August Diva Inspiration Blog Hop

Hi everyone!!!

I'm so sorry I only have a picture for you instead of a card today but I have a good reason: I was offered an amazing work opportunity so I'm out of town for two months...and without stamping supplies...aaaand without my car because it decided to break down on me, halfway on my trip. So now I'm in a rental car and have to figure out what to do with my dead, broken car that's now 250 miles away from where I'm at. ;) Happy times!!!! lol 

 But just because I'm taking a break from stamping this month that certainly does not mean that there is no Hop happening today so here's all the Verve info you need to get you going:

	1. Julee	9. Tiffany
	2. Amy	10. Teresa
	3. Anya	11. Charmaine
	4. Betty	12.Christyne
	5. Karen	13. Maureen
	6. Sankari	14.Marisa
	7. Sarah	15.Amber
	8. Susan

Be sure to leave a little shout out in the comment section of each blog as you hop about to be entered in a drawing for a $30 gift voucher to Verve Stamps! Check out all the details and prize info over at the Verve Blog.


We're celebrating 6 years of VERVE this month with a huge sale! Your favorites are bound to be marked down, since all stamps and dies are 10-50% off during the month of August! Now that's something to celebrate!

Exploring San Francisco - Day I

**PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE **

Hi Everyone,

I'm in San Francisco!! And I'm going to be here for a little bit.  I was offered a great work opportunity which I'm very excited about so I packed my car and went. Oh did I mention my car decided to break down on the way up here? Yeeah...in the middle of nowhere...smoking engine and everything...fun times! 

But thankfully there were a lot of very helpful and friendly people that helped me out and got my mom and I back on the road...in a rental. My car...turns out...is officially dead. :(

Anywho...today I went for a drive to get a vibe for the city. It is so vastly different from LA. It reminds me a little of home as in Germany home. Not the architecture or anything but the weather and the city just...feels like Germany. lol I don't know how else to describe it. Perhaps it's the narrow streets and older buildings and definitely the weather. 

So at first I decided to drive through the Presidio. After a few wrong turns I landed right in front of the Walt Disney Family museum. Since I had nothing else really planned for the day I decided to check it out.

I had a great time there. It was really well put together and I was thoroughly inspired by Walt Disney's life as well as the amazing original artwork on display.

the original Studio Floorplan!!! Amazing how big it's gotten now!

I love this!!!

Here's a view of San Francisco Bay from the Presidio.

and then I made another wrong turn and then I missed a turn aaaand before I knew it I was going over the Golden Gate Bridge! Well came to find out there is a beautiful Vista Point right on the other side of the bridge. :) So here's a view of San Francisco - covered in a blanket of fog.

after my little detours I headed to Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf.

view of the city from the Pier

and then my final stop for the day: Ghirardelli Square where I ended my eventful day with of course...a Nobhill Chill. What is a Nobhill Chill?

Well...let me tell you: It's more than a milkshake, it's the sundae you can sip! Two scops of vanilla ice cream blended with our freshly homemade hot fudge and topped with semi sweet chocolate chips.

Nobhill Chill

{Life} July Diva Inspiration Hop & Mojo Monday 300

Hi Everyone and a very special July Diva Inspiration Hop to you!!!

I say very special because this month we're joining the Mojo Monday crew in celebrating their 300th sketch!!!! Isn't that awesome?! So in honor of the big 3-0-0 there are 30 prizes for you to win!!! As long as you play along of course. For all the details, a list of prizes from over 20 different companies and some fabulous samples using the Mojo 300 sketch head on over to the Mojo Monday blog. 

Oh and don't forget...there's a PRIZE up for grabs right here too, so be sure to leave a little shout out in the comment section of each blog as you hop about to be entered in a drawing for a $30 gift voucher to Verve Stamps! Check out all the details and prize info over at the Verve Blog.

And here's the 300th sketch:

uh hum you may notice I took some creative liberties with the sketch but lol that's just what I do. :) 

Life has been particularly turbulent for me lately so when I saw the little sentiment {life}...that was exactly how I felt. Couldn't have said it any better...don't you feel that way sometimes? Where all you can say is...this is life. All the ups and downs, so much happening...good and bad....but sometimes you don't even know what's happening, so many things are happening so fast. 

That's how it's been for me lately so I really enjoyed making this card because it gave me a moment to relax and just focus on one thing at a time. It was great!!

Now to the ingredients of my card...I used the flowers from the Verve Set Surely Goodness. The sentiment is from the set Remember This. I used a lot of Dies for this one...so here's that list: Banner Bundle Die, Flat It Die, Goodness Flowers Die, Notebook Die. And that's about it...

thanks so much for stopping by!!! 

Next up on your hop is the amazingly fabulous Susan Liles!!!!

	1. Julee	7. Sankari
	2. Amy	8. Sarah
	3. Anya	9. Sony
	4. Betty	10. Susan
	5. Jessica	11. Tiffany
	6. Karen

Sony

Stamps: Surely Goodness (Verve), Remember This (Verve)

Paper: Lost and Found (MME), Kraft, Black

Ink: Memento

Accessories: Banner Bundle Die (Verve), Flag It Die (Verve), Goodness Flowers Die (Verve), Notebook Die (Verve), Mini Paperclip, White Thread and Sewing Machine

{Go Confidently...} June Diva Inspiration Blog Hop

Hi everyone, 

It's the 5th of the month and that means it's time for the Verve Inspirations Team to breathe new life into some much-loved stamps and dies. And there's a PRIZE up for grabs, so be sure to leave a little shout out in the comment section of each blog as you hop about to be entered in a drawing for a $30 gift certificate to Verve Stamps! Check out all the details and prize info over at the Verve Blog.

sooo this card is a bit of a hodge podge of several different stamp sets...let me see if I can get it all worked out: the main sentiment is from Words of Wisdom , the sun is from Let It Shine, the Enjoy Today is from Amazing Wishes and the background stamp is from Accent Notes.

	1. Julee	7. Sankari
	2. Amy	8. Sarah
	3. Anya	9. Sony
	4. Betty	10. Susan
	5. Jessica	11. Tiffany
	6. Karen

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Be sure to say hi to Susan for me....she's up next! :)

Sony

Stamps: Words of Wisdom (Verve), Let It Shine (Verve), Amazing Wishes (Verve), Accent Notes (Verve)

Papers:  Kraft, Aqua Mist (PTI), Ocean Tides (PTI) 

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, White

Accessories: Copics, Cloud Die-Namics (MFT), Mini Tags, Twill Tape, Jute Twine, Stickles Glitter, Nesties, white embossing powder, heat gun, hot glue gun

{Always} May Diva Inspiration Blog Hop

Hi everyone!!!

It's the 5th of the month and that means it's time for a little Verve Inspiration!!!! And...even better...there is a new release coming up on Friday, May 10th!!! Mark your calendars!! We got a sneak peak and I know you're gonna love what Verve has in store for you!!! Ok but first remember you can win a little prize today just by leaving a comment on each blog hop spot. Check out all the details and prize info over at the Verve Blog.

A little about my card today...a dear sister in my church passed away so I was yet again in need of a sympathy card. I wanted to do something a little bit different so I did my version of a shadowbox card with Julee's beautiful flowers from the Surely Goodness set and the corresponding die set.
For the sentiment I used the Flag from the Flag it Die set and paired it with the sentiment from the Borderline set. Then I got a little crafty with it and used a combination of white and grey ink for the flowers, sprinkled that with iridescent embossing powder and applied heat.

Here's another closer look:

ok I don't want to keep you any longer...here's the master Blog Hop list...in case you got lost ;)

	1. Julee	7. Sankari
	2. Amy	8. Sarah
	3. Anya	9. Sony
	4. Betty	10. Susan
	5. Jessica	11. Tiffany
	6. Karen

Next up is  Susan!!!! Don't have too much fun over there!!! lol

til next time,

Sony :)

{Hope and a Future} April Diva Inspiration Hop

Welcome to our Diva Inspirations Hop!

It's the 5th of the month and that means it's time for the Verve Inspirations Team to breathe new life into some much-loved stamps and dies. And there's a PRIZE up for grabs! So be sure to leave a little shout out in the comment section of each blog as you hop about to be entered in a drawing for a $30 gift certificate to Verve Stamps! Check out all the details and prize info over at the Verve Blog.

I have a christening to go to on April 28th and I wanted to make a card that my friend could put in a scrapbook for her son if she wanted to so what better verse than Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I paired that with the new Calendar Countdown stamp set, which I stamped on top of a Banner I cut out using the new Banner Bundle Die Set. Oh and the ribbon is from Julee's new Ribbon collection! :)

We're also saying good bye to Jen del Muro!! This is her last hop as a Verve Diva. She's been a part of the Verve team almost from the very beginning and although we're sad to see her go, we're so excited to see the things she has up her sleeve for the stamping world! All the best Jen!!!!

	1. Julee	7. Sankari
	2. Amy	8. Sarah
	3. Anya	9. Sony
	4. Jen d.	10. Susan
	5. Jessica	11. Tiffany
	6. Karen

have a great day everyone and Happy Hopping!!!

Next up is the one and only Susan Liles!!!

{Life happens...} March Diva Inspiration Hop

Hii everyone,

sorry I'm super late with my post. Totally forgot today is the 5th...I just started working at a commercial VFX house and we've been doing really long hours lately...I got home at 1am this morning. I don't even know if freelancers get paid OT...I have to find that out today mmmh.... Anyways...

here's another notebook I made for you.  Lots of embossing and some distressing and of course layering. I love love love making my own notebooks because for one it's a lot cheaper and you can get just the right cover. :)

So here's the master Blog Hop list:

	1. Julee	7. Karen
	2. Amy	8. Sankari
	3. Anya	9. Sarah
	4. Betty	10. Sony
	5. Jen d.	11. Susan
	6. Jessica	12. Tiffany

and here's a little closer look at my notebook:

oh btw have you noticed....we've got some new Divas in the house!!!! Yay!! A special warm welcome to them...can't wait to see what you've created...I need coffee first tho. lol

Have a great week everyone,

Sony

Academy Awards disappointment

Hi guys,

today is going to be a very different post and for that I apologize but I feel very strongly about this and I just want people to know about this. As you know I work in the VFX industry. I love my job, creating magic for the big screen...magic that is often unseen and really that is the biggest compliment of all for us...that you didn't see we were even there. With that however also comes the price of not getting acknowledged or respected for the work that we do. 

At the Oscar's last night, when Samuel Jackson cut of Robert Downey Jr. and made jabs about VFX getting the respect they deserve? In sight of the fact that  400+ people were protesting outside I'd say that was a bit in poor taste. When Bill Westenhofer was trying to mention the financial trouble Rhythm & Hues, the studio that made Life of Pi even possible he was cut off by the Jaws theme music?! Really? His speech was 1:10min long...compare that to Ang Lee's 2:20min speech and no cut off music. And then to top it all off Ang Lee thanked everyone down to the pool company but forgot to mention the studio who created the skies, the ocean and one of his main characters Richard Parker.
For those of you who don't know this...Rhythm and Hues, the studio behind Life of Pi and Snow white and the Huntsman and the Golden Compass filed for bankruptcy last week. Tax subsidies and a flawed fixed bid business model is crumbling the VFX industry and forcing companies to move our jobs overseas. Lay offs in the hundreds and now chapter 11's have become more and more frequent.

In context of what's going on at the industry the lack of acknowledgement last night just added more fuel to the fire. 

And in case you'd like to know just how much of the movies you're watching is real and how much is done in VFX...here are some images that will hopefully make you appreciate the artistry we do:

thank you so much for listening. I know this is not a pleasant subject but please know we just want to raise awareness. We make magical movies possible...movies that make billions of dollars yet our companies file for bankruptcy. We're out of jobs, we lose our homes and are forced to move our families half across the globe every couple of months so we can feed them. I know we're not the only industry facing this problem so I think you can all relate to this issue.

thank you again,

Sony

{Love U} February Diva Inspiration Blog Hop

Hi guys and welcome to our monthly Blog Hop!!!

I was feeling scrappy with a little retro thrown in there and hehe you see the result of that right there in my card. :) I just got the I heart U Die Set with the matching You and I stamp set...so cute!!! And so much stuff you can do with it!! Oh btw did you know that Verve's Rounded Rectangle Die fits perfectly in the PTI Library Pocket? So handy especially since I can't seem to find my rounded corner punch anywhere. Anyway...I don't want to keep you all too long so let me tell you about our prize:

A random commenter on one of the hops will win a $30 gift certificate to VERVE, so be sure to leave a little love in the comment section as you hop about! You can find out all the prize details over on the Verve Blog today. 

Here's the master blog hop list:

	1. Julee	8. Andrea
	2. Betty	9. Charmaine
	3. Jen	10. Janelle
	4. Sankari	11. Laurie
	5. Sony	12. Maureen
	6. Susan	13. Teresa
	7. Amber

Stamps: You and I (Verve)

Papers: Clippings (Basic Grey), Kraft, Aqua Mist (PTI), Summer Sunrise (PTI)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black 

Accessories: I heart U Cut Above Die (Verve), Rounded Rectangle Cut Above Die (Verve), Mini Paperclip, Nesties, Buttons, Jute Twine, Twill Tape, Library Pocket Die (PTI), Sewing Machine, Hot Glue Gun

{Dare to Dream} January Diva Inspiration Blog Hop

Hi guys!!!! And...

Welcome to our January Diva Inspirations Hop!  

Today the Divas are dusting off some Verve favorites and putting on our monthly hop to inspire you with a fresh new spin on the stamps in our stash! So grab a drink and hop along as we share a little Verve with you! There's a great little prize involved, too! A random commenter on one of the hops will win a $30 gift certificate to VERVE, so be sure to leave a little love in the comment section as you hop about! You can find out all the prize details over on the Verve Blog today. 

I am so sorry I'm cutting this post really close today... it's about 1.45am my time right now and I just realized it's the 5th of January aka blog hop time! Yeeeeah and my laptop is about to die on me lol talk about cutting it close...soo I apologize to you early morning hoppers but I'll be back as soon as I get some shut eye with the ingredient list and a little further info on this notebook I made for work.

In the meantime here's a little closer look:

I'm back...so here's a little more info on my little notebook project here. Sketchbooks are pretty pricey, especially ones with tan pages and I still had a stack of tan paper I had to buy for school so I thought...why not make my own sketchbook. And what better way to go with a tattoo art style for the cover?

I don't know about you but when I saw Julee's designs for Brighter Days I immediately thought 'tattoo art'!! You know ... the Ed Hardy kind? So I took the flowers, cut them out using the Scalloped Flowers Die Set and paired them up with the swirls from Blue Skies, layered those, added the butterfly and the sentiment from Borderline.

I used black emboss powder to make the line art really pop and colored it all with copic markers. Glitter was the final touch. :)

here's the master blog hop list:

	1. Julee	6. Amber
	2. Betty	7. Andrea
	3. Sankari	8. Charmaine
	4. Sony	9. Maureen
	5. Susan	10. Teresa

thanks so much for stopping by and a happy new year to you!!

Sony

Stamps: Brighter Days (Verve), Blue Skies (Verve), Borderline (Verve)

Papers: Kraft, Black

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black 

Accessories: Scalloped Flowers Cut Above Die (Verve), Copics, Stickled Glitter, Black Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Hot Glue Gun

Merry Christmas`

Hi everyone!!!

I'm just dropping in to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

 And here are some photos from my weekend trip to Yosemite: