December/January 2013 Release Week Day 1

It's Release Week! For those of you that are new to Wplus9, we will spend the next couple of days getting up close and personal with the products that we will be releasing this month. All previewed items will be available for purchase on December 5th at www.wplus9.com and some of your favorite retailers.

This month we will be introducing 5 new stamp sets and 6 new dies!

This month is all about Valentine's Day and love. You know how much I love hearts. Well we've got them, and a lot of them at that! We've got a little something for every style and every age, and as always - they all work seamlessly together!

Today we are introducing:

Bitty Buddy Valentines

• is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
• 15 high quality photo-polymer stamps; 1 frame, 7 images, and 7 sentiments
• will be available for purchase December 5th for $21

Bitty Buddies Companion Dies

• coordinates with the Bitty Buddy Valentines stamp set
• five separate dies wired together that can be easily snipped and separated
• will be available for purchase December 5th for $9

Clear Cut Stackers: Rounded Rectangles Die

• coordinates with the Bitty Buddy Valentines stamp set and many of our previously released sets
• nested dies with an open center backed with a clear panel
• cuts 4 graduated rounded rectangles in the following sizes: 3 7/8 x 2 7/8", 3 1/4 x 2 1/4, 2 5/8 x 1 5/8", and 2 x 1"
• will be available for purchase December 5th for $18

XOXO Border Die

• cuts an 7 1/4" continuous border in an XOXO pattern
• measures approx. 7 1/4 x 1/2"
• will be available for purchase December 5th for $6

First up, we are going to tackle those children's valentines with a stamp set and companion die that will capture your heart. Add the coordinating Clear Cut Stackers: Rounded Rectangles Die and completing these is as easy as it is fun! So let me show you the basics with a set of super simple valentines.

Aren't they adorable? Cute and fun, but still timeless, these little animals are so versatile. For this set, I started by stamping the frame image onto our white card stock.

You could easily trim these out and leave them square. Or you can use the Clear Cut Stackers: Rounded Rectangles Die to die cut them. I made these dies just a tad smaller than the frame so that you could stamp first and then cut when using this stamp.

So easy! You could stamp the animal images directly onto the base, or you can use the Bitty Buddies Companion Die like I did here.

I stamped all of my animals in black for continuity and to show how quickly you can whip these up with out a lot of fuss and they still look adorable.

There are several animals and punny sentiments to go along with each. I know, I know...punny. Hey, I'm good for it every now and then. But I did make sure that the sentiments could be used for non-valentine occasions. This makes it a perfect go-to year-round set to have on hand.

Next, I wanted to show you how you can step it up just a bit for another fun alternative.

OK, I don't normally do cute. But these are too much fun. I started with the same base, except this time I stamped them in our White pigment ink onto several bright colors of card stock and die cut them. I also used the second largest rectangle from Clear Cut Stackers: Rounded Rectangles to die cut the centers from our White card stock.

I stamped the border across the top and the bottom using Cupid's Arrow (more on that tomorrow) and added "Happy Valentine's Day" to each.

For the sentiments, I die cut a heart using our Clear Cut Stackers: Heart Die and added the appropriate sentiment to each.

A die cut and stamped animal finishes these off.

These were so easy and fun to create, and I think any kid would love to help put them together for their classmates.

I also wanted to show you how perfect these are for cards as well.

I stamped the frame image onto our Oatmeal card stock and just trimmed it out with my paper trimmer. I die cut the cute little penguin and added a heart, also from Bitty Buddy Valentines to his belly.

I added a sentiment from Winter Wishes and adhered it all to a Cupid's Bow card stock base.

How about a fun birthday card? I wanted to create a frame, so I first stamped and die cut my frame, then I used the second largest rectangle to cut out the center. I added the "totem pole" of animals making sure to tuck the lion under the frame, and letting the turtle pop out over.

The sentiment was added to the smallest rectangle using A Pocketful in our Black pigment ink. I added the star burst in the background using Super Star and matted it with our Lake House card stock before adhering it all to a White card base.

Finally, let's take a look at the XOXO Border Die.

I started by die cutting the XOXO border from Cupid's Bow and and Kraft card stock.

I selectively trimmed out portions and adhered them to an Oatmeal card base to create an alternating "XO" pattern.

That concludes Day 1 from me. I have tons more to share tomorrow, including more peeks at the XOXO Border Die. But the Design Team has plenty to share with you right now!

• Cristina Kowalczyk
• Elise Durenberger
• Jean Martin
• Jinny Newlin
• Kerrianne Gwin
• Lea Lawson
• Sarah Martina Parker
• Savitri Wilder

I really hope you enjoyed today's previews. Would you like to win today's featured products: Bitty Buddy Valentines, Bitty Buddies Companion Die, XOXO Border Die and the Clear Cut Stackers: Rounded Rectangles die? Just leave me a comment by 9:00 AM EST December 2nd telling me which of the Bitty Buddies is your favorite. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here.

Thanks for stopping by, I'll be back tomorrow!