Crate Paper

Project Snapshot :: CHA 2012 Winter/Spring

A final CHA project paraded at the Crate Paper booth, one of Suzanne Sergi's lovely choreographed mini albums. And as always, she's come up with some great ideas for mixing and matching our new products! DO inspect each and every page, and then take a minute to find out the winner of this week's "Pretty Party" giveaway! 

And to the plentiful party mavens out there who've been patiently waiting for the announcement of the "Pretty Party" winner, the day has finally arrived to "shout" out the best party on the block! Bring on the glitter! 

I attended a fabulous girls night out recently. The theme was "all that glitters"! Even the mini cupcakes had glitter on top! Posted by: Keesha | January 31, 2012 at 11:29 AM

Congratulations Keesha, send your info to cpblog@cratepaper.com. We'll send out your prize pack as soon as it's ready! Yeah! 

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Don't forget, tomorrow starts anew as we enter into February. You might notice some changes, too, as we broach new topics, tutorial themes, weekly features, and more, with the help of Crate's latest set of CP Girls! It'll be fresh & fun! 

A Final 2011 CP Designer Showcase

In saying good-bye to 2011, Crate Paper brings the year's final set of design team projects to you, along with a boost of inspiration to reign in 2012! And as you take a peek at them, remember, that with the new year, you can expect to see an even better Crate Paper with it's familiar tell-tale vintage edge mixed with the usual hints of modern flair. We'll also be updating the team near the end of January and staging new ideas for the Crate Paper blog. If you've any feedback to share, we'd love to hear that as well! Happy New Years to all!

Crate Paper DT Artist :: Geralyn Sy

Some of you might already have a few inches of snow on the ground and begun the winter layout preparation process. If so, the Peppermint Collection offers a perfect color & pattern palette to help summarize it's popular snow laden festivities! Just look at Geralyn's ultra colorful mini album, it's filled to the brim with good old fashion Winter fun! 

 

CP Design Team Artist :: Geralyn Sy

This is a complete contemporary take on Random that we've not ever seen before. Leave it to Geralyn to show us that Random doesn't always have to be "so Random". We love it! 

 

CP Design Team Artist :: Lexi Bridges

 More snow and a reminder of Fall, both these layouts show how kindly our collections take to non-traditional scrapbook materials. And with the popularily of mixed media lately, we love seeing the two come together in fun, unexpected ways! For example, check out the Lexi's cotton filled vellum/pattern paper pocket and adorable plastic doily frame via her last layout..Cute stuff! 

 

CP Design Team Artist :: Rahel Menig

The star/accordian flower pair is perfect as a holiday/winter emblem - constructed from Peppermint's "Candy Cane" and "Winter Green" papers, Rahel's commonly familiar white backdrop leaves ample room for them to shine! Simply pretty...

 

CP Design Team Artist :: Stephanie Dagan

There's a smidgen of every Fall 2011 CP collection in Stephanie's bi-folded/encased stand-up photo display. It's 2011's final CP project to debut here, and as such, the combination of collections seems fitting given the timing! It's exsquisitely constructed, too. Thank-you Stephanie!

 On behalf of Crate Paper, may 2012 bring you more creative successes and unforgettable memories! Thank-you for joining us today!

 

A Jack-o'-Latern Mini Album w/Michiko Kato

Hi there CP Followers! Michiko here and today, I've a quick-to-assemble "Halloween" pumpkin mini album to share with you...like in the US, Halloween has been gaining momentum in Japan and it seems that lately, people have taken to enjoying the event more and more. Of course, I'm one of many in Japan that loves to have fun during the spooky, surprised-filled holiday. The last Halloween celebration I attended was at Universal Studios in Japan - while there, I saw an assortment of people masquerading around in various costumes and make-up - it was an immense amount of fun to be a part of it all! I had a great day while there, so much so, that I made an album w/photos to commemorate the moment! 

The Supply List: Farmhouse & Random Collections {Pattern Paper, 6" x 6" Pattern Paper Pad, Stickers, Trims, Chipboard, and brads}

Additionals: Vellum, Corrugated Board {Optional}, Distress Ink {Brown}, Bind it All {Antique Brass 3/4"}, Circle Cutter, Scissors, Glossy Accents, Sewing Machine, and Paper Piercer

 

The first step is to create the front and back covers. Draw a Jack-o'-lantern about 6" in size. I downloaded mine online at no expense - there are ample online clipart resources available online. I recommend finding a similar style Jack-o'-latern to complete this project.

Using the clipart image as your guide and with your preferred pattern paper just beneath, punch a series of tiny holes with a paper piercer to mark and trim the shape of your pumpkin. The first pumpkin is the orange layer of the cover. Repeat the same trace/pierce technique to create the yellow layer, and also, the vellum pumpkin shape for behind the cover.

Adhere the orange & yellow pumpkins together as shown - the yellow should show through the front via the eyes, nose and mouth. 

 

Of course, the flower is pretty all on it's own, but an overlay of Glossy Accents gives the flower a beautiful clear coating that brings out the flower's overall coloring. Add an even coat of Glossy Accents to on top the flower and allow it to dry without interruption.

 

To give the pumpkin further depth and to accentuate it's shape, I applied Chalk to parts of it. I then added Distress Ink to it's edges and moved forward in decorating it with embellishments. After you've completed the cover, you'll want to make the back cover from something with "weight" - I used corrugated cardboard. 

 

Moving to the interior of the album, make "6" 4.5" circles from a varying degree of pattern papers. They'll eventually be used as the primary pages for the album. 

 

If you've a sewing machine on hand, sew along the edges of all six of the circles. Then, set them aside and work on getting together an assortment of 3" x 2" photos - embellish the pages to your heart's content - layers are a plus!

I'll skip from explaining the creation process for each page and instead, will simply show them to you for easy reference. It's fairly straight forward. Here is a final look at the album in it's entirety:

And lastly, the front and back cover...

I do hope you'll consider giving the project a try! I appreciate you stopping by today at the Crate Paper blog and wish you a wonderful week! 

Revisiting the Holiday Mini w/Erin Stewart

I'm normally a one page kind of scrapbooker, but I love the way mini albums look and feel. Last year, I wanted to produce some form of the December Daily Album; however, I was super busy and never really finished the one I started. And since I absolutely love the new Peppermint Collection, I decided it was time to make a mini from last year's Christmas' photos.

I started with a basic set of 5.8" circles. To create them, I used a large circular cutter and trimmed an assortment of circles from various Peppermint pattern papers. In conjunction with this, I also printed 2" x 3" photos to go along with the album. 

In reference to the album pages, I treated each one like I would any of the larger sized projects/pages I regularily create. The Designs are straight forward and applicable in a variety of situations. 

These buttons, oh how I love them! They are so spectacular that I just knew I had to place them on the cover somewhere (the packaging is also adorable!). I added pink/white twine to make them appear to be hanging as ornaments. This simple technique gives the cover a wonderful, whimsical look that I love! It compliments the Peppermint Collection perfectly!

 

I suggest using Crate's Accent Cuts for layering! Here, I used them as a means of breaking up the page. I then printed my photo with a cool digital frame before laying it beneath the ever-so-festive fireplace. Finally, I positioned a couple of die-cuts with the help of my Silhouette. 

 

I love the Stand-Outs! They create dimension and interest without my having to put forth too much effort. Also note, the use of one of Crate's sticker tags for the framing of my photo - it's nearly the perfect size! 

 

If space is limited, trim your photos down to size so that they better fit your page. In doing so, it gives the page a more uniform, streamlined look and allows for more room of embellishments. 

 

Circles punches are always extra handy! For additional direction and movement, I created a slightly angled row of 1.5" circles and sewed over them with my sewing machine.

 

To create this sweet, hidden pocket, I used a glassine bag behind the photo and tucked inside it a pull tag made of both paper and sticker. Write whatever it is you might like on it - another great way to make use of tight spaces!! 

 

I really like the soft colors of this collection. On this page, I used a black and white photo to help mimic the softness of the paper.

 

Sleds, stockings, snowflakes, or whatever it is of Peppermint's Chipboard Collection that you might like, they're great for generating additional interest. The downward motion of the sled helps to instigate the snowball action going on here. 

 

Glitter is a must on every holiday project! I used it here to make the little red ornaments stand out from the tree - afterall, Christmas Decor is meant to be shiny and glittery!

 

In order to make this page feel extra whimsical, I partnered the left edge of the photo with a random, eclectic line of petite embellishments and other little cute items.

 

Desire an inventive, convenient means of creating a frame around your photos? My fave solution are border stickers! Crate always has available matching border stickers to go along with each of their collections, too! Collect'em by the dozen!

 

Make a statement without photos! We went "home" for Christmas and being in the Military can sometimes make this hard to define. I wanted to make a statement about home and it being the place at which we visited - always feels good to be home for the holidays!

 

One last look at the completed album - pretty, isn't it? Mini Albums, especially as a whole, take on a curious new life all their own. They're wonderful to hold onto and even better to open!! They make great gifts, too! 

Thank-you for taking a moment with me to review the album in it's entirety! I'll see you again soon! Take care!

A Sweet Mini Album Tutorial w/Suzanne Sergi

One of my favorite papercrafts to create are mini albums. There's nothing like holding a chunky book, filled with special memories of your loved ones. I love creating them as gifts, too. Especially when I have family in Texas that miss some of the special moments in our lives. Of course, I love them just because. I have mine sitting on a shelf, and they're accessible to my children to sit, and enjoy!

When I first saw the Random collection, I knew I wanted to create a mini album with photos of my little girl. A few months ago, she was invited to a birthday party, so I took this opportunity to hold a mini photo shoot with her. She does not like to sit still for long, but I was happy to find a few ones that I'll always treasure. 

This book measures approximately 6.5" x 6", and is filled with all the gorgeous elements of the Random collection. One of my favorites from the collection are the chipboard pieces. They're so deteailed, and the options are endless! Of course, I mixed brads from some of the past Crate collections, along with random bits here and there! I love to include stamping details where I can, so a few pages have ink. I'll also show you how to add "windows" in your books, by using dies from your scrapbook stash. In my recent Peppermint Album, I used a circle die to make windows on a page, where you can see the elements on the other side. In this mini, I used a rectangle Sizzix die, which I'll admit received it's first use for this book! However, it was the perfect size to create "windows" for wallet size photos.

 

A closer look at the cover. it's a mixture of the many random chipboard elements that build upon, layer after layer. I do enjoy the premade embellishments that coordinate fabulously with these papers. They're wonderful to stand alone, but do not be afraid to remove some of the layers to instantly have two elements to choose from. The pink flower and pink scallop were originally one element, but I chose to separate them for more added detail. 

 

I love hanging tags on the outside of my mini albums. This time, I decided to do something a bit different. I incorporated a photos of my little girl using the polaroid chipboard element from the collection. A fun pinwheel, border sticker and twine finished this sweet, surprising tag! 

 

 

One of my go to techniques is using embossings folders in my projects. They add instant texture to the papers, especially ones that have a white core. The one used on this page adds a bit of vintage character that compliments the photo perfectly!

 

Glassine envelopes are perfect to tuck journaling inside, but they're another way to incoporate more photos in your book! I love when I can add more of my favorite photos in unexpected places!

 

We've finally reached the tutorial for creating windows in your mini albums.

To create the windows for you photos, you'll need the following: Cardstock/Pattern Paper, Chipboard Pages and a Rectangle Die.

However, don't forget about any basic shapes you have in your inventory! There are so many ways to use them!

 

You'll need to cut down your paper to fit your chipboard page and you'll adhere the paper to both sides. Now you're ready to send it through the diecut machine.

 

I made a bare template at the beginning and if you look closely, you can see where I lightly penciled in where I thought the die would cut. This page is a little shorter than 6.5" due to the opening of the machine. Now, it doesn't really matter that this page is going to end up a little shorter than the others, after all, this book is about using Random Items!

Here, I'm getting ready to cut the opening on the lower hand side of the page. The die is placed horizontally as it enters the machine. There really are no hard fast dimensions because where the die will cut is predeterimined. I simply got creative with chipboard and saw that it would be perfect for creating openings in my books!

 

The result is a finished window in the lower right corner, so the next step is to create the vertical window in the upper left corner.

You'll now have a template that looks like this on both sides. You an add your photos on a separate page so that they peek through, or use it to display some fun embellishments from the next page! The leftover pieces are perfect as embellishments, too!

 

You can see that I used a wallet sized photos beneath each window. Another idea is to use the windows to bring attention to either a title or personalized journaling!

A couple of more pages of my sweet lil' girl and we'll be almost finished! 

Almost the final page and last detail share from the book! The photo was the perfect ending for my book! I loved it so much, I printed it twice specifically for sharing on the very last page of my album!

 

A simple tag and gorgeous pattern paper represent the end! I hope you've enjoyed what I've created via Random! Thank-you for following along - have a wonderful weekend!

 

A Farmhouse Mini Album w/Christine Middlecamp

I'm a farmhouse kind of gal and if ever given the chance at some point in the future, I'd move to a small town and cozy up in a quaint, well-worn house with picturesque details that are only commonly attributed to vintage homes. I once sought out a yellow/white victorian home some ten years ago, but ultimately, the decision was made to stay within the cities because of distance issues. Maybe someday I'll re-root myself when the timing is more appropriate...for now, we're staying put!

Crate's Farmhouse collection brought back a host of happy memories related to my desire to someday live in the outskirts of the countryside, so of course, it's one of my all time fave Crate collections right now! As such, I took to producing a mini album from it and above is the final outcome! 

 

In introducing the album, I quickly want to reiterate a couple of basic techniques that helped shape it since it's basis is that of both cardstock and pattern paper. 

To get started, the cardstock colors are Kraft, Vanilla and Dark Chocolate Brown. Supplimenting the cardstock is Farmhouse's "Sunday Dinner" & "Countryside" pattern papers.

 

One of easiest ways to begin a mini album is to develop on ongoing theme or a repeated design so as to give yourself a place onto which to attach photos and embellishments. This often translates into creating an album's base from a limited number of supplies. To do this, select a couple of sheets of pattern paper and a few reliable, neutral cardstock colors.

 

These cookie cutter dies come in handy all the time!! They're the source and means used to produce the kraft frames for my album. If you're without them, the next best option is to use two different sized square punches to go about creating your own frames; within a half inch of each other.

The album pages consists of five layers of paper:

The first three are as shown above - follow them up with "Countryside" and a Kraft cardstock frame. 

 

Because of serious space limitations due to the size of the album (around 5" x 3"), I opted to go with a tiny sized photo - 1.5" x 1.5" framed in Vanilla cardstock. Once again, to save on time, all the photos are of the same size and printed on a single 8.5" x 11" sheet of photo paper. Photoshop is helpful here...

 The album and photos are now ready to go and you should be able to move forward with the album. Hold off on adding the Kraft frames until you know specifically the design of each page. Upon attaching them, you've the option of either pop dots or wet adhesive - leave it up to you! 

Here's a look at how my album turned out..from front to back!

Lil' banners can be self-made. This vintage, shell button houses a Farmhouse "phrase" sticker that sits on top a handtrimmed section of distressed cardstock. Both are sanded with a file before being distressed with Ranger Distress Ink.

 

Some of my kraft frames were attached prior to the addition of embellishments. One such embellishment here is a dainty, olive green oval frame from Farmhouse's chipboard collection. Behind it, I tucked a photo and pre-trimmed pattern paper. Use the oval frame as a tracing template on top your photo and paper so they're of the correct size and shape to fit behind it. 

 

Ok, so this scale won my heart over the minute I spotted it on the chipboard sheet!! For those of you currently working on a food themed project, Farmhouse provides a fresh, playful assortment of "kitchen" items to choose from, including ripened cherries, freshly baked pies, toppled cups and welcoming phrases to suit just about any cooking scenario.

With the scale, I accented it's center with punched circles and a button & brad. I then trimmed the bottom portion from the chipboard pie and filled it with hand-trimmed cherries!

 

Sometimes them small letters aren't quite big enough to fit a desired space. To increase their size, plant them on pre-trimmed sheets of paper or other forms that'll make them appear larger than they really are. 

 

"Produce" is a pattern paper you just need to have on hand because it's frontside is decorated with an infinite number of produce labels that are as cute as can be!! Cut them up and tuck them away so that they're especially easy to work with later on!

 

And there you have it, an over-filled Farmhouse Mini Album to get you ready for the Fall! Also, a final photo to send you away with - thank-you for keeping us company today!

Studio Calico Winner + Mini Bird Album w/Lexi Bridges

First and foremost, our Studio Calico winner needs announcing - so here goes it! Congratulations to the following recipient on behalf of Studio Calico:

Blue is tranquility and calm, planning a spa day trip with my wedding party and this would be great to make the invites, and enhance the pages to commemorate the day! Posted by: Ann | July 29, 2011 at 07:26 AM

Ann, we'd love to be able to inform Studio Calico of your address, so if you'd be willing, email Crate Paper at cpblog@cratepaper.com with your shipping address and full name! Congratulations on winning Studio Calico's latest and greatest kit! 

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Good morning CP fans! Lexi here with you today with a fun take on a Random mini. One of my favorite things about the new Random collection is, well, it's random..meaning anything goes! There is a cute little polka dot chipboard birdie in the collection which reminded me of a bird shaped mini I had. A 25 cent thrift store pillowcase purchase sealed the deal on my new mini idea too.

 

Not bad for a quarter, huh? So I took this pillowcase and laid down my chipboard bird to trace. Make the outline a little larger so you have some wiggle room in case you make a mistake, which in my case, is every time I make something :) 

 

I wanted my bird to be more dimensional so I found some interfacing and, using multiple layers, traced out the bird again. Cotton batting would have worked lovely, but I didn't have any on hand.

 

Once the interfacing is attached (I am a fan of hot glue) I worked on making the pillowcase front a little more “random”. I machine stitched around the edges to help with fraying and then took a fun pink colored thread to add a simple stitch around the edges.

 

For the interior pages, I choose different patterns for each side of the bird and just traced and glued down.

 

Something I had been wanting to try on a project was gold leafing. Did you know you can buy it in tube form? Anyway, I took an old plastic card and used the side to add some to my pages. I am not sure if you can tell, but it gives a cool, old looking gold sheen.

 

To finish off the front I added one of my favorite Crate Paper products, buttons, for the eye. It's hard to have a bird mini without a feather so I threw one of those on too. The pillowcase shape is attached with, you guessed it, hot glue!

 

The inside of the mini houses words for me to remember on a daily basis...when the laundry is piling up, when the boys are fighting, when dinner still needs to be made...I can't be the only one, right?

 

Each page of the mini has the edges machine sewn. Yes, I use my machine to sew chipboard and so far it still likes me ;) Each bird also has a funky button eye, as well as different stickers and chipboard
pieces as accents.

 

I REALLY need to work on the next one ;) Loved how the lace sticker paired with the denim paper.

 

Here, my sewing machine ran out of thread, but I kept stitching. I kinda like the look, and since it's a “Random” mini, it's ok!

 

This might be one of my favorite patterned papers. You can NEVER go wrong with chevron in my book!

 

And the back...

So there you have it! A Random mini, filled with words to live by and made possible by a 25 cent thriftstore pillowcase. It's always fun to think outside the box when creating! We can't WAIT to see what you do with the new Random collection! Have a wonderful day!

The Mini Version of the Traditional Mini Album w/Kaori Watanabe

Hi Everyone! Kaori Watanabe with you to share a fun tutorial on how to create an "extra" mini, mini album! It's actually quite "small" and perfect for storing away in the purse while out and about the town :)

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The Essentials: Emma's Shoppe Pattern Papers {Fabric, Inventory, Play House, Books, Dresses & Quilts}, Accent Cuts, Chipboard Accents, Ribbon, Layered Chipboard, Border Stickers, Phrase Stickers {An Emma's Shoppe kit + Embellishments is another option}. 

The Tools: Big Shot {or a die-cutting system that is compatible with Spellbinder Dies}, Label Shape Spellbinder Dies, Sewing Machine & Screw Clamp {for holding together the pages of the album}
 

First of all, select the papers for the album pages as I've done here and then trim the shaped papers with the Spellbinder Die shown in the image above. If in the United States, this die is readily available at places like JoAnn Fabrics and other local scrapbook boutiques. If outside the US or prefer to purchase such dies online, there are various online stores that sell them too - simple google Spellbinders and you'll run into them eventually!

Let's now work on creating the pages! I love the various Emma's Shoppe embellishments - in this particular set-up, I chose Phrase Stickers and cute, mini die-cuts as my decorating pieces and added a quick, curvy line via the sewing machine directly over the top and across the page.

 

How about this ribbon? Isn't it the loveliest ribbon you've ever seen? I sewed the ribbon into position with the sewing machine (watch your fingers!) in a sort of imperfect fashion - it's a very simple technique and is so very pretty!

 

Continue working on the rest of the album pages - as you can see above, most my pages are ready for the album. Because I felt the cover would be weak if made from only paper, I opted to trim the cover from cardboard instead. 

 

I actually created the cover separate from the actual cardboard piece. After the "paper" part of the cover is complete, adhere it to the cardboard so that the cover is of two layers; paper & cardboard {now it should be sturdy!}. 

 

To hold the album together, I chose to use a machine screw. I often use these because their super easy to find and are extremely economical for holding together album pages. They're almost similar to the style of post used to hold together pages inside a traditional post bound album. 

 

Thank-you for stopping by the Crate blog today - do enjoy the tutorial and I'll see you again next month!