Peonies and Paper Chains

Stamp Review Crew: #PLxSU Point & Click Edition

Welcome to the Stamp Review Crew #PLxSU Point & Click Edition blog hop! These hops are always a fabulous way to get a slew of ideas for a single stamp set!  

You may have just arrived from visiting the talented Bronwyn Eastley at AddINKtive Designs or perhaps you are starting here. Whatever is the case, you'll want to be sure to head on through our hop to get loads of ideas for the #PLxSU Point & Click stamp set!

If you are wondering what #PLxSU means, it is the hashtag for Project Life by Stampin' Up!. #PLxSU is an exclusive line of stamps, papers, and accessories for memory keeping...and other paper crafting, too!

Let's get to my project, shall we?

Getting to create something always makes my day!

For today's project I paired together the #PLxSU Point & Click stamp set with "Best. Day. Ever." stamp set (a Sale-a-bration exclusive), and with my latest Five on Friday color combo:

These colors work so well with the stamps! As do Mini Treat Bag Thinlits (I think I am seriously growing an addiction to these...love, love, love to make these bags).

Here are few tips for rocking this project:

Using my brayer and Night of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad, I added a layer of color to the inside of the treat bag...I adore the contrast! After I adhere the two pieces of the bag together, I flip over and apply the ink along to jagged edge. And, only after doing so, I fold over the bag pieces and adhere in place.

I also used my brayer to apply the Pistachio Pudding ink to some Whisper White card stock for the banner --- I did not have so much as a single scrap of Pistachio Pudding card stock to use!

Two layers of ribbon adds double interest (and texture) to any project!

The "you made my day" sentiment looked nice on its own within the 1-3/4" circle, however, I decided to dress it up by using the floral stamp from "Best. Day. Ever." and I stamped it off once on scrap paper to achieve the faded Pistachio Pudding color. 

To get the dark edges on the circle, I carefully rolled the circle on top of my Night of Navy ink pad.

You can never go wrong with Stampin' Dimensionals! They are by far my favorite adhesive. The Pistachio Pudding banner (with the ribbon stapled to it) was popped onto the belly band and then I used a couple more dimensionals to place the sentiment on the banner. 

For those who are curious, I stamped up my Lost Lagoon card stock with the #PLxSU Point & Click stamps before I used the Thinlits to cut out the Mini Treat Bag pieces. 

Head on over Martha Inchley at Inch of Creativity for more paper crafting inspiration!

Happy hopping and hope that you enjoy a little creativity today!

                       

 
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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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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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Four Feathers for the Field Trip!

Last Friday when some of you were checking out my latest Five on Friday color combination, I was off on a field trip with Britt's pre-school class. We were off picking apples (and a pumpkin, too) at a nearby farm. I'm working on getting into the swing of memory keeping and I put together a page to preserve my favorite image of the day:

Just loved the big old bite Britt had to take from the apple! I decided that a 6" x 8" #PLxSU page would work well to quickly and easily capture the day! And, while there are so many beautiful #PLXSU pocket cards to choose from, I decide to create a page using...

The 100% custom #PLxSU pocket cards make this layout 100% our own. The Four Feathers stamp set and coordinating Framelits helped to evoke the feeling of fall and one might even look at them as long skinny leaves on a page like this!

In case you missed it, the latest color combo is:

I'm definitely feeling inspired to really get going with my memory keeping and hope to share more with you soon!

Have a wonderfully creative day!

 

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Stamp Review Crew: Work of Art Edition

We're at it again! The Stamp Review Crew is sharing the oh so lovely Work of Art stamp set. I received mine at the Stampin' Up! new catalog premiere in the spring and absolutely love this set! What I love most aboput the Stamp Review Crew blog hops is the incredible diversity of projects that we see that all stem from our featured stamp set.

My project today is something that is designed to make getting out of the house a little easier on weekdays...

It is a little pinboard chart that lists the things we need to take with us each morning! It is conveniently located just above the backpacks on our way out the door. There's a little more closely, there is a "square" for each day and I laminated all the pieces so that it is possible to write in special items that we need to bring from time to time rather than on a regular weekly basis. The Work of Art circle was used for each "bullet point" and one of the "ink swashes" made a nice little background for the days of the week. Here's a closer look:

The days of the week stamps are from the #PLxSU Day to Day photopolymer stamp set -- perfect for this project!

And, because I was only concerned about including the five weekdays on this pinboard, I need a way to fill the space:

A few positive thoughts to start the day is a great thing! Respectively, the sentiments come from:

• Kinda Eclectic
• Yippee-Skippee
• Work of Art

I'm loving the "ink swashes" from Work of Art as the backdrop for the sentiments...how about you?

Be sure to hop along and enjoy all of the creations this week!   

   

Our full-line this hop is:

1. Tanya Boser  
2. Ann Schach  
3. Lisa Young   
4. Dawn Tidd  
5. Betty Traciak  
6. Adriana Benitez  
7. Cindy Beach   
8. Holly Krautkremer  
9. Kerry Willard Bray  -- YOU ARE HERE
10. Beth Beard   
11. Mike Funke   
12. Shana Gaff  
13. Nancy Smith  

 

Have a fabulously creative day!

 

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A Splash of Mambo

 

Happy Friday, friends! You know what that means...time for a new Five on Friday color combo! Today's combo evolved out of the brand new Pixel Maven's DigiChallenge combo (PMDC-051):

The "or" for this challenge highlights one of the benefits of using MDS -- colors don't retire in MDS! So, while you cannot purchase Primrose Petals paper, ink, and accessories these days, you can use them when you design in MDS.

For my combo, I went with the Melon Mambo and added in two neutrals:

And, once that step of adding in a couple colors was done, I pulled my project together.

This week I'm going strictly digital and I opted to do a little memory keeping: 

Are you feeling a little confused about the colors?

If you are, I'm not surprised at all!

The colors are far more muted than the color palette!

I'll let you in on a little secret...the colors you see are precisely the ones in the color palette with the opacity bumped for the Melon Mambo and Bermuda Bay. As I recall, they are both hovering around 75%. This is another benefit of using MDS and I liken this to "stamping off" when you do traditional paper crafting and keep stampin an image to get lighter and lighter.

Here's what the page looks like at full opacity:

It takes on a completely different look, right?

There's one other difference that you may not have detected at first glance...the little square in the top left was re-colored in my first project to Melon Mambo so you see strictly shades of pink rather than the multi-color design.

That sweet little polka dot design and the two sentiments come from the MDS version of the #PLxSU Every Day Advenure collection. A little translation for you... #PLxSU = Project Life by Stampin' Up! and I, for one, am truly enamored with the Every Day Adventure collection!

   

So tell me...which project do you like best? The muted version or the bright version? Please take a moment to leave a comment and let me know! I've got my favorite and I'll let you in on that over the weekend.

Be sure to visit the Pixel Maven's DigiChallenge to see the creations from Nicole and Kris. We'd love to see what you create with this combo so please join in the fun and play along with us! You can create your project using traditional stamps, ink, and paper or using the digi versions!

 TAKE A TEST DRIVE If you are not yet using MDS, give it a try absolutely free for 30 days -- access the free trial here! 

 

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Inspire. Create. Share. 2014 part 2

Nothing like a little selfie to start the day! This one was taken by my friend, mentor, and Stampin' Up! upline, Mary Fish. Mary, Kris (Mary's neice and amazing assistant), and I were waiting for the morning session to get started at Inspire. Create. Share. 2014. Clearly I was right in the bright sunlight that was streaming into the Salt Palace on Thursday morning! 

 

It was truly a magical experience and my time was spent...

creating delightful make and take projects

 

 

taking excellent classes direct from Stampin' Up! concept artists

 

playing with some of the latest and great Stampin' Up! products

(apparently I was too busy playing to photograph what I made)

 

learning more about Becky Higgins and why she created Project Life

 

taking home not one, but two autographed Project Life by Stampin' Up! exclusive card kits! One is for me to keep and one is for me to hide in a big ole game of #PLxSUHideAndSeek (stay tuned for more details)

 

cheering on some of my very favorite Stampin' Up! demonstrators -- what an honor and what fun it is to be part of the Stampin' Pretty Pals & InkBig communities with them!

Pictured above are Lisa Pretto, Brian King, Ann Schach, and Mary Fish -- they are truly fabulous individuals! 

 

spending time with my family of stamping friends...that's us waving to you!

These last two photos were taken by Amanda Merrill -- she snapped many marvelous images at the event! Thanks, Amanda!

 

My mind is spinning with so many new ideas and I'll soon reveal a few upcoming changes that I will be making to my Stampin' Up! business.

 

Until then, know that...

There are some "wicked good" deals this week (I just may order another banner kit myself!) - shop the deals now!

 An incredible Paper Pumpkin promotion has just started!

Now is the time to give Paper Pumpkin a try! Get 50% off* your first two months when you sign up by September 10. Go to MyPaperPumpkin.com and use promo code: HALFOFF2. 

After your first two months, keep the creativity coming for just $19.95 US/$24.95 CAN + tax per month (shipping included). Each month a fully designed project kit will arrive at your door with stamps, ink, and paper—everything cut and ready to go.

It’s commitment-free! You can cancel or suspend your membership at any time—really! So, go on, give it a try. What do you have to lose? (Except some boredom.)

*For new subscribers only, not valid on prepaid subscriptions. Discount applied to one kit per month for the first two months of a new subscription.
 

The "buy 3, get 1 free" deal on Designer Series Paper is about to end. Place your order by July 31 to take advantage of this offer!

 

 

Wishing you a creative day!

 

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P.S. Did you think I forgot to tell you what was in that rock star bag that Lisa made?

Sequins and gold ribbon...fun stuff!
 

PPA204: Hip Hip Hooray Meets #PLxSU

 

This month we celebrate Britt's third birthday! She is growing up so quickly. She's sweet, and funny, and fierce...there is nothing stopping her! In preparing for her birthday, I decided to use this week's Pals Paper Arts sketch (PPA 204) as the basis for some framed birthday art! Here's the sketch:

 

And the DIY framed birthday art that I created:

 

I'm absolutely hooked on sewing up paper garland and it was perfect for this nice wide frame! The orange flower in the top left corner adds a pretty finishing touch.

The sketch is front and center on the framed art and here's a close up of it:

The stamp is from the Hip Hip Hooray Card Kit and I paired it with a couple cards from the Everyday Adventure Card Collection and Accessory Pack from the new Project Life by Stampin' Up! (#PLxSU) line. Love the polka dots from the one card, the cevrons from the other, and that little wooden flag is adorable (at least I think so). The Washi tape is also from the accessory pack.

A few other pieces of cardstock in Crushed Curry, Strawberry Slush, Pumpkin Pie, and Bermuda Bay were used for the project and I put markers in those same colors plus Pear Pizzazz and Basic Black to use. The punched out circles add more flair to the project and echo the garland. While I regularly swap out most of the framed art that I create, I'll be keeping this and bringing it out for birthdays for years to come!

I'm loving the #PLxSU products and I promise you will see more memory keeping ideas soon! I need to sift through a whole lot of digital images, get them printed, and then crank out some pages! Until then, I'm having fun making other projects (like the framed art from today and the card above) with my #PLxSU supplies!

Be sure to see visit Pals Paper Arts to see what the other design team members have created with this sketch!

Wishing you a creative day!

 

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Thank You, Teachers!

You may be aware that this week, May 5 - 9, we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week here in the United States. Today's post is dedicated to all the teachers who are making a difference in the lives of others -- thank you to all for the important service that you provide!

For those of you who have come over from Mary Fish's Stamin' Pretty blog -- welcome! Glad you have stopped by today! My thanks to Mary for having me as her guest stamper today. While not a teacher by training, Mary is certainly adept at teaching others to create beautiful cards. I'm sure many of you agree with me on this!

For today's projects, I put the Project Life by Stampin' Up! (#PLxSU) products to use. The Everday Adventure Project Life Card Collection made it easy to pull together a mini-album and a gift card holder in a matter of minutes.

The album cover uses a 4" x 6" card and a 3" x 4" card.  The back (not shown) also uses a 4" x 6" card.  The front and back covers are reinforced with a piece of coordinating cardstock and you could easily laminate for added durability.

The inside of the album contains 4" x 6" pieces of cardstock and the idea is that each child can decorate a page for the teacher -- perhaps a little drawing or indicating what they have loved most about school for the year. Bear in mind that I have a pre-schooler at home and while this gift works for her age group and class size, it might not adapt as well to others.

Before the cover was assembled I did type the name of the school, the class, and the year on a custom 4" x 6" project using MDS. I then printed it directly on the card -- this worked great on my printer! My printer is a 3-in-1 and it does fine printing on Whisper White and Very Vanilla cardstock and I am thrilled to know it also works for the #PLxSU cards! This opens up the option to do type journaling as well as handwritten!

For the gift card holder, I folded a 4" x 6" card from the Everyday Adventure collection around a gift card -- I did not measure, I simply folded! You do want to be sure not to wrap too tightly as you want to be able to remove the gift card! Once done, I used Sticky Strip to seal at one end and to close the overall holder. After that I notched the other end using a circle punch (I think it was the 1-1/4" one) -- this was done to make it easy to slide out the gift card. A little embellishing and it was all set!

The background stamp that you see beneath the "thank you" sentiment is from a new stamp set, Work of Art, that will be available on June 2. The sentiment itself is from the Sassy Salutations stamp set. The Crushed Curry Chevron Ribbon, Pear Pizzazz Taffeta Ribbon, Strawberry Slush pennant, and the Bermuda Bay ink, were deliberately chosen because they are all a part of the Everyday Adventure color pallete -- it really is a bright and cheerful collection!

Get your #PLxSU products at a discount! In fact, save on all the incredible paper crafting supplies Stampin' Up! carries. This is perfect for the hobby crafter! Learn more today! 

Wishing you a creative day!

 

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A Five Minute Paper Crafting Fix!

Yesterday I shared the projects that I created using the April Paper Pumpkin kit and you heard that I had to change the colors that I used with the kit. Trading out ink pads for stamping on the white tags was no trouble at all and frankly, changing the Calypso Coral die cut pieces to Real Red was no trouble either! For this week's Five on Friday installment, I am sharing the "five minute fix" that allowed me to to easily "convert" from the coral to the red!

As you just saw, the fix was simply a matter of using my brayer to layer the Real Red ink right onto the die cut images. Originally I was thinking I would lay the hear piueces directly on the ink pad to do the re-coloring and it dawned on me that it would be way too messy! The brayer was a much better option!

Of course, I also realized there was an even easier way to go...

Leaving the die cuts within the large piece meant less mess and rolling around while adding the color!

This "five minute fix" would certainly not work for everything, however, it definitely worked for this project! When else can you imagine using this technique? Please leave a comment to let everyone know!

Project Life by Stampin' Up! products are now available and I'm offering a product share for those who want to give them a try! Get details on the new #PLxSU products and the share!

Wishing you a creative day!

 

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