Peonies and Paper Chains

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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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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Stamp Review Crew: Celebrate Today

Happy February! Today the Stamp Review Crew is ringing in the new month with our Celebrate Today blog hop! This new set from Stampin' Up! is so fun, so festive, and so versatile! You are in for a real treat with our hop! You may be starting here or you may have just come over from Linda Callahan at Stampin' Seasons (I always adore her creations)... wherever you are staring, be sure to enjoy the full hop!

There are two fun projects that I put together for you! Up first is a birthday tag:

There's a whole lot of detail and I had a blast putting it together:

Brayering, stamping, embossing, cutting (with the Balloons Framelits), pom poms, and sequins...it all adds up to a sweet and festive birthday tag! Even the back of this tag is all dressed up:

One of Brooklyn's friends celebrated her birthday this past weekend and she was the recipient of this gift tag. The two attended the same pre-school for two years but go to different kindergartens now and don't see each other as often. It was lots fun celebrating her big day!

The second project I have in store is a little birthday wishes book:

photo embellished using the Rhonna Designs app

This is the perfect little gift for everyone at birthday celebration to sign! It would also be great for a group of colleagues to sign rather than a card, especially for a co-worker who is having a very special milestone birthday!

If you look real close at the image above, you'll see that the balloon is actually popped up on the journal. Originally I made a cut-out in the journal of the balloon and I lined the inside of the journal cover with some Pool Party card stock. While it looked sweet, I thought a little something more was needed and I decided to add the stamped and embossed balloon right over the cut-out with some Stampin' Dimensionals!

Hope you've enjoyed these projects as much as I did when creating them!  As the image says "let your imagination run wild...be creative" -- hope the hop gets you inspire to pull out the Celebrate Today stamp set and get creating!

Up next is Rochelle Blok at The Stamping Blok -- she does beautiful work and I know this hop will be no exception! Use the buttons below to navigate and happy hopping! 

     

 
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Let's Get Hopping with Stampin' Up!'s Hey, Valentine!

 

Welcome to the first Pals Blog Hop of 2015! We hope your new year is off to a great creative start! To celebrate the start of a new Stampin' Up! season, we are showcasing products from our newest catalog this month - the Occasions catalog. Some hoppers will also showcase new Sale-a-bration products too. If you don't know how to earn free Sale-a-bration products - contact your Stampin' Up! demonstrator to learn more.

You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from Becky Gifford at The Social Stamper. Whichever is the case, I hope you'll take a look at me creations and use the full lineup below to move along from blog to blog so you see all the projects we've created for you!

I'm really excited to share my creations with you! Those who know me well know that I am a deadline worker and hopefully none of them will spill their coffee or fall out of their chairs when they see that I am sharing Valentine's treat ideas...a full month before Valentine's day! These were so much fun to create using the brand new Hey, Valentine stamp set from the Occasions catalog: 

It is just precious! And perfect for making Valentine's for Brooklyn and Britt to give to their friends.

First up, the sweet little fox:

 

This fox is adorable and makes me smile just thinking of the girls dancing along to the song "What Does the Fox Say" -- it is a regularly requested song for dance parties at our house! It is also one of those songs that just sticks in your head.

Britt will be sharing the fox tags and a few crayons with her friends.  A tightly wrapped band of card stock holds the crayons together and forms the perfect backdrop of the Bermuda Bay ribbon. A box of 48 crayons will be divided up amongst Britt's friends making this a really affordable Valentine's treat!

For Brooklyn's friends, there will be a mix of all the other stamp designs in the set:

The school of fish...that Brooklyn colored in by herself! 

 

The sweet tweet bird...so very sweet!

 

The cutie pie pirate -- I especially adore the parrot perched on the pirate's hand!

 

Since Brooklyn is older, we are going with pencils as her treat:

Do you agree? Candy free and lots of fun?

For those who want to know what supplies I used,  scroll on down to the very bottom of the post!

The next stop is Debbie Crowley at expressivelydeb... on the Pals Blog Hop! Thanks for visiting and I'll see you next month!

              

One more thing before I go...a big shout-out to the one and only Nicole Watt for the fabulous retro badge and buttons! Love them!

 
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Pals January 2015 Blog Hop Line-up

1. Amy Whelan at Amy's Inklings
2. Maggie Mata at Maggie Made Cards
3. Becky Gifford at The Social Stamper
4. Kerry Willard Bray at Peonies and Paper Chains --- YOU ARE HERE
5. Debbie Crowley at expressivelydeb...
6. Amy Williams at Stamps and Spice
7. Rae Harper at WildWestPaperArts.com
8. Sherrie Gross at Stampin' Sunshine
9. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin'
10. Becky Volpp at InkBlossomwithBecky
11. Nancy Gleason at My Stampin Space
12. Jane Knudsen at www.seejanestamp.com
13. Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper
14. Michelle Quinno at Shell's Life
15. Susan Lankford at Stamp and Create With Susan
16. Karen Hallam at Karen's Blog
17. Kelly DeTommaso at Kelly's Creative Corner
18. Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
19. Laurie Chilton at Stampin' Ink
20. Brian King at Stamp with Brian
21. Peggy Noe at prettypapercards.com
22. Martie Pollard at The Crafty Bandit
23. Kim Jolley at Stampin' Artfully
24. Beth Beard at My little craft blog
25. Michelle Gleeson at StampinMojo
26. Sue Becker at RnR Stamping
27. Jackie Diediker at Stampin' Jackie
28. Natalie Bradley at Natalie Bradley Events
29. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
30. Candy Ford at Stamp Candy
31. Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits From Dawn
32. Angie Valle-Peters at Paperluxuries
33. Amy Hoptay at Inking of You!
34. Lynn Kolcun at Stamping with Avery's Owlery
35. Shannon K Jaramillo at Shannon Kay Paperie
36. Liz Gautreaux at Kind Deeds Stampin
37. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
38. Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven's Retreat
39. Pamela Sadller at Stampin Pink Rose
40. Jennifer Michalski at Stamping Serenity
41. Shannon Hokanson at Paper Works by Shannon

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

 

 

Ugh...so as soon as I posted this, I realized I forgot the Pumpkin Pie Blendabilities (130997)! Sorry about that, friends!

Make a Wish...

The sneak peeks from the Holiday Catalog continue today! You are getting two peeks today on a  project I am calling "wish on a lucky star"...

 The peeks are:

1. Gold Basic Metal Buttons

2. Lucky Stars Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Here's another look at the card:

The stars are popped up with my favorite adhesive -- Stampin' Dimensionals. 

The design of the card was inspired by the latest Mojo Monday Challenge -- MOJO 360:

This project made good use of my Big Shot die cutting tool along with my Stars and Ovals Framelits. And, just as much as we are counting down to the launch of the Holiday Catalog (it's tomorrow!), the count down is on for the end of the Big Shot Bundles promotion. It is quite the amazing deal -- don't miss out on your opportunity for your free or reduced price bundle. Details here.

 

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Life doesn't have to be perfect...

The Perfect Pennants stamp set says it beautifully..."life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful".

If things were "perfect" around here, no child would be walking around with her hands covered in Calypso Coral ink. And this momma would remember not to let said child use dark colors of ink. Alas, not perfect here and, yet, as you will see life around here is pretty wonderful...

Britt decided to work side by side with me on Sunday morning as I created my projects for the week. Yep, I said the week. Everything project is made through Thursday's post and I'm excited to share them with you! 

Up first for the week is a home decor piece:

This little block measures 3" square and it will on display at my desk. The Designer Series Paper that you see on it is the Back to Black pack (item 133700) and I opted to color the silhouettes in with my Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Write Marker. It definitely put a different spin on the project!

The layout for each side you see was inspired by the latest challenge from Freshly Made Sketches (FMS148):

Today's project did incorporate the Flower Fair Framelits that coordinate with the Flower Patch stamp set. Remember that now is the time to claim your FREE Big Shot Bundle! 

LIMITED TIME ONLY:  Get a Free Big Shot Bundle! 

If your paper crafting tools do not yet include the Big Shot, now is the perfect time to purchase one! You get to choose a FREE bundle (valued up to $54.25) when you purchase a Big Shot...what a deal!

Already have a Big Shot? You can purchase select Big Shot bundles at 15% off! A great savings.

View your options here and purchase a Big Shot or bundle now!

 

Have a creative day!

 

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 P.S. As for Britt's hands, they were finally clean by the time bedtime was upon us!

 

Flower Patch for Five on Friday Stampin' Up!

Today you get to see the latest Five on Friday color combination on a little thank you card that features Flower Patch photopolymer stamps and a sentiment from Regarding Dahlias. And, some Whisper White craft ink...it has been too long since I have played with that!

Here's the combo:

This combo if Pistachio Pudding, Lost Lagoon, So Saffron, Marina Mist, and Pear Pizzazz was inspired by a glider we have at our house...the one that I rocked both girls in for many nights when they were younger. 

You've seen a peek and now here is the full card:

Notice how the layers of the embossed background line up precisely? It means that the panel of Lost Lagoon is not perfectly centered on the card, however for me, it was more critical to have the flowers and stems align.

This week, I looked for inspiration from two challenges when creating the card itself:

Mojo Monday (MOJO357)

 

The Paper Players (PP207)

 

It's always fun to play along with challenges and draw inspiration from new places!

 

LIMITED TIME ONLY:  Get a Free Big Shot Bundle! 

If your paper crafting tools do not yet include the Big Shot, now is the perfect time to purchase one! You get to choose a FREE bundle (valued up to $54.25) when you purchase a Big Shot...what a deal!

Already have a Big Shot? You can purchase select Big Shot bundles at 15% off! A great savings.

View your options here and purchase a Big Shot or bundle now!

Have a creative day!

 

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Just can't put this stamp down!

Seriously having a hard time putting down the "Make today ridiculously amazing" stamp from the Amazing Birthday stamp set. It is one that I received at the Stampin' Up! Inspire. Create. Share. event back in July -- thank you, thank you, thank you Stampin' Up!

This stamp makes for the perfect birthday sentiment and I've been thinking about other opportunities for using it as well. Here are a few ideas:

• first day of school...how sweet for your special little one to find in their lunch?
• college move in day...who wouldn't smile to find this tucked in their suitcase?
• wedding day...what bride or groom wouldn't be happy to see this as they get ready for the day?
• first day on a new job...wouldn't this make for a nice little welcome card for a new colleague?

These are just a few examples! I'm also thinking this could work for retirement, a vacation, going skydiving or rock climbing or scube diving or some other fun activity.

The possibilities are endless.

What other ideas do you have?  Please be sure to share them in the comments! Reading this in your email? Click the post title above to be taken to my blog.

And I'm thinking you just may want to see the rest of this project. Here you go!

It was a fun card to make and to achieve the background, bryaer up a piece of Whisper White  cardstock with some ink (I used Daffodil Delight), and, once dry, emboss with the Honeycomb textured impressions embossing folder.

Looking for a fast, fun, and easy way to be creative?

Now is the time to give Paper Pumpkin a try! Get 50% off* your first two months when you sign up by September 10. Go to MyPaperPumpkin.com and use promo code: HALFOFF2. 

After your first two months, keep the creativity coming for just $19.95 US/$24.95 CAN + tax per month (shipping included). Each month a fully designed project kit will arrive at your door with stamps, ink, and paper—everything cut and ready to go.

It’s commitment-free! You can cancel or suspend your membership at any time—really! So, go on, give it a try. What do you have to lose? (Except some boredom.)

*For new subscribers only, not valid on prepaid subscriptions. Discount applied to one kit per month for the first two months of a new subscription.
 

Have a creative day!

 

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A Star Studded Birthday

The Star Framelits are one of the newest additions to my paper crafting supplies and I'm having lots of fun putting them to use. Today's project is a "star studded" birthday card with three star cuts between the card and envelope sleeve.

Here's a look at the full project:

And, yes, two Paper Pumpkin kits waiting to be worked on are sitting on my shelf! While I often take photos in this very spot, you do not typically see the top of the shelf. However, this card and envelope sleeve are bigger than most I make...the card measures 5" x 7". It is a card for a colleague and I made it big so that everyone at the office can sign it.

Like many demonstrators, I work outside the home in addition to running my Stampin' Up! business. While I certainly have opportunities to be creative in my other role, one of the things I love most about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is nurturing my creative side. And, I enjoy helping others nurture their creative sides, too!

Here are a few more images I snapped:

 This double cut is the smallest star Framelit nestled inside the largest and I made both cuts at the same time rather than having to run through my Big Shot twice.

 

Because the card is large, I needed some type of envelope. While I could have used my Envelope Punch Board to make one, decided to make a a little sleeve to hold the card. It is a single sheet of cardstock that measures about 7-3/4" x 11" -- the bottom and side are seal with some Sticky Strip.

 

The side was lined on both sides allowing lots of space for everyone to sign the card and I thought the little star in here was the perfect touch to finish off the card.

 

If your paper crafting tools do not yet include the Big Shot, now is the perfect time to purchase one! You get to choose a FREE bundle (valued up to $54.25) when you purchase a Big Shot...what a deal!

Already have a Big Shot? You can purchase select Big Shot bundles at 15% off! A great savings.

View your options here and purchase a Big Shot or bundle now!

Have a creative day!

 

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Thrilled to Announce...

that I've joined the Pixel Maven's DigiChallenge design team! It is such a pleasure to join my friends Nicole Watt and Kris Kilcoyne is the venture. They are both gurus of digital design using MDS!

With my addition to the team, PMDC is doing something new. For quite some time, the challenge has been open to both digital and traditional paper crafting projects. The design team projects, however, have always been digital. Kris will be our exclusive digital designer and Nicole and I will take turns alternateing between digital, hybrid, and traditional paper crafting.

Here's this week's Pixel Maven's Challenge (PMDC-050):

And, my creation:

And a little zoom in...

Some of you may be thinking "Wait a minute...it's Friday. I want to see the new Five on Friday color combo!"...you just did!

I'll be incorporating my regular Five on Friday color combos with my PMDC challenges. This week's 5 color combo consists of:

Hope that you will play along with Nicole, Kris, and me! No blog required! You can upload your project photo to Pinterest or an online gallery so that you can share it with us. Hope you'll consider joining us and combining the PMDC-050 sketch with my latest 5 color combo!

IT'S A BIG DEAL!  Through August 31, get an exclusive Framelits and Stamp Set Bundle for FREE when you purchase a Big Shot. Or, if you already own a Big Shot, get a 15 percent discount on these select bundles. Head to my online store for details!

Wishing you a creative day!

 

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