Special Guest Star Melissa Phillips Take One

To say we were giddy when Melissa Phillips said yes to being a Special Guest Star is a bit of an understatement.  She weaves magic and spins stardust into little wonders of art.  

Stamps used: Parentville + The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom

Today's card by Melissa is so dainty, elegant and pretty!  It is such a delightful touch to accentuate the central layer featuring the silhouette with the frame offset behind it (both of which are from The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom).  The accents of the felt flowers and sequins centers along with the floral spray stamp are a perfect way to dress up the lady.  The soft pieces of patterned paper, ribbon and banner sentiment from Parentville complete this marvel of feminine grace a mother is sure to love!

To see more about Melissa's project CLICK HERE.

Make sure to leave Melissa some love here and on her blog!

Come back Thursday for another day with Melissa! And we had our little "introduction" of Melissa yesterday which you can read HERE.

April Special Guest Star, Jocelyn Olson!

1 of 2 posts today.  For the Introduction to April's Special Guest Star, Melissa Phillips CLICK HERE.

Seeing Jocelyn Olson's work is a revelation.  There is mastery of layering AND white space!  She uses digital and mixed media products with equal aplomb and grace.  The details Jocelyn adds are invariably thoughtful, artistic and inspiring.  We think Jocelyn is simply stupendous!  We are as excited as children Christmas morning to have Jocelyn as one of our Special Guest Stars this month!

>>>ABOUT JOCELYN<<<

I’m a wife, mom of two great kids, avid papercrafter, bright color lover, non-fiction book reader, Brady Bunch fan, and expert Polly Pockets dresser. In my spare time, I work as a consultant for states on Federal education and special education programs. Currently, I’m on the Scraptastic Club Design Team and the Glitz Design Digital Team. Thanks Shay and Julie for having me as the Guest Star for the second Winnie + Walter release. I'm excited to be guesting!

>>>COMING SOON<<<

Be sure to tune in here for Jocelyn's unbelievable projects this Wednesday and Friday!

April Special Guest Star, Melissa Phillips!

1 of 2 posts today.  For the Introduction to Special Guest Star, Jocelyn Olson CLICK HERE.

Melissa Phillips is well known among paper crafters the world over for good reason: she's a delightful lady making our world brighter and prettier one project at a time!  Everything she creates exudes a sense of sweetness, authenticity and charm.  Her work is heartfelt and heartwarming which is surely a reflection of Melissa's kind and generous soul.  We here at w&w have been fans of Melissa for years and years and are so entirely besides ourselves to have her be one of our Special Guest Stars this month. 

>>>ABOUT MELISSA<<<

Melissa was born and raised in American Fork, UT. After graduating from Brigham Young University, she and her husband moved to Southern Nevada where they currently live with their little girl.

After the birth of her daughter, Melissa wanted to make handmade Thank You notes to send out and became hooked immediately on card making. It all spiraled from there and has become a wonderful and rewarding part of Melissa’s life.

“I love creating things for other people, and I enjoy the process of working with my hands to turn ordinary paper into something heartfelt. My loves are card making and altering anything that sparks my interest. I enjoy every minute of it and I love to share my creations with those I love.”

>>>COMING SOON<<

Look for Melissa's stunning projects tomorrow and Thursday!

Special Guest Star Donna Mikasa Take Two

We are so lucky to have Donna Mikasa for another day full of beautiful projects.  We know you will be as delighted as we are at the marvels Donna's created!

Stamps used: Parentville + The Big, the Bold, and Happy

Bright, flirty and vivacious this is just right to give to a fun friend to say hello, send them as a pick-me-up or to invite them out (or maybe in for some cocktails and crafting). Donna paired vibrantly inked up purses from Parentville with a sentiment made with The Big, the Bold, and the Happy.  Va-va-voom!

Stamps used: The Big, the Bold and You + The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom

This thank you card by Donna feels like it has a rainbow of flowers sprinkled across it!   A gorgeous trail of flowers made with The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom and a big "thank you" (she simply did not ink up the "s" on the big "thanks") from The Big, the Bold and You embossed in gold make this one lusciously beautiful card!

Stamps used: Parentville + The Big, the Bold and You

Donna's last card is one classy number!  Using more bright color and water her purses from Parentville make a lively and zesty border which is boldly accentuated with black.  And the sentiment made from The Big, the Bold and You looks oh so chic.  Talk about a card looking like a million!

CLICK HERE to see Donna's post.

We feel blessed to have had Donna work her magic with w&w stamps.  We thank her from the bottom of our hearts!  Donna, you are one in a million!

Make sure to leave Donna some very well deserved love here and on her blog!

And if you've missed our introduction to Donna CLICK HERE or her first set of projects CLICK HERE.

Have a very happy weekend and check back Monday for some more inspiration!

Special Guest Star Donna Mikasa Take One

Today we bring you our first day with the delightful Donna Mikasa!  You will see her gleeful use of color, technique and skill with using a few supplies for stunning results.  Her projects convey a sense of play and happiness in creative exploration.    

Stamps used: The Big, the Bold and You + The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom

First up is this pretty oval card that is perfect for expressing heartfelt gratitude.  Donna created her dainty flowers using The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom.  She stamped a sweet customized sentiment with The Big, the Bold and You is so sweet.  The finishing touches of gems and the lovely butterfly make for a superb thank you.

Stamps used: Parentville + The Big, the Bold and You

This card is full of so much verve and charm!  Donna used the purse from Parentville to create this watercolored card which she then outlines with a black pen (such a great touch!).  The sentiment is from The Big, the Bold and You and fits the joyous feel of this card.  What a delight!

Stamps used: Parentville + The Big, the Bold and You

Donna makes a dashing statement with her bow tie stamped background!  Here she uses various colors and pops up a few bow ties for dimension and interest.  A little element with a big impact!  She built her sentiment using "dad' from Parentville and the rest from The Big, the Bold and You.  Donna, you are awesome indeed!

CLICK HERE to see how Donna made these stupendous cards.

Make sure to leave Donna some love here and on her blog!

Come back Friday for another day with Donna!  And we had our little "introduction" of Donna Monday which you can read HERE.

Our First April Special Guest Star, Donna Mikasa!

We have the greatest honor to have the truly magnificent Donna Mikasa join us this month as one of our Special Guest Stars.  Donna is not only a gifted stamper, but a superbly kind person.  She dazzles with her clean, simple, colorful and purely joyful and joy-filled designs.  We just love her to pieces!  And we know we aren't alone.

>>>ABOUT DONNA<<<

Aloha! My name is Donna Mikasa (http://3umbrellas.blogspot.com and to say that I’m thrilled to be a guest designer for Winnie & Walter is an understatement! I’m so excited to be here to share my cards with you.

I was born and raised in the Aloha State on the island of Oahu. I’m married to my high school sweetheart, Keith, and we are the parents of two grown daughters. I’ve been stamping for many, many years and not a day goes by that I don’t do something that involves getting inky. When I’m not crafting, I like going to the gym, traveling, or visiting food blogs for healthy recipes.

Thank you, Julie and Shay, for having me as your Guest Star for the awesome second release! I’m forever a Winnie & Walter fan.

>>>DONNA'S PAST W&W PROJECTS<<<

Donna wowed us by sharing her stunning projects using w&w stamps in the last few months.  If you haven't seen them, you are in for a treat!

CLICK HERE to see Donna's blog post on her card using The Big, the Bold, and the Happy stamp set.

For more of Donna's gorgeous projects follow these links:

CLICK HERE for her Virginia's View blog post.
CLICK HERE for her Happy Day blog post.
CLICK HERE for the CASE the Sketch 64 blog post.
CLICK HERE for her Cure for the Monday Blues 3 blog post.

>>>COMING SOON<<<

This Wednesday and Friday we will be showcasing the amazing projects Donna made using our Second Release.  They are not to be missed!! 

Thank You | Giveaway

Happy Friday!  We couldn't focus on thank yous without thanking you!  On Facebook you will find a giveaway of The Big, the Bold and You.

Make sure to comment and share for your chance to win!

Thank You | Thank You a la Joni

Hello there everyone!  It's Shay again back with another thank you card.  I sort of channeled my inner Joni on this one. :-)  Joni makes the most beautiful backgrounds and did a stellar job with creating floral backgrounds this past release as seen HERE.

Stamps used: The Big, the Bold and You + The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom + Scenery: Big Bang Confetti

Ever want just "thank" rather than "thanks"?  Me too!  I played with the "thanks" from The Big, the Bold and You to create "thank" that I matched up with the "you" also from The Big, the Bold and You.  Below you can see how I used some handy tape to cover up the "s" so that it would not ink up.  Simply peel off the tape before stamping (you don't know how many times I have to remind myself to remove the tape before I stamp).  As you can see it stamped out perfectly!  So love that.

I wanted a fun variegated look so I stamped "thank" in peacock feathers and salty ocean Distress Inks (shown above) and "you" in festive berry and worn lipstick on a panel of watercolor paper.  Then I painted over the words with a waterbrush that I dipped in Studio Calico's Mister Huey's Calico Shine.  You are not be able to see it in the picture but in real life there is a pretty shimmer on the words.

With the flowers from The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom I created flowers in spun sugar and worn lipstick.  The centers were stamped in festive berries using one of the solid circles from Scenery: Big Bang Confetti.  The leaves are stamped in peacock feathers and are also from The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom.  To fill in some of the white spaces I stamped in the large outline circle from Scenery: Big Bang Confetti in salty ocean and sequins fit perfectly inside those open circles.  

The edges of the panel are lightly inked and adhered with dimensional adhesive to a navy cardstock base with a small scalloped patterned paper from the Maggie Holmes/Crate Paper Flea Market 6x6 paper pad die cut using the Femme Frames by Mama Elephant.

I hope you've enjoyed today's thank you card and we would love to see yours too!  Link up on our join in to win! page for a chance to win a stamp set of your choice.  

Shay.

P.S. Be checking on Facebook as there may be a little giveaway very soon. ;-)

Thank You | Thanks

We've restocked Scenery: Big Bang Confetti and The Big, the Bold and You!
========================================================================

Hello!  It's Shay (Winnie's human) here today.  As I am so behind on my thank yous {hanging head in shame}, I thought I would share some thank you cards this week with you.  I think having a healthy stash of thank you notes or cards is always smart.

Not only do I make thank you's to use for myself, but my family also put in orders.  My mom wanted some thank you notes for friends and family for various reasons and demanded asked me to make them using w&w stamps (so as my mom said, "I can brag").  What I do like about receiving my marching orders is that I use the person I am making the cards for as my inspiration.

For the super simple cards I am sharing with you today I picked favorite colors of my mom.  I *love* stencils and have been collecting them for years so this was a perfect opportunity to use one of them.

We interrupt your program to share this fun (totally unsolicited) service announcement:

Virginia Lu has a brand new challenge blog, Virginia's View Challenge, and this month's challenge Virginia's View Challenge #2 is all about using stencils.  So pull out your stencils, have some fun craftventuring (craft + adventuring--it should be a word and so I am making it one!) and make sure to enter her challenge! 

And we're back.

I also love chevrons so I pulled out an older chevron stencil from Studio Calico and my handy Distress Inks (they've been needing some love lately) along with an ink blending tool (got to get a mini or two!) and sponged on the color.  The blue is stormy sky and the pink is worn lipstick.  Last month we released The Big, the Bold and You (now restocked!) that includes "thanks".  This comes in so handy.  I stamped it in Versamark ink and then heat embossed it in gold.

I pulled out the sweet bow from The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom (a motto of my mom's could be "stick a bow on it!" rather than a bird).  Using Hero Arts Mid-tone Shadow inks in navy and royal red I stamped the bow on a scrap piece of white cardstock.  With Distress Inks once again, I painted the bow in with a water-brush using stormy sky along with chipped sapphire and then worn lipstick along with festive berries.  After doing some easy and fun watercoloring, I let the bows dry a little (I was a bit too impatient and I would recommend setting it aside for twenty minutes or so to dry) and then cut them out.  To give them some more pizzazz I painted on some Mister Huey's Calico Shine by Studio Calico.  I adhered the bow onto the card with dimensional adhesive.  So easy!

When I showed my mom these cards, she liked them but said they needed bling so for those like my mom who want more add some bling, sequins, flowers or whatever else makes your heart happy.  These cards are so easy to customize by changing up the sentiment, colors, image(s) and stencil design.

Thank YOU for visiting today!  Should you like to play along with making thank yous with me this week, please link up your project on our join in to win! page so you get a chance to win a stamp set of your choice at the end of the month.

Shay.

Our First Playdate Winner + March's Giveaway Winners

When we began the Playdate we didn't know it was going to be so gosh darn hard to pick one winner!  We were thrilled by every entry and appreciate that you graced us with your talents.  We truly love each of you and think you are all big-time winners.  Thank you so very much for participating!

As all of the projects were awesome, after much agonized discussion, it was how the winner interpreted the inspiration photo that clinched it for us.  We felt her card was such a clever play on the design found in the photo of the family made with fun colors, boldness and vivaciousness.

Without further ado here is the winning entry:

Shirley-bee aka Shirley Bampton, come on down!  We love the thought you put into this eye-catching card. Shirley stamped the hellos four times to represent the family members in the photo and then also had the words touch as does the family.  The lighter hued shadow hello is a lovely touch as is the hand-drawn border all on a polka dot border.

Shirley, please contact us at info {at} winniewalter {dot} com!

We can't wait for our next Playdate and we promise we won't make it as much of a challenge as our first. :-)

>>>MARCH'S GIVEAWAY WINNERS<<<

And our random March giveaway winners.  Woohoo!

March's #wwcraftcompanion winner culled from those who posted their craft companion on Instagram using #wwcraftcompanion (we will be putting this giveaway on ice until or if we get more interest):

sophienme

March's blog blinkie winner culled from those who linked up (or commented) on the blog blinkie page:
The Purple Place by Lisa Haines

March's join in to win! winner culled from the w&w blog comments and project links on the join in to win! page (each project link counted as 5 entries):
Anna Dębska

Congratulations!

Winners please contact info {at} winniewalter {dot} com by Tuesday, April 8 at 12:00 p.m. with which winner you are in the subject (for example March join in to win! giveaway winner, March blog blinkie giveaway winner or March #wwcraftcompanion giveaway winner).  If we don't hear from a winner by Tuesday, April 8 at 12:00 p.m. we will pick another winner in that category.

Giveaway winners:  we will provide you with a coupon code to use to purchase a free stamp set of your choice.  If the stamp set is not currently in stock, don't worry the coupon code will not expire immediately (and you can even use it to purchase new stamps being released later this month if you wait to redeem your coupon code).  Winner will be responsible to pay for shipping & handling.

Thank you to everyone who commented, linked your fabulous projects and/or shared your #wwcraftcompanion pictures on Instagram.  Every single comment, linked project and new #wwcraftcompanion is a gift to us.  

Remember these giveaways are monthly...we are just saying. :-) 

Upcoming in April + Restock News

Happy April!

This means we have a new month of fun to look forward to!

>>>THIS MONTH<<<

We will be announcing our first Playdate Winner tomorrow.  You've made it so hard on us to pick a winner! :-)  They will be our guest star for our Third Release (in May). Speaking of our Third Release, it is going to be our biggest yet!  Look for follow ups of your favorites as well as some new sets for background building and to help you capture the moment.

We have not 1, not 2, but 3 Special Guest Stars for you this month and we are so thrilled!

Our monthly giveaways start anew.  We will have three (3) winners from right here on the w&w blog.

1. Add a blog blinkie to your blog and link up on the blog blinkie page for a chance to win a stamp set of your choice.**
2. Join in to win! comment.  All comments here on the blog are pooled monthly and one random commenter wins a stamp set of their choice.**
3. Join in to win! link up.  We want to see what you make with w&w products so go link up on our join in to win! page.  We will randomly pick from the linked up projects added in April to win a stamp set of their choice.**  

**All winners will be provided with a unique coupon code good for $15.00 to be used on a stamp set.  The coupon code is good for one (1) month which may be combined with your order.  Winner will be responsible for paying shipping & handling.

Late April/early May we will have our next Share the Love Week.

>>>RESTOCK UPDATE<<<

And we should be receiving a shipment to restock our depleted stock of stamp sets early next week.  We wanted to thank you all for your patience with us as we learn the ropes.  For those who signed up for email notification through our website you will be sent the first notification when they are added to our shop.

>>>WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU<<<

We *love* hearing from you!  Let us know here (see above^ for every comment on the w&w blog you are entered to win a stamp set of your choice!), email (info at winniewalter dot com), Facebook, Twitter, Instagram what you want to see from us both in products and on the blog, what you like, what we can improve upon, your questions, what companies you want to see in upcoming Share the Love Weeks, and well anything that you wish to express! :-)

Hugs & kisses,
Winnie, Walter, Julie & Shay

Second Spotlight on Heather Pulvirenti

Our spotlight shines at last on the colorful and bold Heather Pulvirenti.  We adore Heather's amazing ability with color, pattern and design.  She makes it took effortless, seamless and natural which is a true gift as anyone who plays with these elements knows it certainly is not!  In fact, how Heather picks color is an art in itself!

>>>PARENTVILLE<<<

Look at those colors giving Parentville life!  Heather has some traditional navy and grey and then livens up the card with aqua and sunshine yellow.  And that large heart framed by cut out circle paired with the "dad" on a popped up banner is modern and unexpected.  The "happy father's day" is certainly not lost as it white embossed on a strip of vibrant yellow.  One of the details which is really fantastic is the diamond pattern paper Heather created!  So suave!

CLICK HERE to see Heather's post about Parentville.

>>>THE BIG, THE BOLD AND YOU<<<

Soft colors with bold patterns makes this card a delight!  Here we have an organic pink leaf on a graphic grey and white chevron patterned paper and it works!  Heather chose to so something also really fun by white embossing the sentiment from The Big, the Bold and You over the the slightly raised leaves to give it interest and dimension as it becomes part of the leaf where it touches.  So lovely!

CLICK HERE to see Heather's post about The Big, the Bold and You.

>>>THE WRITE STUFF: LEAVE IT TO DAD<<<

Heather's journaling cards are something to always get excited about.  There is so much going on and they all work so well together.  I bet they would be stunning on a layout, card, or pocket journaling too.  On this pair she used not only The Write Stuff: Leave it to Dad expertly, but also worked in the numbers and ledger heart from The Write Stuff: Love Story, "love" from You've Got Love Mail (did you know that is Julie's handwriting?) and the diamond border from Parentville. Way to work the stamps, Heather!

Using the same not-stuffy-whatsoever male friendly color palette, Heather made another couple of journaling cards with The Write Stuff: Leave it to Dad along with the ticket from The Write Stuff: Love Story.  She also stamped the bow tie from Parentville on one of the love tickets.  Wow, she knows how to play with all the stamp sets.  This warms our hearts as we do try to make stamp sets work together from release to release.  These two cards have strong backgrounds one from embossing and the other due to Heather's stamping of the argyle pattern found in The Write Stuff: Leave it to Dad.   Perfection!

CLICK HERE to see Heather's post about The Write Stuff: Leave it to Dad.

>>>THE WRITE STUFF: LEAVE IT TO MOM<<<

Here comes a lovely Mom card!  Heather expertly frames the fussy cut "mom" from Parentville with the frame from The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom and double layers of leaves including one in vellum and a white embossed bow from The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom.  Again the simple design, color palette and patterns are spot on and make this a gorgeous card with a fresh feel!

CLICK HERE to see Heather's post about The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mom.

Color us impressed!  Heather, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Please make sure to share your love with Heather here and on her blog HERE.

Holy moly! It is has been incredible seeing the Talent's superb projects this Second Release.  We get giddy seeing them make magic with our designs!  We really are humbled by each of them.

Friday we will be announcing our monthly winners and our first Playdate winner!  Can't wait.