Stamp Away With Me

Stamp It! 3 Ways

2012-01-24T09:04:00.004-05:00

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

2012-01-19T15:37:00.006-05:00

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

2012-01-05T18:58:00.005-05:00

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

2012-01-03T17:32:00.004-05:00

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.

Inside The Studio - Stock Updates

2011-12-22T16:32:00.002-05:00

I wanted to pop in quickly to re-post the announcement that was posted in our News Feed over on the store website.

We have had an influx of orders this month due to an increase in both direct orders and our wholesale program. Thank you all so much. Your support is truly appreciated!

As a result, our already modest inventory is much lower than normal. Please be assured that I am monitoring our ordering trends closely and will be adjusting our starting inventories accordingly to keep up with demand. Our restocking guidelines will also be adjusted accordingly to ensure that the wait times you endure for a sold out item to be restocked is minimal.

We have several shipments expected to arrive during the first week of January including:

Love Birds Die
Love Notes Die
A Pocketful Die
A Pocketful: Valentine
Heartfelt Mix

We will post another announcement as soon as they arrive. Be sure to subscribe to the News Feed if you have not already to be notified as soon as possible.

Again, thank you so much for supporting Wplus9 and choosing to shop with us. I am so excited about the upcoming year and look forward to sharing everything we have in store with you. We hope to continue to be able to inspire you and supply your crafting needs for many years to come.

Dawn Woleslagle

If you want to be the first to be notified of any store updates, please subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking the icon on the store website next to the "Recent News" heading on the home page.

Thanks again, and I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Design Spotlight

2011-12-21T08:36:00.002-05:00

Leah Cornelius
Featuring: Flora & Fauna I

Anya Schrier
Featuring: Love Birds, Love Birds Die, Love You More, and Heartfelt Mix

Suzanne Dahlberg
Featuring: Winter Wishes

Christina MacLaren
Featuring: Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions

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!

Creating Just Because

2011-12-20T15:27:00.003-05:00

It's not very often that I craft or create without an end goal in mind these days. I must admit, I do miss those days. Today's card is the product of one of those rare opportunities. A little bit of free time. No deadline. No challenge. No plan. No recipient in mind.

It had been quite awhile since I used the pattern images from Poinsettia Patterns. I decided to pair them with Spring Post and Love You More, to create a colorful love card suitable for any time of year. I started with the sentiment panel and then pulled from my stash of papers to match the colors I'd starting stamping in.

I really love the way this turned out. No rhyme, no reason...just because. thanks for stopping by today and I hope you are all on track with your holiday plans! Someone needs to be. ;o)

Project Supplies

Stamps: Love You More, Poinsettia Patterns, Spring Post (Wplus9)
Ink: Ruby Red, Cameo Coral dye ink (Stampin' Up!); Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger): London Fog Momento ink (Tsukineko)
Paper: aqua - Thrift Shop (October Afternoon); pink - Uncommon Collection (Authentique); red - Nordic Holiday (Basic Grey); White cardstock
Other: buttons, twine (Papertrey Ink); Doily (Wilton); sewing machine and thread; pinking shears (Fiskars)

Dec/Jan 2012 Releas Day Group Post

2011-12-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

It's Release Day! All of our Dec/Jan 2012 stamps are now available for purchase at www.wplus9.com. If you missed the release, you can start here to catch up.

Release Day is also Group post day. Release Day is reserved with one last parting project from each of the ladies that I get the pleasure of showcasing.

Dawn Woleslagle

Featuring: Heartfelt Mix

Lea Lawson

Featuring: Love You More

Savitri Wilder

Featuring: Heartfelt Mix, Hearts & Clouds Die, A Pocketful

Elise Durenberger

Featuring: Love You More, Love Birds, Love Birds Die, Very Vintage Greetings, Label Layers 3 Die

Jinny Newlin

Featured: Heartfelt Mix, Hearts & Clouds Die, Love You More

Jean Martin

Featured: Love You More, A Pocketful: Valentine, Love Notes Die

Kerrianne Gwin

Featured: A Pocketful: Valentine, Love Notes Die

Christina Kowalczyk

Featured: Love Notes Die, Love You More

Aren't they all wonderful?! I can't express how much I appreciate these ladies...and you. I have enjoyed seeing so many new names and reading all of the comments you all have left. Thanks so much for joining us for this release!

Dec/Jan Release Day 4 - Full Reveal

2011-12-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

It's time for the full reveal! Time to show you the sets we are releasing this month in their entirety. All products will be available for purchase on December 5th at www.wplus9.com.

Love You More

Details

is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 19 stamps; 2 word art images and 17 mix-and-match sentiments and images
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $19

Love Birds Die

Details

coordinates with Love Birds stamp set
comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $9

Heartfelt Mix

Details

is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 24 stamps; 12 images and 12 sentiments
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $19

Hearts & Clouds Die

coordinates with Heartfelt Mix stamp set
comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $7

A Pocketful: Valentine

is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 15 stamps; 1 pocket image, 3 pocket filler images, 5 accent images, and 6 sentiments
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $13

Love Notes Die

compliments the A Pocketful stamp series (*Please note: these die cuts were designed to be used on their own. Unlike the A Pocketful Die, they are not scaled to be stamped onto with the pocket or envelope images in the companion sets)
comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $7

We have had record participation this month, and I can't thank you enough for sharing a small portion of your day with me. But, I can do one more giveaway. Want to win the entire release? Just leave a comment by 10:00 PM EST TONIGHT December 4th to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here by 11:00 PM EST.

Good luck!

Dec/Jan 2012 Release Day 3

2011-12-03T00:01:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to day 3 of our Dec/Jan Release! If you are just joining us, be sure to check out the last two days of previews beginning here. Thank you so much for all of the kind comments you all have left so far. I am so happy to hear how excited everyone is for this release!

Today we are giving you guys a peek at our final stamp set and die. Many of you have been requesting another follow-up set to the popular A Pocketful series, and today, it is my pleasure to introduce:

A Pocketful: Valentine

is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 15 stamps; 1 pocket image, 3 pocket filler images, 5 accent images, and 6 sentiments
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $13

Love Notes Die

compliments the A Pocketful stamp series (these dies are meant to coordinate with the pockets and stamped images from the Pocketful series, not to be stamped onto)
comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $7

Are you ready for a pocketful of fun?! First up, a bright and cheerful card full of personality.

To create the background panel, I stamped the small solid envelope and little solid conversation hearts randomly similar to this.

For the focal point, I used the large envelope die cuts by themselves. I added a little postmark using Postmarked, and stamped "Be Mine" from the A Pocketful: Valentine set directly onto the envelope. I matted the letters using Label Layers 2.

Next up, a card that almost found it's way to the trash. It just wasn't doing it for me until I added the natural white panel and stamped the flowers from A Pocketful. Crazy how that happens, huh?

I used the large pocket from the A Pocketful Die to tuck the large envelopes from the Love Notes Die into. I wanted to show you an up close shot of all of the dies from this set. They are so detailed. Each die has embossed lines and little hearts that are punched out when you cut them. You can see where I've used distress ink on the small pocket to bring out the faux stitching created by the embossing.

To add my sentiment, I cut a label from Label Layers 2 and used just the end and stamped "Valentine" from A Pocketful: Valentine onto it. To make the heart in my envelope stand out, I adhered a little scrap of red cardstock to the back.

Finally, I wanted to create some little valentines that would be easy to mass produce and hand out at school. With the fun images, and by mixing and matching the sentiments from the original A Pocketful set you can make both boy and girl appropriate valentines.

Aren't they adorable? These are so fun and easy to make.

The finished size is 2.5 x 3.5 inches. To attach the candy I used a 1 inch x 3.5 inch strip scored as shown below and adhered to the back of the card.

The border image from Class Act created a perfect frame for each one. I used the outlined cluster of conversation hearts to fill each pocket and colored them with Copic markers. These would make a great project for the kids to help with. You could pre-stamp them and then pass them off to the little ones to color with markers, crayons, or colored pencils.

I really hope you have enjoyed all of the sneak peeks so far. And please be sure to visit the design team to see more.

Would you like to win A Pocketful: Valentine and the Love Notes Die? Just leave me a comment by 9:00 AM EST December 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 another chance to win!

Project Supplies

Valentine Be Mine
Stamps: A Pocketful: Valentine - available 12-5-11, Postmarked, Defining Words (Wplus9)
Ink: Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Kiwi Kiss (Stampin' Up!); Thatched Straw - VersaMagic (Tsukineko)
Dies Label Layers 2, Love Notes - available 12-05-11 (Wplus9)
Paper: Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz (Papertrey Ink); White; October Afternoon
Other: buttons (Papertrey Ink); thread; Bakers Twine (Martha Stewart Crafts)

Pocketful of Love Notes
Stamps: A Pocketful: Valentine - available 12-5-11, A Pocketful(Wplus9)
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss (Stampin' Up!); Antique Linen, Faded Jeans distress ink (Ranger)
Dies Label Layers 2, A Pocketful Hearts & Clouds and Love Notes - both available 12-05-11 (Wplus9)
Paper: White, Natural White; Five & Dime, Modern Homemaker paper pads (October Afternoon)
Fibers: crochet trim (Simplicity)
Other: buttons and twine (Papertrey Ink); thread; Snow Cap acrylic paint dabber (Ranger)

School Valentines
Stamps: A Pocketful: Valentine - available 12-5-11, A Pocketful, Class Act (Wplus9)
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Bermuda Bay (Stampin' Up!); Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger); markers (Copics)
Paper: White, Pure Poppy, Kiwi Kiss (Papertrey Ink)

Dec/Jan 2012 Release Day 2

2011-12-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to day 2 of our Dec/Jan 2012 Release! Make sure you have a cup of coffee (or wine) handy, because I just could not stop creating. I am so excited to introduce:

Heartfelt Mix

is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 24 stamps; 12 images and 12 sentiments
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $19

Hearts & Clouds Die

coordinates with Heartfelt Mix stamp set
comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $7

And we have a coordinating die for one of our very first releases. This die, takes Love Birds to a whole new level of fun!

Love Birds Die

coordinates with Love Birds stamp set
comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $9

First up, a bright and clean card featuring the new Love Birds Die and stamp set paired with Heartfelt Mix. These sets work so well together.

I started by prepping all of my pieces, which meant cutting out my die cuts. The Love Birds Die comes grouped together on one die, but can easily be separated by snipping the little metal connectors to be used for negative cutting.

Then I stamped all of my pieces. The dies are generously sized and the stamps are trimmed close to the images, making lining up and centering your stamps on these dies a breeze!

I used the Label Layers 2 Die as a backdrop for my little birds perched in the tree. I cut the label first from blue cardstock, and then again from white. I nested the resulting blue label die into the negative space of the white one for a unique twist on using die cuts. I added some clouds and my sentiment, both from Heartfelt Mix to finish this card off.

Next is another "morph" card from the previous, continuing with the same idea of nesting my die cuts.

I cut out my clouds first and stamped them with the cloud image from Heartfelt Mix.

The clouds from this die and stamp combo are created without a border. The die cut is slightly smaller than the stamp image. This allows the pattern to bleed from edge to edge. It also creates some great layering opportunities for layering the stamp and die cut separately as I've done in this example.

After stamping, I nested the clouds back into their negative spaces and layered another plain white cloud on top. Oh, and did you see the little sun from A Pocketful peeking out from behind the clouds? I added my sentiment and a little wire/string image from Heartfelt Mix to perch my bird on to finish this one off.

Next, I wanted a fun and cheerful little "pick me up" card. I started by stamping the triple string image several times in pink, red, blue, and yellow across the front of my card base. I then used the Hearts & Clouds Die to cut out a small and large heart. I stamped them each. There are 4 patterns included for the large heart and 3 for the small heart. I used the old fashioned clothespin image to "hang" them from the string.

Next, I wanted to do a "baby" card. But one for the new parents. I love the idea of using the large hearts to represent the parents, and the small one to represent the new little one.

First, I created a background pattern by stamping several of the large heart images in a tone-on-tone fashion.

For the focal image, I used our Label Layers 3 Die, two of the heart images stamped directly onto the label, and the small heart die cut from the Hearts & Clouds Die stitched in the center.

My sentiment and a little lace border from Mehndi Medallions at the top finish this one off.

My final card is probably my favorite of the day. I made a fun little discovery while playing with the dotted heart stamp from Love You More and the heart die cuts from the Hearts & Clouds Die.

LOVE that butterfly! I started by stamping the heart image four times like so:

I then die cut a bunch of the hearts from vellum. I wasn't sure how many I would use at the time, but I ended up using 4 large (2 layers each side for the top wing) and 2 small (1 layer each side for the bottom).

The slightly taller shape of these hearts made for perfect wings. I layered them all together gluing just the bottom points where they meet with Tombow Mono multi glue. I hand stitched in the body and antennae with red floss. I added the "Today, Tomorrow, Forever" sentiment from Love You More as the "trail". (yeah, I smiled when I finished this card, it just makes me happy)

Some foliage from Love Birds and little Mehndi Medallions background stamping finish this one off nicely.

I really hope you are enjoying the previews so far. These sets are so much fun to use. Be sure to stop by the Design Team's blogs to see what they have done. They always think of something that I haven't.

Would you like to win Heartfelt Mis, Love Birds, the Hearts & Clouds Die, and the Love Birds Die? Just leave me a comment by 9:00 AM EST December 3rd to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here.

The fun continues tomorrow with another stamp set and coordinating die, see you then!

Project Supplies

Happy Thoughts
Stamps: Heartfelt Mix - available 12-5-11, Love Birds(Wplus9)
Ink: Aqua Mist (Papertrey Ink); Riding Hood Red (Stampin' Up!); Thatched Straw - VersaMagic, Rose Bud - Momento, Versamark (Tsukineko)
Dies Label Layers 2, Hearts & Clouds Die, Love Birds - both available 12-05-11 (Wplus9)
Paper: Aqua Mist, Raspberry Fizz (Papertrey Ink); White
Other: White Detail embossing powder (Stampendous)

Here For You
Stamps: Heartfelt Mix - available 12-5-11, Love Birds, A Pocketful (Wplus9)
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Summer Sun, Close To Cocoa dye ink (Stampin' Up!)
Dies Hearts & Clouds Die, Love Birds - both available 12-05-11 (Wplus9)
Paper: Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink); White

Hang In There
Stamps: Heartfelt Mix - available 12-5-11 (Wplus9)
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Close To Cocoa dye ink (Stampin' Up!); Aqua Mist (Papertrey Ink); Thatched Straw - VersaMagic, Rose Bud - Momento (Tsukineko)
Dies Hearts & Clouds Die - available 12-05-11 (Wplus9)
Paper: Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart, Raspberry Fizz (Papertrey Ink); White
Other: Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Baby Congrats
Stamps: Heartfelt Mix - available 12-5-11, Mehndi Medallions (Wplus9)
Ink: Chocolate Chip dye ink (Stampin' Up!); Antique Linen distress ink (Ranger); Sweet Plum, Lulu Lavender - Momento, Versamark (Tsukineko)
Dies Hearts & Clouds Die - available 12-05-11. Label Layers 3 (Wplus9)
Paper: Lavender Moon, Lemon Tart (Papertrey Ink); Kraft, Natural White
Other: button & twine (Papertrey Ink); white thread; White Detail embossing Powder (Stampendous); Scalloped edge punch (Stampin' Up!)

Butterfly Kisses
Stamps: Heartfelt Mix, Love You More - both available 12-5-11, Mehndi Medallions, Love Birds (Wplus9)
Ink: Riding Hood Red dye ink (Stampin' Up!); Antique Linen distress ink (Ranger); Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)
Dies Hearts & Clouds Die - available 12-05-11 (Wplus9)
Paper: Fine Linen, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink); Kraft, Natural White
Other: twine (Papertrey Ink); white thread; Scalloped edge punch (EK Success); red embroidery floss; Mono Multi Glue (Tombow)

December/January 2012 Release Day 1

2011-12-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

Hello! Can you believe it's December already? And, 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 December 5th at www.wplus9.com.

Before we get started, I want to announce that starting with this release, we will now be releasing new stamps every other month. Don't worry, we still have tons of ideas and new stamps coming, just on a little different schedule.

So let's get started with our Dec/Jan release shall we. This release is all about Valentine's Day. And today's stamp set is amazing. Let's face it, most of the time we are creating for our men when it comes to this holiday, or for our children's classmates. This set is gender neutral, packed with mix and match graphics and sentiments, bold, classic, and 6"x8" of fun!

Love You More

is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 19 stamps; 2 word art images and 17 mix-and-match sentiments and images
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $19

First up, I knew I wanted to use the word art image that started the set. It's a little something I used to write inside cards to my husband. "I love you more today than yesterday...but not as much as tomorrow." He can always count on getting at least one card a year with this hand written inside. Our ten year anniversary is also this Valentine's Day, so I decided to create a scrapbook page to mark this milestone. Whew! Ten years. Shouldn't we get a trophy or something?!

I stitched the gray patterned paper to the bottom half of the page to create a pocket. Inside I tucked a journaling card I created using the primary journal background lines from Classroom Backgrounds, and another of my favorite pictures of us. I will continue to add things here and there before our anniversary.

On the right side I stamped the large word art image in red. I love this image. Talk about quick and easy! I added some little die cut envelopes to the bottom corner (more on these later this week).

I added some little sentiments here and there, "Today, Tomorrow, Forever" to the top.

And "Heart You More" to the bottom.

I think the thing I am enjoying most about this set is how great it is for creating one layer cards. With one stamp and a little selective inking, you can create this:

Or this:

Too easy? How about 2 stamps and some clever scoring? Pair the heart bubble image with the bird from The Birds & The Bees for a cute little set of mini note cards.

Still too clean and simple? OK, use the word art as a starting point for a card that looks incredibly detailed and involved, but still only uses one stamp.

I have only scratched the surface of this set. Be sure to stop by the Design Team's blogs to see what they have done.

Would you like to win Love You More, and The Birds and The Bees? Just leave me a comment by 9:00 AM EST December 2nd to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here.

The fun continues tomorrow with another heartfelt set and coordinating die, see you then!

Project Supplies

Ten Years
Stamps: Love You More - available 12-1-11 (Wplus9), Class Act, Classroom Backgrounds
Ink: Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink); Riding Hood Red (Stampin' Up!)
Dies Label Layers 2, Love Notes - available 12-01-11 (Wplus9)
Paper: Designer Paper *retired (Stampin' Up!); Pure Poppy, White (Papertrey Ink)
Fiber: Pure Poppy saddle stitch ribbon (Papertrey Ink); thread
Other: Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Kraft/Black Valentine
Stamps: Love You More - available 12-1-11 (Wplus9)
Ink: Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger); Red Magic Versamagic (Tsukineko)
Paper: Kraft
Other: Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Kraft/White Valentine
Stamps: Love You More - available 12-1-11 (Wplus9)
Ink: Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink); Red Magic Versamagic (Tsukineko)
Paper: Kraft
Other: Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Heart Bubble
Stamps: Love You More - available 12-1-11, The Birds & The Bees (Wplus9)
Ink: Riding Hood Red (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: White
Other: Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers); Martha Stewart Scoring Board, MS stylus

Love You More
Stamps: Love You More - available 12-1-11 (Wplus9)
Ink: Real Red (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Love Notes - available 12-01-11 (Wplus9)
Paper: Hawaiian Shores, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink); White; Thrift Shop Paper Pad (October Afternoon); Doily (Wilton)
Other: Buttons (Papertrey Ink); Glossy Accents (Ranger)

Design Spotlight

2011-11-28T11:36:00.006-05:00

Robin Funge
Featuring: A Pocketful, A Pocketful Die

Anya Schrier
Featuring: Season of Thanks

Wendy Frederick
Featuring: Ever After

Angeline Yong
Featuring: Poinsettia Patterns, Filigreed Frames, Ever After

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!

Black Friday Sale

2011-11-24T20:18:00.004-05:00

If you haven't heard yet, we are having a fantastic Black Friday Sale!

To continue expressing our thanks to you and all of your support we are offering a 25% discount on all stamps. One day only! Just enter BLACKFRIDAY11 at checkout.

Thank you so much, and for those of you in the US, we hope that you have had a blessed Thanksgiving!

*Prices are valid on Friday, November 25, 2011 only. Offer valid on all in stock stamps. Sorry, no rain checks.

Wplus9 Design Clips: Joy To You & Yours

2011-11-12T15:30:00.006-05:00

I'm back with another video. Today's video is a spin-off of the card I featured in my last video here. Often, when I'm illustrating or crafting, I create multiple variations of the same design. I will start with one concept and this will open the door to many options and variations. Instead of brushing them off, I often explore them to see where they will go. Watch below to see what I mean.

Watch above or watch in HD at YouTube.

You'll also get to see a bit of this card as well.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend.

Project Supplies

Stamps: Winter Wishes, Poinsettia Patterns (Wplus9)
Ink: Purely Pomegranate (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, White (Papertrey Ink)
Other: Phrases, Joy #3 (Basic Grey/Sizzix); crochet thread (stash); glitter (Stampin' Up!); Tombow Mono Multi glue

Design Spotlight

2011-11-08T11:06:00.010-05:00

Amy Kolling featuring: Fair Isle Backgrounds.

Anya Schrier featuring: Magical Moments and Mehndi Medallions.

Lindsay Amrhein featuring: Very Vintage Greetings.

Maureen Merritt featuring: Fair Isle Backgrounds and Christmas Wishes.

I love seeing what everyone has created! Remember, the best way for me to see what you're creating is to add your projects to our Flickr Gallery. Thanks!

Wplus9 Design Clips: Peace & Joy

2011-11-04T22:00:00.005-04:00

Today's card features some pattern building using Fair Isle Backgrounds. I also wanted to try the faux chipboard technique that I've been seeing around blog land lately.

Watch above or watch at YouTube.

I enjoyed this layout so much that I created another using my favorite color combo. Be sure to watch until the end where I show you. I'm trying to get the hang of the video thing, and it's going much faster now. If there is something you like or dislike about the format, please let me know. That way I know what to keep doing and what to change! Thanks for watching, have a fantastic weekend!

Project Supplies

Stamps: Fair Isle Backgrounds, Poinsettia Patterns (Wplus9)
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze (Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Other: Phrases, Joy #3 (Basic Grey/Sizzix); Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers); Scallop Border Punch (Stampin' Up!); Tombow Mono Multi glue

Design Clips: Warm Wishes

2011-11-02T15:19:00.006-04:00

Hey guys! I'm back as promised, with a holiday card and a video using a fun technique for faux snow.

Watch above or watch at YouTube.

I wanted to create 3 dimensional snow laying on the tree branch, but I didn't have any Liquid Pearls or anything on hand. I decided to try using my Glossy Accents with glitter to see if I could come up with similar effect. I think it turned out great, and I'll be using it again, I'm sure.

Project Supplies

Stamps: Love Birds, Winter Wishes, Classic Christmas (Wplus9)
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand (Stampin' Up!), Versmagic Red Magic (Tsukineko); Antique Linen, Tea Dye distress inks (Ranger)
Cardstock: Kraft, Rustic White (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Nordic Holiday (Basic Grey)
Other: lace trim (Simplicity); twine (Papertrey Ink); glitter (Stampin' Up!); Glossy Accents (Ranger)

New Stamps Coming In December

2011-10-31T22:00:00.003-04:00

I know the blog has been very quiet lately and I apologize. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. More often than not, this is because I am focusing on other areas of Wplus9; the website, product development, new product research, and/or administrative stuff.

Some of you may have noticed a lot of small changes happening regularly over at the storefront. There is still more to come, but here are a few things we have been working on:

In order to streamline our important communication channels, we have started posting all announcements in the "Recent News" section on the website and enabled you to subscribe to the RSS Feeds for all announcements. You can find this in the left hand column on the main page as well as in the footer of every page of the website. Again, all important announcements will always be posted here. For example, the message below:

Every now and then we have to do a little planning and reorganizing. In order to keep things running smoothly here in the Studio and to create the best possible shopping experience for you, we will not be releasing any new stamps this November 2011. Instead, we have been focusing on cleaning up the website and making progress on new product research and planning. Exciting things ahead!

But not to worry, we already have our December release here in the Studio and it will be one sweet Valentine's Day! The Design Team and I are sure that you will love the December 2011 release, including 3 new stamp sets and 3 new steel rule dies.

Thanks!
Dawn

We have also enabled a "quick-cart" when shopping. Now, when you add an item to your cart, instead of going directly to your cart and having to navigate back to continue shopping, a pop-up window will display confirming that the selected item was added to your cart. You then have the option to continue shopping without ever leaving the current page you are on or continue through to your cart and checkout. We hope you find this to be a much more pleasant user experience.

Along with some of the functional areas of the website, we have made some aesthetic changes as well. These changes incorporate the look and feel of our new packaging.

We have also made a lot of progress in areas that I can't quite share yet, but we are working on a couple of exciting things for 2012. I will share more when everything is final.

So, even though we will not be releasing any new product for November, we are proactively making improvements internally to ensure that we continue to bring you quality products in a timely manner for an enjoyable experience. I will be back this week with some new Design Clip videos. It's been a while and I was a bit rusty, so they need a ~~bit~~ LOT of editing!

I hope you had a fun and safe Halloween! Thanks again for all of your support!

October 2011 Release Day

2011-10-05T00:01:00.000-04:00

It's Release Day! All of our October 2011 stamps are now available for purchase at www.wplus9.com. If you missed the release, you can start here to catch up.

Release Day is also Group post day. I visit the Design Team every day of the release, but Release Day is reserved with one last parting project from each of the ladies, that I get the pleasure of showcasing.

Lea Lawson

Do you see all of the detail captured on this one card? Notice the very subtle layering of images down the center vertical strip? The glitter added to the mittens? And the pom-poms?! Seriously, she had me at the pom-poms.

Savitri Wilder

I always enjoy the simplicity of Savitri's cards. Though they seem simple, I am always drawn to how every piece has a purpose and is strategically placed to create balance and guide the eye, always allowing the focal point to shine.

Cristina Kowalczyk

Holy masking batman! There she goes again! I love the way she's masked off a tree and used Fair Isle Backgrounds to create a Christmas tree. And did you see the "star" at the top?!

Jean Martin

The addition of bright pink to this soft color combo is amazing. I love how Jean's used the gold ribbon to compliment the gold embossed frame.

Kerrianne Gwin

Kerrianne shows us how to get a big impact with minimal supplies. The inked edges of each heart helps define each one without using too much color. Simple and sweet.

Thanks so much for joining us for this festive release!

October 2011 Release Day 4

2011-10-04T00:01:00.002-04:00

It's time for the full reveal. Time to show you the sets we are releasing this month in their entirety. All products will be available for purchase on October 5th at www.wplus9.com.

Fair Isle Backgrounds

Details

is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 10 stamps; 7 background building strips and 3 individual background building images
will be available for purchase October 5th for just $19

Winter Wishes

Details

is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 10 stamps; 7 images and 3 sentiments
will be available for purchase October 5th for just $13

Christmas Wishes

Details

is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 14 stamps; 1 large frame, 5 accent images, and 8 sentiment builders
will be available for purchase October 5th for just $13

Dear Santa

is a 3x4 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 3 stamps
will be a FREE GIFT with every order $30 and over during the month of October; will be available for purchase November 1st for just $6

I sincerely want to thank everyone for the kind words and excitement you have shared here with me over the last couple of days. I can't thank you enough. But, I can do one more giveaway. Want to win the entire release? Just leave a comment by 10:00 PM EST TONIGHT October 4th to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here by 11:00 PM EST.

Good luck!

October 2011 Release Day 3

2011-10-03T00:01:00.001-04:00

Can you believe it's Day 3 of our October Release already?! I have been having so much fun sharing our release with you so far. I really had such a good time playing with these stamps. But it's not over yet. I still have one more to share with you, and this one's a little bit different:

Dear Santa

is a 3x4 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 3 stamps
will be a FREE gift with every order $30 and over during the month of October; will be available for purchase November 1st for just $6

Yes, that's right! This little number will be included as a FREE GIFT with every purchase $30 and over during the ENTIRE month of October (while supplies last). Dear Santa is great for creating lists, using on scrapbook pages, mini-albums, and even cards...like my first project.

I just had to pair it with A Pocketful! And of course, there's that Nordic Holiday (Basic Grey) patterned paper again. I started with a notebook die cut (Papertrey Ink) and stamped the "Christmas List" header image in blue.

I stamped the image again in red and used the small Marvy Uchida punch to cut out just the center fair isle poinsettia image. I adhered the note to the card base and added the pocket over top using some foam tape. This card really makes me yearn for colder weather. Although I will most likely have to wait until January, I am so ready.

This next project is perfect for adding your journaling to those Christmas layouts. And as simple as simple can get!

I stamped our numbered list from Class Act and topped it with the "Dear Santa" sentiment from Dear Santa. From start to finish? Oh, about 4 minutes including clean up.

Next up, how about some little notebooks for the little ones to create some wish lists?

Thanks to inspiration from the incredible Christina, these were actually very easy. I started by cutting several plain printer paper into 3x5.5" pages to use for the note pad (about 10-15 sheets). For the top binding, I cut a sturdy piece of cardstock to 3x4" and scored it at 2" and again at 2 1/8" as shown below.

This creates a little nook to hold the paper and folds over the sheets of paper neatly. I stamped my "Wish List" image onto the front.

For the blue one, I created a wrap-around cover that tucks closed under the patterned paper strip on the front. I cut the cover to 3" wide x 8 3/4" long and scored it at 5 1/2" and 5 5/8".

I stamped the outside cover with the star from So 80's and the inside with the "Name & Age" journaling spot from Class Act.

For Carter's, I cut one gray piece of cardstock at 7 3/4" x 3 1/4" and scored it at 5 5/8" and again at 5 3/4" and wrapped it over. I stamped the front cover with the "Wish List" sentiment, and cover the inside of the back with some more of that Nordic Holiday (Basic Grey) paper. He just loves it, and couldn't wait to use it, as you can see!

And that wraps up Day 3 for me. But wait! The design team has more:

Elise Durenberger
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jinny Newlin - hosting a challenge!
Kerrianne Gwin - hosting a challenge!
Lea Lawson - hosting a challenge!
Savitri Wilder
Jean Martin

I really hope you have enjoyed our little previews so far. I will be back tomorrow with the full reveal. In the meantime, would you like to win Dear Santa and Class Act? Just leave a comment by 9:00 AM EST October 4rd to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here.

Don't forget, the fun continues tomorrow with the full reveal and a chance to win the entire release!

October 2011 Release Day 2

2011-10-02T00:01:00.001-04:00

Welcome back to Day 2 of our October 2011 Release. Thank you for all of the wonderful comments yesterday, I am so excited over the enthusiasm for this release. If you missed Day 1, be sure to catch up here to see what I'm talking about. There is still a little time to enter to win our first 2 sets from this release.

Today, we are taking a look at another wonderful holiday classic, Christmas Wishes.

Christmas Wishes

is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 14 stamps; 1 large frame, 5 accent images, and 8 sentiment builders
will be available for purchase October 5th for just $13

I had so much fun creating with this set. I was able to mix and match it with a few of our previous sets to create a ton of different projects. Let's start with a warm homespun card.

Sigh...I just love this card. Want to hear a secret? I accidentally sewed it closed! Yep...I sure did. Oops. So I've decided to display it in a shadow box instead (at least until my mom steals it, that is). I started this card by stamping the friend definition background strip from Defining Words in Versamark onto white cardstock.

I stamped it unevenly around the edges, leaving the middle open and dusted it randomly with gold Perfect Pearls before inking the edges.

This made a great background to stamp the beautifully flourished vintage frame from today's set onto. This frame has the perfect classic and vintage feel to it. It reminds me of those old wrought iron signs that hung from posts.

This set comes with a ton of images and sentiments to mix and match together to fill the frame with. Here, I add the holly image and the "Holly Jolly" main sentiment, then added the "Christmas" sentiment in the little nook at the bottom of the frame.

I add some paper from Nordic Holiday (Basic Grey), wrapped the panel with twine and then tucked some lace underneath before stitching to the card base (and forever sealing the card!). Notice the little postage stamps? More on how I created those a little further down.

Next up, another one layer mail-friendly card. This one is gender neutral with a little more vibrant color scheme featuring more of that great Nordic Holiday paper from Basic Grey. Can you tell I like it.a.lot?

This one is super fast. I started by stamping the frame in blue onto white cardstock and adding my image and main sentiment.

I then added the rest of my sentiment. I wanted to show you a close up of the "Wishing You A" stamp.

I have included this onto one stamp, leaving the perfect spacing to line it up on either side of the circle. Now it will be perfectly lined up every time. And, there is plenty of room between them to ink them separately if you wish.

Ready to change gears, and go a little softer? I loved the color combination of the green, wine and pink so much...that I just had to revisit it.

This one reminds me of a patchwork quilt and it was so easy! Want to see how? I started by using the Martha Stewart Postage punch to punch some little stamps from white cardstock. I used our Postmarked set to add some faux postage and postage marks.

The images in Christmas Wishes can be used without the frame are perfect for adding accent images for that finishing touch. I added the small sentiments "Christmas" "Wishes" to the last postage stamp.

I punched more stamps from some patterned paper in coordinating colors and inked all of the edges before adhering to a Kraft panel. I decided to finish the inside of the card with my all time favorite sentiment from the Classic Christmas set and topped it with another image from Christmas Wishes.

Before stitching the kraft panel down, I used the single dotted journaling line from Pile It On to add the grid. I adhered the whole thing to the front of rustic white cardstock using foam tape so that I could hide the hole where I attached the seam binding. This little card is 4x4 making it a perfect size to add to a gift bag or even to tie around the neck of a bottle of wine or champagne.

I have one more project to share with you today. This one is very traditional both in color, and in feel. I used yet more of the Nordic Holiday paper to create a matching tag and card.

For the card, I stamped the "Happy Holidays" sentiment from Christmas Wishes onto a cream strip of cardstock and flanked it with an accent image also from Christmas Wishes. I used foam tape to adhere this over a Label Layers 3 die cut stamped with a frame image from Very Vintage Greetings. I adhered that to a strip of cardstock which I cut a decorative edge using a Spellbinders die.

For the inside, I used the same sentiment as above and added some holly from Christmas Wishes on opposite corners.

The tag was simple as well. I used the same technique I used in the first card to prepare the tag base. I added some odds and ends, and finished it by splitting the "Merry Christmas" sentiment from Christmas Wishes between two tags from the Le Cirque stamp set.

Whew! Can you believe how versatile this set is? I really hope you've enjoyed today's set so far. But don't worry, there is still more from the talented Design Team:

Elise Durenberger
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jinny Newlin - hosting a challenge!
Kerrianne Gwin - hosting a challenge!
Lea Lawson - hosting a challenge!
Savitri Wilder
Jean Martin

Would you like to win Christmas Wishes? Just leave a comment by 9:00 AM EST October 3rd to enter. Do you like to see lots of projects with lots of pictures during release week, or do you prefer just a couple with fewer pictures? I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here.

Don't forget, the fun continues tomorrow with another set, hope you will join us again!

October 2011 Release Day 1

2011-10-01T00:01:00.004-04:00

Hello! Happy World Card Making Day! Not only is it WCMD, 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 October 5th at www.wplus9.com.

Today we are kicking off Day 1 of our October Release with a bang! We have 4 new stamp sets to introduce this month, and they are all centered around the winter season. When it comes to Christmas in this industry, it's very difficult to conceptualize something that isn't already over-saturated in the market. But, we have done it! Now, I can't claim that there isn't anything else like these out there, but they are certainly uncommon. I am very proud to introduce Fair Isle Backgrounds and Winter Wishes.

Fair Isle Backgrounds

is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 10 stamps; 7 background building strips and 3 individual background building images
will be available for purchase October 5th for just $19

Winter Wishes

is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 10 stamps; 7 images and 3 sentiments
will be available for purchase October 5th for just $13

Today's first card totally focuses on the wonderful patterns that can be created with Fair Isle Backgrounds.

I started by stamping several patterns onto white cardstock. There are so many different possible combinations with this set that I don't think I'll ever bore with it.

Although most of our background stamps are just over 5.5 inches long to accommodate a standard card base, I should mention that 2 of the more intricate patterns in this set are just under 5.5 inches long. Once I had all of my patterns created, I created the sentiment strip. I used a sentiment from Poinsettia Patterns and flanked it with one of the single images included in Fair Isle Backgrounds.

To finish, I inked all of the edges with Tim Holtz Distress Ink and stitched them together before adhering to a Kraft card base. I just love how warm and rustic this card is, and though it is technically one layer, flat, and mail-friendly...it is by no means boring.

Next up, I guess you could call this the girly version.

I started the same way as last time, creating my background panel using different fair isle patterns. I'm telling you, these are so easy to use, and create the most amazing backgrounds, borders, and accents!

Those cute mittens and sentiment are from Winter Wishes. I stamped the mittens three times in row, and then added the little string image also included in the set. Notice how the patterns match the Fair Isle Backgrounds? I just love them. I added little brads to hang them from. Another flat embellishment, making this card pretty mail friendly!

I added the sentiment by cutting a die cut from our Label Layers 1 Die in half and tucking it under the focal panel before stitching. I am so in love with that font!

Now, let's take a closer look at Winter Wishes. First up, I wanted to use these cute little clothespins that my mother found for me.

I just love how this card turned out, and it happens to be Hunter's favorite. This set comes with the most fantastic fair isle patterned medallions. Our Mehndi Medallions set was so popular, that I just knew I wanted to do a follow up set. If you are a fan, you will love these. I started by stamping one of the medallions onto the top and lower edge of a piece of patterned paper from the Mischievous Collection (My Mind's Eye).

In the center of this, I added a strip of Nordic Holiday (Basic Grey) patterned paper and stitched in place.

For the focal image, I added a cute pair of those mittens to hang from a "clothesline". This time I used a simple piece of crochet thread.

Finally, for my last card, I wanted to let those medallions shine.

I created my background by stamping several of the medallions in blue, red, navy, and gray onto white cardstock.

The sentiment was added directly over another medallion stamped in blue. And of course, another pair of those cute mittens hanging from a button to finish it off. Love.

I can't express enough how versatile and fun these stamps are to use. Fair Isle Backgrounds is a great staple set, perfect for winter, baby, and any quilting/knitting themes. It's great for adding a warm and homey feeling to any project. The sentiments in Winter Wishes are generic enough to be used all winter long in addition to those Holiday/Christmas cards. You know me, I'm all about classic staples and tend to shy away from those overly trendy or cutesy items. A little can't hurt, but I'm always thinking about stamps that will last the test of time.

Want to see more? Head on over for a visit with the Design Team to see what they've been up to. They all have their own unique styles and some of the girls are celebrating World Card Making Day with contests complete with Wplus9 prizes, you won't want to miss it!

So, have we turned you into a Fair Isle fan? Would you like to win Fair Isle Backgrounds, and Winter Wishes! Just leave me a comment by 9:00 AM EST October 2nd telling me what you are most excited about from today's previews to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here.

The fun continues tomorrow with another must have set, see you then!

Project Supplies

Joy To You & Yours
Stamps: Fair Isle Backgrounds available 10/5/11, Poinsettia Patterns (Wplus9)
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Purely Pomegranate, Not Quite Navy (Stampin' Up! dye ink); Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap (Tim Holtz Distress)
Cardstock: Kraft, White (Papertrey Ink)

Sending Warm Winter Wishes
Stamps: Fair Isle Backgrounds, Winter Wishes available 10/5/11 (Wplus9)
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Regal Rose, Purely Pomegranate (Stampin' Up! dye ink); Antique Linen (Tim Holtz Distress)
Cardstock: Rustic White (Papertrey Ink)
Other: Label Layers 1 Die

Warmest Winter Wishes
Stamps: Fair Isle Backgrounds, Winter Wishes available 10/5/11 (Wplus9)
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Close to Cocoa (Stampin' Up! dye ink); White acrylic paint
Cardstock: White, Aqua Mist (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Nordic Holiday (Basic Grey); Mischievous (My Minds Eye); Doily (Wilton)
Other: Label Layers 2 (Wplus9); Buttons, twine (Papertrey Ink)

Warm Wishes
Stamps: Fair Isle Backgrounds, Winter Wishes available 10/5/11 (Wplus9)
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Real Red, Baja Breeze (Stampin' Up! dye ink); Smoky Shadow (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: White (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Nordic Holiday (Basic Grey); Doily (Wilton)
Other: buttons, twine (Papertrey Ink); crochet thread from stash)

November 2011 All Eyes On: Season of Thanks

2011-09-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

Whew! Monday is over. Thank you, Monday is over! I don't think I am ever going to be a fan of Mondays. How about you? Are you a fan?

Today is the 20th, do you know what that means? It's "All Eyes On" time! And after our little hiatus from this feature, we are all back and this time we are taking a look back at an older set.

Season Of Thanks

This is one of those sets that I don't use as often as I should, it has all of the staples for the fall season. Maybe it's because it is a fall set, and as I've said before, I'm not a fan of the fall palette. But, I did discover that I LOVE these colors when you throw in a little blue! And now I think I will be using this set MUCH more.

I couldn't help but use the A Pocketful Die to stuff with a few pumpkins. I absolutely LOVE this die. It is so versatile, and I was so happy to see that the pumpkins are perfectly scaled to fit inside of the pocket. I added some leaves inked in green and then rolled along the edges in orange to complete the fall feeling.

By the way, the stitching on the pocket was supposed to be straight and neat, but....I went all crazy crooked, and instead of starting over I decided to be lazy and just go with it. ;o) I hope I was able to give you a little inspiration. If you'd like a little more, head over to see what the rest of the Design Team has for you.