A Birthday Hello

I don't know about you, but the cards I need most often are birthday cards. I love to mail out and hand deliver them. I just gave one to a co-worker yesterday.  She was so surprised that I remembered;  I could tell it made her feel special and I love that!

Hand Lettered Hello is perfect for birthdays and so much more. Mixed with other images and sentiments from the Wplus9 April Release, you can make a special birthday card for everyone on your list.

This first card combines bright, cheery colors and a bold, yet minimal pattern.

I created the pattern using one of the stamps in the Borders & Backgrounds 4 set.

Stamping first the vertical and horizontal, then the diagonals created these star-like images.  After stamping the three images I cut the cardstock strip in half directly down the center of the star images.  What I was left with were what looked to me like sun bursts! I placed them on either side of my sentiment panel and lined them with strips of cardstock colored with Wild Mango Dye Ink to cover the seam.

The sentiments from Hand Lettered Hello work so well with Strictly Sentiments 4, making it easy to create customized sentiments for your recipient.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Borders & Backgrounds 4, Hand Lettered Hello, Strictly Sentiments 4 // Inks: Wild Mango Dye Ink, Sweet Nectar Dye Ink // Cardstock: White

My next card is perfect for the little girl in your life.

The off-set chevron pattern, Ink Splats, and glittered flowers from Birds & Branches make it fun!

The chevron was created using modeling paste mixed with distress paint. It was applied to the white cardstock panel using a stencil.  After it was dry, I cut it into three pieces using a curved die. I pieced it back together in such a way that the chevrons did not line up.

Embellished with a pink Hand Lettered Hello die cut sentiment and some enamel dots the card is ready to send.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Ink Splats, Hand Lettered Hello //Dies: Hand Lettered Hello, Birds & Branches Frame// Cardstock: White

Finally, I have a birthday card for a guy, young or old, in shades of blue.

Using another single stamp from Borders & Backgrounds 4, I created a pattern by alternating the direction of the stamp as well as the color each time I stamped it. Lake House Dye Ink and Nautical Navy Dye Ink are the perfect compliment to one another.

I added 'A Birthday Hello' using the Hand Lettered Hello stamp set and die. I mounted it onto a white cardstock base that was embossed with a pattern that reinforces the dot pattern.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Borders & Backgrounds 4, Hand Lettered Hello // Inks: Nautical Navy Dye Ink,  Lake House Dye Ink // Dies: Hand Lettered Hello// Cardstock: White

So glad you stopped by today. Join me tomorrow for my final day of projects!

Masculine Cards Made Easy

Welcome Back!

Today I am switching gears from feminine to masculine. Many of us struggle with masculine cards.  Even when creating a very graphic card I have to resist the temptation to put a flower on it ;)

The Wplus9 April Release contains stamps and dies that make masculine cards easy to do.

This first card features a custom layered sentiment, for dad, created by mixing 3 of the new stamp sets, Hand Lettered Hello, Epic Dad, and Strictly Sentiments 4. The 'hello' and the darkest arrow in the background are stamped in Appletini Dye Ink and the color  works in beautifully with other inks in my collection to create a monochromatic look.

The background is created using a little arrow stamp from the Borders & Backgrounds 4. There are six arrows in the pinwheel pattern, 3 of each color.

This card is perfect for Father's Day or as a birthday card for dad.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Hand Lettered Hello, Borders & Backgrounds 4, Epic Dad, Strictly Sentiments 4 // Inks: Appeltini Dye Ink // Cardstock: White

My next card was created with my nephews in mind.  I have 5 of them ranging in age from 7-18.

I've made my fair share of boy birthday cards over the years. Although I made this card with the Epic Dad stamp set you can see it's not just for dads. It's perfect for boy's birthday, congratulations/special occasions and even feminine cards, as Joni showed us! I wanted to keep the background neutral and add pops of color on the main sentiment.

QUICK TIP: Make sure to thoroughly clean your stamp between colors. Allow each layer to dry before stamping a new color to prevent the colors from becoming muddy.

To create the focal point of the card I stamped 'epic' in black ink on the Epic Dad coordinating die and then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. I used Ink Splats to stamp vibrant color with distress paints. I added a bit of paint to my craft sheet, tapped the stamp into the paint, and then tapped onto a clean section of the craft sheet to make sure I had an even layer of paint rather than a huge blob.  In between each color and when I was all done, I washed my stamp in the sink with water and a nail brush to make sure I got all of the paint off of the stamp.

The stripes and stars were added using stencils and black ink applied with a sponge dauber.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Ink Splats, Epic Dad  // Dies: Epic Dad Die // Cardstock: White, Black

My last card today is a simple, one-layer card and matching envelope.

I love using kraft cardstock on masculine cards and  I think the Wplus9 Dye Inks look great stamped on it.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Ink Splats, Epic Dad // Inks: Wild Mango Dye Ink, Appletini Dye Ink , Lake House Dye Ink

Thanks again for stopping by. I hope you're having a great day.

See you tomorrow!

Celebrating Mother's Day

Good Morning, Kara here.

Dawn has handed me the reins this week to share my projects using the April 2014 Release products. I have tons to share, so let's get started!

Today I want to celebrate the mothers and mother figures in our lives.

My mom loves bright color so I chose to use a Cupid's Bow Cardstock base. I stamped a sentiment onto White Cardstock from Strictly Sentiments 4.  This set has big, bold sentiments perfect the focal point of your card front as well as wonderful sentiments for the inside. I think it's beautiful that Dawn included the sentiment, "You've always been like a mother to me" in this set, honoring all kinds of families.

The simple embellishments on this card were created using the Spring Blooms stamp set and Dies.

I couldn't resist adding a bird from the Birds & Branches Frame die.  I colored him using Wild Mango Dye Ink and a sponge dauber.  The coverage from the WPlus9 Dye Inks is so smooth it looks like colored cardstock!

For my next card, I have used another sentiment from Strictly Sentiments 4.

It is heat embossed in white and acts as a resist for the watercolor. To create the background, I used watercolor paper spritzed with water, and added spray mists directly from the bottle, one color at a time.  I let each color run and dry before adding the next layer of color.

I loved the drips and shapes made by the color, so I left it super simple!

My final card for today is perfect to say 'Thank You' for all your mom has done for you over the years.  If she's anything like my mom, there's a lot to say thank you for! 

Strictly Sentiments 4 has got you covered.

This card starts with my favorite color cardstock, Lake House, as it's card base.

The cluster of flowers is created using the Spring Blooms and Dies with the leaves stamped in Appletini Dye Ink.   I added another bird and a few flowers from the Birds & Branches Frame die.

They are colored in the same way as before with Lake House Dye Ink on the bird and Wild Mango Dye Ink on the flowers and the "MOM" sentiment. 

The addition of a custom sentiment using Folk Art Alphabet dies, Ink Splats, and a few sequins finish off the card!

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'll be back tomorrow with a few more projects showcasing the April  2014 Release products.

I hope to see you there!

Welcome Kara Vrabel

Are you ready to formally meet another of our new Wplus9 Designers!

It's time to introduce Kara Vrabel and get to know her a little better.

"I live in NJ with my husband, Ryan, and I work as an Educational Sign Language Interpreter.

I'm lucky to have very creative parents and have been crafting and creating all my life. I started stamping in 2007 and really developed a passion for it. When I'm not in my craft room you can find me outside taking a walk or riding my bike."

Kara's personal blog: K and R Designs.

Kara will be here all week sharing TONS of inspiration featuring our April 2014 Release. But first, I get to share two of my favorites and break 'em down for you!

Kara is, hands down, a master stamper. Her precision when it comes to stamping out patterns is impeccable. I always enjoy seeing her elaborate patterns created with the most simple of shapes.

This card is a perfect example. Her choice of color here is perfect. Coral. For a masculine card? Oh yes, and it fits in so perfectly that I didn't even realize she had used a shade of pink until I started to break apart the design! Bravo!

She has an incredible eye for creating interesting patterns doesn't she? Here's the step-by-step of how she created this one using Borders & Backgrounds 4.

By using clean lines and angles she's mimicked the flow of the arrow. Matting her sentiment with white using the Epic Dad Die helps push it forward and separates it from the patterned background. Everything just appears to be in it's proper place.

Such a fantastic example of her clean and graphic style!

Next I selected a more feminine example. But it still has a strong graphic appeal despite the use of the organic floral patterned paper.

The clever layering of die cut greetings using the Hand Lettered Hello and Seasonal Sentiments dies is what caught my eye. I love how she used the same paper to cut "love" from to tie the background and foreground together. And again, her gorgeous color palette. Another signature of Kara's in my opinion. She has a great eye for color and where/how to use it.

I hope that you will join me in welcoming Kara to the team. She is such an amazing designer and I just know that you are going to enjoy her work! She will be back each day for the rest of the week sharing more of her work and inspiration. I can't wait!

Random Bits and Monday Mood Board #26 Winners

Hello! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

I did some much needed house cleaning and then took some "me" time. I played with my watercolors, which I hadn't really been able to devote any substantial time to since January. It felt really good to just play.

I'm currently experimenting with the "loose" or "fluid" watercolor style. It consists of a lot of the wet on wet technique. This is really hard for me. More water means the less control I tend to have over the final results. And that requires patience to let it do it's thing - and trust that it will. I don't have much of either. LOL

I went through several sheets of paper, but finally ended up with something that I think I like.

Too bad it was just on a scrap piece. Boo.

Things have been really busy here lately, both at home and work. I'm slowly catching up with everything. I want to thank you guys so much for all of your kind words and stopping by to see what's up each day!

Speaking of catching up...I have some long overdue winners for you!

Monday Mood Board #26 Winners

• #22 (Lisa L)
• #35 (Vickie Z)
• #9 (Janet Swanlady21)

Contact us at customerservice@wplus9.com with your full name and email and we will set up your $10 store credits! (If you don't already have an account set up with us, be sure to set one up to expedite collecting your prize)

Stock Updates

The following stamps are now back in stock:

• Blanket Stitched Blooms
• Coming Up Roses
• Fanciful Feathers
• Folk Art Florals
• Milk & Cookies
• Paisley Patterns
• Quilt Prints
• Strictly Sentiments 1

And one more item....tomorrow I get to formally introduce Kara Vrabel!

Kara will be joining us all week as she makes her debut as a Wplus9 Designer. I can't wait to show you what she's got for us. I hope to see you here!

Birds & Branches Frame

Hello Everyone! I am back with one more card to share with you today. We've been seeing lots of watercolor trends on different blogs lately.

So for today...I thought I would show you a quick step-by-step overview of how I made this card. By watercoloring my die cut, I can transform this from a silhouette and bring attention to certain areas of the resulting image if I want to.

Watercolored Die Cuts:

1. Gather Supplies: You'll need a die cut image cut from heavy weight card stock or watercolor paper, Distress Inks or Markers, and a paint or aqua brush. I've used, the Birds & Branches Frame die, Wplus9 White card stock, and the Heartfelt Holiday and Strictly Sentiments 4 stamps sets to create this card.
2. Press ink onto acrylic block, dilute with water and brush onto tree branches with paint brush. I've used Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo Distress Inks.
3. Repeat the same process for the leaves. I've used the Crushed Olive Distress Marker.
4. Keep repeating this process to paint the remaining areas. I've used the Tumbled Glass Distress Marker to color the blooms on the trees.

Once the Birds & Branches Die was dry, I adhered the frame to the front of my card base and stamped the sentiment from Strictly Sentiments 4.

At the bottom of the card I adhered the fussy cut foliage image from Heartfelt Holiday and stamped the sentiment from the Strictly Sentiments 4 to finish off my card.

I hope I have inspired you in using the new April Release products.
Have a Fabulous weekend creating :)

A Great Big Hello

Hi there everyone! Joni here with another day of ideas featuring the April 2014 Release.

Don't you just love that big bold "hello" sentiment? I really love the versatility of the Hand Lettered Hello stamp set. Different sizes of "hello" is a staple in a crafter's collection. It is in my book, don't you agree?

For this card, I used the Ink Splats stamp set to create the background for my card base. I used the long brush stroke image from the same set to create the cool patterned panel on the left side of my card. To create a visual break between the two busier backgrounds and give the eye somewhere to rest, I tucked some patterned paper and fuchsia card stock behind the stamped panel. I am really enjoying playing with this set and seem can't stop using it.

For the sentiment, I used the largest "hello" from Hand Lettered Hello heat embossed in white. After embossing it, I inked the background with Wild Honey Distress Ink, fussy cut it, and adhered it with foam dots for dimension. I also stamped the "birthday girl" from the same set to tie in that black patterned paper. Finally, I added some enamel dots from My Minds Eye and a few sequins from Pretty Pink Posh to finish off my card.

For my next card, I went with less color. Even though there is less color, how gorgeous is that embossed background using the new wplus9.com exclusive Foliage Frame Die? I think the understated design highlights the foliage die-cut that I watercolored, the tiny chalk board casing and the Hand Lettered Hello die and allows them to shine.

I single watercolored and die cut bloom from Spring Blooms and an "I miss you" sentiment on top of the flower finish off my card. A very simple card, but still lots of character....don't you agree?

Thank you so much for stopping by again! See you tomorrow as I round out my debut week showcasing the April Release!