Viva la Verve, Week 2

And here we are at week 2! I am SO amazed at all the beautiful entries from last week! Seriously amazing stuff, peeps! Cyndi Bundy's card really stood out to me in the gallery, so I asked her to be the featured Viva la Verve sampler this week! Her card from last week can be found here on her blog: http://www.scrappychick.typepad.com/. AWESOME card Cyndi!
This weeks sketch with a {twist} is another fun one! The twist this week is to use BLING on your card! Lotsa BLING! To see the sketch and challenge details, see THIS post! Here's my sample using a set being released tonite! It's called "Hundred Hearts" and is AMAZING!

I Shimmerz'ed the heck outta this card! LOL! I painted the flower and sentiment panel with Angel Wings Shimmerz and then splattered more shimmerz using a paint brush! Here's a better detail shot of the bling:
Here's Cyndi's fun sample!

Isn't that amazing? Cyndi, THANK YOU for your awesome sample!

Okay, well I'm gonna get back to enjoying my husband! It's been a wonderful day, it's so great having him home!
Have a great day ya'll!

BTW, don't forget to join in on the release party happening tonite in the Verve Forums! The show goes from 8 to 10 pm EST! Be there!

WELCOME BACK TO HIP HOP!!!!

Hey Hip Hoppers! Have you missed Hip Hop as much as I have? DANG it seems like it's been forever! If this is your first hip hop, make sure you start at the Unity Blog for the specials of the day, the new release, and to START the hop!

Well I have a couple layouts to share with you today! That's right, the stamping scrapbooker SCRAPBOOKS! Unity stamps make it SO easy and FUN!

I have to apologize for this quick post, but I'm getting ready to go get my honey! It's been six months since I saw him last and I am getting SERIOUS butterflies! Honestly, after six months, it will just feel so odd to have a guy around again, lol! I'm sure it won't take me long to get used to it;)

Okay, this layout was for Amy's (caffinatedcropper) first layout challenge from a couple weeks ago! I used SEVERAL of the past KOM's!

Are those not the cutest pups you ever did see??? My babies, Luke and Jesse:)

My next layout is a sketch I found in Scrapbook Trends! It's a layout of my honey:)

I used the a couple more KOM's, the Worn Grid background (the transparency), and the numbers from Amazing Me!

Okay, folks, I have two hours till I go get him and TONS of stuff to do still so I have to get busy! Ya'll have TONS of fun hip hopping today! Your next visit is the sweetest chic you'll ever meet, Linsey!!!!!!!!!!!

HIP HOP!

New VERVE!

Howdy-doodlie-doo blogger-oonies! :)

I have some news! Verve is releasing 6 new sets on FRIDAY! w00t! You will ADORE, nay, you will LOVE these new sets, I PROMISE! The sneak peeks started on Monday and continue through the rest of the week on the Verve Blog! Go check em out:) Monday's sneak peeks were for the new set "Meditations". Here are a couple cards I've made with this set. This one you'll recognize from the sneak peek post on the blog:

Don't you love that verse? It's so sweet:) I used new October Afternon dp (from the JBelle store) for this card, along with some Kiwi Kiss cardstock!

I stickled the floral images from Meditations with Mint Ice Stickles and topped the card off with buttons and ribbon. It's like cherry on the cake! Or something like that...

This next card is for this weeks Mojo Monday #68 sketch! It's such a fun sketch (as are ALL of the Queen Diva's sketches!)

I used Pink Pirhouette and Riding Hood Red cardstock. I stamped the small floral image in Riding Hood Red and then painted Shimmerz over the flowers, it's just impossible to see in this picture, DARN IT! The ribbon is by Martha Stewarts and the brads are by Crate Paper.

And finally a card for today's looking for love release challenge sketch! See all of the Looking for Love Challenges {HERE}.

The stamp set featured here is Cupcake Affair! LOVE this set, it's just plain yummy:) I used Basic Gray Sultry dp for the card and my beloved dew drops! That ribbon is by May Arts I think, but not sure!

So there are a few challenges you ought to check out this week! Also, don't forget the Viva la Verve challenge this week! Keep your eyes on the Verve Blog all week for more peeks of new sets being released and come party with us Friday night (9 Jan, 8-10 pm EST) in the forums! I betcha Julee and Mr. Verve will be giving goodies away!;)

Two more wake-ups till my honey is home {just in case I haven't mentioned it lately;)}

Have a great day ladies!

Monday Challenge!

Hey ya'll! QUICK post from me tonite, I got a few things I have to take care of tonite so I'm sorry for the quick post:)

The Monday Challenge for today was to do an Inside/Outside card! I hardly EVER decorate the inside of cards so this was actually quite a challenge for me! AND the lighting is awful in my pictures, so I apologize for that too, lol! Ever had one of those days?:)

Here's my card using this weeks Unity Sketch #9. Check out the sketch {HERE}.


I used my Basic Gray "Sugared" paper for this card. The sentiment stamp is from the June KOM and the heart is from the September KOM! The ribbon is Pink Taffetta by SU:)

Check out what AJ, Maren, Buckie, Brookie, and Jeanne have for you today!

Okay ya'll, 3 days left!

Have a great day:)

My first wedding cake!

Okay, so it's in the form of a card, but I LOVED decorating this cake baby! It's for Saturday's Inpsiration Challenge on SCS! As soon as I saw THIS cake I had this idea for my card. I've tried one before and didn't like how it came out, but I *LOVE* how this one came out!
To creat the cake layers, I just cut strips of cardstock and then rounded the top corners and glued them all down. THEN came the FUN part of decorating it! Doesn't that look like actual fondent? I love this cake, seriously. I know pride is one of the seven deadly sins, but I can't help myself:) I used Grateful Elegance and Fairy Tales by Verve to help pretty this card up. I stamped the flowers on vellum and cut them out and then glued them down. The sentiment is stamped on vellum and then layered on a piece of Ocean Tides cs for a toned down color. I think this Ocean Tides color (by PTI) is one of my FAVORITE colors in the WORLD! I can't help it:)

Okay, next up is my card for today's Featured Stamper challenge. Julie HRR is the Featured Stamper this week and, as you well know, has a fantastic gallery! {THIS} is the card I chose to case!

I pulled out another trusty favorite by Verve called Thankful Blossoms. The sentiments and fonts used in this set are so classy, I love them:) I got the color combo from the Verve Diva's, they were talking about this color combo and I was inspired to create with them also:) Kraft, Riding Hood Red, and Blush Blossom! And you know I had to add some blingy dew drops;)

Well that's it from me today! If you're paying attention to the countdown, it's 4 days! Not including today:) WOOOHOOO! He just called me from his first stop and will be there until tomorrow and then he's onto his second leg. I. Can't. Wait!

Have a great Sunday:)

Viva la Verve!

Good morning friends! How is the new year treating you so far? It's treating me just fine because in *SEVEN* days my Billy will be home!!!!!!!! ACK! So much to do in so little time:)

Today is the first day of a new challenge in the Verve forums! We're calling it Viva la Verve! Susan Liles came up with that name, isn't it PERFECT? It just ROLLS off the tongue:)
This weeks challenge is a sketch with a {twist} of hardware! That means that along with the sketch, your card must have hardware on it as well! Here is the sketch:
And here is my sample:

The stamp set I used is called Abundant Blessings by Verve. This set has some of the most beautiful images! I love it:) Click {HERE} to see it in the store!

See {THIS} thread in the Verve forum for details on what and how you can win by joining in this fun weekly challenge with us!

Have a great day, Viva la Verve!

New Year's Eve blog candy anyone??

Angela coined a new name for Unity blog candy, Unity Sugar! Doncha love it? Unity stamps are about as addictive as sugar, yet don't go to your hips! Gotta love THAT!;) I have a Unity single I'm giving away today! This WONDERFUL stamp is SO fun! HUGE too! 3.5x3.5, PERFECT for scrappin those loved ones:) The stamp is called "Fact of Love"...
{{NOTE: The giveaway is the stamp only, not the handle or my precious stickles! Those are only there for size comparison:)}}
All you have to do to be the proud owner of this lovely stamp is leave a comment, right here on this post, and tell me your #1 New Years Resolution for 2009! I'll leave the comments open until Midnight EST, January 7th 2009! Good luck!
Okay now on for my cards today! I received a lovely order from Unity and had to play with my new stamps! The first one is my mother of all combined challenges cards! I was able to combine HCE09 (fun with tags), HCE10 (Altered Embellishments), HCE11 (Simple Paper Tole), AND HCE12 (sketch) all into this card! Can I get a HIP HOP?
The card base is Kiwi Kiss and the dp is all Urban Prairie by Basic Gray! Do you have this paper? If not, you really should go get some, it's AWESOME!
That adorable flower stamp is also known as Scrappy Flower! I paper pieced it (and paper-toled it) with scraps of Urban Prairie dp. The sentiment is from the July KOM, "...It's the Little Things"
I stamped the sentiment and then punched it out with my small tag punch by SU! I tied it around the back of the brad and then added the K&Co rhinestones. That ribbon is by American Crafts and I need MORE!
All in all, I really like this card, I'm gonna give it to a friend of mine tomorrow so it doesn't sit and collect dust like the other 9,784 cards I've made:)

My next card was a quick one I made for today's sketch challenge on SCS! I had to use more of the Urban Prairie paper, just cause I love it so!
That's another new {to me} stamp by Unity! It's called Love and Meaning. Nothing too mind-bending about this card so I'm http:not going to go into details:) All you need to know is that you need this stamp:)
Check out the {Unity Store}, you have the rest of TODAY to take advantage of the Holiday Sale!!! Angela also posted a sale on her {BLOG} ! 35% off EVERY order until midnite!!! Gittin' er' done fer some sales, ya'll! Bwahahaha! {I do love Larry the Cable Guy}! Happy Shopping!

Okay, well the count-down continues, about 8 days left till that darling man of mine gets home:)
The pups and I are just sitting here blurfing, drinkin' wine {well they aren't, but they wish they were} and watching my man Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Carribean!!!
It's New Years Eve for me right now and I have to stay awake for 3 more hours! Billy is going to call me at the stroke of midnight so I can at least TALK to him when the clock strikes 12. I'd rather be kissin' him though;)

Okay, you peeps have a great great day, I'll talk to you later!

Unity Sketch #8

Oh man! Here we are, Monday morning! My Monday is over now, yeah! One more Monday till my honey is home!!!

My card today is a double whammy! It serves as the Unity Sketch Challenge #8 Sample and my card for the Monday Challenge Chicks, a card with CANDY!

Here's the sketch for this week:

And here's my sample!

I used the lollipop and sentiment are from Delectible Delights by Unity Stamp Co! The paper is from a DCWV paper pack and it's really blingy, me likey! I had to add some buttons on as well, I thought about brads, but buttons are so much funner (is that a word?)!

As you can see, I did stray from the sketch a little, and as the wise Ali Edwards once (or a million and a half times) said, "That's OKAY!" :) The sketches are provided as a jumping point for you! Just try to keep it sorta close, so we can tell where the inspiration came from;) See the Challenge thread in the Unity Member Forum at SCS for linking and love! When you upload to any public galleries, use the keywords Unity, and USCSC8!

Check out what AJ, Maren, Jennifer Buck, Brooke, and Jeanne did for this candy-licious monday!

ALSO, I wanted to give a big ole WELCOME to Unity's NEWEST DESIGNERS! Angela has a new Scrapbooking team (YEAH!) and has added the fabulous talent of these 4 ladies, to the already fabulous Jenn Buck and Jen Erickson!

Chelsea Cook

Anne Marie Teo

Renee Dezember-Morris

Lynn Ghahary

Go give their blogs a peek and congratulate them!

Oh, and didja see???

Coming in January...:)

So uncreative!

I can't find a name for this blog post! Oh well, it's almost 10:00 pm here and I'm too tired to think of one, lol! Use your imagination!

I have a couple cards to share today, one is for a sketch challenge at the Page Maps blog! The sketch was SO fun and I had to try it when I saw it! Click {HERE} to go to the Page Maps blog and see the sketch!

Here's my card...

The polka dot dp is by Creative Imaginations. I bought it a couple years ago and finally decided to stop hoarding it, lol! There is no hope for me:)

The stamps I used (the butterfly and "universe" sentiment) are from Butterfly Beauty by Unity Stamp Co. The alpha stickers (spelling "My") are by Making Memories! FUN sketch, you should try it:)

My next card is for this weeks OCC challenge! Julee hosted a "Lovey Dovey" challenge since her anniversary was this month, yeah! SO, being that I'm in a VERY lovey mood (DH called about an hour ago and will be lifting off out of Iraq on the 3rd!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I just HAD to play! And what better stamps to use than my Anniversary Birds by Verve!

I also used my new (I bought it a few weeks back when I was in the states, but it's the first time I used it so it's still new;) Martha Stewart background stamps. The sentiment is from Feeling Groovy by Verve. Okay, the sentiment is sooo special to me, because when I first started falling in love with Billy, this is the song I would always think of when my eyes went all starry:) Isn't that sooooo cheesy? I love cheesy:) The song is by Firehouse, just love it! Can you tell I'm PSYCHED that my honey is finally coming home? Oh if ya'll even knew how tough it is, being seperated for 6 months...and to think of those other poor families whose time is just beginning. My heart breaks for them but I am testimony that you will get through it and happy times are close behind...

Sorry about that, I'm just consumed;)

That big beautiful blue flower is by Prima and the acetate flower layered over it is by Making Memories!

Well I'm watching Mission Impossible III! I'm not really a chick flick girl, I love the action movies;)

Have a wonderful day friends!!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!

Well I hope everyone is have a wonderful Christmas today! I know it's bright and early Christmas morning for my stateside friends, but here in Okinawa, Christmas is coming to an end:) And that's okay with me, I'll be ready to move on and I'm looking forward to my husband returning home after 6 long months! Only 11 more days:)

I'm really getting a little tired of Christmas stamping myself, so my cards today are CHRISTMAS related at ALL! It was nice to do something different:)

My first card is for today's Holiday Extravaganza Challenge #6, to make an easy one layer card! I'm hoping the ribbon and butterfly punches aren't classified as cheating, but I swear this card was easy! Took me 10 mins, I PROMISE! And it's all one layer {basically!} :)

As soon as I saw the challenge, I knew right away that I wanted to play with Serenity, by Verve! This is SUCH an elegant set and coupled with this Plain Jane, Psalm 46:10, it's really a peaceful, elegant card! PLUS, I really love this verse and was happy to be able to use it:) If you haven't taken advantage of the sale at Verve, you still have a few days left!

My next card is for this weeks Sketch Challenge (#208) on SCS! It's a *bit* brighter than the first card:)

I used some ScrUmPTioUs paper by Cosmo Cricket from the line called Chemistry. The cardstock base is Pink Pirhouette, and the ribbon is Sweet Blush by PTI! I also got to use my new Label 1 nesties! I just got them in the mail yesterday, yippee!!!!!!! The two stamp sets I used are Oh! Happy Day! and the December KOM, Little Reminders, both by Unity Stamp Co! The butterfly and the polka dots (on the label nestie) are from the Oh Happy Day! set and the "bliss" sentiment is from December KOM! I added a border of Silver Ice Stickles around both panels and love the sparkle:)

So there you have it! I stamped two other cards today, but I'll be posting them later:) I know, it's Christmas and I spent all day stamping! But that's what happens when it's just you and the two dogs;) I enjoyed myself!

I also got a visit from Christy today, we exchanged gifts and she got me the most DARLING Kokeshi Doll when she was in Tokyo! I'll take a picture and post it tomorrow, when the light is better. The doll deserves good lighting, with her sassy self:)

Christy also made cookies and gave me a bunch. I think she's the devil in a ladies body. Grrr. BUT, they are REALLY good and worth the sin!;) **Thank You Christy, I luvs you!!!!!!!!**

Well, I'm off to find a Christmas movie to watch, I do love Christmas movies:)