Crate Paper

Upcoming Tutorial + Extras

We've simply have not done enough sharing of the projects we've been receiving from our blog contribution team these last few weeks. We thought today might be a good day to do a lil' catch'en up, so we've reserved this post exclusively for them! They've put together some really great ideas for you, including an upcoming tutorial from Lucy Edson which will premier the week of June 7th. We've posted a sneak peek from her tutorial below...well, technically it's not a sneak peek, it's the actual project. We couldn't resist showing it off cause it's unbelievably cool!! You'll definitely want to be here the week of June 7th to find out how she made this phenomenal canvas based collage. Also posted today are a couple of layouts from two of our talented team members, Suzanne Sergi & Emily Spahn.  They've included tips and techniques to go along with their projects, so be sure to check them out before you leave today! Have a great weekend you guys - we'll return Monday with our next SGND :)

 

Lucy Edson :: Brook, Pink Plum & Brook Collections

Here's the canvas project we spoke about earlier on..what do you think? We told Lucy that we wanted to replicate this project for ourselves - never have we seen our products used this way before!  We can't wait to see how the tutorial comes together..we're sure it will be great because the project is pure eye candy - look at all that paper!!

 

 

 

Lucy Edson :: Paper doll & Brook Collections

Designer Tips & Techniques: 

My daughter has taken an interest in crafting and wanted to learn to stitch, so I punched stitching holes in a tag for her to practice on. To my delight, she allowed me to use it on my layout, along with photos of her work in progress. 

I so love all the gorgeous colors in all the Crate lines and had fun combining border stickers from both the Brook and Paper Doll collections to form borders along the top and bottom of my layout. And more mixing with the embellishments by adding in a bit of Pink Plum, too! I created some dimension and texture by layering flowers over a lace doily and a butterfly on top. I kept with the stitching theme by adding lace, buttons and stitching to finish it off. 

 

 

 Emily Spahn :: Pink Plum Collection

Designer Tips & Techniques:

I knew the colors of the "Pink Plum" collection would work wonderfully with the photo of my daughter's first smile. I explain in my journaling that if I had known she was going to smile, I would have chosen a different outfit to put her in that day! But the pink and red onesie was a perfect match to the Pink Plum patterned papers.

When I began this layout, I envisioned the title directly beneath the journaling on the right. However, after playing around with a number of different alphabets, I realized that I had really not left enough room to put a proper title on the right (ever done this?), so instead I moved it under the photo. In the end, I liked this placement much better, as it left more room for me to use some of the coordinating Pink Plum diecuts on the page. I tend to be a very simply scrapper, and embellishments are a bit scary to me at times! But these diecuts fell into place perfectly. I raised them up from the page to add a bit of dimension. I also used a paper piercing template to add a little detail under the photo and above the journaling. Finally, as I tend to do on most my layouts, I inked the edges of everything!!

 

 

 

Suzanne Sergi :: Pink Plum Collection

Designer Tips & Techniques: 

I'm all about layers, and texture on my pages! I love creating border strips along the bottom of my pages. When I first saw the beautiful floral print in the Pink Plum collection, I knew Prima flowers would be a perfect combination! This snapshot of my little girl captured her beauty, and playful personality. I knew I wanted my layout to reflect this. I created my own "scallop butterfly" to add that bit of playfulness to the page. I'm always trying to incorporate more texture to my handmade elements, so my Swiss Dots Folder from Cuttlebug is always near by! I added more dimension by creating more layers onto the butterfly. I was going to use stick pins for my butterfly, but found a perfect replacement on the designer diecuts sheet in this collection. Take a look at the paper embellishments; you'll find creative and fun ways to use them on your projects! Also, I'm all about the ribbon right now. I love twisting and turning it on my pages to add a bit of whimsy to my pages!

 

So, we gave you an entire week to send us your sketch challenge entry and now time has run out! Today we'll be announcing one lucky winner from last week's challenge. Before we do, we'd like to share with you a long line-up of projects submitted to us in response to the challenge. As always, thanks to all who participated - as always, your thoughtful creations are extraordinarily wonderful and we thoroughly appreciate you sending them our way!

   

Suzanne Beir :: Pink Plum

 

 

Amy Stiner :: Orbit

 

 

Shermaine Smith :: Paper Doll

 

 

Aurelie Cormier :: Paper Doll 

 

 

Melissa McClary :: Pink Plum

 

 

Marielle Leblanc :: Pink Plum

 

Deborah Marasa :: Paper Doll

 

Sara B. :: Brook

 

 

Colleen B. :: Pink Plum

 

 

Theresa Jaye :: Mia

 

 

Samantha Taylor :: Season

 

 

Bri Johnson :: Orbit

 

And now, a peek at the winner!!

 

Geralyn :: Brook & Prudence

Ahh, we fell in love with your card the minute we saw it Geralyn!! It simply brightened our day with it's cheerful, Summer inspired color palette! It's perfectly fitting for this time of year and we really like how you've combined our two favorite collections; Brook & Prudence. Thank-you for sharing it with us - please send us your shipping info at info@cratepaper.com so that we may ship you two Crate Paper collections! Congratulations Geralyn!!

Again, a huge thank-you to everyone who contributed to last week's sketch! We'll premiere another inspiring sketch in a week or two! Have a great day you guys!

Email Tuesday

We keep switching things up around here..first, it's "Email Monday", then it's "Email Wednesday" and now it's "Email Tuesday". Laugh. We hope you don't mind the change of schedule in showcasing your work. We cherish our blog readers and are extremely grateful for the creations you share with us on a day to day basis. With that said, we like to rearrange things from time to time to keep this place interesting. Today, we're making it all about YOU! Yep, you've submitted and we're sharing! We've choreographed a line-up of layouts we received from a number of our blog readers these last few weeks. We're finally debuting them for your viewing pleasure...check out what our blog readers have been up to with both our new and old collections! 

   

 

 

Ellen Sosnoski :: Brook Collection

We *heart* the simplicity of Ellen's scrapbook style..her subtle details are exquisite, we especially like how she's combined our Brook Chipboard flower with a small crystal vintage button. It's precious. 

 

 

 

Tatum Woodroffe :: Cottage Collection

Using a playful combination of stitching & Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, Tatum created two lovely layouts about her sweet lil' girls. 

 

 

 

Lisa Wilkinson :: Brook Collection

Lisa has really taken our Brook collection up a notch with her two layouts. She hand trimmed a branch from our "Branch" pattern paper and popped it up by bringing the branches forward. She's also created a her very own mini banner from our "Ripple" pattern paper and added stitching to support it. 

 

 

Claude Campeau :: Brook Collection

A girl can never have to much Crate Paper...Claude used five sheets of Brook pattern paper on one layout! We're totally impressed! 

 

Andi Dickson :: Bliss Collection

It's an exciting time for the kiddo's - first day back school! All dolled up, Andi's daughter matches perfectly with the purples that make up our "bliss" collection. Combined with all them purples are hand-trimmed flowers from our "Dreamy" pattern paper, which are cleverly positioned near the bottom of the layout. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carole Janson :: Little Sprout, Katlin & Prudence Collections

Everything Carole creates is quite literally a work of art...there is rarely a detailed missed and her knack for layering is astounding! She recently gave us permission to share these gorgeous CP creations from her gallery...some were created a while ago, but we still couldn't help but post'em. Thank-you Carole! 

This is all but a small sampling of our inbox, but alas, we've run out of time! Thank-you to all that continue to send us their CP projects..if you've thought about contributing a project or two, please email it to info@cratepaper.com Remember, we give away $50 worth of Crate Paper goodies to two lucky SGND's each month!! All you have to do is submit!

We'll see you tomorrow to announce our new sketch challenge winner! 

  

Fabric Crate Paper Tag + Crochet Tutorial

Sometimes, we find ourselves in just the right place at just the right moment..and today is no exception 'cause the tutorial we're about to share with you is one we located this morn'en..of course, we have to pass on credit to the creator. She gave us a sneak peek of her project over the weekend before the tutorial's gigantic premier today. The tutorial is shown via video format and demonstrates how to crochet on one's scrapbook pages/projects. It's creator, Lolly Chops, is a highly brilliant, skilled videographer and entertainer (at least we think so) and her crafty creations are loved by many (including us!).  She's done wonders with our "Bliss" collection! She made a Crate Paper fabric tag using only our "Bliss" rub-ons and three sheets of CP pattern paper! By looking at the tag, one would never guess it took her only a handful of items to create it, but Lolly has a way of working miracles with everything she comes in contact with...her work is gorgeous and we're excited to share it with you today! Here's a peek at the tag!

 

 

That's it for today you guys! We'll return tomorrow with a large line-up of projects from our blog readers. Lots of you (and we mean lots!) have been sending us your CP creations and we're a little behind in getting them posted..we promise to dedicate tomorrow's post to you! We'll also be announcing our next SGND winner early next week, so stay tuned for that! Oh, one last thing we should mention before leaving you today - if you haven't already done so, send us your sketch challenge entry before time runs out! Only a few days remain before we select a sketch challenge winner! Thanks to all who've submitted thus far! It won't be easy for us to select only one of you..the submissions thus far have been amazing! We just love what you're doing with this latest sketch :)

 

Saying Good-Bye to Card Week!

We're finalizing card week here at Crate Paper, though we couldn't see ending it without sharing a few additional cards, including some from our blog readers...if you happen to be a card maker or simply love making cards, we're very much interested in seeing your creations. We'll do our best to showcase them here in the best possible way, even though much of what we present here is scrapbook related. We can't emphasize enough how much your creations mean to us, so if you're holding onto a card or two that includes some of our goodies, send them to us at info@cratepaper.com We're going to try and make an effort at expanding the kinds of projects we share here, cards included! Speaking of which, here are the cards we mentioned a little earlier on....a huge thanks to our blog readers, blog contributors and all those at Two Peas who continue to use CP goodies on their projects! 

 

 Laura Craigie :: Brook Collection

Designer Tips & Techniques:

Sometimes, when I can't find a matching ribbon, I'll just use pattern paper in the same way I would have done with the ribbon. In this case, I created "ribbon" loops on either side of the main embellishment. I also wanted to add a bit more glitter, so I just rubbed some glue on the top of each loop and sprinkled glitter on. 

When I use glitter on cards and I'm not worried about any "archival" issues, I'll set the glitter with some hairspray. I always have it on hand, and it just seals it on there. 

 

Laurie Craigie :: Paper Doll Collection 

Designer Tips & Techniques:

I really like to alter, and jazz up chipboard pieces. For this flower I did 3 things to take it to the next level. First, I added some rhinestones and pearls in the flower centre. Next, I filled in the middle of the flower with simple white glue following the pattern that was already there and I covered it in Micro Beads. Lastly, I used some pink glitter glue, and followed the pattern on the outside of the flower to add some interest to the edge of the chipboard. 

 

 

Laurie Craigie :: Pink Plum Collection

Designer Tips & Techniques:

Once again, I upped the appeal for the main flower here by layering chipboard pieces, and attaching them with a matching brad in the centre. Then, I used some brown glitter glue to make the whole thing sparkle. 

Another fun thing to do is to dry emboss patterned paper. It's such a simple way to add beautiful texture to your projects. 

 

Emily Spahn :: Paper Doll Collection

Designer Tips & Techniques:

This card was for the brand new baby of a coworker. I thought the "Little Girls are a Gift" die-cut featured the perfect sentiment. This was the centerpiece of my card. For the background, I used the "Katie" patterned Paper. One of my favorite techniques is using inked paper strips, but on this card the "Katie" paper did the job for me! It looks just like strips of coordinating papers, when in reality it is just another single paper. I used the other papers, stickers and rub-ons from this awesome girly line to complete my card. To add a little extra detail, I raised the die-cut sentiment with 3-D dots, added some brads (which actually came from the Pink Plum brad collection) and outlined everything with brown ink. This is a quick and easy card that any girl (or mom to a new girl!) will love!

 

Chris Boshoff sent these to us a few weeks ago - she's done a tremendous amount of paper piecing on some of her cards using our feminine retro-inspired collection, Bliss. We're always amazed when people trim elements from our pattern papers - it's takes an incredible amount of time to do it and because of this, it's one of are all time favorite techniques!

 

Another one of our regular blog readers, Shermaine Smith, informed us about a tutorial she just recently posted at the "Love My Tapes" blog.  Flowers and bouquets are blossoming by the minute in the crafter's community!  Shermaine created her own lovely blossom using our "Emma" pattern paper. Check out her tutorial for step-by-step instructions on how to recreate one for yourself!  

 

 

 

 

Sweet and talented card maker/scrapbooker, Amy Heller, combined both digital and non-digital elements to build her own one-a-kind houses, which she then made into cute, quirky cards. She explains a little more about the process of building the houses via her blog at Paush Designs. We located Amy's cards at the Two Peas Gallery...thanks Amy for allowing us to post them here! 

The sketch challenge is still up and running..all sketch challenge projects are due by Tuesday, May 25th, 12:00am Central time. The winner receives two of our latest collections - you pick your two fave! To join in on the fun, all that's required is an individual card based on this week's sketch! Check out the sketch via the previous post! Have a great weekend everyone! We hope you've enjoyed "Card Week" here at Crate Paper :)

Card Week Continued :: Sketch Challenge

Welcome to another day devoted to card making as we get through this busy week and attempt to inspire you with ways to use our goods on your latest card projects! We've lined up a new sketch challenge to go along with this week's ongoing theme of card making. Maybe you're someone who enjoys a good sketch once in a while for creating a card or two..if not, we still recommend giving this next sketch a try because today's sketch challenge winner will receive not just one of our collections, but TWO!! The best part is, this sketch isn't just for card makers, it's for scrapbookers too! The sketch is versatile enough for creating both cards and layouts! To enter your sketch challenge creation, simply email us your project image (info@cratepaper.com) or post a link to your project in the comment section below. Our sketch challenge winner will be announced early next week! 

 

 

 

Waleska Neris :: Paper Doll & Brook Collections

We don't typically think to include an envelope as part of our card design, but Waleska invented a great way to include one in hers - it looks to be a kraft envelope that been altered to be used a background for framing her card. We just love the way her card turned out - so adorable!

Lori Gentile :: Pink Plum Collection

Lori shared a tip or two for creating her lovely card - "To Create the petal effect, I removed the scalloped edges from the Blueberry die-cut paper, inked and curled each one, then adhered them to the edge of my circle. I added two rows of drawn pen lines to give it a homemade sewn look."

Heidi Sonboul :: Paper Doll Collection

Heidi has put together a quick video showcasing her card creation - to find out what's inside, click on the "Play" button below! Heidi gives a full tour of the card from front to back!

Davinie Fiero :: Pink Plum Collection

A classic, clean interpretation of the sketch is what we enjoy most about Davinie's card - she's downsized the circle and added a simple title. 

 Mou Saha :: Pink Plum, Brook, Prudence & Lemon Grass Collections

 

Jill Cornell :: Paper Doll Collection

Is this just not the most precious card you have ever seen? Jill turned the sketch on it's side and made the focus of her card a Paper Doll chipboard flower. She then used one of our Paper Doll rub-ons as a centerpiece for the flower. The card is a perfect example of how flexible our collections are when it comes to creating projects of various themes. 

 

Remember, you have 'til early next week to submit your project and there are two collections up for grabs!!  Either send or post your submission below - Have a great day you guys! 

 

Monday Guest Designer :: Eva Dobilas

Because we realize that some of you aren't "scrapbookers" per say, but card makers, we've oriented the next couple of updates to be all about cards! We want to demonstrate that not only are our collections ideal for scrapbooking, but they're also great for cardmaking! Today's guest designer, Eva Dobilas, an avid card maker & scrapbooker for the past thirteen years, recently had a chance to play with some of our collections. She's choreographed an assortment of cards in a variety of sizes and styles for us to partake in today. Her style is both classic and clean, though with a hint of elegance. We encourage you to take a peek at her creations..even if you're not a card maker. Eva's cards are truly spectacular - thanks Eva for sharing your talent with our readers as we begin the journey into card making this week!

 

 

Eva Dobilas lives in Southern California and has been an avid scrapbooker/cardmaker for the past 13 years. She loves to create elegant, classy, sometimes dreamy cards, layouts and 3-D projects. You may have seen her work in Cards Magazine & Stamp Arts Magazine. 

She loves using stamps on all her projects and among a few Design Team responsibilities; currently she is happily designing for Unity's {ippity} rubber stamp line and Helmar USA, Inc. She is also a Prima Endorsed Teacher and you will find her teaching in Southern California's local scrapbook stores. 

Eva's blog can be found at www.evafromca.blogspot.com

And just because we asked...

When did you begin your creative journey with scrapbooking and how did you get started in the hobby?

I started scrapbooking 13 years ago, when a friend invited me to a crop, then another friend introduced me to stamping and I fell in love with creating cards.  So today, after many years of playing with papers, stamps and other mixed medias, I can honestly say I would be lost without this hobby.

If you were to describe your scrapbook style in five words or less, what would they be?

Layered, shaped, detailed, colorful, playful..but it's so hard to find the right words.

What inspires you to create? What are your primary sources of inspiration?

Originally, it was magazines, than blogs came along with their challenges, and I love a good sketch and color combo. But, just recently, I fell in love with things you can find on Etsy. In fact, the flower idea on my Thank-You card totally came from there. I also follow and admire a lot of artists. Lately, most of them have been card makers, and just to name a few, I love Jennifer McGuire, Betsy Veldman for her colors, Amy Sheffer for her incredible style, and a scrapbooker I love is Christine Middlecamp and no, I'm not just saying this as she works for Crate Paper. I have been a long time lover of her amazing layered style and have spent hours taking apart her projects on my computer screen..he,he. 

Where to you do most of your scrapbooking? What time of day are you most creative?

I create mostly in the afternoons and evenings. I'm fortunate to work from home and only a few hours early in the morning, so I can create almost every day.

What is your current favorite scrapbooking technique and why? What scrapbook techniques have you enjoyed previously and of those, which do you still use?

My current favorite technique would be 3-D flower making. Since I do love the layered look, it adds so much to my layouts/cards, and they are all very unique. I have always been a "shape lover" and I used to draw my own shapes in the past, but finally I got a Silhoutte cutting machine and boy, do I have a love affair going on with it..he,he.

What is your favorite Crate Paper scrapbook collection of all time?

I remember falling in love with the classy look of the Crate Avenue Collection and the gorgeous colors of the Samantha Collection, but I have to say today I'm all crazy about the Paper Doll Collection, as those are my favorite colors right now and the designs are just adorable, even though I don't have a little girl. I also adore the Pink Plum Collection, as the pink and orange combo is just gorgeous! Well, it's really hard to pick one, as I have always been drawn to Crate Paper's color palette's..in fact, that is always what I'm so drawn to every time they release a new line. 

 

 

My first card is made with the gorgeous Pink Plum Collection. I chose to make a circle shape and created a beautiful flower using a mix of organza fabric and Pink Plum pattern papers. Up until now, I have only created paper flowers, or fabric flowers, but I have never really mixed the two of them, so this was a lot of fun to make!

To create the flower, I started out by cutting four 4" circles from organza fabric and holding them above a candle, I cinched the edges just a bit. I layered them on top of each other and then cut out six 1 3/4" size circles from three different papers. I distressed the edges of the six circles by crumbling them a little bit and layered them together to create the flower. I finally added another small flower, cut using a Spellbinders die-cut, and inserted a brad to hold the layers of my flower together. I really love how this flower turned out and I know I will be making more. I hand cut my leaf and again, I crumpled it a little bit to get the look I wanted and added it to my card. 

 

 

My second card uses my current favorite line from Crate Paper, the Paper Doll Collection. I fell in love with the Sparkle Chip and as soon as I saw them, I knew I had to use the little girl dress shape! The little sentiment from Crate's chipboard accents was a perfect addition as well. My card shape was cut out with my Silhouette. It was just too cute to not use with these papers. The crinkled ribbon was made by me, using seam binding ribbon. I sprayed it with Glimmer Mist, crunched it up in a baggie and then let it sit overnight in the baggie before letting it air dry the next day. The color was just perfect for this little card!

 

 

My next card was created with the Brook Collection. There really is no special technique used on this card, but again, I did use a shaped card as the base and because I love Crate's Sparkle Chip, I added that to my card as well. Also, I love the little Celebrate chipboard accent and the Be Happy sticker, so I decided to hang them from my bow and button combo!

 

 

My last card includes stamping - showcasing how amazingly well this collection goes with stamps! Again, I created my flowers by stamping the same flower on different papers several times. I then cut them out via "sections" and layered them on top of each other. 

 

Finally, I just have to add - "Thank-You" Crate Paper for having me as your guest designer, it has been so much fun creating with your gorgeous products and I know I will have many more projects showcased on my blog and galleries in the future! 
 

"You're Welcome Eva!"

Splatter Paint Tutorial :: Ronda Palazzari

Oh boy, do we have a GREAT tutorial to share with you today!! We recently asked one of our blog contributors, Ronda Palazzari, if she'd be willing to demonstrate her infamous paint splatter technique with our CP fans and sure enough, she said, "Yes!" She also sent us a layout to coincide with the tutorial, which we happen to think is *uber* cool! Never have we seen our pattern papers used like this before...you're really going to love it! We promise...ok, it's time to reinstate the ol' toothbrush and start paint'en! Also, grab your apron cause you never know where the paint is going to land while trying out this technique..have fun you guys!!

I love using paints to add to my pages. It's like I get to be a kid all over again. They add just the right touches to my backgrounds. I sometimes use colors to recede (Neutrals) and sometimes colors to pop (brights & compliments).

 

My painting supplies include all kinds of acrylic paints, round brushes, square brushes, an old toothbrush and whatever else I can get my hands on. Each brush shape and size creates a different pattern. You will also need Newspaper or other paper to cover your work area. These splatters can travel far so when in doubt, cover it up! I also wear my favorite pair of worn out jeans and shirt. Chances are, I'll end up wearing my paint!

 

I almost always add water to my paints when splattering, more to the tube acrylics and less to the liquid acrylics. You want the paint to be fluid enough to move, almost milky in texture. By adding a lot more water, you can make a watercolor-like splatter.

 

 

For the background of my layout, I used a larger round tip brush loaded up with lots of paint. You want to flick your wrist to get those "traveling splatters", the ones that look like they are moving across your page. 

 

Sometimes, I just want a drip. Load up your paint brush again. Hold it high above your page and squeeze the liquid down the brush tip. You get these beautiful "drip" splatters.

 

Take a closer look at these different kinds of splatters.

 

Sometimes, it's easier to try out these techniques using a smaller surface. The way, you can play around with your materials and see what you like. Here I cut some white cardstock down to 2" x 3". I punched a hole in towards the bottom and rounded the corners. You don't have to do this step...it's just part of my layout. But, I do recommend you play around with the smaller pieces of cardstock.

 

 

This square brush tip has uneven bristles. You can make this by trimming a cheap square brush. Flick the paint with your finger tip. It creates these little bubbles, both small and large, on the cardstock.

 

 

With the round tip brush, I flicked the tip of the brush with my finger and got these small little splatters. And then, I flicked my wrist (like with the chocolate paint) and got the traveling splatters.

 

 

Before the paint dried completely, I dabbed the spots with a paper towel.

 

 

The toothbrush splatter...So much fun, but messy! Dip your toothbrush into the paint and again with your finger, flick the paint onto the page. You will create this fine mists of paints. You can change the direction of the toothbrush to change the direction of the mists.

 

 

 

This is an extra large square paint brush. It absorbs a lot of paint, so when I finger flick it, it creates this beautiful stream of paint. So very cool.

Here's a look at Ronda's layout that resulted from her tutorial..we told you it would be fabulous! Thank-you Ronda dear for organizing and writing today's tutorial!! I think we're now ready to doing some painting ourselves :)

 

Temporarily removed for publication - will return a little later on! Thanks!!

Blog Contributor :: Amy Parker

There are some scrapbookers out there that have this amazing ability to use tiny bits and pieces of small little things to create wonderful works of art. Our dear contributor, Amy Parker, is just one of those scrapbookers. Her work is often truly unique and is exceptionally beautiful. Today, Amy's offering insight into her design process to help us better understand what it is that motivates her scrapbook style. She's also come up with some really GREAT ways to use our stuff, including the salvage edges of our pattern papers! She's created both a layout and mini album for today's post - check'em out below!

 

 

Hi, my name is Amy Parker. I live on the Central Coast of California with my husband, Jed, and my 2 and a half year old daughter, Creedence. I am Mommy by day, and avid creator by night. Scrapbooking is the first art form that has ever made me feel creative, and free in that creativity!! From the moment I started, I was set for life. Scrapbooking is therapy for me and helps me to express myself. Every emotion and feeling and memory is different, and that is exactly how I think they should be expressed in scrapbooking! So from this you will find that I scrap in a variety of styles. And I love having that freedom to just create what I feel! I am so extremely excited about joining the team here at Crate Paper! Thanks you so much for this opportunity!

(Click on image to enlarge)

This is a layout I did celebrating the 7th anniversary of my mom's passing. I wanted layers and layers and layers on this! (but honestly, I think I went a wee bit overboard! LOL!) It didn't exactly turn out the way I wanted, but I'm still happy with it. I used lots of paint, paper layers and textiles (such as the flowers, ribbons and additional sewing) to create depth and texture to the layout, yet still have it be a fairly flat layout. I used Mia, Cottage and Brook collections. None of my lines are straight (which I didn't really do on purpose), but it kinda makes the layers seem more natural or "organic". One thing I also did, that I super duper LOVE about Crate's paper, is to use the selvage edge of the papers! They have a coordinating pattern on one side, so to utilize both selvage edge and pattern paper, I cut just above the line that separates the two areas using decorative scissors - giving me two colors on one strip! I think I'm going to be addicted to doing this for as long as I have selvage edges to work with! :)

 
 

  

 

 

The images above are of an album I made to help organize my wedding this upcoming December. I'm not sure that I actually see myself using the album, because now I'm too afraid of it being beat up in all the use. :P Oh well. One thing I wanted for this album is white space on each of my pages. But on the parts that I did apply embellishments, I wanted SUPER layers! I love layers. Just like the layout, I used lots of paint, ribbons, stitching and an assortment of other fun elements. On the cover, I added flowers for depth, and on the inside pages, I used metals and die-cut layers. On one of the pages, I just about started crying (the purple idea page) because my Creedence (daughter) colored over it with a pencil!! Thank goodness it was only that because I was able to erase the pencil marks from the page, but it still looked horrible! So, I tried to cover it with paint and Boo-Hoo, it still looks horrible (we don't think so Amy!). Oh well, what are you gonna do?! You can only pout for so long..smile. 

This journal was one I picked up from Target for $3. It's made from 100% recyclable materials (except the metal binding of course), and I just covered it with Crate Paper pattern papers. I will do before and after shots on my blog (Amy's blog), but can also provide you with what the album looked like before I covered it. It holds both ledger paper and folder pages. The one part of the album that I changed was the closure. It used to just fold over the entire front to keep it closed, but my pages are fairly thick, so I needed something "looser". I punched a hole with my Crop-O-Dile and stuck a button's fixture in the hole (glueing it down pretty good!!) - the elastic clasp just wraps around it! 

Thank-You Amy! As always, your projects are gorgeous and we appreciate you providing us lots of helpful info for using Crate Paper's goodies! We'll return Friday with Ronda's Paint Splatter tutorial..and for all you card lovers out there, we're hosting a card sketch challenge in a few short days! We're inviting all card makers to take part in the challenge!! Emily Pitts has put together another great sketch for us..it begins next Wednesday, so mark it on your calendars! We'll be giving away another CP collection, but this time, you get to choose the collection! 

A New Addition

If you haven't already found yourself traveling overseas in search of fresh, inspiring scrapbook talent, you're truly missing out. We regularly receive submissions from all over the world including France, Germany, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Canada and other countries where scrapbooking has just as much of a foothold on crafters as it does here. Last week, we met an amazingly talented scrapbooker/paper artist from Japan. Some of you may already be familiar with her graphic inspired scrapbook style and awe engaging blog - her name is Kaori Watanabe. We recently invited her to be a member of our blog contribution team after receiving numerous submissions from her. We immediately fell in love with her work and thought that maybe you'd enjoy seeing more it here! We'd like to formally welcome Kaori as Crate Paper's newest blog contributor team member! Below is sampling of Kaori's work, including layouts using some of our CP goodies! Welcome Kaori! 

   
 

Brook Collection

Look at all the bits and pieces of paper that Kaori has used to create this stunning layout! What we especially love about her work is that she's a total rule breaker! No grids, no borders, no boundaries. She creates "outside the box" in a sort of non-traditional fashion...it's fun & unbelievably beautiful! 

 

 Brook & Mia Collections

Along with this gorgeous layout, Kaori sent us a couple close-up images of some of the techniques used to create her layout. We've posted them below..you might run out and buy a sewing machine after seeing what she's done with hers...vellum + Pattern Paper + Ribbon...um, genius. 

   

 

 

 

We're not really sure where Kaori found the slide holder chipboard pieces, but it's a real treat to see our papers on them! Backed with vellum, our pattern papers "pop"! 

 

Brook Collection

 

Pink Plum Collection

 

Cottage & Lillian Collections

 

Little Sprout & Cottage Collections

 

Little Sprout, Cottage, & Mia Collections

 

Cottage Collection

 Again, lets welcome Kaori to the CP team! We're super excited (seriously, super beyond-anything-we-could-of-ever-imagined excited) to have you on board..and now onto the next set of enticing news. Our paint splatter expert, Rhonda Palazarri, is putting together an awesome "paint splatter" tutorial for us this week. We encourage you to come check it out, especially if you've always wanted to try the ol' paint splatter technique..we're paint-a-phobics over here, so we're definitely interested in learning more about Ronda's technique. Supposedly, all it takes is a round tip paint brush/tooth brush and some paint...and lots of newspaper (incase you're splatter doesn't find it's way onto the paper). Come see what it's all about later this week! We're certain it will informative as Rhonda creates great tutorials. You won't want to miss it!