Peonies and Paper Chains

Double the Color!

Happy Friday friends!

After sharing last week's Pals Paper Arts project, I went on an unplanned, unannounced mini blog break and now I'm back! It means that I missed sharing last week's Five on Friday color combo so today you get double the color!

 

First up, in honor of Valentine's Day, I've got a fun twist on the traditional V-day hues for last minutes cards or treats you may choose (or need) to make...

 

And, a combo with a mix of neutral tones and cool winter hues...

 

Which combo has you fired up to get creating today? I'd love to know! Be sure to leave a comment and let me know which you'll be putting use!

I've got a really special post for you Sunday...see you then!

 
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Five for Five!

Happy Friday, friends! Today is the 5th Friday of 2015 and I'm sharing the fifth Stampin' Up! five color combo with you. We're off to a good start!

Now before I share the latest color inspiration with you, I wanted to share a little about some emails I received lately. I've had a few loyal blog readers (thank you!) reach out and ask if I'll be sharing any three color combos or if the combos will work if only 3 of the colors are used.

To the first question, the answer is no and the reason is two-fold...

1. Five color combos push us stretch our creative muscles - two and three color combos may get us trying new colors together, but five sometimes makes us really work for it (me included).

2. I love the alliterative quality of "Five on Friday" -- "Three on Friday" is just not the same. As I sit here typing this I realize I can get the same alliterative quality with "Four on Friday", however I am thinking I will still stick to "Five on Friday". When I first launched the Five on Friday series a year and half or so ago, I missed things up...five was to use ribbon, my five favorite Stampin' Up! tools, five mini card sketches. It was the color combos though that resonated most with people and that's why I chose to simply focus on those.

Wow...that was long-winded!

And the answer to the second question is "yes, absolutely"...pick any three colors from the combo and they should work together!

By now you must really want to get to the new combo! Here goes...

Honestly as I sit here looking at this now, it has such a summery feel to me! Frankly, that is kind of nice given that we got 33" of snow earlier this week! Here's an image of my sweet boy Brinkley (a Brittany) out in the path we had to clear!

 

Brinkley took a lap around the dog track! #brittany #snowdog #blizzardof2015

A photo posted by Kerry Willard Bray (@kerrywillardbray) on Jan 27, 2015 at 12:22pm PST

 Hope this week's color combo (or the photo) inspire you to get creating this weekend!

 
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New Stampin' Up! Five Color Combo

Happy Friday, friends! Hope you are ready to get creating because I have a brand new Stampin' Up! five color combo for you:

I'm not quite sure how I would precisely describe this combo, however, the mix of rich earthy tones, soothing blues, and the pop of Crushed Curry really appeals to me!

This weekend I'll be creating with this color combo and I hope you will too! I might even combine these colors with the Pals Paper Arts sketch that designed and shared with you yesterday.

I'd love to see what you create and invite you to share it over on the Peonies and Paper Chains Facebook page! 

Enjoy a lil' creativity today!

 

 
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Simply Wonderful!

Happy Friday, friends! I'm thrilled to be sharing the first Five on Friday color combo of 2015 with you today! Let's get right to it:

I'm loving this combo and hope that you will too! As always, my goal with these combos is to inspire you to get creating...

Maybe a card.

Perhaps a display for your mantle.

Possibly a piece of wall decor.

Or even a floral arrangement.

To create something tangible that incorporates the colors and allows you to enjoy them. 

During the time that I've been posting these Stampin' Up! five color combos, I've been encouraged to start a color challenge with them. This isn't something that I'm ready to commit to (at least not yet), however, as we start 2015, I'm encouraging you to share what you create over on the Peonies and Paper Chains Facebook page. Simply visit the page and post a photo of what you've created! 

Yesterday, I promised you a sneak peek and I've got it for you!

You've just said hello to the brand new Simply Wonderful stamp set (and hello again to Gorgeous Grunge). Simply Wonderful is a Sale-a-bration exclusive stamp set and contains several fabulous sentiments including the "you're wonderful" that is shown above.

Here's a list of what I used to create this sneak peek (be sure to scroll on through):

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

 

 

Oh, and this is truly a sneak peek. What you just saw is NOT a full card -- it is the sweet and simple (and very CASE-able) front to a blingy card that I'll be sharing next week. Stay tuned!

 
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No Tricks Today! Just a lil' treat from me!

Happy Friday, friends!

Today I have a special treat for you. 

It is something a number of you have asked me about.

Something that should make it easy to gather color inspiration.

What is it?

Today's treat is the announcement of Pinterest board dedicated solely to the Five on Friday color combos that I create. This is a board you will surely want to follow!

 

Follow kerry willard bray's board Five on Friday Color Combos on Pinterest.

 

While I do not yet have every past color combo loaded, I will be continuing to add them! In working on the board, I've been fascinated by looking at the patterns emerge from the combos that I create. 

What are your thoughts on this board?

Will it be helpful to you?

I value all your feedback and read each comment that you leave. And, I most definitely want to know what you think of this board!

Hope you have an amazing weekend!

Enjoy a little creativity today!

 

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Five on Friday!

Happy Friday, friends! Hope you've been having a fabulously creative week!

It is time for a brand new color combo to get you inspired:

It is definitely bright and bold, yet the splash of Basic Gray provides some anchoring.

Did you notice I added a little emblem with the date? Be sure to let me know what you think. I've been creating these colors for awhile now but have never dated them. I thought it would be nice to start doing so. Do you agree? If you are receiving this post via email, simply click the post title to be taken to my blog where you can leave a comment.

Wishing you a creative day!

 

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P.S. I'm super excited for the weekend to arrive and to carve out some time for creating...the only time I set foot in my crafting zone this week was to feed the dogs! Yep, they share space with me.

Five on Friday - A Cool, Crisp Fall!

Cool, crisp fall air has started to arrive here in New England. Morning temps have been in the 50s for the last week and it is evident that fall is just around the corner. Given the change of seasons, I decided to share a color combo that represents some of the myriad of colors that one might see across New England in the next few weeks:

I'm excited to get creating with this combo! How about you?

 

 

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Five on Friday...Santa Inspired!

The Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog is live and I'm confident some of you are enjoying the Visions of Santa stamp set and the coordinting Santa & Co. Designer Series Paper. I definitely think that they are fun! I don't have the stamp set, but I do have the paper and it is most definitely adorable!

This week's color combo has been "extracted" from the palette used for the designer series paper --

This week's project is one that I created for the latest Pixel Maven's DigiChallenge and I'm the design team member working with traditional paper crafting supplies this week:

And that sketch served as the inspiration is:

The pattern on the paper felt reminiscent of the chevrons and the snip of ribbon seemd to echo the triangular element. Be sure to visit the Pixel Maven's DigiChallenge for more inspiration and be sure to play along with us!

Hope today's color combo and project will inspire you to carve out a little time for creativity during the holiday weekend!

 

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Five on Friday and DIY Pinwheels!

Happy Friday, friends!

It is Independence Day here in the US and I'm marking it by sharing my DIY Pinwheel tutorial so that you will have the freedom to create pinwheels in any size you want! And you are getting a brand new Five on Friday color combo, too!

Here's the scoop on making the pinwheels...

• Cut a square any size you want
• Mark the center (I've been doing this with the scoring blade on my Paper Trimmer and then dot with a pencil or marker)
• Use your Paper Snips to cut from each corner down toards the center...stop a short distance before you reach the center
• Take your bone folder and score one tip of each "quadrant"
• Bring your quadrants into the center and adherere either using Mini Glue Dots or by poking with your Stampin' Pierce Tool and a Candy Dots Base
• Decorate the centers

For those who like to see the process, here you go:

So many choices for decorating your pinwheel centers -- buttons, punched out shapes, ribbon knots (not shown), and even loops of card stock! 

These are non-spinning pinwheels and are perfect for card fronts, decorating gift bags or wreaths, for creating a mobile, making cake/cupcake toppers, and so much more!

Those little polka dots on the pink pinwheel? Stamped on using a pencil eraser!

Here are the individual pinwheels that make up the stack in the photo at the top of the post:

The squares for these pinwheels are: 3", 4", 6", 8.5", and 12" (yep, a full piece of Designer Series Paper). With the largest pinwheel, I did not score the paper at all -- in this scale and paper, I didn't need to loosen the paper fibers to get a nice curve.

You've seen today's color combo used for the pinwheels and here is to add to your collection:

Credit for today's combo goes to my daughter Brooklyn -- she put it together for you! And here's a card she made using it:

She did substitute Hello Honey for the So Saffron, Melon Mambo for Pink Pirouette, and left out the Wild Wasabi altogether...remember a color combo or sketch are for inspiration and you don't ever have to use the exactly as proscribed!

 

Order some Designer Series Paper today to make some pinwheels of your own!

 

 Wishing you a creative day!

 

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P.S. If you are using cardstock for pinwheels and you want to decorate them, I suggest stamping before you cut the square at all. It is simply easier that way. 

Work of Art for Five on Friday

Happy Friday, friends! About to show you both the latest Five on Friday combo and my latest creation featuring these very colors. This is my favorite weekly post...how about you?

While putting the combo together on MDS, my thought for a name was "bright delight" and then when I played with paper, the softer, cooler tones of the colors seemed to come through. I'll be curious to hear what you would call this combo! Take a look...

and in action using the Work of Art stamp set:

What do you think? Please be sure to leave a comment and let me know! I love reading your comments.

And one more thing...the design of this card was inspired by the latest Pals Paper Arts sketch challenge (PPA209):

 

INSPIRATION IN YOUR INBOX Just yesterday, Rosemarie C. commented: "What a creative use of the June paper pumpkin! Love your adorable patriot model!! Keep the inspiration coming to my in box." -- happy to keep the inspiration coming, Rosemarie! If you'd like to join Rosemarie and others, click here to sign-up for inspiration in your inbox! 

Wishing you a creative day!

 

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