Hip hip hooray!! Its FREEBIE time!

Pinwheel Bubbles is the brand new freebie at Peppermint Creative

Do you love it?
Perfect for all those summer activities, especially (but not limited to) BUBBLES!
Click here to DOWNLOAD your free digital scrapbook kit

And don’t miss this cute coordinating alphabet – yours FREE just for being a Facebook Fan.

FANS: Visit Exclusive Tab on our Facebook page to download your free gift!
Not a Fan? Just click the link above and ‘LIKE’ us to access your download.

And here’s some inspiration from the team! ;)

page by: Miss Mint

page by: Gabby Covey

page by: Sarah Harbuck

page by: Tiffany Keetch

page by: Megan Whitney

page by: Keela Fox

page by: Stephanie Baker

page by: Trisha Burton

page by: Kirstie Ibrahim

page by: Keela Fox

Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Be sure to share your creations with us in the gallery!

Last weekend we decided to check out the Beaches International Jazz Festival. It’s an annual street festival in Toronto and I’d never been so I thought it would a good opportunity to channel my inner photographer and have some fun taking pictures. Maybe put some of our weekly Click-a-Pic Challenge lessons and Photography Tutorials to use.  I was especially excited to attempt some night photography but it rained and rained..and RAINED so I put the camera away after about an hour. I thought I would share the few shots I managed to catch before it started to pour.

They shut down the entire street for the night and all the local restaurants set up food tents. Local vendors sell their goodies and bands set up at random up and down the street and just play. When we first headed out the cops were busy closing down the street.

I love a man in uniform but this is so not sexy.

Shorts + Bicycle = Not hot.

This was the scene when it first got started (above) but within about a half hour it turned into this (below).

The bands were all just starting to set up when I had my camera so unfortunately I didn’t get to photograph the action but I had a pretty good time shooting the goods!

The sign on the front of this Gourmet Lollipop booth was boasting Pineapple Bacon and Maple Bacon Lollipops. Not sure if the sign was meant to lure customers in or scare them away.

Pass.

The hit of the festival was definitely the roasted corn stand.

Just trying to make a buck. LOL.

Right before I headed back to drop off my camera we stopped to get Apple Fritters which look from the pictures like they would have been delicious but they turned out to be apple slices deep fried in batter and coated with cinnamon and sugar. Now I LOVE apples and I LOVE dessert. But these were a huge disappointment. It tasted literally like a warm raw apple slice, flavorless dough and sugar.

After this point it rained on and off all night. Several bands played into the night and we walked up and down the street in the rain and got soaked but it was so hot nobody cared. I walked for 5 and half hours in rubber flip flops and I’ve got the blisters to prove it (don’t worry I didn’t take any pictures). My feet still kill but it was totally worth it.

In scrappy news, lots of goodies coming very very soon.

Thanks for visiting. ;)

It’s ma-ma-ma-MONDAY!

Time for a peak at what’s been posted in the gallery this week!

Hey, that rhymed.

I’m awesome.

Speaking of peaks…if you missed the newsletter and haven’t checked your Facebook feed, here is your official sneak peek at what’s coming to PC! Very excited about this stuff!! A brand new freebie is on it’s way too so get ready to get ‘yo scrap on.

Are you SO excited? You should be, because this new stuff is great. I’m not biased or anything. Ok, maybe I am…a little. Or a lot. What’s the difference really?
So start finding, organizing and/or scanning in those engagement, wedding and bridal shower pics.

Ok, back to the pages people. Let’s see what’s going on.

MMB #63 paper to digi | nina81
Stunning, gorgeous, girlie, adorable, fab-u-lous. Love the pics, love the page and LOVE the use of that heart rope to highlight the one photo.

Our Garden | JamWest1007
This page is pretty cool because the left side is actually this month’s PMP Challenge Template and the right side is Jammie’s own creation. Don’t you love that? Who says you can’t take it upon yourself to turn a template into a two pager? Well Jammie did and it turned out amazing.

Somewhere Only We Know | Lijezz
Stunning! That photo is a real stand out. I love the way the lights of the tower pop off the page and I really love the awesome angle at which it was either taken or cropped.

Getting Braces | JamWest1007
OH my! Them’s some mouthy shots. I really love the contact sheet with all the photos on the left hand side. Placed on top of that folder, it really looks like a medical record and it’s awesome. What a great idea!

Hugs | therapy97
This page totally made me smile. I love the playful shots and the way they are casually layered across the page just looks fantastic!!

Hope you all have a crafty week. Start scrapping! ;)

If you’ve taken a look at the hybrid gallery here at Peppermint Creative any time in the last year, you definitely would have noticed these amazing worn sign boards everywhere using Tay’s amazing Commercial Vector designs. These wood signs are so popular these days, I see them every time I’m out and about in one of those home decor stores. From super high end stores to the discount stores I’ve  seen them everywhere and have been very tempted to buy but couldn’t help but think ‘I could SO make that myself’. With Tay’s amazing Vector products now you actually can and Tay has been kind enough to share some tips on how to get that awesome worn chipped edge effect.

Hi Gals! Tay here. A few years ago I spotted some gorgeous Halloween signs that had the cutest chippy-edge painting technique that I wanted to recreate for some vinyl décor in my home. Only problem was no one seemed to know how to do it! After a lot of Googling I found some very vague directions and with a bit of trial and error, came up with this process for getting those sweetly spooky effects!

1. Paint your wood with one or two coats of the base color. This is the color that will show through. Let the wood dry completely. (30 minutes if using craft paints on unfinished wood.)

2. Take a candle or votive with white or clearish white colored wax and, using firm pressure, rub it heavily and repeatedly along the edge of your painted wood and in towards the center by at least 1/2 inch. You should have small flakes of wax crumbling off the edges and visible smears all over the wood. Do this step over your kitchen sink – the wax shavings will ruin your project if left to sit.

Note: To get a more dramatic effect, select a rough cut piece of wood, like a fence plank, and do not sand it. Paint and then wax the entire surface, applying an extra-heavy coat of wax to bumps and raised surfaces.

3. Using your hand, gently brush and smooth away extra wax flakes. (Again, do this over the sink because it is somewhat messy.)

4. Paint your wood in the overcoat color, using 2-3 or more thin-to-normal coats. Most projects will require 3-5 coats. Let dry between coats.

5. Once your project is completely dry (2 hours), use an old cotton wash cloth and gently begin rubbing along the edges and areas where you applied candle wax. The wax will not allow paint to adhere to it and both the wax and top coats of paint will rub away, leaving a grungy edge that has the appearance of old, chipping paint.

6. Apply vinyl lettering or surface decoration.

7. Use a clear coat spray sealer on the wood when you have the desired effect and after applying vinyl lettering. I use a Clear Satin spray urethane that I bought at Lowe’s. This protects the project from having any more paint rubbed away.

That’s all it takes to get that trendy irregular chippy paint look!

Most of you know Tay Silver, Peppermint Creative’s wildly talented Commercial Vector designer. I’ll be honest I have mixed feeling about this post. What Tay has created is SOOOOO absolutely adorable I can hardly wait to share it with you but just thinking about Halloween right now makes my toes curl. It’s July for goodness sakes! But what can I say, Tay is on the ball and she’s prepared all her Halloween products for you super early so that you’ll have time to get them prepared for your small business use.

So check out these ADORABLE potion bottle labels that she’s designed. OMG how cute?! I’m thinking these may be available as printables for personal use a little later on. What do you think? It would be a crime not to, they are so cute.

Potion Bottles have become very popular Halloween décor and Tay is going to share some tips on how to use her Witchy Potion Labels and colored glass bottles that you can find in most national craft store chains to create some spooktacular potion bottles of your own!

Hi Guys! Tay here. I’m so excited to share this product with you. I hope you’ll create something fabulous! First you’ll need to select some glass bottles in a color grouping you like. Our Potion Labels include at least 2 designs in each of the 4 sizes, giving you an ample selection for whatever bottle sizes you’ve chosen. These colored glass bottles came from Hobby Lobby at $2.99 each

But recycled glass jars coated with acrylic craft paint on the inside make very charming potion bottles as well!

After deciding which labels you want, you’ll need to measure your bottles before cutting the vinyl. If you’d like to create multi-colored labels like ours, click here to view our tutorial on vinyl color swapping. If you’d like to fill the bottles with liquid, glitter powders or other dark colored materials, consider using white vinyl for your labels or fill and cork the bottles and determine what vinyl color gives the best contrast. Once your vinyl is cut it’s a good idea to clean the glass bottles with rubbing alcohol to remove any dust and fingerprints from the glass to ensure the vinyl adheres well for a lifetime of use.

All the potion labels are hand-drawn and are slightly asymmetrical, making them appear visibly straight even if they are not applied perfectly straight so don’t worry about any mess ups, they add authenticity and witchy charm! Once your vinyl is applied, cluster the bottles in a haphazard way to give the appearance of a cluttered apothecary shelf and post a picture in the gallery to show off your wicked cool set!

Happy Crafting!

Quick and Easy Recipe Cards
Tutorial By: Mary Jo Johnston

When Miss Mint released the new Fruit and Veggie Doodles I thought they would make adorable recipe cards. A quick and easy gift for a friend, bridal showers or just keep them for yourself!

You’ll need:
Fruit and Veggie Doodles Kit
Kindergarten Crafts Kit
Miso Funky Papers
Paper Trimmer
Font of Your Choice

Print the kraft paper from the Kindergarten Crafts kit.
Cut two blocks 4”x6”.  Set aside.

Using the notebook paper from the Miso Funky Papers, create two 3”x5” blocks, using photo editing software. At the top of each block, using your favorite font, type “Recipe For” and “From the Kitchen of” with dashed or solid lines following.

Choose a fruit or veggie doodle and drag to the corner of each card, resizing as necessary.

Print and cut the notebook paper and adhere to your kraft cards.

Such a quick an easy project, you’ll be creating them for friends in no time!

Happy creating!  Mary Jo