Peonies and Paper Chains

Five on Friday: Starfruit and More!

Hello friends! Happy Friday!

It is time for a new five color combo and I wanted to create one highlighting some colors that will soon retire. As you'll see in a moment, the combination features Summer Starfruit and Midnight Muse. We'll soon say goodbye to these beauties. Before we do, here's a combo to give a try:

I'd love to hear what this combo makes you think of...just one word! Please be sure to leave it in the comments (I'll be doing the same).

My apologies to those who had trouble visiting and commenting yesterday. There were issues with the server where my blog is hosted. As you can see from the image above, we have a special celebration going on to mark the 200th Pals Paper Arts (PPA200) challenge. See yesterday's post for my card and more info!

Project Life by Stampin' Up! will be available for pre-order to demonstrators on Monday. Yes, as in April 21...can barely contain my excitement!  Customers have to wait until May 1 to start ordering. Want to receive your exclusive Project Life by Stampin' Up! both earlier and at a discount? Join as a demonstrator and if you do so as of Monday you can include the products shown above in your kit! I {heart} hobbyists and in fact that is how I got started! 

 

Wishing you a creative day!

 

Get inspiration in your inbox 

Shop on-line 24/7 for paper crafting supplies

  

It's a Celebration for PPA 200!

Hello friends! Today is a very special day -- we are kicking off the 200th Pals Paper Arts Challenge! How exciting to reach this milestone! To mark this occasion we are celebrating...

• All twenty Pals Paper Arts design team members are bringing inspiration to you; and
• One individual who shares a project inspired by this week's sketch will receive all 20 design team cards...how cool is that?!

Here's look at my design team entry for PPA 200:

We decided to go monochromatic with our cards and I picked Coastal Cabana. I've accented it with Night of Navy and a whole lot of texture.

Before I show you the sketch, I am going to tell you that I did what I often like to do and that is to shrink down the sketch and use it in just one area of the project. If you have never done this, give it a try! Always fun to work in a different scale.

Here is the PPA200 sketch:

I'll show you a couple more photos of the card and then you really must hop over to see the inspiration from the other design team members. And, even more importantly, you need to get creating if you want the possibility of receiving all 20 design team member cards! You don't need a blog to share a project with us...simply load your creation to an online gallery or even upload to your Pinterest account!

Here's another quick look at my card:

Notice the little splotches on the inside of the card? Just carrying the design all the way through.

I told you just a quick look but I realize ought to share a couple secrets behind the creation of this card...

• For the Modern Mosaic embossing, I embossed first and then I very carefully laid the embossed cardstock on my ink pad. A little llight pressing and then I carefully pulled the card stock off.

• For the Woodgrain folder, I inked up the folder, inserted my cardstock, and simply pressed it closed with my hands...there is no raised embossing.

• For the sentiment and splotches (both from the Paper Pumpkin welcome kit), I actually heat embossed using the Night of Navy ink and clear embossing powder. Unfortunately that detail did not translate over into the photo...whoever receives the card will get to experience it!

I do hope you will join the design team and play along with this challenge! I am truly honored to be a design team member and thank each and everyone of you who play along with us week after week!

Wishing you a creative day!

 

Get inspiration in your inbox 

Shop on-line 24/7 for paper crafting supplies

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$6.95

Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Modern Mosaic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

$7.95

Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

$7.95

Northern Flurry Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Die

$7.95

1-3/4 Inch Circle Punch

$16.95

Big Shot Die-Cut Machine

$99.95

Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock

$8.50

Stampin' Dimensionals

$3.95

 

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

 

 

Order your Project Life by Stampin' Up! (#PLxSU) products today!

 

Coming Soon: Project Life by Stampin' Up!

 

Hello friends...big news to share friends and I am so excited about it!

 

Talk about an incredible new partnership -- Project Life and Stampin' Up! It goes without saying that I love Stampin' Up! What you don't know is that I have been secretly drooling over Project Life for a few years now but have resisted the temptation to purchase. Now I won't need to...brand new Project Life by Stampin' Up! products will soon be available!

Take a moment to watch this video and learn more from Shelli Gardner and Becky Higgins about this very exciting new partnership: 

 

If you've watched the video and weren't already familiar with Project Life, you now know that is a flexible, quick, and easy approach to scrapbooking. I stopped doing traditional scrapbooking years ago and I know that the Project Life approach that will fit with my busy lifestyle. Not only that, but it will also help me preserve the every day memories that we make, not just the big events.

Here are the products that will be available to customers as of May 1:

There are more products to come and those will be available with the launch of the annual catalog in June.

As a demonstrator, I get to place my order for the Project Life by Stampin' Up! products on April 21 -- less than a week from now! If you (like me) can't wait to get your hands on these products, join the Stampin' Up! family today and you'll be able to pre-order the Project Life by Stampin' Up! line both early and at a discount! I'm thrilled to have both hobby demonstrators and business builders in my Paper Chain Pals community!

BONUS Join the Stampin' Up! family today and your Stampin' Up! Annual Convention registration is free (a $295 value). Convention takes place July 17-19 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, UT. You'll be responsible for meals, lodging and transportation. The free registration is only available until the convention attendance is full. I'll be there with more than 60 of my stamping friends from across the country...join us!

Tomorrow is the start of the latest Pals Paper Arts Challenge. It is challenge #200 and we have something incredibly special in store for you to mark the occassion! Be sure to see what the PPA designers are up to!

Wishing you a creative day!

 

Get inspiration in your inbox 

Shop on-line 24/7 for paper crafting supplies

 

P.S. Want to know even more? Read the announcements from Becky Higgins' blog and the Stampin' Up! blog.

 

Tag on Tuesday - Love You Sweetie Pie!

Hello friends!

When I shared the outfits that I carved last week, I told you that I was excited to play some more with the Sweetie Pie stamp set. I've had a chance to do just that and wanted share a sweet little gift tag that I pulled together...

This tag features "Kiki" and incorporates 3 stamps from the Sweetie Pie Frames photopolymer set. When Nancy E saw the post with the Sweetie Pie names last week (the names that my girls Brooklyn and Britt gave to the stamps), she left a comment inquiring where Britt was. Kiki is one of Britt's nicknames so she is in fact in the mix. 

The colors that I used today were inspired by the PixelMaven's Digi-Challenge (PMDC-043):

What a fresh fun combo from my friends Nicole and Kris! It is always fun to play along with them and I hope you'll join in too! While digital projects are always welcome, traditional paper crafting works too!

Today is Tuesday and that means that new Stampin' Up! Weekly Deals start today and there are brand new digital downloads too! The downloads include Gorgeous Grunge and I know I'll be adding that to my collection!

Let's get one more look at "Kiki" on the tag...

I'm hooked on the Sweetie Pie stamp set...what about you?

Wishing you a creative day!

 

Get inspiration in your inbox 

Shop on-line 24/7 for paper crafting supplies

 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 

Sweetie Pie Photopolymer Stamp Set

$13.95

Sweetie Pie Frames Photopolymer Stamp Set

$13.95

Always Artichoke 8-1/2X11 Card Stock

$6.95

Crisp Cantaloupe 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$6.95

Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock

$8.50

Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Always Artichoke Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Calypso Coral Baker's Twine

$2.95

Crisp Cantaloupe 3/8" Ruffle Stretch Trim

$8.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

 

Hello You...a Regarding Dahlias project!

Hello friends! Hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I don't know about you, but my weekend was just about craft free! I'm pretty certain did not touch a single crafting supply from Thursday afternoon until Sunday night about 9:30. Since I could not let the weekend go by without making something (nor Monday go by without a little paper crafting inspiration for you) I pulled together this card:

The big downside to Sunday night crafting? Lack of natural light for photo taking.Fingers crossed that you'll be forgiving of my less than stellar photography and the lone image.

When I want to put together a project quickly, I often turn to a design challenge. For this card I pulled inspiration from two challenges...

Freshly Made Sketches (FMS131):

and Dynamic Duos (DD#98):

 

Hope you feel inspired by what you've seen here on the blog today!

Do tell...did you do any paper crafting this weekend?

Wishing you a creative day!

 

Get inspiration in your inbox 

Shop on-line 24/7 for paper crafting supplies

 

Stampin' Up!™ Supplies Used:

Regarding Dahlias

$14.95

Wisteria Wonder Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Naturals White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock

$7.50

Wisteria Wonder 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock

$6.95

Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

$7.95

Wisteria Wonder 3/4" Chevron Ribbon

$8.95

Basic Gray 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon

$4.95

Stampin' Dimensionals

$3.95

 

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

 

 

Tips for Using Photopolymer Stamps

Yesterday I shared my first experience using the Sweetie Pie stamp set. This set is one of several photopolymer stamps that Stampin' Up! has to offer. Stampin' Up! began to offer photopolymer stamps just over a year ago. What I love most about photopolymer stamps is that you can see precisely where you are stamping! A definite advantage!

In using the Sweetie Pie stamp set and some other earlier releases (including exclusive Paper Pumpkin stamp sets) there are a few things that I've learned and wanted to share with you: 

1. Allow your photopolymer stamps to air out before putting them away...unwrap from their plastic wrapping and set in a well ventilated area.

2. Clean your photopolymer stamps immediately after use to minimize the potential for staining.

3. Create your own photopolymer cases using either clear or wood mount storage cases -- a couple sets fit in clear mount cases and you can place several sets in a wood mount case. It is all up to you!

These are my top tips...I'd love to hear any that you have to share!

View the full-line of Stampin' Up! photopolymer stamps!

Wishing you a creative day!

 

Get inspiration in your inbox 

Shop on-line 24/7 for paper crafting supplies

Five on Friday: Sweetie Pies

Hello there friends! It's time for Five on Friday and I'm excited to share a special project with you today. It is one that brings together two terrific Stampin' Up! products -- the Sweetie Pie stamp set and the Undefined Stamp Carving Kit!

The minute I saw the Sweetie Pie and Sweetie Pie Frames stamp sets, I just knew I had to have them. I adore the whimsical look of these. And, I was sure that Brooklyn, Britt, and I would have lots of fun creating projects with these! They arrived last week and we just had a chance to use them. The girls have even named the Sweetie Pies...

My favorite names in the bunch -- Heya (pronounced Hey - a) from Britt and Pottery from Brooklyn. 

As I mentioned, my Five on Friday features the Sweetie Pie stamp set and the Undefined stamp carving kit. I was sure the girls would love the Sweetie Pie stamps as miuch as I do and while I am very cool with using just the faces, I thoght the girsl might want some bodies to go with them. That is where Undefined comes in! So today I bring you "five little Sweetie Pies all in a row"...

There are four stamps that I created -- long dress with neck and feet, skirt with feet, arms, and the little horizon line that "the girls" are standing on. Originally, the arms were incorporated with the long dress, but I felt the scale of the arms was too thick and when I went to trim them down, the one arm just did not look right so the arms got their own stamp. It is also completely feasible to just sketch in your own arms allowing for unlimited poses!

Here's a peek behind the scences while creating the stamps:

After stamping a few Sweetie Pie images, I scribbled out a few possibilities, chose one, and  got carving. After doing the initial carve of each stamp, I tested out and then made modifications to get the stamp how I wanted it to be. Is the scale absolutely 100% spot on between the the Sweetie Pie faces and the what I carved? No, definitely not. Will that stop me and the girls from having fun with them? No way! 

I'm excited for all the possibilities of these stamps and can't wait to play with them some more! Please be sure to tell me what you think of these...I'm so curious to know!

Happy Friday! Wishing you a creative day!

 

Get inspiration in your inbox 

Shop on-line 24/7 for paper crafting supplies

 

  

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Sweetie Pie Photopolymer Stamp Set

$13.95

Undefined Stamp Carving Kit

$19.95

 

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

 

Simply Swallowtail for PPA 199

Hey there friends! It has been ages since I pulled out my Swallowtail stamp and I finally did so to create today's project. The colors use for the challenge were inspired by the latest Pals Paper Arts color challenge (PPA199) and I used the watercoloring technique that I shared yesterday. Take a look:

In a moment you'll see me pull away the piece of cardstock on the right, however I first wanted you to see the difference that spritzing some water on the stamp can make, the Swallowtail's left wing was spritzed with water and has a muted effect and a solid effect on some lines. The right wing was not spritzed and you see far more of the detail from the stamp.

The colors? 

The Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz, and So Saffron make for a very lovely and sophisticated spring color palette!

 As a result of the spritzing and stamping on Natural White card stock, I found that the Swallowtail took on a beautifulnatural curve when snipped out. So pretty that I simply could not glue it down flat. So, on went a few Stampin' Dimensionals and now here it sits...

The bag is from the February Paper Pumpkin kit. To say I like these bags is an understatement -- they are fabulous! I love the tickness of the bag, their size (8-1/2" long x 3" deep x 5-1/2" high), and it was so much when we dyed the ribbons! Right now, Stampin' Up! is piloting a program where Paper Pumpkin subscribers can order past kits (or parts thereof) and this opportunity is only available to subscribers! The bags are available now...I am sure they won't last long!

Today is the last day to join Paper Pumpkin and receive your Welcome Kit in April. The Welcome Kit includes the delightful "hey there friend" and splotches stamps. See my favorite project with the Welcome Kit stamps here -- it just so happens to feature the Swallowtail stamp!

As a perk for Paper Pumpkin subscribers who list me as their demonstrator, I send a clear mount stamp case during the second month of the subscription and every 6 months thereafter. Perfect for storing the exclusive Paper Pumpkin stamps. Join Paper Pumpkin today and if you need a demonstrator, I'm happy to assist you -- Kerry Bray in NH.

What will you create with this color combo? Please share it with us this week over at Pals Paper Arts! And get ready for next week when we have something really special in store for the 200th PPA Challenge!

Wishing you a creative day!

 

 

Get inspiration in your inbox 

Shop on-line 24/7 for paper crafting supplies

 

Watercolor Wednesday!

 

Hello friends. Happy Wednesday! Hope you enjoyed the Pals April Blog Hop yesterday -- it was filled with such an incredible collection of Earth Day inspired projects!

Over the weekend, I shared a card that featured a watercolor background. Today I'm sharing a video on how to create watercolor images using rubber stamps and a spritzer:

Tomorrow you'll get to see a card that features this technique. In the meantime, take a moment to look at the new Stampin' Up! weekly deals:

and the new MDS downloads. Be sure to link over for a close look at the Endless Birthday Wishes Kit -- I'm loving it and will be placing my order for it real soon! 

Wishing you a creative day!

 

 

Get inspiration in your inbox 

Shop on-line 24/7 for paper crafting supplies