Peonies and Paper Chains

Last Chance! Don't Miss Out!

This is it...the final day to Sale-a-brate in 2015!

Don't let March 31 pass by without Sale-a-brating!

There are two great ways to earn free products today:

1. Receive ONE exclusive Sale-a-bration product for every $50 in products purchased (before tax and shipping)
2. Become a demonstrator (and know it is completely fine to do so simply to receive discounts on your own purchases) - for $99, you choose up to $125 in products that ship free PLUS you pick a free project kit from the occasions catalog OR any two exclusive Sale-a-bration items

See your Sale-a-bration choices here and here.

Ready to Sale-a-brate?

Click to shop now or join now

And, while I've been away on a little blog break, I assure you that plenty of crafting has been going on...

• we brought these sweet little bracelet kits to give to friends at the movie Cinderella
• and Brooklyn learned to sew

Oh, and I've got a very fun Pals Paper Arts project for you on Thursday -- see you then!

Enjoy a little creativity today!

 
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Five on Friday Stampin' Up! Color Combo: no. 12 in 2015

 

Happy Friday, friends!

It's time for a brand new color combo to help get your creative juices flowing! Use all five or just a few...whatever you do, have fun with them!

Enjoy a little creativity today!

 
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Flipped It!

 

The cheery card you see today was designed using the new Pals Paper Arts sketch (PPA244):

I'll freely admit that when I pulled up the sketch to get creating today's project, I thought "ugh, a star"...I just was not feeling it! And then I was happy to look closer and see that the star reads "any shape"...off the hook for making a project with a star when I was just not up for that!  And, just for the record, I feel fine saying all this because I designed this sketch!

With Sale-a-bration about to end, I knew I wanted to create something using one of my favorite Sale-a-bration exclusive items the "A Happy Thing" stamp set. Originally I intended to use the same vertical orientation as the sketch, however as I layer out my pieces on my Daffodil Delight card base, I realized that horizontal worked better so I simply flipped it.

Here are a couple details for this card that I love most:

The bird beak!

After using my Aqua Painter and ink pads to color in the bird, I decided to punch out the image using my 2" circle punch. That meant having to cut off the beak. I stamped and colored another beak and then carefully cut it out and applied it to the base of the original.

The stripes!

After assembling the card and adding the sentiment, I felt like the background was just too stark. I pulled out my Work of Art stamp set and grabbed my Daffodil Delight ink pad and added a few stripes to the card...hopefully you can see the stamped image running behind the "love life" sentiment!

The effect of the stripes is subtle, but I think the stripes are turned an excellent finishing touch!

 

You'll find my supply list -- less the "A Happy Thing" stamp set (139131 - wood | 139134 - clear) and the "Best Year Ever" accessory pack (138634) as both are Sale-a-bration exclusives! As a reminder, Sale-a-bration ends on March 31!

I'm excited to see how everyone else on the design team approach today's project and I can't wait to see what you do with it too! Be sure to play along with us at Pals Paper Arts this week!

Enjoy a little creativity today!

 
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Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

 

Stamp Review Crew: #PLxSU Point & Click Edition

Welcome to the Stamp Review Crew #PLxSU Point & Click Edition blog hop! These hops are always a fabulous way to get a slew of ideas for a single stamp set!  

You may have just arrived from visiting the talented Bronwyn Eastley at AddINKtive Designs or perhaps you are starting here. Whatever is the case, you'll want to be sure to head on through our hop to get loads of ideas for the #PLxSU Point & Click stamp set!

If you are wondering what #PLxSU means, it is the hashtag for Project Life by Stampin' Up!. #PLxSU is an exclusive line of stamps, papers, and accessories for memory keeping...and other paper crafting, too!

Let's get to my project, shall we?

Getting to create something always makes my day!

For today's project I paired together the #PLxSU Point & Click stamp set with "Best. Day. Ever." stamp set (a Sale-a-bration exclusive), and with my latest Five on Friday color combo:

These colors work so well with the stamps! As do Mini Treat Bag Thinlits (I think I am seriously growing an addiction to these...love, love, love to make these bags).

Here are few tips for rocking this project:

Using my brayer and Night of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad, I added a layer of color to the inside of the treat bag...I adore the contrast! After I adhere the two pieces of the bag together, I flip over and apply the ink along to jagged edge. And, only after doing so, I fold over the bag pieces and adhere in place.

I also used my brayer to apply the Pistachio Pudding ink to some Whisper White card stock for the banner --- I did not have so much as a single scrap of Pistachio Pudding card stock to use!

Two layers of ribbon adds double interest (and texture) to any project!

The "you made my day" sentiment looked nice on its own within the 1-3/4" circle, however, I decided to dress it up by using the floral stamp from "Best. Day. Ever." and I stamped it off once on scrap paper to achieve the faded Pistachio Pudding color. 

To get the dark edges on the circle, I carefully rolled the circle on top of my Night of Navy ink pad.

You can never go wrong with Stampin' Dimensionals! They are by far my favorite adhesive. The Pistachio Pudding banner (with the ribbon stapled to it) was popped onto the belly band and then I used a couple more dimensionals to place the sentiment on the banner. 

For those who are curious, I stamped up my Lost Lagoon card stock with the #PLxSU Point & Click stamps before I used the Thinlits to cut out the Mini Treat Bag pieces. 

Head on over Martha Inchley at Inch of Creativity for more paper crafting inspiration!

Happy hopping and hope that you enjoy a little creativity today!

                       

 
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Five on Friday...A Sleek New Stampin' Up! Color Combo!

 

Happy Friday, friends!

You love new color combos and I love putting them together for you. I've not yet had a chance to create with this one, however, I am excited to do so. This combo feels so sleek and sophisticated to me. What about you?

Stay tuned for a creation in the next few days!

And, hope you enjoy a little creative time today!

 
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Larger Than Life - A DIY Happy Spring Banner!

Welcome to the March Pals Blog Hop where we are celebrating spring! This month we are featuring spring related projects for Mother’s Day, Easter or any other occasion that celebrates winter coming to an end. The temps broke into the 50s here in New Hampshire yesterday...spring is definitely in the air!

You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from Pamela Sadler at Stampin' Pink Rose on the Pals Hop. If you get off track at any time, the full lineup below will help you move along from blog to blog so you see all of the amazing creations.

Ready to see the DIY Happy Spring Banner that I've got for you?

Here goes...

I had such fun putting together this banner for today's hop...

and to brighten up our dining room!

The color combo was inspired by the Five on Friday combo that I shared last week.

And, to top things off, the banner coordinates perfectly with the Best Year Ever Designer Series Paper looped paper wreath:

Do you agree that the banner looks beautiful with the wreath?

Of course the wreath is fun on its own too...

If you'd like details on how to make this wreath, download the FREE PDF tutorial.

As with any project, the fine details are a big piece of what makes this banner special:

Sweet little staples seemingly hold the Best Year Ever Designer Series Paper to the card stock (though really there is some glue and you'll see why in a minute).

Whisper White card stock was "brayered" with Coastal Cabana ink for a soft effect...that and because I am completely out of Coastal Cabana card stock!

Stampin' Dimensionals were used to pop up the circles on the pennants adding dimension to the project.

And now to let you in on a little secret about why I used some glue for assembling the pennants...

The Best Year Ever flags are actually cut in pieces! These were made from extra loops that I had put together for my wreath and they weren't quite long enough. Slicing them and gluing down was such an easy fix and once the circles are mounted, you can't even tell!

Where would you hang this banner in your home? Please share by leaving a comment!

The next stop is Kim Jolley at Stampin' Artfully on the Pals Blog Hop! Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you again next month...or perhaps even sooner!

To access the full blog hop line-up, simply scroll down to it beneath my signature.

Have a creative day and happy hopping!

 
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Pals March Blog Hop Line-up:

1. Susan Itell at Simple Stampin
2. Angela Curry at Kindred Stampers
3. Sherrie Gross at Stampin' Sunshine
4. Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
5. Jackie Diediker at Stampin' Jackie
6. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
7. Amy Whelan at Amy's Inklings
8. Patti MacLeith at Papercrafts By Patti
9. Denise Hoepfner at The Mountain Magpie
10. Beth Beard at My little craft blog
11. Natalie Bradley at Soiree by Natalie Bradley
12. Michelle Gleeson at StampinMojo
13. Debbie Crowley at expressively deb...
14. Jane Knudsen at see jane stamp
15. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
16. Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven's Retreat
17. Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits from Dawn
18. Sue Becker at RnR Stamping
19. Candy Ford at Stamp Candy
20. Karen Hallam at Karen's Blog
21. Susan Lankford at Stamp and Create With Susan
22. Pamela Sadler at Stampin Pink Rose
23. Kerry Willard Bray at Peonies and Paper Chains
24. Kim Jolley at Stampin' Artfully
25. Martie Pollard at The Crafty Bandit
26. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin'
27. Benjaman Turner at He Stamps
28. Lynn Kolcun at Stamping with Avery's Owlery
29. Liz Gautreaux at Kind Deeds Stampin
30. Amy Hoptay at Inking of You!
31. September Gray at septembergray.com
32. Katie Ferguson at Cottage Paper
33. Becky Volpp at inkblossomwithbecky.com
34. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
35. Brian King at Stamp with Brian

Simply Sweet Five Color Combo!

 

Happy Friday, friends!

Fingers crossed that you'll agree that today's Five on Friday color combo is pure sweetness! These colors come almost exclusively from the Best Year Ever Designer Series Paper and you can see the colors in action on this wreath that I posted a couple weeks ago:

The colors are truly divine and I'm so happy each time I see the wreath in my dining room...it is truly an all time favorite project.

Click to download the FREE wreath tutorial (PDF) ...and then, get creating with this color combo!

Enjoy a little creativity today!

 
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A Sweet Treat for PPA!

No ifs, ands, or buts about it -- I am hooked on the bags made from the Stampin' Up! Mini Treat Bag Thinlits! They are sweet as can be! I pulled out the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits out for the first time to make my project for the new Pals Paper Arts challenge (PPA242) and absolutely fell in love! It is so easy to create fabulous little bigs with these Thinlits. Easy and quick...a paper crafting must have in my book!

The colors that I used on my "enjoy" treat bag -- Garden Green, Gold, and Basic Black -- come from this week's PPA color combo:

The Garden Green has a soft tone because I used my Brayer to apply it along both the base of the Mini Treat Bag and on the inside at the top. All the brayering was done before assembling the bag.

The gold sequins were pulled from the Gold Sequin Trim and applied to the bag using Mini Glue Dots...easy as a can be! (Okay, truth be told they can get a little tricky to do with your fingers alone. I know some people use tweezers to work with these though I love the challenge of using my fingers.)

And that sweet little "you made my day" sentiment is from the Simply Wonderful stamp set is a Sale-a-bration exclusive that is free with a minimum $50 purchase. Learn more about Sale-a-bration.

For this bag, I did elect to punch a hole to run through some ribbon so that a gift card could be tucked inside the bag and stay there safely. There are actually two pieces of ribbon...one looped through and a second that is tied around the other.

I'm itching for the weekend to arrive when I know I'll have an opportunity to take out the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits again! Can't wait!

Be sure to see all of the design team creations at Pals Paper Arts and join the fun by playing along with us!

Have a creative day!

 
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