Introducing The Talent + Giveaway

This day is one we have been looking forward to and anticipated like Winnie does her walks.  We get to introduce the lovely ladies who are part of our creative team.  We call them The Talent because of their obvious talent and because they are essential to breathing life into our designs.  Their creativity, flair and ability make us and our little stamps jump for joy!

>>>THE GOOD STUFF<<<

Now let's learn more about each of ladies:

Heather's bold clean style knocks us over.  Her use of color and pattern is simply gorgeous.  Yep, she's sensational.

Heather's blog: Witty Title Here

More about Heather:
1. Favorite snack(s) while creating: I don't usually eat, while creating, but I do keep my water bottle handy.
2. Color combo I can’t get enough of: I have so many favorite color combos, but lately I've been obsessed with gray and a pop of bright color.
3. On my desk/table right now is: A huge mess!
4. I excel at: Procrastinating. :)
5. When I craft I: watch tv/movies; listen to music; listen to the voices in my head; and/or prefer silence: I usually have Netflix or Pandora's 80s channel running in the background.
6. My favorite crafting companion: Our Australian Shepherd, Heston.
7. Don’t you dare take this away from me: White embossing powder!
8. My favorite crafting holiday/event: Christmas
9. My pictures are mostly of: My daughter, Lindsay, or nature/animals.
10. When I grow up I want to be: Old. :P

Joni could make a lump of coal beautiful.  She also does adorable.  Adorable and beautiful...what's not to love?  And we surely love the dazzling Ms. Andaya!       

Joni's blog: Papell with Love

More about Joni:
1. Favorite snack(s) while creating: skittles & walnuts
2. Color combo I can’t get enough of: pink, yellow, chartreuse, and aqua
3. On my desk/ table right now is: Different die-cut shapes and sizes
4. I excel at: Hmm… I am still trying to excel in many things, trying different things in regards on my designs. I don’t think I will ever be satisfied, since I always want to learn new things
5. When I craft I : Most of the time I watch movies and sometimes listen to Pandora. Though sometimes silence is appropriate too.
6. My favorite crafting companion: My laptop…browsing at Pinterest is a must!
7. Don’t you dare take this away from me: Cutting board
8. My favorite crafting holiday/event: I love Fall and Thanksgiving
9. My pictures are mostly of: Projects I’ve done
10. When I grow up I want to be: I will finally get my degree as a Software Engineer this coming February 2014. I would really want to combine designing and software in the future.

Kelly is a master at thinking outside the box and seeing the possibilities and making projects that make us marvel.  Give her a die and be amazed by what she makes.  Seriously awesome is what she is.

Kelly's blog: Notable Nest

More about Kelly:
1. Favorite snack(s) while creating: no food allowed in the craft room ... 1) I don't trust myself, and 2) I'm too wrapped up in crafting to eat
2. Color combo I can’t get enough of: gray/charcoal + a color; although seeing the way chocolate brown has gone, I probably shouldn't use gray so much
3. On my desk/table right now is: absolutely everything, with two release weeks back-to-back. Wire, a mason jar lid, scraps, wood veneer snowflakes that haven't managed to make their way onto a project yet, a remote for my new cd/i pod/radio player, my son's sock.
4. I excel at: math, and figuring out the quickest way to do something (unload the dishwasher, wait in line at Disney, make my Christmas cards, plan a route for errands)
5. When I craft I: watch tv/movies; listen to music; listen to the voices in my head; and/or prefer silence: listen to music ... Green Day, Metallica, Sting, Norah Jones, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, I can also do Pop Rock
6. My favorite crafting companion: My neighbor, Brenda! She's about 20 large steps away.
7. Don’t you dare take this away from me: Besides my family ... patterned paper, my Spyder coat and Ugg boots, my flea market purchases, my camera
8. My favorite crafting holiday/event: My friend Helen organizes card swaps (and a craft supply swap) with about 15 other ladies. It's so fun to be with people who understand how awesome the Silhouette is. I need to get them blogging though. Currently I'm the only one who does that.
9. My pictures are mostly of: My kids (candids, as they stopped posing for me many years ago), travels, and most recently my cards so I can post them on the blog
10. When I grow up I want to be: A well-traveled woman who knows how to knit and use the manual settings on her camera

Suzanne's work is a winning combination of striking simplicity and prettiness.  A fantastic sense of balance is really key in her delightful designs.  She's nothing short of rad. 

Suzanne's blog: Freshly Noted

More about Suzanne:

1. Favorite snack(s) while creating: M&Ms

2. Color combo I can’t get enough of: I love gray, gold, and pink lately.

3. On my desk/table right now is: All of my Winnie and Walter stamps!

4. I excel at: This was very hard for me to answer. I feel like I excel at thinking about everything I used to excel at when I was younger! I make a pretty mean lasagna though.

5. When I craft I: watch tv/movies; listen to music; listen to the voices in my head; and/or prefer silence: I listen to Pandora radio, and right now my favorite channel is Mumford & Sons. I also sing out loud. A lot.

6. My favorite crafting companion: My dog Teddy is almost always by my side, but in real life I've had the pleasure of meeting lots of crafty friends. I would love for any of them to visit anytime.

7. Don’t you dare take this away from me: A cup of coffee in the morning

8. My favorite crafting holiday/event: Christmas

9. My pictures are mostly of: My dog, Teddy, and trips that my husband and I take.

10. When I grow up I want to be: A few things would be fun: a good singer or a pet photographer or even getting a chance to wait tables again. So would winning the lottery. Or maybe I will turn perfectly wrinkly and white-haired enough that I could dress as Mrs. Claus during the holidays. But for now, I feel lucky to be in biostats.

Last, but certainly not least is Vanessa.  She can do sweet, she can do clean and simple, she can do layers, but no matter what she makes it always carries her innate grace and taste.  Glorious is how we like to describe her. 

Vanessa's blog: wings of a butterfly

More about Vanessa:

1. Favorite snack(s) while creating: Usually nothing - I am too clumsy and would get everything over my projects :)

2. Color combo I can’t get enough of: pink-aqua-red (especially for Valentine's Day)

3. On my desk/table right now is: Too much! It's such a mess...
4. I excel at: Making a mess
5. When I craft I: watch tv/movies; listen to music; listen to the voices in my head; and/or prefer silence: watch TV/Movies and listen to the voices in my head
6. My favorite crafting companion: Meg Ryan in one of her romantic movies (especially in You've Got Mail)
7. Don’t you dare take this away from me: My stamps
8. My favorite crafting holiday/event: Birthdays
9. My pictures are mostly of: My sweet Girl
10. When I grow up I want to be: A famous cardmaker

If you aren't familiar with The Talent you are in for a treat when you go to their blogs.  AND because we want to celebrate our good fortune with everyone we are having a very special giveaway. 

>>>THE GIVEAWAY<<<

We are giving away a guest star spot for our Second Release in March.  This means one (1) lucky winner will receive the Second Release + will participate in the Second Release by having their projects featured here on the Winnie & Walter blog along with The Talent. 

Fine print: Please don't enter to win unless you are willing to:

•  make at least one (1) project per stamp set for the Second Release;
•  post your projects online (on your personal blog or an online gallery); and
•  also participate in all the release festivities! 

The deadline to comment to win is 12:01 a.m. (central standard time) on January 15, 2014.

All winners during our Grand Opening Red Carpet Event will be announced on January 15, 2014.