Whimsy Stamps November Rubber Release Hop

Hello and welcome to the Whimsy Stamps new release BLOG HOP!

The DT have SIX fabulous new Whimsy rubber stamps/sets to showcase today .... and some BRAND NEW Whimsy products! Intrigued?  Read on....

Whimsy Stamps is now extending and adding to the rubber and digital stamps with it's own range of.... DIES and PAPER! Yes, that's right!!  It's all so terribly exciting!! 

The dies are officially called the "Whimsy Shapeology Die Collection" and the very first one to be released is the Ticket Die which works perfectly with all Whimsy's ticket die stamps!! Whoop whoop!!  The ticket die is available to buy now, but that's not all... we also have a second die which is a gorgeous snowflake designed by Crissy.  The snowflake design can be pre-ordered from today and will start shipping around November 22nd.

We also have the first 2 packs of 6x6 designer paper created by Ann and Crissy (2 sheets of each of 12 designs for a total of 24 sheets per pack) which are being released today!!  It is fantastic to see Whimsy growing like this and even more fantastic to be a part of it - thank you Denise! :o)  And thank you Ann and Crissy for continuing to share your amazing talent! :o)

Okay, so if you would like to participate in the hop and you didn't arrive here from the amazingly talented and oh-so-wonderful Crissy's blog, make sure you go back to her as she is the first stop of the blog hop!

The hop starts today (Wednesday October 10th at noon EST) and ends on Wednesday November 17th at noon EST.

For this hop we have 7 different prize draws - that's right ... count 'em...SEVEN prize draws!! WOW! The grand prize of ALL 6 of the new release stamps plus the brand new Whimsy ticket die and some of the new designer paper is at the end of the hop (Bev's blog), but there are also 6 mini candy stops throughout the hop! I'm not going to tell you where they are, so you'll just have to keep on hopping to find them! :o)

For my first project I really wanted to use this gorgeous stamp from one of Ann's new sets entitled Christmas Tree in Words.  I won't tell you how many failed attempts I had using this stamp, LOL, but in the end I settled on a very simple design that took 4 times as long to design than it did to make!! :o) 

I stamped the image in Versamark onto some Core'dinations cardstock and then embossed it with gold embossing powder and my long forgotten heat gun.  I then sat staring at it for ages, trying to think of what to do with it.  I tried patterned paper, adding it to a white background...nope nothing! So I pulled out my tried and tested SU Kraft cardstock - I find it matches everything!!  I then remembered something I'd done ages ago - to punch out the corners of the image, add some brads and then wind some twine around.  I started with the SU twine, but it didn't look festive enough, so I pulled out the SU gold elastic and used that (I don't own any gold ribbon!).  I also don't own any gold brads (...you're probably catching on that I'm not really a gold type of gal!), but instead used the gold embossing powder on my silver ones and hey presto, vintagey looking gold brads!

For my second project I really wanted to use Ann's new Winter Seals.  As soon as I saw this stamp set I new they needed to be made into tags.  So I used my nesties, some double-faced satin ribbon, added a few matching pearls for the holly berries, and distressed the edges using some brown chalk ink.  I am really please with how they came out despite them being very labour intensive (running each piece through the Cuttlebug twice to cut and then emboss) and intend to make more using wine-coloured ribbon and pearls, and perhaps black ribbon and pearls. 

I used another stamp from the same Winter Seals set to stamp To and From on the reverse of the tag:

I am really pleased with my new release creations, as I really wanted to not use my Copics and step out of my comfort zone this time around by making something I wouldn't usually create!  I hope you like them too and that they inspire you to use these stamps a little differently!

So now it's time for you to continue the hop by hopping on over to the fabulous Marley's blog where I know she has something uber-amazing to show you!

But before you go I just want to let you know that Ann has created 10 new custom rubber stamp designs that are available to buy in the store from TODAY!!  So much Whimsy goodness!! Yum!

Thanks for hopping with us today, and I hope you enjoy the new releases!

Hugs,