Happy Saturday!  Welcome to the café – it’s so good to see you here!

A few weeks ago, the crafting community heard some surprising news…Julee Tilman, the owner/designer of Verve Stamps was closing up her store.  As I read her blog post all I could say was “Noooooo – say it ain’t so!”  I love Verve!!  Still, I’m thrilled for Julee and certainly agree with the decision to focus her time on her darling twin boys!

So today, I’m dedicating my post as a little Farewell to Verve.  Julee’s coffee/tea themed stamps and digi designs are among my favorites.  I feel so blessed to have been a Verve guest designer last year for an awesome coffee/tea release (see below).

 Always Time

 Fill My Cup

Happiness Is

 Fill My Cup

 

 Always Time

My card today features Verve’s last coffee set: Living On Coffee and the dress is from Everything Nice (which was still in the store last I checked).  While almost everything is sold out, there are still some awesome coffee/tea digital sets available as well as some dies that come with free digi sheets and everything is 75% off – get ‘em while you can because the store closes at the end of the month!

Thank you, Julee, for sharing your wonderful designs with us over the years.  I wish you all the best – God Bless you and your family!

 

STAMPlorations 5th Birthday Celebration!

STAMPlorations is celebrating its 5th Birthday and the festivities are continuing all month long!!  There are tons of prizes (over $500 worth!), specials, freebies, activities and fun to be had so come join the fun!!

 One of the super fun activities is a Birthday Linky Party - aka, CASE the STAMPgirls challenge. Below are three of my favorite projects I've made plus a new one.  "CASE" (copy and share everything) one of my projects and link it up to the challenge for a chance to win $25 worth of STAMPlorations goodies on your wish list! What will inspire you?  The colors, theme, stamp set, die?  Can't wait to see what you link up!

Past favorites:

 

 Zen Coffee Background 2, Coffee Fix Phrase Die,  Zen Coffee 1 Cover Plate, Coffee Word Die

 

Sketchy Coffee Cups, With Coffee Typografia

 Kathryn's Big Wish

New design...

 

 For this card, I started by cutting white cardstock with one of the Crazy Double Running Stitched Rectangle dies and stamped a sentiment from the Life In Full Color set.  I then stamped the paint brushes from the same set and the coffee mug from the Big Christmas Cups set, setting the brushes in the cup.  I created a background of distress oxide inks and used the Art Happens Phrase Die.  I stamped the top part of the brushes on the same background and fussy cut; adhering to the brush tips.

Coffee With A Friend

 It doesn't matter what the temperature is, coffee is always my beverage of choice!  I will admit that I've been enjoying ice coffee with cream, but most of the time, I'm drinking hot, black coffee :)

For my card, I'm using several wonderful Reverse Confetti products.  The background was done in Sand cardstock and cut with the Stitched Rays Cover Panel.  I then layered one of the designs in the Free Spirit 6x6 paper pad onto a piece of Iced Aqua cardstock.  I cut Dark Roast cardstock with the All Framed Up die to create the frame; placing a piece of Premier Polar White cardstock behind it and stamping the sentiment from For The Love Of Latte stamp set.  These fun coffee cups were made from Caffeinated Cups stamp set and coordinating dies and my sweet little mouse friend is from Coffee & You.  To finish, I tied some Caribbean twine.

Thanks to these challenges for the inspiration!

 Craftaholics R Us - Anything Goes

 

 Double Trouble - Color Combo, Twine and play in the following challenge as well....

Color My Heart Color Dare - Color Combo (above)

Just Add Ink - add a Window/Frame

Mod Squad - Coffee, Tea, Summer

Time Out Challenges - "Warm"

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Dies R Us - Down On The Farm

 Hay, there!  Being a city girl, I can honestly say I've never been on a real farm, but I've seen some amzing pictures :)  Rolling hills, long white picket fences, red barns, farm animals...farms must be really beautiful and serene places!  Thanks to Lawn Fawn, I got to be on a farm today -- at least in my craft room!

I started by using Lawn Fawn Shadow Box Card Dies.  I used the frame to cut red cardstock.  To make the box, 2 of the frames are cut and then using the small rectangle die, cut an opening on one of them.  Add adhesive to the end tabs and fold together to form a box.

  

The other elements: grassy hills, trees tops, tree trunk/branches and the backdrop piece were die cut and arranged inside the box.

 I then stamped, die cut and colored in the darling animals and barn from the Lawn Fawn Hay There Stamps and Dies and arranged them in the shadow box.   And guess what?  This box folds flat and fits into an invitation size envelope so it can actually be mailed to someone!

To finish, I added the banner using Lawn Fawn Fancy Folded Banners dies and stamped a Hay There sentiment.

 Lawn Fawn Hay There Stamps and Dies

 

 Lawn Fawn Shadow Box Card Dies

Lawn Fawn Fancy Folded Banners

 Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid Chill

 Sizzix Big Shot

Zig 2-Way Glue Pen

 Therm-o-web Small Zots

Come join in all of the fun at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog.  There's a new challenge theme offered on the 1st and 15th of each month and one lucky randomly drawn winner will receive a gift voucher prize to the Dies R Us Store.  For your convenience, all the important Dies R Us links are provided below.

click below for:

STORE 
 CHALLENGE BLOG
  FACEBOOK
  INSPIRATION BLOG

FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE