Crate Paper

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!

 

Falling Snow Layout w/Michiko Kato

Hello Everyone - Michiko Kato with you to share in the holiday celebration (what remains of it, of course). Today, I've plans to introduce you to this adorable, non-traditional sized 9" x 9" layout that is excellent for both Christmas and Winter themed photos! I'm also going to show you how to make the poinsettia , too. It's very easy, so I encourage you to follow along to find out how it's made...

The Essentials: Photos {2.5" x 3.5"}, Peppermint Patterned Papers, Brads, Mini Patterned Paper Pad, Chipboard, and Accent Cuts. Also, Cardstock {white}, Wood Veneer {Studio Calico}, Medium Sized Paper Doily, Vellum Paper, Mist {White}, Imitation Flower Buds, Snowtex, Knife, Paper Piercer, Scotch Tape, Die Cuts {Leaves & Snowflakes}.

 

First, trim the following papers as noted above. As a mat for the photo, seperate the "Sew Brads" packaging from the plastic cover and slip the backing beneath it. 

 

To create the snowflakes, trim them from both Peppermint's 12" x 12" and 6" x 6" "Snowglobe" patterned papers. You should have a nice variety to play with, so be slightly selective as to which ones you trim. 

 

Now this is something slightly unique and fun, trim a triangle shape from the bottom of a Peppermint Accent Cut. Replicate it via vellum.

 

Set out the wood veneer houses on top a protected surface and daub them with Snow Tex. Snowtex is a great material for piling up and creating a snow-like effect. It's extremely soft and does eventually harden after contact with air. When applying the material, brush it onto the wood veneer "softly" because it's slightly squishy. Place a generous amount onto the roof of each house.

 

Now I'm going to show you how to go about making the pretty poinsetta! Prepare a total of six die-cut leaves. Fold each one in half. Gather a small cluster of the tiny buds and secure them together with either tape or wire. Apply glue to the stem of each leaf and position them around the tiny buds. 

 

Daub a small amount of Snow Tex onto the buds. It should look like they've just been snowed on! Pretty, don't you think? Feel free to change the color of the bud and leaves to your liking to create whatever style poinsettia that best matches your layout. 

 

Trim and position a pre-embossed white cardstock sheet onto a 12" x 12" light turquoise cardstock sheet. Paste them together and then follow it up with zig-zag stitching. Using a gentle "curve-like" motion, sew three lengthwise lines from the top, to the bottom of the layout. Start positioning the snowflakes onto the layout with both regular adhesive and pop dots.

 

Start coodinating and adhering down the other various elements. Note the placement of the doily, brads packaging, and "Fancy Buttons" accent card beneath the photo. To the left of the photo, and in a horizontal direction, adhere trimmed accent card and vellum banner.

 

So, how do you go about securing the poinsetta to your layout? It's simple, really. In the preferred location, punch a small hole, place the stems through it, and then secure it with either a strong adhesive (fold back the stems against the paper) or glue dots. Feel free to add leaves beneath and around the flower. 

 

It's time to spray the layout with white mist. In doing so, cover and protect the areas of your layout where mist isn't desirable. Finally, apply the mist to the preferred locations. 

 

Either die-cut or punch tiny snowflakes from vellum. Add them to your layout along with clear button centers. 

 

Lastly, and as a final layer, give the layout an outer red frame using Peppermint's "Wintergreen" patterned paper. It's officially finished! 

 

As a means of displaying it in my room, I visited the local Ikea and found this matching white frame for housing the layout. The two go together perfectly! 

 

Thank-you for visiting with us today - Hope to see you next month as we debut fabulous ideas for Crate Paper's new "Paper Hearts" collection! Happy New Years!

Paper Finial Ornament with Amy Heller

 

 

Hi everyone! It's Amy Heller here today to bring you a super, super easy mini holiday tutorial on how to create your very own finial ornament out of paper. 

 

The idea for this blossomed out a few different ideas. First, I'm loving sewing my own paper banners and garlands, and second, I was remembering back to my own childhood and we had a couple different free hanging felt displays that were constructed very similarly to the paper garlands I've been making this past year. My grandmother had made them, and every time you walked past them, or under them, they would move so elegantly and twist and turn and rotate exposing the front and back sides of the felt. I loved the motion they would create, so I thought how could I create something similar with paper? First, I wanted to recreate that felt Christmas tree that we had as a child, but in paper, but then as I was creating it, I discovered something, a) simpler and b) up my alley style wise. 

 

Source: zulily.com via Pinterest

I love finial ornaments, particularly made of mercury glass. There's something nostalgic, elegant and oh, so beautiful about these delicate ornaments. I have several on our tree that I love. While creating my paper garland, I found these beauties on Pinterest, and thought I would try to use the shapes as inspiration for my project, thus making an ornament with the same movement and whimsy as my grandmother's felt decoration but with my own love of finial ornaments. 

 

So this is what I did! And here's how I created it!

 

Required Supplies: 

- 3 different sizes of circle punches. I also mixed things up by using a scallop circle as one of my punches.

- Coordinating patterned paper

- Sewing Machine (make sure both your bobbin and main thread match)

 

First thing you are going to do is punch out lots of circles, then group them together by size and color as desired. 

Next step, is to lay your punches out in a design you find pleasing - keep them in this order next to your sewing machine.

Stack three of each of the same three sizes of circles on each other, all flush with one another.

Let out a long bit of thread and bobbin thread before you begin sewing, as this will create your loop to hang on the tree when finished.

Set down the foot of your sewing machine on your first set of circles so they don't move around.

One stack at a time, sew a straight stitch all the way through the center of each - from end to end. 

Continue sewing past the end of the stack just a few stitches, then carefully, set the next stack of three circles under the foot of your machine. Continue this process for your entire design, making sure to keep the order of your original design. Go slow - there's no need to have your machine on a fast setting - in fact, I put mine on the slowest, just so I would ensure my desired spacing.

Open up your paper stacks to create a three dimensional orb look to each layer of your ornament. This will create a lovely rotation that will reveal the beautiful double sides to your patterned paper. 

Once finished, leave a bit of thread at the bottom of the ornament. If you wish, add beads or buttons to the bottom. I decided to leave mine with whisps, as I love the free feel of it, adding to the movement of my ornament, when I have it on an outside branch. Just tie a loop in the top of your ornament with your thread, and there you have it, you're ready to place it on the tree!

And that's it! So simple! Thanks so much for stopping by today! Hope you have a wonderful day!

~

And because Amy recently sent to us a bunch of brand new, beautiful cards, we're taking advantage of this moment to post them so that our audience can fully enjoy them just as we already have. There are a total of four to admire...

A Doily Folded Invitation w/Rahel Menig

 

 

Yes, it's true, Christmas has come and gone, but it's still December and as such, it's remaining days are to be devoted to our Designer's final set of projects for the month. Some of these projects include a few more "Merry Makings", but most awaiting spotlight are general creations that are simply to inspire and help with ideas for next, upcoming year! And don't forget to bookmark your faves, or reserve an image or two on Pinterest incase you want to peek at them later on...it'll be another year 'til we greet Christmas once again.

 

A nice dinner party doesn't start when you enter the home of the hostess, it starts way before, with the invitation. To get you started on thinking about invitations, as many of you are probably going to be sending out invitations at some point this month, I'm going to share with you a sweet, doily handmade invite that'll have all your guests anticipating the party! 

To reflect more closely upon the season, I wanted to keep the colors of my invite quiet and winterish. Though, to still make room for Christmas's more traditional color set, I opted to throw in a bit of red and pink. The white paper doily represents snow with it's delicate borders & cut-outs. And even though we're without the lovely snowflakes in California, it's nice to think about them and incoporate them into projects like this. 

 

To get started, you'll need the help of a couple of items - Peppermint's Wintergreen patterned paper, large paper doilies (craft store), red/white twine, and tini wooden clothes clips. 

 

The absolute first step is to fold your doily. Take two opposite sides and fold them to the center. Usually, there's some kind of center design or pattern on the doily that makes it very easy to identify the best folding placement. 

 

The absolute last step is to measure the space from within the folded doily to determine the exact sized patterned paper to fit inside it. Trim the paper and insert it as shown - to give my invitation even more whim, I sewed all around the edges of the paper, and distressed them with my exacter knife. I then added some of Peppermint's cute chipboard {Mr.Santa} and finished it up with some baker's twine and a jingle bell! See the images below for the completed invite...

Once again, an impressive display to entice your guests into visiting the party! It's also the kind of invite that's easily made in "bulk", so if you've a lot of invites to send out, definitely give this idea a try! Feel free to switch up the papers with Crate's new Paper Hearts collection, too!! Tuck a valentine inside your doily instead of a party invite. :)

I wish you the best of luck in the gathering of your next party, New Years Eve included...Happy Holidays!

Special Request Butterfly Tutorial w/Michiko Kato

Every now and then, one of our Crate Paper Gals pulls together a spectacular project that utilizes a really cool technique, and for the sake of wanting to know more about it, we'll put out a request for instructions. A couple of days ago, our design team talent, Michiko, sent to us the prettiest, yellow butterfly layout. The butterflies immediately caught our attention and quickly, we asked her to give us the run down on how she made them. The following day, an email from Michiko arrived with a full tutorial as to how to recreate them from scratch! Talk about a lovely surprise and so, we're devoting "today" to this very special feature! We figure it'll catch the attention of many over the weekend, too. Do enjoy them - they're a must try!

Hi there CP Fans! It's Michiko here from Japan, and I'm going to introduce to you how to create the butterfly layout I just recently finished and submitted to Crate Paper. First though, a small summary about the photo - it's a variety shop near my home in which I'm a regular customer. They have many wonderful sewing items in the shop that I just love - so in support of them, I went with a sewing theme for the layout. You might notice twine and buttons strewn about and also, smidges of sewing!

 

The Essentials: Farmhouse {Homemade}, Peppermint {CandyCane, St.Nick, Gingerbread}, Farmhouse & Random 6" x 6" Paper Pads, Random Stickers, Twine {Yellow}, Ink {Yellow}, Butterflies Mask {Studio Calico or Die-Cut}, Butterfly Punch

 

Gather a photo related to sewing, and then from back to front, layer the following materials; Yellow Patterned Paper, Cream Patterned Paper, Vellum, and Photo. In preparing the patterned papers, hand-trim them with scissors so as to create uneven edges and a more homemade appearance. Finally, sew the ends of all paper layers together as I've done with a sewing machine. {Paper Size is 4" x 5" & Photo Size is 4" x 4"}

 

And if you've these perfectly sized butterfly masks from Studio Calico, use them to trace and trim an assortment of various sized butterflies. The BIG size is of just one, the MIDDLE size 3/4, and the SMALL size 4/5 {Butterfly Punch/Martha Stewart}. 

 

Starting from the top, paint the butterflies with Yellow Ink {Ranger} via a sponge. To create the gradation effect seen here, apply additional ink to the upper portion of the butterfly and progressively work your way down using less and less ink. 

 

Carefully craft a spool for the housing of yellow twine. If you've an extra embroidery holder lying around, use it as a template for creating the spool. You can also use this technique....

Draw a 1.5" x 2" square onto Cream patterned paper. Then draw a line 3/8" from the top and bottom edge of the square. Lastly, Draw a line 2/8" from the right and left edge. 

Trim along the red line shown in the photo above. Round the corner edges slightly with a scissors or corner punch. Add a tiny, lengthwise cut at the very top of the spool and thread it with twine. 

 

Position the shown sticker as I've done, though note, the sticker is that of the outline of this yellow/pink scallop circle sticker. Trim just the outline after removing the sticker - it's appearance it entirely changed! It's very pretty, don't you think? 

 

Display your butterflies via the help of regular adhesive and pop dots. Begin with the largest butterfly first, then below it, arrange your display of medium and small butterflies. Pop some of the butterflies up with pop dots. 

 

Thank-you so much for stopping by today! I'll see you again next month! 

 

Holiday Mini Accordion Brag Book w/Amy Heller

Hi Everyone! It's Amy Heller here today with a fun, practical, economic, and easily mass produced business card sized accordian brad brook for holiday gift giving! I know, it's a wee bit early for the holidays, but I know that there are many of you who like to start early! ;)

 

This brag book measures a petite 3.5" x 2" and is a super gift for parents, grandparents, or others that would appreciate a brag book, but only carry small purses, wallets, or clutches. I envision making several of these and setting them aside, then placing just the pictures and journaling at the last minute to give to doting grandparents as reflections of the Christmas Holiday.

 

For the base of the mini, I used the new solid paper from the Peppermint collection, "Mistletoe". The next great thing about this mini, is that you can get THREE, count them, three mini's (bases) out of this ONE piece of paper. Isn't that amazing?! Talk about quick and economical!! With this one piece of paper along with one more piece of patterned paper for the interior, you really could make three entire minis! The other great thing, to conserve on bulk, was that for the interior I didn't use any chipboard, or anything else that was bulky, only stickers and patterned paper. Of the two mini's I've made so far, the thickest one measures at only 1/4" thick! It's truly compact! So, would you like to see how this fun mini is constructed? Let's get started!

 

The Essentials:

CP Double Sided Pattern Papers - Mistletoe, Peppermint Collection
Paper Trimmer
Corner Rounder
Ruler
Bone Folder
Scoring Board
Pattern Paper {Peppermint Collection}
Stickers {Peppermint Collection}
Embellishments {Optional} 

 

Start by taking your 12 x 12 sheet of solid double sided paper, and trim a strip that's 3.5" wide x 12" long. If you want to create three mini's, continue to trim another two strips of 3.5" wide paper.

 

The next step is scoring. I do not have a score board so I simply use my bone folder with my paper trimmer or my ruler (marking both the top and bottom of the paper with trim marks lightly with pencil), and scoring every 2" down the width of the 12" paper, making sure to flip your paper over after each score. This will create the bend in the correct direction for your accordian fold.

 

Once you've scored, start folding up your mini.

 

It should look like this.

 

Now, I love the look of alternating rounded corners on my projects, so I thought I would do that here as well. Here's a tip - do not try to round the opposite corners of the entire book at the same time. Your rounder will get stuck, so instead, simply punch each folded page separately. Trust me, it will save you a lot of grief! ;)

 

Once you're done it will look like this, each side done, already! That's it for your base!

 

The next step is using your patterned paper for the back grounds of your opposing pages to your photos. I have sized these patterned papers and my photos exactly the same way so that it's easy to remember and to see at such a small size. The size to trim to is 3.25" height by 1.75" wide.

 

At this point, round the corners that coordinate with your pages. I have decided to use my photos on the left and my journaling/artwork on the right, so that's how I coordinate the rounding of my corners. Now adhere them to your base. This is what it will look like.

 

Now it's time for the fun part! Embellish to your heart's content! Just remember, if you are planning to give this as a purse/wallet brag book, keep the layered bulk/heavier embellishments to a minimum. Here's a sample. Keep everything as un-bulky as possible. 

................................................

However, if you like a bit more embellishment, I think a couple layers of small chipboard and securely applied buttons work great as well. I dolled this sample up a bit more, including a bit of sewing just on the cover to give a bit of texture. I made sure to double up on my glue dots, etc. here just to make sure that they would stay secure. Remember, you want these little books to thumbed through at the ready, and to many, so they need to withold handling often (hopefully!). 

 

On the first pages of my mini, you can see, I've added no bulk in the way of dimension, only by layering patterned paper and stickers. I even chose not to add some red gems inbetween my journaling to eliminate bulk, I simply used a red pen to create my separation dots. 

 

Again, with the exception of the cover, I've only used stickers and patterned paper, no dimensional adhesive or anything to keep everything as flat as possible.

 

Lastly, I thought I'd show you how convenient this little mini is going to be for me in my own purse (which by the way, is an average sized purse! I love how it'll just be conveniently tucked into my bag and at the ready! 

Well, everyone, that does it for me today! I hope you enjoyed learning how to easily and economically create convenient brag books for your family and friends this holiday season! Have a wonderful week! :D

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!

Crate Scraps to Gift-Wrap w/Tara Anderson

Hello again and welcome to the second part of my "Crate Scraps to Gift-Wrap!" I'd like to think that embellishing gifts just happens to be my specialty as it's always a little bit of a competition around here, come Christmas time, as to who will create the prettiest present of all! I've found some new uses for Crate's pretty Peppermint Collection that goes beyond scrapbooking and takes a new look gift adorning!

 

What could be prettier than vintage map paper and the subtle pops of color from the Peppermint Collection? Here, I created a mosaic look on the top of this gift overlapping cutout gift tags from the Present paper and adding a small handmade punhed garland. I think my all-time favorite way to use Crate's Accent Cuts is to use them as journaling/gift cards. They really are the perfect size! For this gift, I sewed a little collection of white buttons onto an Accent Cut, added a glittery Snowflake Stand Out and finally, a stack of buttons tied on with bakers twine finishes the embellished part of the gift-wrap.

 

Pillow boxes are my secret go-to for the giving of a gift card, because lets face it, few things are as boring as a gift card in a little, tiny envelope! To recreate this look, start with sheer garland. I made mine from tissue paper circles delicately sewn together. Next, wrap another smaller, but sturdier (cardstock) piece of garland around the gift. I made mine from scrap paper with the assistance of my favorite paper punch. Use a glue dot to secure the garlands to one another. You can also use ribbon, tied in a bow, to secure the garlands for a girly touch. I created a quick gift tag by using various sized Peppermint Chipboard Accents layered between foam pop-dots for added dimension. 

 

Petite sized gifts need petite sized boxes. My favorite ones to use are found in the baking aisle of the common, everyday craft store. Truffle & Cupcake Boxes are at the top of my favorite's list! Because they're small, you can get extra creative with whatever you choose to wrap the box with. For this present, I used pink comic book paper and wrapped strips of the Mistletoe paper (trimmed with pinking sheers) around it. I then wrapped Peppermint border stickers around it and twine. An Accent Cut was used as the base for my gift tag. Use pop-dots to layer a combination of Chipboard Accents and Standout Embellishments to create an easy, yet striking gift card. 

 

Here, a simple shipping size tag was transformed into a no-fuss place card for the dinner table. To recreate a set of your very own, you'll need only a few basic supplies: cardstock paper, letter stickers, border stickers and the Peppermint chipboard accents. I used a template to cut out my tag, layered two pieces of border stickers along the bottom and then added a Chipboard Accent secured with a glue-dot.

 

To create this flowering bow, I started by simply cutting the Embellish paper into 1" strips, and lightly misted them with water. Shake off any extra water, gently crinkle the paper in your hand and let dry. Once the paper is dry, overlap the strips, turning some of them over so you have two different patterns showing. Using a stapler, secure all the papers together in the center. Add a few foam pop-dots to a Pin Wheel Standout and place it in the center of your bow! 

Thanks so much for letting me share some of my holiday gift-wrap ideas with you! Tis the season for lovely gifts! ~ Tara

Crate Scraps to Gift Wrap w/Tara Anderson

Hello Crate Paper fans! It's Tara here to share a little post that I'd like to call "Crate Scraps to Gift Wrap". Now that we are inching ever so closer to the Holidays, it's time once again to start thinking about presents and gift wrap, and what could be better than creating your own handmade gift wrap from all that scrap-paper you've been holding onto?!

I'm going to start off by discussing the topic via a recent gift wrapped box I recently made - housed beneath a pretty, large-sized  butterfly that is sure to delight a friend or family member..

My FIVE favorite ideas for handmade gift wrap!

1. Start with a color scheme and choose about 3 or 4 colors. You'll be surprised at how simple gift wrapping becomes when you limit the choices of colors you can use. By sticking to just a few colors, you can organize your supplies accordingly and hopefully, this will save you time! For this particular wrapping, I went with the warth of Fall and balanced it out with snippets of both Grey and Cream.

 

2. I try to make it a point to reuse as much of my paper scraps as possible. I'll use my paper punches to punch a shape out of every last little piece of scrap paper. Once my punched shape collection has grown, I sew the paper pieces together and create paper garlands that can be used to wrap around gift boxes! (To keep your garlands nice and neat (and untangled), wrap each one on it's own spool!)

 

3. I love the layered look of gift packages and it's easy when you layer a combination of colors and textures together. To create a layered gift card, I started with a vintage button card and decorated it with a few of Crate's lovely buttons, along with a self-made pretty floral. I then took one of Random's Accent Cut Cards and wrote a little note on the front of it. I partnered the two cards together with a scrap of canvas and a cute petite clip.

 

4. Use your paper punches or hand-cut shapes to make dimensional embellishments. (You can also use foam pop dots in between the layers of paper to give your embellishment more dimension) I always create one large embellishment for my gift wrap, these will replace the traditional bow on top the gift.

5. Go Neutral! You can never go wrong with Crate's infamous tone on tone pattern papers as wrapping paper for a small gift or instead, opt for ledger paper (as I've noted below). They lend seamlessly to colorful additions to placed on top the gift!

 Lastly, FIVE simple must haves for a lovely gift!

1. A Neutral gift wrap paper. I love vintage ledger paper, map paper and flocked wall paper.
2. Handmade paper garlands.
3. Ribbon to tie and hold everything together.
4. Layered gift tags
5. A grand gift topper! 

Hope you enjoyed a few of my ideas on creating your very own gift wrap and remember to save those scraps! I'll return next week with an entirely new series of holiday gift wrap images from Crate's Peppermint Collection! Have a lovely weekend! ~ Tara Anderson 

Creative Title Making with Geralyn Sy

Hi everyone! Geralyn here today, and I wanted to share with you a fun tutorial on how I made the ‘joy’ title on my scrapbook page. I wanted to try something a little different and instead of using letter stickers for the title, I came up with this! 

Here's a quick supply list before we get started: Crate Paper Peppermint/Farmhouse Patterned Paper & Accent Cuts, Adhesive Foam Tabs, A Craft Knife and a Pencil.

 

First, I picked one of the designs from the Peppermint Accent Cuts sheet. I then used a craft knife and cut out the inner portion of the card. I’ll be using the green frame for this project.

 

I cut out a rectangle that’s the same size as the green frame, from a sheet of Sunday Dinner patterned paper (Farmhouse collection). Then I used a pencil to write the word ‘joy’.

*If you're not comfortable drawing out a title, print one directly on top the patterned paper via the help of your computer and then use it a guide in the following step.

 

Using my craft knife, I carefully cut out the word ‘joy’.

 *Don't forget a cutting mat to lay beneath the surface of your paper when doing this kind of trimwork or else you risk damaging your treasured work surface (well, technically, our work surfaces have a tendency to grow covered in ink and cut marks quickly, but none the less, it's something worth thinking about).

 

Time to pick another patterned paper, but this one's to go behind the negative space of the freshly trimmed word! I chose the red and grey-striped b-side of the Gingerbread patterned paper (Peppermint collection). So, now you have three layers: the green frame is the top layer, the word ‘joy’ is the second layer, and the red and grey paper is the bottom layer.

 

Instead of using my adhesive runner to put the three layers together, I wanted to add a bit of dimension to my project, so I used adhesive foam tabs between each layer instead. That’s pretty much it :)

 

I decided to add some finishing touches before I used the newly created ‘joy’ card on my layout. With the help of a white pento, go ahead and add some faux stitching around the frame. I then popped up a couple of circle die-cuts (Peppermint collection) using adhesive foam tabs. Finally, I added a little scalloped border at the top right corner, and tied some baker’s twine around the side of the frame to finish it off.

 

Here is my layout again, using the Peppermint collection. One thing I love about the Crate Paper patterned papers is that there is a printed scalloped design on the bottom strip of each paper, where the name of the paper and the collection it’s belongs to, is listed. I fussy cut the woodgrain scalloped from a sheet of Gingerbread patterned paper (Peppermint collection) and used it across my page.. Note how it creates a strong, defined base for the placement of my photo and title!

 

I hope you've enjoyed my tutorial and decide to give it a try at some point! It's really quite simple to create, and you can customize it to any word you wish! Thank-you for visiting the Crate Paper blog today!!