Mama Elephant Color Challenge!

Hi there! I'm excited to announce that Mama Elephant has a color challenge for you today. The colors are sorbet/tomato, aqua, white, and glitter.

To play along, create a card or project using Mama Elephant designs with these colors. No Mama Elephant stamps? Not a problem! Head over to the Mama Elephant blog for a free digital stamp so anyone can play along! All you have to do is link to your project(s) on the Mama Elephant blog. The challenge starts today and ends on December 30th. Winners will be announced on the Mama Elephant blog on 12/31.

The best part is the prize! Play for a chance for one guest designer spot for an upcoming Mama Elephant release and one random winner for a gift certificate to the Mama Elephant store. See all details on the Mama Elephant blog.

Here's how I interpreted the challenge on a card.

Materials used: Mama Elephant Cup of Wishes, Mama Elephant Polar Pals, glitter, CTMH ink, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black

Go! Have fun, play along, and show your interpretation on the Mama Elephant blog!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant December Stampede

You know it's a happy Monday here because I want to welcome you to Mama Elephant's December Stampede! Plus, there's a giveaway! Just comment for a chance to win a Mama Elephant gift certificate. A winner will be announced on Wednesday, 12/5 on the Mama Elephant blog.

If you've come from Mariana Grigsby's blog, you're right on track. If you're lost, start the blog hop at the beginning -- the Mama Elephant blog.

I created a notebook for all my December checklists. Since the holidays are a busy time, I need a little jotter to go everywhere with me for my notes and lists. The stamped cover is made to look like a train ticket with a faux envelope button and loop. To create the tracks, I used the arrows from the On Target stamp set. To create the button and clasp, I used the No Peeking stamp set. And the title was stamped using the Midnight Letters stamp set.

Materials used: Mama Elephant Midnight Letters, On Target, No Peeking; CTMH Inks, twine

A closer look: I love how I can spell anything I want with these awesome Midnight Letters. All you have to do is line your letters up on an acrylic block and the rest is easy. I love the positive and negative letters that can be mixed and matched.

Your next stop is the super talented JJ Bolton. Just in case you're lost, be sure to start at the Mama Elephant blog!

• Alice Wertz
• Joy Taylor
• Cheiron Brandon
• Julie Ebersole
• Mariana Grigsby
• Pearl Lui (me)
• JJ Bolton
• Lexi Bridges
• Savannah O'Gwynn
• Teri Anderson

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl

The Mama Elephant November Release is Here!

Tada!!! The Mama Elephant November release is finally here. If you haven't already, visit Mama Elephant right now to get your hands on these super cute, super versatile, perfect-for-the-holidays, and all-year-long stamps! Go, go, go!

No Peeking:

Midnight Letters:

On Target:

Cup of Wishes:

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant Full Reveals Today!

Just a quick reminder that...

• Mama Elephant is showing full reveals of the November release right now!
• This week's giveaway winners will be announced on the Mama Elephant blog tonight at 8pm!
• All 4 stamp sets will be available tonight at 9pm on Mama Elephant!

Go, go, go! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant Giveaway & Highlight: Cup of Wishes

Wedding Wednesday will return next week!

Today, I've got another Mama Elephant highlight for you. Remember, the November release goes on sale tomorrow, November 15th, with a full reveal of each set.

We're giving away a Cup of Wishes 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 tomorrow, November 15th.

The Mama Elephant Cup of Wishes stamp set is adorable. When I saw it, I knew I had to make a shadowbox for my kitchen wall. The typographical treatment on "warm" is so pretty and the perfectly fitted sentiment "and cozy" gives the collage shadowbox just the right touch. I wanted to create a cute collage using the cups to represent my coffee-drinking husband and my tea-drinking self sitting on a kitchen table. How'd I do? I love it!

Materials used: Mama Elephant Cup of Wishes, 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, Julie Ebersole, made with this set!

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

Come back tomorrow for a full view of the Mama Elephant November release!

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

Mama Elephant Giveaway & Highlight: Midnight Letters

Hello! Starting the week off with 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 the set.

We're giving away a Midnight Letters 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. A winner will be announced on the Mama Elephant blog on November 15th.

Who doesn't love a good letter set, especially one as cute and as unique as this set? The letters are perfect for scrapbook layout titles or sentiments on cards. But they're also great for personalizing ornaments, or as an alphabet background as I created here.

Materials used: Mama Elephant Midnight Letters, baker's twine, Adirondack ink, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black, Crayola Air-Dry Clay

Don't forget to stop by the Mama Elephant blog to see what the rest of the design team and special guest designer, Lexi Bridges, 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 then!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant Giveaway & Highlight: No Peeking

Good morning! Did you have a look at the Mama Elephant blog yesterday for the November release sneak peeks?  The stamp sets go on sale on November 15th.

But today, we're giving away a No Peeking stamp set. Comment for a chance to win. One winner will be randomly chosen from all of the Design Team's blogs. A winner will be announced on the Mama Elephant blog on November 15th.

I made a set of gift tags ready to be tied to holiday gifts. The tag shape is perfect for making tags. I loved coloring the reindeer, polar bear, and fox. How cute are they!?!! I then cut them out using my trusty craft knife and stamped little "Made with Love" signs and secured both to each tag using foam dots to give the tags dimension. Simple, fun, and cute!

Materials used: Mama Elephant No Peeking, Knot & Bow gold twine, Adirondack ink, Copic markers, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black

Don't forget to stop by the Mama Elephant blog to see what the rest of the design team created. Plus, we've got a special guest designer today, so go and check out all the inspiration now!

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl

Mama Elephant November Sneak Peek!

Yay! It's Saturday. And it's also time for a sneak peek at Mama Elephant's November release. Better get on over to Mama Elephant's blog! Oh and don't forget to keep coming back everyday this week to be inspired by all of the highlights and enter giveaways!

Here are last month's releases just in case you missed how Mama Elephant designs are amazing for all kinds of projects!

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

Wedding Wednesday: Venue Vetting

In the north east, we continue to recover from Hurricane Sandy. My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the storm. It was scary when Sandy made landfall on Monday night, but luckily, I am ok and my building is intact. So, as promised... I'm back this week with Wedding Wednesday.

We were last thinking about the venue and painting a vision for the ideal venue. The next step is to make a decision, so you can also set a date. Once you have a date, everything else is set towards the goal of that date, including all of your vendor interactions. So it's really important to vet through your venue options by asking the right questions.

• Ask every question you can think of about the numbers... How much does it cost? What is the per person rate? What is maximum capacity? What is the minimum guarantee? What's included in cost? What are all the extras and how much? How much are gratuities or taxes? How many hours for set-up, photography, ceremony, cocktail, reception, post-reception/pack-up? How many chairs and tables? How many staff members? How many weddings are held at the same time? How many menu selections are included?
• Ask for a full tour and walk through of the wedding flow to see if it's in line with your vision. Ask about the bridal suite and the behind-the-scenes areas. Ask about alternative ceremony and reception locations within the facility if you have any part of your day outdoors.
• Ask about the wedding agenda and make sure it's in line with your plan for the day.
• Ask about the payment plan and all of their policies. Make sure you walk away with a clear understanding of how much and when payments are due and don't forget to cover all policies include vendor restrictions, if any.

Come back next week for another installment of Wedding Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by today and stay safe!
- 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: Basic Borders

Wedding Wednesday will return next week!

Today, let's take a close look at Mama Elephant's Basic Borders set.

This set is a must-have. I love the polka dots and and diagonal stripes. You can make your own washi tape, borders, background, and ribbon with this set. Here I made ombre stripes to look like washi tape:

Materials used: Mama Elephant Basic Borders, Polar Pals; SEI Field Notes pattern paper, Bazzill cardstock, ColorBox Cat's Eye Inkpads, Copic Markers, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black

A closer look: I love the variation you create with these Basic Border stamps. Combine with different colors from ColorBox Cat's Eye Inkpads to design an ombre look. I created a greenish neon lights look which compliments the sentiment, "merry and bright", perfectly.

Hope you've enjoyed Mama Elephant's first release! 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: Trifecta

On this terrific Tuesday, we continue to highlight Mama Elephant stamps. One of my favorite Mama Elephant stamp sets is Trifecta!

This set is seriously the most versatile stamp set I've ever seen. You can do so much with the triangles as a background, as pennants, as arrow heads, as little trees, and even little roof tops!

Materials used: Mama Elephant Trifecta, We Click; CTMH Inks, SEI Tumble Dye spray, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black

A closer look: Inspired by Van Gogh's impressionist paintings, I created a sun-drenched sky with funky roof tops and a masked cloud. I then framed my little work of art using the faux Instax stamped on wood grain pattern paper.

And just in case you didn't see some of my other ideas for this set, here's a look at some of my other projects. Click on the picture to see the original post.

Triangle pattern as a background and for masking shapes.

Triangles turned upside down to create mini trees.

Hope you've enjoyed these projects and 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: Polar Pals

Good morning! On this brisk (NY) Monday morning, I'm sharing a project made with Mama Elephant's Polar Pals.

Tell me these little creatures are not the cutest stamps ever. Best of all, they fit really well with the snow globe from the Mama Elephant Believe in Magic set. Give that a try, or use the cute banners to create a garland look like this card I made here. You'd think this set is just for winter or holiday-themed cards, but you can also very easily create a birthday card too.

 

Materials used: Mama Elephant's Polar Pals; SEI pattern paper, Martha Stewart medium balloon punch, Copic Markers, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black

A closer look: Create a festive garland look using any of the banners for a cute birthday card. The possibilities are actually endless given the star and heart banners and all the different words too!

Hope you've enjoyed this technique and 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: Good Times

TGIF! It's been a long work at my day job, but I've been able to complete all my highlights and posts as soon as I get home every night. We end this week with a look at Mama Elephant's Good Times set.

Mama Elephant's Good Times is truly one of the most versatile sets I have ever seen. From the cool and current sentiments to the three perfect balloons and cute icons, this set is a must have!

Materials used: Mama Elephant Good Times, Believe in Magic; Tsukineko Delicata Ink in Golden Glitz, Singer 160 Limited Edition sewing machine

A closer look: When I say versatile, I really mean it. The balloons when turned upside down make perfect ornaments! I used the ribbon stamp from the Good Times set. I also used the reindeer and stars stamp from the Believe in Magic set which fits so well into these balloons/ornaments. I added some stitches to the card to finish off the ornament card.

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: 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: Nursery Deco

Wedding Wednesday post here.

I'm back for the second time today to share another super cute and versatile Mama Elephant stamp set, Nursery Deco.

 

As you saw in this blog post, the set can be used to create a really meaningful title and background in one. But I also mentioned how it can be used to make a super cute baby card too. I immediately fell in love with the cute teddy bears and giraffes when I first saw the set. Don't you just love how cute this set is?

Materials used: Mama Elephant Nursery Deco, Good Times, Geotagged, Believe in Magic; CTMH Inks, Copic Markers, Tsukineko Delicata Ink in Golden Glitz, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black

A closer look: I started this card by stamping the cute little bear in a Good Times balloon. I then started to create a celebration backdrop filled with more Good Times balloons, cute pennant banners in varying shades of blue. To give it a bit of sparkle, I added Good times bows, Believe in Magic stars to appear as confetti in a balloon, and a Geotagged mini tag using Tsukineko Delicata Ink in Golden Glitz.

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

Wedding Wednesday: The Venue

Happy Wednesday! Now that we've touched on ways to organize your wedding thoughts and notes. The next step is to think about the venue. The venue is an extremely important part of the day and it really sets the tone for the rest of your decor and vision, including your dress, your colors, and everything in between.

There are a few questions to answer:

• Is it a small and intimate or is it large and festive?
• What do you envision as your backdrop?
• What time of year will it be?
• What is your budget?

Our decision: Given our guest list, our wedding was on the larger side but it was important to keep it feeling small and intimate. While my groom didn't have a preference on the backdrop, I always envisioned getting married in a clean, lush green garden with sprinkles of bright, colorful flowers.

Photo credit: Cly Creation

I also envisioned seats on the grass... an understated, down-to-earth,  backyard-like, yet classic wedding.

Photo credit: Cly Creation

Once you've fully answered the questions, you'll be able to narrow down to a list of places that's just right for you.

Next week, I'll post a second part to the venue topic covering the different questions I asked my venue that helped me make my final decision.

Come back at 9am for another Mama Elephant highlight!

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