Outside The Box with Damask Love: Gone Fishin'

Hey friends!!! Amber here from Damask Love and I'm excited to bring you a last minute Father's Day idea that will put your stamps to use in another "outside the box" idea. As you know, I love making gifts and packaging ...as well as cards. This quick gift idea includes both.

When I was brainstorming ways to use the WPlus9 sets for a Dad's Day project, I immediately thought of the Fish More stamps and dies! I was an immediate fan of this unique and whimsical set (gotta love the punny sentiments)...and since I did a lot of fishing as a kid, this set was definitely a little nostalgic for me.

Wplus9 Supplies
Stamps: Fish More, Super Star // Dies: Fish More Companion Die

Todays' set includes a clean & simple card as well as adorable cupcake toppers that dad will love!

The fish will "dangle" from the line like a fresh stringer of fish. Because they may spin and twist, I recommend stamping two of each design and sandwiching the twine between them so that both sides are finished.

Thanks so much for letting me hijack the Wplus9 blog today! Hope to see you over at Damask Love for more crafting and craziness!

Monday Mood Board #14

PLAY ALONG

If you'd like to play along, use the mood board as a starting point for a card, tag, layout or any project...where ever the inspiration takes you! Pull patterns, colors, elements or mood from the image. Use at least one Wplus9 product. Upload your project to your blog or online photo gallery such as Flickr. Then link it up using the InLinkz widget below to share it and keep the inspiration flowing! Remember, you'll have 2 weeks to play along.

PRIZES

We will select (3) random participants to receive a $10 store credit each at www.wplus9.com. Winners will be announced each Monday when the new Mood Board is posted.

Monday Mood Board #13 Winners

• #5 (Vicki Dutcher)
• #4 (Char)
• #12 (Lisa L.)

Contact us at customerservice@wplus9.com with your full name and email and we will set up your store credits!

I can't wait to see how this week's mood board inspires you!

Wplus9 June/July 2013 Release Day Group Post

It's Release Day! All of our June/July 2013 release products are now available for purchase at www.wplus9.com. Don't forget, if we run out of something that you simply must have right now, you can also find Wplus9 products at many of your favorite retailers! Check our retailer's page for a list of where to find us.

If you missed the release, you can start here to catch up. And don't forget to check the winner's page to see if you were a lucky prize package winner!

Release Day is also Group post day. It's the day that I get the pleasure of showcasing the Design Team with their final parting release projects. But before we get to the eye candy, I have a few announcements to share.

Cristina Kowalczyk is stepping down from the Design Team. Life sometimes has a way of piling things on us and at those times we need to take steps to lighten the load. However, don't fret, because we just couldn't bring ourselves to completely part ways. Cristina will continue to delight us a Guest Blogger/Contributor. So no worries, you will still get to enjoy Cristina's stellar work with Wplus9!

We are so excited to welcome back Hannah Craner. Many of you may be familiar with Hannah as the editor of CARDS Magazine. Starting in August, Hannah will be joining the Wplus9 family as a Designer and Stamp Illustrator. I can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve! I hope that you are just as excited as I am and will give her a great big welcome!

Are you ready to see what the ladies have to share today? I know I am! I had a few extra cards left over that I didn't share during the release, so I'll be joining as well.

Cristina Kowalczyk

Cristina brings us another CAS winner. She's created a waterfall of roses that she has cleverly anchored with the unexpected bit of stripes at the top of the card. The soft colors echo the light feeling of the "floating" flowers beautifully.

Dawn Woleslagle

I've paired Milk & Cookies with Fresh Cut Florals. I wanted to see if the milk bottle from Milk & Cookies would work as a vase for my little floral arrangement...and it did! I added a little flower pick using the straw and a banner.

Elise Durenberger

The little milk bottles are perfect for Elise's layout, aren't they? I love her little "ribbon" embellishment down in the corner. And check out how she's used the Cupcake Wrapper Die to anchor her title!

Jean Martin

I am really enjoying seeing Jean take on CAS. And this is no exception. Check out that background! She's stamped the "Cupcake" sentiment from Sweets & Treats repeatedly and finished off the bottom with Borders & Backgrounds. This polka dots are perfect for incorporating the circle backdrops for her cupcakes. Oh, and she also has another STUNNER over on her blog that you will not want to miss!

Jinny Newlin

More background stamping, except this time Jinny has created some colorful cupcake covered paper. My favorite part is the little bow and tag at the bottom with the XOXO Border die. LOVE!

Sarah Martina Parker

Check out how Sarah has softened the modern Ikat patterns by overlaying them with vellum. And I love her "ribbon" treatment - making this card seem like a little package ready to be opened!

Savitri Wilder

Savitri is showing us that all you need is a great stamp to make a great card. A couple of rows from Borders & Backgrounds and a sentiment wrap this up.

And that officially concludes our June/July 2013 Release Week festivities. Thank you so much for joining us and for all of your wonderful and sincere comments. Kerrianne, Sarah and Lea will be joining us over the next month to share their projects with us, so be sure to check back in!

June/July 2013 Release Full Reveal

It's time for the full reveal! Time to show you what we are releasing this month in their entirety. All products will be available for purchase at midnight, on June 5th at www.wplus9.com as well as at many of your favorite retailers.

*** Website Reminder ***

Wplus9.com will be down from approximately 11:00 PM EST tonight until 12:00 AM EST while we upload the new products and prepare for the release. The website will be back online and all products will be available for purchase by 12:01 AM EST June 5, 2013.

Fresh Cut Florals

Details

• s a 4x6" clear photopolymer stamp set
• 35 high quality photo-polymer stamps; 30 flower building images and 5 sentiments
• will be available for purchase June 5th for $14

Fresh Cut Florals Companion Die

Details

• contains 10 individual dies wired together that can be easily separated
• coordinates with the Fresh Cut Florals stamp set
• Approx. Measurements: (A) - 3/4 x 5/8", (B) - 3/4", (C) - 7/8", (D) - 1/18 x 1", (E) - 3/4 x 1 1/2", (F) - 1/2 x 1", (G) - 5/8 x 3/4", (H)- 5/8 x 3/4", (I) - 1/2", (J) - 1 x 1 1/8"
• will be available for purchase June 5th for $8

Milk & Cookies

Details

• is a 4x6" clear photopolymer stamp set
• 25 high quality photo-polymer stamps; 17 images and 8 sentiments
• will be available for purchase June 5th for $14

Milk & Cookies Companion Die

Details

• contains 9 individual shapes wired together that can be easy separated if desired
• Approx. Measurements; (A) - 5/8 x 3/8", (B) - 1 x 2 1/8", (C) - 2 5/8 x 3/16", (D) - 1 1/8 x 1/2", (E) - 3/4", (F) - 3/4 x 3/8", (G) - 1 1/8 x 5/8", (H) - 1 1/8 x 1", (I) - 5/8 x 1/2"
• will be available for purchase April 5th for $9

Sweets & Treats

Details

• is a 6x8" clear photopolymer stamp set
• 36 high quality photo-polymer stamps; 30 cupcake and treat building images and 6 sentiments
• will be available for purchase June 5th for $21

Sweets & Treats Fillers

Details

• is a 4x6" clear photopolymer stamp set
• 22 high quality photo-polymer stamps
• use alone, to "color" the images from Sweets & Treats, or with the Sweets & Treats Companion Die
• will be available for purchase June 5th for $14

Sweets & Treats Companion Die

Details

• contains 13 individual dies wired together that can be easily separated
• coordinates with the Sweets & Treats and Sweets & Treats Fillers stamp sets
• Approx. Measurements: (A) - 7/8 x 3/4", (B) - 7/8 x 5/8", (C) - 1 x 7/16", (D) - 1 1/8 x 5/8", (E) - 15/16 x 3/4", (F) - 1 x 1", (G) - 15/16 x 15/16", (H) - 15/16 x 1", (I) - 1 x 3/8", (J) - 11/16 x 3/8", (K) - 15/16 x 1 5/16", (L) - 7/8 x 1 3/8", (M) - 5/16 x 1"
• will be available for purchase June 5th for $12

Cupcake Wrapper Die

Details

• contains 1 die
• cuts a wrapper that fits a standard size cupcake
• will be available exclusively at Wplus9.com for purchase June 5th for $14

Cupcake Wrapper Accessories Die

Details

• contains 4 dies wired together that can be easily separated
• cuts two bands that can be adhered to our Cupcake Wrapper Die, and one bow that can be used with or without the tails
• fits a standard sized cupcake
• will be available exclusively at Wplus9.com for purchase June 5th for $14

Borders & Backgrounds 1

Details

• is a 4x6" clear photopolymer stamp set
• 5 Ikat border and background building high quality photo-polymer stamps
• will be available for purchase June 5th for $14

Strictly Sentiments 2

Details

• is a 3x4" clear photopolymer stamp set
• 6 high quality photo-polymer stamps; 5 sentiments and 1 flourish
• will be available for purchase June 5, 2013 for $6

Lake House Pure Color Pigment Ink

Details

• acid free and archival safe
• soft matte finish
• Coordinates with our Lake House Premium Cardstock
• Lake House full size ink pad $6, re-inkers coming soon

Cupid's Bow Pure Color Pigment Ink

Details

• acid free and archival safe
• soft matte finish
• Coordinates with our Cupid's Bow Premium Cardstock
• Cupid's Bow full size ink pad $6, re-inkers coming soon

Thank you all so much for joining me for our June/July 2013 Release. I am so grateful for all of the excitement and kind words about this release. Are you ready for the last giveaway? Want to win the entire release, including all of the stamps and dies listed above? Now that you've seen the full reveal, just leave a comment by 10:00 PM EST TONIGHT June 4, 2013 letting us know which is your favorite to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here by 11:00 PM EST.

If you've missed any of this week, be sure to catch up here.

Wplus9 June/July 2013 Release Day 3

It's already Day 3 of Release Week and we have 2 new stamp sets to share with you today. If you missed Day 1, you can catch up here. Remember, all previewed items will be available for purchase on June 5th at www.wplus9.com as well as at many of your favorite retailers.

These last two sets work so well together, a simple sentiment set and a background builder

Borders & Backgrounds 1

• is a 4x6" clear photopolymer stamp set
• 5 Ikat border and background building high quality photo-polymer stamps
• will be available for purchase June 5th for $14

Strictly Sentiments 2

• is a 3x4" clear photopolymer stamp set
• 6 high quality photo-polymer stamps; 5 sentiments and 1 flourish
• will be available for purchase June 5th for $6

Ikat is extremely popular right now. I'm not usually a trendy or loud patterned person. I tend to gravitate more towards the classics, like stripes, plaids and polka dots. I've tried to take this trendy pattern and incorporate it in a more understated fashion, something that will stand the test of time. I've kept the base patterns simple and the scale down. If you're like me, this will be one that you will see yourself using even after the fad has faded.

Here I stamped the large diamond pattern and filled in the centers. The sentiment was added using Strictly Sentiments 2. I added the little cluster of flowers using Fresh Cut Florals. I'm telling you, I just can't put that set down.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Borders & Backgrounds 1 (available 6/5/13), Strictly Sentiments 2 (available 6/5/13), Fresh Cut Florals (available 6/5/13) | Dies: Fresh Cut Florals Companion Die (available 6/5/13) | Cardstock: White

My next trio of cards show's how great these work as borders.

For each card I stamped one of the designs three times across the bottom of the card in Lake House Pigment Ink. I added my sentiments, all from Strictly Sentiments 2 in the lower corner. Again, I used the little cluster of flowers from Fresh Cut Florals.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Borders & Backgrounds 1 (available 6/5/13), Strictly Sentiments 2 (available 6/5/13), Fresh Cut Florals (available 6/5/13) | Ink: Lake House Pigment Ink (available 6/5/13) | Dies: Fresh Cut Florals Companion Die (available 6/5/13) Cardstock: Oatmeal

My final card for today uses an all over pattern. I used our Cupid's Bow and Lake House Pigment Inks along with black to stamp my chevron Ikat background.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Borders & Backgrounds 1 (available 6/5/13), Strictly Sentiments 2 (available 6/5/13), Fresh Cut Florals (available 6/5/13) | Ink: Lake House Pigment Ink (available 6/5/13), Cupid's Bow Pigment Ink (available 6/5/13) | Cardstock: Black, Sandstone (available 6/5/13)

I seriously am loving that font. Here I've flanked it with more florals from Fresh Cut Florals. This is another color combo that I can't get enough of.

Well, that wraps up Day 3. Want to see more? The Design Team still has plenty to share with you!

• Cristina Kowalczyk
• Elise Durenberger
• Jean Martin
• Jinny Newlin
• Kerrianne Gwin - will be joining us later this month
• Lea Lawson - will be joining us later this month
• Sarah Martina Parker- will be joining us later this month
• Savitri Wilder

Again, thank you all so much for the positive response to this release! Are you ready for a chance to win today's featured products: Borders & Backgrounds 1 and Strictly Sentiments 2? Just leave me a comment by 9:00 AM EST June 4th to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow with the full reveal of all new products and a chance to win it all!

Wplus9 June/July 2013 Release Day 2

Welcome back to Day 2 of Release Week. If you missed Day 1, you can catch up here. Today, we are going to be taking a look at 2 more stamp sets and 3 new dies. All previewed items will be available for purchase on June 5th at www.wplus9.com as well as at many of your favorite retailers.

Let's get to it, shall we?

This first set focuses on cupcakes and sweet treats. I know, I know, I can hear the collective "not another cupcake set". But trust me, this is THE ultimate cupcake set.

Sweets & Treats

• is a 6x8" clear photopolymer stamp set
• 36 high quality photo-polymer stamps; 30 cupcake and treat building images and 6 sentiments
• will be available for purchase June 5th for $21

Sweets & Treats Fillers

• is a 4x6" clear photopolymer stamp set
• 22 high quality photo-polymer stamps
• use alone, to "color" the images from Sweets & Treats, or with the Sweets & Treats Companion Die
• will be available for purchase June 5th for $14

Sweets & Treats Companion Die

• contains 13 individual dies wired together that can be easily separated
• coordinates with the Sweets & Treats and Sweets & Treats Fillers stamp sets
• Approx. Measurements: (A) - 7/8 x 3/4", (B) - 7/8 x 5/8", (C) - 1 x 7/16", (D) - 1 1/8 x 5/8", (E) - 15/16 x 3/4", (F) - 1 x 1", (G) - 15/16 x 15/16", (H) - 15/16 x 1", (I) - 1 x 3/8", (J) - 11/16 x 3/8", (K) - 15/16 x 1 5/16", (L) - 7/8 x 1 3/8", (M) - 5/16 x 1"
• will be available for purchase June 5th for $12

I took forever to create our version of a cupcake set because I wanted everything. I mean I wanted to be able to create any cupcake I wanted. I wanted muffins, ice-cream, shaved ice, flat icing, fluffy icing...well, you get the picture. This one has it all. I wanted line art I could color, but when I wanted something quick, I wanted solid images. But you can only fit so much onto a 6x8" sheet. Thanks to the Sweet & Treats Fillers set, I've got that covered too.

This little duo focuses on the shaved ice image. Here I used the line images and then "colored" it in using Sweets & Treats Fillers.

This is just one of the possible combinations for building this little treat. Let's take a look at a few others.

I thought this would make a cute little invite to a 4th of July barbecue or pool party. And it's simple and quick enough that you could put together quite a few in no time at all.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Sweets & Treats (available 6/5/13), Sweets & Treats Fillers (available 6/5/13), Fresh Baked | Dies: Sweets & Treats Companion Die (available 6/5/13), Timeless Tags 2 Die | Cardstock: White

Next, let's take a look at some of the pre-built line art images that you can color.

Don't they look delicious all lined up in a row. I just stamped them in black and then went to town with some Copic markers. And look at the little cupcake stand! I used one of the two included in this set to put one little cupcake on display. "Happy, Happy, Happy", that's my little homage to Duck Dynasty. It's a perfect little sentiment for just about any occasion, don't you think?

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Sweets & Treats (available 6/5/13) | Cardstock: White

These little treats get even sweeter when you pair them with yesterday's previewed set Milk & Cookies.

I decided to create a rainbow birthday card. I stamped the images from Sweets & Treats and used Sweets & Treats Fillers to add my color. I also use the Sweets & Treats Die to build a custom little cupcake. One of the nice things about these sets is all of the mix and matching possibilities. Just imagine all of the little dessert buffets you could design!

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Sweets & Treats (available 6/5/13), Sweets & Treats Fillers (available 6/5/13), Milk & Cookies (available 6/5/13), Strictly Sentiments 1 | Dies: Sweets & Treats Companion Die (available 6/5/13), Milk & Cookies Companion Die (available 6/5/13) | Cardstock: White

Keeping in the spirit of cupcakes and celebrations, I'd love to introduce a pair of dies that will get plenty of use around here. And, to keep the price point down, these dies will only be available exclusively at www.wplus9.com

Cupcake Wrapper

• contains 1 die
• cuts a wrapper that fits a standard size cupcake
• will be available exclusively at Wplus9.com for purchase June 5th for $14

Cupcake Wrapper Accessories

• contains 4 dies wired together that can be easily separated
• cuts two bands that can be adhered to our Cupcake Wrapper Die, and one bow that can be used with or without the tails
• fits a standard size cupcake
• will be available exclusively at Wplus9.com for purchase June 5th for $14

This was one of those items that I "needed" as I was planning my husband's 40th birthday party. But I wanted to be able to dress up my cupcake wrappers if I wanted to as well. So I designed a little border wrap in two styles, and a bow.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Fish More | Dies: Cupcake Wrapper (available 6/5/13), Cupcake Wrapper Accessories (available 6/5/13), Banner Trio | Cardstock: White, Kraft, Cupid's Bow

Aren't they cute? Here, I've paired the blue one with just the border and instead of a bow, I adhered a twine knot. Perfect for a masculine card.

I stamped the traditional cupcake image on the lower 3/4's of the card, filled it in with Sweets & Treats Fillers and added my sentiment at the top, also from Sweets & Treats.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Sweets & Treats (available 6/5/13), Sweets & Treats Fillers (available 6/5/13) | Ink: Lake House Pigment Ink (available 6/5/13) | Cardstock: Oatmeal

My last project today showcases how that little bow can be used for more than just the cupcake wrapper. I decided to create a baby card and matching tag for a gift.

Another really simple style, but the bold colors and clean lines really stand out.

Wplus9 Supplies:
Stamps: Sweets & Treats (available 6/5/13), Sweets & Treats Fillers (available 6/5/13), Kisses & Cuddles | Dies: Sweets & Treats Companion Die (available 6/5/13), Cupcake Wrapper Accessories Die (available 6/5/13), Lacey Layers Companion Die, Timeless Tags 2 Die | Cardstock: White, Sweet Gelato

That's it for me today, but please visit the Design Team to see what they have to share with you:

• Cristina Kowalczyk
• Elise Durenberger
• Jean Martin
• Jinny Newlin
• Kerrianne Gwin - will be joining us later this month
• Lea Lawson - will be joining us later this month
• Sarah Martina Parker - will be joining us later this month
• Savitri Wilder

And that wraps up Day 2. Thank you all so much for the overwhelming response to Day 1, I really hope that you've enjoyed today's previews just as much. I truly appreciate all of your incredibly kind comments! Are you ready for a chance to win today's featured products: Sweets & Treats, Sweets & Treats Fillers, Sweets & Treats Companion Die, Cupcake Wrapper Die and the Cupcake Wrapper Accessories Die? Just leave me a comment by 9:00 AM EST June 3rd to enter. I will select one random winner from all comments. Winners will be posted here.

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