Crate Paper

The Little Tags Box w/Stephanie Dagan

 

 

Hello Everyone!! Stephanie Dagan with you today to present a very small project: a Little Box for the storage of Little Tags! At first, I wanted to make an advent calendar, but the box for this particular project wasn't deep enough to contain all 25 tags. So, instead, I opted to go this route, which is still just as cute, and holiday friendly! I'm going to hold off on the advent calendar idea 'til next year :)

 

To begin the project, I chose some patterned papers from the Peppermint Collection and with my big shot, I cut ten + tags. I then embellished each tag to my liking before moving on to the box I chose to go with for storing them. So now, lets make the box!

 

I love making boxes from papers, it's fast and super easy! And once you understand the technique, you can use it to create different sized boxes. Here, I've given you the dimensions to make a box that measures 2.95" x 3.93" and 1.96" high. Make use of the sizes mentioned and photos, to cut and make your own boxes!  

 

After completing my box, I cut a strip of transparency to create a sleeve in which to tuck the box into so that my tags wouldn't fall out. Of the trimmed transparency, I scored the folds and glued the ends together. After allowing it to dry some, I positioned the box inside the transparency cover, along with the tags! I opted not to embellish the top of the box because it was important that the tags be seen in their entirity.

And here are a few of the finished tags! Note how neatly and perfectly they fit inside the box and how adorable they look together...

That's all for today! Hope you'll find this tutorial easy to follow and also, inspiring! Thanks so much for stopping by - wish you a wonderful Christmas!

Doily Snowflakes + Holiday Treat Bags

 

 

With the holiday's quickly closing in, and still ample tutorials to post, scheduled today are two tutorials from our designer's, Lexi Bridges & Kinsey Wilson. The two are nearly a pair, so we thought "why not show them together?" It'll be a merry ol' time! First up, Lexi, with a creative take on painting Winter's most recognizable friend, SNOW! 

 

Doily Snowflakes

Good morning Crate Paper fans! Lexi here with you today to share a fun way to add some paint to your projects. The look and texture of paint can be a fun element to add to scrapping projects, but what about when you want it in a perfect circle shape? I thought accenting some snowflakes on a winter layout would look fun with some paint behind them, so I set out to find a way to make it work.

Turns out, it's simple, like most things I do!

In the most basic sense, you'll only need: Cardstock/Patterned Paper, Glue Dot/Washi Tape Roll, Paintbrush, and Paint.

To begin, I cut my card front from the chosen pattern paper. I then laid my roll of glue dots on top, in the upper right hand corner. Because this circle is big, and the size of a card is small, I had it going off the side a bit. The inner cardboard roll acts as a kind of stencil. Choose the color of paint--I went with white because I wanted the snowflake feel --go ahead and paint inside the circle. SUPER easy. You can see the washi cardboard roll is smaller in diameter so it adds some interest size-wise {below}.

My actual “snowflakes” were pieces cut from a paper doily {clever, eh?}

 

Because the paper I chose for the card had a wintery, blue feel to it, I used blue thread to stitch my snowflakes in place. Carrying on with the “snow” theme, I wrote over the chipboard word “snow” with a snow writer pen. Love how it turned out! Sparkle is an easy accent to Crate's already super cute chipboard pieces—here I added some icicle stickles to the snow and tiny doily snowflakes inside the globe.

 

As easy as paint circles inside a cardboard glue/tape tube are, I wanted to see it further translated on a layout as well. Here, the painted circles are outlined with a pen and painted with an aquapen. Bigger Doilies are preferable as the size of the layout benefits from them. I've sprayed them with a metallic sheen. 

 

 

Here, you can see that I also used some white spray ink on top of the layout as a whole. It adds another fun, new feature to the layout.

 

Most of the colorful snowflakes on the layout have been punched using various punches from one sheet of paper — Snow Globe. A few have been popped with dimensional adhesive. I also added some different stamped snowflakes as well.

 There are so many ideas by just varying the paint colors and embellishments used. As simple as paint circles can be, it's a great way to add an extra layer to your projects. I do hope you'll give them a try!

Holiday Treat Bags

Hello once again! Kinsey following up with a quick and easy way to make cute little holiday treats for your kiddo’s class party. For my daughter’s class holiday party this year, I made these little goody bags using two of my favorite Crate Paper lines - Peppermint and Random. All you’ll neet to whip these little cuties together is a few sheets of patterned paper, some fun embellishments, small Ziploc bags, and adhesive. So, let’s get to work!

As you know, Ziploc bags come in all shapes and sizes so you’ll want to fill the bags with treats first and then measure length, width, and depth of the filled bags. My treat bags measured about ½ inch thick, 4½ inches tall, and 3 inches wide.

Cut paper into strips…if your treat bags are taller than 5 inches, you’ll need to piece two strips together according to the measurements. For mine, I cut 12 x 3 inch strips and then creased and folded them to create triangular packages with open sides and the treat bag fits nice and snug inside of the folded package.

 

Punch the top edge of each strip with an edge punch and then back it with a contrasting strip of paper.

 Run a line of adhesive along the top of the Ziploc bag and adhere it to the inside of the packaging, add a little note from the kiddo, and then fold it up and adhere the top decorative edged flap to the front cover section of the package.

 

Add some fun stickers and chipboard pieces along the flap seam…tags would be really cute here, too.

 These are so fun to make and each one is a little bit different. Brianna is so excited about handing them out at the party! I hope you all enjoy your holidays and your holiday crafting with Crate!

Write it in Twine :: Geralyn Sy

 

 

Hi everyone, I have a cute and simple holiday card tutorial to share today! All you need is some Crate patterned paper and embellishments, baker’s twine, and a glue pen. Let’s get started.

 

First, handwrite the word ‘joy’ on the base of your card. I decided that I wanted the cute little Santa Claus to go on the right side, so I wrote the word on the left side of the card.

 

Use your glue pen and outline the first letter of the word. I found that it was easier and less messy to outline one letter at a time instead of outlining the entire word all at once.

 

Now use your baker’s twine and carefully follow the outline.

 

I wanted to keep the little loop in my letter ‘o’, so I snipped the twine after reaching the bottom of my ‘o’. It’s totally fine and often easier to not use one continuous length of twine when writing a word with twine!

 

Here, I started the length of my twine again at the beginning of the loop of the ‘o’, and continued to follow the outline of the letter ‘y’.

 

Once you reach the end of the word, snip off the extra twine and you’re done. Now you can embellish your card as much or as little as you like and it’s ready to be given to a loved one. Hope you enjoyed the tutorial!

Re-Framed Crate Paper Style w/Tara Anderson

 

 

 

Hi Everyone! It's Tara here to share a little project I started earlier this month. With the holidays here and my entry way table looking a little bare, I wanted to create a set of Holiday inspired framed art work! With the use of a few repurposed picture frames found at second hand stores (glass removed and recycled) and the Peppermint Collection ~ my holiday themed artwork is complete!

 

I love to paint on fabric! Here, I've used a deer silhouette as a template and lightly traced the image onto a piece of stretched linen. Instead of painting on the antlers to my deer, I decided to embroider them with black sewing thread. I made a tiny paper mat for the "jingle" Alpha Label to use as a title for my frame. This is a very modern approach to cutesy holiday artwork!

 

I'm also a very big fan of layering embellishments! This petite frame started with a soft pink paper trimmed down to just the size of a wallet photo. I started with a snowflake from the chipboard accents, layered on a phrase sticker ticket, and then the pretty snowflake from the layered stickers. Top the snowflake with a small bit of thread, red button, and sparkly rhinestone!

 

Snowflakes and Buttons...these are a few of my favorite things! I really enjoy using embellishments as a focal point and it's easy to do when you keep a neutral palette! I used a journal card from the Accent Cuts as a starting point, covered the card with vintage white buttons, and then clustered a snowflake, some string, and a sticker (Alpha Sheet). Because I wanted a noticeable dimension between each layer and because I also needed the embellishments to be secure, I covered foam-pop dots with craft glue. Let your framed artwork "set" overnight to allow the glue to continue to dry and then you can proudly display your handmade artwork!

I've a few other "Merry Makings" projects up my sleeve that'll be posted this week - It's all about the gift of inspiration for us here at Crate Paper! So, keep visiting, and also, if you haven't already, check out our "A Very Crate Christmas" special! Peppermint creations are in top notch demand right now and there's still plenty of time to submit them to us! Happy Monday everyone!

Crate Paper Guest Designer :: Mandie Pierce

 

 

 

My name is Mandie Pierce. I'm a stay-at-home mama of three {Claire, 12; Noah, 7; Collin, 5}. I'm married to the boy I met right after high school. We've been together for fifteen years. We have been an Air Force family for the past ten years now, living in Texas, Alaska, Arkansas, and now, California! I have been a scrapbooker since 1999, when our daughter was a baby. But, I've always been a keeper of "stuff". I always had magnetic albums full of receipts, movie ticket stubs, cards, etc. I have had a number of layouts/projects published in Scrapbook Trends, Creating Keepsakes, Simply Handmade, and Cards. I'm currently on the Pebbles design team and the design team for a local crop in town. I love all things paper - not just scrapbooking, but also office supplies! However, I consider myself to be a scrapbooker first.

Thank-you so very much, Crate Paper, for asking me to be your guest! I can't even begin to describe how thrilled I am!

 

Ten Random Facts About Me....

I'm an instagram addict. I apologize to my friends who follow me on there. I know there are a TON of photos!

I love coffee and am immune to the effects of the caffeine - except for a headache I get if I don't have it. Maybe it's more of an addition. Ha!

I love to read, but prefer fiction.

My husband and I watch way too much tv. We have a whole weekly schedule. Eek!

I've used this one before - but at 33, my hair is almost entirely grey! I have to color it every four to five weeks. Thanks, Dad, for your genes!

When I was a teenager, I planned to go to college, join the Peace Corps and then go on to get a doctorate in psychology. It's funny how life has other plans for you!

I prefer savory snacks to sweet, but put some See's truffles in front of me, and I'm helpless!

Fall is my absolute favorite season. I love the colors, the flavors, the weather..I really wish we had more of one here!

I love to laugh. Funny blogs, books, comedy specials, TV shows. One of my favorite shows is "The Middle". I swear they are my family on steroids..and maybe a lot crazier...

I took German in high school and college, but it's been so long - I could probably carry on a very rudimentary conversation, and that's it!

 

Dear Santa Mini Book...

I recently took a class with Amy Tangerine where we used one of her mini books. I had so much fun making that book that I wanted to do another. So, I made this book in a similar style. It's a little book for the kid's Christmas Wish Lists.

I love everything about the Peppermint line. It was so perfect for this project, too. I used a sheet of cardstock cut down to 7" x 12", layered different sizes of pattern paper on the inside, and then sewed them down the middle to make the spine. I ended up reinforcing the spine with a Studio Calico "Fab Rip" because it bent a great deal as I worked on the inside, to the point at which it was beginning to tear. Once I had the book put together, I began working on the inside pages. Behind the front cover, I used a 6" x 6" sheet of the "Twas the Night Before Christmas" patterned paper. I absolutely love the print and wanted to be able to see the whole story from one page. (I actually framed the 12 x 12 version of the patterned paperand mixed it in with my Christmas decor!) When finished, I used the black twine from Random's ribbon pack to hold the lil' album closed. 

 

 

My Friend Card...

I made this quick little card using two patterns from Random's 6" x 6" paper pad and a couple of chipboard shapes. The card came together quickly, using just a couple of shapes.

 

Olivia Layout...

This was the first layout I made. I LOVE the Random collection! Love everything about it..The patterns and colors are so wonderful!

The beautiful baby on this layout belongs to a dear friend of mine. Every few months, I take Olivia's photos. I started out by using the 4" x 6" photo and a scrap of pattern paper left over from a prior layout. I though it would be fun to add punched circles into the openings of a scrap piece of paper. I then added the bottom strip of floral pattern paper. I thought it was lacking a little; so I then added a little strip of pink woodgrain paper and stiched it down. I layered a wallet sized photo on top one of Crate's "Accent Cuts". Around it, I positioned bits and pieces of smaller items. 

 

Me and You Layout...

I love this photo of my daughter and me. She's only 12.5 years of age and is already almost as tall as me! The Christmas tree farm we go to every year has a place to measure how tall the kids are. We though it would be fun for us to stand together under the measuring stick. 

I absolutely adore the herringbone pattern of the "Victorian" print. So much so, that I used it as a background, though I trimmed it into two pieces and put them onto 8.5" x 11" cardstock - stitching one side. 

This layout came together pretty quickly. I splashed a little white Mister Huey on the background to break up the pattern a bit. I then set to layering some pattern paper along with some pieces from the Accent Cuts. I punched some butterflies, added a few pearls, and a couple other additional elements - and finally, it was finished!

 

We love Silveyville Farm Layout...

This is another layout that came together pretty quickly. It's about the Christmas tree farm we visit each year. To make the layout, I used some instagram prints and a few left over bits and pieces from the mini book I'd constructed previously.  As a simple composition, I went with photos and pattern paper to create a grid-like format. I then layered some goodies on top...

Shall we quickly say "Amazing" and a huge "Thank-You" to Mandie for providing us with such beautiful loveliness to look at today as Crate Paper's guest designer? Of course, and to add to it, we'd love for you to leave her a sweet comment or two as well! Thank-You Mandie!!

 

Merry Makings :: Tree Decor w/Jaime Warren

 

 

I just love the holidays, don't you?! One of my favorite things about Christmas is fun little arts and crafts like this simple layered ornament. There are many different variations of this particular project online - but, I take a very simple approach to it. You'll need a styrofoam ball, circle punch, hot glue gun, ribbon, brads, buttons, and your favorite patterned paper.

 

To get started, you'll need to punch out the circles, around sixty to seventy, depending on how layered you want your ornament to be.

 

I usually start around the top area of the styrofoam ball and work my way around for the first layer. Then, once I have one layer established, I hot glue my ribbon to the top by simply making a loop and attaching it. From there, I start layering around my loop, working my way around the entire ball. I tuck circles in the open spots and try to keep the papers as mixed up as I can for variety purposes. Then, to build the layers more, I add more circle on top! Once I have all of my patterned paper circles attached, I hot glue my buttons and pop on the brads in random areas! See, super simple and easy!!

 

The final result is a fun little ornament! It would even make a fun craft for kids and a way to keep them busy this holiday season!

Good Luck with your own handmade ornaments this year - and Happy Holidays to all of you!

December Series :: Merry Makings

 

 

Second in line this month to our upcoming "A Very Crate Christmas" event, is a brand new series of holiday-themed "mini tutorials" or "Merry Makings" from Crate's Design Team! "Why mini", you might ask? Well, we're perfectly aware of just how busy you are this time of year with shopping, cooking, creating, organizing, running and so forth. To keep pace with that, the optimal choice for project making are those that are easy, small, and totally doable! Our team has put together some really great ideas that fall within a few short steps and that are still great for bringing a little bit of holiday charm to the world. There's one exception though, we can't guarentee that you won't still love what we've to share! And to get us started, Suzanne's put together the cutest stack of mini baskets with it's very own stocking topper! Let's take a look, shall we? 

 

 

Hi, Everyone! Suzanne here today with a fun, and simple holiday decor item for the holidays! One of my favorite home decor items to create are paper cakes, utilizing small plain boxes. The options are limitless, and they look adorable on top of a mini cake stand. I used the Peppermint collection to alter the boxes, and to to create the adorable Christmas scene on top. 

 

Here's what you'll need to get started: 

Favorite Crate Peppermint Paper
Crate's Peppermint Standouts
Crate's Peppermint Chipboard Elements
Crate's Peppermint Trims
Acrylic Paint
Glitter
Lollipop Sticks
Eyelet Setter
Plain Round Boxes
Snow

 

Here's a closer look at the boxes. They're a great size, and so easy to alter with paper. Usually, I tend to cover both tiers in different paper. However, this time, I decided to use the Mini patterned paper for both tiers. The top tier uses a 2" x 12" strip of paper, and the bottom tier is 2.5" in height. I had to piece together two strips of paper that were long enough to cover the box all the way around. 

 

My first step is to cover the outside of both boxes, and then begin to work on the outside rims.

 

So, for the outside rims, I used white acrylic paint to cover them. I painted one coat around both of them, and allowed for dry time. With the last coat, I used the paint as an adhesive, which I'll soon explain. 

 

Now my favorite part begins, adding the glitter for some additional Christmas sparkle!

 

With my daughter's help, here is a photo of the glittering process. Immediately after painting the second coat, I apply glitter right on top of it! The acrylic paint acts as an adhesive, which helps to achieve that wonderful glittered look!

 

 

My preference is using a coarse glitter. I love it's chunky feel, and it's adds instant sparkle to any project! Finally, set aside the rims to dry, and when ready, cover the inside of the tops!

 

I use a circle cutter that cuts out perfect circles for the tops, every time! I then use a strong liquid adhesive to adhere them to the tops.

Once my "top" papers are into position, it's time to insert the lollipop sticks for the embellishing of the small, top tier. I turn the top over, and with a pencil, make marks of where I want the holes to be. I then insert the lollipop sticks through these holes. I use my trusty eyelet setter to punch my holes...

Now, one my lollipop sticks are in position, the best part begins! Adding fun details to each of the tiers to make it holiday perfect! Here, I added Peppermint's beautiful "pom pom" trim to cover the outside rim of the bottom tier. I also used some chipboard elements, and standouts to create a beautiful floral center for the middle.

 

Here's a detail of the Christmas scenery I created with Peppermint's chipboard accents. I used the lollipop sticks to hang the stockings on top. I added a bit of white ribbon to the sticks to add another texture to the mix. Of course, what is Christmas without SNOW? I sprinkled snow glitter on the tops of both tiers to finish the scene.

Thank-you for stopping by today, and I hope you enjoyed this holiday tutorial! Paper cakes are so easy to create, and they're adorable for centerpieces, on a mantle, or simply on a kitchen counter! They'll definitely add the Christmas magic this time of year!

 

A Very Crate Christmas Event

It's time for you to dazzle us with your "Peppermint" crafty creations at the Crate Paper blog! In the midst of this year's holiday celebration, we're specially devoting the week of December 18th - 22nd to an exciting event we know you'll just love and want to take part in! First and foremost, "Peppermint" creations are an absolute necessity, so put on your santa hats and show us what you've in store this year for fashioning December's holiday stories, gifts, DIY projects, and home decor ideas! We'll choose our faves and then share them with our community of online followers beginning December 18th. As surprise gifts, three "Paper Heart" collection kits will be given away to those projects that catch the eye of our fans! We'll also be giving away two "extra" Paper Heart collection kits during the event, so we welcome all of you join us! The more, the merrier! 

"Peppermint" Project Submission Guidelines:

 Created from at least 90% Crate Paper Peppermint Product

If hand crafted by you, it qualifies :: Layouts, Cards, Altered Projects, Etc.

Up to two submissions per person - sent by December 18th (11:59pm Central Time)

Please include your name, photos and blog address (if with one) upon submission

If you've a technique idea to go with it, feel free to share! 

To ensure that your submission reaches our inbox on time, send them to cpblog@cratepaper.com by December 18th (11:59pm Central Time). Also, mark your calendar so as to not miss out on all the festivities, giveaways, and inspiration galore! Tell your friends, too! The celebration begins in a few short weeks....

December Crate Color Challenge

Hello all and happy December to you! It's Tara here to share this months Color Challenge! This month's challenge is really an ode to Winter and sometimes it's just nice to take a break from the tradition red and green combinations! With the start of December and the chilly weather (here in the states) I thought a cool and wintry color palette would be simply perfect for this month. I hope you'll agree!

 

The color palette for this month is: Antique Gold - Soft Juniper - Artic Stone

 

and this month's inspiration wire:

 

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

- You may submit a card, layout or project to be eligible. Projects need to be submitted by midnight (EST) December 14th . Please email your work to: cpblog@cratepaper.com

- You may use the colors in any proportion you wish, as long as you use all 3 colors in the palette. And you may add black, white or kraft paper to the colors.

- 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 December 16th and I'll share some of my favorite projects here on the blog.

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

~

Since it is December, I wanted to take this opportunity to make a few pages for my December Journal! I think these colors are so pretty together when paired with holiday photos and because it's not traditional "December" colors, it's fun to play with the contrast of bright photos and light colored papers. I used a combination of the Random, Peppermint, Neighborhood collections and a little Farmhouse for my pages. 

Silver and Gold

 

Holiday Wreathe

 

Ornaments

 

Merry Christmas

 

 

 

Home

 

I hope you enjoyed my journal pages and will be just as inspired to create something lovely using this month's color palette! I'll be back on the 16th to showcase some of your artwork and to share the winner of the December Color Challenge!

Happy Creating! ~ Tara

 

Patterned Paper Decorative Borders w/Amy Heller

Hi Crate Fans! It's Amy Heller here today with a super easy (and fast) technique for using your scraps, or using a wide variety of patterned papers without overwhelming your project. We're going to create a layered border using several prints of patterned paper.

 

I created this layout using the technique, but as you'll see, it's a super technique for cards as well, which is how I'm going to demonstrate it for you. So, let's get started!

 

The Essentials: Several pieces of scrap paper from a variety of prints :: paper trimmer :: glue pen :: border punch

 

I like to start with my largest piece, which will be my backing as my most "neutral" piece of all my patterns. Here, I've chosen a beautiful tone on tone paper from Peppermint, "Candy Cane". My other pieces are all scraps from other projects. I've chosen to keep a particular color way, reds and neutrals, as my theme to my border.

 

Start by trimming your scraps into a variety of widths, (making sure that they are all long enough to cover the entire width of your neutral base paper).  

Start playing with your pieces and decide how you want your pattern of strip to be layed out on your neutral base.

 

Once you've decided this, begin glueing down your strips, one at a time, so you don't lose your place/design. I started at the bottom and worked my way up by base.

 

You'll have some overhang, likely, so trim up both sides of your base so all the strips are nice and flush with your base. 

It'll look something like this.

 

Now, begin your border punching. I chose to only punch one side, but you could also do both sides for a really fun look!

 

And here's what you end up with! Cute, right?!

 

And here's the card I made using my layered borders.

 

Super fun, right?! I hope you enjoyed learning how to create these unique, fun borders! Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a wonderful day!