Peonies and Paper Chains

Frightful!

When I first flipped through the Stampin' Up! Holiday catalog at the Inspire.Create.Share. event in July, one of the kits that instantly stood out to me was the Frightful Wreath Simply Created Kit. I love Halloween and I love wreaths...this was the perfect kit in my book!

Before I show you a few more pics, I will tell you that I put my own little spin on the wreath. This next image was snapped out in Salt Lake City and gives you a sense for the plans in the kit:

The spider web goes all the way around the wreath and the jumbo rosette fills the middle of the wreath. Apparently I managed not to photograph the entire wreath so you do have to use your imagination today!

Here are some more images of my take on the wreath:

I wanted some pops of color around the wreath and used the Tangelo Twist ribbon that comes with the kit and a bit of Black Chevron ribbon to do so. I simply folded the ribbons and attached to the wreath using T-pins.

Since I did not love seeing the shiny T-pins, I used Glue Dots to add buttons over the pins.

One of these days I will find just the right spot for taking wreath photos...as much I love making them and they look great in person, the lighting is not always ideal for taking pics of them.

If you and a group of friends love Halloween, these wreaths would be fun to make together! Start to finish the wreath (including making the beaded spider) takes less than an hour to assemble...if that is your sole focus! Add in a bit more time for some chatting and snacking with friends. 

Should you need a wish list to keep track of what you'd like to order from the holiday catalog (it goes live on Aug. 28), click here to find a printable one!

When it comes to kits, are you apt to follow the instructions precisely or veer off in a different direction?

The ultimate Stampin' Up! kit is is the starter kit and until August 28 only, you can select up to $150 in products for just $99 plus local tax! This is $25 more in products than usual and the kit ships free. There's no requirement to host a workshop or even to place another order, however you will be eligible for discounts on every purchase you place until the end of January 2015! Learn more about the perks of purchasing a kit.

 

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No one said I had to follow the rules...

If you were to ask my husband, he would tell you I'm a rule follower.

Not that I am out to prove him wrong, but, as you'll see in today's post, when it comes to crafting, I don't necessarily follow the rules...

Okay, so perhpas it is not a rule, but I clearly don't follow the recommendation or protocol of always cleaning my stamps after using them. Nothing like a little Blackberry Bliss ink on a White Craft ink pad.

Cut apart a card base and use it on the inside of a card? Yes, I did that. 

And while I was at it, I stamped a sentiment on the upper flap of the card instead of where you typically write the message.

And, I completely disregarded the instruction sheet from the Hip Hip Hooray kit when designing this card front. Don't get me wrong, all the suggested cards on those instructions are fun and fabulous, but I just was not up for following the "rules" when making this one! 

To re-create this quick and easy thank you card, you need:

Hip Hip Hooray Card Kit

$19.95

Dude, You're Welcome! Kit

$24.95

High Five Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$18.95

Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad

$7.50

 

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

 

Combine together the Hip Hip Hooray and Dude, You're Welcome kits and you can create more than 30 cards from the contents and have several fabulous stamps to use again and again and again!

 

Click here to order your favorite Stampin' Up! kits today!

 

And, remember, if you don't want to, there's no need to follow the "rules" when it comes to your crafting! I'd love to know, are you a rule follower or rule breaker when you craft? Be sure to leave a comment.

 

And a quick reminder, new weekly deals start today!

 

Wishing you a creative day!

 

 

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Simply Created!

Can you keep a secret?

I love Stampin' Up! kits! Let's face it though, it is hardly a secret!

Top three reasons why I love kits:

1. Everything is beautifully coordinated;

2. Projects are quick and easy to assemble;

3. They make fabulous gifts!

The photo you saw today is of three cards made from the Happenings Simply Created Card Kit. The kit makes 15 cards in total and that allows you to given a dozen assembled cards as a gift and to keep a few for your own used!  The kit includes some bling in terms of shiny silver tone buttons and silver baker's twine although I did leave those off as I have another projects in mind that will use them!

The stamps I choose to go with the kit are A Dozen Thoughts and most stamps in the set  work well on the pennant shape. There are plenty of other choices for sentiments...this one simply worked for me!

What is your favorite Stampin' Up! kit? I'd love to know!

If you've not yet used a Stampin' Up! project kit, give one a try! Click to view all Occasions catalog kits, and, to see all other kits, click here! 

 Wishing you a creative day!

 

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The Stampin' Up! Sale-a-bration Stroll

Hello friends. Hope you've been having a fabulous weekend! With Sale-a-bration ending tomorrow (March 31), I thought it might be fun to stroll on through some of the projects I've shared this year that feature Sale-a-bration exclusive items. Enjoy!

Visit the original post for the Heartfelt Banner kit cards

 

Take a closer look at this project using the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder and Heartfelt Banner Kit 

 

Get the details behind this Decorative Dots card and coordinating box

 

Watch the video and download the free PDF tutorial for these Petal Parade boxes

 

See a series of cards by attendees at my monthly stamp class that feature 3 Sale-a-bration exclusives -- Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper, the Banner punch, and Petal Parade

 

Visit the original post to download a free PDF tutorial for this Sweet Sorbet framed art

 

Take a closer look at this card featuring the Banner punch, Decorative Dots embossing folder, and the Good as Gold card kit

 

One Paper Pumpkin Pretties makes use of 2 Sale-a-bration items...can you spy which one it is? Speaking of Paper Pumpkin, tomorrow is also the last day to get a free set of 2012-2014 In Color Markers when you subscribe -- don't miss out because these kits keep getting better and better!

 

Re-visit this framed Easter art that makes good use of the banner punch

 

Of all these projects you've seen today, which one is your favorite? Please sure sure to leave a comment...I'd love to know which one appeals to you most.

Tomorrow you will get to see my final Sale-a-bration project and I'm very excited to share it with you! Stay tuned!

 

Have a wonderful day and thanks so much for visiting!

 

 

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Hip Hip Hooray for Pals Paper Arts!

The latest Pals Paper Arts Challenge (PPA196) begins today and I had to get my design team project completed early in the week. As soon as I saw the sketch I loved its crisp, clean look:

I was pressed for time and decided to turn to my Hip Hip Hooray card kit and these 3 cards were inspired by the sketch:

All total I think it took 20 minutes to take out the kit, make the cards, photograph watermark, and email off the image above for the PPA post. This was smack between pre-school drop off, an emergency dentist appointment, and pre-school pick-up. This is just sometimes how life goes!

However, since I felt like the 3 cards inspired by the sketch were not enough to share with you, I found a few minutes to make some more the next day...

And some more cards...

And even a few more...

There are more cards yet to make and I will share those once I do! While I did glance at the suggested cards from the kit, I did not CASE any. So now you have 12 alternate options for cards to make!

With the Hip Hip Hooray kit, the kraft bases are nice and sturdy and all the shapes you see already have adhesive on them! The kit does contain some Stampin' Dimensionals, Baker's Twine, and little clips, however I left all those off...for this batch anyway! With 20 cards in the kit and 12 made, I have plenty of opportunity to have some fun with the 8 additional cards!

The Hip Hip Hooray kit would be perfect for a girls night out or an activity at a birthday party! It would also make a wonderful gift!

Ready for the shortest supply list in my card making career? Here you go... 

Hip Hip Hooray Card Kit

$19.95

 

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

 

 

The "thanks" stamp that I used on the cards comes with the kit PLUS there are two additional stamps! Truly, an incredible deal!

 

Be sure to see what the rest of the design team projects and play along with us this week over at Pals Paper Arts!

 

Happy creating!

 

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The Whole Kit and Caboodle!

Right after typing the title for this post I had to Google it to be sure that there was nothing derogatory behind...thankfully there is not! As we wrap up the weekend, I wanted to take a minute to talk with you about Stampin' Up! kits because I am positively hooked on them and think that you will be too if you give them a try!

On Friday, I held my monthly papercrafting gathering and everyone assembled the Hip Hip Hooray card kit. What an amazing value! Twenty cards, three fabulous stamps, and a Stampin' Up! The only thing you need to assemble the kit is a pair of Paper Snips and sticky note to do some masking (alternately a Stampin' Write Marker works). I think everyone had fun assembling these and I also gave a live demo of how to make the boxes with lids that I shared last weekend. In my book, this kit is a great investment and can easily yield a couple fabulous gufts for teachers, colleagues, or friends.

Look at those incredible contents! What you see above is the contents of the February Paper Pumpkin kit. Six sweet little gift bags to make. When is the last time you saw adorable six gift bags with embellishments for $19.95 plus tax? I'll be sharing what I've done with this kit later in the week! 

As I said at my gathering on Friday, I really believe Stampin' Up! has really increased the quality and value of kits these last several months. I've been thrilled with every kit that I purchased from the Occassions catalog and think there is only one that I have yet to purchase!

Now you may be saying to yourself, "Of course Kerry is going to tell us the Stampin' Up! kits are great...she stands to benefit if we buy them." And, yes, it is true, I do receive a small commission when you purchase your Stampin' Up! supplies from me...I'd be lying if I didn't. What I can tell you, though, is that I use and promote the products that I love and think you will too. Stampin' Up! is not the only thing I do -- I work outside the home three days week and do my best to focus my time and attention on family as possible while still juggling things like laundry, cooking, and with my blogging and other aspects of my Stampin' Up! business the rest of the week. Kits allow me to quickly and easily create fun projects to share with you...and that is just one more thing to love about them!

If you have yet to purchase a kit from the Occasions catalog or to become a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I encourage you to give one or both of these options a try! If you subscribe to Paper Pumpkin by March 10, you'll get your welcome kit this month and you'll also receive a FREE set of 2012-2014 InColor Markers!

Happy crafting, friends! Thanks for stopping by!

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Let the Sale-a-Bration Begin!

It's time to get the party started! Sale-a-bration, Stampin' Up!'s biggest sales event of the year starts today! Ever since I started using Stampin' Up! products back in 2005 I have loved Sale-a-bration because it is the time when you can receive exclusive limited time products, hosts can receive more for parties, and the starter kit contains more product making it an even sweeter option for hobbyists and business builders alike!

Before I give you all the details, let me share a little card I created for you using Sale-a-bration exclusive products! 

Truth be told, I used 3 Sale-a-bration products for this card -- the Good as Gold Card Kit, the Banner Punch, and the Decorative Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. The kit contains everything you need to make 8 sweet cards in minutes! Some of my local stamping friends has a chance to make the cards the other week and loved them! 

When it comes to handmade products, the beauty often lies in the details so here's a closer look at the card:

Love bows? Simply tie one for the card front rather than the series of knots that I did -- the pre-cut gold cord and Baker's Twine are generously cut for bows! Fancy up the envelopes by embossing the flap just as I did...the gorgeous gold liners are pre-cut to slip right in! But before you add the liner, punch out a little banner to emboss and add to the card front! Unless you tell them, no one will even notice that a little pit of the gold foil is missing!

So what's the scoop with Sale-a-bration?

 

With each $50 purchase from today until March 31, you get to choose an exclusive Sale-a-bration product! And the choices are incredible this year!

 

As a party host (live or virtual), when you host a party with $300 or more in sales, you receive $30 more is host dollars! Makes it even more fun to party!

 

And, when you purchase a zero-obligation starter kit, you select up to $150 in products for just $99! And did you know kits ship free saving you another $15! Talk about savings! Shhh...let me share a very big secret with you -- nearly every demonstrator I know bought the starter kit for the amazing deal that it is, not to start a business. 

 

These are all reasons that I love Sale-a-bration...how about you?! See all the Sale-a-bration exclusive products here! 

Wishing you a fabulous day! Thanks for stopping and come back again soon for more project inspiration!

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Wicked Fast Wednesday & the Stampin' Up! Weekly Review!

It's time for a "wicked fast Wednesday" project and in fact you are getting two projects. Would you be shocked if I told I created these from a kit? After all the kitprojects lately, I am sure it is no surprise at all! With Valentine's a month away, it was time to start kicking things up a notch in terms of decor and these projects do the trick!

WARNING: This first project may cause flashbacks to having to climb up the rope in gym glass OR making it through a recent CrossFit workout!

Admittely, you likely have not climbed a rope with alongside 4 of your friends! Don't you agree though that this absolutely works for these little monsters?! These cuties come from the Monster Hugs Boy and the Monster Hugs Girl kits. Each kit contains 18 monsters so after buying 2 packs for Brooklyn to share at pre-school I had enough left over for the the projects today!

TIP: The monsters do stay in place pretty well on their own when using the Natural 5/8" Chevron Ribbon. However, knowing how much the girls open an close the bedroom door where this hangs, I did add a little bit of tape to the back of each monster to be sure it stays in place!

And I also put together a little monster chain to hang across the playroom door:

Here are some close-ups for a better look:

"Love you"

"Love you more"

Can you just picture the monsters shouting this back and forth?

TIP: Put away your ink pad and grab a Stampin' Write Marker to color in only the portion of the stamp that you want to use!

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY FOR JANUARY 14, 2014: "Momma, that Monster is showing me his butt" - Britt, 2-1/2 years old

 

TIP: Until you write or stamp on the back, do NOT apply the googly eyes...they make it really hard to get a solid stamped image. 

 

Trust me, these are "wicked fast" projects! So should you find yourself with extra kit pieces or simply want some monstrous decor this Valentine's Day, hope you'll give these ideas a try!

 

SUPPLY LIST: Monster Hugs Boy kit (132162), Monster Hugs Girl kit (132163), Natural 5/8" Chevron Ribbon (132982), Love You More stamp set (wood mount  131850 / clear mount 131853), Hearts a Flutter stamp set (wood mount 131922 / clear mount 129522), Night of Navy ink (Stampin' Write Marker 100069 / ink pad 126970)

 

And now I did say there would be a Stampin' Up! weekly review so here goes:

NEW WEEKLY DEALS (Jan 14 - Jan 20 Only).  Check out the latest batch of Stampin' Up! Weekly Deals.  Love that this week includes the Chalk Tak Framelits, Alphabet Pressed Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, and the Notecard Envelopes in Kraft/Crumb Cake.  

 

WHOLE LOT OF LOVE:  View the Whole Lot of Love Valentine products here.  Available December 1-January 27 or while supplies last. NOTE: These are exclusive products that will not be available after the promotion. 

 

See the newest MDS downloads here. This digital kit is my favorite download of the week:

 

 

 And, last but not least:

FREE MARKERS FOR NEW PAPER PUMPKIN SUBSCRIBERS: New Paper Pumpkin subscribers who sign up atwww.mypaperpumpkin.com/ between January 11 and February 10, 2014, will receive a FREE set of 2012-2014 In Color Stampin' Write Markers -a $14.95  value-with their Welcome Kit. 

 

I'm so delighted that you stopped by today! Thanks for visiting and do come back again soon!

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Sweet, sweet memories!

Kit week continues and today is all about the Mini Memories Simply Created Album Kit. It is a sweet little album and is so easy to put together! The album is going to be sent to one of our nieces so she can record fun memories from 2014.

Before I show you my pictures, I will tell you that the photos don't do this little kit justice! Despite taking photos at a couple different times of day, the exposure just did not ever seem quite right. So thankful that Stampin' Up! has such a great image of the kit contents that I was able to share with you at the top pf the post!

Things to Love About This Kit:

The heavy chipboard covers that have a Kraft tone to them and a glossy embossing

The die cuts -- I especially love that these do not contain any adhesive allowing you to use whatever you prefer (Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue was my choice).

The patterns on the designer paper

The inclusion of vellum paper

The envelope and baggie for storing special goodies

All the buttons, sequin, twine and clips that come with the kit...I actually used most of these for the birthday jar project I shared yesterday.

 

Ways to Use the Kit

Have well-wishers record messages in it at a shower, birthday, or anniversary celebration

To record memories from a single event such as a graduation

Or to record year long memories

As a little place for keeping your own notes, sketches, and dreams

 

Journal Prompts that You Might Include with the Album (these are the ones I inserted throughout the book for our niece):

How I celebrated my birthday

Things I'd like to do this year

Me and my friends...

My favorite places to go

Favorite travel photo

Best books I've read this year...

Things I am proud to have done...

What I love about school

Me and my sister

Think beyond the possibilities of a basic mini scrapbook album! 

 

Do you have ideas on how to use this album? I'd love to hear them!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today -- enjoy your day!

 

 

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Order the Mini Memories Simply Created Album Kit today!

 

Saturday Share: Kits!

This week you'll have a chance to learn more about some of the incredible kits that Stampin' Up! has to offer. The new Occasions catalog has several kits and I will be sharing project ideas for several of these, plus an upcoming Sale-a-bration kit and the Undefined kit! Yep, a big week of kits!

Did you miss yesterday's post about the Occasions catty? Here you go!

Should you find yourself with a lengthy wish list, consider one of the following:

• becoming a member of my Paper Chain Pals community and getting $125 in products for just $99
• participating in the Occasions catalog product shares I am offering.

Both are excellent options for those who want it all from the Occasions catalog!

Here's a little preview for this week's posts -- it's a sneak peek at one of the projects I created using the Sale-a-bration exlusive kit:

I'm excited to share all these fun kit ideas with you plus a few other projects along the way!

How about you...what are you creating this weekend?

Thanks so much for stopping by today! 

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Order your paper crafting supplies here.