[ Shapes | More Background Basics ]

That’s just totally amazing! Fabulous Miss Laura, just fabulous!
You are my decorating hero!

Here’s what Laura has to say…c’mon….tell us all about this project!

A while back, I was watching the Rachael Ray show and they were doing a segment on “quick fixes” for the home that would normally cost a lot of money. One of the areas they mentioned was tile counters and backsplashes. They showed these vinyl squares that you could purchase online and place directly over your existing tiles. I loved the idea, seeing that I am not a fan of my tile backsplash in the kitchen and have become quite bored with it over the years. I looked around online and the choices out there were limited and not at all my style. It dawned on me that I could cut my own designs using my Silhouette and some vinyl. And after months and months of thinking about it, I finally got around to doing it.

I looked through Kerri’s background shapes and decided on the circle pattern for my design. I happen to have a ton of black 12″ x 12″ vinyl sheets from Making Memories (which worked perfectly fine in my Cameo) from when I designed for them, so that’s what I used. If I was purchasing vinyl for this project from the Silhouette site, I probably would have still went with the black, although there’s lots of fun colors to choose from. My tiles are 6″ squares, so I sized my circle background shape to 5.8″ x 5.8″ and arranged four on the cutting mat. I ended up needing roughly 120 squares to cover my backsplash, which used 30 sheets of the 12″ x 12″ vinyl sheets. There were some tiles here and there that were smaller (the rounded edges by the window and the turns in the corner of the counter), so I simply used my trimmer to cut the pieces to fit. They were super easy to adhere to the tiles, taking only seconds to line it up and stick each one down. I love the huge impact it made in my kitchen and that I can easily change it down the road if desired. While I used vinyl that I had on hand already, if I had purchased the Silhouette Premium Vinyl for this project, the cost would have only been $50 total. And don’t forget, I know have thirty sheets of the negative part of the design left over. This means I have ONE THOUSAND polka dots that I can use for something. I’ll let you know if I figure out what to do with them!

And I am dying to know what you’re gonna do with all those dots Laura! ;)

Oh, oh…did you say freebie?
Okay. Here ya go!

To download it for free, click on the image or click HERE.
It’s only free through Saturday–National Scrapbook Day, so you’ll wanna be sure to get it now.

This is no longer available as a freebie, but you can get it in the store.

And now….let’s announce the three winners of the $25 gift cards!

They are:

GWEN LORDS – MAY 2, 2013 – 9:27 AM
I don’t really have any plans. I will probably work on some mother’s day projects. Would love to win, I love your stuff. Have all of your silhouette classes and have learned so much!!! Thank you!

DIANE – MAY 2, 2013 – 12:53 PM
Diane here. I will be leading demos at a make n take at a local scrapbook store on NSD. As an employee we can’t take advantage of sale prices there so would really love to win your giveaway.

TERESA BEG – MAY 2, 2013 – 4:03 PM
I have been saving a scrapbook kit. Hopefully I will get it all done!!!

Congratulations! Email me at kerri@kerribradford.com and I will get you all squared away!

And we can’t forget about what’s on sale today!

Yep. All backgrounds and titles…the foundations for all your pages…are on sale for 20% off today!
Just take a gander through the store and look for the Sale tags. (Excludes the most recent Say What 4.) 

Oh, but wait, there’s one more thing!

It’s a brand new kit!

I’ve always been a fan of negatives and polaroids. In fact, not too long ago, the kids brought home a metal tin full of slides from their grandfather from the 40s. They were soooo cool! And when little Miss Nichol said she needed some new KBS frames? It was kismet…and this was born.

Lots of fun things to use here. You can use them with or without the heart/chevrons/photo or you can even mix it up and put them on a different frame or add your own accent to it.

Lot’s of possibilities . . . . Oooh, and the square ones would be so fun for Instagram=-style photos!

Whew! What a day!

But there’s gonna be something you won’t want to miss tomorrow too!

[ photo taken at my hairstylist's wedding reception. ]

And here’s another fabulous Valentine decoration from our loverly Miss Nichol!

oooooh la la!

[ Shapes | InTransit ]

This is an amazing idea!

love.

Here’s what Nichol has to say:

I love Kerri’s subway art cut files and wanted to use one to create a decorated frame for Valentine’s Day but I wanted to be able to customize each of the words or phrases on the die cut with a background stamp and colorful ink pads for a fun, “conversation heart” rainbow of colors. To achieve the look, I die cut the subway art file from smooth white cardstock. Then, before removing it from the cutting mat, I masked off the parts of the image I didn’t want to ink and stamped each word/phrase with a different color of Hero Arts Mid-Tone Ink for a customized colorful die cut title! By using the same background stamp throughout the design and only changing the color of the ink, it kept the title from being overly busy or hard to read and instead just added color!

To finish the design I used a manual die cutting machine to die cut an exclusive Simon Says Stamp heart design and stamped each with coordinating heart stamps.

Okay, wait…I’m talkin’ about Nichol, right? Of course, it would be fabulous!

Check it out….this is what Nichol has to say….

I have had this wire dressform for years and I’ve used it in my home decorating “as is”. An idea came to me as I was perusing Pinterest and saw a dressform altered and decorated with old vintage book paper…. I thought how awesome it would be to create something of my own using my dressform. All I needed was the perfect die cut shape. Feathers immediately came to mind. We’re seeing them everywhere in the industry from pre-made embellishments to stamps and wood veneer shapes.

I asked Kerri if she would make me a feather die cut and she not only made one, but FOUR incredible, wonderful feathers to work with! I die cut them from several sheets of 12×12 patterned paper to give me an assortment and variety of patterns to work with and got to work creating a skirt of feathers for my dressform.

It was important to me that I be able to remove the decorations after the holiday is over without harming the dressform so I came up with the following idea for constructing the skirt. I used a piece of ribbon and glued feathers to the ribbon fairly close together using liquid glue. I applied a line of glue to the feathers and added another layer of feathers and repeated until I had a skirt to fit my dressform (see photo below).

I die cut several florals, a merchandise tag, heart banners and a heart to complete my dressform. I used dimensional embellishments from my stash to “dress up” the design. I love the way the variety of dimensional and textural flowers add visual interest to the completed project.

 [ Shapes | Feathers / Design Team Picks (dimensional flower) / XOXO (heart, “Feb 14″) / A Very Retro Christmas (tag) / Heart Banner freebie/ Flower 30 Petals (Silhouette #2 Class Extras)

j’adore mon petit miss nichol.

Less than a month away.

Can you believe it? I’m just looking forward to some warmer temperatures. This constant below freezing–and below zero–is for the birds. Oh wait…those birds get to fly south…what am I talking about? Lucky ‘ducks.’

Some of you may be thinking about creating some new lovey-dovey works of art to help set the mood in your home. And if you’re like me, you’re gonna wanna make exactly these fabulous framed pieces of love like Nichol made.

Here’s what she has to say:
I’ve been working on adding some new additions to the Valentine decor of our home. I replaced the glass/photos in these distressed wood frames with photo-sized inserts for the holiday. One of the best ways to get multiples in the colors you need for a project (like the first frame shown here) is to use your die cut machine. I was able to use up paper scraps from other projects to cut the hearts and cut all the tags from one sheet of 8.5×11 cardstock. The tags were customized by incorporating the shape from the “XOXO” kit with the tag hole from another kit. You could also just create a circle shape in the Silhouette software instead. I just had both files open, figuring out what tag shape I wanted to use so I created mine this way! ;)

[ Shapes | XOXO (tag+heart) / December Additions: The Extras (tag hole)

 And here's what she's a-sayin' about this one:  

I cut a heart shape and attached all the die cut flowers to the heart with tiny, tiny brads. I layered the stamped & embossed banner across the heart with foam adhesive and trimmed off the excess before placing it inside the frame.

[ Shapes | XOXO (heart) / This+That: Family (flower) / This+That: Freedom (banner)

And this one:

I really wanted to incorporate a Hero Arts clock stamp in my stash into a Valentine's frame. I was perusing my KBS shapes and came across the clock hands file and it dawned on me how cute the stamped shape would look with the die cut hands layered on top! I love that you can recreate this same idea with any clock stamp you may have by simply changing the size of your clock hands to fit! So fun! The eiffel tower and heart die cuts tie the design together. I needed a banner to stamp the definition on so I just grabbed one of the KBS shapes from a recent file and resized it to accommodate the stamp design.

 [ Shapes | This+That: Love (eiffel tower) / This+That: Halloween (clock hands) / XOXO (hearts) / Letters to Santa (banner) ]

sooooo love.
that about says it all.

thank you miss nichol.

On the 11th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . . 11 pipers piping . . . Okay, that one isn’t too bad. If you ask my girls–who just went to see The Nutcracker ballet this past weekend because they’d never been–they’d prefer not to see any ‘lords a-leaping’ in tights. Jordan asked if the men could wear shorts.

Enough said.

We’re getting down to the wire folks! Christmas is soooo around the corner!

Need a fabulous last minute neighbor gift idea?
Check out these cute little subway art gifts that Robyn made!

[ Subway Art: Christmas ]

That is such a cute idea! I love it!

Here’s what Robyn has to say:

I have always loved Kerri’s Subway art! She just does it perfectly, every time! I thought it would be fun to spread that love to my neighbors by printing off a red and black version and putting them in this two-sided frame from Ikea (so they can choose which side to display in their homes). The frames are a great price for neighbor gifts and by adding some holiday twine and cute tags – they were perfect. 

Now here’s a little phrase that our Miss Naomi was wanting.
I’m always happy to oblige, particularly when it comes to words.
They are my fave. :)

To download this for free–today only–click HERE.

This kit is no longer available for free, but you can purchase it HERE.

 So, I’ve heard the world may be ending today. So this may be  our very last year here on earth. Might be something we should scrap about. So this may be your last opportunity to take advantage of this kit. :)

To get this for half off (no we are not having a fire sale ;))–just $4–click HERE.

This is no longer available on sale.

Later y’all! It’s been nice knowin’ ya.
If we all wake up Saturday, then I’ll be back for sure. ;)

I can’t believe we are winding down! I mean, I wrote that ‘Day 10′ and it just kind of blew my mind that after today there are just two days left! That’s just crazy, I tell ya! Oh but wait, there’s only four more shopping days until Christmas . . . how does that grab ya? ;)

Got some socks on? Are you ready to have them knocked off? Because when I saw these goooorgeous ornaments from Nichol, it seriously knocked my socks off!

[ Shapes | This+That: Christmas Past (ornament) / Christmas Countdown (ornament) / Here Comes Santa Claus (snowflake) / Holly Jolly Christmas (snowflake) ]

Okay, say it with me . . . WOW! I keep looking at those and I’m seeing some shapes, but good grief, I can’t tell just what she did! lol I think we need to be checking HER BLOG for all the detailed instructions on this.

wow.

Yeah.

I think that just sums it up.

Here’s some things Nichol has to say about it:

These ornaments were inspired by the paper stamped ornament on the front of the Stampin’ Up Seasonal Holiday Catalog this year. Only instead of stamping my ornaments, I used die cut ornament designs from Kerri’s kits to create the base layer and dimensional pieces for my ornaments. I also die cut snowflakes from American Crafts Glitter WOW paper (which cuts like butter!) and layered them in the center of the design for some glitz and shimmer. These ornaments were a great way to use up some of those bulky dimensional items that I have in my craft supply that I love but don’t often use on my layouts. Plus, I added a couple of beautiful ornaments to my collection this year! So fun!

[ still in wow mode. . .]

Well. With something like that, we just gotta put one of those kits on sale, do we not?

Yes we shall!

So for today only, this is on sale for half off. Just $5.

To purchase it, click HERE.

This kit is no longer available on sale.

 Today’s freebie comes from the wishings and wantings of Miss Laura. She thought it would be lovely to have some little banner shapes to make a very merry accent or home decor piece. I, of course, just had to have the word ‘believe’ as a little extra something to ‘hang’ them from. :)

To download it for free–today only–click HERE.

This is no longer available as a free shape, but you can purchase it HERE.

You know, every time I say one more ‘day’, it just reminds me that I am still not ready for Christmas. I remember the days when I’d have my shopping done by Halloween. Having three kids with birthdays the month before Christmas will do that to a person. But these days? Not quite so on the ball anymore.

So the question is, are you ready? What are some of your traditions? Do you open up your gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day . . . or a little of both? Do you make and decorate sugar cookies for the neighbors? Do you make luminaries to light your sidewalk? Well, speaking of luminaries, check out what Miss Naomi did!

[ Shapes | This+That: Christmas (holly+berries) / This+That: Christmas Past ('let it snow' + snowflakes) / December Twenty Five (handwritten words) ]

That is a really cool idea! Soooo love them ‘all aglow’!

Naomi mod-podged tissue paper to mason jars, used some die-cuts, glittered them up, then mod-podged those to the jar after the tissue paper dried, and got these luminaries.

Great idea Naomi!

So, when I was plotting out some of the things I wanted to do over these two weeks, a star background was on my list of must-do! And when I got Naomi’s fabulous luminaries, I thought the two tied together so well!

Therefore, here is today’s freebie.

It comes in 4 different sizes so you can use it for Project Life, December Daily, or for any background for just about any reason! It doesn’t have to be Christmas. It could be Canada Day, 4th of July, a boys page . . . totally versatile!

To download this free–today only–click HERE.

This shape is no longer available for free, but you can purchase it HERE.

So in the spirit of using a fun background with your Project Life, that’s what’s on sale today!

It’s normally $10, but today (and only today) it’s on sale for $5.
This is no longer on sale, but you can click on the image above or click HERE to purchase it.

If you’re new here–or maybe you may not remember–you may want to see what Nichol did with one of these shapes.

sooooo love.

Welcome to Day 2 of our 12 Days of Christmas event!

Finally, the weather outside is (more or less) frightful! I say . . . let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! It’s the perfect tone for today’s post–a very wintery mood, I must say. What should we start with first?

I say we start with this lovely little banner from Miss Shari!

[ Shapes | This+That: Winter (mittens, snowflake) / This+That: Christmas ('ho') / Christmas Countdown (holly, star)]

Soooo love! I think this would be a wonderful craft project to do with your kids! Cut out some shapes, give them some glue and glitter or whatever, and let make something with them together!

And I love that you could make this more ‘winter’ oriented so that you could leave it up past Christmas as well.

So, with that being shared, how’s about we do this for our 50% off sale today?

(Click on the image to go to it in the store.)

Weather . . . uhhhh, I mean whether or not (i know, i’m sad) you are creating a tray next month
or just have some wintery pages to do, these are for you!

These two kits are no longer on sale….the day is over. :)

If y’all remember National Scrapbook Day, I had my creative team give me their ideas on what they would like to have for a shape. I loved doing that–to see what they are wanting to play with. So of course with an event like this, we just had to do it again!

So today’s shape comes from the wishings and wantings of the lovely Nichol Magouirk.

To download this cute little guy, click HERE.
It’s available for free today only. 

This little feller is no longer available as a free shape. You can buy him HERE.

I gotta say, I’m lovin’ doin’ these one-day freebie shapes! :)

Take a look at this marvelous frame that Robyn made!

 [ Shapes | Giving Thanks ]

Here’s what Robyn has to say:

I have always been so inspired by a framed project that Becky Higgins has shown on her blog before of a frame and the kids write what they are grateful for on the glass throughout the month. I wanted to re-create that great idea for our own family this Thanksgiving. As soon as I saw the new kit from Kerri, Giving Thanks, I knew it would be perfect for this project. I cut a few of the words from the kit, each with a different piece of paper, and layered them on top of a vellum banner with an orange cardstock banner beneath. I glued it all to a fun piece of patterned paper from Crate Paper and placed it in my frame – sandwiching it with two pieces of glass.

I placed a Sharpie above the frame so that the kids can write things that they are grateful for thoughout the month of November. This hangs on the wall in our entryway so we see it daily. It is such a great reminder of the large and little things that we have been so very blessed with! Thanks for looking and Happy Thanksgiving!

What kinds of out-of-the-ordinary things do you think your family would write? Mine? I’m thinking cameras would be one. Cheesy potatoes maybe? (Yes, I especially make them for the holidays.) Maybe our dog + cat since we never had animals their whole lives? Maybe if you have youngins yours might say Legos or Barbies?

I think there’s some fun to be had there. And of course when the holiday season is over, you must take a picture of it before it’s erased. And how fun would it be to compare those writings from year to year?

Great idea Robyn! Thanks for sharing it!

And now, our Incredibly Grateful Holiday Celebration week is quickly coming to an end. If you haven’t had a chance to take advantage of the sale yet? You might want to do that pretty darn soon . . . it ends Sunday!

And now let’s do some more of this!

Today’s flashback comes from the holiday stylings of Shari and Robyn.

There’s that snowflake again! :) How great would it be to make up some of these gift cards to have on hand to give to people over the holidays. Starbucks+iTunes are always people pleasers there.

(For more information on this, go HERE)

And how about another ornament like this one Robyn made to go with the snowflake that Nichol made in Wednesday’s flashback?

(For more information on this, go HERE)

The time of year where we start preparing for gatherings and gift giving and having hearts full of gratitude for all our many blessings. And eating. Lots of eating. Lots.

So what better way is there to kick off a holiday season than having a sale? Oh, I know, also having a week full of fabulous ideas from the creative team!

So let’s start with this:

That’s right. Because I am so grateful for all of you, I’m having a sale to help you with your holiday goodness. I know there are many-a projects to be done. I know a lot of you give the This+That line for Christmas, so this is a perfect tim to stock up on those!

And speaking of projects, you must see what Nichol made! Check it out!

[ Shapes | Here Comes Santa Claus (reindeer) / Christmas Countdown  (holly) ]

Two words: freakin’ adorable!

Here’s what Nichol has to say:

Used Silhouette Sewable Fabric Interfacing on the back of the fabric to sew the die cut shapes in place before machine stitching them to permanently secure. I chose to just stitch around each shape instead of embroider them as I won’t mind the bit of fraying that will come from wear or machine washings. I think it will add character to this particular project! ;) Instead of using the die cut eyes, I  used buttons instead. After ironing and sewing the appliques in place I finished the pillow front with a patchwork border and then I quilted the front. It would probably be easier to quilt first and applique second but this was more of a learning project and I kind of “learned as I went”!

And here are the dimensions for the project — in case you were feeling in a crafty mood yourself!

I bought some of the Silhouette fabric interfacing and blade, but haven’t had a chance to use it yet. So inspired by what Nichol made!

And now, how’s about a new kit on this fine sale week!

You know, each time I do this I tell myself that I get a little out of control with it. So many words and all.

Um.

Yeah.

I think this one takes the cake. :) 29 shapes in all in this bad boy, but oh so versatile beyond Christmas, ya know. I have visions of using ‘twinkle’ on a baby  page. But I think you could just about get all parts of Christmas with this. Great for December Daily or Project Life!

 
Okay….whew! I think that’s enough to start off our fine celebration week for today! The sale goes through Sunday, so be sure to stock up on your favorite goodies.