Crate Paper

Bright Blue + Cheery Yellow = Summer Fresh w/Rebecca Luminarias

Hi, all! Rebecca here today and I've got some summer-fresh tags and bags to share with you folks. In Southern California, our hot weather started a couple of weeks ago so it feels like summer is already here. The warm temperatures made me want to create something just as sunny and bright as our Orange County skies! Looking over all of my Crate products, I noticed that there are a lot of cheery yellow and royal blue embellishments -- and they sure do look striking together! It's very summery (a little nautical, even) and since creating this project, I've noticed these two colors popping up together everywhere..in fashion, home decor, and of course, paper crafts.

Almost by accident, I happened to lay a few of these embellishments down on a small black and white diagonal stripe bag and my project was born! The yellow and the blue on top of the black and white bags was such an arresting combination that they begged to be used.

I've been on a kind of a tag kick lately, pairing odd-and-end embellishments with paper scraps to whip up some super-quick tags. With my little bags in mind, it was pretty obvious that I had to make some new tags to put in them. Luckily, all I had to do was look through my Crate papers to find beautiful designs and ready-made tags to use. I soon discovered that the CP line by Maggie Holmes had pretty much everything I needed to make this set. I also noticed that bows and butterflies were standing out to me and they, too, became factors in my design -- the little embellishments that tie all of the pieces together.

When a tag was not already made, I simply made one myself from a coordinating paper, like Happy Day (above). In this case, the tag features ephemera die-cuts from DIY Shop, plus a punched butterfly, blue button, and black twine from my own stash. The bag is decorated with sweet bows from MH.

This yellow and white striped tag is from the Tags and Accent Cuts paper. I love the way it looks paired with a blue polka dot bow from MH. And after I topped it with a black and white chevron fabric brad, I loved it even more!

I put the tag into it's little bag, making the brad and the bow a part of the bag decor by sliding the front of the bag up in between the bow and the tag. It was just a simple technique, but it turned out to be a really nice way to store this tag. It makes the bag look almost gift-wrapped.

This yellow and white polka dotted glassine bag came from the Party Day collection. How awesome is it that all of these Crate Paper lines can be used in tandem with each other? I love that! I covered a mini clothespin with MG washi tape and used it to clip a tiny tag onto the bag.

This bag is slightly larger than the others so I used a blue-lined library card as my base and another Maggie Holmes tag on top of it. With a few bits from Maggie's ephemera pack and some stitched doilies, this tag is all set!

For some variation, I made a smaller tag and used a tiny, clear glassine bag. I made the tag using Happy Day again and layered on the accessories. As this project was taking shape, I knew I had to find some way to use one of the rhinestone clips! Used here, it makes the perfect closure!

As you can see, I'm a big fan of using tags of all sizes to complete the look. The layered look is so popular now and I, for one, would layer and pile all day long if I could! It's an easy way to create depth and interest to a card, layout or package like the ones I've made here.

I'm also a bit (okay, completely) obsessed with washi tape and have pretty much been over the moon about the offerings that have accompanied Crate's recent collections. It's possibilities are endless! I used it to cover the mini clothespin and the small wood flag that are clipped to this bag. Then I used it on the tag as accent pieces behind the cake ticket and thread.

This was a very fun project to make and I find that I'm still picking out blue and yellow bits and paper from my CP collections! I could have -- and might still -- make many, many more tags and bags with this combination and all of the beautiful CP embellishments I have sorted out. I love these colors together -- if you haven't noticed bright blue and cheery yellow together before this, I bet you will now!

Crate Style :: Party Day Celebrations w/Anabelle O'Malley

My son is at the age where he is attending birthday parties all of the time. Crate's Party Day line is the perfect line to create cards, bags and packaging! I find that I'm reaching for it all the time. We often give gift cards. Video games are another favorite gift. I decided to create a wrap that would be perfect for both.

I used a muslin draw string bag as my base. I stamped right onto it using the Party Day stamps. Next, I decided to add some of the Party Day Stand-Outs and some stickers. I added a bit of extra adhesive to hold it all into place.

I created a card to go with the bag. I started with a kraft base and added layers of paper and stickers. I topped it off with another Stand Out and some wood veneer stars.

This gift set is perfect for a boy or girl of ANY age. Since I always need birthday cards, I decided to create another one with the Party Day line. I embossed some cardstock and layered a journaling card and two pieces of chipboard onto it. It was quick and easy but has lots of fun and texture to it.

So, the next time you need to create a quick, yet festive gift set, definitely reach for Party Day!

CP Project Life :: April 2013 w/Piradee Talvanna

Hi Everyone, Piradee here to share another week from my Project Life album.

A few weeks ago, we celebrated my birthday with a simple lunch, me and my hubby dearest. I haven't been feeling really well the past few weeks and therefore wanted something simple and light, and lunch was just perfect. Not only did we have a chance to chat with the chef (I found out that he and hubby were boy-scout buddies back in the day), but the food was exactly what I needed (wished I had taken pictures of the dishes - was in awe of the presentation and taste. LOL).

Then, I had one of the biggest surprises the next day when a bouquet of flowers showed up at the door. For a moment, I thought I had a secret admirer because they surely weren't from my hubby (hate to admit it, I can't remember the last time he got me flowers, but to be fair, he did get me some "girl's best friend"). Surprisingly, the flowers were from my parent-in-laws in Belgium, wishing me a very happy birthday and congrats. Wow. Speechless and aren't they the best :)

With this week (and the week after) being about birthday celebrations, I automatically reached for the very fun Party Day collection. I just love it's lively, bold color palette and also, all it's cute coordinating embellishments. The 6 x 6 paper pad is perfect for PL card making as the designs are shrunken down. Another must have item when I'm working on PL cards are Crate's accent stickers - I especially love the quote "older, wiser and way more attractive" written on one of the Party Day stickers (Oh yeah, still struggling with the old part though. LOL). Which types of products do you guys usually reach for when working on PL cards?

In putting together this week's spread, I tried to keep a balance between the two pages. All the items that I used are from the Party Day collection. Sprinkled throughout are hints of gold via gold glitter thickers and gold sequins. Also, to balance out the color scheme of the spread's right side, I added the collection's multi-colored vellum paper. It works on bringing the colors together without being overly distracting. As a whole, the pages work and blend seamlessly!

Here are a few of the individual cards alongside one another and a quick close-up...

I enjoyed a wonderful birthday thanks to family, and my sweet spouse - this Project Life spread captures it all! Thank-you for stopping by - have a great weekend!

Crate Style :: Birthday Boxes w/Marie Lottermoser

 Every year, I save the candles and decorations from my kids' birthday cakes. It's been a lot of fun to see the different phases they've gone through, from Disney princesses, to Pokemon. I decided to go through my collection and make a little memento box for some of the individual years. For instance, for my daughter's first birthday, we had a "Snow White" theme. I chose to focus mostly on the candles and decorations, but could of easily added photos and other mementos from the special day.

To make the shadow boxes, I cut out the shapes using my Silhouette. One thing I love about the patterned paper from Crate is that it's heavy enough to stand alone without having to add a cardboard base to it. I wrapped the sides of the boxes with washi tape to give them extra strength and I think it adds a 'pop' of color and detail, too. After folding and taping the boxes together, I inserted decorations into each one. For example, I applied a chipboard number to the front of each box to show which birthday was being celebrated.

You can create these boxes for various occasions including birthdays, special holidays, anniversaries and so forth. They'd even be adorable as a "baby" gift and would make for cute addition to the nursery on either a shelf, or dresser. A whole lot of potential here!! 

I guarantee you, that once you start making these boxes, you won't be able to stop. They're wholeheartedly addictive!! Do give them a try!! 

Butterflies Galore w/Sophie Crespy

 

There I just some things that I love so much, I can't get enough of them! The reason I mention this is because I once found this image at Pinterest catering to butterflies galore. It'd been a project of fluttering butterflies popping off the page as if they were going to fly away. Inspired by the image, I searched and searched for a way to re-create the same look on a layout of my very own. After a while, I finally figured out the perfect technique and today, I'm going to share it with you using Crate Paper's "Party Day" collection and a few randoms. 

For this tutorial, it'd be of immense help if you happened to own a Cameo, but if you don't, no worries! If without one, you'll need a sampling of butterfly shapes, a good sharp x-acto knife and yes, a lot of patience. :)

Here's the process "in action":

I always start with a favorite photo, and a quick, very basic "sketch". 

 

I then print the photo and select a range a patterned papers and embellishments that I think coordinate well with it's color range and "feel". In choosing these items, I know that more than likely, I won't use all of them. It's simply nice to have "options" available while scrapbooking because you never know when right "match" might present itself. For this layout, my selection includes papers from the Fourteen collection and embellishments from Party Day and Maggie Holmes.

*Also important to note; I chose white cardstock as the backdrop for the layout.

 

I've a Cameo available to me in my studio, so with this next step, I pulled up this butterfly file from my Cameo library.

 

I "ungrouped" the butterflies and rearranged them accordingly to fit on my page. 

 

I switched the line to "dotted" and cut the design on white cardstock paper. Now this part requires some patience, so turn on your favorite tunes and enjoy the process...

 

With a sharp knife, trim the butterfly wings following the dotted lines, but not the actual butterfly "body". This allows you to pull the wings forward while still leaving the center portion of the butterfly intact and attached to the background. 

 

This is the result - the appearance of butterflies adrift as though leaving the page...

 

To give further life to the newly created butterflies, I placed the white cardstock on different colored backgrounds before choosing just one. It's personal preference at this point, so pick what works best for your project. I opted for grey/red dotted paper as it echoed the colors of my photo.

 

This is when the fun really begins: I prefer the "clustered" look with lots of butterflies, stickers and rosettes. The key in working this kind of style is making sure to use "just enough" so as to not overwhelm everything else, especially the photo. I picked up my favorite butterfly punches and punched away! I chose patterned papers from Fourteen and a rosette from Party Day's Stand Outs Layered Stickers.

 

I positioned the butterflies and rosette on the page while managing the cluster as a whole to create a balanced design. I added random word stickers (Party Day) and other shapes to the page. They're super cute!

 

Upon deciding the final position of the page's elements, I glue them down. Rarely am I ever fully satisfied with the location of things, but you DO have to glue things down at some point, right?! 

The finishing touches, a title and small banner sticker, are the last items added to the page.

 

With the layout almost done, I machine stitched some of the butterflies. I also stitched along the border of the white cardstock to create a framed design. 

 

I went ahead and added some pink ink/paint to the cut-out butterflies with the help of a brush; lends texture and interest. This shade of pink is one I made myself from pink and white ink. I combined the two together in a small bottle. 

I always end a layout with journaling and a date.

 

Once again, here's a look at the layout. It's appearance is soft, which works beautifully with the newborn photo. 

There are numerous ways to take advantage of this technique; frames, borders, circles, etc. Be creative & enjoy! 

 

Crate Style :: Pop-Up Birthday Cards w/Ashley Cannon Newell

Hey there! It's Ashley Cannon Newell on the blog today to share a fun card tutorial. If you make cards, you probably tend to focus all of your creative attention on the exterior of the card. But, what about the card's interior? I thought it would be fun to showcase an interactive pop-up technique. Since the card has an interactive function, I thought a video tutorial was the best way to show you how it all comes about.

Using the Party Day collection, I focused on birthday cards. I stamped the three candles and created the greeting using patterned paper.

What the recipient doesn't know is that inside, there are three cupcakes that will pop-up to surprise them!

Here is a video tutorial showing how I created the card interior...

 

I also created another card using the same technique.

For this card, I layered patterned papers and used standout layered stickers.

I added a bit of stitching around the borders to add a bit of texture.

On the interior, I used cardstock die-cuts from the emphemera pack.

The quotes are around the centered "Happy Birthday" greeting.

Creating an interactive card is very easy to do. I hope you will take time to finish a card interior too, and perhaps, even make a pop-up card! The main thing to remember to do is to have fun. I just know the card recipient will appreciate all of your efforts in creating such a fun, interactive card.

Crate Style :: Baby Shower Decor w/Marie Lottermoser

Shiny and new is what it's all about in 2013! This year, we're introducing a number of fresh, creative content options. This first one is appropriately titled, "Crate Style". It's goal is straight forward; inform, inspire and involve the talents of the CP Gal Team directly. Crate Style is shared from the perspective of the designer. They open up about what's on their craft radar and show you how to apply it using Crate's latest collections. Included are beautiful project images, how-to's, and personal insights as to the subject at hand. Each Crate Style is expected to be different from the next. Today's is the very first; Baby Shower Decor w/Party Day from CP Girl, Marie Lottermoser.

 

Hello everyone, it's Marie Lottermoser here. This past weekend, I hosted a baby shower for my cousin. Since she's having a boy, I was trying to stay away from a lot of pink and pastels when it come to decorating. That's when I looked over and noticed Crate Paper's new Party Day collection sitting on my desk. Even though the designs lean toward a birthday theme, they can easily be used for any type of party, including a baby shower!

The first thing I grabbed was the new Washi Tape Paper. When you cut the paper apart, you end up with a great variety of colors and patterns of "washi tape" designs to choose from. I took the strips of tape and wrapped them around toothpicks to create tiny flags, each with individual "cupcake" names on them. 

We had nine different cupcake flavors, so I used a different color for each one.

I tried to make use of colors that would match well with the cupcake flavors; Yellow/Lemon Drop & Red/Red Velvet

I then put the cupcakes on a glass display stand and everyone had a fun time picking out their favorite flavor!

The next thing I used was Party Day's Vellum Paper. With a little help from my Cameo, I made drink umbrellas.

To hold the umbrellas up in the drinks, I attached a long skewer and put them through straws. They added a festive look to the table.

I finished the set-up off by using an assortment of Party Day embellishments and chipboard accents to make signs for the guests.

Overall, I was really happy with how well everything looked together.

And finally, because the guest of honor was too busy during the party to take photos herself, I used some of the patterned paper and stickers to make a photo folder. I plan to stock it with photos from the special day and mail it to her.

Thinking about throwing a party, or have one on the way? Give some of these ideas a try! Happy Celebrating!

Crate Paper Booth Designs :: Party Day + Kit Giveaway!

Continuing with Crate's post-CHA project sharing tradition, we bring you a second gallery of designer layouts and cards celebrating Crate's first ever "Birthday" collection, Party Day. Scan and admire this playful arrangement of party-making memories and then leave a comment to win your very own "Party Day" collection kit! Winner will announce Monday, January 21st. And just like before, include your first name and last initial - follow it up with your location! Best of luck "party" attendees! 

CP Designer :: Naomi Atkins

CP Designer :: Megan Klauer

 

CP Designer :: Christine Middlecamp

 

CP Designer :: Katie Ehmann

A quick mention - we've an array of Fourteen projects that showcased at the Crate booth that are entirely brand new! They're exceptionally beautiful, and very, very sweet. 

CP Designer :: Anabelle O'Malley

CP Designer :: Kimberly Garofolo

CP Designer :: Megan Klauer

CP Designer :: Naomi Atkins

CP Designer :: Katie Ehmann

Once again, a special, heartfelt thank-you to the designers shown here!! We "LOVE" what you've done with the collections - you're the absolute BEST!