Peonies and Paper Chains: entertaining

entertaining

06/14/2015

Get Ready to Celebrate!

Hello, friends! Today, I'm sharing ideas for celebrating Independence Day here in the USA! Quite frankly, you can adapt the color palette for any holiday or occasion! With just a few paper crafting supplies you can create embellishments to jazz up any celebration!

For those visiting for the first time today from Mary Fish's Stampin Pretty blog where I am her Sunday guest stamper, welcome! And for those who've been to Peonies and Paper Chains before, welcome back!

Let me give you the details about my creations...

The Lucky Stars Textured Impressions Folder and either the Star Framelits or the new Medium Star Punch to make a little pennant to adorn a serving bowl. So quick and easy! I used Stampin' Dimensionals to apply the star to the pennant as I love the added depth.

Using the brand new Triple Banner Punch, my Lucky Stars embossing folder, and toothpicks allowed me to transform basic Real Red and Night of Navy cardstock into decorative flags!

Placing the bite size brownies in a ceramic egg tray provides an unexpected serving twist AND provides an opportunity to use this tray beyond the Easter holiday.

Using a Circle punch and sewing machine, I was able to make a paper garland and to later snip off a small portion to decorate this "Pint and a Half" Mason Jar. It is just the right size for holding a several boxes of sparklers!

Having grown up in New Hampshire (where fireworks and sparklers are perfectly legal), sparklers have long been a part of my 4th of July traditions. Living in the Granite State now, I can share this tradition with my girls.

I'm a big fan of garlands and you can easily make this either with or without a sewing machine. And, if you you are going to make one garland, I say make a few and layer them together! If you look closely, you'll notice that I used the Decorative Dots embossing folder on the Real Red pennants and the Lucky Stars folder on the Night of Navy ones.

The zig zag design is from the Work of Art stamp set -- definitely a fun twist on the traditional "stars + stripes" look!

This Take Out Box would be perfect for sending home treats with guests attending a holiday gathering that you are holding OR for bringing a hostess gift if you will spending the day at someone else's home. You could also fill a Take Out Box with all the supplies for s'mores (less the sticks for roasting) and hand out to everyone around a campfire!

The stamps are from Work of Art, the red polka dots were created with a Sponge Dauber, and the double ended banners had their ends snipped with the Triple Banner Punch. I also used my Word Window punch to help weave my card stock "ribbon" around the box.

A big thank you to Mary for having me as her Stampin' Pretty Sunday guest stamper!

Hope that you are leaving with some ideas for ways to create a festive mood at your home over the holidays! Which idea are most likely to try?

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Posted at 05:30 AM in banners, entertaining | Permalink | Comments (10)

01/14/2014

Pals January 2014 Blog Hop!

Welcome to our first blog hop of 2014! This month we are excited to show you the new products available in the Stampin' Up! Occasions Catalog as well as a preview of the free products you can earn through Sale-a-bration at the end of January. Well, some Pals are doing the latter...I just stuck with the Occassions catalog for this hop!

You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from Colleen Mollema at Uncanny Crafting 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.

Those who are regular readers of Peonies and Paper Chains know that I am a big fan of the kits in the Occassions catalog. So much so that I blogged about kits all last week! As you may have guessed from the image above, I'm sharing the Burlap and Blossom Simply Created Kit...and a few extra flowers courtesy of the Spiral Flower Bigz Die.

For several years now we have had a beautiful paper buttlerfly mobile in the girls' room. Lately I have been wanting to add a second mobile to the room so there would be one above each girls bed. I realized that with the addition of some ribbon, the Burlap and Blooms kit could easily be converted to a mobile.

The initial plan was to have the flowers hanging down from the wreath, however, once I put the flowers together I was not sure how well they would hang. And then I had a flashback to a wedding we years ago where the altar was marked with a beautiful suspended floral wreath. Not exactly the project I was planning, but turned out beautifully!

Making your own suspended wreath from the Burlap and Blooms Simply Created Wreath Kit:

After covering the chipboard wreath form with the burlap ribbon, make 4 holes even spaced around the form. I used a Crop-o-dile for this step and it easily cut through all the layers -- a standard hole punch will likely not do the trick.

Thread 18" pieces of Chevron ribbon in Calypso Coral through the four holes and knot on the bottom side (where you will mount the flowers). Trim ends as needed and then knot the long ends of the ribbon the form the hangar for the wreath.

Use hot glue to attach your blooms and any additional ones you have created with the Sprial Flower Bigz die to the wreath.

Hang and enjoy!

TIPS:

When making the fringed flowers, use two pieces of paper to make the fluffiest flowers...in some case I used a single piece and while nice, just not quite as lush!

For the flowers where you cut the fringe for the centers, use your Paper Snips rather than the new Fringe Scissors. Don't get me wrong, I love the Fringe Scissors, however I found that when I used those oin the flower centers, I had to snip off whole "corners" in the process. You get a much nicer result with Paper Snips. Take a look at the large yellow flower (Fringe Scissors) and then the blue flower (Paper Snips) to see what I mean.

Hope you've enjoyed this twist on Burlap and Blooms Simply Created Wreath Kit! Perhaps you too will turn in right on its side!

STAMPIN' UP! SUPPLIES USED: Burlap and Blooms Simply Created Wreath Kit (133333), Chevron Ribbon in Calypso Coral (130018), Spiral Flower Originals Die (129379), Pink Piroutte Cardstock (111351), Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad (126983), Brayer (102395), Silicone Craft Sheet (127853)

ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES: Hot Glue Gun, Glue Sticks, Crop-o-Dile

The next stop is Janice Warhank at Janice's Papercraft Playground on the Pals Blog Hop!

Thanks so much for visiting! See you again real soon!

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Pals January 2014 Blog Hop Line-up

Posted at 05:30 AM in Blog Hops, entertaining, Home Decor | Permalink | Comments (15)

01/10/2014

Five on Friday: Five Things to Love...

about the Celebration Add-On Kits!

These kits are designed to work with the Celebration Basic Kit that I shared with you earlier this week.

Here are the things I love and I suspect you will too:

1. Two great color choices

Bermuda Bay

Calypso Coral

2. The super cool circle garland -- it comes all sewn together for you and is ready to hang!

3. The very cool giant tassles you can make from the kit --- mine were spritzed with Bermuda Bay before I cut and assembled.

4. All the other elements of the Add-on kit:

■ 2 sheets of die-cut accents, 1 sheet ea. 12" x 12" and 7" x 12"
■ 12 sheets of 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper
■ Stampin’ Spritzer for coloring streamers (use with Classic Stampin’ Ink Refills, sold separately)

5. The fact that you could easily use these kit elements on their own for a whole slew of other projects even if you did not purchase the banner!

Here are some other images for you and you'll notice I had fun hanging the circle garland in several ways (it is a full 12 feet long).

My husband's birthday is this month so we will be leaving the banner up all month long to mark the occassion!

See my original post about the Celebration Basics Kit here.

And, if you are now convinced that this kit is must have, order it here!

You've had 5 posts filled with Stampin' Up! kits and I'm not done yet...stay tuned for more these next few days!

Thanks so much for visiting! Have a wonderful day!

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Posted at 04:30 AM in birthday, entertaining, five on fridays, home decor, Party Ideas | Permalink | Comments (1)

11/17/2013

Sunday Sweetness - Stampin' Up! Gingerbread!

The Homemade Happiness Framable download is one that I have long thought is adorable! It is definitely something that I think is incredibly sweet to display during the holidays. And, in fact, I'll be making a project using this download sometime this next month and I will share it with you when I do!

It struck me yesterday that I could convert this 8-1/2" x 11" project down to 5x7 postcard size and I could mail it with our holiday cards! I think I just may do that! Or, perhaps I will put it on the back of our cards...decisions, decisions!

The Homemade Happiness (item 132192) digital download is on sale for just $2.07! The MDS seasonal sale ends on November 30...time is a ticking! Great deals on so many downloads (see those deals here) and 30% off most printing!

If you've been wanting to try digital cardmaking or scrapbooking, now is the perfect time! Download your free 30-day trial here and see what makes MDS so fabulous! And, if you do, be sure to give the professional print services a try -- I've been very happy with all the cards and postcards that I have had printed!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Enjoy your day!

Good wishes,

Kerry

P.S. What do you think, print the gingerbread recipe as a frestanding postcard or place it on the back of our card?

Posted at 07:30 AM in christmas, digital designing / mds2, entertaining | Permalink | Comments (1)

11/12/2013

Truly Grateful - Pals November Blog Hop

Thank you for joining us for the November Pals Blog Hop! We are thankful you are visiting today and hope you enjoy our "thank you" inspired projects.

You should have just left stop number 11 on the Pals Hop - Lynn Kolcun at Stamping With Avery's Owlery. If so, you are in the right spot. If you get off track, the full blog lineup below will help you move along from blog to blog so you see all of the amazing creations.

I'm thankful for the Truly Grateful stamp set and the Simply Created Thanksgiving Tablescape kit. These products are making it so easy to prepare for the holiday and a versatile enough to be used throughout the whole year!

A few weeks back, I put together a preliminary tablescape and banner and just yesterday I decorated a centerpiece, created framed art, and stepped up my napkin holders. Hope you'll be inspired as you scroll through the creations --- be sure to click on any image you want to see larger!

Good to Know - Stampgoodness Tips:

To achieve the look I did with the leaves, daub on some Soft Suede ink and allow to dry; next add Illuminate ink over top. Because I was working quickly and went right from one ink to the other and here's how my Illumninate pad looked at the end:

Set your pennants flying by curling them around your bone folder as I did for the framed art.
Get rid of the glass to expand your possibilities -- for most frames that I use, I simply remove and recycle the glass. The simple act of doing this opens up the possibilities of 3-D framed art.

List of Goodies Used: Thankful Tablescape Simply Created Kit (133463), Soft Suede and Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pads, Truly Grateful stamp set (wood: 131730 / clear: 131733), Thankful stamp (wood only: 133313), Linen Thread

Hope you are feeling inspired!

The next stop is Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper, stop number 13 on the Pals Blog Hop! Thanks for visiting – and I hope to see you again soon!

Good wishes,

Kerry

Blog Hop Line Up:

Posted at 08:30 AM in entertaining, home decor, thanksgiving | Permalink | Comments (13)

09/21/2013

Saturday Share: The "Cards" that Started It All!

You have likely not been sitting around wondering what my very first blog post was and truth be told, neither have I! However, I thought it would be fun to take a look back and see the very first project I shared online. Yep, that would be the recipe cards you just saw above. As I type this in my mind I am saying, "Seriously? That was the first thing you posted?!".

I was actually thinking it was the card below:

This card was the second project I shared online. Not bad...very much a CASE-able design. But the photo, not so good!

Most definitely the projects have gotten better and the photography has improved...at least I think so. Hopefully you agree!

If you did not yet comment on yesterday's post for the big blog candy giveaway, be sure to to that! Click here for the post.

Thanks for stopping by -- come again soon!

Good wishes,

Kerry

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Click here to place your Stampin' Up! order now!

Posted at 08:30 AM in birthday, entertaining | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

07/25/2013

This and That for Pals Paper Arts - PPA 165

Want to keep everything organized this holiday season? The Season of Style This and That Journal is designed to help you do that! Let me inspire you to get your Season of Style Journal ready for your 2013 holiday planning!

My journal was decorated using this week's Pals Paper Arts sketch for inspiration (PPA165). Thanks to the talented Nicole Watt for this great sketch:

The image below gives you a sense for the rich texture of the journal cover and the beautiful patterns on the Season of Style Designer Series Paper (NOTE: click image to see it full size):

Everything you see in today's project (except for the Old Olive ink) is available as of August 1 when the Holiday Catalog goes live.

Please be sure to visit tomorrow's Five on Friday post. It will include 5 tips for creating this project plus a full supply list and images from inside the journal! You won't want to miss it!

PLEASE, DO TELL - What is your favorite holiday color combo? Please be sure to leave your response in the comment section! Thanks!

THINKING ABOUT GOING DIGITAL FOR YOUR HOLIDAY LETTER? TRY MDS FREE for 30 DAYS! Click here to access the free 30 day trial version of MDS. If you decide you love it, purchase MDS with more than $500 in digital content for just $19.95...an absolutely incredible value!

Enjoy your day!

Good wishes,

Kerry

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Click here to place your Stampin' Up! order now!

Posted at 08:30 AM in christmas, entertaining | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

07/09/2013

A Very Stampin' Up! Summer Party for the Pals July Blog Hop!

Thank you for joining us for the July Pals Blog Hop to celebrate the 2013-15 In Colors! Are you ready to see wonderful creations made with Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Strawberry Slush, Baked Brown Sugar and Coastal Cabana? We all love to make these projects, we hope you enjoy viewing them.

You should have just left stop number 11 on the Pals Hop - Peggy Noe at Prettypapercards.com. If so, you are in the right spot. If you get off track, the full blog lineup below will help you move along from blog to blog so you see all of the amazing creations.

Summer is often a time for entertaining and the idea I'm sharing today would be wonderful for a summer garden party with a small group of friends, a baby or bridal shower, or even a casual wedding. The 2013-2015 In Color Collection is truly fabulous for summer festivities. Here is an all-in-one placecard, drinking glass, and utensil holder that you could create:

These are incredibly easy to make! You can choose to keep them very simple -- just an initial on a single circle or you can put together several layers (such as I did above), or even add a little bling...

Wish I could claim this clever idea all on my own, however I first saw the idea in the Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine. What a fabulous Fourth of July party idea using bandanas -- click to see it here. I'm sharing a true transformation from a bold patriotic style to that of casual elegance!

Good to Know - Stampgoodness Tips:

Love the look of monograms but have multiple guests with the same initials? Stamp on the monogram and then neatly write in the guest name below it.
Tie a similar tag onto the centerpieces you are using to communicate the table number.
Make larger tags for the centerpieces to express thanks from the guests of honor or even to share the menu for the gathering.
Rather than using Baker's Twine as shown, find simple elastic thread and use that to attach the tags -- this will easily allow guests to remove the tags before the mason jars are filled with a crisp, cool summer beverage.

Stampin' Up! Goodies Used to Create Today's Project:

1-3/4" circle punch (119850) & 2-3/8" scallop punch (118874)
Whisper White cardstock (100730)
Baker's Twine in Early Espresso (123124)
3/8" Ruffle Trim in Pistachio Pudding (130020) and Strawberry Slush (130023)
Morning Post Alphabet (wood mount 132042 / clear mount 126592)
Baked Brown Sugar Classic Stampin' Pad (131174)
2013-2015 In Color cardstock (131200 -- contains Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cataloupe, Pistachio Pudding, and Strawberry Slush)
Pearl Basic Jewels (119247)

My daughter Brooklyn decided she had to make similar tags for she and her sister Britt. This time I did all the stamping and the punching for her and these are the tags she assembled:

The embellishment you see is from the In Color Boutique Details (130938) -- these adorable pieces come in all the 2013-2015 In Colors!