If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I've been working behind the scenes on some exciting projects for a fabulous company...Hershey's!!  This brand has been a long-time favorite of mine...as I'm sure it has been for most of you as well!!

I'm not sure what your Hershey's favorites are but my love of peanut butter and chocolate developed early on as a kid thanks to my first two-pack of original Reese's cups. They are still a favorite of mine to this day. 

I've since developed an addiction for those delicious Hershey's Nuggets - specifically the toffee and almond combination. Oh my YUM!! I use them as part of my entertaining or celebrations whenever I can. Remember the custom watercolor wrapped nuggets I created for Clara's graduation party a couple of years ago?

With all of that said, you might say when Hershey's approached me about coming up with a few creative party ideas to help promote their newly released line of color foiled chocolates, I was ecstatic. I was obviously excited about working with one of my favorite candy companies, but even more excited about all of the color foil options now available to make party planning and dessert table styling even more fun!!

Today, I'm  happy to be sharing the first of three party ideas...

Kisses and Confetti Baby Gender Reveal

Baby Gender Reveal Parties have become really popular over the last few years with more and more expectant parents choosing to find out the sex of their baby in front of an intimate gathering of friends and family. (or expectant parents that already know the sex of the baby who then choose to turn the big announcement into an interactive, suspense-filled celebration for close family members and friends, again, using a creative reveal).

The "Kisses and Confetti" theme I chose for this gender reveal made the desserts, styling and reveal ideas extra fun since I was able to integrate Hershey's Chocolate Kisses and confetti thoughout all of the party details.

I decided on a Pink + Mint Green color scheme versus the traditional pink and blue, and incorporated some touches of gold.

I whipped up a simple invitation to highlight the confetti and balloon reveal idea of the party. (I'll talk more about the balloon in a bit).

I chose to do a simple dessert table/voting station combination.  The extent of the desserts were chocolate kisses, of course, as well as yellow cake cupcakes with a classic buttercream frosting. I topped the cupcakes with pink and green sprinkles and finished them off with a single wrapped Hershey's kiss, in pink or light green foil. I think they're adorable and tie beautifully into the theme!

For the dessert table, I filled the front drawers of a dresser with pink, gold and green foiled Hershey's kisses!

I created a centerpiece on the table using a beautiful cake plate and some KISSES + CONFETTI POPPERS!

These actually have three potential purposes.
1. A darling centerpiece on the table....as shown.
2. Favors for guests to take home.
3. A fun interactive "reveal" - guests pop them open simultaneously to reveal candy and confetti that corresponds to the sex of the baby.

See the full DIY Kisses + Confetti Poppers to see how easy they are to put together!!

As part of the simple dessert table, I included a "voting station" for each guest to cast his/her vote as to what they believe the sex of the baby to be. (just pick a mint green or pink hershey kiss and drop it into the corresponding glass carafe at the back edge of the table).   I created a quick DIY label holder using an individual Hershey's kiss. I just attached my label to a wooden skewer using a glue dot and stuck it right into the chocolate kiss. It worked beautifully and it's really cute...and simple.

I decided it would be fun to fill a giant black balloon with confetti and kisses to be used as part of the party decor, but also, to pop in front of guests to reveal the sex of the baby.

See the DIY for the Kisses + Confetti Balloon right here and to see a video of the balloon popping!

Such a cute idea, right? I just love it!!  I especially love that this theme can be used for a variety of celebrations - not just a baby gender reveal. Think bridal showers, Sweet Sixteen, graduations, birthday parties, baby showers and more.

Grab these FREE Kisses and Confetti Tags + Labels to use at YOUR "Kisses + Confetti" themed baby gender reveal!!

All of the cute party decor you see in this post came from Paper Crush!

My friend, Holly, owner of Paper Crush, has an online party store and just recently opened a brick + mortar as well! I'm so excited for her and hope you'll show her some love and support by using her pretty party products for your next celebration!

LINKS TO SOURCES
FREE Kisses + Confetti Tags + Labels - Pen + Paper Flowers
Kisses + Confetti Invitation - Pen + Paper Flowers
Blush Pink Paper Fans - Paper Crush
Gold Paper Fans - Paper Crush
Mint Paper Fans - Paper Crush
36" Black Balloon - Paper Crush mine was empty and I filled it with confetti + kisses *wink*
Balloon Tissue Tassels - Coral, Mint, Ivory + Gold - Paper Crush
Rectangle Confetti - Blush, Mint + Ivory- Paper Crush
Large Ivory Ruffle Cake Stand - Paper Crush - couldn't find the direct link to this one
2 Small Ivory Ruffle Cupcake Stands - Paper Crush
Light Green Foil Hershey's  Kisses - Hershey's
Pink Foil Hershey's Kisses - Hershey's
Gold Foiled Hershey's Kisses - Hershey's
Cupcakes - Cupcake Delights
Plastic Push Pops with Lids - Hobby Lobby
Gold Polka Dot Tissue Paper - Hobby Lobby - couldn't find it online to provide you with a link. *boo*

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THIS IS A SPONSORED POST BY HERSHEY'S.

PEN + PAPER FLOWERS HAS RECEIVED COMPENSATION AND/OR PRODUCTS 

IN EXCHANGE FOR CREATING CONTENT AND SHARING PRODUCTS.
  AS ALWAYS, FRIENDS + READERS, I ONLY WORK WITH BRANDS 
AND SHARE CONTENT I'M INSPIRED BY AND THINK WILL INSPIRE YOU TOO!

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KEEPiNG iT REAL
I wasn't kidding when I said the original Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were what kicked off my addiction for peanut butter and chocolate. You would've never known that in 9th grade, at 14 years old and barely 97lbs, my daily school lunches consisted of a pack of Reese's Cups, a bag of Cheetos and a carton of chocolate milk. *blushing*

NEW | All Things Shiny + New

It's the first real working week for me since ringing in the New Year!
I think it's probably that way for many of us.
So…it's time to get down to business….right?

Well…business for me, today, includes a breakdown on my thoughts behind how  the "One Little Word" (OLW) I've chosen for 2015 will play a huge roll in my ideas and wishes for this new year.

PLUS…I'm (1) making a fun announcement today that may also (2) include a giveaway… a triple whammy to get things rolling!! That should keep you reading…right?

So, before I go into the specifics of the "WHAT"…
let me start with the "WHY"behind my pretty little word this year…SHINE

The "Why"
Remember I told you the word found me?
First, it was in the form of a book called SHINE from Compendium.
Then, one Sunday at church, we ended the service by singing an impromptu acapella rendition of "This Little Light of Mine". Even though I didn't actually grow up singing that song…as I'm sure many of you did…I recognized it right away and sang right along to it. (clueless to the fact that it would be symbolic of my olw for 2015).

You see, I wasn't searching for my One Little Word when I received the Shine book OR sang along to the "This Little Light of Mine" song so it wasn't until a couple of weeks later that the lightbulb went off in my head. I realized my one little word had been sitting just outside my door…quietly waiting for me to open it. I'm always amazed and surprised how things like that work out.

On top of that…I also realized sooooo many of the daily inspirational quotes I created and shared over the past year on my Instagram feed were related to SHINE. So crazy and awesome!!

So I'd like to think that my 2014 word, Navigate…led me to my 2015 word…Shine!
I really believe in that stuff.

The "What"
SHINE…what does that mean exactly?
If you look up the actual definition it means a couple of different things:
1. Give out a bright light.
2. Be very talented or perform very well.
3. A quality of brightness - especially from reflected light.

That's exactly what I want my year to be about!!
1. I want to radiate
2. I want to perform well
3. I want to reflect goodness and light in my own world as well as in the world around me.

I REALLY want to SHINE this year.

And when I say "shine" I mean I want to
SHINE in my relationships.
SHINE in my work.
SHINE to inspire others.
SHINE through negativity and doubt.
SHINE through the darkness that surrounds us all in this crazy, mixed up world.
SHINE so brilliantly I push past fear, worry, anxiety, exhaustion and completely trust in His love for me and the direction He has for my life.

I want to SHINE in every aspect of my life...
Physically
Spiritually
Emotionally
Financially
Relationally

I've started a list of things/goals related to my life and my business.
After my list is completely written out…I'll SIMPLIFY it…choosing a handful of things to focus on.

So…just as my 2014 word, Navigate, moved and guided me towards SIMPLICITY + Authenticity…
SHINE will continue to LIGHT my path and keep me traveling in the same direction.

This one little word concept can be powerful stuff.

"It's about pinpointing one guiding principle and then walking with that word throughout the year." - Ali Edwards

The idea is to pick the word you need - a word that will motivate you.
You then find a visual way (or ways) to keep that word in front of you as a reminder through the year.
(an art print, a piece of jewelry, etc).
Then...of course, you find ways to incorporate that word into your life in order to grow.

I've gone as far as choosing a SONG to go with my word.
For last year's word Navigate, I chose Oceans by Hillsong.
This year…I'm choosing Elizabeth Mitchell's version of "This Little Light Of Mine" - no brainer, right?

If you REALLY want to get serious about choosing and implementing the One Little Word concept into your life, check out the One Little Word Online Workshop by Ali Edwards. She offers the workshop every year in which you'll receive monthly emails filled with content and videos that will inspire and encourage you along the way. WATCH THIS AWESOME VIDEO about Ali's story and the One Little Word Concept!!

I'm excited you guys.
I'm also excited about some fun new ideas I've got for this blog.
One of which is the announcement of the new

PEN N' PAPER FLOWERS (PNPF) BOOK CLUB!!

Those of you who don't read - don't roll your eyes just yet.
You're going to want to hear this because this is going to be a
different sort of Book Club.


You all KNOW how much I love books around here.
But I'm not sure if you've made the connection yet with the TYPES of books and the TYPE of reading I like to do.

I do books that will inspire creativity 
and books I can learn something from.


I have been wanting to start the Book Club since the end of Summer but knowing the holidays were around the corner I just didn't feel the timing was right. So I had to wait…impatiently by the way.

For me…the idea of doing the Book Club WAS NOT born out of my desire to WANT to read more or to encourage YOU all to read more. Come to think of it, it has nothing to do with reading at all. 


The book club idea came to life because it should have ALWAYS been here, honestly.
I've been sharing books that interest and inspire me for a long time here on the blog.
Now I'm just inviting you to join along with me!! Fun, right?


Remember these: What Do You Do with An Idea, She, Butter Baked Goods, Miette, Carrot Soup, With Love and Two ?

With that said…my monthly book selections will be EASY reads. These will be books I have carefully, thoughtfully and intentionally selected to inspire you...in a number of different ways for your REAL life.

You won't find any steamy novels, controversial reads, dramas or science fiction going on in this book club. You may however find yourself  in "horror" if you decide not to participate because this book club should add some "action and adventure" to your life! Ha!! I couldn't help myself!! *wink*

I'll be selecting books to inspire us in the kitchen, in our homes, and even at our desks. These books will inspire us as moms...as women. And even though I could TOTALLY pick a pretty baking book every month…the book selections will extend beyond that. 

I can't begin to tell you how much I'm going to love sharing this experience with you. I really think you are going to love it!! (maybe just as much as I do).

SO HERE'S HOW THE BOOK CLUB WILL WORK

Monthly Book Selection
The book selection for the upcoming month will be announced here on the blog, the 2nd Friday of the month prior. For instance, February's book selections will be announced on January 9th - this Friday.
This time frame should give you a couple of weeks to head to the library OR find the book on Amazon or at your favorite book store before we get started.

Monthly Book Review/Discussion
A book review/discussion will be posted here on the blog the very last day of every month.
February's Book Review will happen on Saturday, February 28th.
In each discussion I will share my views on the book and will look for feedback from you by way of you leaving a comment on the blog.

So…to recap…
The book we will be "reading" for February will be announced on January 9th.
You will get the book and start reading it on February 1st.
On February 28th we will come back here to check in and share our thoughts about the book.

Easy enough, right?
And the best part is…
This is something ANYONE can participate in at ANY time.
There are no rules…no commitments.

I'm just looking to share with you what I'm already doing…what I'm already reading…
and if you are inspired to read along with me…GREAT!! I will LOVE it!!

Email subscribers will automatically receive notification of the monthly book club selections - so if you aren't signed up yet you can SIGN UP HERE! 

Stay tuned for February's Book Club Selection announcement on Friday!
I'll be giving away a FREE copy of the book I've chosen along with a copy of the "SHINE" book
that helped inspire the choosing of my One Little Word for 2015.

P.S.
The Teresa Collins clear + gold acrylic clipboard and cute gold notebook you see in the first photos were items I recently found at my local JoAnn's. I thought they were the perfect, pretty reminders for me to SHINE??

xoxo

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I've already found myself singing my theme song around the house a couple of times.
It's bound to drive my two older girls nuts. *wink*

CRAFT | Santa's Cookies Christmas Plate

We have a new pretty plate and a matching milk jar to leave out for Santa this year.
He's going to be so excited...I just might score an extra gift or two! *wink*

Stay tuned for all the details and the full tutorial on how I made this using my Cricut Explore®!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
My cookie jar is empty right now and I seriously considered baking up a homemade batch of cookies just to use for these photos. But instead, I realized how ridiculous that would be and chose to make a quick stop for Chips Ahoy on the way home from picking up my younger two from school. That made MUCH more sense to this mama who's REALLY trying hard to keep things simple! *wink*

PARTY STYLING | Orange Sherbet + Pink + Gold Graduation Party

My oldest daughter graduated from High School this year…and so did three of my sweet cousins - two of which are sisters. My two aunts and I decided to host a combined graduation party for all of them and I naturally volunteered to do the invitation, decor and desserts. With my two aunts focused on the food, paper goods, and drinks I was able to dive right into all of the sweet details I wanted this party to have.

We decided on a lakeside celebration at my aunt's second home here in Florida. We knew the girls would enjoy an afternoon of barbecue and boating vs. hosting a stuffy, fancy party but at the same time…I had it stuck in my head that I would not allow this to be just ANOTHER barbecue. This had to have a few simple elements to make it memorable and special…after all...these girls had just accomplished the first of the THREE major milestones in one's life: (graduation, marriage, motherhood).

We sent out the invitations and I began the task of...

COLOR INSPIRATION | Pink + Orange Sherbet + Gold

Before sharing all of the graduation party photos I thought it would be fun to first do a post to share the color inspiration behind the party as well as some of the fun party decor products and pretty desserts that tied everything together.

Target never ceases to inspire me in some form or fashion and that's exactly where the color inspiration and direction for the entire graduation party started. I just happened to be walking past these beautiful gift bags, (shown above), one day in Target and knew immediately these would be the foundation of the grad party planning. 

There was even a perfect pinky tissue paper to go with the bags and I snagged some of that too. (you know I'm obsessed with tissue paper and use it for so many different crafting projects like this and this, and this diy confetti...so it was a no brainer to grab it). Wish I'd snapped a picture of it too. Oops! 

And soooo….the party color scheme was official…

Pink + Orange Sherbet + Gold

The 2nd part of my color inspiration came from when I got to work with the Heidi Swapp products and fell in love with the PINK and CORAL Color Shine Products. The colors magically blended beautifully with the party colors and I ended up using them on some custom candy wrappers I did for the party - which I'll share with you tomorrow.

I went with a simple square invitation with a watercolor design and instead of having the invitations printed, we sent them as evites. This party was a combined graduation party celebrating my daughter, Clara, and three of my cousins…Kalie, McKayla and Abigail. With two of the graduates from Utah it was easier to design an invitation that could be emailed to my two aunts so they could then forward the invitations to whoever they wanted to invite.

With my color scheme official and invitations finalized, I immediately reached out to Carmen at The Flair Exchange to see which of her beautiful Tissue Tassel Garland Kits would match the party best. I ended up using a mix of the the pinks and golds from the Sweetheart Kit as well as the lighter pink and orange from the Bright Garland Kit. My original thoughts were to do confetti filled balloons using the Bright Confetti from The Flair Exchange (like I did for Ella's Birthday Balloon) but then I nixed the balloon idea and used the confetti on the table we designated for cards, photos and the money jar for the graduates. Thanks Carmen!!!

I knew gold and pink straws from The TomKat Studio were a must, even though I wasn't sure how I was going to use them at our lakeside barbecue. Bottled sodas and water don't necessarily call for cute striped party straws, (unless you are me and all of my fave party girls out there), but a party just isn't as cute without these adorable things, agreed? Thank you Kim!! Wait until you see what I ended up using them for. 

I decided there needed to be gold sparkles on the desserts for the party so I purchased some of this American Gold Disco Dust. In LOVE with the stuff. It's the perfect "true" gold and just a little bit goes a long way! We used it on cookies and cupcakes and cotton candy too!! So. FUN!!

These gorgeous tissue balls from Shop Sweet Lulu replaced my original idea of using balloons. I have to say - these things are MAGICAL! The colors I ordered were PERFECT and I was SO very happy with how we ended up using them at the party. (and no helium to fuss with if I'd stuck with balloons. Besides, Clara is scared of balloons so it all worked out...for her). *wink*  See the bottom of the post for the sizes I purchased.

I've been thinking about cotton candy and incorporating it into a party for awhile now.  Truth be told, I ordered tubs of it a couple of years ago so I wouldn't even have to make it. I wanted to make cute cupcake toppers with it. Well…when 3 tubs arrived only one of them had light fluffy cotton candy in it. The others had shrunk down to a hard 1" cotton candy remnant at the bottom of the tubs. I was bummed. 

THEN…about a year ago, I discovered Bon Puf and cotton candy literally became an obsession. I want to be that cute girl with that cute cart making up cute magical pufs of organic cotton candy with cute flavors for events…and sprinkling it with cute things. 

Hence I'm not that cute girl from Bon Puf and there's no one in my local area that I'm aware of that comes close to all of that cuteness…and…because I decided this graduation party would be the perfect opportunity to try out all of the cotton candy ideas I'd been dreaming of...I had to get creative. 

These perfectly colored Cotton Candy Sugars shown above (Bubble Gum, Pink Vanilla and O-Jay) are NOT organic but they matched the party perfectly and I'm really happy with the way everything turned out. The pink and orange sprinkles and Gold Glitter were the perfect toppings too! You'll see more tomorrow. 

We came up with the idea to have keepsake books for each of the girls. We encouraged party guests to write a little bit of advice/well wishes inside. I found these gold polka dot notebooks at WalMart (of all places) back in April when I headed to SNAP! the blogging conference. I wanted a cute little notebook to take with me and I was lucky enough to have found these still available a few months later for our graduation party books. Using a glue gun, I just added the different colored ribbons to make each one unique and then added a simple name tag. (you'll see the finished books tomorrow).

All throughout the party planning I kept finding myself subconsciously gravitating towards the party color scheme - like when I picked up a couple of bundles of spray roses for the cute new mug for my desk.  I'm officially in love with this color scheme and I don't see it going away for a while.

When the pretty desserts start rolling in for any party or celebration I do, that's when things really start to get real for me. There is so much "behind the scenes" back and forth communication going on between these fabulous dessert makers and I, which means getting the final results feels like a kid at Christmas; you've asked for a special gift and you hope with all of your heart you get it….but you never really know until you actually open it/see it. 

I've used Flourish Sweet Shop, Cupcake Delights and Sweeties a number of times for different events and celebrations and I'm always thrilled with what they come up with. These ladies put up with me...get me. I admire their talents so much and I'm grateful every time I get to work with them. There's such a fine line between sharing my vision and then giving them their creative license to come up with something that inspires them. (if you might imagine…I tend to overthink things on occasion and I have to reel myself back in).

It's not like I just reach out to them one time, throw out my color scheme and call it done. I fret over the little details and I want to make sure the vendors are on the same page as I am…as annoying as that can sometimes get. There are lots of back and forth pictures of frosting colors, design questions and things the average person more than likely doesn't even consider or think about. I'm grateful they are always so sweet to work with. *wink*

The sugar cookies shown above from Flourish Sweet Shop are always so pretty AND delicious. Remember those amazing Edible Paint-by-Party Cookies from Ella's Rainbow Unicorn Birthday Party she did?

For this party, I loved that Lisa tied in the "celebrate" from the invitation on the rectangular cookie. She even surprised me with the heart cookies and they were such a cute addition to the other cookies. Thank you Lisa!!

Judy at Cupcake Delights perfected the frosting colors on the mini cupcakes she made for us. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect match with the whole color scheme. And I LOVED her idea of having all 3 cupcakes be different flavors; lemon, orange and key lime. They were FANTASTIC!! She sprinkled them with a tiny bit of the Gold Disco Dust and they were almost too gorgeous to eat. Thanks Judy!!

The beautiful chocolate covered oreos from Sweeties were a work of art. I so appreciated Kim being willing to step out creatively and try something new to recreate the watercolors from the invitation onto her oreo cookies. She did lots of research to come up with the best way to make it happen and when I started fretting over whether or not the gold she would be adding would be "just the right metallic gold" she kindly shipped them WITHOUT the gold so I could add the Gold Disco Dust I bought once they arrived. (the photo above was taken when they arrived and the photo below is WITH the gold I added). Beautiful, right? I vote these the prettiest oreo cookies on the planet!!  THANK YOU Kim!!

All of the desserts were gorgeous - so much so that everyone at the party kept asking, "are the desserts real?" They were so pretty guests weren't sure if they were edible or just for decoration. THAT is awesome!!

Stay tuned tomorrow when I post how everything ended up coming together.

I hope you liked this in-depth breakdown on the party details and the story as to where the color inspiration came from. I figured splitting up the posts would allow me to be less "wordy" when I actually post all of the party photos.

Updated: See how the Pink + Orange Sherbet + Gold Graduation Party came together!

For those of you who are wondering:

Tissue Balls Purchased from Shop Sweet Lulu

- Peachy Tissue Extra Large Round dessert table backdrop
 - Party Pink 19" dessert table backdrop
 - Peachy Tissue Ball & Diamond 5"
 - Carnation Pink Tissue Ball 5"
 - Blush Tissue Ball 5"
 - Carnation Pink 12"
 - Peachy 12"
 - Carnation Pink 8"
 - Party Pink 8"
 - Carnation 8"


KEEPiNG iT REAL

Ella just walked by catching a glimpse of the Oreos on the computer screen and said, "I sure wish we had more of those, Mom." 

LIFE | Clara's Senior Prom

She wanted to be a princess for Prom this year…and she absolutely was.

From her ivory and vintage gold ball gown prom dress to the flowers in her hair…

She was...

LIFE | Clara's Senior Prom :: Sneak Peek

Quite possible my favorite photo from Clara's Senior Prom this past Saturday…
She chose to step out-of-the-box this year and selected an ivory + vintage gold princess ball gown to wear.

Little did she know all that tulle is right on trend!! (not to mention the gold accents). *wink*
I think she looks absolutely gorgeous and going through these photos has been quite emotional for me. Where did my little girl go?

MANY more photos to come...

KEEPiNG iT REAL
It has taken me nearly 5 hours (non-stop) to go through all of the photos and edit them.
Just in case you were curious as to how long this process takes me. *wink*
Thank goodness for the new PS Actions from ABM - they've made the process SO much more enjoyable and fun!! (More on that to come as well)!!

I will be picking J and Ella up from the airport in a few short hours.
They are returning from visiting J's parents in Illinois - I sure have been missing them!

Now, back to finishing up some design work I've been trying to catch up on ever since returning from SNAP! I'm coming to terms with the fact I will never be caught up. *wink*

CRAFT | She Lets Creativity Blossom Art Canvas

Want to know how I created this Art Canvas I shared with you yesterday for the Darice booth at SNAP!?

I used a 1.5" round craft punch and cut out a whole bunch of circles from the Core'dinations "Tillie Spotted" and "Jillian Dot" card stock packs - selecting only the colors that were bright and happy.  I just LOVE the texture of the "polka dots" of these two collections and the fun colors available. Seriously! Look at how adorable all of this texture and color is.  For fun, I also threw in a few gold glittered card stock circles from American Crafts just to add a splash of "glam" to the overall piece.

I used the brown "Tillie Spotted" card stock (the one with the larger polka dots) and used a pencil to sketch out a tree skeleton and then I cut it out with scissors.

I then used a piece of fine sandpaper to showcase the "color core" feature of the Core'dinations paper. I intentionally left the two large side pieces of the tree in the picture (shown below) to show you the side-by-side difference after sanding. Cool, right?

I secured the tree skeleton to the canvas using Ultra Thin Glue Dots and then I just started placing the various colored circles on the branches of the tree. In order to secure the paper circles, I chose two different types of Glue Dots. (Ultra Thin and Pop Up). I used the Ultra Thin on most of the circles but then used the "Pop Up" glue dots to create a little dimension for a handful of the top layer of circles.  I even found myself stacking two of the Pop Ups together to give some of the paper circles a little more height. 

Then I lightly sketched out an inspirational quote with a pencil on the canvas and painted over it with black acrylic paint.

TIP: Use a white eraser for the sketching part just in case you don't like the way it looks the first, 2nd or maybe even 3rd time. *wink* Make sure you erase lightly so as not to create any dents, creases or damage to the canvas.

I hope you're inspired to create something similar.
This would actually make a really pretty Mother's Day gift, don't you think? If your mom is a creative-type. Otherwise you could swap out the quote for something more fitting for your mom.

Anyway…I can see this in a baby's nursery or even as a creative back drop for dessert tables too - on a much larger scale. How about creating an oversized popsicle on a stick for a kids room? Or a pretty butterfly? There's no limit in the creative things you can do using the basic concept of punching circles from this fabulous textured card stock.

What are you inspired to make after seeing this? I'd love to know!

MATERIALS USED FOR THIS PROJECT:

Darice GX-1470-01 30-Pack Core'dinations Cardstock Paper Sheets, Spotted-Tillie Dot, 12 by 12-Inch Darice GX-1470-49 30-Pack Core'dinations Spotted Cardstock Paper Sheets, Jillian Dot, 6 by 6-Inch American Crafts DuoTone Glitter Cardstock 12 EK Tools Circle Punch, 1.50-Inch, New Package Glue Dots 1/2 Glue Dots Ultra-Thin Roll Pentel Clic Eraser Grip Retractable Eraser, Assorted Colors, 3 Pack (ZE21BP3-K6) US Art Supply® Professional Quality 16 Prang Hobby Paint Brush Set, 5 Assorted Brush Sizes (94005) DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint, 2-Ounce, Lamp Black

InLinkz.com

KEEPiNG iT REAL
It took me forever to decide on just the right quote.
Seriously, you don't know how long I fretted over this.
I knew it couldn't be too wordy because of limited space and I knew I wanted it to be something related to "creativity" since it would be displayed in the Darice booth. BUT I also wanted it to be something I, (or anyone), could hang in their studio or creative space. I like it. I think it turned out just right.