Verve's 10th Anni-verve-sary Blog Hop-Little Ones

Welcome to my blog! I am SO excited to be a guest designer for this amazing milestone and I'm so proud of Julee! She is so amazing! She has always been such an inspiration to me! Now that you're here, you can find out about all of the the festivities below! You should have arrived here from Christyne's Blog. I have LOTS of cards using this adorable new set so make sure to scroll to the end! I was just having so much fun! 

                                                 
Welcome to our 10th Anni-VERVE-sary Spotlight Hops! Verve is celebrating 10 years of bringing stamps to the world with a release of new and classic Verve! For the next few days we'll be shining our creative spotlights on the new Verve sets and dies that will be releasing Monday, August 28. We hope you'll join us as the design team, special Guest Diva Kelly Lunceford, and some fabulous rockstar alumni Divas share their inspirations with the new goodies this week.
Today's feature is on the Little Ones stamp set and coordinating Little Ones Die Set. A fusion of old and new, this baby themed set brings back some of Verve's most popular plain janes, mixed with a few new designs to tie it all together.

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! Check out the Verve Blog today for the full hop list, a little more about our new products and all the prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee 5. Marisa 2. Maureen 6. Lesley 3. Betty 7. Christyne 4. Charmaine 8. Kelly (Guest)

 Julee is the queen of amazing sentiments and it's easy to make them the star of the show and in this case, figuratively and literally! Isn't this star sentiment the best? I chose to create a celestial looking watercolored background but kept it simple so the sentiment would pop! The background is created by using 140lb. watercolor paper and then I used THESE to create the background.

The sentiment is heat embossed using gold powder on Kraft paper and then diecut and adhered to the card. I also added a vellum strip to the center for some visual interest. A few sequins finish up this simple, yet striking design. This sentiment is perfect for more than just baby cards, too~ Everyone needs to know that they're loved on a regular basis, right?

Next up is a fun little design using the heart and chickie stamp and coordinating die cuts. I was having so much fun blending, I thought it might be fun to blend a blue sky for this little chikie to fly away...or is it a duck? LOL!  The blended background is also spritzed with some shimmer spray for shine. I love the way it reacts with distress inks and oxide inks.The duck/chick is colored using Copic Markers. I stamped and die cut the hearts and used them as balloons. They also have a generous amount of Nuvo Glaze as well so they are shiny like balloons. 

I temporarily placed the chick and hearts into place so that I could draw some black balloon strings using a black marker. Once that was done, I was able to place everything permanently onto the card using foam squares. The sentiment is heat embossed in silver and a few sequins for some shine finish it off.

My next card incoporates the cute rattle image and coordinating die cuts which are linked in the intro above. These will all be available for purchase on the 28th. To begin, I blended some Spun Sugar Distress Ink onto some Bristol paper for a nice smooth blend. I concentrated the most saturated color in the middle of the panel so the eye would be pulled to the sentiment. I

The sentiment is stamped in gray ink for a soft feel. I stamped and colored a bunch of the rattle images, very simply, and then used the coordinating die cuts to cut them out. I also added some Nuvo Glaze over the top of each one and let them dry. I have not used any Glossy Accents since I purchased the glaze. I love that the tip doesn't clog and is ready to go! It has a much faster flow, which I mentioned in an earlier post, so it has a learning curve.

I die cut the blended panel using an edger die and then added the rattles using foam squares. I cut the overhanging bits using scissors following the edges and curve of the paper. This focal piece is adhered to a Soft Stone piece of cardstock. The "congrats" sentiment, which is also included in the set, is heat embossed in Silver. The trio of silver Nuvo drops finish the design.

The last card is quick and fun using a unique sentiment. I just love that Julee thought of something for the grandparents. My son's teacher is expecting a new grandbaby in a few weeks so I am excited to give this to her with a little baby gift.  The circle portion is blended as well (shocker) and the sentiment is stamped in black. I also added some nuvo glaze to the the banner portion for some shine. I like how it made the color look more intense in this area as well.

The rattle is colored and cut and then I added a generous  amount of Wink Of Stella as well as Nuvo Glaze.  The little star image that I used is from another new set that will be showcased in the next few days. The yellow portion is dry embossed using the knitted embossing folder from Richard Garay. I liked how it seemed like a baby's blanket. I used my MISTI for exact placement of the "congrats" sentiment. A bow of black baker's twine finishes it off. Join me tomorrow for MORE new samples using the new sets!! Thanks for fluttering by!