Winnie & Walter - Premier Day 4

As promised, here is the second cute-critter-set from the newest Winnie & Walter release. This one has lots of partying animals and is called "Happy Dance with Evelin T Designs."
 They all immediately put a smile on your face!

This stamp set and corresponding cutaways include several sentiments, cake, balloons, party hats, party streamers ... pretty much everything you need to throw a fabulous party!

The sentiment is the new In a Word: Party which I watercolored in green on top, fading into blue on the bottom. The secondary sentiment is from the newest Sentimental set. It magically happens to fit right in between the P and Y ... love it when things work out like that.

The second card for today has a background made from Scenery: Spotty Creative Screenings. I blended four different inks through the stencil, rotating and flipping it over in between inks. Before I started blending, I used the heart cutaway as a mask so I'd have white space in the center for my happy dancing bear. Doesn't he look like he's having the best time dancing? The tiny sentiment that comes with this set is perfect to not steal the focus.

I just love these fellas!

Be sure to check out the other amazing projects on the Winnie & Walter blog. As usual, leave a comment there for a chance to WIN all of today's goodies. The Big Giveaway is also going on with a chance to win the entire release!!

Well the release festivities are over now, but starting at 10:00 AM CST on Friday, June 30th you can place your order at Winnie & Walter for anything that caught your eye this week. Happy shopping!
-Kelly

Winnie & Walter - Premier Day 3

More release goodness from Winnie & Walter! As big a fan I am of the Welcome to the Family by Evelin T Designs set, you can imagine how thrilled I was to find out there are two similar sets coming out in this release! This set is called Party On by Evelin T Designs and features 4 different critters with amazing abilities to play music.

I love it when an image is cute enough to carry a card on its own. Makes it so much easier to create! This is perfect for a kid's birthday card, which fortunately lines up with my goal to create a ton of kid's birthday cards this year. We have so many kids in the family, and I never have enough cards to send them for birthdays, which is quite embarrassing when you're known as the card maker in the family.

While the stamps were lined up on the Misti I made several extra panels that I can just color while watching a movie.

As cute as this fox is, pairing him with brown and blue makes for a perfectly acceptable card for little boys. Especially given the clean nature of the card. I've been in the habit of drawing a border around my panel or card with my Zig pen when something looks a little too plain. That usually seems to satisfy me.

Just one Zig Clean Color Brush Marker for this fella. Oh wait, I lied. I forgot I also used a super light gray on his face and tail to make it stand out slightly from the white background.

Then on the inside of the cards I continued the sentiment so the whole card reads "Make some noise ... We are going to party like it's your birthday." When Shay asked us awhile ago what kind of stamps we're personally looking for, the first thing that popped into my head was sentiments for the INSIDE of the card. I always feel like I spend hours on the front and then throw together something that doesn't look as good on the inside. It always bothers me. I am happy to report that I do not at all feel bothered with this card! I added three of the fox's friends in black and white to accompany the sentiment. 

I just want to hug this little guy!

Be sure to check out the other amazing projects on the Winnie & Walter blog. As usual, leave a comment there for a chance to WIN all of today's goodies. The Big Giveaway is also going on with a chance to win the entire release!!

   
I'll be back tomorrow with the final day of the release party. Hope you'll join me!

-Kelly

Winnie & Walter - Premier Day 2

Welcome back to day 2 of the newest Winnie & Walter release! Today I focused mainly on the two biggest sizes in the Big Balloons cutaway set.

This card uses the second biggest balloon die of the four, and as you can see here, you also have two insert dies in case you want to create shaker cards. For these balloons I used the Zig Clean Color Brush Marker to color them ... what an easy coloring job. No lines to stay inside! The party die is an addition to the In a Word series. Because the "let's" is tiny next to the giant "p" I stamped a few arrows from Scenery: Stripes 2 (which is currently on sale).

Then to finish it off I tied some baker's twine to the ends of each balloon (so handy to have that little triangle on the end of the balloon to use) and then to several of the letters in the sentiment. Lots of color in this card!

The next card uses the largest balloon die to make a shaped card. I love shaped cards and make them any time I can! Since this shape doesn't lend itself to standing very well on its own I made my own cloud and attached it to the back of the card. Now when it's opened it has somewhere to stand. 

The sentiment uses the "birthday" In a Word Cutaway and then a cute sentiment about cake and ice cream from the newest Sentimental set (which, with 26 different birthday sayings, is a set that will probably never leave the top of my desk!!) 

But that's not all ...

The balloon is flying away despite the best efforts of several critters ... and the cake!! The card is meant to sit on a ledge and then have these cuties dangle over the edge in an interactive way.

 

These guys are from the Party On set which will be the focus of Friday's post.

 

When on display it makes for a large card, but since they are all just holding on to the string, it still is able to fit in a regular envelope. You just crumple up the string behind the balloon so when it's pulled out all the critters fall down. Fun!

I can tell these balloon dies are going to get a lot of use!

Be sure to check out the other amazing projects on the Winnie & Walter blog. As usual, leave a comment there for a chance to WIN all of today's goodies. The Big Giveaway is also going on with a chance to win the entire release!!

   
Be sure to stop by the next two days for the remainder of the release. 
  

Thanks for looking!
-Kelly

Winnie & Walter - Premier Day 1

Hi folks! We have another release for Winnie & Walter to share with you this week! 

This first card uses the newest set in the In Bloom series ... In Bloom: Carolina's Florals with Angelica Suarez, as well as the heart from From the Bottom of My Heart. 

 There are a lot of pieces here, but it came together somewhat quickly since I lined up the stamps with the attached dies and then cut them all out at once. I place the die, cutting side down, on the cardstock and then center each stamp on top of each die. Then close the misti lid and press onto the stamps so they all remain in position. After stamping, you just line up the attached dies on top of the stamped images, tape it down, and then die cut as normal. This was a tip I learned from one of Jennifer Mcguire's videos. Total lifesaver! Otherwise all those tiny dies can be intimidating and then I don't tend to use them. 

 But once they are all cut, I have plenty for my current and even future projects. I ended up making two extra sets before I peeled off the stamps from my misti. Might as well, since they are already set up!

 I inked all the stamps, including the Happy sentiment, in green instead of black to give the card a lighter, more colorful look. Also, when adhering the floral pieces to the card base I just put adhesive on one end so the other is loose. I like the way that makes for a little more 3D bouquet. Then I added a gold thread bow for some sparkle. 

This card is one of my favorites from the release! I like how all the elements came together to carry the sentiment throughout the card.

The strawberry comes with a separate stamp for the seeds. Which reminds me of a quick story I just told this week of my mom when she first started cooking after getting married. She was making a salad that called for strawberries. A lot of strawberries. And it was taking forever. So long that she was worried that they may be late to the party they were supposed to bring the salad to. She just couldn't understand why people would even make this salad, since REMOVING ALL THE SEEDS from the strawberries was taking so long. Hahaha ... ugh, could you imagine how long that must have taken my mom to pick all those tiny seed off the outside of the strawberries? And I wonder what the party guests thought when they saw a "naked" strawberry? Anyway, my whole point in sharing this photo was to show you the gold embossed seeds. Love that they are slightly raised, just like in real life, due to the embossing.

 The berry and stamped sentiment are from In Bloom: Carolina's Florals. The birthday die is a new In a Word cutaway, and the fun dots are from Mini Scenery: Spotty. The adorable kitty is from another new set that will be featured later this week. You'll love it!

Be sure to check out the other amazing projects on the Winnie & Walter blog. As usual, leave a comment there for a chance to WIN all of today's goodies. The Big Giveaway is also going on with a chance to win the entire release!!

   
I'll be back tomorrow, and the next couple days, to share more exciting products from this new release.
  

Thanks for looking!

-Kelly

Card for an Orange-Loving Eighth Grade Graduate

Hi Folks! I'm excited to share this eighth grade graduation card, staring my favorite little gummy bear times 4. It's on the Winnie & Walter blog today if you want to check it out!

 

Thanks for looking!
-Kelly

Naturally Inspired Stamp of Approval Release Day

Hi Folks! Well, today was supposed to be the release day for Catherine Pooler's most recent Stamp of Approval collection, called Naturally Inspired. However, the collection was so popular that it has already sold out to the people who signed up for the waitlist to get the collection ahead of time.

Not to worry, if you didn't get a chance to buy the collection now, the sets, additional ink color, and Wanderlust sparkly embossing powder, will be for sale individually in the Catherine Pooler store in the Fall or Winter.

Shoot! Well, I'd still like to share one final card with you ...

This card was made mostly with one of the tiniest stamps in the collection. I lightly drew a circle with a pencil and then started to stamp the tiny flower stamp in different colors around the circle. I continued around until the wreath felt solid enough. Then I stamped the sentiment from Simply the Best, and the card base with the cross-hatchy stamp.

I made another card while I had all the supplies out, this time centered on the card. I think I still like the tilted panel card better. For both of the cards I cut off the length so they are 4 1/4" square.

Here are the different colors used in these cards, along with some second generation stamping of the flowers. 

Well, sure hope you've liked all the different projects from this past week. Stay tuned later in the year for these products being released individually. Thanks so much for stopping by!

-Kelly

Amazing New Dies + Win $50 at Ellen Hutson!!

Exciting news ... do you remember the innovative Hinged Thanks die that Ellen Hutson released in February? I got so many comments from you on how this would make a great alphabet set, and guess what? They listened! You can now get Hinged Alpha and Numbers Dies!!

You would not believe all the fun I've been having ... these powerful dies kept me in the craft room for days, and I've really only scratched the surface with what these bad boys can do. Please head on over to my post on Ellen Hutson to see all the projects, including several cards, a mini-album and the easiest, personalized Christmas ornament ever! I sure hope you like them!

Because the folks at Ellen Hutson are so wonderful, they are offering you a chance at a $50 GIFT CERTIFICATE to purchase anything in their store! All you need to do is comment on this post before June 13th, and they will announce the winner on their blog.

Thanks for looking, and I'll see you over at the CLASSroom!
-Kelly

Affiliate Links below, which means I receive a small commission, at no cost to you, when you buy something:

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Hinged Numbers by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Hinged Alphabet by Julie Ebersole

W&W Rerun - Scenery: Stripes

Hi Folks! We're starting a new Rerun Challenge at Winnie & Walter ... the 20th challenge if you can believe it! This month Shay has chosen a staple to feature, Scenery: Stripes. Just how every closet should have a little black dress, every craft room should have a good stripe set like this. Super versatile, and always in style.

The card I made for the challenge was inspired by one of my favorite coastal vacation memories ... sunsets over water. The sentiment from Sentimental: Endearments is stamped in orange to represent the sun. The stripes underneath represent the waves on the water and how the crests of the waves reflect the colors in the sky.

So there you have it, my stylized sunset card! Simple, but I like it.

 

Head on over to the Winnie & Walter blog to find out details on how to participate in the rerun challenge, which is open throughout the month. Don't forget there is also a giveaway, AND the featured set is on sale (only $11.25 instead of $15).

Thanks for looking!
-Kelly

Naturally Inspired Stamp of Approval Blog Hop

Welcome to the first day of the Naturally Inspired SOA blog hop! You were most likely completely wowed by the fabulous Maureen Merritt, but if not feel free to start at the beginning with Catherine herself.
       

If you're not familiar, the Stamp of Approval box is a collection of products which are all exclusive to Catherine Pooler designs, so you won't be able to purchase them anywhere else. They also are only available as a whole collection and won't be offered individually for several months. If you need to start playing with these goodies soon, I would recommend that you subscribe to the wait list at Catherine Pooler Stamp of Approval so you're the first to know when it's available. You don't have to pay anything to subscribe, you're just billed if and when you decide to buy the collection. Historically, the collections have sold out rather quickly. 

Since this collection is called "Naturally Inspired," we thought it would be fun to all share what naturally inspires us. For me, it's TEXT text TEXT text TEXT! Preferably vintage text. I have pieces in every room ...

In the Kitchen, porcelain jars recovered from English garbage dumps

In the Craft Room, lots of vintage supplies and potential embellishments, if I could ever use them!

In the Hallway, my favorite, a 100 year old mileage sign from a local gas station.

  
I really could have shared dozens of photos here. This was an easy question for me to answer!

Now let's check out the projects!
  

And the first one, coincidentally, is all about TEXT! There is something about the proportions on this thin-lined block text from Simply the Best that just pleases me to no end. I could look at it all day long. Then you combine it with the scripty "best" and the heart-piercing arrow ... swoon. As is typical when I get a design that I love, I leave it on my Misti and end up stamping several more panels.

All that's needed now is the colored "best", the heart, and a general design. I make a few more versions of this card with a background of medallions, and then decide to stamp the text on the actual card base for some one-layer designs.

For this one I drew an oval (by putting the ink lid on top of the sentiment) in pencil and then randomly stamped florals from the Wild Garden stamp set making sure the tops of the florals did not cross the pencil line.

 It's so fun to try out different designs on these cards, knowing that you have nothing invested in them. If something goes wrong, just ink up the Misti and start over! Love looking at all these different designs with the same sentiment.

Are you ready for a 3D project, that can also serve as a card? As soon as I saw the lattice frame die I thought: lantern/candle holder.

And it turned out just how I imagined! After cutting four sets of these lattice panels and frames, I joined them together with a copy paper hinge inside, and lined the insides with vellum.

Now when the candle is on (battery-operated, NOT real flame) the vellum creates a nice glow along the sides. I used the Best die to extend the sentiment beyond the candle holder, and then hung "wishes" from it.

As always, it easily folds flat for mailing. You may notice the embellishment on this one is different ... I wanted to also make a version that did not pass the top of the candle holder so it would fit better in an envelope.

The last project requires an entire sheet of stamping, which was a pleasure because I'd been dying to see how the Medallion Mix-up set stamped. I certainly got several chances to mix them up, as the set name suggests! And what better to mix with than all the amazing Catherine Pooler Inks?

So why the full sheet?

To make a quick set! Cutting the sheet into fourths gives you four unique panels for four cards. 

It's always surprising to me how well designed these turn out, when they were not at all individually planned. One tip is to stamp through the middle of the sheet on a diagonal. Then you're sure to get enough stamped images on each panel. You never know what you're going to get!

A simple sentiment embossed in gold on black paper doesn't attract too much attention from these beauties.

I did add a few sequins for some sparkle. Just love the detailed patterns in these medallions. This, along with the amazing coverage from Catherine Pooler Inks, makes for one heck of a card!

BLOG HOP PRIZE

One winner will be chosen at random from each day's comments across all the blogs in the hop and announced on June 9th on Catherine Pooler's blog. The winners will win their own Naturally Inspired Stamp of Approval box! No worries if you already bought it, you will be issued a Gift Certificate worth $100 towards a future purchase. Yay for prizes!

Your next stop is the lovely Jen Carter!

Don't forget to stop by Catherine Pooler's blog over the next two days for MORE blog hops! Yes, there is no shortage of talent for this release! The release date is Wednesday, June 7th. 

1. Catherine Pooler 

2. Melissa Miller  

3. Lisa Harrolle

4. Maureen Merritt  

5. Kelly Griglione  <--You are here

6. Jen Carter  

7. Ardyth Percy-Robb