Day 5 AnniVERVEsary Spotlight Hops

Hi friends! Welcome back to another day of hopping! It's Day 5 of our New Release Blog Hops and it's an exciting day as there's new Verve in the store this morning! Four beautiful new sets and two coordinating die sets just released and they're all available in the shop right now. To celebrate our new release, we're putting on another blog hop with a fabulous giveaway... the entire August Buy it All Bundle!

I'm the first stop on today's hop, so you're right at the beginning and I'm so glad you're here! Today's featured focus is designer's choice, so you're sure to see some must haves as you hop along! And we've got a full hop list with all of our Diva Alumni guests joining in for release day!  Hooray! For all the prize details and a little run-down on what's in store, head on over to the Verve Blog. And don't forget to leave a little comment love as you hop about for a chance to win some shiny NEW Verve!

Okay, so I warned you the other day that my new #12 round paintbrush has me wanting to watercolor ALL. THE. THINGS. I had so much fun making this set of watercolor cards. Although the concept of the card is very simple, the watercoloring packs such a big punch. Super easy and satisfying to make... and they're embellishment free so will be easy to mail! Bonus. I wanted to make a card with all the scripture verses in Scripture Medley 5, but had to pause so I could finish working on the website!

I started with the aqua card, using some of my Daniel Smith half pans I got from Lydia.  Here I used a couple of aquas and a green.  I first taped off an area to do my watercolor wash, then plopped on the watercolor.  I splattered a bit of white India Ink over the dried project, then embossed the 1 John 3:18 in white and layered onto a watercolor card base.

I liked it so much, I decided I needed to try other colors. So next up was the purple card. This time I had the idea to use a stitched rectangle die set, so I could easily make a chipboard stencil to mask things off and re-use the stencil. Now, some people use really high quality watercolor paper. I'm sure it gives amazing results and has a bit less warping. But my go-to watercolor paper is actually from the kid's section at Michael's.  It's WAY cheaper than any of their artist grade watercolor papers, so I don't feel guilty about making mistakes or using a bunch to create coordinating card bases. I get a little scratchy if my whites or creams don't match exactly. {grin} To smooth out any warping, I just run it through my die cutting machine in between two thin chipboard shims. I usually run it through to smooth it before I put any adhesive on, then run it through again to securely bond the adhesive to the bottom layer.

For the final card in this grouping, I went with a red and pink watercolor. There was a bit of seepage as I was trying out using magnets to hold my stencil down instead of tape and it didn't have as great of a result.  Still a super fun card and I just love how crisp the white embossing looks on the watercolor.  Each of these finished cards is a different size, as I was trying to match them to the size of the sentiment.  Here are the dimensions if you're interested.

Aqua card: 3.75" x 5" card base, 3.25" x 4.5" sentiment panel

Purple card: 3.75" x 4.75" card base, 3.25" x 4.25" sentiment panel

Red card: 3" x 4" card base, 2.5" x 3.5" sentiment panel

I'm sure you'll see more of these from me. I plan to make a bunch with the Scripture Medley series to give as a Christmas gift to my Mom. I know she'll love them.

Since our release ending up being later in the month than I originally had intended, I've extended our Anni-VERVE-sary sale through September 10. All previously released stamps, dies and sequins are 30% off and our new release is 20% off!

And if you decide you want the entire release, you can buy it all at a little additional savings!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! As always, it's been such a privilege sharing our newest release with you!

 Next up on the hop is the fabulous Maureen! 

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! Check out the Verve Blog today for the full hop list and all the prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee 9. Lesley 2. Maureen 10. Christyne 3. Betty 11. Laurie 4. Charmaine 12. Kelly (Guest) 5. Marisa 13. Laurie W. (Alumni) 6. Amy S.(Alumni) 14. Tosha L. (Alumni) 7. Amy K.(Alumni) 15. Tiffany S.(Alumni) 8. Michelle W. (Alumni)

Enabler's List
Stamps: Scripture Medley 5 (Verve Stamps)
Paper: watercolor paper (Creatology)
Ink: Versamark, watercolor paints (Daniel Smith), Bombay India Inks (Dr. Ph. Martin's)
Accessories: stitched rectangles dies (Cottage Cuts), white embossing powder (JudiKins)

***Click HERE for my DAY 1 Blog Hop Post***
***Click HERE for my DAY 2 Blog Hop Post***
***Click HERE for my DAY 3 Blog Hop Post***
***Click HERE for my DAY 4 Blog Hop Post***