June Cloud9 Blog Hop

Hello there! Welcome to the June Cloud9 Blog Hop. I am sad to bring you the news that this month's Cloud9 Hop will be the last. We've had one full year of fabulous challenges, and I am so glad that each of you joined in with us! I have been so blessed to have had the chance to work with Suzanne and the rest of the Inspiration Team. These are a fabulous bunch of gals!

This month's theme is an anything goes free-for-all, and my itchy fingers wasted no time breaking out the new Backgrounds & Borders 1 set. One word: love. From here on out, there will be ikat on everything.

Fabulous. I already can't wait for Backgrounds & Borders 2!

I combined my ikat pattern with a sentiment from Strictly Sentiments 2. This font is swoon-worthy! I could make this card in a dozen different color combos. I just might, too - what a great gift!

That's it for me today. Thank you again for your support and participation in the Cloud9 Blog Hops over the past year. We had a blast!

Be sure to check out the amazing creations from the rest of the inspiration team:

Suzanne Dahlberg
Erin Taylor
Gayatri Murali
Maureen Merritt

as well as this month's special guest designer:

Maria F.!

Have a great day!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Backgrounds & Borders 1, Strictly Sentiments 2 - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal - Wplus9; Dusty Durango, Not Quite Navy - SU!
INK: Not Quite Navy, Dusty Durango, So Saffron - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Sequins - Darice

May Cloud9 Blog Hop

Hello there! Welcome to the May Cloud9 Blog Hop!

Don't you just love this month's inspiration picture? Can you believe that those are cookies? Here it is again, taken from Dainty Delights Inc. on Etsy.

I would sample them! :)

Here is what I came up with - didn't quite play out on paper as it did in my head, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

There are a ton of fun little flower bits in the Paisley Patterns set, and I used them to fill in the flower areas.

I am so glad that you've stopped by to see me today, I hope you'll play along with this month's Cloud9 Blog Hop with the chance to win a fabulous Wplus9 prize as well as join the Inspiration Team as next month's Guest Designer! You have until 10 am on May 12th to link up with us over on the Cloud9 Blog.

Also be sure to check out the amazing creations from the rest of the inspiration team:

Suzanne Dahlberg
Erin Taylor
Gayatri Murali
Maureen Merritt

as well as this month's special guest designer:

Jeanne Jachna!

Have a great day!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Paisley Patterns, A Special Lady - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal - Wplus9; Bashful Blue - SU!
INK: Real Red, Regal Rose, Garden Green - SU!
OTHER: Detail White Embossing Powder - Stampendous; Picot Edge Circle, Standard Circle Dies - Spellbinders Paper Arts

April Cloud9 Blog Hop

Hello there! Welcome to the April Cloud9 Blog Hop! Has spring finally arrived in your neck of the woods? We finally made it out of the 40s, and had temperatures in the 60s over the weekend. I feel like a new person!

Suzanne chose a beautiful springy tablescape for this month's inspiration picture.  Here it is, from the Coffee Rings and Southern Things Blog.

Beautiful!

I came home last night to my Wplus9 order (thank you, Dawn, you are the best!) and couldn't resist playing with new stamps. I have two words for you: Quilt Prints. You need it in your life, trust me.

Pops of bold color is what I pulled from this month's inspiration pic.

(See what I mean about Quilt Prints?)

I originally intended to layer another piece of cardstock on top so that the pattern just peeked out from the left side. BUT, I couldn't bring myself to cover it up. So, a trusty banner and a button help define my sentiment (Blanket Stitched Blooms). Oh the possibilities!

I am so glad that you've stopped by to see me today, I hope you'll play along with this month's Cloud9 Blog Hop with the chance to win a fabulous Wplus9 prize as well as join the Inspiration Team as next month's Guest Designer! You have until 10 am on April 12th to link up with us over on the Cloud9 Blog.

Also be sure to check out the amazing creations from the rest of the inspiration team:

Suzanne Dahlberg
Erin Taylor
Gayatri Murali
Maureen Merritt

as well as this month's special guest designer:

Vickie Zimmer!

Have a great day!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Quilt Prints, Blanket Stitched Blooms - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal - Wplus9
INK: Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade, Night of Navy, So Saffron - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Banner Trio Die - Wplus9; Kraft Button - PTI

March Cloud9 Blog Hop

Hello and happy Saturday! Welcome to the March Cloud9 Blog Hop!

This month, we are saying goodbye to dear Christina MacLaren. We will miss you, Christina! There is some good news, though.. the amazingly talented Erin Taylor and Maureen Merritt will be joining us!

Here is this month's inspiration photo, from the Erin Ever After Blog:

A beautiful, beautiful picture. I was completely stumped, though!

I pulled this set, pulled that set, and just couldn't quite decide what I wanted to do. Finally, I stepped back from the computer and looked at the photo from across the room. A handful of colors on the wall behind the vase jumped out at me, so I pulled those inks and a brush and this happened.

You know what, it is different but I liked it!

The flower is from Hope Seed Co. and the sentiment is from Quite Like You.

I am so glad that you've stopped by to see me today, I hope you'll play along with this month's Cloud9 Blog Hop with the chance to win a fabulous Wplus9 prize as well as join the Inspiration Team as next month's Guest Designer! You have until 10 am on March 12th to link up with us over on the Cloud9 Blog.

Also be sure to check out the amazing creations from the rest of the inspiration team:

Suzanne Dahlberg
Erin Taylor
Gayatri Murali
Maureen Merritt

as well as this month's special guest designer:

Michelle Leone!

Have a great day!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Hope Seed Co., Quite Like You - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Going Gray - SU!; Oatmeal - Wplus9
INK: Poppy Parade, Marigold Morning, Bermuda Bay, Groovy Guava - SU!; Slate - Amuse|Studio; Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko
OTHER: Aquapainter

February Cloud9 Blog Hop

Hello and happy Saturday! Welcome to the February Cloud9 Blog Hop!

Here is this month's inspiration photo, found on the Black Eiffel Blog:

Adorable little valentines - there is so much inspiration in this one little photo!

Here is the card that I created:

It was so much fun to decorate these little tags. I used elements from the newly released Chantilly Trim and Very Vintage Florals sets as well as the lovely Heartfelt Mix.

I am so glad that you've stopped by to see me today, I hope you'll play along with this month's Cloud9 Blog Hop with the chance to win a fabulous Wplus9 prize as well as join the Inspiration Team as next month's Guest Designer! You have until 10 am on February 12th to link up with us over on the Cloud9 Blog.

Also be sure to check out the amazing creations from the rest of the inspiration team:

Suzanne Dahlberg
Gayatri Murali
Christina MacLaren

as well as this month's special guest designer:

Meredith MacRitchie!

Have a great day!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Chantilly Trim, Very Vintage Florals, Heartfelt Mix, Love You More - Wplus9 Design Studio
CARDSTOCK: Ballet Slippers, Oatmeal, Kraft - Wplus9; Regal Rose - SU!
INK: White - Wplus9 (love it!); Real Red, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi - SU!; Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko
OTHER: Timeless Tags Die - Wplus9

January Cloud9 Blog Hop

Hello again! Welcome to the January Cloud9 Blog Hop!

This is my second post of the day, for my Serendipity Stamps Design Team Challenge, please scroll down or click here.

Ok! Here is this month's inspiration photo, another amazing pick from Suzanne:

I loved it! The color combination of kraft, cream, and silver is just so yummy - one of my new favorites. I took some very literal inspiration from the photo, and created this card:

I followed this tutorial for creating faceted stars from the Damask Love blog. I die cut some of Wplus9's Clear Cut Stackers: Stars from silver Glitter paper and layered them on a bit of corrugated cardboard. The sentiment is from the Label Layers 4 set and was stamped on the large Banner Trio Die.

I am so glad that you've stopped by to see me today, I hope you'll play along with this month's Cloud9 Blog Hop with the chance to win fabulous Wplus9 prizes! You have until 10 am on January 12th to link up with us over on the Cloud9 Blog.

Also be sure to check out the amazing creations from the rest of the inspiration team:

Suzanne Dahlberg
Gayatri Murali
Christina MacLaren

as well as this month's special guest designer:

Iwona Palamountain

Have a great day!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Label Layers 4 - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal - Wplus9; Silver Glitter - SU!; Corrugated Cardboard
INK: Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko
OTHER: Clear Cut Stackers: Stars, Banner Trio Die - Wplus9

December Cloud9 Blog Hop

Hello Wplus9 fans!

Welcome to the December Cloud9 Blog Hop! We have a big month for you - Suzanne has picked two fabulous photos to inspire you and we have three amazing guest designers joining us!

We are so lucky to have Amy Kolling, Maureen Merritt, and Kim Singdahlsen sharing their creations with us this month. These ladies are fabulous!

Here are the inspiration photos for this month:

I loved the second photo, with all the different items arranged so beautifully. I took inspiration from their placement along with the patterns and pops of red to create this card:

I so enjoyed pulling together all the different elements to use on this card. In addition to some patterned paper, a few buttons, a wooden snowflake and some washi tape, I used images from Folk Art Flurries, Mehndi Medallions, Spring Tags, Fair Isle Backgrounds, and Christmas Wishes. I love spreading all the stamp sets out and picking out bits and pieces from each to combine.

And now I have another holiday card to add to the stack. Its a good thing!

I am so glad that you've stopped by to see me today, I hope you'll play along with this month's Cloud9 Blog Hop with the chance to win fabulous Wplus9 prizes! You have until 10 am on December 12th to link up with us over on the Cloud9 Blog.

Also be sure to check out the amazing creations from the rest of the inspiration team:

Suzanne Dahlberg
Gayatri Murali
Christina MacLaren

as well as our three special guest designers:

Amy Kolling
Maureen Merritt
Kim Singdahlsen

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Recipe
STAMPS: Folk Art Flurries, Mehndi Medallions, Spring Tags, Fair Isle Backgrounds, and Christmas Wishes - Wplus9 Design Studio
CARDSTOCK: Real Red - SU!; Kraft, Oatmeal - Wplus9
PATTERNED PAPER: Christmas Plaid - Hot Off the Press (JoAnn Fabrics Stores)
INK: Latte - Amuse|Studio; Real Red - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger
OTHER: Kraft Buttons - PTI; Wood Snowflake - Maya Road; Wonderland Paper Tape - Martha Stewart Crafts; Sewing Machine - Janome

November Cloud9 and CardMaker Blog Hop Mash Up

Hello Wplus9 fans!

Here we are already at the November Cloud9 Blog Hop! I am also piggybacking on a CardMaker Blog Team Hop today as well. Ready for all the details?

Here is this month's Cloud9 inspiration picture. I know I say it every time, but Suzanne picks the best photos!

The things that popped out at me were the stack of books on the right hand side, and the brightly decorated white trees. Here's the card that I created with that inspiration in mind.

Bright and happy isn't it?

Now here is where the CardMaker Blog Team Hop comes in. Xyron was fabulous enough to send the CardMaker Blog Team a box full of goodies. I used some of the products they sent on this card and they were wonderful! Time savers for sure!

I started by using the permanent adhesive option in the Creative Station to apply adhesive over the entire surface of a 4 x 5-1/4 piece of cardstock. I used this piece as a base to adhere all the colored stripes. Having one piece of card all sticky made this step a breeze! I didn't have to apply adhesive to each strip, and the coverage was perfect to keep these all in place. Can't wait to try the magnet and laminating features of this little machine!

After I adhered the colored strips, I stamped and embossed the tree from Iconic Christmas on Kraft cardstock.

Then I experimented with a little confetti (1/8-inch hole punch) and the create-a-sticker maker. I was so happy that this worked out.. I just fed a bit of confetti in the sticker maker at a time and it came out with the adhesive applied! I just peeled the confetti off the backer and stuck it down on my tree. This was so much easier that anything else I could have used! I also tried out the Mega Runner when assembling the rest of my card. If you don't have a tape runner, I highly recommend this one! Super strong adhesive and very easy to use. I'm a big fan!

A sentiment and a some Stickles finishes it off. Really loving it!

Before you go, I have lots of links to share with you. First, be sure to visit the rest of the Cloud9 Inspiration Team:

Suzanne Dahlberg
Gayatri Murali
Christina MacLaren
and this month's special guest, Erin Taylor!

Then head back to the Cloud9 Blog to link up your creation.  You have until 10 am on November 12th to link up with us.  

Then please join me in visiting the fabulous gals on the CardMaker Blog Team:

Carolyn King

Colleen Schaan

Glenda Wyatt

Jennie Harper

Trudy Sjolander

And don't forget to visit the Xyron Website and Xyron Blog. Inspiration abounds!

So glad to see you today - TGIF!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Iconic Christmas - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal, Kraft - Wplus9; Hawaiian Shores, New Leaf - PTI; Real Red, Pear Pizzazz - SU!
INK: Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko
OTHER: 1/8" hole punch - Fiskars; Detail White Embossing Powder - Stampendous; Star Dust Stickles - Ranger; Creative Station, create-a-sticker maker, Mega Runner - Xyron

October Cloud9 Blog Hop

Hello, hello!

I am so happy that it is time for another Cloud9 Blog Hop!

This month we are welcoming the fabulous Kim Singdahlsen as our Guest Designer. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us this month.

Suzanne always picks the best inspiration photos, and this month's is just so fun! A perfect October photo:

This is what I was inspired to create.

This might sound a little crazy, but I never thought to turn the Label Layers 4 on end like this - I always visualize this image oriented horizontally. I was flipping through my stamp sets looking for something to mirror the door shape in the picture, and thought I'd try turning this one vertical. I like it! And it was sized perfectly for the sentiment from A Pocketful: Halloween.

Be sure to swing on over to the Cloud9 Blog to check out the rest of the Inspiration Teams' creations!

I hope you'll join us by linking up your project over on the Cloud9 Blog. In addition to the opportunity to join us as a Guest Member of the Inspiration Team, you could also win some Wplus9 loot!

I can't wait to see what you create this month! Take care!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Label Layers 4, A Pocketful: Halloween, Season of Thanks - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Black, Oatmeal - Wplus9; Fine Linen - PTI
PATTERNED PAPER: Chillingsworth Manor - Echo Park Paper Co.
INK: Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko; Peach Parfait, Pumpkin Pie - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Chevron Impression Plate - Wplus9; Black Dots Smash Tape - K&Company; Mister Huey's Dark Calico - Studio Calico

September Cloud9 Blog Hop

Hi there,

How is your weekend going? The temperatures here have dropped a few degrees, and it is feeling so wonderfully fallish. I am here today to bring you my bit of inspiration for this month's Cloud9 Blog Hop. I have to say, I have had some other things going on recently that have been sapping my creative energy. But when I saw the picture that Suzanne chose for this month's challenge, I was excited to get crafting.

This month we are also welcoming Jill Norwood as our Guest Inspiration Team Member. We'd love to have you join us next month, so be sure to play along!

Here is this month's fabulous inspiration photo.

Beautiful - I'd love to be there. Here is the card that I made.

The hanging bird cages in the picture reminded me of the dress form from C'est La Vie. I started with that focal point and added the elements around it.

It was a good crafting session - I hope you are as inspired by the picture as I was and I hope you'll join us by linking up your project over on the Cloud9 Blog. In addition to the opportunity to join us as a Guest Member of the Inspiration Team, you could also win some Wplus9 loot!

Hope your Sunday is fantastic!

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Recipe
STAMPS: C'est La Vie, Mother's Day Bouquet - Wplus9 Design Studio
CARDSTOCK: Soft Sky - SU!; Kraft, Oatmeal - Wplus9 Design Studio
PATTERNED PAPER: For the Record 2 - Echo Park Paper Company
INK: Midnight Muse, Primrose Petal, Regal Rose, Sage Shadow, Whisper White - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Baby's Breath Embossing Folder - ProvoCraft

Congratulations

Hi there!

Today is the 9th of the month, which means it is time for the Cloud9 Blog Hop! This month, we are bringing you a sketch challenge. I, for one, love that the challenges switch up!

This month we are also welcoming, fresh off of her stint as Guest Designer for the Wplus9 August release, sweetie Maureen Merritt! Maureen was chosen last month to be our Guest Inspiration Team Member. Next month's spot is up for grabs, so give us your best take on the sketch!

** Don't forget, the sketch is just inspiration - you don't have to follow it exactly! Just have fun with it!

Here is what I created, using Flora & Fauna I:

I stamped the dogwood flower and butterfly images in Rich Cocoa Memento ink and colored them with Copics. Then I trimmed out just the flowers I wanted to use, and layered them on a label die cut with the Label Layers 3 Die and stamped with the border from Very Vintage Greetings.

The little banners were die cut from patterned paper using the Banner Trio Die. The sentiment is from Heartfelt Mix.

I hope our sketch challenge inspires you this month, and you'll join us by linking up your project over on the Cloud9 Blog. In addition to the opportunity to join us as a Guest Member of the Inspiration Team, you could also win a $25 gift certificate to Wplus9! (Did you see the new release? That $25 could be well spent!)

Take care!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Flora & Fauna I, Heartfelt Mix, Very Vintage Greetings - Wplus9 Design Studio
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal - Wplus9; Blushing Bride - Stampin' Up!; Fine Linen - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Farmhouse - October Afternoon
INK: Fine Linen - Papertrey Ink; Rich Cocoa Memento - Tsukineko; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Banner Trio Die, Label Layers 3 Die - Wplus9; Linen & Canvas Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Copic Markers - Imagination International

On Cloud 9

Hello, hello!

So you may have heard about the new Cloud9 Blog that the fantastic Suzanne Dahlberg has started. It is a place to share Wplus9 creations on a regular basis, built around the idea of a monthly challenge and blog hop. I was excited to hear about it starting, but when Suzanne emailed me to ask if I would like to be a part of the Cloud 9 Inspiration Team, I was totally surprised and didn't hesitate to say yes!

And better yet, today is our first blog hop!  Here is how it works: the challenge will be posted on the Cloud9 Blog on the 6th and the hop will go live at 10 am on the 9th. It will remain open for 3 days so you have plenty of time to play along. A random winner will be chosen to receive a prize (these are Wplus9 prizes, chickies - right from the sweetheart Ms. Dawn Woleslagle herself!) AND if that wasn't enough, a Guest Designer will be chosen to join the Inspiration Team the following month. So you have no reason to not play along!

This month, our challenge is to create a project using this inspiration photo:

Don't you just love the idea of an inspiration challenge? You could use the colors, the layout, the elements in the photo - really, it is all up to you!

Here is the card that I created.

I chose a few colors from the photo that I wanted to work with as well as the idea of a floral pattern. I used the flowers and leaves from Folk Art Florals to create my base pattern. I also liked the ruffled bit at the bottom with the draped garland and thought I would recreate that with some pleated crepe paper and a scalloped punch.

The sentiment was stamped onto a scalloped rectangle cut using the Label Layers 4 Die and tucked under the red cardstock.

So there you have it!  My take on the inspiration photo - there are so many different ways you could go with this! I am looking forward to you joining us for the Cloud9 Blog Hop and can't wait to see what you create. Head over to the Cloud9 Blog to link up your creation, see the projects created by the rest of the Inspiration Team, and to find out more details about the prizes and the Guest Designer gig.  Enjoy!

Have a great day!

Anya

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Recipe
STAMPS: Folk Art Florals, Mother's Day Bouquet - Wplus9 Design Studio
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal - Wplus9 Design Studio; Real Red, Groovy Guava - Stampin' Up!
INK: Real Red, Groovy Guava, Melon Mambo, Regal Rose, Wild Wasabi, Cool Caribbean - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko
OTHER: Label Layers 4 Die - Wplus9 Design Studio; Diamond Lace Edger Punch - EK Success; Rustic Cream Button Twine, Melon Berry Button - Papertrey Ink