Black And White Birthday w/Kara

Hello! Today, I thought I'd have a go at taking a feminine set - Flock Yeah! - and giving it a masculine feel.

Now, I said I was going to challenge myself not to use black on my next project and I failed. Even though I failed my personal challenge, I was successful in creating a card that I love. These flamingos in shades of black and gray look so cool! As they say, If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I started stamping my background by placing the main flamingo in the center of my card panel. Working off that main image I stamped vertical rows of flamingos. I stamped them head to head and toe to toe. I knew that center flamingo was going to be my focal point so I stamped and die cut another and colored it with gray Copic markers (T1, T4, T6). I added black Copic coloring to all of their beaks and some clear Wink Of Stella because it just looks so pretty. I finished off the design with some party accessories and a sentiment from Oh My Gostrich! (the "brother" set of Flock Yeah!)

Speaking of Oh My Gostrich! This design would look equally as great swapping out the flamingos for the ostrich.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas. Take a look at your stash and see if there are any "feminine" sets that could fit a masculine theme just by switching up the colors.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Featured Supplies

For your convenience, here is a list of the featured Wplus9 supplies used on today's project(s), along with links to purchase.

Wplus9 4 Bar Stitched Rectangles Die Shop at: WP9	Wplus9 PURE COLOR Black Dye Ink Shop at: WP9	Flock Yeah! Shop at: WP9	Flock Yeah! Die Shop at: WP9
Oh My Gostrich! Shop at: WP9	Oh My Gostrich! Die Shop at: WP9

GUEST ARTIST FEATURE: Tropic Like It's Hot w/Wanda Guess

Hello everyone! My name is Wanda Guess and I'm very happy to be sharing some cards today on the WPlus9 Blog! Hope you are having a wonderful day! I am an avid paper crafter and blogger and I love to share art with people. I try to do something creative every day. I hope you'll visit my blog - A Blog Called Wanda. If I'm not blogging, you will most likely find me sharing photos on Instagram. My Instagram is @stampcatwg.

I'm so excited to be joining the crew at WPlus9. I've been a fan for a very long time! Last year, when WPlus9 launched their tropical themed release, well, my jaw about dropped to the floor! I immediately wanted all of it, and the ideas started flowing right away! I love anything with a tiki, tropical, flamingo vibe. And I love to create with bright bold colors. When Dawn asked me to guest design for today, I went straight for this collection. I have two cards to show you, so let's get started! In the midst of Winter, I'm bringing you a bit of Summer!

What's better than flamingos and flowers? Not much!

I started this card by die cutting the beautiful Trellis Background 2 Die from bright white paper. I cut and folded a horizontal A2 card base. Here's the tricky part... I cut the top of the card base off, leaving about 1/4 of an inch left at the top. Then I lined the inside of the card base with pretty blue paper. I used liquid glue to glue the edge of the Trellis Die to that little folded over part at the top of the card. This makes the Trellis Die Cut piece the front of the card now! I set this part under a stack of books to make it lay flat and continued to make the rest of the card.

I stamped and die cut out leaves, flowers and the flamingo using the Tropic Fever Stamp Set and the Flock Yeah Stamp Set. I colored all the images in tropical colors using Copic Markers.

Next I die cut out a black panel using a Stitched Rectangle Die. I used the Flock Yeah stamp set to stamp the sentiment and heat emboss it with white embossing powder. Now all of my pieces were ready to assemble.

I used small foam squares to attach the center sentiment panel and the flowers, leaves, flamingo to the front of the card. This is a bit tricky since the front of the card is a trellis! However, there is enough room to attach the foam squares so everything will hold tight. On the back of the trellis, I die cut another black rectangle and mirrored that to the front one.

For this next card I used the Flock Yeah Stamp Set along with another WPlus9 set called Summer Citrus. Those pineapples! Oh my! The sentiment is from the Southern Sentiment Stamp Set. It all works together so nicely for a Hello card!

I used Stitched Rectangles Dies to die cut a green layer and a white layer for the front of the card. The finished card is an A2 size cut from white cardstock. I used Mermaid Lagoon and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks to create a blue background on that top layer. I splattered Mermaid Lagoon Ink and Copic Opaque White ink over the blue blended background.

Next I stamped and die cut the palm trees, the pineapples and the little flowers. I colored them in with Copic Markers. I also used Copic Opaque White ink to splatter white over the images and then set them aside to dry.

I stamped the sentiment in rich black ink in the upper corner of the card. This is only part of a larger sentiment. I masked off the other part of the sentiment with washi tape and only stamped the "hello" portion.

I layered the green and blue layers onto the card base. I used foam squares to attach the palm trees and pineapples to the card. Then I sprinkled a few clear gems to finish it off!

Big thank you to everyone at WPlus9 for inviting me to be a guest designer today! I had fun working with these beautiful stamps and dies. I hope I've inspired you to create something today.

Aloha! ~Wanda

Featured Supplies

For your convenience, here is a list of the featured Wplus9 supplies used on today's project(s), along with links to purchase.

Summer Citrus Shop at: WP9	Summer Citrus Die Shop at: WP9	Tropic Fever Shop at: WP9 | SSS | EH	Tropic Fever Die Shop at: WP9
Flock Yeah! Shop at: WP9	Flock Yeah! Die Shop at: WP9	Trellis Background 2 Die Shop at: WP9	Southern Sentiments Shop at: WP9

GUEST ARTIST FEATURE: Gettin' Sassy w/Janette Kausen ft. Flock Yeah!

Good day to you! It’s Janette Kausen here, guesting with you today. I am so happy to be back! A little something about me? I’ve got a thing about flamingos and sass. It has gotten me in the hot seat a time or two. The sass, not the flamingos! When Wplus9 released the Flock Yeah! set… gasp! It jumped in my cart, ASAP. It had to come live with me!

I began by stamping the flamingo, palms and crown from Flock Yeah! in Pure Color Black Dye ink on smooth Bristol paper. I then clear embossed the images to create a well for color. Embossing is not necessary, unless like me, you are impatient and want to paint wet colors right next to each other. I like to lay down a base color with watercolor markers, blend with water and then go back and add deep rich colors enhancing depth, shadows and detail. There is something about adding layers, and second or third colors from other color families, that make me swoon! Green leaves with a touch of blue. Pinks with a splash of orange. It really is where watercolor comes to life, yum!

While the watercolor dried, I die cut a circle into a 4 1/8” x 5 3/8” white cardstock panel. I placed the panel into a Misti replacing the circle die cut back into is original space. After adding two small loops of invisible wrapping style tape I picked up the circle with the Misti lid. I then nestled the Flock Yeah! sentiment against the circle (still adhered to the lid) curving the photopolymer stamp to match the arch of the circle. I inked it up in Black Pure Color ink and stamped the sentiment with precision!

Once all the images were dry, I die cut them, with the exception of the Hibiscus Bouquet, which I fussy cut. I arranged them within the circle, tucking some edges under, others over, and then covered them carefully with Press’n Seal. When pressed in place well, the Press’n Seal securely holds the images without disrupting their placement or damaging them. I turned the panel over and applied foam tape to the back being cautious of areas that could be seen from the front.

Finally, I removed the Press’n Seal and with all die cuts secure, I adhered the panel onto a 4 1/4” x 5 1/2” folded card base. I added a touch more foam tape behind the flamingo and orange flowers, for dimension. A few sequins add the requisite sparkle.

Thank you for joining me today, and, thank you to the crew at Wplus9 for inviting me to another adventure into creativity! I hope you’ve been inspired and I’ll see you again!

xo, Janette

Featured Supplies

For your convenience, here is a list of the featured Wplus9 supplies used on today's project(s), along with links to purchase.

Wplus9 PURE COLOR Black Dye Ink Shop at: WP9	Flock Yeah! Shop at: WP9	Flock Yeah! Die Shop at: WP9	Hibiscus Bouquet Shop at: WP9

Flocking Fabulous with Joni

Hello Everyone! Joni here using the new Flock Yeah! stamp set and companion die.

I started by creating a background by blending Distress Ink in Evergreen Bough and splattering it with water to create a little water-like texture.

For my images, I stamped them all with PURE COLOR Dye Ink in Black, and colored them using Copic Markers. Then I die-cut each image with their coordinating dies. I mounted the flamingos using Action Wobbles for a little fun wobble action!

And really that's it! Super simple, super fun!

I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for stopping by!

Featured Supplies

For your convenience, here is a list of the featured Wplus9 supplies used on today's project(s), along with links to purchase.

Wplus9 White Cardstock Shop at: WP9	Wplus9 PURE COLOR Black Dye Ink Shop at: WP9	Flock Yeah! Shop at: WP9	Flock Yeah! Die Shop at: WP9

A Tropical Birthday With Kara

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Did you find some time to get creative? I did and I'm still exploring all of the fun ways to use the newly released sets.

Today's card mixes soft pink, bright green and bold black images in a design that really speaks to my style. I love the uncolored lined images stamped in the background. I used leaves from Tropic Fever and also used the dot cluster stamp from And Many More.

On top of that I placed Copic colored images in a cluster at different heights for dimension. In among the leaves and hibiscus flowers I nestled a pretty pink flamingo from Flock Yeah! I cut off it's legs (that sounds terrible!) so that it appears to be sitting among the tropical foliage. Everything pink has a coating of clear Wink Of Stella for a subtle shimmer.

I finished it off with this awesome stamped sentiment from the Birthday Wishes stamp set. I love it! I can't seem to get enough of black cardstock. It brings such contrast and gives a design a lot of 'pop'. I can't remember the last card I created that didn't use black. I'll have to challenge myself not to use it next time!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a wonderful week!

Featured Supplies

For your convenience, here is a list of the featured Wplus9 supplies used on today's project(s), along with links to purchase.

Wplus9 White Cardstock Shop at: WP9	Wplus9 Black Cardstock Shop at: WP9	Wplus9 4 Bar Stitched Rectangles Die Shop at: WP9	Wplus9 PURE COLOR Black Dye Ink Shop at: WP9
Tropic Fever Shop at: WP9 | SSS | EH	Tropic Fever Die Shop at: WP9	Flock Yeah! Shop at: WP9	Flock Yeah! Die Shop at: WP9
And Many More! Shop at: WP9 | SSS | EH	Birthday Wishes Shop at: WP9