Love Comforts ~ Diva Inspiration Hop

It's time for the Verve Divas to bring you our monthly Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop!

There are TWO $30 gift vouchers to the Verve store up for grabs this month and two ways to win! First, comment on the design team's blog hop posts (linked below) for an entry in the first giveaway. Then to be entered into our challenge prize drawing, go get inky and link up your take on the challenge. You have until September 5 to link up. Feel free to play along with the challenge as many times as you like. Verve stamps aren't required to play, but we do smile a little brighter when we see them!

Summer brights fade into earthy tones for the dog days of summer. With the hustle and bustle of the end of summer coming, a breezy, free-spirited graphic is what we have in store for you this month. Follow the color pattern, or be inspired to journey where the creative winds may take you. We can't wait to see what you create!

I love flipping through my patterned paper pads looking for the colours in each Diva Inspiration palette.  The Julbille pad from MME had the perfect match so that's where I started.  Sadly, I needed a sympathy card for a colleague.  She loves my cards so I made sure to create one with my favourite elements, doily, layers of pattern, double sentiment, and sequins.  I have used this sentiment from Stronger Love for other sympathy cards, I think it is just so beautiful and comforting and a little different from "with sympathy."

Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Monday, September 5.
Prize: $30 gift voucher to the Verve online store!

Need a little inspiration? Check out the blogs linked below to see what the other Divas did with the challenge! It's sure to be a treat, and speaking of treats, we're giving away a $30 gift voucher to Verve to one random commenter along the hop.  Just leave a little love as you hop about for a chance to win!

	1. Julee 7. Marisa 2. Betty 8. Maureen 3. Charmaine 9. Stacey 4. Christyne 10. Susan 5. Laurie 11. Teresa 6. Lesley

what's in it?
stamps:  Stronger Love, Forever in our Hearts (Verve)
ink: onyx (versafine), scarlet jewel (PTI)
paper: vintage white (PTI), Jubilee (My Mind's Eye)
accessories: Heart Quartet Die, Shine Bright Sequin Mix (Verve), stitched rectangle and sentiment flag (Lil Inkers), stitched circle (MFT), felt/button (PTI), paper doily, inverted scallop die (Spellbinders)

With Sympathy

Hello friends!  Does this card look familiar?  It should, it's my SAF Remix card.  Nichole is letting us have another crack at a card we weren't that happy with during SAF.  I wasn't thrilled with my card for Melissa's challenge because, as much as I love Rosie Posie, the flowers I used didn't give that watercolour feel.  My PTI order has since arrived so I was able to use Floral Sketches and get a better watercolour look :)  Here are the two cards side by side.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend!

You are Simply Amazing

Happy Friday, friends! It's a new month over at the Viva La Verve blog and that means we've got a new month of sketches!  Julee is starting us off with this fun sketch...       

Yes, I couldn't help but make that scalloped circle a doily!  I just love how girly a doily makes a card look.  I added a tag with some of those Beautiful Things flowers and some sequins for sparkle.

Want to play along?  Head over to the Viva La Verve blog for more inspiration and all the details on how you could win some Verve this month!

what's in it?
stamps: Beautiful Things, Simply Amazing (Verve)
paper: groovy guava (SU), lovely lady (PTI), Rise and Shine (Amy Tangerine)
ink: onyx (Versafine)
accessories: Beautiful Flowers Die Set, Flourished Tag Die Set, Harvest Gold Sequin Mix (Verve), paper doily, twine (Hemptique)

Happy Anniversary ~ Mojo Monday

Hi everyone!  I am playing along with this week's Mojo Monday sketch.  It's contest week (AKA "prize" week) so be sure to head over there and join in the fun!  I stamped the back panel with the floral heart in 4 different pastel colours, then cut the panel into 3 strips.  I wanted to make an Anniversary card with a double sentiment so I pulled out Stronger Love and chose my favourite quote from that set.  You can't have too many hearts on an Anniversary card so I added 2 extra sparkly ones with the help of some white glitter corrugated cardstock and the Heart Quartet Die.  The sentiment on the pennant diecut was looking a little sparse so I inked up the flourish from Peace on Earth.  I literally have this flourish on an acrylic block on my desk (see proof below).  It's one of my goto flourishes.

 Thanks for stopping by!  Hope your week is going well :)

what's in it?
stamps: Love Everlasting, Stronger Love (Verve)
ink: onyx (Versafine), barely banana (SU), mint julep, pale peony (PTI)
paper: white (PTI), Special Delivery (Pebbles), Flea Market (Crate Paper), glitter cardstock
accessories: Stitched Pennants Die Set, Heart Quartet Die, Shine Bright Sequin Mix (Verve), mini clip (craft supply), Stitched Rectangle die (Lil Inkers)

As Special as You Are ~ Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge

Hi everyone!  It's August 1st! Slow down summer!!  I'm back with the newest challenge over on the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge blog.  This time we’re inspired by this photo…

 As soon as I saw those yummy, colourful cones, I reached for my #Summer paper pad from American Crafts.  I don't have any ice cream stamps (seriously, I don't!) but this paper was a perfect substitute :)  I added some enamel dots and sequins like sprinkles and added a sentiment from Verve's Simply Amazing. 

 

Want to play along?  Head over to the Curtain Call blog for more inspiration and then join in the fun! Thanks for stopping by!
 

what's in it?
stamps:  Simply Amazing (Verve)
ink: onyx (Versafine)
paper: white (PTI), #summer (American Crafts)
accessories:Award Banner Trim Die (Verve), enamel dots and sequins (craft supply), paper doily,  Stitched Rectangle (Lil Inkers)  

Stamp-a-faire Finale!

Hi friends!  Well, here I am after 12 hours of stamping!  Still standing and not covered in ink and paint thanks to my baby wipes and PTI SAF apron :)  I'm holding my favourite card, recreating van Gogh and Laurie's sunflowers using Painted Poinsettia.  I had a whole lot of fun (and frustration) and am happy to say I completed all 9 challenges!  Here are all the cards in my display case...

A big thanks to Nichole and the design team for another fun time of inspiration and comraderie :)  And it wouldn't be my SAF finale post without, once again, sharing some photos of the first SAF in Ohio.  I got to meet my dear friend, Lynn, and the PTI design team.  So I'll leave you with some of those...thanks for visiting!  Group hug!

Lynn, Heather, Betsy, and me!

 Lynn and me :)

eek!  It's Dawn!

 me and Lynn and the queen bee, Nichole :)

 me and Lynn and the team!

me and Luanne!

out for dinner (notice Lizzie, second from the left!)

 me and Suzanne!

Papertrey Ink Stamp-a-faire 2016 ~ the Challenges!

Hi everyone!  I've been in the studio for a good 12 hours today, participating in the PTI Stamp-a-faire challenges.  I was at a wedding this weekend so didn't get a chance to play until today.  So this post is challenge/photo heavy...here we go!

Master Colour Recipe

Starry Night

Gilded in Gold

Floral Impressionism

Masterpiece Inspiration

Drips and Splatters

Pointillism Play

 I must note that the above card uses two CASE ideas...Nancy Penir used this set for this challenge and I just adored it...so thank you, Nancy!  AND Amy Sheffer created this card for last year's SAF and I've recreated it here.  I take NO credit for this card other than adoring Nancy and Amy's creative work :)

Watercolour Like a Master

Colour Blocking

Phew!  That's it!  All nine challenges!  I have one more post coming up showcasing all my cards in one place and a picture of me (still standing! HA!).  Thanks for visiting :)