using Snow Wonderful. These colors just immediately draw you to this card, and the ribbon is just awesome. I love the little details that Sarah adds to her projects! The snowman is cut out and popped up over several layers and has glitter and liquid applique to accent him. I LOVE IT!!

  

Here are more of Sarah's answers to the Verve-i-View:

4. How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with?
It depends. I have "multiple stamping personality" so sometimes you'll catch me making a clean and simple quickie in 10 minutes, but other times I can spend half a day fluffing with this or that ribbon or embellishment! Generally a couple of hours though I'd say....I like to relax and take lots of time to play.
5. I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space.
I was dreading this question! It seems I spend more time cleaning and organising my space than actually stamping sometimes. Luckily, I like getting everything "just so" then destroying it in 10 seconds flat! I get so caught up in the process, I never put anything away as I work. Consequently my little studio space always looks like a hurricane has just passed through. I wouldn't have it any other way though, the mess is just proof of all the love and tenderness I put into what I'm working on. (That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!)
6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, what craft tool would you take with you? Why?
Wow...tough one! I think I'd have to take my Crop-a-dile. I always seem to be using it around the house to fix this or that - so it stands to reason it might come in handy on an island. Worst case scenario - it's heavy enough to crack open coconuts with!

Sarah's final project is this gorgeous card using the Philippians 4:13 Plain Jane stamp. I adore how she coordinated the colors of her project with the colors of the Prima flower. The most awesome thing about this card, though, is that the ATC sized layer with the scripture is detachable, so you can carry it around with you! How GENIUS is that? Love it.

 

The last of Sarah's Q&A:
7. What is your biggest source of inspiration?
Other stampers. Definitely! There's something to be learned from every stamper - no matter how new they are to this medium. I love the time and dedication stampers put into sharing their amazing work on blogs or sites like SCS - I even love all the enabling they do (I'm looking at you Julee - I swear I didn't NEED those Long Rectangle Nesties!!!) We're definitly a community that cares, and I find that incredibly inspiring.
8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why?
There are so many stampers I admire - we'd be here a long time! I'm especially impressed by anyone who can colour, I do a lot of paper peiecing to try and hide my fear of colouring! I'm also in awe of anyone who knows exactly what their style is - it's so cool to see a card and know who the stamper was automatically. I'm thinking of stampers like Silke Ledlow, Julee Tilman, Sharon Johnstone, Beate Johns, Shannan Teubner, Dawn Easton, Cindy Haffner and just sooo soooo many others! Of course I love the entire Verve design team....the never ending inspiration provided by these amazingly talented ladies and Julee's amazing designs is the reason for my dearly loved, and extensive Verve stamp collection!

We are so lucky to have Sarah working with us for the month of November. All of her amazing Vervalicious creations are available for you to drool over HERE in her Verve Gallery. Her blog, thINKing Stamps Again is another fabulous place to see more of Sarah's gorgeous work. Please give Sarah some Verve Love...she definitely hit this one out of the park!

I mentioned yesterday that there were 2 more Guest Spotlights to go...actually, there were THREE! So you have TWO more days of awesome inspiration to get your Mojo kickin. Stay tuned! :)

Sneak Previews: Plain Janes

I hope you've enjoyed the previews of our new sets this week. They'll all be available for purchase on our website on Sunday night around 10PM Eastern. And if you've got some time, be sure to stop by our Release Party tomorrow night (Nov 9) at 8PM Eastern (7 Central, 6 Mountain, 5 Pacific)
over on the Verve SCS Forum. We'll be announcing the winners from our Holiday Release Sketch Blitz (all entries are due by midnight tonight, so be sure to get them in!) as well as revealing the new sets. You might even win something just for joining us (wink, wink), so see ya there!

In addition to six new sets, we also have three new Plain Jane stamps releasing. The first one is Psalm 46:10 and was a special request from Shannan Teubner. The moment she told me about her friend undergoing cancer treatments who was clinging to this verse, I knew I had to make this stamp. I tried to use fonts that would not only bring beauty and grace to your projects, but also evoke power and strength.

Charmaine Ikach made this gorgeous sample and I think she really captured the verse in the simplicity and earthiness of her design. So beautiful and meaningful all at the same time. And such a great use for that Cuttlebug folder. Mine's been collecting dust! :)


The second verse I chose to work with for this release is the verse I get the most requests for. Philippians 4:13 is such a great scripture to hold on to when it seems we're facing insurmountable odds. My sample card uses Holiday Release Sketch #2 and that gorgeous Urban Garden DP from Stampin' Up!. I really love the hopefulness in this scripture and wanted to pair it with a wintery look to bring some cheer to a friend.


The final Plain Jane for this release is Proverbs 3:5, another much requested verse. This seems like the perfect verse to give someone when they're faced with a tough decision, or are dealing with situations that just don't make sense. Michelle Woerner made this beautiful sample card. I love the gorgeous layered flowers and embellishments which really show this verse off.

So now you've seen a little bit of everything. What's your favorite set that we've peeked? Click here to see all of the peeks the Divas & Guests have uploaded to SCS so far, then stop by this thread on our forum today for a chance to win one of the new sets!