April 2018 New Release Spotlights - Day 2

Well, hello! We're so excited to be hopping with you again today with our Day 2 New Release Spotlight Hop! The new sets and dies will be available in the shop on Tuesday, April 10 and we've got more days of blog hopping planned for you  to showcase the new products and also give you a chance to WIN some new Verve! Hooray!

Today our sneaky little spotlight  is shining on the new Hope Lifts stamp set and coordinating Lifted Hope die set. Look for an in depth look at this set a little later in this post.  But first, let's get to the giveaway and hop details, shall we?

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 love on all the blogs on the list below to increase your chances!

1. Julee 5. Laurie 2. Michele (Guest) 6. Marisa 3. Betty 7. Maureen 4. Charmaine 8. Teresa

Comment deadline for prize drawing is Sunday, April 15.

In the spotlight today is a brand new set called Hope Lifts and its coordinating die set, Lifted Hope (sold separately). This set is filled with uplifting sentiments perfect for encouraging those going through a difficult time. The whimsical balloon and butterfly images complement these sentiments perfectly.  And the hope word die included is just perfect for adding a touch of hope to any card or project.

  

If the butterfly in this set looks familiar, it's slightly less intricate and a bit larger than the butterfly in our previously released Sparkly Dreams set (which was briefly retired due to a lost artwork file, but I'm happy to say the lost has been found and it's back among our offerings!).

For my card  using the current VLV sketch I embossed the butterfly from Hope Lifts twice, Cutting the cardstock one with the larger die from the Lifted Hope set and the vellum one with the previously released Butterfly Dreams die set. I love how they layer together to create a beautiful dimension.  Here's a close-up...

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

Release Week, Guest Divas & Winners!!

I'll be announcing the winners of our Encouraging Words Project Parade at the bottom of this post, but first I wanted to make a few little announcements since it's release week here at Verve and we've got a few things up our sleeve! We've got a lot going on, so please excuse the super long post.

October Guest Divas
The fabulous Betty Wright (gbedwright on SCS) has been blowing me away with her gorgeous creations for some of our Verve challenges. Every time I see one of her cards, I just kind of sigh. They're lovely, gorgeously embellished and have so much detail, dimension and depth. Pure eye candy. I'm so happy to have her as our guest for this release, and you can look forward to seeing her take on the new stamps over the coming week. You can check out her creations on her blog, Stamping to the Wright.

Our other amazing guest designer has been on my list for quite some time. I just love Jessie Rone's (knightrone on SCS) colorful layered style, and her quest to make everyone love those little spiral clips she embellishes with always makes me smile! I can't wait to see what she has in store for us with the new release stamps - it's sure to be a perfectly crafted treat for the eye! You can check out Jessie's creations on her blog, Can You Say Addicted to Stamps.

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Free Winter Mittens Digi Stamp Set
It's the start of the most wonderful time of the year and we thought we'd share a little digi stamp set gift with you while we count down to our release this Friday night! We hope you like it! Be sure to hurry and download it, though, since it's only available until Friday, October 23. Click here for download options.

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Release Week Challenges
I've drawn up 5 new sketch challenges for you to have fun with for this release. Play along by this Friday, October 23 at 6PM Eastern for your chance to win our ENTIRE release! We're also giving out a few free stamp sets in the individual challenges, so if you can't do them all, be sure to at least get what you can uploaded. You can check out all the challenges and details on THIS THREAD in our SCS forum.

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Sneak Previews
Sneak previews officially start right here on the blog on Tuesday. Each day the Divas will be bringing you some Verve-alicious peeks at the sets releasing this weekend! Plus there'll be more chances to win Verve goodies!

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October Release Party
Our release party will be this Friday night (October 23) at 9PM Eastern. We'll be revealing 6 new sets and a scripture plain jane, as well as chatting and announcing all of our release week winners. Be there or be square! Oh, WHERE you ask? Over on the Release Party thread in our forum!

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Okay, so was this month's Encouraging Words project parade totally fun, or what? Such lusciously handcrafted gifts and awesome design ideas. To uplift and encourage is one of my missions here at Verve, and I always try to make sure that the stamps I design are in line with that mission. To put it in the words of Jiminey Cricket, "You've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch onto the affirmative", so this project parade was such a treat to view. I loved everyone's encouraging creations. Keep spreading the love!

I think I've made you wait long enough, so without further adieu here are the winners from the Encouraging Words Project Parade...

Rosie who wins a $35 gift certificate to Verve with this gorgeous project. I just love the way she turned a meaningful card she received into a wall hanging. The embellishments are just gorgeous.

Our mystery prize was hidden on Michelle's post and our lucky commenter is...

Heidi who wins any Verve set/s (up to $24 value) of her choice

Congrats girls! Email me at contests@vervestamps.com to claim your prize. If you won a stamp set, please include your shipping address and the name of the set you would like. Thanks to everyone who played along!

Until next time, Stamp HAPPY!

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Encouraging Words : Day 8

Happy Monday, everyone...and welcome to Day 8 of our "Encouraging Words" Project Parade! The title of this month's theme set my mind into motion, and the first thought I had was to create something that could be seen and used each and every day. I wanted it to be both encouraging and colorful...so here is what I came up with:

I created a door hanger and coordinating card for a friend of mine that has been having quite a rough time lately. This was made for her to hang on her front door, so she would see it each time she left her house. I used the new "Happiness Found" stamp set from the September Release to create this focal panel. Julee always has such a knack for designing stamps that are not only fun and elegant, but that are also inspirational and versatile. I love the size of this sentiment, and this gorgeous set can also be utilized to make cards for both men and women at any time of the year.

For the 3X3 coordinating card, I decided to use the "Wishing You" set to decorate both the inside and the outside of the card...which is something that I seldom do! The "wishing you" is one stamp, and it has a number of coordinating phrases to complete the thought you wish to convey. Here's a look at the outside...

...and here's a look at the inside utilizing one of the complimentary sentiments:

So what do you think? I know you have enjoyed the fabulous work that the other Divas have been sharing during our Project Parade, but now it's your turn! Create a card/project that is focused on encouraging words, and link up your creation to the Mr. Linky widget on the DAY 1 POST before midnight MST on Sunday, October 18. As with all of our project parades, we've got prizes! One lucky project parade participant will win a $35 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Be sure to show some love for the Divas each day (Oct.5-17) for another chance to win, because ONE lucky commenter will also win their choice of any Verve set. We can't wait to see your creations...Happy Stamping!

Encouraging Words: Day 7

Hi Everyone, it's Sankari here - with Day 7 of the project parade - where the challenge is create a project with Encouraging Words. Each of the projects have been so wonderful and the sets that Julee creates really makes it so easy to share a part of our heart with those around us. As soon as I saw "encouraging words", I knew I wanted to make something for my little man - he started school this year - and I wanted him to always remember that he is our shining star.

I love that these sentiments are perfect for some scrappin' as well as cardmaking :)

I made him a 12x12 layout on an Acrylic cutout that can be hung from his room. The sentiment on the top reads: "Let Your Light Shine" and then on the bottom of the photos the sentiment reads: "You're A Star, Yes That's What You Are". I hung this Acrylic layout in his room - so that he always knows that he is a shining star :) Here is a close up of the sentiment: "Let Your Light Shine". After I added the Acrylic Mat on top of the layout, I added some bling over the acrylic mat board.

Here is another close up shot of the the sentiment lining the bottom -

"You're a Star, Yes That's What You Are."

I think the best part of creating this layout was showing it to our son after I was done - his face totally lit up and he picked out where in his room he wanted to hang it - so sweet! Now, I have to make one for our little daughter - who is wondering where her layout is :)

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So, now it's your turn! We'd love for you to play along with us and show us your card or project focused on encouraging words or friendship. Verve stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em, why not show 'em a little love? ;) And, as with all of our project parades, we've got prizes!

To enter, just link up your creation focused on encouraging words or friendship to the Mr. Linky widget on the DAY 1 POST before midnight MST on Sunday, October 18. One lucky stamper will win a $35 gift certificate to the Verve Store. And for another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout out in the comments as they parade their fabulous creations inspired by this month's theme. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (Oct 5 - 17) will win their choice of any Verve set. Can't wait to see your lovely projects!!!