Crate Paper

A Special Crate Paper Weekend Giveaway....

It's officially Friday and we've decided to go ahead with a "Three Collection Kit" giveaway in celebration of an upcoming weekend of Autumn craftiness and World Card Making Day - "YES", one kit from each of our current, popular collections; Random, Peppermint & Farmhouse! And it's been quite a while since the last giveaway of this sort, so leave a comment telling us what you're big "scrapbooking" plans (card making or not) are this weekend and we'll randomly select one winner on Monday! Make sure to leave some love for Amy Heller's cards as well! They're colorful and awe inspiring....

GOOD LUCK! We look forward to seeing what everyone is up to this time of year with their crafty endeavors, especially now that Autumn is upon us...

A Birthday Countdown w/Sarah Martina

Hi There CP Fans! Sarah here, and I have a little something fun to share with you today. Do you remember what birthdays meant for you as a kid? Were you one of those kids who absolutely couldn’t wait for the big day to arrive? Counting down, day by day? I sure do… and now I get to experience that same excitement with my daughter as her birthdays roll around each year.

This year, I wanted to give her something special to use as she counts down to her eighth birthday, so I created this sweet wall hanging. Let me show you how I did it…

I began by covering a couple of chipboard pieces with patterned paper from the Farmhouse collection. I added some frilly trim to the top piece to hang the project with, and I added a couple of border stickers to the bottom piece.

 

Next, I die cut 10 label shapes, along with numbers 1-10, using lots of different pieces of Farmhouse paper. The patterns in this collection are what I love most about it, so it was really fun seeing them all laid out together.

 

I added an accent cut as the base for the countdown tags.

 

And then I added a simple doily with some of those sweet clothespins from the Chipboard Accents.

 

After adhering all of the numbers to the die cut labels, I stacked them all up and pierced a hole on the top right and left sides of them.

 

I used a needle to string some baker’s twine from the Farmhouse Trim packet through the stack of countdown labels, knotting it on both ends.

 

Next, I stamped “Happy Birthday” onto a phrase sticker, and then used the small letters from the Alpha Labels sheet to add Sydney’s name (well, a shortened version that we call her, lol).

 

I added the phrase sticker to the top chipboard piece, and then the die cut numbers (1-10) will be mounted directly on top of that. (I’ll share that with you in a sec)

 

The Phrase sticker that I used is just perfect for the special occasion! “Today is worth remembering.” Isn’t that great? I was so excited the moment that I saw it! So, I mounted it to the bottom chipboard piece as the focal sentiment.

 

And then I flanked it with a sweet Stand Out sticker, and a Chipboard Accent.

We are now just 4 days away from Sydney’s birthday, and the excitement is mounting with every hour that passes by! She was thrilled with this project, and I think next year we’ll do the same thing with 30 days to countdown. Speaking of the days, let me show you the countdown labels all put together:

Thanks so much to all of you for stopping by! I hope you had just as much fun as I did!

Crate Everyday Challenge - Winner!

  

Hello all ~ Tara here to officially announce our September Crate Everyday winner! This was such a fun challenge and I was amazed with so many of the creative entries that we received this past week. Thank you to everyone who submitted their work!

 I'm happy to announce that Wendy Wok is our September challenge winner! Wendy's "Everyday" mini caught our eye right away with the albums fun layers and bright colors.

  

 

 

 

 

I loved the concept of this book as well, to document simple everyday moments at home and create something special for them. That's exactly the thought behind our Everyday Challenge! Congrats Wendy!

 It seemed that many of you were inspired to create mini's and altered art, which I just adored! I wanted to share this sweet little mini from Meredith about her girls.  

 

 
  

 

 

 

 Is this not the most lovely mini you've seen?!  I spent some time reading about Meredith's thoughts on creating this album (on her blog) and just loved the concept and her beautiful photos.  

Jess Mutty submitted this next project, a Home themed shadow box! I think it's a fun idea to create a small window into your home life and Jess really did create just that by using the Random Collection.

 

 

 Thank you again to everyone who participated with this month's challenge! Join us next month for an all new Everyday Challenge!

Happy creating! ~ Tara 

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!

Jen Jockish - A Crate Paper Guest Designer

Hi Everyone! I saw the new Crate Lines at CHA this Summer and was absolutely floored. It's really my favorite release in a very long time. I couldn't have been more thrilled when I was asked to guest design, and once I began working with the new lines, I found that not only are they gorgeous, they really lend themselves to fast and easy scrapbooking!

 

About Jen Jockish...

Jen lives in Central Illinois with her husband, Brad, and their two daughters, Ayla & Nora. She works full-time as a high school secretary, so finding time to scrapbook can be a challenge, but thankfully, she's a great husband who loves to spend quality time with his girls. Jen has been fortunate to have had some great opportunities in the scrapbooking industry. Her work has been published and featured in Creating Keepsakes, BHG Scrapbooks Etc., Scrapbook Trends and Ella E-Books, among others. She is a former member of the Creating Keepsakes Dream Team and is currently a Garden Girl at Two Peas in a Bucket and on the design team for Studio Calico. You can read more about her at http://www.gingergrace.typepad.com

 
Ten Random Facts...

 I'm a lefty. And very proud of it.

I drink a Mt. Dew Code Red every single morning. It's my coffee.

I read a lot. I usually finish one to two books a week, if not more. It's my late at night escape.

I love heavy metal music.

I also love musicals.

I'm obsessed with Bravo TV, especially the Real Housewives. Guilty pleasure.

My husband and I fell in love over the Harry Potter Books.

I think I can sing, but I'm probably mistaken.

I love to snuggle with my girls.

I'm blessed. 

 

My"Sisterhood" page is easily my favorite I made. I cut the heart background from my Silhouette and then adhered it with foam adhesive, leaving some of the hearts in place. I then just layered a bunch of papers, added in embellishments, a title, and that was it!

 

For the "Field" page, I again used my Silhouette to cut the heart outlines. I just kind of pieced together some patterned paper underneath and used my Exacto Knife to cut away any excess. I love the chipboard elements and thought they went great with this page.

 

"Adorable & Sweet" - again, with the hearts cut from the Silhouette, I layered a ton of chipboard pieces beneath them and used the B-Side of one of the negative hearts to create my journaling.

 

I'm not normally a fun of theme-y products, but this Crate Christmas line is the exception! I had a photo of my daughters and their cousins from Christmas last year that I'd been wanting to scrap, but it's not the greatest photo, so I knew I needed some great product to go with it. Lots of bits and pieces on this page, which is my favorite kind of scrapbooking. 

 

For "Happy Times", I punched some circles from patterned paper and then placed them on the edges of the page as a kind of frame. I added buttons to the gaps. Again, more paper layers..and lastly, I cut a thin strip of patterned paper and twirled it around a pencil before adhering it with foam adhesive to the page.

Thanks for having me!! "You're so welcome Jen!! It's been a honor!! Love your work, always!"

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 Paper Pattern Paper Imagery w/Amy Parker

Hi Everyone!! Amy Parker here with a quick tutorial to share with you all! I don’t do altered projects/home décor pieces too often, but really have a great time when I do. So the other day when my daughter brought home some flowers that she and my cousin (who was babysitting her) had drawn for me, I knew automatically what I wanted to do with them! So, I created a little hanging that displays the flowers for us to always be able to see. It makes me very happy, and truly was very simple to make!

When I sat down and started gathering all the patterned papers I wanted to use, I started really noticing how some of the patterns were working perfectly for exactly what I had needed them for. Then I thought, why not make this out of those specific patterns and show you all how you can really use the patterns on all the Crate Papers to your advantage! This was lots of fun putting together, and I hope you all enjoy it!

 

So I knew I wanted my bouquet to look like planted flowers, and I began to design my project that way. I chose a blue paper (Farmhouse-Accent Cuts) for my background to be the sky . Then I chose two papers for my sun.  The pattern from the Textile paper from the Random collection was perfect for my sun, I just cut out one of the large circles and placed it on my paper, and then trimmed off the excess. Then I used the awesome lined paper strips from the Apple Pie paper from Farmhouse for the sun’s rays.

 

Next, I chose two papers for my grass: Cupboard from Farmhouse, and Mint from Peppermint. These two were great because their patterns work amazing for grass! I did some stitching on both papers to accent these patterns as well. Zig Zag machine stitching on the Mint paper, and some simple hand stitching over the leaf pattern on the Cupboard paper. I LOVE how they turned out!

 

After that, I knew I needed a few little accents to complete the hanging. I chose to cut out a couple specific flowers from the Countryside paper from Farmhouse, and turned them into a gorgeous butterfly! I also chose to use the Homemade paper from Farmhouse to make some cute little clouds. And as an accent on these, I used the cross-stitch pattern on the paper as a template for my own hand stitching.

 

I attached two journaling cards from the Random collection at the bottom to put my title and journaling on, and backed the whole thing with the Handpicked paper from Farmhouse. I attached some silk seam binding up at the top for it hang from. Almost everything got stitched down in some way or another, as I just can’t seem to do a layout anymore without needle and thread. Once I added my title and journaling, my project was all done!

I hope this inspires you to see Crate Paper's patterned papers from a slightly different perspective, and that you will play with their patterns a similar way when the time calls for it! Thanks for joining us today!! 

Crate Paper Designer Showcase

Our designers are still working diligently behind the scenes to bring forward lots of great ideas now that Crate's collections are readily available to most of you. And because we've quite a bit of "catching-up" to do of their recent submissions, we're jumping right in to find out what's been inspiring our team members lately!

The first comes to us all the way from France! Stephanie Dagan's simple, clean-cut scrapbook style and beautiful photography beckons to be peeked upon, especially these color intensive, Peppermint cards that cater perfectly to the upcoming holiday season...

Already dressed up with names, we imagine they'll soon find their way into a stocking or a special gift and will be held by the hands of little ones. Too sweet and a definite keeper even after the holidays are over! 

 

Can you guess which one of Farmhouse's patterned papers is used as a backdrop for Amy Parker's "Celebrating Six Months" layout? Cross Stitch is one of those really cute designs we put together with the hopes that it would host well as a "base" for just about any layout. It's similar to some of our woodgrain papers, but instead of an actual woodgrain patterning, it's solid dark brown with the addition of cross-stitch lettering. 

 

Another layout from Amy Parker, but from a more personal side that Random seems to capture so wonderfully here, is an autobiographical portrait of life's ever-evolving details - it's a beautiful layout, especially with the pronounced texturing of layered banners! 

 

Old fashion frames and Farmhouse greet each other on this latest layout from Erin Stewart - even our Farmhouse collection has an eclectic side, hence the Bingo accent cut, petite vintage clothespins and lacey trimwork -they match fabulously with the frames!

 

In re-mentioning our woodgrain pattern paper, Kaori Watanabe uses it in a way we've not seen before - white mist & vines resembling the scenic, snowy background of a typical winter day. How very pretty, don't you think? We love this layout from her...

 

And finally, another stunning layout belonging to Tara Anderson - while always bringing attention to the serene and simple, she utilizes Peppermint's pop of "red" against the prettiest of subtle backgrounds, light green-blue. It's a wonderful combination...

And this brings us to the end - have a lovely Tuesday everyone! Thank-you for stopping by....

September Crate Everyday Challenge

Hello everyone! It's Tara here again this month to share with you another installment of the Crate Everyday Challenge! As you might remember from last month, Crate Everyday will focus on recording those everyday moments and making the ordinary a little more fun. Often times as scrapbookers I think we're almost expected to scrapbook all those big-exciting moments but what about all that time in between those birthdays, holidays and vacations? That's what Crate Everyday is all about!    

{Once a month a new prompt will be posted, just a simple word or an idea that will pertain to your everyday. You'll be free to interpret each prompt however you choose. Remember this challenge is about celebrating the everyday!}

 This month's prompt is the word: home

 

 Just a few guide-lines for the challenge before we start:

- You may submit a layout, mini album or project to be eligible. Projects need to be submitted by midnight (EST) September 28th. Please email your work to: cpblog@cratepaper.com

- Projects must use at least 75% Crate Paper: you may mix any paper lines you like, old and new.

 

- The winner will be announced on September 30th and I'll share some of my favorite projects here on the blog.

-The winner of this challenge will be selected based on creativity and quality of work.

 

*

 

I loved this month's prompt and I had originally created something light-hearted for this challenge but decided at the very last minute to make a layout about what home really meant to me. I typed a thank you letter out on my trusty type-writer to my grandparents and used the letter as a base (and theme) for my layout.

 

 

 

 

I also made this small canvas by layering chipboard letters with the Random Collection Chipboard to create a little painted wall art called: Domain.

 

 

As scrapbookers we are story tellers, picture takers, memory recorders but above all: artists and everyday is a new story to be told! How are you going to tell yours this month?

Happy Creating! ~ Tara