Peonies and Paper Chains

PPA 236: So Honored!

Today is a very special Pals Paper Arts project for me. Today marks the first sketch challenge for which I am the designer. I'm so very honored to be serving design team 1 in this capacity. I've taken over from Margaret Moody who was the original PPA sketch designer -- she did an amazing job for 5 years!

Here's the sketch for PPA236 to get your creative juices flowing: 

 

And here is the project I put together using the sketch as inspiration:

It was so much fun to use the Yee Haw photopolymer stamps to make this topper for the take-out box! While you are unlikely to hear me holler "yee haw", this set is fabulous and has a great mix of elements and sentiment stamps! The little star, barbed wire, and "mighty kind of you" are among my favorites in the set.

You'll find the full supply list at the very bottom of the post.

Be sure to play along with us this week at Pals Paper Arts! I'm so excited to see what you and all my fellow design team members create!

 

 
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Happy 2015...PPA Style!

Happy 2015, friends! Hope you are look forward to all the possibilities that the New Year brings! I'm excited to be starting 2015 by sharing my latest Pals Paper Arts design team project with you AND by sharing a sneak peek at some brand new products from the Occassions Catalog...

The Celebrate Today photopolymer stamp set, along with the coordinating Balloon Framelits, are just right for this Happy 2015 card! 

I'm loving this week's color combo for Pals Paper Paper Arts (PPA234)...how about you?

I did take the liberty to add in a little Pool Party ink using my brayer to create the backdrop for the silver glimmer balloon. Challenges are inspiration and you can always modify a little to make it your own!

Here's a closer look at the sparkly balloon:

Whenever I use a dark card base, I like to add a light colored insert for the sentiment and message. And, this time around, I included a little stamping using some the elements from teh Celebrate Today stamp set:

Celebrate Today is a fun and fabulous stamp set and I can see getting a whole lot of mileage out of it!

You'll find my list of supplies below my signature -- all it is missing are the Celebrate Today stamp set and the Balloon Framelits and those are available as of January 6th!

And, for those who did not stop over from Pals Paper Arts, be sure to pop over to see what the other members of the design team created this week!

Finally, following a short break, my Five on Friday color combos make their return tomorrow! Get inspired, see what inspired the combo, and catch another new product sneak peek!

Wishing you an amazing 2015!

 
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Scroll through to see all the supplies:

 

The #1 Washi Tape Tip You Need!

Let's cut to chase friends and get right to today's tip -- it is a big one!

Here goes...

When you accidentally CUT your cardstock where you meant to SCORE it, wrap a big long piece of Washi Tape all around the card "spine" to keep it together! Washi Tape to the rescue!

How is that for a tip?!

I'm thinking that you'd like to see the rest of today's card and I am super excited to share it with you.

When I do so, I may be spoiling the surprise of the December Paper Pumpkin (more than I have already because the two stamp images above are in the kit).

Close your browser now if you don't want to see what is in the kit!

My December Paper Pumpkin kit arrived on Monday and I simply could not wait to use it!

I shared this peek at today's project on Instagram that night:

 

The card design was inspired by the Pals Paper Arts Sketch (PPA232) that starts today:

 

 

Here's the full card for you:

 

This is the very first shaker card that I have ever made...so MUCH fun! Not sure why I waited so long to try this out and I'll definitely be making more!

For those who are curious, I did jumbo size to a 5 x 7" card base using Bermuda Bay cardstock instead of using a base from the Paper Pumpkin kit. In addition, I added the Washi Tape and piece of Strawberry Slush cardstock.

Do be sure to play along with us at Pals Paper Arts this week!

And please, do tell me, am I the only one who has ever cut a card base when I really meant to score it? Fingers crossed that I am not!

 
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Hello December!

November was an absolute whirlwind month at our home.

So much so that I squeezed in hardly anytime for creating and blogging.

While I know December will be busy, I was beyond ready to say "Hello December" the other day. I'm excited to usher in this new month!

And, today, I'm happy to share my design team project for the latest Pals Paper Arts color challenge! This week we are working with a beautiful blend:

This mix of Cherry Cobbler, Baked Brown Sugar, and Very Vanilla is such a classy color combo!

That little sliver of a project that you saw the beginning of the post is a very special card...

It is a completely custom 4" x 6" card for a little December #PLxSU album that I am creating! It features stamps from the Project Life December Wonder Photopolymer Stamp Set and some sweet little sequins from the Hello December Project Life Accessory Pack.

Ready to see more of the card? Here it is with its companion cards in a 6" x 8" plastic sleeve:

This title page for the album brings together the PPA color pallete with a patterned card from the Hello December Project Life Card Collection and a custom made 3" x 4" embossed piece of Baked Brown Sugar card stock. I just love the On Point Textured Impressions Embossing Folder -- it was perfect for this project!

I've also put together the first couple pages of the album and thought I show you those:

We'll be recording our memories day by day this month. Some days (like December 1st) will feature a quick journaling entry.

Others will have photos and I know I will be putting in some photos for December 2 and 3, however, I initially prepared the album with some place holders so that it looks nice even without the images:

For December 3, I'll be including a photo of our elves, Oko and Madeline:

 

Oko & Madeline finally arrived while the girls were out today! Really Oko II & Madeline II as I am pretty sure our original elves went into the witness protection program! #elfontheshelf #elfantics2014

A photo posted by Kerry Willard Bray (@kerrywillardbray) on Dec 12, 2014 at 3:47pm PST

The girls love the elves and were so excited for their return to us. In fact, Brooklyn even made some gifts to give Oko and Madeline.

I'll be sharing more pages (complete with photos) as the month marches on! In the meantime, be sure to stop over to Pals Paper Arts to see what the other members of the design team have created!

 

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Flipped for Four Feathers!

When I saw the sketch for this week's Pals Paper Arts challenge, I immediately thought "great sketch -- I love this!" I'm pretty sure it was the simplicity of the sketch that was so appealing:

 

Am I right? Sleek and simple all the way.

Of course, those of who have been visting my blog for awhile now know that I often like to put a little twist on my projects. This challenge is no exception. So I took the sketch and flipped it around:

Not only did I flip it, I used the sketch to decorate a Tag a Bag Box (I love these boxes) rather than to create a card. Here's the full DIY gift box:

 

My "main ingredients" for this project are:

• Tag a Bag box (130927)
• 1-1/4" Burlap Ribbon (132140)
• Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad (131171)
• Four Feather stamp set (wood 135050 | clear 135053)
• Rich Razzleberry card stock (115316)
• The sweet sentiment stamp was part of the October 2014 Paper Pumpkin -- love the exclusive stamp sets that Paper Pumpkin delivers right to me each month!

Be sure to visit Pals Paper Arts to see all the other fabulous projects from this sketch. And, of course, play along with us! I'd love to see what you create!

Enjoy a little creativity today!

 

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Enjoying the time!

I've been to precisely two big music concerts in my life. The first was INXS in Sydney, Australia when I was an exchange student in high school. It was incredible! Not to date myself, but this was the original INXS band line-up.  

The second was seeing James Taylor. It was an outdoor gig and I attended with a bunch of friends from college. Definitely a much more laid back atmosphere than INXS but equally as wonderful.

What in the world does all this have to do with paper crafting?

Well, whenever, I pull out my From the Heart stamp set, it makes me reminiscent about the JT concert! And, that is precisely the stamp set that I used to create my design team project for the brand new Pals Paper Arts challenge (PPA 226):

And, while I had not thought of when making the card, it is not just the sweet James Taylor sentiment card that brings me back to that concert, the color palette does too. It was a was a fall concert - a crisp cool, fall day in Pennsylvania -- and this week's color combo is perfect for autumn:

Definitely a very rich and pretty color combo! 

Believe it or not, this card took me less than 10 minutes to make from start to finish and I know it is one you could quickly CASE if you wanted to do so. There are three elements that make it delightful, yet simple:

1. Layers, especially when popped on with Stampin' Dimensionals, add interest and are kept easy by sticking with basic shapes. 
2. Stamping Off brings in new hues and allows you to cover elements of a page with minimal re-inking.
3. Sweet sentiments pull everything together and I adore this quote from James Taylor. It is perfect for use on a birthday card, but also works for everyday.

For those who are curious about the Cajun Craze "frames" on the card...

the backdrop for the sentinment is a cut piece of cardstock

and

the edges of the card base are some Cajun Craze ink that I rolled on with my brayer.

What is your favorite element of this card? The layers? The stamping off? The sentiment? I'd love to know! Feel free to leave a quick comment, I so enjoy reading what you have to share!

Enjoy today! 

 

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Bearing Gifts for Pals Paper Arts

Hello friends. It is time for a brand new Pals Paper Arts Sketch Challenge (PPA224) and it is a fun one!

Given that I decided to use the very adorable "Bearing Gifts" stamp, I decided to tip the sketch on its side and my end result is this:

Here's a closer look at the wee ones in full color:

These little ones are so incredibly sweet! And, I love polar bears...no wonder this stamp made my must have list!

The color palette for the All is Calm Designer Series Paper includes some of my favorites -- Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, and Wild Wasabi. These colors do speak of pure serenetiy and calm to me.

Scroll back up for a minute and take a look at the embossing...do you agree that turning the On Point Textured Impressions Embossing Folder on its side, gives the effect of movement? Right side up, you get a distinct feel of a pine tree forest and upside down is a very fun triangle pattern (at least in my book).

Be sure to visit Pals Paper Arts to see what the other members of the design team have created to share this week! And, please, play along with us! We'd love to see what you come up with based on the sketch!

Enjoy a little creativity today!

  

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PPA 222: Embossed Grunge

Yes, you read that right...embossed grunge.

And, honestly, it looks even more gorgeous than I thought it would!

Today marks the start of a brand new Pals Paper Arts color challenge (PPA 222) and I instantly loved the color combo that we were asked to use:

The So Saffron, Calypso Coral, and Early Espresso most certainly create a sophisticated palette. And that, of course, made it even more fun to pair with the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set. Take a look:

As you may have noticed, this project is a little Kraft Grid Journals. Here it is standing up:

This journal combines traditional heat embossing (the water-like splatters onthe journal) and the emboss resist technique. 

Did you know that when you emboss an image and then daub ink on and around the image that the embossed area will "resist" the ink? I daubed my Calyspo Coral all around the splatters and then simply rubbed a napkin over the top to really make the embossed image as spiffy as can be. Doesn't get much easier than that and I love the marbled look.

Do be sure to visit Pals Paper Arts to see what all the other design team members put together to share!

Have a creative day!

 

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PPA 220: Double the Fun!

Within about two hours of the September Paper Pumpkin kit arriving at my home, I was busy creating with it! While I have yet to assemble the entire kit, the first little bag I put together was for The new Pals Paper Arts sketch challenge (PPA222):

Here's what I created:

The lil' tag was created based on the sketch and as I assembled the complete project, I could not help but think that the entire project itself is a take off on this week's great sketch! So consider this project to double the fun from the design!

Be sure to visit the Pals Paper Arts to see all the inspiration from the design team!

Have a creative day!

 

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P.S. I can't wait to use the rest of this fun Paper Pumpkin kit...as someone who loves Halloween, I'm finding it is my favorite kit yet!

Polar Bear Peek for PPA! Stampin' Up!

When holiday time rolls around at our house, polar bears and snowmen are often on display. I love them both and polar bears hold a special place in my heart. As a child, I received an ornament every year from my parents and each ornament has my name and the year written on it. On my very first Christmas, when I was 6 months old, I received a polar bear dancing on a ball. To this day, it has been hung every year on a Christmas tree and it hangs from a thin gold colored thread and a tarnished tree hook. Perhaps because of my very special ornament, I instantly fell in love with the Bearing Gifts stamp that is in the new holiday catalog. Today I'm thrilled to share the very first project that I have created with that stamp...

Today's project includes 4 sneak peeks:

1. The Bearing Gifts  single stamp (don't you simply adore the polar bear with the children on its back?).

2. Sentiments from the Endless Wishes photopolymer stamp set.

3. The new All is Calm Speciality Designer Series Paper -- the top third shows the original paper and I brayered some Pool Party ink onto the bottom portion.

4. The very fun Frosted Sequins (please don't tell anyone, but the sequins on the polar bear are covering up an ink smudge...oops!).

The card layout was inspired by the brand new Pals Paper Arts Challenge (PPA 216):

As always, I cannot wait to see what my fellow design team members have created! And I do hope that you will play along with us! Be sure to visit the Pals Paper Arts site for additional inspiration and for challenge details!

I'll be sharing another sneak peek project tomorrow...be sure to stop on back to see it!

 

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P.S. You can see my polar bear ornament in the top left corner of this collage: