A 2017 Look Back Part 2

Hi Verve friends! I'm back again with another look back on 2017.  After getting my feet back in the release game in May, we added three new sets and two coordinating die sets in July.  They all had a coffee/tea theme, which is one of my favorite things to design around. A cup of coffee can always bring a smile to my face, even on the bleakest days.

First up was Always Time and the coordinating Kettle Time Die Set. 

 I love the dainty little tea cups and the classic kettle.

Our next featured set was the Fill My Cup set, a set built around the theme of Jesus and coffee. This set coordinates with the Happiness in a Cup Die Set.

The third set in our July release was Happiness Is, a fun coffee-themed builder set and also coordinates with the Happiness in a Cup Die Set.

Such a fun release! Stay tuned for a look back at our 10th Anni-VERVE-sary release.

If you're looking to pick up any of these sets at a great discount, be sure to hop on over to the Verve shop where everything in-stock is 35% off through January 3, 2018.

July 2017 Spotlight Hops - Day 1

Welcome to Verve's July New Release Spotlight Hops!  We've got a delectable new release coming your way Monday, July 10 and we're so excited to share our first looks at the new stamping goodies with you! The next four days we'll be putting on a daily blog hop to showcase the new products and also give you a chance to WIN some new Verve! Hooray!  The stamps and dies you see today will all be available in the store on Monday, July 10.  Before then, you can pick up the entire release collection at a pre-order discount of 25% off.

Hopping along with our talented crew of Divas this month are three very special guests. If you missed their announcement, you can read a bit more about these talented ladies on the guest announcement here. I'm also super excited to have Lesley Croghan back with us after the birth of her sweet little baby girl. Welcome back, Lesley!

Today the Divas and special guests are sharing inspiration featuring the new Always Time stamp set and coordinating Kettle Time Die Set. Look for an in-depth look at these stamps and dies later in this post.

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random comment on one of the hop spots below to win today's featured products! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances!

1. Julee 7. Teresa 2. Kathy (Guest) 8. Maureen 3. Sheri (Guest) 9. Betty 4. Wanda (Guest) 10. Christyne 5. Charmaine 11. Lesley 6. Marisa

Comment deadline for prize drawing is Monday, July 10.

First up in the spotlight today is a brand new set called Always Time.  As in there's always time for coffee or tea. {grin} Since the retirement of our A Cup of Life and Delightful and Delicious sets, I was feeling like we were in need of some new tea and coffee cups and kettles. So that was the inspiration for the set. I threw in a couple sentiments you may have seen earlier this year in our limited time Rise and Shine digital set, then finished off with some all new sentiments as well.

If you hopped along for the Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. you might have already seen this card I made with today's featured set and dies. I had a lot of fun coloring the kettle and adding in some fun little flowers and butterflies. 

Enabler's List

Stamps: Always Time (releasing 7/10/17 from Verve)
Paper: soft sky, tip top taupe, basic black (SU!), white (Neenah)
Ink: black archival, spiced marmalade, scattered straw distress (Ranger), Copic markers
Accessories: Kettle Time Die Set (releasing 7/10/17 from Verve), Graceful Butterflies Die Set(A Cut Above by VERVE), rhinestones, polka dot embossing folder (Quickutz), white gel pen

Always Time is a set of 22 clear photo polymer stamps that will retail for $24. It includes cups and kettles that could work for tea or coffee lovers alike, as well as some fabulous tea and coffee sentiments in a classic font combination. There are a couple of flower images included that can be used as decoration on the kettles, as well as some steam and a cup liner stamp to round out the set. This is surely a set to perk up your stamping!

Kettle Time Die Set is the coordinating die set for Always Time. This set includes dies to cut the two kettles, 4 cups and the two flower images in Always Time. This set of 8 steel dies will retail for $23.

Okay, if you're still with me, the hop starts over on my blog, Poetic Artistry! Come say hello.

Summer 2017 Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Hi there friends, old and new! It's one of my favorite times of year... Coffee Lovers Blog Hop time! We're celebrating everything coffee (and tea and cocoa) with a fun, summer vibe. Verve is proud to be a Super Sponsor once again, and I hope you'll play along and link up your own summer themed coffee creations for a chance to win some fabulous prizes!

The hop starts today and runs through Friday, June 30 at 11:55 pm pacific. To be eligible for any of the sponsored prizes, you must link up a newly created summer themed coffee, tea &/or cocoa project over on the Summer Coffee Loving Cardmakers blog post.

We're sponsoring a SUPER fun prize for the hop, so you'll definitely want to play along! Especially if you love coffee (or tea) and new Verve!  We've got a fabulous new coffee themed release headed your way on July 10, but one of you could win the entire release before you can buy it, just by participating in the hop with a summer coffee themed card of your own! Want a sneaky peek?

Verve's July Release Collection... available July 10, 2017!

So now you'll just have to play along and link up to the hop, right?

Special Bloghop Savings! For those of you who just can't wait for the new sets, Verve has a nice assortment of coffee, tea and cocoa stamps and dies in stock. And you can create your own sale with this special limited time gift code...

Use offer code SCL2017 in the gift code box at checkout to receive 20% off your entire order!

Okay, on with my project. I just had to play with the tall kettle for my first card using the soon to be released Always Time set. I stamped the kettle in archival black, then colored with Copic markers and cut with the coordinating Kettle Time Die Set. I added some flowers behind, accenting with a few teeny rhinestones. The sentiment is stamped onto tiptop taupe, then I added a scalloped border up top to mimic the scallops on the kettle. I accented with a couple butterflies cut with the Graceful Butterflies Die Set, then finished off with a softy sky embossed polka dot background and a strip of black down the side.

Enabler's List
Stamps: Always Time (releasing 7/10/17 from Verve)
Paper: soft sky, tip top taupe, basic black (SU!), white (Neenah)
Ink: black archival, spiced marmalade, scattered straw distress (Ranger), Copic markers
Accessories: Kettle Time Die Set (releasing 7/10/17 from Verve), Graceful Butterflies Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), rhinestones, polka dot embossing folder (Quickutz), white gel pen