SEI Spotlight: Nola

Hello! Here to share another backlogged project using lovely SEI collections! For more details, visit the SEI blog!

Materials used: SEI Mia Bella, Entrada, Craft Envelopes

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl

SEI Spotlight: NSA

Hi there! I've been playing catch up with my projects and posts on this blog. I'm over at the SEI blog today to share a simple layout inspired by business cards collected from the National Stationery Show. Stop by the SEI blog to see more details!

Materials used: SEI Blooms & Blossoms, Field Notes, Desert Springs, Silver Valley

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant April Stampede

Welcome to the Mama Elephant April Design Team blog hop! Our April release is now live and available for purchase in the store: www.mamaelephant.com.

To celebrate the new release, Mama Elephant is giving away 3 gift certificates worth $20.00 each to 3 lucky people! Winners will be chosen at random from the collective blogs in the Stampede. Winners will be announced on the Mama Elephant blog on Friday, April 19th. Here's how to qualify to win (leave a separate comment for each):

1. Leave a comment on this blog post
2. Become a follower of our blog
3. Like/share us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/mamaelephant
4. Follow/tweet about us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/heymamaelephant

Here's my layout using Bling! I adore this set and it totally reminds me of Rihanna's "shine bright like a diamond" lyrics. The sentiments are perfect for a stacked title block - Shine bright, Bling, Sparkle and Shine, Bling, Sparkle and Shine!

Materials used: Mama Elephant Bling; SEI papers, Shipping Tag

Your next jump is the talented JJ Bolton! If you're lost, here's the order of the Stampede and you can always start from the beginning on the Mama Elephant blog. Happy stampeding!

• Kryssi Ng / Mama Elephant http://www.mamaelephantblog.com/
• Lisa Spangler (guest designer!) http://sideoatsandscribbles.wumple.com/
• Mariana Grigsby http://marianagrigsby.wordpress.com/
• Lea Lawson http://leascupcakesandsunshine.blogspot.com/
• Alice Wertz http://aliceslittlewonderland.blogspot.com/
• Elena Roussakis (guest designer!) http://justmeprints.blogspot.ca/
• Geralyn Sy http://inacreativebubble.blogspot.com/
• Savannah O'Gwynn http://savannahland2.blogspot.com/
• Cheiron Brandon http://www.cheironbrandon.typepad.com/
• Pamela Ho (guest designer!) http://fishydesign.wordpress.com/
• Jenn Biederman http://createdbyjb.typepad.com/
• Pearl Lui http://kraftypearl.blogspot.com/ (you're here)
• JJ Bolton http://jjbolton.org

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

SEI Spotlight: Laughter

Hi thereI was over at the SEI blog yesterday sharing a wedding inspired layout. Head on over to the SEI blog and see how it all came together.

Materials used: SEI Mia Bella, Think of Me, Field Notes, Promise Me; tissue paper, sequins

Here's a closer look at some of the details:

Make sure you stop by the SEI blog for all the details and to see what the rest of the design team has been creating!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant March Stampede

Welcome to the Mama Elephant March Design Team blog hop! The March release is now live and available for purchase in the Mama Elephant store.

To celebrate the new release, Mama Elephant is giving away 3 gift certificates worth $20.00 each to 3 lucky people! Winners will be chosen at random from the collective blogs in the Stampede. Winners will be announced on the blog on Monday, March 18th.

Here's how to qualify to win (leave a separate comment for each):

1. Leave a comment on this blog post
2. Become a follower of the Mama Elephant blog
3. Like/share Mama Elephant on Facebook
4. Follow/tweet about Mama Elephant on Twitter

For my Mama Elephant March Stampede project, I created a layout documenting my work desk on Valentine's Day. My husband sends me the loveliest floral arrangements every year. In our effort to reduce waste, he sent potted blooms the last two Valentine's Days. I love this photo because it shows last year's orchids which bloomed again along with this year's overflowing kalanchoe and ivy arrangement. Today Was and Lovely Mums is the perfect combination to highlight this photo.

Materials used: Mama Elephant Today Was and Lovely Mums stamp sets, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, ColorBox Cat's Eye Queue Inks

Here's a closer look at the stamped details:

This is one of my favorite images in the stamp set -- "Today Was" label is perfect for everyday scrapbooking!

I love the cute ampersand which is perfect as an embellishment or visually connecting words. The chevron frame is also awesome for journaling.

Finally, from Lovely Mums flower as an ombre embellishment.

I keep saying this, but seriously, these stamps are perfect for all of your scrapbooking and card-making needs. Happy stamping!

Your next jump is the talented Alice Wertz - http://aliceslittlewonderland.blogspot.com/!

• Kryssi Ng/Mama Elephant http://mamaelephantblog.com
• Emily Leiphart (guest designer) http://leiphartonart.blogspot.com/
• Savannah O'Gwynn http://savannahland2.blogspot.com/
• Lea Lawson http://leascupcakesandsunshine.blogspot.com/
• Mariana Grigsby http://marianagrigsby.wordpress.com/
• Geralyn Sy http://inacreativebubble.blogspot.com/
• JJ Bolton http://www.jjbolton.org
• Cheiron Brandon http://www.cheironbrandon.typepad.com/
• Jenn Biederman http://createdbyjb.typepad.com/
• Pearl Lui (me)
• Alice Wertz http://aliceslittlewonderland.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant Project: Joy, Love, Happiness

Hi there! I'm over at the Mama Elephant blog today to share a layout made with the So Breezy stamp set. It's a layout created to highlight and store my wooden heart magnet wedding favors.

The awesome open sentiments from the So Breezy set are perfect for any layout. Check out the Mama Elephant blog to see how I created this layout.

More details on how I tucked away my wedding favors in a long policy envelope on the Mama Elephant blog.

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Spotlight on SEI: Our Vows

TGIF! Hope everyone is had a great week. Earlier this week, I was on the SEI blog sharing this layout using their January Card Kit.

Collections used: January Card Kit (Think of Me die-cut accents), Promise Me, Entrada Frames, Field Notes Stickers, Gold Glitter Stickers

Stop on by the SEI blog to read and see all the details!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant February Stampede

Welcome to the Mama Elephant February Design Team blog hop! The February release is now live and available for purchase in the Mama Elephant store.

To celebrate the new release, Mama Elephant is giving away 3 gift certificates worth $20.00 each to 3 lucky people! Winners will be chosen at random from the collective blogs in the Stampede. Winners will be announced on the blog on Monday, February 18th.

Here's how to qualify to win (leave a separate comment for each):

1. Leave a comment on this blog post
2. Like/share Mama Elephant on Facebook
3. Follow/tweet about Mama Elephant on Twitter

For my Mama Elephant February Stampede project, I created a layout. My husband and I pretty much text in pictures. The ME Say What stamp set is perfect for scrapbooking dialogue and conversations. I used a bevy of sentiments from the set and created a grid by sewing clear pockets to the layout.

Materials used: Mama Elephant Say What stamp set, Zing! Gold Embossing Powder, gold star bradlets and brads, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, Spellbinders Ribbon Banner Dies, Singer 160 Sewing Machine

Here's a closer look at the details:

I stamped the "Say What" sentiment and the arrow on a punched tab. The arrow is perfect here because when you flip the pocket, there's some hidden journaling appropriately hiding behind "Say What?"

I like keeping more personal thoughts and messages tucked away and keeping the layout clean with more of a focus on the photos and letting them speak for themselves.

For the "Heeeeyyyyy" banner trio, I clipped the super cute stamp, "Heeeeyyyyy Sexy Lady" and shaped it to the curves of the ribbon banners to create my layout title. The best thing is that I can put the stamp together just as easily when I want to use the entire sentiment. A perfect stamp set for all of your scrapbooking and card-making needs. Happy stamping!

Your next jump is the talented Alice Wertz!

• Kryssi Ng -- Mama Elephant
• Jenn Biederman
• Pearl Lui (me)
• Alice Wertz
• Laura Bassen (guest designer)
• Savannah O'Gwynn
• Lea Lawson
• Mariana Grigsby
• Geralyn Sy
• JJ Bolton
• Cheiron Brandon

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Spotlight on SEI: Society

TGIF! I was on the SEI blog earlier this week to share this layout. Over the holidays, I went to the museum and was inspired by some beautiful pieces. I wanted to create windows into these worlds painted by the artists, so I framed and matted both photos with several layers of contrasting pattern paper.

Materials used: SEI Mirelle Stickers, Mirelle Sundries, Lexington Paper Pad (red pattern), Vanilla Sunshine, Field Notes

Read more about this layout on the SEI blog here.

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant Highlight: Type It

Hello! I've got another highlight on a January Mama Elephant release set, Type It. This stamp set is absolutely perfect. I can't say this enough, but I love how Mama Elephant stamps are perfect for card making or scrapbooking projects. You really do double the use of your stamps and get the most out of each set.

Isn't the typewriter just darling? Love it. There's also a ledger stamp which works perfectly for journaling. And as you saw from my December Daily project, I can't stop using the lovely heart in quotes image. Another reason why I love ME stamps is because you can mix and match the sets to really maximize the use of each image. I used a couple of stamps from Geotagged. One of the sentiments fit perfectly and I couldn't help but add a little tag to the typewriter.

Materials used: Mama Elephant Type It and Geotagged ("wish you were here", tag hanging from typewriter) stamp sets; CTMH Inks, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black, washi tape, tissue paper, Knot & Bow silver foil medallion doilies

Don't forget to stop by the Mama Elephant blog to see what the rest of the design team created with this set. You'll love the versatility and ideas!

• JJ Bolton
• Cheiron Brandon
• Mariana Grigsby
• Savannah O'Gwynn
• Alice Hertz

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl

Spotlight on SEI: Mexico

Mama Elephant giveaway & stamp highlight here.

Back again today because I'm over at the SEI blog to share a layout documenting a moment without a photo. Sometimes it can be a real challenge when all you have is the image captured in your memory. That's where really beautiful pattern papers can help.

Materials used: SEI Field Notes, Mirelle, Tumble Dye; Fiskars scallop scissors

Make sure you head over to the SEI blog to read all the details about this project, read about the fun giveaways, and see more inspiration from the rest of the design team.

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant Giveaway & Highlight: On Target

Are you on target for a terrific Tuesday? :) I am, because I've got another Mama Elephant highlight. Remember, the stamp sets go on sale on November 15th with a full reveal of each set. But today, you'll have a chance to win this set.

We're giving away an On Target stamp set and all you have to do is comment for a chance to win. One winner will be randomly chosen from all of the Design Team's blogs and the will be announced on the Mama Elephant blog on November 15th.

The target stamp from the Mama Elephant On Target stamp set is perfect for making record embellishments for your scrapbooking pages about music, concerts, or anything else record-related!

Materials used: Mama Elephant On Target, CTMH ink, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black

Don't forget to stop by the Mama Elephant blog to see what the rest of the design team and special guest designer, Joy Taylor, made with this set!

• JJ Bolton
• Cheiron Brandon
• Mariana Grigsby
• Savannah O'Gwynn
• Alice Wertz

We continue with another giveaway and highlight tomorrow, so see you again!

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl

Spotlight on SEI: Birds of a Feather

Happy Monday! Here today with a colorful spotlight on SEI's Entrada collection and vibrant feathers. Read all of the details here.

Materials used: SEI Entrada, Field Notes, feathers, alpha stickers

Make sure you stop by the SEI blog this week to check out their giveaways and the rest of the design team's projects!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Spotlight on SEI: Hooray & Anticipation

Hi there! While we are bracing for a hurricane here, in NYC, let me share some cheeriness here on my blog. Today, I'm over at the SEI blog to share a card for a super duper special little boy who recently turned one.

Materials used: SEI Field Notes, Vanilla Sunshine, cardboard elements stickers; foam squares

I absolutely love the stickers from the SEI Vanilla Sunshine collection. You can use them for any kind of card, especially when you couple them with some SEI cardboard elements stickers to give it some texture. Check out how I made the card on the SEI blog.

Another project I shared on the SEI blog a couple of weeks ago is this "Anticipation" layout. This layout is pretty special to me because it documents just moments before my husband and I got married. Have a look at all the details here.

Materials used: SEI Vanilla Sunshine, Field Notes, alphabet stickers

Hope you've enjoyed this card and layout. Don't forget to check out the SEI blog for more inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl

SEI + My Etsy = A Collected Look

Hiya! Here to quickly share a long overdue SEI layout. You often see me mixing various collections together for a collected, eclectic feel. The beauty of SEI designs is that it's so easy to mix and match colors and patterns!

Materials Used: SEI Desert Spring, SEI Field Notes, SEI Promise Me, tissue paper, Singer 160 sewing machine

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant Highlight: Geotagged

I hope you're enjoying all the Mama Elephant highlights so far. We're taking a look at the Geotagged set today.

Like all of the other sets, this is perfect for cards and layouts alike. The map of the United States is pretty darn awesome! I adore the suitcase with polka dot print and the super cute and detailed luggage stickers.

Materials used: Mama Elephant Geotagged, Basic Borders; CTMH pattern paper, Martha Stewart medium balloon punch, CTMH Inks, Tsukineko Delicata Ink in Golden Glitz, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black

A closer look: I created a clustered embellishment from the suitcase and polka dot pattern stamps. I matched the colors to the houses in a photo I have on the layout. That's one of my favorite things about stamping -- being able to pull colors from photos into stamped embellishments.

To add just a bit more variation to the layout, I used the suitcase stamp and polka dot pattern and masked it under a balloon wood grain pattern negative. Give this stamped embellishment technique a try!

Don't forget to check out the projects from the other Mama Elephant design team members here:

• JJ Bolton
• Cheiron Brandon
• Mariana Grigsby
• Savannah O'Gwynn
• Alice Wertz

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant Highlight: Believe in Magic

Hi! We continue today with a closer look at Mama Elephant's Believe in Magic stamp set.

Here's the thing, who doesn't love a snow globe? Seriously, especially one where you can build on your own! And the best part is this set works so perfectly with the Mama Elephant Polar Pals set. It's also perfect with the Mama Elephant Trifecta set!

Materials used: Mama Elephant We Believe in Magic, Trifecta, Polar Pals, We Click; CTMH Inks, Tsukineko Delicata Ink in Golden Glitz, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black, Bic Mark-it Markers

A closer look: I created two snow globes and used the Trifecta triangle patterns to create the look of trees in one of them. I added "Cheer" and "Merry" from Polar Pals which fits perfectly in the globes as well. Then I used the base of the snow globe to create a brick pattern into an abstract tree, topping it off with the "XOXO" starburst label from the We Click set.

Don't forget to check out the projects from the other Mama Elephant design team members here:

• JJ Bolton
• Cheiron Brandon
• Mariana Grigsby
• Savannah O'Gwynn
• Alice Wertz

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant Highlight: We Click

Happy Monday! Back again with a closer look at the We Click set by Mama Elephant.

As you can see, it is perfect for a faux Instax look with a clothespin, washi tape, and more. It makes me smile just looking at how cute and perfect this set is. I combined it with Basic Borders (also by Mama Elephant) for a scrapbooking layout.

Materials used: Mama Elephant Basic Borders and We Click, Heidi Swapp chipboard alphabet, American Craft Zing Embossing Powder in gold, CTMH ink pads, Kaisercraft clear overlay, watercolor

A closer look: I stamped out polka dot patterns and striped patterns using the Basic Borders stamp set. I then stamped the Instax frames using the same colors and cut the frames out to frame a picture, ephemera, and a clear overlay. To give it dimension, I used metallic embossing powder to give it a bit of shimmer and foam adhesive to raise the frames.

Hope you enjoyed this layout and don't forget to head over to the Mama Elephant blog right now to check out what the rest of the design team has created!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant Design Team & Giveaway!

Best. News. Ever. I'm so happy to announce that I'm on the Mama Elephant design team! Check out the official Mama Elephant design team announcement here to check out all of the talented ladies.

To celebrate this great news, we have a giveaway for a $20 Mama Elephant gift certificate! And you have a total of 4 chances to enter for the giveaway if you comment on my blog 4 times:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post.
2. Like/share Mama Elephant on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mamaelephant) and leave a comment letting us know.
3. Tweet about us and comment letting us know.
4. Blog about Mama Elephant and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.

There are even more chances to win if you visit the Mama Elephant blog and the other design team members' blogs, so don't forget to check all the blogs out!

Winners will be announced on the Mama Elephant blog on the morning of Monday, 10/15. Good luck!

I'm sure you've checked out Mama Elephant by now, but just in case you haven't, here's why you should: the designs are fun, fresh, clean, and amazingly versatile. The best part is that you can use them for cards or scrapbook layouts!

Materials used: Mama Elephant Nursery Deco, Memento Ink in London Fog, K&Company Actopus to Zelephant Wood, Bazzill Cardstock, CTMH Embossing Powder, Making Memories Sticker Tape, Washi Tape

A closer look: When you first look at the Mama Elephant Nursery Deco set, the immediate thought is to make a really cute new baby card. But as you can see, you can do a lot just by repeating the alphabet sign stamp. It is absolutely perfect for scrapbooking. The layout actually spells out "San Fran Love" when you piece all the red letters together. To create this look, simply stamp the alphabet sign lined up with 2" photos in a design that works for you. Then using a darker embossing powder, apply with a glue pen by tracing the letters you want to highlight. Heat with a heat gun and you're done!

Don't forget to check out Mama Elephant to see who's on the rest of the Design Team and for more details and chances to win a $20 Mama Elephant gift certificate!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant Grand Opening Stampede + 10% Off!

 

Hello! Do I have exciting news for you today?! My pal, Kryssi Ng, has launched a brand new stamp company with her pal, Angela, called Mama Elephant and I am so happy to join in the blog hop! If you're here from the blog of Cristina Kowalczyk, then you are right on track with the Mama Elephant Grand Opening Stampede. If you happen to have stumbled upon this post, start here.

About the company: Mama Elephant is owned and operated by two childhood friends from NYC. We are so happy to bring the collaboration of our aesthetics to Mama Elephant! Our stamps are designed with card makers and scrapbookers in mind! Our stamps are carefully curated to provide optimal versatility with a wide variety of styles - cute, whimsical, bold, graphic, and fun!

Here's one of the eight sets in Mama Elephant's first release, Trifecta.

Don't you just love this stamp set? Here's a layout I made with the set.

Photo Credit: Loretta Tong

Materials used: Mama Elephant Trifecta stamp set, Martha Stewart medium balloon punch, American Craft Zing Embossing Powder in Gold, Colorbox Chalk Ink in Tangerine and Yellow Citrus, Ranger Adirondack Lights Ink in Shell Pink, Colorbok alpha stickers, K&Company Actopus to Zelephant Wood, Bazzill Cardstock, velvet ribbon

A closer look: To create a geometric background with lots of floating balloons, I masked the background with balloons and added the pattern color strip by color strip. I then took the masks and used them for more dimension. To round it all off, I added a wood grain balloon and a gold embossed balloon. I love how these techniques combine to create great textures and dimension.

Don't forget to visit Mama Elephant to get your hands on this perfect set of triangular patterns and more. Plus, buy your favorite sets today and get 10% off the whole store! Use coupon code: GRANDOPEN. Today only!

If you're lost, here's where you are:

• Lucy Abrams
• JJ Bolton
• Mariana Grigsby
• Cristina Kowalczyk
• Pearl Lui -- You are here!
• Vanessa Menhorn
• Kryssi Ng
• Savannah O'Gwynn
• Iwona Palamountain
• Amy Tsuruta
• Heidi Van Laar

Now hop on over to Vanessa Menhorn's blog!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl