June Cloud9 Blog Hop

I was saddened to learn that the Cloud9 Blog Hop is being discontinued after one fantastic year of challenges.  I was lucky enough to be a part of the Inspiration Team at Cloud9 for 8 of those months, and I have continued to be inspired by the creations posted there by WPlus9 fans each month.

This month's theme is Anything Goes, and I couldn't miss the chance to link up a new card using the recently released Fresh Cut Florals.  I have quite a few projects that require my attention over the next few weeks, and it's going to be hard to set these stamps aside to work on other things!  They are just so much fun to use.

I stamped the images onto Oatmeal cardstock, added some Diamond Stickles to the flower centers, and stacked two of the sentiments on this easy, flat-for-mailing card.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Oatmeal)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Fresh Cut Florals)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip), Hero Arts (Ocean)

Tool:  corner rounder

Other:  Diamond Stickles

Many thanks to Suzanne and the rest of the Team at Cloud9 for their hard work and beautiful creations over the past year!

Cloud9 Blog Hop--March & a Farewell

Hello there, and happy Saturday!

It's time for another Cloud9 Blog Hop featuring all of your favorite WPlus9 stamps.  Here is the beautiful photo we're taking inspiration from this month:

{photo source}

You may have seen the news on the blog hop preview post that I'm stepping down from the Cloud9 team.  There have been some major changes in my personal and professional lives lately, and I'm trying to find better ways to balance work, home, and my hobbies.  So for the moment, I need to step away from a few things, and unfortunately that includes the Cloud9 team.  Many thanks to Suzanne for inviting me to be a part of it, and all the best to the team going forward!

Speaking of the team, two new designers are making their debut this month at Cloud9:  Erin Taylor and Maureen Merritt.  I love both of these talented ladies, and I know they'll have some amazing inspiration to share at Cloud9 every month.

Okay, on to my card.  :)  I tried a few different things with watercolor that failed miserably before deciding to focus on just the beautiful bouquet in the photo.  Using shades of aqua, pink, and green, I did a lot of stamping and masking using Very Vintage Florals on Oatmeal cardstock.

This card is going out to a crafty friend who always uses beautiful ribbons on her cards, so I just had to include a bright pink bow.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Oatmeal), Papertrey Ink (Hawaiian Shores), Stampin' Up! (Early Espresso)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Very Vintage Florals)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Melon Mambo, Garden Green, Pretty in Pink, Pool Party, Chocolate Chip)

Other:  Michaels (ribbon), thread

You have until March 12 to link up your creation in the Cloud9 gallery!

Thanks so much for your visit.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Cloud9 February Blog Hop

It's time for another Cloud9 Blog Hop!

This month's inspiration photo comes from the Black Eiffel blog, featuring an assortment of kids' Valentine treat bags:

via Black Eiffel

I took the inspiration pretty literally and whipped up some little envelopes to put in my kids' lunch boxes on Valentine's Day.

Using WPlus9's seed packet die, I cut the envelopes from this kraft, polka-dotted paper from a collection that I must have bought three or four years ago.  I just keep whittling away at it year by year.  :)

For my daughter's envelope, I used the just-released sets Chantilly Trim (for the floral image) and Written on Ribbon (for the banner), as well as the companion die.  The sentiments are from Love You More.

My son's envelope is decorated using images from Love Birds, along with the coordinating dies.  Since my little guy doesn't do much reading yet, I opted for the heart speech bubble from Love You More in lieu of a sentiment.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 Design Studio (White)

Patterned paper:  (K & Company)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Chantilly Trim, Written on Ribbon, Love Birds, Love You More)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Lucky Limeade, Real Red, Chocolate Chip)

Tools:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Written on Ribbon die, Love Birds dies)

I'll probably fill these with stickers and a love note, which should put a smile on their faces, especially since this mom is rarely organized enough ahead of time to put notes in lunch boxes.  :)

Please join us for this month's hop!  We'd love to see what you come up with using your WPlus9 goodies.

I'm off to tackle the shoveling!  Thanks for spending a bit of your day with me.

January Cloud9 Blog Hop

Hello!  Boy, am I glad to be back.  We got home from our road trip last weekend just in time for my lingering cold to turn into bronchitis, so I've been taking it easy and trying to catch up on rest for the last few days.  I'm always reluctant to take antibiotics, but last night was the first decent night of sleep I've had for a while, so I guess it's worth it.  :)

Enough about me, who's ready for a new Cloud9 Blog Hop?  This month we're celebrating New Year's with a gorgeous inspiration photo from the blog Whimsy.

Photo from Whimsy

I pulled lots of elements from the photo for my card:  the manilla tag, the Scrabble tiles, silver stars, sheet music, kraft, and black and white accents.  I needed a birthday card for a friend who happens to love Scrabble, too, so I focused on making something I thought she might like.

This card is a bit of a departure from my usual style.  I love cards with an eclectic mix of elements but have a hard time pulling off that look myself.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Kraft), WPlus9 Design Studio (White), Michaels (silver shimmer)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (A Pocketful:  Halloween, Super Star, A Pocketful, Postmarked)

Ink:  Memento (Tuxedo Black), white pen, silver glitter pen

Tools:  Papertrey Ink (star die)

Other:  EK Success (Scrabble stickers), manilla tag, vintage sheet music, silver thread, twill ribbon

Okay friends, it's time to link up your take on the photo at the Cloud9 blog!  You'll find more inspiration from the team, including this month's Guest Designer, to help you get started.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!  Have a great day!

Cloud9 Blog Hop--December

Hey there!  I hope you're having a great weekend.  My daughter performed in a holiday dance recital yesterday, so we're definitely getting into the Christmas spirit around here.  :)

The December Cloud9 Blog Hop is live, and it should inspire some holiday spirit as well!  These photos, featured at Design for Mankind, are the jumping-off point for our creations this month:

Photo found HERE

Photo found HERE

My eye was immediately drawn to the bold red and cream sofa in the first photo.  My card is a fairly literal interpretation.  I stamped images from Folk Art Flurries onto a rustic cream card base and adorned some of the snowflakes with clear gems.

The sentiment comes from Poinsettia Patterns, and I decided to ground it with two strips of Cupid's Bow cardstock.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Rustic Cream), WPlus9 Design Studio (Cupid's Bow)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Folk Art Flurries, Poinsettia Patterns)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Real Red)

Accessories:  Michael's (rhinestones)

We hope you'll link up your creation with us at the Cloud9 Blog for a chance to be a Guest Designer next month!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Cloud9 October Blog Hop

Happy Tuesday, friends!  It's time for the Cloud9 Blog Hop!

Here is the inspiration photo for this month's hop.  You can link up your creation at the Cloud9 Blog anytime before 10 AM EST on October 12 for a chance to win a gift certificate to WPlus9 Design Studio or a spot as a Guest Designer for next month's hop!

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I actually dusted off my Silhouette Cameo to cut a door for my card, inking the edges a bit and adding a bronze brad for a doorknob.

I used four different WPlus9 stamp sets:  the pumpkins and leaf from Season of Thanks, the bird from Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, the "Halloween" from A Pocketful: Halloween, and the "happy" from A Pocketful.

I wanted to decorate my pumpkins like the ones in the inspiration photo, so I "kissed" the inked stamps with polka dots and chevrons to add a pattern to each.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Kraft), WPlus9 Design Studio (White)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Season of Thanks, Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, A Pocketful:  Halloween, A Pocketful), Lawn Fawn (Chevron Backdrops), Papertrey Ink (Background Basics:  Polka Dots)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Tangerine Tango, Peach Parfait), Memento (Tuxedo Black), Papertrey Ink (Chamomile Tea Dye)

Tools:  Silhouette Online Store (Card Christmas Door cut file)

Other:  ribbon, brad

I hope you'll join us this month and link up your creation for a chance to win!  Stop by the Cloud9 Blog for more inspiration from the rest of the team and to view the gallery.

Holiday Cards & More 2012 & Cloud9 Blog Hop Tomorrow

Hi folks!  Just popping in today to share a card of mine that was published in Paper Crafts' special issue, Holiday Cards & More Volume 7.  This is such a gorgeous issue full of inspiration, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have had two cards picked up for it.

I thought this would also be a great opportunity to remind you about tomorrow's Cloud9 Blog Hop!  You can start linking up your creations at 10 AM EST, and you'll have until 10 AM on October 12 to enter for a chance to be our guest designer next month.  

Here's the photo we're using as inspiration this month:

Check out the Cloud9 Challenge Blog for more info, and stop by tomorrow to see what the design team has created to help you get the ideas flowing.  :)

Have a great start to your week, and thanks for stopping by!

Cloud9 September Blog Hop

Hello out there!  September's Cloud9 Blog Hop is live, and this time Suzanne has picked a lovely photo to inspire our creations.

{photo source}

I was inspired by the soft blue sky, branches, and the bird cages, so I used WPlus9's Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions and Love Birds on an aqua background.  The purple flowers and turquoise accent on the table in the photo led me to use Rich Razzleberry for the bird and to sprinkle on some turquoise gems.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Aqua Mist), WPlus9 Design Studio (White)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, Love Birds, Very Vintage Greetings)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Chocolate Chip, Rich Razzleberry, Garden Green)

Tools:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Love Bird dies), Papertrey Ink (Linen & Canvas impression plate)

Accessories:  Queen & Co. (rhinestones)

You can link up your design until 10 am EST on September 12.  There are two gift certificates and a Guest Designer spot up for grabs, so you don't want to miss out!

Thanks for visiting!

Cloud9 Blog Hop--August

If you're looking for the CASE Study Second Anniversary Blog Hop, click HERE!

What an amazing group of participants we had in the first Cloud9 Blog Hop!  I hope you had a chance to join us, but if not, you can jump right in with this month's challenge.  Just be sure to use at least one WPlus9 image in your creation, then link it up at the Cloud9 blog.

Suzanne has provided us with a fantastic sketch to use this month:

I was stumped for a while, but the "strips" in the sketch made me think of the banner image from Super Star, so that's where I started.  I also needed a little help choosing colors, so I turned to this week's ColourQ challenge (scroll down for the graphic).

I couldn't help it, I had to use A Pocketful again.  :)

I masked the banners before splattering Summer Starfruit ink across the card front, then added the sun and die cut pocket.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Midnight Muse), WPlus9 Design Studio (White)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Super Star, A Pocketful)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Certainly Celery)

Tools:  WPlus9 Design Studio (pocket die)

Here's the ColourQ palette for this week:

Don't forget to link up to the Cloud9 Blog Hop!  I can't wait to see all the brilliant takes on this sketch.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

WPlus9 Cloud 9 Blog Hop--July

Hey there, friends!  I have an extra special post for you today.  My sweet friend and fellow WPlus9 fan, Suzanne Dahlberg, decided to start a monthly blog hop for WPlus9 customers to showcase their creations.  Each month there will be a theme or challenge for inspiration, and to kick things off this month Suzanne has chosen a fun and colorful photo.

{photo source}

I am absolutely delighted and honored to have been invited to be a part of the Inspiration Team for this monthly challenge.  Two of my favorite designers are also joining the team:  Anya Schrier and Gayatri Murali.  I just know that their creations will knock your socks off each month!

For my card this month, I was inspired by the colors, large flowers, and natural fibers on the table skirt in the photo.  The brightly colored flowers became medallions on my card, and for the natural fibers I used some rustic twine and a muslin pocket.  

To make the pocket, I used spray adhesive to attach a scrap of muslin to white cardstock, then die cut and stamped the pocket with A Pocketful.  I cut a simple tag to fit inside the pocket and stamped it with aqua medallions and a sentiment from A Pocketful.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 Design Studio (White), Papertrey Ink (Fine Linen, Aqua Mist)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (A Pocketful, Mehndi Medallions)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Chocolate Chip)

Tools:  WPlus9 Design Studio (pocket die), Papertrey Ink (woodgrain impression plate), hole punch, corner rounder

Accessories:  The Ribbon Carousel (natural twine)

I hope you'll head over to the Cloud9 blog to find out more about the challenge, including prizes and a Linky for your creation!  You'll have 3 days to add your link, and there is sure to be some amazing inspiration along the hop to get you going.

Thanks so much for your visit!  I'm still 4 days behind on my blog reader, so forgive me if I haven't been by to say hello lately.  I hope you're having a great start to your week!