Peonies and Paper Chains

Stampin' Up! Paper Flower Tutorials!

Hello friends!  If you love flowers and want to be able to create some using paper and minimal tools, I have two photo tutorials that should help get you crafting! The flowers I am showing today are ones that I used for the wreath during Tuesday's blog hop.

 

Up first is the scalloped flower -- you need three different size scallop punches, a bone folder, paper snips, and your paper piercing tool. You'll also want to pull out cardstock and a mini brad. Here goes...

 

And, to make the fringed flower, you need a 2.5" by 10 or 12" strip of designer series paper, fringed scissors (or paper snips), and sticky strip -- truly, that is it!

The concept behing the fringed flower is from Stampin' Up! -- the Burlap and Blooms Wreath Kit contains several flowers like this. Those ones don't require the cutting...just the assembling!

So tell me, will you be giving these flowers a try?

 

 

 

Don't miss out -- only 2 weeks left! Click for Sale-a-bration details!

Hope you have something enjoyable in the works for the weekend! Happy Day!

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Pals March 2014 Hop: Think Spring!

 

Welcome to the Pals March Blog Hop. This month we are excited to kick-off Spring with our creative projects. We hope enjoy these creations and we hope Spring finds you soon!

 

You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from Diane Roberts at Score at Four and a Quater 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.

 

When I think Spring, I think flowers...

As you'll notice I created 3 different flowers to share with you. One is a fringed flower, one is from the pansy punch, and one is from scalloped punches. They were all quick and easy to make...definitely a plus in my book!

 

The flowers have been added to a wreath...

The wreath was made last night and I cannot wait to see it in daylight! 

 

Curious about the covering on the wreath form? It is strips of old sheets that Brooklyn and I spritzed in Wild Wasabi...right on the form itself. And then Brooklyn dried the wreath for me:

This used to be our curled paper Christmas wreath and given that it is March, it was time for a change! I definitely recommend dying the strips of fabric first and then adding to the wreath form, but if you are re-purposing like I (we) did, this method works!

 

If you are not sure how I created the flowers, not to worry! I'll be sharing those details later in the week. It's time for you to get hopping to see the rest of the creations in our hop!

 

The next stop is Kalyn Shubnell at The Stamping Chronicles! Use the buttons below or the full line-up under my signature to navigate through the hop! Enjoy! 

 

Happy crafting, friends! Thanks for stopping by!

 Get inspiration in your inbox  and  Shop on-line 24/7 for paper crafting supplies
 

Final March Line-up: 

1. Jackie Diediker at Stampin' Jackie
2. Susan Itell at Simple Stampin
3. Peggy Noe at prettypapercards
4. Debra Simonis at Deb's Stampin' Grounds
5. Martie Pollard at Crafty Bandit
6. Goldie Shaul at Punch and Stamp with Goldie
7. Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits from Dawn
8. Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper 
9. Natalie Bradley at Natalie Bradley Events
10. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
11. Debbie Crowley at expressivelydeb...
12. Christine Winslow at Grandma's Stamping Corner
13. Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
14. Michelle Quinno at Shell's Life
15. Linda Callahan at Stampin' Seasons
16. Michelle Gleeson at StampinMojo
17. Shannon Hokanson at Paper Works by Shannon
18. Diane Roberts at Score at Four and a Quarter
19. Kerry Willard Bray at Peonies and Paper Chains
20. Kalyn Shubnell at The Stamping Chronicles
21. Colleen Mollema at Uncanny Crafting
22. Amy Lazzell at Just A Thought...Cards by Amy
23. Maria Flores at Maria's Sandbox
24. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
25. Christie Crosby at Stampin' Creativity
26. Sue Becker at RnR Stamping
27. Rae Harper at Wild West Paper Arts
28. Lynn Kolcun at Stamping with Avery's Owlery
29. Maggie Mata at Maggie Made Cards
30. Nicole Watt  at Pixel Maven's Retreat
31. Sherrie Gross at Stampin' Sunshine

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!

 

          

Pals January 2014 Blog Hop Line-up 

1. Goldie Shaul at Punch and Stamp 
2. Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper 
3. Nancy Gleason at My Stampin Space 
4. Susan Itell at Simple Stampin' 
5. Donna Kopenski at craftycardmaker 
6. Peggy Noe at prettypapercards.com 
7. Colleen Mollema at Uncanny Crafting 
8. Kerry Willard Bray at Peonies and Paper Chains 
9. Janice Warhank at Janice's Papercraft Playground
10. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations 
11. Michelle Gleeson at StampinMojo
12. Patti MacLeith at Papercrafts by Patti
13. Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty 
14. Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven's Retreat 
15. Diane Roberts at Score at Four and a Quarter
16. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
17. Lynn Kolcun at Stamping with Avery's Owlery
18. Linda Callahan at Stampin' Seasons 
19. Kalyn Shubnell at The Stamping Chronicles 
20. Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits from Dawn 
21. Shirley Sumption at Look at my Cute Stuff
22. Beth Beard at My little craft blog
23. Maggie Mata at Maggie Made Cards 
24. Rae Harper-Burnet at Wild West Paper Arts 
25. Lisa Gaines-Davis at Cherry St. Papertreats 
26. Shannon Jaramillo at ezpeasycards 
27. Kelly DeTommaso at Kelly's Creative Corner 
28. Sherrie Gross at Stampin Sunshine

Let's Celebrate!

It's here! So excited that today marks the launch of the Occasions catalog! It's definitely a reason to celebrate!

I know I've already said it, but it bears repeating -- this catty is filled with an incredible mix of stamps, paper, emellishments, and more! Hope that you will fall in love with it as much as I have!

Here's the catty to look at and then come on back to the post!

Click to open PDF version of catalog

Click here to view the project supply lists

Gorgeous, right?!

Five on Friday is a very popular post and I could not let today go by without five of something. 

How about five videos that highlight the Occasions catalog products? These were all produced by Stampin' Up! and I encourage you to view all that are of interest to you!

BONUS! A sixth new video for you!

So tell me, what new products are you must excited about? I'll share my top picks with you next week!

Thanks for stopping by for a little papercrafting inspiration! See you again soon!

Like what you see? Sign-up for blog updates so you won't miss a thing!

Order your paper crafting supplies here.

 

Sneak Peek: Spiral Flower Originals Die

Would you like to be able to quickly and easily make 3-D flowers to place on packages, pictures frames, and more? The Occasions catalog that goes live on January 3 has just the product for you! It is the Spiral Flower Originals Die and you can make a beautiful flower in just a couple minutes! It is so easy to do.

I'll be sharing a tutorial later this week with the full details on how I created the flower chain shown above....make sure you are signed-up for blog updates so that you don't miss out!

What do you think of it in combination with the paper chain? My girls love it and are very happy to have this on their door.

Did you catch yesterday's bonus post with some DIY ideas for New Year's Eve? See it here and be sure to visit my friend Natalie Bradley -- the post was originally created for her readers to enjoy. Natalie is the owner of Natalie Bradley Events, an event planning and design company based in Athens, GA...I love seeing photos of the events she has planned and I am sure you will too!

It has been a hectic week for many people and you may have missed my post from December 26. It includes a free tutorial for creating beautiful framed art featuring Designer Series Paper. See the post here. 

Hope you'll be inspired to create something today! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Like what you see? Sign-up for blog updates so you won't miss a thing!

Order your paper crafting supplies here.

 

Sneak Peek Saturday!

Hello friends! Do you love sneak peeks? I was always one for taking peeks at Christmas presents...a true master at splicing the Scotch tape just right to slip the gift out of the wrapping and take a look! Please leave a comment today sharing if you have ever taken a sneak peek at a birthday or holiday OR if you love be surprised so much that you would not even consider doing this!

The sneak peek you get to see today has nothing to do with Christmas -- it is a sneak peek at a Sale-a-bration exlusive item that Stampin' Up! will be offering in the new year. So excited to share this little paper chain with you today:

When I chose "Peonies and Paper Chains" for the name of my blog, I knew I would be regularly sharing paper chains with you. And I mean paper chains in the broadest sense. If it is something that you can hang up and includes paper, it counts!

Paper Chain Supplies:

• Love You More stamp set (available now until January 27, 2014)
• Decorative Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (SALE-A-BRATION SNEAK PEEK! Available only January 28 - March 31, 2014)
• Cardstock in Calypso Coral, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White
• Stampin' Write Markers in Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana, Early Espresso
• Ruffle Trim Ribbon in Coastal Cabana

Click here to order your Valentine's crafting supplies today!

Hope you'll be inspired to create something today! Thanks so much for stopping by!

P.S. Like what you see? Sign-up for blog updates so you won't miss a thing!

 

 

 

MDS Made...Santa Sacks!

If you celebrate Christmas, do you use Santa sacks for everyone in the family? A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a Santa sack online and instantly fell in love with it. I knew I could make some sacks using MDS/My Digital Studio. But I wanted to know about the use of these so I googled Santa sacks and found this article. At this point I knew I had to make some! 

I devised a plan for making some Santa sacks using muslin so that I could do an iron on transfer and purchased all the necessary supplies from our nearby fabric shop. My mom was soon to come for a visit and I decided to set everything asisde and see if she would sew the sacks. Lucky for me, she did! After she got the sewing done, it was my turn to make a couple designs in MDS and transfer those onto the bags...here they are:

Now, if you are going to do this and if you know your ink cartridges are running low, please don't make the mistake I did...

The mistake is that I forgot to mirror image the design before printing...ugh!! In the pic above, the image in the foreground is the final one that I used to created Brooklyn's sack and the design in the background is my big oops (unless of course the Santa sack will be sitting in front of a mirror!). Big waste of a whole sheet of iron on transfer paper! The process of doing the transfer is really very easy -- promise!

Here are the sacks (stuffed with pillows):

I'm loving these sacks because they will save time and trees (I'm all for that). But what I love even more is that we will start a new holiday tradition for our family. What is one of your special holiday traditions?

If you want a Santa sack (and I know we are getting close to Christmas), you could:

• start with a pillow case
• create a channel for a drawstring by sewing on some ribbon
  
• make an iron-on design in MDS (be sure to mirror it before printing)
• transfer the design on
• thread your drawstring through the channel

    Supply list:

• Muslin fabric, wide ribbon, and draw string material, plus my iron
• 8.5" x 11" iron-on transfer paper
• MDS / MyDigitalStudio (test drive it free for 30 days - click here to get started)
• Old Saint Nick Stamp Brush Set digital download
• You From Me Designer Template digital download

Or, if time is really tight, you could purchase one. The ones that made me fall in love with this concept are available on Etsy -- click here to view. 

For a little while now, I've been reading along at 52mantels.com and I've finally decided to join in Emily's "Thursdays Are Your Days" linky party! Click the image below to get taken to the party! WARNING: Loads of crafty ideas AND several super delicious sounding recipies!

Wishing you a fabulous day! Thanks so much for stopping by!

P.S. Like what you see here at Peonies and Paper Chains? Sign-up to receive blog updates!

Stamp Review Crew: Perfect Blend Edition

The Stamp Review Crew is at it again! Today we are sharing ideas for the Perfect Blend stamp set. I'm not even a coffee drinker (I've only had 3 cups total of it...so not my thing)  but I simply had to have this set when it was released. It is such a fun set! I'm sharing a little framed decor that would make a fabulous gift for a friend:

A few things to keep in mind when you are creating a similar project:

1. Before you begin stamping a row of items, mark or lightly score the center of the strip of paper you are using. Start stamping from the middle and then work your way out on both sides. I learned this tip many years ago when I was the director of residence life at Moore College of Art and Design -- someone in this office applied this idea when making some posters. It works fabulous for sign making and it is also great for stamping!

2. Take time to assess your project along the way. As you will see below, I took a look to see what just 5 cups looked like in the frame...in my opinion, one more was needed on each end. 

3. When I was finished with stamping and adding the cup wraps (these were stamped on crumb cake and cut out with my Paper Snips), I felt the design was too plain. It dawned on me that the spoltch stamp from the Paper Pumpkin Welcome Kit would be just right for adding some "coffee spills" to the project. When adding the "coffee spills" I cut out an extra cup and used that to mask my original stamping.

4. When adding a sentiment or embellishments, consider working on an angle. The sentiment is straight on, but the piece I mounted it to was just not appealing when it was straight --- the slight angle definitely adds a little flair to the project.

And, I should tell you, the paper where all the cups is stamped is not cardstock. This frame is about 13 inches long and the opening is about 11.75" so a 12" background sheet was needed. I rarely have 12x12" cardstock and did not want to use one of the few pieces that have so I grabbed one of the posterboard like sheets that comes in with Designer Series Paper. I stamped on the matte finished side and it worked perfectly!

Supplies Used: Perfect Blend stamp set; Paper Pumpkin Welcome Kit (splotch stamp); Soft Suede and Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pads; Crumb Cake cardstock; "poster board" from a Designer Series Paper Pack; Paper Snips, Multipurpose Liquid Glue.

Now before you hop along to the next blog, do take a moment and let me know your favorite hot beverage. I'll go first -- hot chocolate! 

P.S. All the hop posts should be live by 6:00 AM Central Time...if a link is not working, please check back in a bit.

             

The Stamp Review Crew Perfect Blend Blog Hop Line-up:

1. Heidi Baks  runningwscissorsstamper.blogspot.com
2. Cindy Beach stampspaperandink.typepad.com/
3. Beth Beard mylittlecraftblog.com
   
4. Adriana Benitez  escape2stamp.com
5. Tanya Boser   tinkerin-in-ink.blogspot.com
6. Jill Coleman  jillstamps.com/
7. Shana Gaff   stressfreestamping.blogspot.com
8. Yapha Mason   yaphamason.com
9. Mary Rindal   maryrindal.com/ 
10. Ann Schach    stampinchic.com/
11. Nancy Smith  iguanastamp.wordpress.com/
12. Martha Stewart  seasonsofstamping.com/
13. Dawn Tidd   tiddbitsfromdawn.typepad.com
14. Lisa Young   addinkandstamp.blogspot.com/ 
15. Kerry Willard Bray kerrywillardbray.com
16. Rita Wright  ritascreations.blogspot.com/

 

Welcome to Peonies and Paper Chains!

Hello friends! So happy to see you here at Peonies and Paper Chains! I'm so excited to share this blog with you and hope you will receive lots and lots of crafting inspiration from it!

This very first post brings together flowers and a paper chain of sorts. The project is of course inspired by the name of the blog. It has been hung on the closet door in my daughter Brooklyn's room where it provides a fun pop of color!

This chain/banner was created using:

• Big Shot Die Cutting Machine (113439)
• Fun Flowers Bigz L die (121812)
• Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755)
• Baker's Twine in a retired shade (how did I not notice that until everything was glued down?)
• Cardstock in Pink Pirouette (111351) and Primrose Petals (126841)

When assembling it, I simply laid out the Baker's Twine and spaced out the flowers before doing any glueing. I placed the bottom layer of each flower under the Baker's Twine and then glued down each layer.

Don't want to miss any posts here at Peonies and Paper Chains? Please click here to receive blog updates! I will not be transferring over subscribers from my prior blog...you must sign-up to receive the updates!

What are you most looking forward to seeing here at Peonies and Paper Chains? Please be sure to leave a comment!

P.S. My guess is that several of you are hopping over from Stampgoodness and you may be wondering if that blog will disappear. The answer is yes and no. Stampgoodness will remain live until at least August 2014, however I will not be publishing new content there. In addition, I am in the process of changing over my social media accounts and therefore not everything is branded to Peonies and Paper Chains as I type this...bear with me and know that it will all happen soon!