December 2014 Release Week - Day 1

It's time for our December 2014 Release! I've been giving you some sneak peeks over on Instagram over the last week or so, and now it's time to officially unveil all of the new products hitting the stores on December 5, 2014. But before they officially go on sale we are going to spend the next couple of days previewing all of the new stamps and dies and showing you some fun ways to use them. You can find all of the new products at the bottom of this post.

Remember, the entire December 2014 release will be available for purchase beginning December 5th at wplus9.com as well as at many of your favorite retailers.

If you've been following me for a while, then you know that cute is NOT my thing. Not typically any way. But we dipped our toes in the cute waters last release and I had so much fun with them, that I decided to try a few more. And I really hope you like Winter Pals!

For my first card, I decided to use the little owl included in the set. I stamped out and colored three of them and then die cut them using the Winter Pals Companion Die. I used the tree image and stamped it horizontally to use as a branch for each owl to sit on. Then I used Copic Opaque White Pigment to brush some "snow" onto each branch.

To create the background, I cut our Landscape Borders Die from some masking paper and used it along with the Copic Airbrush system to create a cloudy background. I laid the mask at the bottom and airbrushed the top edge of the mask. Then I shifted the mask up a bit and repeated my airbrushing. I repeated those steps until I got to the top.

I gave each owl their own little unique details, notice the striped scarf? I just added a few stripes using a .3 Copic Pen. It's just straight lines, so it was super easy. To finish off the card, I die cut the Landscape Borders Die from White card stock and adhered to the bottom using foam tape. Finally, I stamped the "from all us" sentiment also included in the set onto a banner cut from White card stock using the Banner Trio Die.

For my next card, I couldn't help but create a fun shaker card featuring my favorite image in the set - this sweet little ice skating fox!

Isn't she adorable! I stamped and colored her before die cutting her. I then added a few little tassels to her scarf using a .3 Copic Pen. I'm having so much fun adding little details with the Copic and White Gel pens to customize each little critter.

I used the Copic Airbrush system along with the Landscape Borders Die to create my background. And this time I stamped the trees vertically to create my backdrop.

I used the Holiday Apertures to create the frame of the shaker. Instead of filling my shaker card with sequins, I used some Martha Stewart Course Glitter. I love how it resembles snowflakes catching the light.

While I was at it, I decided to create another shaker. This one features the Sparkle & Shine stamp set.

To create the jeweled background, I used the Clear Cut Stackers: Hearts Die to trace a heart onto watercolor paper. Using the outline as a guide, I stamped several of the gem images included in the set with VersaMark ink and heat embossed them with white embossing powder.

I used several colors of Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Inks and a No. 0 Round watercolor brush to watercolor the gems. The effect is so gorgeous, and it's very quick and easy to do. I just added a light wash of each color and then came back in and dropped in a little more concentrated color here and there.

I knew I wanted to stamp the sentiment also included in the set directly in the center. But since there was heat embossing, I knew it would be almost impossible to get a good impression. Stamping on the top of the shaker acetate created a shadow that made it hard to read. So to get around that, I stamped the sentiment on a sheet of acetate in Black StayzOn ink and adhered it directly on top of the watercolor panel. Then I created my shaker card as normal, filling it with some Pretty Pink Posh sequins.

Now it's time to see what the Design Team has been up to. These ladies are amazing, so be sure to stop by! And if you see something you like, don't forget to leave them a little love while you're there.

Design Team Inspiration

• Joni Nina Andaya
• Kara Vrabel
• Maureen Merritt

December 2014 Release - available 12/05/14

Photopolymer Clear Stamps

Winter Pals
4x6" Clear Stamp Set
$14 USD

Sparkle & Shine
4x6" Clear Stamp Set
$14 USD

Unconditionally
4x6" Clear Stamp Set
$14 USD

Knock Knock Valentine
4x6" Clear Stamp Set
$14 USD

Miss You Lots
3x4" Clear Stamp Set
$6 USD

Punny Produce: Peaches
3x4" Clear Stamp Set
$6 USD

Steel Rule Dies

Winter Pals Die
$18 USD

Sparkle & Shine Companion Die
$3 USD

Sparkle & Shine Trio Die
$8 USD

Miss You Lots Die
$9 USD

Giveaway Alert

So what do you think? Would you like to win the Winter Pals Stamp Set and the Winter Pals Die before you can buy them? Would you like to see more sets like these from Wplus9 in the future? Just leave a comment below by 10:00 a.m. EST on 12/02/14 to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winner will be posted on our Releaser Winners page by noon.

I'll be back again tomorrow with more Sparkle & Shine along with a chance to win it, so be sure to come back. This set is right in my comfort zone and I had a blast playing with it. Good luck and thanks for stopping by!