Friday, February 1, 2013

February/March Release 2013 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 February 5th at www.wplus9.com as well as at many of your favorite retailers.

This month is a special month as it marks our 3 year anniversary! I just wanted to take a moment to say "Thank You". Thank you for all of the support, for each kind word and email and for each and every order. I appreciate you all so much. Instead of celebrating Wplus9 or our accomplishments on our anniversary, instead, I celebrate you. Because Wplus9 wouldn't be what it is, won't become what it can be, without each of you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

This month we have lots to introduce and I'm excited to get started. We've got new stamps, new dies, new cards stock, and finally...our first ink! I'll have all of the detailed information on the new card stock colors and ink later this week. And...we have a very special guest designer here to help us introduce it all; Christina MacLaren! I am a HUGE fan of Christina's and I hope you all give her a warm welcome!

So, are you ready for today's introductions? Let's get started!

Lace,lace, and more lace. Is there anything more divine or feminine than lace? This collection is full of intricately illustrated lace patterns and florals.

Chantilly Trim

  • is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
  • 9 high quality photo-polymer stamps; 6 lace trim border images, 1 lace background block and 2 floral accent images
  • will be available for purchase February 5th for $21
Scalloped Border Die

  • coordinates with the Chantilly Trim stamp set
  • cuts a continuous border in a scalloped pattern
  • will be available for purchase February 5th for $6

Lace doesn't have to be fussy. You can use these images to create clean and simple projects with a big "WOW" factor. How about a simple stationary as a gift for a crafty or not-so crafty friend? Create the card bases and fill a glassine bag with bits and bobs for them to assemble when needed.

Creating this set is so fast and easy. And all packaged up, it's perfect for gift giving. To decorate my glassine bag, I stamped the eyelet lace border using our White pigment ink onto our Kraft cardstock and then cut the scalloped edge using the Scalloped Border Die. For the cards, simply stamp a stack with the white eyelet border. For the top card, stamp the appropriate sentiment and use this as your greeting card. I've used a sentiment here from Very Vintage Florals.

This set is perfect for creating your embellishments. Have fun creating a random assortment of things for the recipient to choose from. I used the Clear Cut Stackers: Rounded Rectangles die and sentiments from Very Vintage Florals to create some pre-fab sentiment labels. I also added few loose pinking squares I cut using Clear Cut Stackers: Pinking Squares die, along with some stamped wooden veneers.

To hold buttons and extra trim, I die cut a few tags using the Timeless Tags die. I decorated them all differently. To create the lace background, I used the lace square stamp included in Chantilly Trim. This little guy is going to get a lot of use in my studio. I also used it to stamp the lace pattern onto the wooden veneer butterflies as well as the mini clothespins.

Have fun filling the bag up with lots of goodies for your recipient to create their own cards. It's also a great way to gift/purge some of those odds and ends you have left over.

My next card is a bit more involved, but still quite simple. I wanted to feature the largest most detailed image in this set.

I heat embossed the large lace and floral border onto our Ballet Slippers cardstock twice. Again, I used the Scalloped Border Die along the top and bottom edges. I was so happy to see how well the image embossed and how much detail remained.

To create the focal point, I used the same supplies and technique as the previous project. For the wooden veneer butterflies, I layered two together. I added a little gold embossing to the top butterfly, a very striking technique I picked up from Kara.

I added the same gold dipped technique to the edges of a banner I cut using the Banner Trio die. Gold is really hot right now and I just love how it looks with pink.

Now let's take a look at another stamp set we are introducing.

Very Vintage Florals

  • is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
  • 19 high quality photo-polymer stamps; 4 sentiments, 1 frame and 14 images
  • will be available for purchase February 5th for $14
Very Vintage Florals Companion Die

  • coordinates with the Very Vintage Florals stamp set
  • contains 7 individual shapes wired together that can be easy separated if desired
  • will be available for purchase February 5th for $8

I had so much fun using this set. I mean I had to force myself to put it down. My first project today, I was inspired by those old vintage handkerchiefs that are scalloped and trimmed around the edges with red thread. You know the ones? This is what I came up with, another fun card set.

For the main birthday card, I used the Scalloped Border Die and cut each side of a rectangle and used Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Fired Brick to ink the edges. I used the same treatment throughout each piece to tie it all together.

The flowers in this set are so much fun to stamp with. There are several sizes, from large blooms down to tiny buds, making creating intricate looking patters so easy.

Keeping the design of the note cards simple makes mass producing these quick and easy.

My last sample today is one of my favorites. Love, love, love it. I wanted to show you how, despite the name, these images can be very graphic.

By pairing these stamps with the large striped frame from Bitty Buddy Valentines it gives it a very clean very modern feel. I love mixing textures, styles, and colors that contrast. Here I've added the lace background on our Ballerina Slippers card stock, mixing the boldness of the stripes with the soft lace.

When you pair these stamps with the Very Vintage Floralscompanion dies, it just takes it to a whole new level. See that crisp green there? That's another card stock color, Green Acres, that we will be adding to the family. Finally the sentiment was added from a set we'll be introducing tomorrow, Embroidered Bouquet.

And that wraps up Day 1 for me. I have tons more to share tomorrow, but the Design Team has plenty to share with you right now!

I really hope you enjoyed today's previews and that we put you in the mood for Spring! Are you ready for a chance to win today's featured products: Chantilly Trim, Scalloped Border Die, Very Vintage Florals and the Very Vintage Florals Companion Die? Just leave me a comment by 9:00 AM EST February 2nd with your thoughts on lace. Love it, hate it, may be a convert??? I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here.

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

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

10 Minute Craft Dash #10 & Video

Guess who's sponsoring the 10 Minute Craft Dash? We are! And I couldn't wait to try to redeem myself after my epic fail last time I participated.

It's not perfect or fantastic, but at least I finished this time!

Although, truth be told, I did make a minor adjustment after it was done. You'll have to watch below to see what and how.

Watch above or in HD at YouTube

Want to play along for a chance to win some Wplus9 loot? Visit Pretty Pink Posh enter and get full challenge details.I hope you enjoyed and thanks for stopping by!

Project Supplies

Stamps: Folk Art Florals, Quite Like You (Wplus9)
Ink: Pretty In Pink, Kiwi Kiss (Stampin' Up!); London Fog (Momento)
Card Stock: Oatmeal (Wplus9); Spring Moss (Papertrey Ink); Antique Linen Distress Ink (Tim Holtz by Ranger)
Other: butterfly wood veneers (Studio Calico); button (Buttons Galore & More); twine (Jewelry Essentials); Glossy Accents

Friday, January 11, 2013

Valentine Card Games

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I wanted to pop in with a couple of fun alternatives to candy this year. How about some fun card games all packed up in a little box? The best part? Your little ones will love helping create these for their classmates!

Memory Card Game

I can say that these have been kid tested and that they were a hit. Carter can't wait to make them for his classmates.

Creating this valentine themed Memory game is super easy. You'll need the following supplies:

Instructions

  1. Cut card using the second largest rectangle from the Clear Cut Stackers: Rounded Rectangles die.
  2. Stamp frame onto card base.
  3. Stamp animal and animal name onto front of card.
  4. Repeat for as many cards as you are making.
  5. Cut card box using Silhouette.
  6. Die cut heart from front of box.
  7. Stamp or emboss sentiment on front and to/from sentiment on the back. Place one of the animal cards that coordinates with the sentiment you chose on the top of the deck so that he shows through the heart on the front.

Go Fish Card Game

Another alternative is the classic game of Go Fish. Stamp 4 of each fish in a different color along with the color name to reinforce spelling and word recognition.

To recreate the Go Fish game you'll need the following supplies:

Instructions

  1. Cut card using the second largest rectangle from the Clear Cut Stackers: Rounded Rectangles die.
  2. Stamp fish and coordinating color name onto front of card.
  3. Repeat for as many cards as you are making.
  4. Cut card box using Silhouette.
  5. Die cut heart from front of box.
  6. Stamp or emboss sentiment on front and to/from sentiment on the back.
  7. Optional: Decorate back of cards and place top card in box backwards to show design through heart.

There are tons of alternatives and variations that can be created using these same supplies. Try creating a larger Memory game by stamping each of the animals in pairs of red, green and blue for a total of 30 cards. Or add numbers to the fish to create a larger game of Go Fish. There are tons of possibilities! You can make the cards as simple or involved as you'd like, but these basic designs are no fuss and great for kids to help create.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you've had a wonderful week!

Monday, January 7, 2013

Sweet On You

I love experimenting with stamps and finding alternate uses for the images. I was amazed at how much Damask Delight resembled foliage when I saw Sarah use it here. So of course I had to give it a go.

I started by die cutting a heart using our Clear Cut Stackers: Hearts die, and stamping one of the flourish images from Damask Delight in green across it.

I love the way it looks as is, but wanted to add some flowers to imitate a vine. Mother's Day Bouquet had the perfect flowers for this.

From there, I continued to build my focal point by adding a crocheted flower beneath the heart and another larger heart that I cut from Wafer Board and ran through my crimping tool. A few more die cut pieces of "foliage" were also added using the coordinating Damask Delight Die.

The top and bottom of the card base were flanked with a damask image also included in Damask Delight. And I even snuck in a little more of the damask by stamping one of the hearts with a tone-on-tone pattern.

As I was playing around and doing a little experimenting, I also discovered how you can use many of the flourish images together to build your own custom flourishes. Here I used three of the images to create the start of a bouquet.

I'm sure that finding a use for this won't be a problem! ;)

Project Supplies

Stamps: Cupid's Arrow, Damask Delight, A Pocketful: Valentine, Mother's Day Bouquet (Wplus9)
Ink: Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!); Antique Linen (Tim Holtz Distress Ink)
Card Stock: Oatmeal, Wafer Board (Wplus9)
Paper: Beautiful Moments by Carta Bella
Dies: Clear Cut Stackers: Hearts, Cupid's Arrow, Damask Delight, XOXO Border, Vintage Envelope, Timeless TagsOthers: seam binding (Hug Snug); buttons (Buttons Galore & More); crimping tool (Fiskars)

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Very Merry Christmas Giveaway Winner

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and happy one.

Are you ready to see who won the Very Merry Christmas Giveaway? We added all of the comments together in the order we were scheduled to post, and then added the extra entries for Facebook and Twitter for a total of 1524 entries!

The lucky winner comes from Cristina's blog on Monday.

Congratulations Janet Zeppa! I hope this gets the New Year off to a great start for you! Please email dawn@wplus9.com with your address. Put "Very Merry Giveaway in the subject line and we will get this right out to you!

I want to thank everyone who leaves comments, not just for the giveaway, but all year long. You all always leave the most kind words and heartfelt comments. I just wanted to let you all know that I do read them all and they are very appreciated.

Congratulations again Janet! I'll be back soon with some more fun Valentines stuff.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Very Merry Christmas Giveaway Day 5

It's the last stop on our Very Merry Christmas Giveaway Hop. If you've been following along all week, then you are finishing up right here with me and my personal picks to include in the giveaway.

I don't think it is any secret how much I love Country Charm and Clear Cut Stackers: Pinking Squares. I can honestly say that I use these products more than any other at the moment. I love creating patchwork backgrounds using the "fabric swatches" included in Country Charm.

And the pinking squares are the perfect backdrop for any focal point. I also used our Clear Cut Stackers: Hearts to create a little heart shaped frame. A little glitter, a crochet flower and a button create a perfect little trio of love. I've also used our Oatmeal and Kraft card stock (also included in the prize package) along with our Cupid's Bow card stock.

Here's a quick recap of everything included in the A Very Merry Christmas Giveaway package.

Prize Package

  • Damask Delight Stamp Set
  • Damask Delight Companion Die
  • Iconic Christmas Stamp Set
  • Banner Trio Die
  • Folk Art Flurries Stamp Set
  • Seasonal Sentiments Die
  • Happy Harvest Stamp Set
  • Happy Harvest Companion Die
  • Kisses & Cuddles Stamp Set
  • Clear Cut Stackers: Stars Die
  • Sweet Nothings Stamp Set
  • Folk Art Florals Die
  • Very Vintage Greetings Stamp Set
  • Label Layers 3 Die
  • Bitty Buddy Valentines Stamp Set
  • Bitty Buddies Companion Die
  • Country Charm Stamp Set
  • Clear Cut Stackers: Pinking Squares Die
  • 1 pack Kraft Card Stock (15 sheets)
  • 1 pack Oatmeal Card Stock (15 sheets)
  • 1 pack White Card Stock (15 sheets)

That's more than $275 in value!

Catch Up

Did you miss a day or two? Catch up using the links below:

***CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED***

How To Enter

The giveaway runs Monday, December 24, 2012 through Sunday, December 30, 2012 EST.. Entering is as easy as leaving a comment. Hop around to the Design Team members' blogs all week long and don't forget to leave a comment on each blog, each day…that's up to 9 entries! If you miss a day, don't worry, comments will be open until 11:59 p.m. EST 12/30/12 so you can catch up. ONE random winner will be selected from all comments combined on January 1, 2013 here on the blog.

Also, don't forget to:

***Bonus Entries***
Help us spread the word on Facebook and/or Twitter and you can leave a comment on this post for up to 2 extra entries.

Happy Holidays and Good Luck!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

A Very Merry Christmas Giveaway

The tree is decorated, the gifts have all been carefully selected and wrapped to perfection. The smell of fresh baked cookies is lingering in the air. Christmas is almost here! But before we know it, all of the excitement will crest in a frenzy of paper and squeals and then it will all be over.

I'm always a little sad at how quickly it all comes to an end and then it's back to business as usual. You too? Well we've put together a little treat to help you beat those post Christmas blues!

The Details

Each of us has hand picked a stamp set and die to include in a huge Wplus9 Very Merry Christmas Giveaway! We will be showing you which ones each of us picked and why on our blogs in the following order:

Prize Package

  • Damask Delight Stamp Set
  • Damask Delight Companion Die
  • Iconic Christmas Stamp Set
  • Banner Trio Die
  • Folk Art Flurries Stamp Set
  • Seasonal Sentiments Die
  • Happy Harvest Stamp Set
  • Happy Harvest Companion Die
  • Kisses & Cuddles Stamp Set
  • Clear Cut Stackers: Stars Die
  • Sweet Nothings Stamp Set
  • Folk Art Florals Die
  • Very Vintage Greetings Stamp Set
  • Label Layers 3 Die
  • Bitty Buddy Valentines Stamp Set
  • Bitty Buddies Companion Die
  • Country Charm Stamp Set
  • Clear Cut Stackers: Pinking Squares Die
  • 1 pack Kraft Card Stock (15 sheets)
  • 1 pack Oatmeal Card Stock (15 sheets)
  • 1 pack White Card Stock (15 sheets)

That's more than $275 in value!

***CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED***

How To Enter

The giveaway starts Monday, December 24, 2012.. Entering is as easy as leaving a comment. Hop around to the Design Team members' blogs all week long and don't forget to leave a comment on each blog, each day…that's up to 9 entries! If you miss a day, don't worry, comments will be open until 11:59 p.m. EST 12/30/12 so you can catch up. ONE random winner will be selected from all comments combined on January 1, 2013 here on the blog.

Also, don't forget to:

***Bonus Entries***
Help us spread the word on Facebook and/or Twitter and you can leave a comment on this post for up to 2 extra entries.

Happy Holidays and Good Luck!

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