Meet Maureen Merritt and an Online Card Class Giveaway

It's time to meet another of our new Wplus9 Designers.

I'm excited to formally introduce Maureen Merritt!

"Hi, I'm Maureen, a wife, mom and stamper living in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

I have been paper crafting since 2003. My love of photography piqued an interest in scrapbooking, which ultimately led to stamping and card making. THAT is where I have found my passion. I am a minimalist, both in my real life and in my creative space, clean and simple is most definitely my style.

Though you'll usually find me stamping, I also enjoy hiking, reading, Tae Kwon Do and photography.

To say that I am excited to join the Wplus9 design team is an understatement, it's truly an honor and a dream come true!"

Maureen's personal blog: Mama Mo Stamps.

Maureen will be here all week sharing her designs with us featuring our April 2014 Release. You will definitely leave each day inspired to create. Here's a couple that I picked from the lot.

Maureen is spot on when she describes herself as a minimalist. I love her clean and simple style, and the fact that she isn't afraid to go outside of her comfort zone a little as well. But she always manages to rein it in and keep the overall design clean.

No fuss, no muss. Just great use of color, pattern and design.

First, I was pulled in by the color combination here. Using our PURECOLOR Dye Ink in Nautical Navy, Lake House and Bloomsberry, she's created this striking background using Borders & Backgrounds 4. Then her clever use of the Nautical Navy card stock to hold the sentiment. The nice dark color gives the eye somewhere to rest and brings order to the pattern.

Maureen always seems to work the current trends into her designs in a way that stays true to her style as well.

Not that "I" would ever call watercolor a trend. LOL I'm so happy to see it getting it's time in the spotlight within the crafting community.

By constraining the use of watercolor to a straight graphic border and die cut, she's demonstrating a perfect example of adapting watercolor's free spirit into her more orderly style.

And I particularly love how she's stamped the black outlined "hello" from Hand Lettered Hello behind the watercolored Hand Lettered Hello Die. I'm a big fan of stark black against soft watercolors.

Speaking of watercolor...

That's right, there is an upcoming Online Card Class featuring watercolor! I am so excited for this class!

Here's a little bit more about this class:

You don’t have to be an Impressionist painter to create watercolor masterpieces! Explore the many different (and easy!) ways to create beautiful watercolor effects in Online Card Classes’ Watercolor for Cardmakers.

Join Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire, Jennifer Rsaza, and friends (including me!) for a fun-filled, all-video, two-week course packed with inspiring, approachable techniques. Starting with easy soft sky washes and progressing to darling hand-painted images, this class is tailor-made for the both the aspiring artist and the cardmaker who wants to add to her go-to collection of on-trend techniques.

Class includes over 30 videos and even more card ideas from top artists with a variety of styles. Visit Online Card Classes to sign up for Watercolor for Cardmakers today, and discover for yourself the fantastic looks you can create with watercolors! (Class begins May 5 but you will have lifetime access to the content.)

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? The generous ladies over at Online Card Classes are letting me give away free class registration to one of you!

To enter, just leave a comment on this post by 11:59 PM EST Friday, April 25, 2014. I will post the winner on Saturday, April 26, 2014.

And, don't forget, Maureen will be back each day for the rest of the week sharing more of her work and inspiration!