Hi readers! Happy Thursday to you! Where did the week go? Another fast one! I hope that no matter where you are in the world, and however good or bad the weather may be, that this blog post brings a bit of sunshine into your day! It certainly did for me! I’d like to welcome back Dawn Woleslagle to our blog as a guest. Dawn is not only a wonderful artist, but the owner of WPlus9, the brand that we are featuring today!

Be sure to read on for some tricks and tips from Dawn on how to make this beauty! Enjoy!

I don’t know about you, but I am so ready for Spring to arrive.  That yearning was the inspiration of this cheerful card. And the Sending Sunshine stamp set along with the Sending Sunshine Layers die was perfect for creating this inlaid die cutting shaker card!

Once I had die cut my windows from the front panel, I used a sponge dauber to color the pieces that I would be fitting back into their negative spaces. If you are unfamiliar with either of these techniques, or just need a refresher – I use both in this video. I wanted to add a hint of blue, so before I assembled anything, I blended a little ink around my die cut windows using a Blending Tool.  You could fill your shaker with sequins or seed beads or anything you’d like. But I’ve been loving the chunky course glitters lately, so that’s what I went with.

I colored the “Sunshine” die cut using a sponge dauber again, except this time I colored half with darker yellow and then blended a paler yellow in for the other half. I popped it up on the card using a little clear foam tape.  I love using clear foam tape for die cut words, especially when they are detailed or dainty because you don’t have to worry as much about it being seen.

Glittered die cuts is another one of my all time favorites.  Creating the glittered clouds was incredibly easy thanks to Adhesive Sheets.  I just pulled the release film form one side of a sheet and adhered it to a piece of white cardstock.  Then I die cut my clouds from the sheet. Make sure the adhesive side is face up or facing the die. This way the adhesive will be on the front of your die cut.  Remove the release paper and then cover your die cut with glitter.  Easy, and no liquid glue or spray adhesive needed.  Score!

The finishing touches are courtesy of Pretty Pink Posh – the form of sequins of course! Sequins just make everything better.  I hope you enjoyed today’s card and hopefully it brightened your day just a bit.

SUPPLIES:

This week on the  Wednesday Challenge  we have chosen the theme  ‘Things That Fly’

With Spring fast approaching it is the time of year when our gardens burst into life and the air is buzzing with bees, butterflies, bugs and birds. It is also the time of year when our thoughts turn to summer vacations and flying away to faraway places. There are so many stamps and products that you can use for this challenge, and the Wednesday team have used several options on their creations, so please pop over to see them.

This week the team are using products from American Crafts Products, you don’t have to use them on your creations but if you have them, now is the time to open them up and use them! Once you have made your creation just go ahead and upload it into the linky on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog!  We can’t wait to see what you make!

As always, we’re offering a chance to win a $50 Gift Voucher to Simon Says Stamp! (If you enter in this weeks Wednesday Challenge, you’ll have a chance to win!)

Below are three projects created by the design team, that showcase this weeks theme! You can visit the challenge blog  to get all the details and see the amazing cards and projects that the design team has created this week. If you click on each designers name, you’ll be taken directly to their blog where you’ll get more details about their project! Be sure to give these talented ladies some comments!

Created by Jennifer:

Jennifer used:

Created by Mandy:

Mandy used:

Created by Melissa:

Melissa used:

So now it’s your turn! Happy Crafting!

Do you use Instagram?  If so please add  #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there too!

Blog Candy Alert!! Follow our blog via email and comment on this post for a chance to win a special blog candy!

Congrats! Blog Candy Winners!

From: Class Information + Giveaway!: Amy McCue!
From: Bear Hugs!!!: Michelle Golz!
From: Easter Shaker Basket: Sabrina Radican!
From: March’s Color of the Month Is… Mermaid Lagoon!: Martine Dube!
From: New Release: PLAN ON IT! Stamps Inks and Dies!: Diana Nguyen!
From: Pandamonium!: Denise Bryant!
From: I am Loved and Grateful: Stephanie Rodgers!
From: Praying for You + Video: Connie Brooks!
From: DIY Luminaries!:  Terri Burson!
From: Mixed Media Mini Canvas: Christine Richaud!
From: Mixed Media Artist: Birgit Koopsen: Kerry Phillips!
From: No Rules. Just CREATE!: sherry butcher!

Please email Samantha ([email protected]) with your mailing address and the name of the blog you won from to claim your prize!

Hi readers! Happy Tuesday! One of the many things that is so special about the paper crafting community is the amazingly kind and supportive nature of our fellow crafters as well as the ability to inspire each other! Classes and challenges are such a wonderful venue for inspiration and support! Today we’re sharing some information about a fun class coming up, and a challenge that is going on NOW!

Read on…

You’ve used and loved your die-cutting machine for years– and now it’s time to step up your die-cutting game! In Stretch Your Dies, you’ll learn new tricks, techniques, and ideas for putting your favorite dies to work to create truly unique cards.

Join instructors Kristina Werner and Jennifer McGuire, plus special guest artists, for this all new card-making class.  Based on the same concept in our popular Stretch Your Stamp series, we’re putting the spotlight on our favorite styles of dies and die-cutting techniques.  From playing with word dies to discovering ways to using mini dies, we’ll take you step by step through over 20 “to die for” techniques and help you get more out of your die cutting investment.

Class Begins March 16, 2015, and registration is open now!

GIVEAWAY!

Would you like to win a spot in the Stretch Your Dies class? Comment on this blog post for a chance to win! If you’re already signed up for class, they will refund your dues. Winner will be announced soon! Good luck!

The 30 Day Color Challenge is in full swing! If you haven’t been tuning in just yet, you may want to start with Day One!

Kathy Racoosin is calling all people who love to color to join her by taking a 30 day coloring challenge. The idea is to color something everyday even if it’s for five minutes. The challenge is all about adding more color into our lives and carving out a little time for something that makes you happy. Kathy will be posting every day on her blog for 30 days coloring with many different mediums (something for everyone). With every challenge there are GIVEAWAYS, and ways to share you work via her blog or on Instagram kathyrac. (When sharing your work use the hashtag #thedailymarker30day) Visit thedailymarker.com for more details. . I hope you will take the challenge or jump in when you can.

GIVEAWAY!

Tune into Kathy’s blog on Monday, March 16th for a chance to win the blue & purple Copic blending kits! This is a great prize for beginning colorers! Good luck!

Thanks for reading today! Do something CREATIVE today! ?