Thursday, March 31, 2011

April 2011 Release Day 4: Full Reveal

This month's sneak peeks have been stellar! Absolutely STELLAR! The Wplus9 Design Team has done an unbelievable job at showcasing these sets. Now it's time to stop teasing you and reveal them in their entirety before they become available for purchase at www.wplus9.com at midnight tonight.

A Special Lady

Details

  • a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
  • contains 15 stamps; 2 large focal images and 13 sentiment builders
  • will be available for purchase April 1st for just $19

Filigreed Frames

Details

  • is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
  • contains 11 stamps; 2 frame images, 6 sentiment builders, 3 ornamental accent images
  • will be available for purchase April 1st for just $13

Label Layers 1

  • is a 3.5" x 2.3" steel rule die
  • will be available for purchase April 1st for just $6

The Design Team isn't done showing off this release yet, they've got more to share with you:

Want a chance to win the entire release? What item in the April Release is your favorite? Leave me a comment letting me know by 11:59 pm EST tonight, March 31st. I will select a random winner from the comments to win the entire release. Good luck and thanks so much for joining us again!

Wplus9 Sponsors Play Date Cafe Challenge #75

Hey guys! Wplus9 is sponsoring one of everyone's favorite challenge sites, The Play Date Cafe! That means that a Wplus9 prize is up for grabs. Are you ready to see the color story?

Fun, right?! Well, I just had to play along, I mean, I wouldn't want to miss out on all of the fun. So, I used Stampin' Ups! Cameo Coral & Baja Breeze for my spring inspired card.

Want to play along? You have until Tuesday, April 5, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST to join in. You can find all of the details, and link up your entry over at The Play Date Cafe blog. Hope to see you there!

Project Supplies

Stamps:Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, Filigreed Frames (Wplus9)
Ink: Cameo Coral, Baja Breeze (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: White (Papertrey Ink); Gray (Stampin' Up!)
Other: Buttons (DeNami); Twine (Papertrey Ink); Border Punch (Martha Stewart Crafts); Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

April 2011 Release Day 3: Filigreed Frames & Die

Welcome back! Who's ready to see what's on the agenda for release day 3? A common request I get is for more sentiment sets. Well, when you talk, I listen, and today I am introducing the Filigreed Frames stamp set and a coordinating die, Label Layers 1.

Filigreed Frames
  • is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
  • contains 11 stamps; 2 frame images, 6 sentiment builders, 3 ornamental accent images
  • will be available for purchase April 1st for just $13
Label Layers 1
  • is a 3.5" x 2.3" steel rule die
  • will be available for purchase April 1st for just $6

Filigreed Frames is a simple, clean and classic set. The sentiments and font choice are sophisticated and timeless. Each of the main sentiments can be used alone or with their accompanying sentiment builder. When designing this set, I wanted to make sure that it wasn't just a "one-trick-pony". So I also threw in some extra ornamental pieces as well. With just these little extra pieces, the possibilities double.

I shared an early peek at this set in yesterday's post, and today, I'll show you more. My first card is a CAS wedding appropriate card.

I just adore how this turned out. I love it when a design is so strong that it truly can take center stage without any extra fuss. I started by stamping the Dogwood branch from Flora & Fauna I onto my card base in gray ink. I really hope you don't get tired of seeing this set, because I don't think I will ever tire of using it. ;o) To add just a bit of interest, I added the smallest bit of shading with a C1 Copic.

For the sentiment, I die cut a label using the Label Layers 1 die from gray cardstock and stamped one of the frames from Filigreed Frames in white.

I've broken the sentiments into two separate stamps. Making them easy to use alone or together. That's like having double the sentiment options! Here, I decided to stamp "BEST WISHES" and then added "TODAY AND ALWAYS" underneath. I finished the card off with a single dogwood bloom. This would be an easy card to mass produce and create gift sets.

For my next card I wanted to show you just one of the ways the ornamental images increase the possibilities of this set. It's another CAS, but definitely on the other end of the color spectrum.

How about that? Notice the circle focal image? That is actually created using one of the sentiments and one of the ornamental pieces. I punched a 1 3/4" circle, and first stamped my sentiment directly in the center. I then stamped the scrolled bar once below the sentiment, flipped it, and stamped it again above it, all in Versamark. I then heat embossed it in white.

I die cut the Layer Labels 1 and again, stamped another of the ornamental scrolls at the bottom, flipped it, and stamped again at the top. This really is so much more than just another frame set.

That's all from me today. Thanks again for joining in, I'll be back tomorrow with a full reveal! In the meantime...want to win both Filigreed Frames and Label Layers 1? Leave a comment by March 30th, 11:59 p.m. EST. I'll select a random winner from the comments to win both. All winners will be posted here. After you leave a comment, be sure to check out what the rest of the Design Team has to share with you today:

Project Supplies

Best Wishes
Stamps: Filigreed Frames, Flora & Fauna I (Wplus9)
Ink: Smoky Shadow, Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink); Copics
Cardstock: Going Gray (Stampin' Up!); White(Papertrey Ink)

Congrats
Stamps: Filigreed Frames (Wplus9); Polka Dot Basics II (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink); Versamark (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!); Black, White(Papertrey Ink)
Other:Label Layers 1 die (Wplus9); white embossing powder (Stampendous)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

April 2011 Release Day 2: A Special Lady

Welcome back for Day 2 of the Wplus9 April Release. Today we are all taking another look at A Special Lady. I've decided to switch things up a little here and show you more with this stamp set through a video.

Here's the card we'll be making today.

Watch below or watch at You Tube.

In hindsight, I think the tone-on-tone did actually show up on video better. Oh well, I'm learning. ;o)

Want a chance to win A Special Lady? Leave me a comment by 11:59 PM EST March 29th yesterday's post and again here to double your odds. I'll pick a random winner from both days of comments to win A Special Lady. All winners will be posted here.

The design team has more for you today as well.

Project Supplies

Grandmother
Stamps: A Special Lady, Filigreed Frames available 4/1/11 (Wplus9)
Ink: Black (Ranger); Copics; Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink), More Mustard (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Summer Sunrise, White (Papertrey Ink)
Other: Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers); Doily (Wilton); Die (Wplus9)

Monday, March 28, 2011

April 2011 Release Day 1: A Special Lady

Hey, hey! It's that time again...release time! This month we have 2 new stamp sets and a new die to introduce. On top of an incredible release, we have the fabulous Lea Lawson making her debut with the Wplus9 Design Team. And, as if that were not enough, we have the incredibly inspiring Paulina Nakamura guest designing for us this month as well! I know, right?! Let's get started!

Over the next two days, we will be giving you a peek at a gorgeous Mother's Day inspired set. This set is awesome. You will be able to create a Mother's Day card for every single woman on your list. Seriously, whether it's your grandmother, aunt, sister, a friend, a co-worker, even a mom-to-be! This set has it all, including possibilities way beyond Mother's Day.

A Special Lady
  • is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
  • contains 15 stamps; 2 large focal images and 13 sentiment builders
  • will be available for purchase April 1st for just $19

My first card today is my favorite ever. Ever. I used both of the flower images included in the set, a little masking, and A LOT of copic coloring. But oh it is so worth it.

Choosing the flowers to use for this set was cake. I used the favorite flowers of my two favorite and most influential women in my life. Tulips for my mother, and daffodils for my grandmother. I started by creating a mask for both flower images. I stamped the two foreground flowers, layed down the mask, and stamped again to add in the background flowers. I then went to town adding color, color, and more color.

I just had to add a butterfly from Flora & Fauna I. I knew I wanted to keep the layout very simple, so for some added interest I scored a 1/4" margin all around the edges using my Martha Stewart scoreboard.

For the sentiment strip I stamped "FOR A SPECIAL" and "Mother" in black onto a strip of vellum.

I then layered that over a smaller strip of white cardstock. The coloring was so vibrant that the addition of the white underneath adds great balance to the bottom of the card and helps the sentiment to stand out. I matted the whole panel on a black card base, and of course stamped one more butterfly, trimmed it out, and added it to the left of the sentiment.

Now, I'm going to take it in another direction. My tireless effort at the whole shabby chic/vintage thing. I'm obsessed with it. LOL I just can't give up on it until I feel like I can do it. Call me crazy. ;)

For this one, I did a little paper piecing. I stamped the tulip once on green cardstock and then again on some patterned paper.

I trimmed out the entire image from the green and then only the blooms from the patterned paper. I adhered the blooms directly onto the green base.

Notice the panel? This was so easy to create. I used the top of our All Occasion Label die as a guide. I die cut it, and using a pencil traced the top half.

I trimmed around the pencil marks and then used my paper trimmer to cut straight down the sides to my desired length. The little embellishments in black are a little peek at something from the set you'll see more about later this week. I added some random postmarks from Postmarked, and finished it with the "Friend" sentiment also included in A Special Lady.

So there you have Day 1. I hope you are enjoying it so far. So I know my favorite ladies' favorite flowers', how about you? Who is your favorite lady, and what is her favorite flower? Leave me a comment by 11:59 PM EST March 29th. I'll pick a random winner from the comments to win A Special Lady.

After you leave a comment, be sure to check out more from the rest of the Design Team:

Project Supplies

For A Special Mother
Stamps: A Special Lady, Flora & Fauna I
Ink: Black (Ranger); Copics
Cardstock: Black, White, Vellum (Papertrey Ink)

Tulips For My Friend
Stamps: A Special Lady, Filigreed Frames, Postmarked
Ink: Black (Ranger); Antique Linen (Tim Holtz Distress Ink)
Cardstock: Vintage White, Spring Moss (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Thrift Shop Collection (October Afternoon)
Other: Buttons, Twine (Papertrey Ink); Doily (Wilton)

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Inside The Studio: Welcome Lea Lawson

I have some very exciting news today, something I've been sitting on for a bit, and now I can finally spill the beans! It is my pleasure to introduce and welcome the newest member of the Wplus9 Design Team, Lea Lawson!

A Little About Lea

"My name is Lea Lawson, and I reside in beautiful Missoula, Montana. I have been married to my wonderful husband, Josh, for almost 9 years, and we have two of the cutest dogs in the world- a yorkie named Bailey and a cocker spaniel named Sadie. I am a professional photographer, who focuses on weddings and senior portraiture, but also throw my hat in on some families and babies at times. I have been crafting in some shape or form for as long as I can remember! While I used to scrapbook more than I made cards, the tables have completely turned and I actually barely scrapbook any longer. I almost 100% exclusively make cards now, and I love it! The card making community is wonderful, and I have met some amazing women through it. You can see my work on my personal blog, or in publications like Paper Crafts Magazine/Special Issues, and Cards Magazine." ~ Lea

http://leascupcakesandsunshine.blogspot.com/

If by some rare chance, you haven't seen Lea's work, you are in for a treat. Her design, balance, and composition simply blow me away. Check out her work for yourself over at her blog. I am truly excited to have Lea join us and look forward to seeing her work. Thankfully, I don't have to wait very long. Lea will make her debut with the rest of the talented Wplus9 Design Team tonight at midnight. Yep, that's right, it's April Release time! I hope to see you here for all of the sneak peeks and fun.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

On Cue {11}


Christina

Seriously love this clean and simple approach to the shabby chic style. From the detail in the pink background panel, to the repetitive postage shape, to the crisp white embossing, this card is pure perfection!


I am playing a little catch up here...but better late than never! This color combo certainly brought out the shabby chic-ness in a ton of you! I was left feeling all dreamy and girly, and just a little refined after viewing all of the entries. I have this strange urge to by some roses and hang them upside to dry out. ;o) I just can't help but honorably mention Debbie Marcinkiewicz, Kristen, and Clare Buswell as well. Congrats to all of the fave picks, and thanks so much to all of you who participate in the challenge again and again. As always, I enjoyed seeing what ya'll came up with for this color combo. ;o)

Be sure to check out all of the entries if you haven't already. The Color Cue is always packed with tons of talent and inspiration!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger: Button, Button

When I saw this week's Tuesday Trigger over a Moxie Fab World, I was completely inspired.

Inspired to create something soft and serene, something natural and comforting, something reminiscent of the beach. That's just where it took me, and I quite like it.

What about you? I technically missed the deadline, but I just had to play along.

Thanks for stopping by!

Project Supplies

Stamps: Woodgrain Silhouettes, Guiding Light, Guiding Light Sentiments (Wplus9 Design Studio)
Cardstock: Kraft, Vintage White (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Versamark; Close to Cocoa, Baja Breeze (Stampin' Up)
Other: Buttons, Twine, Notebook die (Papertrey Ink)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

All Eyes on...Repetition & Video

Welcome back to another edition of "All Eyes On"! This month we are focusing on repetition. There are many ways to incorporate repetition into your projects, and it's a sure fire way to create balance. For my card, I decided to repeat the circle shape throughout my design. Watch the video below for all of the details! This is only my second video, but I'm learning. I apologize for all of the "cuts" but boy, I had to cut this sucker down from 27 minutes! Apparently I'm quite chatty. ;o)

Watch below or Watch at YouTube

I hope you enjoyed, and I hope to do more videos in the future. Now check out what the Design Team has up their sleeves.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Color Cue {13} Challenge

Details

Create a card, scrapbook page, digital layout, tag, whatever...just make sure to use the colors noted in the graphic.

Create your project and post it to your blog or online photo gallery such as Flickr or SCS. Add a direct link to your project (not your homepage please) by clicking the "add your link" button below.

Deadline

You have until April 7th at 10:59 pm EST to play along. You will know the deadline has passed when the link to add your project is no longer available.

Each Design Team member will be picking their personal favorites from the entries to feature here on the blog.

Ready for a little inspiration to get you started?

My yellow photographed a bit orange, but I promise it's yellow. ;o) I used Woodgrain Silhouettes for that fantastic woodgrain texture on the die cut along with the butterfly from Flora & Fauna I. For my sentiment, I used the All Occasion Label die cut with the coordinating label stamp from Brothers & Sisters. And finally, "Easter Wishes" from Spring Post. I know, I know, I have an addiction to those doilies, but come on, they are so easy to use and I have a ton of them!

Elise Durenberger

Oh my, I just love Elise and her creativity! She really knows how to think out of the box, doesn't she? Her little scene here is adorable. I love the tree she's created using the branch from Love Birds and the leaves from Funky Foliage. You'll just have to click on over to her blog to get all of the details and stamps she's used on this little wonder!

Jinny Newlin

Ok, how cute is that little wagon of flowers?! Jinny has done a fabulous job of paper piecing with Ever After. Her fun mix of patterns is perfect for spring!

Kerrianne Gwin

Kerrianne gets her Irish on with a mix of sets including All Occasion Tags, Postmarked, and Brothers & Sisters. I love the patterned paper she created using the date and shamrock!

Savitri Wilder

Is there such a thing as Clean Shabby Chic? I think there is...and I think Savitri is the the Queen of CSC! Love the softness she's created using Flora & Fauna I, Brothers & Sisters and a little Poinsettia Patterns for the sentiment. And her double ribbon treatment is perfection.


Now it's your turn!



Saturday, March 5, 2011

February Guest Designer Recap: Sarah Martina Parker

Happy Saturday! Hope everyone's weekend is off to a great start! Mine sure is. Any day that I can wake up, have a cup of French Vanilla joe(my fave), and do a little blurfing is a good day to me.

I wanted to jump on today and do a recap of all of the truly inspiring projects that the talented Sarah Martina contributed while she guest designed for us in February. I was so excited to have Sarah guest design for us and she delivered beyond my wildest expectations.

In case you missed any of her projects, I wanted to share the links to help you catch up because you really would regret not feasting your eyes on these:

How is that for a little Saturday inspiration?! If you haven't already, be sure to stop by and leave her some love! We all enjoyed having her with us so much. Thanks again Sarah!

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