Crate Paper

Crate Paper Retailer Contest & Giveaway!

We're honored and delighted to announce an exciting event over at:

 

Scrap Attack Scrapbooking was recently nominated to be 1 of 3 

(http://crate.typepad.com/cratepaper/2010/07/winners-contest-mini.html).

and they want to pass on the winnings to you!

 

All month, Scrap Attack Scrapbooking is having a Crate Paper contest!

"Grab a box, a "crate" or even a drawer full of paper because

we're kicking September off with a contest! We’d love to see what you are creating with

all of your Crate Paper products."  

 

We hope you can join us for a little contest. 

Check out link below for further details!!

Scrap Attack Scrapbooking

 

And Finally...

If you were one of the forty-three commenters that responded to our "School Spirit" giveaway last week, the wait is finally over!! Yep, we read every single one of your entries from start to finish and boy, did guys come up with some thoughtful, fabulous gifts for the little ones making their grand return back to school this month. Selecting only one entry was extremely challenging as we thoroughly cherished the many ideas you presented to us.  Some of our favorites included the personalized notebook, individualized cards imparted with sweet words of encouragement, one-of-a-kind embellished hangers for the hanging of jackets, a well stocked homework kit and last but not least, a small mom & dad layout tucked away inside a lunchbox. So very inspiring are these ideas..and what a wonderful way to reign in the start of school year, don't you think?! Simple & Fun = Happy Students :) 

Here's the official winner of the giveaway - Congratulations Karen, we fell instantly in love with your kraft bag puppet turned lunch bag idea:

"My son and I made a puppet out of a brown paper sack. It was quite fun to see what he created. As a special surprise, I saved it and used it as his sack for the first day. He loved the surprise!" - Karen B.

Please email us with your info at info@cratepaper.com - We have a stash of School Spirit items waiting for you! Thank-you for commenting...we're now quite tempted to create our own family of "back-to-school" kraft bag puppets via our School Spirit collection. So very cute..thanks Karen for sharing your idea with our blog readers!

 

On another note, we've been meaning to share these with you recently..we've showcased Kaori's work here previously as she was one of our blog contributors in the past. We're bringing her back as a semi-contributor because we're constantly in awe of her creations. Her designs are very much her own..always exquisitely beautiful. 

 

 

What's not to be intrigued about upon peeking at Kaori's layouts? They're delicately layered and coated in assortment of materials and mediums. We love how she's reinvented our Lace Paper (Deck of Cards) as a background for her layout and then combined it with some of our other Restoration pattern papers...it's completely unexpected and fun.

 

We stumbled upon this one while visiting her blog today..it was an enlisted piece for Creative Scrapper Sketch #121 Take a look at the overlap of vellum on top some of our Restoration papers...it's a nice transition from bright to subtle. So very pretty. 

Once again, congratulations to Karen in winning our School Spirit giveaway. And many thanks to all you who commented on last week's post!! We'll return tomorrow with a new sketch challenge from Emily Pitts - if you've not frequented one of our sketch challenges before, we highly suggest stopping by! She'll have more CP Goods up for grabs! Further details provided Friday...

Headband Storage Solution :: Michelle Lanning

Hello there! Michelle Lanning here to share with you another fun tutorial that is super simple and fun to make! Having a daughter means having a lot of hair accessories lying around the house, not to be found when they are needed. Well through browsing many blogs I found one idea that is perfect for all the headbands that my daughter has accumulated. Here are the supplies you will need.

 

Materials:

• Empty Oatmeal Container
• Paper Doll Pattern Paper
• Paper Doll Stickers
• Paper Doll Die Cuts
• Cardstock
• Border Punch
• Stapler

 

Isn't it cute?! My daughter loves it! She especially likes the teddy bear and bunny. And I love that it holds all her favorite headbands of the week in one place. So here goes the easy tutorial.

First, you'll need two pieces of pattern paper that are of the same pattern. One piece isn't big enough to cover the entire container. If you don't have two pieces that are the same, you can cut two different sheets into strips and make a pattern.

I cut the "Addi" pieces into the following sizes:

Sheet 1: 12" x 9.5"
Sheet 2: 12" x 5.5"

I tried as best as I could to match the seams in the back. I then added some decorative borders to both the top and bottom of the container. I used the reverse side of the "Addi" paper as well the "Allie" sheets.  

 

For the top of the container, I roughly cut out a circle to cover the printed lid. I also cut a strip of kraft paper roughly about 11" x 1.5". I stapled the strip to the lid with my mini stapler. It holds pretty well. 

 

This is what it looks like put together:

 

For the rainbow, I used the top of the container and traced a semi-circle on various sheets of the Paper Doll collection. To adhere it, I used some liquid glue and let it set before I went on to the next step.

 

Next, I added grass to the outer border of the top. After you punch the grass out and fold a piece under to adhere it, make sure to make small snips in the paper so it will bend easier.

 

All that is left is to decorate to your heart's content. I used both the chipboard pieces and the die-cut stickers. For the flowers, I hand cut them from the Olivia Grace paper.

 

And there you have it! A fun way to store headbands!

Email Tuesday Feature

Is back and in full swing! So, if you've had a chance to charismatically play with our recent collection release, we'd whole heartedly love to see what you've come up with as we're seeking your layouts and beautiful creations to inspire our Crate Paper followers, whom visit us each and every day here at the Crate Paper blog. If you're wondering what sort of benefit is avail to those that submit, well behold, we're doing a monthly giveaway of one full collection (yes, an entire collection! Your choice!!) to the scrapbooker/card maker/altered crafts connoisseur that catches our eye! We may even ask you to guest design at some point..already we've lined up next month's guest designer and just so you're aware, we located her via last month's sketch challenge...little did she know that we fell instantly in love with her submission, so much so that we asked her to return! There are definite perks to sharing folks! Ultimately, all we ask is that your submission be 70% Crate - beyond that, it's up to you! Send submissions to info@cratepaper.com - here's a small sampling of recent projects sent to our inbox..already we've added them to our monthly drawing!

 

Debbie Burns really played it up with our chipboard pieces and check out our brads! Debbie converted them into school bus wheels! How stinken' cute is this?! Thanks Debbie!

 

Amy mentioned to us that she is a huge fan of the Restoration collection - it's by far been one of our most popular collections to date! We've heard it through the grapevine that Restoration is a definite keeper - a must-have for most of you :)

 

Pooi in Singapore dazzled us with this surprise city landscape sprinkled with hints of Restoration chipboard elements and pretty purple alphas - simple, yet eclectic..and of course, very, very stylish. We love the layers Pooi!

 

Dayna  Howard  achieves the "Less is More" look that goes so well with our Brook collection. Her layout is "simply" adorable!

 

Today's final layout comes to us from Tanya Tahir, a designer for the online kit club, Lime Tart. Tanya created her layout for Lime Tart's June kit...we recommend taking a peek at Lime Tart's September Kit - it's filled to the brim with Restoration goodies! 

This concludes "Email Tuesday Feature"! We'll return with a whole new series of blog reader layouts in exactly two weeks! Also, incase you missed it, we still have a giveaway in the works - check out Melissa Phillip's "Lunch Note" post for further details. We'll announce the winner of the giveaway this upcoming Thursday, so you still have time to join in on the fun!! Run and check it out! Have a great week everyone! 

A "First" with Twine :: Kelly Noel

Hello there, Kelly Noel here with today's Crate Paper tutorial. Since school is back in full swing over here, I thought I'd go ahead and get a head start on this year's school layouts. And what better to start with than my son's "first day" photos? :) Here's a photo of my layout. See the title, "Work"? I'm going to show you how quick and easy it is to "write" with string/twine.

 

 

 Materials:

• School Spirit Chipboard Accents
• School Spirit Border Stickers
• Pep Rally Paper
• Ruler Paper
• Study Hall Paper
• Grade Card Paper
• Pencil
• Baker's Twine
• Glossy/Matte Accents (or any other liquid glue)
• 2 Different Alphas
• Buttons 

 

First, arrange the base of your layout to your liking. I chose my cardstock, patterned papers and some embellies before getting started. Once you have the base, decide where you'd like your title to go. To start, simply write your cursive word in pencil. After you've done that, take some liquid glue (I used glossy accents. Matte would work better here, but I didn't have any.) and "draw" over your pencil marks with a tiny bead of glue until you've "written" out the entire word. 

 

Here's what your word will look like after you've "written" it in glue...

 

 Next, cut a long piece of baker's twine. Start at the beginning of your word and simply place the twine on to the glue lines carefully, gently pressing the twine into the glue to make it stick. It can get tricky on some letters..for my word, it was the "f" and the "s". Don't be afraid to cut the twine and then continue on with a new piece if you need to. You can see that I did that with the "f" here. 

 

You will also need to cut separate small pieces for some letters like I had to for my "t". Once you're finished it will look something like this...

 

Then, you simply need to add the rest of your title and embellish of course. Super easy and it gives such a fun look to your layout!

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial and I really hope you try it out on one of your future projects. Be sure to link us here if you do. We'd love to see what you make!

A Teacher's Treat :: Heidi Sonboul

Most kids back east start school at the end of August, but for the kids in California... they start the beginning of September. My sweet little Bradley started the 2nd grade this year and I decided to make something special for the teach and the office ladies.

I love baking so I made yummy fall brownies and tied a ribbon on a healthy apple. I packed all the little treats into this CUTE container.

 

The top of the container is just a plan metal circle, so I decided to decorate it... because that's what a crafty mom does around school time ;)

 

First I cut a circle to fit in the metal top and then picked out 3 patterned papers I wanted to use. I cut them down to 3x4 inches.

 

 

 

I layered/adhered them on top of the brown circle. Then I flipped it over and cut along the circle line. This will give you a clean circle.

 Place the circle in its place and write a little note. I also used a pop dot under the apple and added in two cute school stickers from School Spirit.

 

  

I tied a bow on the handle for a super cute and simple finished touch.

With the extra treats I bagged them up and used the School Spirit stickers. We gave these to the office ladies.

 

 

I just love spoiling teachers and making them feel special!

~H

Just In Time :: Back to School Pockets

We're picturing the many of you this week preparing well balanced meals for the little ones to take with them to school as they begin another round of yearly academic adventures. Maybe you pack their food in tidy, character enhanced lunch boxes or you keep it simple via the traditional brown kraft paper bag. Either way, you're opt to leave a special note or "treat" for the little one to enjoy during their first lunch away from home this Fall season. Today, we have the perfect project to help you in creating a one-of-kind, personalized lunch note for your returning student. They're conveniently titled "Back to School Pockets" and are from our sweet, doting designer, Melissa Phillips.

"These Little paper bag pockets were inspired by my friend, Mish Wooderson. Since my little one has started back to school just this week, I've been thinking of sweet little treats from home that I could leave with her in her lunch box, or give her after school. I assembled the pockets and then covered them in beautiful Restoration paper in all varieties, assorted trims, cardstock stickers, etc. I baked a fresh batch of cookies, slipped one in each glassine bag, and then embellished the bags with baker's twine, more Crate Paper Restoration stickers and chipboard, and then tucked them inside the pockets. The sentiments found in the Restoration line are perfect for this project as they speak of love and kind, motherly reminders."

 

Aren't these "message pockets" precious? We thought they'd be a great feature for today's post knowing that this week signifies "Back to School" for most kids, including our very own. We imagine that a note of this kind would bring about delight and glee, no matter the age of the student. It's always a nice surprise to open up a lunch and find a note or "special gift" from mom..especially while in attendance at his/her first day of School! 

In celebration of the new school year, we're giving away an assortment of "School Spirit" goodies to one of you. Tell us what sort of crafty projects you came up with to share with your little one's this school season. Maybe you created a one-of-a-kind book binder or tucked away a "Good Luck!" bookmark inside one of their folders before sending them away for the day - whatever you so happened to create, we'd love to hear about it! Mention it in the comment section below and we'll select our winner early next week! Happy Learning!

 

Matching Game + School Spirit :: Larissa Albernaz

Hello, it's CP girl Larissa here! I'm gonna show you a project that is a great idea for having fun with the kids and is a great way to end the Summer before returning back to school! It's a matching game to be kept in a beautiful little box, which is all decorated with the School Spirit collection - perfect for this time of year!  

Materials:

• Circle Cutter
• Patterned Paper (School Spirit Assortment)
• Gel Medium Matte or White Glue (Whatever you prefer)
• Gaffer Tape
• Book Sheets

 

- Lets get started, shall we? - 

 

First, you have to cut eight pairs of identical circles (2 1/2") with a circle cutter to create a total of sixteen matching game pieces. Next, using the same circle cutter, cut enough circles from book sheets to create sixteen blocks (quite a few circles - you'll be piling them together). Finally, cut sixteen circles from a single chosen sheet of pattern paper to adhere to the bottom of your game pieces.

 

With your brush, spread gel medium across all three sides of the book sheet circles as shown above. Apply a considerable amount of glue; it will self spread throughout the pages allowing them to get glued into a block-like form. Set them aside to dry.

 

Wrap gaffer tape around the circumference of your blocks to form the playing pieces. Continue adhering circles until they're of the ideal thickness for your game pieces.

 

Adhere pattern paper circles to the front and back of the game pieces (of the circles we cut earlier on).

 

Prepare a total of sixteen playing pieces similiar to those I've done above. 

 

Finally, for storing your matching game pieces, you can alter a pre-made box (or make your own - there are ample boxes out there that are of the perfect size for this project) using School Spirit's pattern paper collection and embellishments. Mine has a box drawer that slides in & out! 

I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial today - will return with next month's tutorial in a few short weeks, which will be a great addition to your holiday decor this upcoming December! I can't wait to share it with you! 

 

Mini Card + Envie :: Sarah Martina

Hey y'all! It's Sarah, bringing greetings and a super fun tutorial to you all the way from Louisiana! I'm so excited to share this project with you all today, so let's get right to it!

Card making is my #1 passion when it comes to paper-crafting, and some of my favorite types of cards to make are mini-cards. But when I share my mini-cards I get lots of inquiries about how to create an envie to correspond with the sweet, little card. Well, that's what we're going to do {together!} today. Mini-cards are super fun and fast to make, and today you'll see that their coordinating envies are just the same.

Materials:

• 1 sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" kraft card stock
• 1 sheet of pattered paper (Restoration Collection)
• Cardstock stickers (Restoration Collection)
• Buttons (Restoration Collection & Jenni Bowlin)
• Twine & Needle
• Scoring tool/bone folder
• Label shaped die (Spellbinderss Labels 9)
• Die cutting machine (Sizzix Big Shot)
• Sewing Machine
• Scissors
• Adhesive (tape runner & foam)

 

Step 1: Cut a piece of cardstock to 4.5" x 8.5". Then score at 3 7/8", 4", 7 7/8", and 8 1/8". This divides the paper into 3 sections (A, B, & C). 

 

Step 2: Using a label die shape, die cut an insert from Section A using only a portion of your label die. Carefully tape your die into place onto your cardstock, then run through your die cutting machine (I used a Sizzix Big Shot).

 

Step 3: Using the same label die shape, die cut the flap of your invie from Section C, again, using only a portion of your label die. There may be some other way of accomplishing this, but the way I have been doing it is by tucking a folded piece of cardstock between the die shape and the cardstock where I do not want the die to cut. This way you only get a half of the image cut out. 

 

Step 3 cot,d: Snip off the outer piece of cardstock from where the label die didn't quite reach the edge of the paper.

 

Step 4: Fold your envie along all of the score lines. Take a moment to snip the corners of the top flap at an angle, as shown above.

 

Step 5: Trim a piece of patterned paper to 4" x 3 1/2". Repeat step 2 to create the same shaped edge as the invie. Gently adhere the patterned paper piece to Section A of your envie, as shown.

 

Step 6: Stitch along right and left sides of envie, securing the patterned paper and both front and back of the envie together. Notice that the scoring we did in Step 1 allowed the envie to have some space to provide for a card with a bit more dimension.

 

Step 6 cot'd: Thread one button with some twine, and adhere it to the top flap (Section C). Then adhere another button, without twine, to the bottom of your envie (Section A). You can use foam adhesive to pop the buttons up a bit, allowing the string/twine to be wrapped around them.

**Note: You can also stitch your buttons to your envie for a more secure fitting. To do so, stitch your buttons to your envie at Step 5, after adhering your patterned paper, but prior to stitching the envie and paper together. 

 

Step 7: To create a quick and fun mini card for your envie, trim a piece of cardstock to 3 1/2" x 7" and score in half. Trim a piece of 3 1/4" squared piece of patterned paper, gently adhere it to the card base, then stitch the borders.

 

Step 8: Layer 2 stickers onto the center of your card base using foam adhesive...and you've got a sweet little mini-card!

And here's our final product!

As you can see, there's so much room for improvisation and creativity when it comes to making mini-cards and mini-envies. I have so much fun just letting my imagination run wild with these little projects. I certainly hope you enjoyed following along, as I did creating this! Hugs & Love!

Three Collections :: Winning Purchase

Hello Crate Paper fans! Do you remember us mentioning last week that our new collections were well on their way to your favorite scrapbook retail outlets and that the first person to show us a sneak peek of their new CP purchases would have an opportunity to win one of our three new collections? Well, it appears that a host of you went on a major Crate Paper shopping spree and brought home the collections you've been so desiring to create with since our having shared them with you way back in July. We've been receiving your CP product images all week and quite remarkably, the first person to share their CP purchase with us just so happened to be from overseas! Exactly how far have the new collections traveled? How about "Made With Love" in sunny Singapore? According to our estimate (now this is rough estimate), Singapore tallies in at around 8000 miles from Utah (our office location of course)! That's a long ways from where we are, so we couldn't be more thrilled to hear that Pearl Liu from Singapore located our Restoration & School Spirit collections nearby. She's the official winner of our latest giveaway from last week's contest - Pearl, forward your shipment info and collection request to info@cratepaper.com. And in case your wondering what Crate Paper deliciousness is available at Made With Love for those of you in Singapore....

 

A huge thank-you to all of you who participated in the giveaway!! Now that your with a few of our latest collections, how about sending us images of your creations? We're seeking projects from our blog readers that either include Restoration, School Spirit, Snow Day or a mix of all three to share on our blog in the near future as we're about to reinitiate our "CP Girl Next Door" feature. We're also interested in sharing your work on a casual basis via our "Email Tuesday" feature (which does occasionally switch days from time to time). Simply ensure your creation is 70% Crate and send it to us at info@cratepaper.com - we can't wait to see what you're doing with the new collections!