April 2018 New Release Spotlights - Day 1

Well, hello! We're so excited to have some new stamps to share with you and we're kicking off the new release celebration today with our first day of Spotlight Hops!  The new sets and dies will be available in the shop on Tuesday April 10 and we've got four days of blog hopping planned for you  to showcase the new products and also give you a chance to WIN some new Verve! Hooray!

Hopping along with our talented crew of Divas this month is a very special Guest Diva. We're so happy to have Michele Greenwood of Whimsical Creations joining in the fun with us this month! She's got a gorgeous eye for color and a fun style that fuses mixed media with cardmaking in a wonderful way. I know you're going to love her creations. Welcome Michele! Read on for a bit more about her.

Hi, my name is Michele Greenwood. I am a mom to 3 wonderful children, we reside in Toto-land in a very small community. I work full-time outside the home for the 'father of extended stay'; he created Residence Inn, Summerfield Suites, Candlewood Suites, Value Place and now WaterWalk. My job is extremely fulfilling and I'm that one somewhat oddball person that says 'I love going to work'! In my spare time, I enjoy attending boot camp, exercising, reading and of course, creating.

Thank you for having me Julee, it's an honor!

How/when did you get hooked on stamping?
Numerous years ago, I had the joy of being at stay-at-home mom for 2 years. During this time, our neighbor introduced me to scrapbooking. It was fun, but when I discovered the immediate gratification of stamping a card; well, I was hooked and haven't looked back since...um, haven't touched those scrapbooks either! BUT, in my defense, I do document our lives now with Project Life so there will be some memories documented. ;)

How often do you stamp? 
I try to stamp 2-3 times per week; time is always limited, but it feels so good when I can squeeze in the time. GREAT for my mental health too!

What style(s) are you most drawn to creating? 
I am really digging mixed media; I recently created a birthday card - you know one of those mega mixed media cards with ALL the dimension that would never fit in an envelope - yes, I'm loving that! My typical go-to is a multi-layered clean and simple card.

What do you love most about paper crafting? 
Personally, it's so soothing; a nice little escape to do something I enjoy. With 3 kids and a full-time job, it helps keep me grounded (read that to mean sane); but I also love all the people that share inspiration! The crafting community is full of kind, warm-hearted people, the kind of people this world needs.

What technique or product is currently making your paper crafting heart go pitter patter? 
Distress Oxide Inks and venturing into the mixed media realm with lots of layers. Oh, and I must not forget, splattering ink/paint for days! LOL

Thanks Michele! We're so glad to have you with us!

Okay, now shifting our sneaky little spotlight on to new stamps! On today's hop, the Divas are sharing inspiration featuring the new Risen Savior stamp set. Look for an in depth look at this set a little 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 set! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances!

1. Julee 5. Marisa 2. Michele (Guest) 6. Maureen 3. Betty 7. Teresa 4. Charmaine

Comment deadline for prize drawing is Sunday, April 15.

In the spotlight today is a brand new set called Risen Savior. I've been wanting to create a new inspirational Easter set for several years, but with the early Easters and long winters we've been having, I keep missing the proverbial boat. So I decided whether or not this set was ready in time for Easter, it was going to production! It came in just before Easter, so I added it to the store right away without a big fanfare for those who were trying to stamp for the holiday. And now it's time for the fanfare! {grin}

While the set has an Easter theme, many of the beautiful sentiments  in Risen Savior can be used year round for encouraging cards, faith journaling and card ministries. I personally have so many visions of shabby chic creations with speckled eggs, meaningful sentiments and a rugged cross running through my head! Now if I could only find the time for it all! Haha!

Risen Savior is a 6 x 8" set of 16 clear photopolymer stamps. This beautiful Easter set is perfect for your spring time creations, complete with 11 inspirational sentiments, an old rugged cross and speckled egg images.

Okay, I know that was a super long post!  If you're still with me, the hop starts over on my blog, Poetic Artistry! Come say hello.

10th Anni VERVE sary Release Spotlights Day 4

Welcome to Day 4 of our 10th Anni-VERVE-sary Spotlight Hops!  Have you been loving the inspiration along our  Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 hops? Seriously fabulous cards! If you haven't had time to check them out yet, hop on over. All of our blog hop drawings are open until August 31.  Yay!

Our special 10th Anni-VERVE-sary release is a fusion of new and classic Verve and will be available to order on August 28. The release includes 4 stamp sets and 2 die sets. If our peeks inspire and you feel like you just need to have it all, you can pre-order the Anni-VERVE-sary Buy it All Bundle right now at a 30% discount through tonight (8/27). In fact, our whole store is on sale right now to celebrate 10 years of Verve!

We're back today shining our creative spotlights on the new Verve sets and dies, giving you tons of inspiration with the new goodies, and a chance to win!

Today's hop is spotlighting the Scripture Medley 5  stamp set.

Today we have a guest appearances from Diva Alumni Tiffany Solorio. I am so honored to still consider this amazingly talented designer part of the Verve family. I remember how ecstatic I was when she said yes to my invitation to be a Diva and I'm just as thrilled today to hop alongside her once again! She has blessed myself and Verve with her time and talents and I am forever grateful.

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win today's featured products! Leave a little shout out in the comments section on all the blogs below to increase your chances!

1. Julee 6. Tiffany S. (Alumni) 2. Maureen 8. Lesley 3. Betty 10. Christyne 4. Charmaine 11. Laurie 5. Marisa 12. Kelly (Guest)

Comment deadline for prize drawing is Thursday, August 31.

My card for today was inspired by this pretty paper. I loved the colors, so decided to stamp the Galatians 5:13 verse from Scripture Medley 5  in black and then surround it with three hearts in coordinating colors.  A thin black mat and a bit of bakers twine and a sunburst rhinestone finish things off.

Scripture Medley 5 is a set of 16 clear photo polymer stamps that retails for $24. This set includes our final two retired scripture plain janes, plus 9 new scripture stamps.  I had no idea way back when I designed our very first scripture plain jane how popular these scripture verse stamps would be. I'm so blessed to live in a place where I can freely use my talents to shine a light on God's love and inspired words. Words of healing, of comfort and most importantly of LOVE. In a world that's quick to judge, in a nation that's in turmoil, these scriptures have been ones on my heart and mind this past year. Among these stamps, I hope you find a little peace, comfort and love that you can share with others.

The hop starts over on my blog, Poetic Artistry, so click on over for another card from me using this fun set. See ya there!

Enabler's List
Stamps: Scripture Medley 5 (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Office Suite (Fancy Pants), black, white
Ink: onyx black (Versafine), sea glass, warm sunrshine, rouge (Altenew)
Accessories: baker's twine, sunburst rhinestone (Darice)

July 2017 Spotlight Hops Day 3

Welcome to Day 3 of Verve's July New Release Spotlight Hops!  We're excited to be back shining our sneaky little spotlights on another set and die that will release on Monday, July 10. Each day through Monday 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!

If you missed the last couple hops, there still time. Here are the Links to the Day 1 post and the Day 2 post. The Divas have been killing it with their awesome cards, so you definitely don't want to miss a thing!

All of the stamps and dies you see along the hops will be available for ordering in the store on Monday, July 10.  Today is the final day to pick up  the entire release collection at a pre-order discount of 25% off. So if you know you need it all, go snatch one up! {grin}

Today we're sharing our first projects featuring the Fill My Cup stamp set.  This set also coordinates with the Happiness in a Cup Die Set we sneaked yesterday.

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter 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! Read on for the full hop list, a little more about our new products and all the prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee 7. Teresa 2. Kathy (Guest) 8. Maureen 3. Sheri (Guest) 9. Betty 4. Wanda (Guest) 10. Christyne 5. Charmaine 11. Laurie 6. Marisa 12. Lesley

Comment deadline for prize drawing is Monday, July 10.

First up in the spotlight today is a brand new set called Fill My Cup  It's a fabulous little faith-inspired set designed around the theme of Jesus and coffee. Perfect for cards, gift giving, scrapbooking and faith journaling this little coffee set packs a big punch. And with matching dies that also coordinate with the Happiness Is set, there are so many possibilities.

I shared this card over on my blog, Poetic Artistry when the pre-order for the July Release Collection went live on the 1st. If you've been following my cards for a while, you know I love coffee and Americana and this little heart cup was screaming to be made into a red, white and blue thank you card. The cup is cut with the Happiness in a Cup Die Set and I also used the Stitched Pennants Die Set, for one of the paper layers.

Enabler's List

Stamps: Fill My Cup (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Liberty Collection (BoBunny), cream (Neenah)
Ink: archival black, antique linen and frayed burlap distress (Ranger), early espresso (SU!)
Accessories: Stitched Pennants Die Set, Happiness in a Cup Die Set (A Cut Above by VERVE), glossy accents (Ranger), linen thread, star rhinestone, glitter

Fill My Cup is a 4 x 8 set of 12 clear photo polymer stamps that will retail for $18. I've been wanting a stamp that says fill my cup, Lord for quite a while, so that was the inspiration for this set.  The set includes a couple icy beverage cups, a mug, a sun and cloud image, as well as some fabulous fueled by Jesus and Coffee sentiments, as well as a couple sentiments that are not religious in nature. I particularly love the option to pair the lots and lots of coffee sentiment with the sentiments from the Happiness Is set for even more possibilities. The stripes and  heart straw cup was part of the Three Cheers Digital Set we offered last summer. I thought it would tie in perfectly with the Jesus in my heart sentiment in this set.

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

November Release Spotlight Hop Day 3

Hi Verve fans! It's release day here at Verve and that means all the fun stamps and dies we've been previewing this week are loaded on the website, waiting to be adopted and head to wherever you call home!  We're celebrating with one more hop and a BIG prize... leave a comment on our hop posts today for a chance to be entered in our drawing to win the ENTIRE release!  Woohoo!

And to celebrate our holiday release in style, all of our stamps, dies and embellishments are 25% off! Hooray for good deals! I can't wait to see the fun things you create with this release.  Be sure to #vervestamps if you post on social media so I can come take a look-see.

My card for today looks quite a bit like yesterday's card using the Beyond Measure stamp set.  That's because I used the Viva la Verve November Sketch 1 that I'm hosting starting today. It's a simple layout that's just perfect for easy Christmas designs and I hope you'll play along! I dressed the sketch up today, adding a few more layers to the square panel.

The holy family silhouettte stamp is embossed with a dark brown embossing powder and then cut out with a stitched circle die and matted with a pinking circle die cut. The sentiment is embossed directly onto the designer paper and I ran the thin pennant through my paper crimper for a little interest.  I finished off with the star embossed in gold and cut with the coordinating Christmas Spirit Die Set.

Okay, on with the hop. Today's featured focus is designer's choice, so you might just sneak a peek at a whole bunch of must-haves!

I'm the first stop on the hop over on my blog, Poetic Artistry.

Want to win some shiny new Verve? Today's prize is a BIG one. We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win our ENTIRE new release! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances!

Comment deadline for prize drawing is Sunday, November 6 at 8pm Mountain.

1. Julee	7. Charmaine
2. Lee Ann (Guest)	8. Betty
3. Lynn (Guest)	9. Maureen
4. Tenia(Guest)	10. Teresa
5. Marisa	11. Christyne
6. Laurie

AnniVERVEsary Spotlight Hops Day 3

Welcome back to Day 3 of Verve's Anni-VERVE-sary Spotlight Hops!  We're back with another day of inspiration, sharing our first looks at new goodies that will be available in the Verve shop on Friday, August 26!

Today's spotlight is shining on the Potter's Clay stamp set and the coordinating Pottery Die Set. And there's a chance to win these beauties, so read on for all the deets and the full product reveals!

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 linked below to increase your chances!

1. Julee 7. Betty 2. Stacey 8. Charmaine 3. Maureen 9. Laurie 4. Lesley 10. Teresa 5. Marisa 11. Christyne 6. Hillary (Guest) 12. Autumn (Guest)

Comment deadline for prize drawing is Sunday, August 28.

First up in the spotlight today is a brand new set called Potter's Clay. When I was thinking about our Anni-VERVE-sary release, I decided to look up what the gift for 9th anniversaries was.  As soon as I saw it was pottery, I thought of the song You are the Potter, I am the Clay.  I remember singing this song at summer church camps many years ago.  From there the set grew to include a few scriptures, encouraging phrases and of course some pottery and floral sprays. One of the sprays was a favorite from a retired set, Abundant Blessings, and while I was looking at that artwork, I decided to create an updated, more rounded version of the bloom from Abundant Blessings as well.

Potter's Clay is a set of 13 clear photo polymer stamps that will retail for $24. It includes scripture verses from Ephesians and Philippians, as well as some encouraging phrases.  Images include three earthen vessels and sprays to fill them as well as one large floral bloom.

The Pottery Die Set is the coordinating die set for Potter's Clay.  It includes dies to cut the three vases in this set, as well as the large flower blossom. This set of 4 steel dies will retail for $16.

Okay, if you're still with me, the hop starts over on my blog, Poetic Artistry! Come say hello! Here's a little sneak peek of my project...

November Release Spotlight Hop Day 3

Welcome back to Day 3 of Verve's November 2014 Spotlight Hops!  The Verve Divas and special guests are back for another day of spotlighting the new holiday release! And the wait is almost over... everything previewed this week will be available in the Verve online store tomorrow (Thursday, 11/20). So come hop along with us and see our first looks at today's featured products!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the Day 1 Hop spots to win today's featured products!   Our prize drawing will be open until 10pm Mountain on Friday, November 21.  Just leave a comment on the blogs linked below and you'll be entered to win!

Today's spotlight is shining on the Weary World set and Psalm 119:105 Plain Jane illustrated by Julee Tilman, as well as the coordinating Starry Stable Die Set.

The hop starts over on my blog, Poetic Artistry.
Here's the master hop list and a peek at my project...

1. Julee 8. Stacey 2. Laurie 9. Teresa 3. Chaitali 10. Andrea 4. Marisa 11. Christyne 5. Amber 12. Nancy 6. Diana 13. Maureen 7. Charmaine

Today's set reveal is the Weary World set illustrated by Julee Tilman (Me).

Weary World is a 4" x 8" set of  9 clear stamps and will retail for $18.

Many years ago, when I first started crafting I took a tole painting workshop with my sister at a local craft store.  We made some adorable little primitive style magnets of baby Jesus in a manger, and although they were so simple, I loved the way it really conveyed the true meaning of Christmas. So when I set out to design a set for this release, I knew I wanted baby Jesus to be front and center. 

One of my favorite Christmas hymns is O Holy Night.  And this year, the lyrics, "a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices" really struck a chord in my heart.  Because by December, I think the world is a little weary (I know I am), and I get a little chill just thinking about that thrill of hope that makes a weary world rejoice. So I themed the sentiments in the set around O Holy Night.  Included images are a manger scene, an ornate cross and a primitive star.

The Starry Stable Die Set coordinates with the manger scene and ornate cross images in Weary World, with an approximate 1/16" border all around the stamped image. The two primitive stars are stand alone stars that do not have alignment holes, so can be used in a variety of ways.
This die set will retail for $13.

Also featured today is the Psalm 119:105 Plain Jane.  This classic verse popped into my head as soon as I saw Chaitali's candle and lantern imagery for this release.  I thought it would be a great addition to the plain jane lineup.  This stamp will retail for $3.

That's all for today!  We'll see you back here tomorrow for another day of hopping!