Peonies and Paper Chains

Stampin' Up! Retiring Products - While Supplies Last!

SAVE ON an array of retiring stamp sets, punches, dies, ribbon, paper and more!  

• Stamps will be available for purchase through May 26.
• Accessories (punches, paper, dies, etc.) are available while supplies last and can sell out quickly!
• Select retiring products discounted up to 50% off

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Check out this video from Stampin’ Up! showcasing their Favorite 2015 Retiring Products.

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Stamp Review Crew: Zoo Babies Edition

 

 

Welcome to the Stamp Review Crew: Zoo Babies blog hop! So excited to be sharing ideas for the Zoo Babies stamp set...it is such a sweet little collection of animals that you can find at many zoos! Whether you've just come over from Dawn Tidd's Tiddbits by Dawn blog or are just starting here, I hope you'll take the time to hop on through to see all of the creations!

Today's hop gave me a fabulous opportunity to put together idea's for Britt's upcoming birthday! It is in May and she'll be celebrating with her preschool friends. I decided to use Zoo Babies to create a set of party pieces -- cupcake toppers, festive napkins, and juice box embellishments -- for a fun, festive celebration! 

Thankfully the girls and I baked some cupcakes one night this past week that I could use for a little staging!

For the cupcake toppers you need card stock circles (1-3/8" and 1-3/4"), toothpicks, Sticky Strip, and Stampin' Dimensionals. The stamped Zoo Babies images make these adorable without a whole lot of fuss!

A little stamping is all you need to for the napkins! I stamped 5 each of 4 different Zoo Babies images -- giraffe, alligator, rhinoceros, and elephant. However, the more I think about it, I definitely should stamp some more for the pre-school set!

The rhino with the bit of white twine is a juice box embellishment. Initially I planned to tie these onto some paper straws, however, I realized that juice boxes were likely a better choice than open cup beverages.

This image gives a better look at the juice box. This is simply a band of card stock in Coastal Cabana that has been attached to the box with Sticky Strip. I did use a bone folder to loosen up to the fibers of the card stock before adhering -- definitely an important step! For the final products I will actually be cutting wider strips of card stock to better cover the full height of the box sides.

Had to include this image of Brooklyn holding the cupcake topper! She has asked that we make some of these for her doll and make sure that we celebrate her doll's birthday on the same day that we celebrate her sister's birthday!

Hope you that you are feeling inspired to pull out this set and to get creating! I had lots of fun creating these party pieces and can't wait to get production underway for Britt's big day! 

Be sure to hop along to visit Betty Traciak and the other Stamp Review Crew members for more Zoo Babies ideas!

                                        

 
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Stamp Review Crew Line Up for the Zoo Babies Hop: 

1.  Ann Schach  
2. Shana Gaff  
3. Debra Burgin  
4. Bronwyn Eastley   
5. Yapha Mason  
6. Dawn Tidd   
   
7. Kerry Willard Bray  -- YOU ARE HERE! 
8. Betty Traciak 
9. Tanya Boser    
10. Rochelle Blok  
11. Heidi Baks  
12. Linda Callahan  
13. Martha Inchley  
14. Wendy Weixler

Get Your Challenge On! Kinda Eclectic for PPA248!

 

It's been awhile since I have pulled out my Kinda Eclectic stamp set and I had so much fun using it to create the background for today's card. This little square card (3.5") is based on the brand new Pals Paper Arts Challenge -- PPA248:

 

 

As you likely just noticed, I did not use the design precisely according to sketch...the diagonal sentiment is longer and the stamped sunburst and leaves replace the rectangular element. Sketches are meant to be a starting point and you don't have to stick with them as is though I know it is sometimes a challenge to break out from doing so.

 

 

The close up gives you a chance to see the intricacy of this stamp set...the pattern of the leaves, the text on the dotted pattern (which you can really see in the upper left portion of the card). Kinda Eclectic is truly such a gorgeous stamp set and I love every element of it! You are not seeing the larger butterfly image or the sentiment ("a little kindness goes a long way") from  the set, but I did incorporate all the others. The "a thousand thanks" stamp is from the Thankful Thoughts stamp set which is filled with several options for expressing gratitude!

 

It will soon be Teacher Appreciation Week and I'm pretty sure I will be holding onto this card until then! The girls have been working with some wonderful teachers this year who are more than deserving of a card like this.

 

Be sure to see all of the inspiration projects from this sketch over on the Pals Paper Arts site and, please, join in the fun and play along with us!

 

Wishing you a little creativity today!

 
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Pals April Blog Hop - Earth Day is Every Day!

Welcome to the Pals Blog Hop for April where every day is Earth Day.  This month we are showcasing projects that use recycled, reused or other earth inspired elements and colors.  We hope you enjoy the creative projects being shared by the Pals!

You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from Jane Knudsen at see jane stamp number 16 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 the projects.

For my project, I decided to use up a bunch of card stock scraps to create some home decor for Britt's bedroom:

This is actually Brooklyn holding up the very colorful "B" that I made for Britt...Britt was not interested in helping me get a picture of this!

There were three simple steps in creating the project:

1. Gather up scraps, a wooden letter, ModPodge, and tools (bone folder, paint brush, Paper Snips)

• The bone folder was used to soften up the scraps since I knew I would be cutting off the long edges.
• The letter is from the Hand Made Modern line at Target and was just $3.99.

2. Adhere scraps to letter using ModPodge

• My process was to paint ModPodge onto portions of the letter, layer on scraps and apply more ModPodge over top.
• Two layers of ModPodge were added to the letter once all scraps were in place.

3. Trim of excess edges

• This probably would have been way easier to do using an Exacto knife...however, my Paper Snips were handy and that is what I used. 

Super easy, super fun, and a great way to use up scraps!

The excess scraps left at the end of this project were promptly placed in the recycling bin that sits in my crafting space!

Before I managed to get the B onto a shelf in Britt's room, she decided to add on the Hello Kitty stickers she received in her Easter basket.

And, yes, that would be Britt, happy with her crafting and not really wanting her photo taken while "reading" about the college admissions process. The lighting is not ideal, however I know you can completely get the drift of her addition to this project!

Hope you are feeling inspired to find a clever way to use up some of the scraps in your stash! 

The next stop is Michelle Gleeson at StampinMojo, number 1 on the Pals Blog Hop! 

Thanks for visiting; I hope to see you on next month’s Pals Hop! In case you need it to help you navigate, the full hope line-up is:

1. Michelle Gleeson at StampinMojo
2. Lynn Kolcun at Stamping with Avery' s Owlery
3. Amy Hoptay at Inking of You
4. Becky Volpp at inkblossomwithbecky.com
5. Natalie Bradley at Soiree by Natalie Bradley
6. Jackie Diediker at Stampin' Jackie
7. Maggie Mata at Maggie Made Cards
8. Kim Jolley at Stampin' Artfully
9. Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
10. Candy Ford at Stamp Candy
11. Karen Hallam at Karen's Stampin' Site
12. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
13. Benjaman Turner at He Stamps
14. Susan Itell at Simple Stampin
15. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
16. Jane Knudsen at see jane stamp
17. Kerry Willard Bray at Peonies and Paper Chains

Enjoy a little creativity today!

 
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FREE Shipping? Yes, please! And some sweet weekly deals, too!

 

• Get FREE shipping on any orders placed April 6-April 10, no minimum purchase required (excludes expedited orders). 
• Orders placed for Hawaii and Alaska will receive free 2nd Day Air shipping. 
• Paper Pumpkin past kits and kit refills are eligible for free shipping if purchased online. Paper Pumpkin subscriptions are not eligible for free shipping.

And if you really want to maximize your savings this week, go for the current weekly deals! There are some great options!

 

I'll be taking advantage of the free shipping...how about you?

 

Berry Baskets for Pals Paper Arts!

You may have caught a glimpse of my project for the new Pals Paper Arts color challenge on Instagram earlier this week. My Instagram account is the go to spot for peeks at my projects...and a little of everyday life around here.

I loved used this week's color to put together today's design team project. I find the PPA 246  color combo to be quite spring like and dreamy:

I knew instantly that I wanted to make a couple little baskets using the Berry Baskets Bigz L die. They are so quick and easy to make and so very adorable! 

 

The basket bases were made using the 12 x 12 Kraft paper and embossed with the Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. This combo of paper and embossing creates a very natural looking basket. The edges done in Crisp Cantaloupe and Pistachio Pudding provide for a pretty contrast against the Kraft paper.

 

 

The embellishing of my Berry Baskets was kept clean and simple --

• initials stamped using the Larger Than Life Alphabet & Numbers stamp set and cut out with my 2-1/2" circle punch
• names added using the Alphabet Rotary stamp
• little paper ribbons/flags
• wooden clothespins to hold everything in place

As you may have noticed in the image above, Brooklyn's name was popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals and the edge of piece of card stock colored in Crumb Cake -- these details take just moments to do!

 

 

Hope that you are feeling inspired to pull out your Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, and Kraft! To see the inspiration from all of the design team members, click here!

And, please be sure to play along with us at Pals Paper Arts this week! The challenge closes at noon on Tuesday! 

 
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P.S. I was out of Pistachio Pudding card stock to use for this project. However, thanks to my Pistachio Pudding ink pad,  my brayer, and a strip Naturals White card stock, my dilemma was solved!