CHALLENGE: Throwback Thursday #9

Play Along

We'd love to have you participate in our Throwback Thursday Challenge. It's fun and easy. Just pick an older Wplus9 set and show it some love. We know they're dying to see some ink, so let's pull em out!

If you need some inspiration to get you started, I've pre-selected an "oldie but goodie" to demonstrate below. But you can use any older set that you have on hand.

Use at least one Wplus9 product and upload your project to your blog or online photo gallery such as Flickr. Then link it up using the InLinkz widget below to share it and keep the inspiration flowing! You'll have 3 weeks to play along.

If you'd like us to repost and share your creations on Instagram and Facebook, be sure post using the hashtag #wplus9tbt!

Prize

We will select one random random participant to receive a $20 store credit to wplus9.com. Winners will be announced on Thursdays when the new Throwback Thursday is posted.

TBT #8 Winner

• #8 - Tonya Graham

Contact us at customerservice@wplus9.com with your full name and email and we will set up your store credit! (If you don't already have an account set up with us, be sure to set one up to expedite collecting your prize)

Throwback Thursday #9 Entries

An InLinkz Link-up

Iconic Christmas is timeless and classic. There is such a wide variety of images included in this set.  Each image can be used alone or the images can be paired to build the perfect Winter scene.  If I had to pick just one holiday set for my collection, it would be Iconic Christmas because of its versatility!

Each of my projects today use Iconic Christmas with the same color scheme and the same basic layout, but the images have been paired with newer WPlus9 product.

Wplus9 Supplies:

Stamps: Iconic Christmas  // Ink: Black // Cardstock: White // Dies: Holiday Apertures

 

The images in Iconic Christmas work perfectly with the Holiday Apertures die that released last year.  Here I die cut Holiday Apertures from white, red and green card stock and then placed each tree into the white piece.  It was a bit time consuming but so worth it in the end.

Wplus9 Supplies:

Stamps: Iconic Christmas  // Ink: Black, Last Leaf // Cardstock: White // Dies: Love Mom Layers Die

Snowflake Trio Die

My next card uses the same basic layout and elements with the large stamped tree in the background this time and the silhouette image to the left.  Some glittery snowflakes and sequins finish off this CAS card perfectly.

Wplus9 Supplies:

Stamps: Iconic Christmas Winter Woodland // Ink: Black, Last Leaf// Cardstock: White // Dies: Holiday Apertures, Landscapes Borders Die

For this last card, I paired Iconic Christmas with Winter Woodland.   I built a Winter theme inside a frame that was die cut from the Holiday Apertures die.  Iconic Christmas easily flows with the rest of the WPlus9 line. 

I can't wait to see what you come up with, good luck!

Holiday Thank You Cards

Now that all the presents have been unwrapped there's just one more thing to do, say 'Thank You'.

Kara here and I love to send Christmas 'Thank You' cards, especially to those I can't hug and thank in person like my nephews, my brother, and my aunt. I have certain criteria for these cards, though. They must be quick and easy to make, easy to mail, but still something special. After making and mailing so many Christmas cards, extra postage and all, I want these to be just as special without the extra expense. Here are the steps I took to create them.

I cut my 8 1/2 x 11 in. white cardstock in half lengthwise to create several top-folding cards. I scored each at 5 1/2 in., but did not fold them yet. I used the scored line as a guide for centering the Holiday Apertures Dies on the front of my card and ran them through my Cuttlebug with a tan embossing mat.

I created a mask for the greenery from Merry & Bright so that I could get the placement of my candle in the correct spot. I could have skipped this step because in the end I covered the bottom of the candle with pine cones, but I didn't know that when I started ;) After stamping all of the candles I stamped the greenery in two shades of dye ink, Mojito and Appletini. I was then able to stamp my sentiment from Hand Lettered Thanks overlapping the greenery and within the embossed frame. I then stamped the details like the flame and added the die cut pine cones.

 Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Merry & Bright, Hand Lettered Thanks // Inks: Wild Mango Dye Ink, Cranberry Crush Dye Ink, Mojito Dye Ink, Appletini Dye Ink, Sweet Gelato Dye Ink, Coconut Husk Dye Ink  // Dies: Holiday Apertures, Merry & Bright, Sparkle & Shine Companion Die // Cardstock: White

 

As a final touch I added a warm glow to the candles. Using the circle gem die from the Sparkle & Shine companion die set I created a mask and sponged on some Wild Mango Dye Ink.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday with family and friends. Do you send out holiday 'Thank You' cards?

Stress-Free Holiday Card Making

Do you like to make each card unique?

Maureen here, and I'm going to give you a great tip on how to get those cards stamped without all of the stress (and mess!).

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Woodland, // Inks: Cranberry Crush  // Dies: Winter Woodland Dies, Holiday Apertures Cardstock: Kraft

Start with a card you love - for me it's the one above.  I love the colors and design, so why not use this card as inspiration and use the same supplies to make another card?

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Woodland, // Inks: Cranberry Crush , White Pigment Ink // Dies: Winter Woodland Dies, Timeless Tags 2 Die Cardstock: Kraft

Here I used the same design ideas as the first card - repeatedly stamping the background, the placement of the deer and the pops of red - but I've come up with a card that is completely different.  While you're at it, just keep going!

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Woodland, // Inks: Cranberry Crush ,  White Pigment Ink // Dies: Winter Woodland Dies, Landscape Borders Die // Cardstock: Kraft

This time I've changed the orientation of my card, but kept those same design principles intact and designed another unique card from the same set of supplies!

The next time you sit down to create and come up with something you love, leave all of your supplies out and just keep creating!  See how many different looks you can get using the same supplies!

Holiday 2014 Release Night

Tonight's the night. All of the new products we've been showcasing this week will be available for purchase at www.wplus9.com as well as at many of your favorite retailers. But before they officially go on sale, we still have lots more to share with you.

I am having so much fun with these new stamps and dies. These first two cards feature the Winter Woodland stamps and dies along with the Landscape Borders Die.

I just love the images in this set. I am a huge fan of silhouette art and these look just as amazing in black and white as they do in color. I stamped all of the main images in black and added accents of red for interest.

To create the "snow", I added a little circles of embossing paste using a Heidi Swapp stencil. Like yesterday, I sprinkled some clear glitter embossing powder onto the paste while it was wet and then heat embossed it once the paste dried.

I used the Landscape Borders Die to create a couple of snow drifts at the bottom of the card. I am going to get a lot of use out of this die all year long. There are three styles of borders that can be used for several types of horizons - water, snow drifts, grass hills or even clouds.

In this next card, I wanted to the focus to be the birch trees. So I inked up the trees using Lake House and Ocean Drive dye ink.

To add some sparkle, I stamped the snowflake cluster several times using a glue pad and then sprinkled them with Tim Holtz Rock Candy glitter.

These products are just perfect for creating little scenes and can be use beyond christmas. I'll be sharing some ideas for fall and spring scenes a little later.

Next up is the Holiday Apertures Die. I've already used this die on several of the projects I've showcased this week. There are four dies nested together in this die, you can leave them connected or separate them to open up so many possibilities. This card features the inner three dies used together.

The inner most die does not have a cutting edge around the perimeter, but instead created these tiny trees cut outs and can be used alone, with the other dies in the set or with and open centered dies you may already have as well. (And the remaining little trees that are cut out are perfect for using as confetti or sequins when cut from foil paper to use in a shaker card!)

I added strips of double-sided tape across the base of my card, lining them up with the tree cut outs, and then sprinkled glitter over each so that the glitter would show through each of the die cut trees.

The solid strip between the two groups of trees is perfect for adding a sentiment. All of the sentiments in Strictly Sentiments 6 are scaled to fit perfectly in this space. But, I wanted to use a more organic font for this particular design, so I decided to use the Hand Lettered Holiday stamps and die.

I think this one is one of my favorites so far.

You can also use other dies inside of the mat that the center two dies create. In this next card, I used the two center dies along with the Snowflake Trio Die.

I did some partial die cutting by cutting only the top half and bottom half of the snowflake.

I lifted the die cut portions slightly and added a little Tim Holtz Rock Candy glitter to the tips of the snowflake. For the sentiment, I stamped and hand trimmed the "love" banner from Snowflake Backdrops and adhered it to the center.

I finished it off by adding the panel to a white card base using foam tape for a super clean and simple design. Love.

I have one more to share with you today. This one features the Twenty Fifteen stamp set.

I stamped the solid triangles in Flamingo, Ocean Drive, and Old Gold dye ink on a White panel. I then added my sentiment heat embossed in gold, a few splashes of gold using Heidi Swapp Color Shine and a stag head using the Stag Trio Die. I love mixing the high shine metallic gold with the matte finish of the Old Gold dye ink.

This set has so many possibilities. I specifically kept the graphics in this set neutral and added a few sentiments that makes this set useful beyond the New Year. I have more to share with this set as well as a ton of ideas I'll be sharing in the coming weeks.

Here is a quick recap of all of the new products we are releasing tonight.

Holiday 2014 Release - available 10/05/14

Photopolymer Clear Stamps

Merriest Wishes
4x6" Clear Stamp Set
$14 USD

Merry Little Christmas
4x6" Clear Stamp Set
$14 USD

Winter Woodland
4x6" Clear Stamp Set
$14 USD

Snowflake Backdrops
4x6" Clear Stamp Set
$14 USD

Snowflake Backdrops
4x6" Clear Stamp Set
$14 USD

Twenty Fifteen
4x6" Clear Stamp Set
$14 USD

Strictly Sentiments 6
3x4" Clear Stamp Set
$6 USD

Hand Lettered Holiday
3x4" Clear Stamp Set
$6 USD

Steel Rule Dies

Hand Lettered Hello Die
$6 USD

Holiday Apertures
$16 USD

Landscape Borders Die
$12 USD

Snowflake Trio Die
$7 USD

Stag Trio Die
$12 USD

Winter Woodland Companion Die
$9 USD

More Design Team Inspiration

It's World Card Making Day and several of the ladies will be posting new projects throughout the day in celebration! So be sure to stop by and visit them often while you craft today for tons of inspiration!

• Joni Nina Andaya
• Kara Vrabel
• Maureen Merritt

Giveaway Alert

Would you like to win the Winter Woodland stamp set, the Winter Woodland Companion Die and the Holiday Aperatures Die before you can buy them? Just leave a comment below by 10:00 p.m. EST on 10/04/14 to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winner will be posted on our Releaser Winners page by 11:00 p.m. EST.

I really hope you guys have enjoyed this release so far. Thank you so much for all of the support, enthusiasm and kind comments!