Sparkle Creations Challenge #58-ABC's!

Hey there! It's time for another SCRS challenge:) This week's SCRSC challenge is a fun one, but really pushes me out of my comfort zone!

Anything but a card. I'm SOOOO not good at altering projects so I decided to make a bookmark! I'm currently reading a book on my Nook so my bookmark is doing me no good right now, but the next book in my TBR pile is a paperback and I'll be using this!!

Reading Millie was the perfect choice for this project, I just LOVE her expression in this image! She must be reading a good paranormal romance;)

I stamped her on PTI's white cardstock and colored her in with Copics. I cut her out with a Spellbinders circle die. The bookmark base is a tag die from PTI, which I used to cut paper from MME's Lost and Found line.  I added some lace under the sentiment and then tied some twine around the top of the bookmark.

Head on over to the Sparkle Creations blog for details on our weekly challenge and to play along with us! You'll also see the list of DT members playing along, I can't wait to see how everyone else interpreted this challenge:)

Viva la Verve! August Week 5--Sip and Savor

Hey there! I have a quick card to share with this weeks VLV sketch challenge. Did you know it's the LAST week of the month? That means you need to get all your sketch cards submitted by Thursday at midnight in order to be enterered into the random drawing, winning you the ENTIRE next months Verve release! Just ask any of the previous winners if it's worth it;)

This week, Teresa is our hostess and has come up with a really fun sketch, so pull out your new Tag Dies and play along with us...

Here's my card using quite a few of the new goodies just released last week!

I used some of my brand new MME Lost and Found papers on this card, I just love the chocolatey richness of this collection!

You'll notice that my card has a few differences from the sketch, but I tried to remain as true to it as my muse would allow;) The stamps are all from Sip and Savor, the companion set to Better with You.

I used the Rounded Scalloped Frame die for the two rectangle panels and the largest tag from the Tiny Sweet Scallop Tags collection. I tied a multi-loop bow using SU!'s new seam binding (see my bow tying tutorials to the left!) and added a button. The button and twine are from PTI.

The last thing I added was the rhinestone flourish, from Recollections. I love all the recollections embellishments and when I was back in the states last month, I kinda went crazy in Michaels, lol!

Head on over to the Verve Forums for details on how to play along!

Click on the banner below for a little sale info;)

Oh, and guess what I found out? My husband is coming home two weeks early! He's been gone since MARCH and it feels like it's been 5 years since I've seen him:) He'll be home in a little under two weeks:) I'm simply beside myself with excitement! The time is drawing near to our impending move to Phoenix, we can hardly stand the wait. We've been pre-approved for a home loan and are busy scouring the internet for amazing homes. I made him promise me a house with my very own pool so I'm quite excited;) To have a pool in my own backyard will make the pain of leaving the ocean much easier to handle;) Thanks for stopping by!

Viva la Verve! Week 4 - I {heart} You!

Hello! I have a fun little card to share with you today! I created it for this week's Viva la Verve sketch challenge! Charmaine is our hostess this week and she came up with one sweet sketch!

Fun, right? I decided to pull out my I Heart You A Cut Above dies for this card! NO STAMPING! EEEKS! THis card came together in about 15 minutes, love that!

I used the new "A Beautiful Life" paper by MME for this card, don't you love those new papers? Speaking of new papers, check out the load I got in today from Eclectic Paperie!

THAT was a fun box to open;) I got most (if not all) of the new MME pads (six by six and Lost and Found 2 collections), the new Authentique collections, and the two new Basic Gray stacks! I also got a few of the new Distress Stains, some Glimmer Glam, and Glimmer Glaze! I just have to tell you how impressed I am, every single time I order from them, how quickly I get my orders! Keep in mind, I live in Okinawa Japan. I put my order in last Tuesday. Got it this Tuesday, that's Monday in the states, so that's like 6 days! Subtract Sunday from the equation, I got my box in 5 days. From the day I ordered, to the day I got it, a half a world away. Amazing. I PUFFY {HEART} YOU, Daisy!!!

Back to the card, lol! Like I said, I used the I Heart You die set for this card, and really all I had to do was add some ribbon and Copper Distress Stickles (to the heart) and this baby was done! I love it when they come together quick like that. I have a mountain of homework due but when the creative muse calls, you don't make her wait, kwim?;)

You want to play along in the VLV challenge this week? Click HERE to go to the challenge thread! A  new sketch will be live on Friday so get caught up while you can! This Friday is our LAST VLV sketch of the month so get in while you can:)

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll leave you with a picture of my handsome pup, Luke...isn't he the cutest doggy you ever did see???

Sparkle Creations Challenge #57-Soooo Cool!

Hello there! I'm here today with a card for this weeks' new SCRS challenge. This week, we have COLORS to work with, yay! I love color challenges, they really get you out of your comfort zone if you're working with colors you wouldn't normally place together...like today's challenge:

I would never think to pair three primary colors together, but I actually really like how they look together. Here's my card using the newly released Karber image, Soda Jenny:

I stamped Soda Jenny on Neenah Solar White cardstock and colored her in with Copics. I wish I'd done a little darker color in her hair, it just looks gray, and Jenny is not that old of a lady, lol! Oh well, it's supposed to be black...just pretend:)

The yellow striped paper is from one of SU!'s new paper packs but I can't remember the name of it. The red paper is from PTI's Bitty Box collection. The sentiment "So Cool" comes with the Soda Jenny image.

I added some twine, buttons, and pearls to it as well, I can't seem to make a card without at least two of these showing up, haha!
I used this months SFYTT for the sketch!

We'd love it if you'd play along with us! Just visit the Sparkle Creations blog for details. You'll also find my fellow DT ladies' cards. Thanks for stopping by today!

Deconstructed Sketch #15 ~ Life doesn't have to be perfect...

Well hello there! Have I lost my readers? I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but I'm going to try to get back into the habit of every day or every other day at the longest! 

Today, I'm here with the new Deconstructed Sketch! I think you're going to love this one, Jen just has a way with sketches, doncha think?:)

I love the little tag peaking out from behind the main panel. It instantly reminded me of the newly released set by Verve called Tag Time! So...off I went!

Another newly released set that I can't get enough of is Words of Wisdom. Don't you love the quotes and fonts in this set? I stamped the sentiment in Espresso ink on Vintage Cream cardstock. The green polka dots and the pink polka dots of the flower are from October Afternoon. The flowers and leaves (OMG don't you love them???) are from Sunny Days.

The tag stamp is from Tag Time and was cut out with the coordinated Tagged Rectangle die. I can't get enough of my Verve dies. I tell you, every day I thank Julee for introducing the dies into her inventory! There is something about coordinating stamps and dies that I can't get enough of:)

You may see my beloved Curvy Bookplate die peeking out from behind the sentiment as well. Don't blame me if you see this on every card in the future. Blame Julee and her muse:)

Now. Would you like to see more cards with this amazing sketch? 

I'm happy to oblige!

Arielle Gordon
Lori Boyd
Kadie Ensley
Sheri Gilson
Donna Wardle
Emma Eads
Jessica Diedrich
Anna Maria Nilsson
Angela Sowell
Jen Shults 

Stop by The Deconstructed Blog for more details on our sketch challenge, we'd love for you to play along with us:)

Verve New Release Projects

Hiya! I'm slowly but surely working to get my crafty back on, lol! How can you NOT find your mojo with these fabulous new releases from Verve? Here are a couple I made today using the releases...

First up is this bright, sunshiney card I made with Sunny Days! I just randomly stamped the background with the button flower in orange and yellow ink and then stamped a couple buttons in turquoise ink and stuck them on top of the flowers. The sentiment was stamped on one of the Tiny Sweet Scallop die set, which is layered onto the new Curvy Book Plate die!

This was just a fun little quick card I was playing with. I used some scraps of PTI paper to paper-piece the cups from Better with You. The sentiment is from the same set. I cut a Curvy Bookplate out of the Rustic White cardstock and then stamped the sentiment through the negative.

This last card is the one I had the most fun making! I just love the fun bright colors from this MME Lime Twist paper pack. Purple, teal, green, LOVE! 

The sentiment is from Words of Wisdom. I can't talk this set up ENOUGH! Check out that font combination! Isn't it fun and different? I love it:) I went around each piece of paper with a black copic for some contrast. Sometimes, adding a whole layer of cardstock adds more weight than I want, so by just running a copic along the edge, it gives the illusion of a black cardstock mat, without the added bulk:)

The loopy flowers are from Making a Statement and cut out with the coordinating Loopy Blooms die. You can also see a bit of the Curvy Bookplate Die peeking out from behind the sentiment. This is pretty much my favorite way to use this die, it makes the perfect little finishing touch!

I also used the Viva la Verve sketch for this week, see the sketch challenge HERE!

Check out the Anni-VERVE-sary sale going on now through August 31st! Just click on the banner:)

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back tomorrow with the new Deconstructed Sketch for this week, using...you guessed it...MORE NEW VERVE, lol!

SCRS #56-Shopping Millie

Hello! I'm here today with a quick card I created for this weeks Sparkle Creations challenge! This week, we have a sketch to play with, and it's a really fun one! Here's a full-sized picture...

Here's my card, created using one of the new Karber by Sparkle Creations stamps, Shopping Millie...

I gotta admit, I'm having a hard time finding my mojo! I just couldn't color today to save my life, lol! After being away from my stuff for three weeks, I feel like I'm learning all over again, haha! Well, I guess only lots of crafting will cure that problem, right?

Don't you love this new Millie image? She's a shopper too, just my kinda girl:)

SCRS will be sponsoring a Paper Craft's giveaway on Facebook tomorrow! Be sure to check it out for a chance to win Karber Reading Millie, Karber Breakfast Leslie, Cafe Lucy and Bookworm Ruby! Here's a link to the Paper Craft's fan page: http://www.facebook.com/papercraftsmagazine.

Now head on over to the SCRS store blog to see the cards that the rest of the team made with this sketch! Thanks for stopping by today:) I'll be back tomorrow!

It's gonna be a BRIGHT and SUNSHINY day for sure at The Greeting Farm!  Hooray!

Today is the day- two new sets are available for purchase as we are proud to debut our new line of CLEAR stamps! 

Bantastic

And My Fairy Princess

Here is my project using Bantastic!

I wanted to use the triangle polka-dot banner and kind of hang them across the card. I also couldn't decide on which sentiment to use, so I used them all, lol!!! I colored Twirl Anya with Copics and set her right in the middle of the card:) I really love how simple this card is, it was so fun to create!

We are SO excited to begin today's hop combining some TGF 'alum' with our Farmers!   Be sure to check out the TGF BLOG for a complete list of links, as one lucky winner will receive BOTH sets just for commenting and participating in the hop!  And just in case you get lost along the way in all of the excitement that is CLEARLY mounting...here is the list:

TGF BLOG

Amber Hight

Tanya Tahir

Kadie Ensley

Kelly Booth

Pam Varnell

 Mary Giles

Amy Young

Kim Nath

Anna Maria Nilsson

Jen Shults

Traci Porter

Emma Eads

and our Farmers!

• Becca Fabozzi
• Carisa Zglobicki
• Denice Bartucci
• Kim Yu
• Tracey Pickersgill
• Jessica Diedrich

That's it for me today, but be sure to head over to the TGF BLOG, where it's ALL beginning!  HAPPY RELEASE DAY, everyone!

Hey, everyone!

I am back to fully reveal what may have been just a cloudy snippet yesterday... did you see through our little surprise or are you CLEARLY stumped?

Well, wonder no more because some of the cherished members of the TGF alum along with the Farmers are thrilled to bring you a BRAND NEW line by TGF: 

CLEAR STAMPS!!!!

Before we go any further, these stamps are not replacing our rubber line.  We are testing the waters to bring you some fun new designs, and most of all QUALITY stamps!  To add to the fun, we also have the opportunity to bring you some RE-RELEASES, in addition to NEW releases and we are excited to get started with our first two sets!  

INTRODUCING.....

BANTASTIC 

and MY FAIRY PRINCESS

For my card, I used the fun new "Bantastic" set!

You can see the triangle banners, right in the center, but did you notice the rounded banners I used as scallops? I love it! This is such a fun set and I'm sure you're going to love it as much as I do. The quality of these new clear stamps are AMAZING! They're trimmed close, nice and sturdy, and have that lovely clear stamp smell, lol! 

So, what do you think?  Are you CLEARLY stunned or could you see RIGHT THROUGH our snippet yesterday?   Anxious to try the new line?  Well, be sure to leave a comment here and on the TGF BLOG to see who ELSE is previewing the FUN today...you'll see some familiar faces in addition to our Farmers and there's a SET OR TWO UP FOR GRABS there, too!

See you tomorrow for the official release of our first two CLEAR stamp sets, Bantastic and Fairy Princess.  Thanks for stopping by!

Something delightfully different is coming...

...to THE GREETING FARM!

Can you guess what it is?   I'm thrilled to be a part of an exciting preview to be revealed TOMORROW, August 14th!

Some of our dearest TGF alum are back along with the Farmers and we have a surprise for you coming... so be sure to tune into the TGF BLOG today and leave your guess as to what that might be!   Are we too transparent?  ANY idea as to what this special, mid-month release could be?  Well, stay tuned and I'll see you back here tomorrow to see if you're still stumped or if you've seen RIGHT THROUGH to what we're about to reveal!

Clearly excited,

~Amber~

Verve Spotlights - Day 6, Making a Statement

Welcome to Day 6 of our Anni-VERVE-sary Spotlight Hop series! Hop along with the Divas all week long as we share our first looks at a few of the new products releasing from Verve on Friday night! One lucky commenter along today's  hop will win today's featured sets and dies.  So be sure and leave a little comment love as you hop around the Divasphere!  Check the Verve Blog for prize details and deadlines.

Our spotlight for today is shining on a new set called Making a Statement, and its coordinating dies...Rounded Scallop Frame and Loopy Blooms.  My card features Making a Statement and the Rounded Scallop Frame as well as a couple of other sets and dies we previewed earlier this week.

I cut the Rounded Scallop Frame and stamped the coordinating scallop frame in Espresso ink and adhered it to the patterned paper circle. I stamped the sentiment in the negative of the frame and ran some ribbon through middle of the frame.

I couldn't resist added some of the Leafy Sprigs dies, because they're pretty much my new favorite die:) I also stamped a couple birds randomly around the card front and added some metal photo corners. 

Make sure to check out what the rest of the Diva's have prepared for you! Your next stop should be Amy!

1. Julee 10. Laurie 2. Charmaine 11. Maureen 3. Tosha 12. Amber 4. Andrea 13. Amy 5. Sankari 14. Jen d. 6. Teresa 15. Betty 7. Jackie 16. Lynda 8. Sarah {Guest} 17. Susan 9. Marisa {Guest}

See you at the release party tonite!

Verve Spotlights - Day 5, Tag Time!

Hello! Long time, no see:) I just got home last night  from a lovely 3 week vacation in Montana. I miss it already! The weather was absolutely PERFECT the whole trip! I went to family camp with my parents, brother, and their church for four days and it was amazing! We camped just outside of Glacier Park and floated the river, and did all the other stuff camping entails (including taking a bath in the 40 degree glacier water, lol!) Anyway, now I'm back in Okinawa with the blistering heat and ridiculous humidity. Home sweet home!

Welcome to Day 5 of our Anni-VERVE-sary Spotlight Hop series! Hop along with the Divas all week long as we share our first looks at a few of the new products releasing from Verve on Friday night! One lucky commenter along the hop will win today's featured sets and dies.  So be sure and leave a little love as you hop around the Divasphere!  Check the Verve Blog for prize details and deadlines.

Today, we're previewing an amazing new set called "Tag Time" and a few more dies! There are two coordinating tag dies to match this set and some tiny Sweet Scallop Tag dies as well! You will love these dies and this set:) 

So I went to the PO today to pick up all the mail I got while I was gone, and the most amazing package from Verve was in there! FULL of ALL the wonderful stamps and dies being released...it was like CHRISTMASx1000!!! I had so many ideas that I just grabbed all the stamps and dies and started playing...this is what came out, lol! I knew I wanted a black and green color combo, with some turquoise thrown in for good measure!

The bookplate stamp and "love" are from the new Tag Time set, the I, U, and heart are from You and I, and the leaves are from Sunny Days! I am positive that you're going to want need every. single. item released, lol!

I used the Deconstructed Sketch #14 for the layout of my card, make sure you check out the DS blog to play along with our sketch this week!

Next up on the hop is the amazing AMY! Enjoy the rest of the cards, I'm off to do some hopping myself:) 

1. Julee 9. Marisa {Guest} 2. Charmaine 10. Laurie 3. Tosha 11. Amber 4. Andrea 12. Amy 5. Sankari 13. Lynda 6. Teresa 14. Susan 7. Jackie 15. Maureen 8. Sarah {Guest}

Verve Spotlights have begun!

Well hello there! Remember me? I use to blog here? LOL! I've been on vacation in Montana for the past few weeks enjoying some time with my mom and dad! I head back home on Tuesday and will be jumping in on the last couple days of the new Verve release spotlights. There are a TON of sweet new stamps coming out so go check out day 1!

1. Julee 8. Marisa {Guest} 2. Charmaine 9. Laurie 3. Tosha 10. Maureen 4. Andrea 11. Amy 5. Teresa 12. Shannan 6. Jackie 13. Lynda 7. Sarah {Guest}

I can't wait to get back home and get to stampin' with these new stamps! See you in a few days:)