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. ;)

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)

Well the darling Miss Robyn has come up with a fabulous idea!

[ Shapes | XOXO + Summer Lovin' ]

 
simply. adorable.

Here’s what Robyn has to say:

When Kerri released the ‘Summer Lovin’ kit, I was so excited about some of the great words that could work perfectly for cards! I took the darling ‘hello’ and the great heart square shape from the ‘XOXO’ kit and made some cards. They are colorful and fun and I just love the way that delicate ‘hello’ looks! Thanks for another great kit Kerri!!

I can remember when Zach was around 2 and we were trying to teach him his full name.

We asked, ‘What’s your name?’

‘Zachary.’

‘Zachary what?’

‘Zachary Daniel….’

‘Zachary Daniel what?’

[insert moment of pondering here on Zach's part]

‘Zachary Daniel Be Nice?’

Umm. Yeah. At least no swear words followed it or anything. ;)

But these are the quirky little things that we need to capture as our children grow up.
…or even when they are older too.
I wish I could remember forever, but–gosh darn it–brains just weren’t meant to remember everything.

And dear Miss Robyn has captured one of those ‘kid moments’ here in this page….

[ Shapes | Life Additions 2 (title) / Signed.Sealed.Delivered. (heart + star circles) ]

Love the combination of…welllll….just everything! :)

So, I guess when all is said and done, what I’m trying to say here is . . .
remember to remember so you can always remember.

Remember that.

Learning a few new things?

Enjoying the giveaways?

Lovin’ the sales?

Well, folks. The madness continues today!

Here’s what’s on sale for today only: 

good stuff.

Just look for the items with sale tags in the store!

And remember, these are on sale for today only!

_______________________________________________

So today we get to hear from the wonderful Robyn Werlich!
Take a look at this darling page….

[ Shapes | Happy (title) / Life Additions: Backgrounds ]


Looove that she used that title. It’s my new favorite!

And speaking of favorites….here’s Robyn’s:

_______________________________________________

Now here’s a handy dandy little tip about file organization from Robyn.
Just click on the image to play it.
(If the image is too big, just press Ctrl-Minus Key to zoom out. Ctrl-Zero will get you back to normal.)

_______________________________________________

And now here’s what Robyn wanted me to make.
I’m totally diggin’ this!

There are two versions–one with the ‘fly’ sitting on top and one with the ‘fly’ cut out of the butterfly.
Hmm….where do I want to use this….

To download this shape for free TODAY ONLY, click HERE.

Oops. This is no longer available as a freebie, but you’ll be able to buy it in a kit at the end of the week.



_______________________________________________


Okay, what else do I have up my sleeve today?
Oh, would you like another giveaway?
One where my international friends can play?
Really?
Would ya?
Are ya sure???

Well. Okay then.

Check it out baby! It’s the Digital Turquoise Edition of Project Life!

(yes, this is the one I designed and can be found on jessicasprague.com
in individual kits or in one biggie, like this.)

To be entered, just leave a comment in today’s post
with your name and where you are from,
and I’ll draw a winner Friday morning.

And now for the winner of the Becky Higgins Cobalt Project life?

drumroll please……

I love using negative space. It’s kind of like a ‘die cut’ way to emboss.
It just adds a whole other dimension to a project.

Take a look at Robyn’s cards:

[ Shapes | Signed.Sealed.Delivered. ]

Loooove how she added the sentiment right into the envelope!

Brilliant idea!

Aaaaand, she used my most favoritist (yeah, it’s a word) envelope!
The pull-tab adds so much fun to your ensemble.
And adding a stamped sentiment to the pull tab? Love it!

Here’s what Robyn has to say:

When Kerri came out with this fabulous card kit, I was just amazed! Pure genius! I love the idea of the little place to rip the cardstock to open up the envelope! So darling and what a fun thing for the person to open up!!

I wanted to use the envelopes as a part of my card – so I typed some words on the side of the envelope so that when it cut out and it was folded, it would show on the front. I layered cardstock behind each word to help them stand out. Such a fun way to add a saying to a card through an envelope! I glued each envelope on top of a standard card size piece of cardstock and put the note inside. Love the way this looks! So fun! Thanks Kerri for the great inspiration!

And our little Miss Robyn is too!
Check out this ever-so lovely page!

[ Shapes | XOXO / Love: Every Little Thing ]

I love her great mix of titles and colors….not to mention those arrows!
FABulous, just fabulous!

Just a little secret here: I love using words as my design element on a page.
That’s why this page really *ehem* speaks to me.
Oh, who am I kidding…that ain’t no secret. ;)

Here’s what Robyn did in Studio to create that great title.

And this is what she has to say about the whole kit+caboodle.

 I always love when Kerri comes out with a new kit! The typography & the design elements always work so perfectly together in each kit she creates! When I opened up the XOXO kit to play with, I instantly thought how fun it would be to use all the words and just layer them on top of eachother in different colors on the entire page. I laid it all out in my Silhouette program so I could size each word correctly. Then, I cut each word in a different color and layered them onto the page. Some words have two or three cuts glued together to make them thicker than other words. I also die-cut some fun arrows to add to the page. Thanks Kerri for the super fun kit to play with!

I also love cutting multiples of the same shape to create that thicker look.
It’s better than chipboard! Doesn’t dull the blade at all.

Great job Robyn!

So you can only imagine my delight when Miss Robyn sent me these
darling Valentines . . . made with the Background Basics series!

[ Shape: Background Basics + More Background Basics ]

Does that just say happy to you???
*sigh*
love.

Here’s what Robyn has to say: 

I love anything that has to do with Hearts! Valentine’s is such a fun holiday to decorate for with the fun pink and red colors, hearts, love and more! I wanted to make some fun Valentine cards and when Kerri recently came out with the new Backgrounds kits (which are a dream! totally a must have! I loveee them!!), I knew I had to use them on my cards. So, I used backgrounds from both kits and sized them down to 3×4. I cut them all out with white cardstock and then layered them on top of different shades of pink and aqua for a different look for each card! Then, embellished them with fun hearts and more!

Love these background kits by Kerri! The best things ever!!

It’s been a really great week so far! And we still have a little more to come! Yahoo!

The phrase from ‘Beauty in the Beast’ just popped in my head “Let’s see what I got in my draaawerrrs.” 

Okay, so maybe they’re Robyn’s drawers.

(And right after I just said that, I grabbed these images to put into the post, and I  swear, I didn’t even remember that Robyn had actually done a drawer! I just remembered ‘boxes.’ That is really weird. lol)

[ Shapes | Christmas Countdown. From Lori | Drawer Box (SVGs on Lori's site. Also in Silhouette store.) ]

Here’s what Robyn has to say:

This small drawer box was the perfect all-in-one box for my daughter to put a goodie in for her girlfriends for Christmas. We sprayed the box with some silver mist. We die-cut the ‘Joy’ 3 times out of white cardstock and misted them with Studio Calico’s Estate Green and Piglet mist and then layered them over eachother. I can’t wait to fill these with some mini nail polish, lip gloss and a hair flower for her friends!

[ Shapes | Christmas Countdown. From Lori | Photo Box + 6 Labels Set (SVGs on Lori's site. Also in Silhouette store.) ]

Here’s what Robyn has to say:

For the second larger photo box, I die-cut the main box out of some cute Echo Park Chevron paper. I cut the lid out of white cardstock and misted it with silver mist. I cut the Noel out of white and misted with silver as well. The label was die-cut and I sewed around the edges with pink thread. I plan to make some simple holiday gift tags for my neighbors and stick them in these boxes. I think it would be a wonderful gift to receive as you are wrapping up last minute holiday gifts…at least you have a cute homemade gift tag to put on them! :)


 Great ideas Robyn! Little decorated gift boxes are sooooo much fun!
I think I should make some just to have on hand.

 
And now for the little freebie!

You can download it for free HERE.

This is no longer available as a freebie, but you’ll be able to get it in a kit at the end of the week! :)

A little snowflake to add to your December projects?
Except you folks down in Australia…’cause it’s summer.
What do you guys use for Christmas decorations anyway?
Do you still do the stuff like we do here in the states?

Hmmm . . . I’m actually kind of interested now to know what kinds of traditions and decorating occur outside the US+Canada. If you’re ‘out there‘, leave a message. I’d love to know what you do!

I know there are readers from all over the world, so this could be really fun for everyone!

And there’s this still . . .

So don’t forget to go enter . . . well, all the giveaways goin’ on!
There’s Monday’s Post.
There’s Lori’s Monday’s Post.
Then Shari’s Blog.
And Laura’s Blog.
Then ya got Joy’s Blog (from Lori’s team).
And Carolyn’s.

We’re just a-hoppin’ and givin’ away all over the place!

I will be drawing the winners on my site tomorrow, so make sure you’ve entered!

Oh, and see what Natalie Graham made today on Lori’s blog! Darling idea!

]]> http://www.kerribradford.com/2011/12/08/last-minute-gifts-day-four/feed/ 30 http://www.kerribradford.com/2011/11/10/ornaments-homemade-style/ http://www.kerribradford.com/2011/11/10/ornaments-homemade-style/#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:08:03 +0000 Kerri http://www.kerribradford.com/?p=1574 I can remember making ornaments as a child.

Gluing pieces of colored construction paper together.
Carefully using my Elmer’s glue to create lines where I could dump the plethora of shiny glitter onto it.

It was a proud moment in my little life.

Wow. Believe it or not, I actually have a little pink garbage can with mod-podged Christmas cards that I made when I was five that I should find and take a photo of (and then throw away ;) ). The seventies didn’t have much–we were simple crafters . . . especially at such a young age.

And while our sophistication and ideas galore have changed, some of the basics remain the same . . . it’s just even better!

Take a look at these very merry + bright ornaments that Robyn Werlich made!

      

[ Shapes | This+ That Winter: Snowflake / This+That Christmas: Ho Ho Ho / Yuletide Greetings: Quote ]

Okay, if I had young kids I wanted to craft with, or was a newlywed, or wanted to make a crafty tree, or wanted to give special handmade ornaments out in my Christmas card or give to my children’s teachers. . . this would be the ticket!

What a fabulous set of ornaments!

Here’s what Robyn has to say . . . sounds like such a fun idea!

My friend found this really cute spiral metal tree from Ikea that we both have purchased and are making ornaments for this year. It has been so much fun to finally dig into my Christmas stash of supplies and create!

One thing I really love is typography…and the first thing I thought of…was the awesome typography in Kerri’s Kits. So, I picked some designs – HOHOHO, the Christmas tree saying, and the snowflake. I then cut each design three times with white paper and glued them on top of eachother to make a thicker embellishment.

I brushed a coat of Mod Podge on top of each and sprinkled a coat of silver glitter on top. I actually repeated this process twice to get a thick, good coat of glitter. I embellished some and hung them all with ribbon on the tree. I can’t wait to see the tree all put together with all the ornaments! I love this splash of glitter and fun typography all together – the perfect Christmas combo!

eta: must see what nichol has up today for the studioAE blog hop!