Brush it Up Challenge : Happy New Year

Well hello, Carol here and I’m back after a break of two years hosting a challenge.  This is a new challenge for KPD – Brush it Up – and I’ll be dual hosting with the fabulous Julie deGuia.  This is going to be fun.

Now there are ways to use brushes, and I’m totally not here to instruct you, as I’ve never used an .abr file in my life.  So if you do or if you don’t, this challenge is for everyone.  I tend to use the brush files like a stamp, or create a sticker out of them, or as a background to add depth to your page.  However you use your brush packs, I hope you’ll enjoy what themes that Julie and I will be tag-teaming every other month to bring to you.

So it’s fitting for the January challenge to be all about the New Year.  Maybe create a page about how you spent NYE, what your resolutions are, create a yearly album cover, how did you spend New Year’s Day, what are your goals for 2026.   So get your thinking caps on and your new year stories and photos and can’t wait to see your challenge pages.

To be part of the challenge you have to use something from the Hello 2026 Stamp Pack.  It contains stamps and the .abr file so use them however you like.   Katie has generously offered a discount code for half price of the pack if you don’t already have it and you have until the end of the month to use it (31 Jan 2026).   Here’s the code:  KPD50BU01

The creative team have eagerly jumped on board with some terrific example pages:

First up ErinR and oh my word check out her front page of her 2026 album, could it be any more perfect.   That TWENTY TWENTY-SIX bold front and centre leaves no doubt there’s going to be gold inside this album.  Great use of the film strip and camera and my favourite cabana paper and this album is going to be a treasure.

Supplies that Erin has used:  Hello 2026 Stamp Pack,  Cabana Whites Paper Pack,  Camera Clusters and Layers 03,  Fine Lines Border Lines Brushes and Stamps 04.

Next up we have Jana’s page, go big or go home I say.  I love that she’s used three of the items in the Hello 2026 Stamp Pack.  Just brilliant stretched across the page like that.  Jana journals about fresh starts and I’m all for it.

Supplies that Jana has used: Layer Works 2267,  Hello 2026 Stamp Pack,  Vintage Artistry Serenity Scrapbooking Bundle,  Time Clusters 02,  Open Up Frames 02,  Color Essentials Turquoise Sentiments Brushes and Stamps,  Taped Together Overlays 04.

And guest CT member Jan has created a great page for a 2026 reading challenge she’s setting herself, fabulous goal setting here.  She’s used a number of the items in the Hello 2026 pack perfect addition to her heading for the page.  But I’m needing a lie down after reading the journalling, 100 books!  Yikes.  Good luck Jan.

Supplies that Jan has used:  Hello 2026 Stamp Pack,  Chippy Journal Paper Pack 01,  Clipboard Memories Vol. 04 Layered Template 01,  Palette Textures Paper Pack 06,  Layer Works 983 (book),

And finally for my page I wanted to document the first walk of the year with our little dog and trying to get a serious photo with my husband can be a trial so hey, just go with it right.   I decided to split the 20 and 26 in opposite colours and borders to create an effect, but kept it flat on the page like a sticker.  It added a bit of oomph to the title which I liked (mind you the procrastinator in me tried it in umpteen different colours before deciding on blue!)

Supplies that I have used:  Hello 2026 Stamp Pack,  Arctic Frost Sort of Solids Paper Pack,  Classic Curled Photo Frames 05,  Thin Classic Photo Frames Curled and Flat 01,  The Birds Brushes and Stamps,  Watery Spots Brushes and Stamps 09,  Watery Grids Brushes and Stamps 01.

Now remember to post your pages in the Brush it Up Challenge Gallery and don’t forget when you use ALL KPD product on your challenge page you should post a link of your page in the January 2026 Challenge Participation thread so that it will count toward your savings in the rewards program.  Everyone’s a winner!

Now over to you to go brush it up.

Carol