February/March 2012 Release Day 3

I am so happy to hear that you are enjoying the previews so far. I have had so much fun with this release, I actually had to narrow down which projects to post! If you are just joining us, be sure to start here at Day 1. All previewed items will be available for purchase on February 5th at www.wplus9.com.

Today, we are introducing another new stamp set and one more die.

Easter Greetings

• is a 3X4 clear photopolymer stamp set
• contains 4 stamps; 3 images and 1 sentimet
• will be available for purchase February 5th for just $6

Layered Butterfly Die

• contains 4 stackable shapes to build a layered butterfly
• comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
• will be available for purchase February 5th for just $7

Easter Greetings is my take on the traditional Easter egg...with a not-so-traditional twist. I have always loved those intricately carved and painted egg designs. So in keeping with the Folk Art theme, I decided to create some Easter eggs to compliment the rest of this release.

For this card, I paired one of the Easter egg designs and the sentiment from Easter Greetings with many of the images from Spring Tags. As I showed you earlier this week, these designs are actually quite simple to create, the key is repetition. Just make sure to mirror your design horizontally, vertically, or both.

I really love the detailed design in these eggs. I think they're a little more sophisticated than your average easter egg. I decided to make it the focal point of my next card.

I started with a Label Layers 2 die and framed the egg with the leave bough from Folk Art Florals. This is quickly becoming my most used die. I and added a bow from Kisses & Cuddles to the top and bottom. The background was stamped using triple flower and leaves images from Folk Art Florals, and topped with a woodgrain panel using Woodgrain Silhouettes.

The panel was sewn on three sides, leaving the top open to tuck a gift card into.

I am so excited to share our Layered Butterfly Die with you. You may remember this post where I created a vellum butterfly using the Hearts & Clouds Die. Well, that inspired our Layered Butterfly Die.

I started by cutting the butterfly from 2 different patterned papers and Kraft cardstock.

Now you can use as many or as few of the layers as you would like. I used just the base in a card yesterday. But for this card, I used all 4 layers and stacked them one on top of the other as shown below.

Having the multiple layers really allows you to create lot's of depth and movement. They are especially gorgeous in vellum. I matted the colorful butterfly with a Circle Stacker and added some leaves from Folk Art Florals stamped with some text from Defining Words.

Next I wanted to share a much more elegant design using just the base of the Layered Butterfly Die. I think this would make a gorgeous gift set.

Here I stamped the entire card base with leaves from Folk Art Florals and embossed them in white. I die cut the butterflies from black cardstock and stamped the same leaf in white onto opposite corners. A banner stamped with Easter Wishes from Spring Post and flanked with rhinestones is the finishing touch.

That's all I have for today. But the Design Team has more to share, be sure to stop by their blogs to see what they have done.

• Elise Durenberger
• Cristina Kowalczyk
• Jinny Newlin
• Kerrianne Gwin
• Lea Lawson
• Savitri Wilder
• Jean Martin

Would you like to win Easter Greetings, and the Layered Butterfly Die? Just leave a comment by 9:00 AM EST February 4th to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here.

I will be back tomorrow with the full reveal and a chance to win the entire release! Hope you can join us!

Project Supplies

Easter Greetings
Stamps: Easter Greetings - available 2/5/12, Spring Tags - available 2-5-12 (Wplus9)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Regal Rose, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Natural White cardstock (Wplus9 beta); Aqua Mist (Papertrey Ink)

Easter Greetings - Gift Card Holder
Stamps: Folk Art Florals - available 2/5/12, Spring Tags - available 2/5/12, Easter Greetings - available 2/5/12, Kisses & Cuddles, Woodgrain Silhouettes (Wplus9)
Ink: Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger); Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa (Stampin' Up!); Green (Martha Stewart); Versamark (Tsukineko)
Paper: Kraft, Natural White cardstock (Wplus9 beta)
Dies: Label Layers 2 (Wplus9)
Other: sewing machine (Singer); thread (Coats & Clark); crochet trim (Simplicity); 1 inch punch (Stampin' Up!)

My Dear Friend
Stamps: Spring Tags - available 2/5/12, Defining Words (Wplus9)
Ink: Close to Cocoa(Stampin' Up!); Versamark (Tsukineko)
Dies: Layered Butterfly, Timeless Tags, Circle Stackers 1, Folk Art Florals - available 2/5/12 (Wplus9)
Paper: Natural White, Kraft (Wplus9 beta); Patterned paper (Authentique, October Afternoon)
Other: twine (May Arts); buttons (Papertrey Ink); Pinking shears (Fiskars); sewing machine (Singer); thread (Coats & Clark); crochet trim (Simplicity)

Easter Wishes
Stamps: Folk Art Florals, Spring Post (Wplus9)
Ink: Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger); Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink); Versamark (Tsukineko)
Paper: White cardstock (Wplus9 beta); Black, Lavendar Moon, Vellum cardstock (Papertrey Ink)
Dies: Layered Butterfly - available 2/5/12 (Wplus9)
Other: rhinestones (Kaisercraft); sewing embossing powder (Stampendous)

February/March 2012 Release Day 2

Welcome back for day 2 of our February/March 2012 Release. If you are just joining us, be sure to start here at Day 1. All previewed items will be available for purchase on February 5th at www.wplus9.com.

Today, we are introducing another new stamp set and 2 more dies.

Spring Tags

• is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
• contains 15 stamps; 3 (1.75") circle tag images, 4 sentiments, and 8 accent images
• will be available for purchase February 5th for just $14

Circle Stackers 1 Die

• contains 3 stackable round shapes
• coordinates with the Spring Tags stamp set
• comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
• will be available for purchase February 5th for just $15

Timeless Tags Die

• a classic tag shape in 3 graduated sizes
• comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
• will be available for purchase February 5th for just $11

Spring Tags is an all around Spring must-have set. Personally, I usually shy away from "tag" sets, as I like things that are a bit more than one trick. When designing this set, I wanted to give you as many possibilities as possible. There are 3 1.75" classic round tag images included in this set that will fit onto one or more of the 3 shapes in the Circle Stackers 1 Die. But today, I wanted to showcase some of the other uses for this set. To show you how you can really stretch it.

For my first card, I've used many of the images included to create another Folk Art inspired pattern. Let me show you how I created this one. All of the images used here are included in Spring Tags.

I started by stamping my sentiment from Folk Art Florals in the center of a piece of Natural White cardstock.

I stamped the heart image centered above the sentiment and flanked it on either side with the vine heart image. I then mirrored this underneath the sentiment.

Next I added the birds to the top and bottom, and then framed the whole thing with the floral swag image at the top and bottom. So easy to create, yet it looks so detailed and amazing.

Up next, another homespun folksy creation with a modern twist. Here, bright colors and stark white give this a more crisp and clean feel.

To create the focal point, I used two of the circles from Circle Stackers 1. I stamped the row of bird houses onto the simple circle and stacked that onto the pointelle edged one. I used this die on one of my cards yesterday and opted to punch out the negative spaces for that card. Here, I chose to leave them in place.

For a little added interest, I stamped the floral swag onto our Scalloped Oval Die at the top and bottom. I then cut it in half and used it to frame the focal image. Many of the images from this release are scaled to fit nicely into this die.

A little background stamping with some help from Folk Art Florals, and this card is complete.

I love tags. Timeless Tags is the perfect set for me because I get 3 sizes of the same tag in one die. I am just that way, once I like something, I want it in every color, size, flavor, etc... My next project is a little spin on the banners that are so hot right now. I admit it, I like those banners. I could put a banner on anything. So why not combine that love?

Here I die cut several of the tags as well as some of our other dies including Love Notes and Hearts & Clouds.

And I strung them all together on a string. I embellished them, distressed them, and stamped the last one using Funky Flowers with "I miss you". And added a little butterfly (more on this tomorrow) just for good measure.

Last, but not least, a more mature Easter Card. I don't know about you, but I find that Easter has just not been hit with the "stylish" bug yet. You can find very tasteful and stylish decor and designs for just about every holiday...but good luck when it comes to Easter.

For this, I started by creating a woodgrain panel using Woodgrain Silhouettes for a backdrop. To create the scalloped frame, I cut two of our Scalloped Ovals and used the simple circle to cut a hole out of the center of one.

I stacked them all on top of each other, popping the top frame with foam tape, added the large bird from Folk Art Florals Die and matted it all with a Label Layers 2 Die. To create the scalloped floral border, I stamped one of the circle tag images multiple times horizontally and trimmed it out.

I added my sentiment from Spring Tags to the smallest tag from Timeless Tags and attached it with twine.

Easy, stylish, and fun.

Are you ready to see more? The Design Team is ON FIRE this month, be sure to stop by their blogs to see what they have done.

• Elise Durenberger
• Cristina Kowalczyk
• Jinny Newlin
• Kerrianne Gwin
• Lea Lawson
• Savitri Wilder
• Jean Martin

Would you like to win Spring Tags, Circle Stackers 1, and the Timeless Tags dies? Just leave a comment by 9:00 AM EST February 3rd to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here.

The fun continues tomorrow with our last set and die!

Project Supplies

Close At Heart
Stamps: Folk Art Florals - available 2/5/12, Spring Tags - available 2-5-12 (Wplus9)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Real Red (Stampin' Up!); Thatched Straw (Tsukineko)
Paper: Kraft, Natural White cardstock (Wplus9 beta); Lemon Tart (Papertrey Ink); Patterned paper (October Afternoon)
Dies: Folk Art Florals - available 2/5/12 (Wplus9)
Other: Scalloped border punch (Stampin' Up!); twine (May Arts); button, ribbon (Papertrey Ink); sewing machine (Singer); thread (Coats & Clark)

Easter Greetings
Stamps: Folk Art Florals - available 2/5/12, Spring Tags - available 2/5/12, Easter Greetings - available 2/5/12 (Wplus9)
Ink: Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger); Summer Sunrise, Purely Pomegranate (Stampin' Up!); Aqua Mist (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: White cardstock (Wplus9 beta); Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink)
Dies: Circle Stackers 1 - available 2/5/12, Scalloped Oval (Wplus9)

I Miss You
Stamps: Funky Flowers (Wplus9)
Ink: Close to Cocoa(Stampin' Up!); Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger)
Dies: Layered Butterfly, Timeless Tags, Circle Stackers 1, Folk Art Florals - available 2/5/12 (Wplus9); Love Notes, Hearts & Clouds (Wplus9)
Paper: Natural White, Kraft (Wplus9 beta); Patterned paper (Authentique, October Afternoon)
Other: twine (May Arts); buttons (Papertrey Ink); Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers); Scalloped border punch (Stampin' Up!); sewing machine (Singer); thread (Coats & Clark)

Easter Wishes
Stamps: Folk Art Florals, Spring Tags - available 2/5/12, Defining Words, Woodgrain Silhouettes (Wplus9)
Ink: Cameo Coral, Sahara Sand (Stampin' Up!); Versamark (Tsukineko)
Paper: Natural White, Kraft cardstock (Wplus9 beta); Berry Sorbet cardstock (Papertrey Ink)
Dies: Circle Stackers 1, Folk Art Florals, Timeless Tags - available 2/5/12, Label Layers 2, Scalloped Oval (Wplus9)
Other: twine (May Arts); sewing machine (singer); thread (Coats & Clark); embossing powder (Stampendous)

February/March Release Day 1

Hello, it's that time again...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.

We have a feminine, floral, fun release for you this month. We will be introducing 3 new stamp sets and 4 new dies over the next couple of days. The theme this month is centered around Folk Art. But don't worry, as usual, I've just pulled from the traditional Folk Art design for inspiration, and created a more versatile and stylized version of my own. All of these products will take you far beyond any single style as I plan to show you. So let's get started with Folk Art Florals and the Folk Art Florals Die.

Folk Art Florals

• is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
• contains 24 stamps; 20 images and 4 sentiments
• will be available for purchase February 5th for just $14

Folk Art Florals Die

• compliments the Folk Art Florals stamp set
• designed to be used as stand alone images
• comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
• will be available for purchase February 5th for just $12

My first card captures the namesake of this stamp set.

I wanted to show you how easy it is to create some of those more intricate looking folk art patterns thanks to all of the great individual images in Folk Art Florals.

I started by stamping the birdhouse image onto rustic white cardstock and flanked it at the top and bottom with the leaf branches included in the set.

I then added a small flower to the gap between the branches and another flower to the top. I repeated each at the bottom to mirror the top. You could stop here and this fits perfectly inside of our Label Layers 3 Die, but I decided to keep building.

I added the little flower cluster to each corner and to the left and right of the birdhouse. The "Friend" sentiment finishes this card off.

For my next card, I wanted to try a little shabby chic. The Folk Art Florals Die is perfect for this.

I cut the birds and leaves from a couple of different patterned papers and paired them with our Hearts & Clouds Die and Love Notes Die.

I created a sweet little focal point to set on top of our Circle Stackers 1 die (more on that later this week) and a lace doily.

I channeled my mom for this one, as she loves the shabby chic style, and thought the large bird and little bird would be a perfect representation of parent and child for a Mother's Day card.

I just love how this tag turned out. I wanted to show you how I used our new dies to enhance a pre-made paper flower from Kaisercraft.

I nestled the flower inside of a couple of dies from Circle Stackers 1 and I used more of the leaves from the Folk Art Florals die.

A Mother's Day ensemble perfect for my mom.

Folk Art Florals includes a variety of sizes and flower shapes, making it easy to create both focal images and backgrounds patterns. There is just enough character in each image to make it unique, but not so much that they become locked into one style or theme. So, let's take it clean and simple now.

I started this one by stamping one of the largest flower images and leaves.

I then added one of the smaller flowers to the middle of the largest flower and filled in with some of the smaller leaves.

Last I added one of the smallest flower images, selectively inking just the flower. Using the corner of a ink cube makes this really easy.

I added my sentiment from Hope Seed Co. and added a double line of scoring at the bottom for texture to finish this card off.

For the final card today, I wanted to show you some of that background stamping I was talking about.

I used many of the flowers and leaves to create a petite floral pattern as a backdrop for the birdhouse die cut.

Are you ready to see more from this set? The possibilities are really endless. Be sure to stop by the Design Team's blogs to see what they have done.

• Elise Durenberger
• Cristina Kowalczyk
• Jinny Newlin
• Kerrianne Gwin
• Lea Lawson
• Savitri Wilder
• Jean Martin

Would you like to win Folk Art Florals, and the Folk Art Florals Die? Just leave me a comment by 9:00 AM EST February 2nd to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here.

The fun continues tomorrow with another must-see set and 2 coordinating dies, see you then!

Project Supplies

Folk Art Friend
Stamps: Folk Art Florals - available 2-5-12 (Wplus9)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, So Saffron, Not Quite Navy, Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa (Stampin' Up!); Antique Linen, Tea Dye Distress Ink (Ranger)
Paper: Rustic White (Papertrey Ink); Kraft (Wplus9 beta)
Other: Pinking shears(Fiskars); sewing machine (Singer); thread (Coats & Clark)

Shabby Chic Mother's Day card and tag
Stamps: Heartfelt Mix, Defining Words (Wplus9)
Ink: Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger); Close to Cocoa (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Natural White cardstock (Wplus9 beta); Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet cardstock (Papertrey Ink); gray cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Uncommon patterned paper (Authentique)
Dies: Circle Stackers 1 - available 2-5-12, Folk Art Florals - available 2-5-12, Hearts & Clouds, Love Notes (Wplus9)
Other: Paper Flower (Kaisercraft), pearls, twine (May Arts); sewing machine (Singer); thread (Coats & Clark); doily (Wilton); seam binding (Hug Snug); Fabric tape (Martha Stewart)

Warm Wishes
Stamps: Folk Art Florals - available 2-5-12, Hope Seed Co. (Wplus9)
Ink: So Saffron, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: White, Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart cardstock (Papertrey Ink)
Other: Scoring board (Martha Stewart)

Friend
Stamps: Folk Art Florals - available 2-5-12 (Wplus9)
Ink: Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!); Lulu Lavendar, Thatched Straw (Tsukineko); Spring Moss (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Natural White, Kraft cardstock (Wplus9 beta); Fine Linen, Lemon Tart cardstock (Papertrey Ink)
Dies: Circle Stackers 1 - available 2-5-12, Folk Art Florals - available 2-5-12 (Wplus9)
Other: Snow Cap acrylic paint (Ranger); buttons (Studio Calico), twine (May Arts); sewing machine (singer); thread (Coats & Clark); pinking shears (Fiskars)

Stamp It! 3 Ways

Make that 4!

Have you seen the newest PaperCrafts issue Stamp It! 3 Ways? It's packed with so many amazing cards focusing on how to really stretch those stamp sets. One stamp set + 3 designers = Amazing Inspiration.

Wplus9 was humbled to be among one of those asked to provide a stamp set, and they selected Hope Seed Co. I was thrilled to see what would grace the pages of this issue, and you all did not disappoint! I was blown away as always. Don't have a copy yet? No worries, head over to the Papercrafts Connection blog and leave a comment to win your very own copy. And, as an added bonus, we've supplied 3 sets of Hope Seed Co. to accompany this prize pack. Good Luck!

Project Supplies

Stamps: Hope Seed Co. (Wplus9)
Ink: Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger); Melon Mambo Dye Ink (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: White (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Nordic Holiday (Basic Grey); A Walk in the Park, For the Record (Echo Park); This & That (Lily Bee Design)
Dies: A Pocketful Die, Vintage Envelope Die (Wplus9)
Other: Copics, Scalloped border punch (Stampin' Up!); twine (Papertrey Ink); denim thread (Coats & Clark); sewing machine (Singer)

Design Spotlight

Anya Schrier
Featuring: Love You More, Love Notes Die, Heartfelt Mix

Gayatri Murali
Featuring: Love You More, and Mehndi Medallions

Jennifer Carter
Featuring: Love Notes Die, A Pocketful

Cherry's Jubilee
Featuring: Love Notes Die, and A Pocketful: Valentine

Another round of inspiring projects! Remember, the best way for me to see what you're creating is to add your projects to our Flickr Gallery. Thanks!

Design Clips: One Layer Love

Did you know that many of our sets can be combined and used together to create even more possibilities? Today's video features multiple sets to create a fun scene just in time for Valentine's Day.

Watch above or watch in HD at YouTube.

I'm trying to come up with the best format for these videos, so let me know what you think. What you like. What you dislike. Your feedback counts!

Thanks for stopping by!

Project Supplies

Stamps: Heartfelt Mix, The Birds & The Bees, Spring Post, Classic Christmas
Ink: Real Red, Baja Breeze (Stampin' Up! Classic Ink); Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger)
Cardstock: White (Wplus9 beta)

Valentine's Card Drive

Last year I had the pleasure of sponsoring a wonderful cause. When Winter Sims contacted me this year about her Valentine's card drive for various children's hospitals, I was more than delighted to sponsor her again.

What is it? Winter has collaborated with the St. Jude's, the Vanderbilt, and the Texas Children's Hospitals' to collect cards for the children who are staying at the hospitals.

What can you do? Send your handmade Valentine's Day cards to Winter and she will deliver them to the hospitals.

What do you get in return? Besides brightening a child's day, participating will enter you to win prizes from her wonderful sponsors.

You can find out all of the details and the hospital's guidelines here, on her blog.

Here's a little inspiration to get you started and in the loving spirit.

I used the Silhouette to create and cut the text, and paired it with our Love Notes Die for a bold and easy Valentine request.

I hope you'll consider sending a card or two. Each and every one will make a difference.