What's Verve?

I've had more darned fun with these new Verve Visual stamps this week. As I was stamping away last night, I was thinking about the word "verve" and wondering if I knew what it meant. I did. Synonyms include the words ability, animation, ardor, bounce, dash, energy, enthusiasm, fire, gusto, life, liveliness, oomph, passion, pep, punch, spirit, spring, vigor, vitality, vivacity, zeal, zest, zing, and zip. No, I did not have all of these words sitting in my head, waiting for me to pump them out in alphabetical order, no less. They came from Thesaurus.com, a website that I use every day of my life. The word I had in my head for verve was "elan," which is right on the money, too, meaning "enthusiastic vigor and liveliness; distinctive style or flair." OK. I know I'm weird. There probably aren't that many who sit around thinking about words. It's just my conclusion that Verve Visual is aptly named.

My first card was made with the Filigree Fantasy set again, combining it with Papertrey Ink paper and a CTMH sentiment to create a wedding card. Although very simple, it has an elegant look I like for wedding cards.

Materials and Tools: CTMH White Daisy cardstock; Papertrey Ink Berry Sorbet cardstock and ink pad; Papertrey Ink Pink Patterns 6x6 collection; Verve Visual Filigree Fantasy and CTMH Beloved Blossoms stamp sets; CTMH Sparkles; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set.

The photograph of my second card is disappointing. The butterfly, in person, is cute and sparkly. The Stickles did not turn the pink ink an icky orangish color as it appears in the photo. The card was fun. The colors are bright, most appropriate for the sentiment, "Always look on the bright side of life."

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Watermelon, and Topiary cardstock; Basic Grey "Sultry" paper pad; Watermelon and Topiary ink pads; Verve Visual Fluttering By stamp set; White Daisy Bigger Brads; Star Dust Stickles; Corner rounder; 1/2-inch paper punch.

My last card was an enjoyable one to make, too, as I resorted back to a favorite color combination. The paper piercing was fun and not nearly as difficult as I thought it might be (it's the straight lines I need a guide for!). This is where I tried out the Fray Check on edges of the rickrack. I reiterate, it is awesome stuff! As for the sentiment, there's no better reason to send a card than "Just because."

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Dutch Blue cardstock; Holiday Red, Sunflower, and Dutch Blue ink pads; Verve Visual Fluttering By and Petals & Stems stamp sets; Red and green rickrack from Wal-Mart; Silver mini brads; Piercing tool; and Fray Check.

Hey! Happy Friday! While it was a short week, it didn't necessarily feel like it, so when 4:30 rolled around this afternoon, I was more than happy to call it a day. I'm looking forward to a quiet evening. Marv and Dustin went north to work on the hunting cabin, an activity that I have an inkling is going to absorb a fair amount of weekends this summer. I'm OK with that with the exception that I told Marv I would like the boat to see water one of these days. If not, I threatened to hang a "For Sale" sign on it. That went over big. Other than a Pampered Chef party to go to tomorrow, I don't have any specifics on my agenda. For tonight, I think I'll go straighten out my corner so that I can stamp some more. Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge looks like a fun one for which I have something in mind. I'll show it to you later . . . In the meanwhile, enjoy your evening!