Crate Paper

CP Spotted :: Pinterest

 

 

Yes, Crate Paper is pinning like the rest of you! We're "spotting" your Crate Paper projects at places like Two Peas in a Bucket, Scrapbook.com, and Studio Calico, and pinning them to our "CP spotted board". In conjunction to that, we're picking our favorites from the CP Spotted board and bringing them directly here for our fans to check out and "re-pin". Of course, the fun doesn't stop there because we're asking you, the fan, to vote your favorite "spotted" project from the selection we've put together. Up for grabs are two collection kits; one for the voter & the other, for the winning project artist.  The winners will post this Friday, August 17th. So tell us, which project will you be re-pinning?

*Mention your name and location when commenting.

Artist Credit: Emmanuelle Chauvin {"Laduree" Layout}

 

Artist Credit: Danielle Flanders {Die-Cut Tag Mini Album}

 

Artist Credit: Amanda De Jong {"Boy's Room Wall Hangings"}

 

Artist Credit: Efemera-Ink {"Owl!}

 

Artist Credit: Natt {"You are so Sweet!!" Card}

 

Artist Credit:  Loredana Bucaria {"Reasons I Love You" Layout}

 

Artist Credit: Tina Walker {"Summer Vacation" Layout}

 

Artist Credit: Kezlant {"Love You" layout}

 

Artist Credit: Neelu {"Dawn" layout}

 

Artist Credit: Vanessa Menhorn {"A Bundle of Joy" mini album}

 

Artist Credit: Wilna Furstenberg {"Travel the World" Layout}

 

Artist Credit: Amber Engelhardt {"Journey" layout}

Have a layout you'd like us to find and add to Crate Paper's "Spotted" board at Pinterest? The easiest way for us to find you is to add "Crate Paper" to the project's title line when posting it at a favorite online gallery.  You're also welcome to share your work with us directly at cpblog@cratepaper.com!

August Color Challenge winner!

Hello everyone, Tara here to happily announce the WINNER of this months Crate Color Challenge! Thank you to all who designed and sent in your lovely cards, projects and layouts. I always look forward to seeing how each color palette was interpreted and I was secretly excited to see how the more dreamy/beachy colors of this months challenge were going to be used too! 

Let's get to it! The winner of the August Crate Color Challenge is: Brenda Booth!

 

 I loved Brenda's layout from it's simple/clean lines to the light ink splatters, even the use of receipts help to really capture the whole summer inspired feel and I thought it incorporated the color combination effortlessly. Congrats Brenda for being this months Color Winner! 

There were many layouts submitted that caught my eye but first I'd like to share this adorable Summer themed mini by Teagan Skwiat! 

scrapbook artist: Tegan Skwiat 

Now for a few layouts! It was the little details and various techniques used in each of these layouts that made them stand out, if you take a closer look I'm sure that you will agree with me!

scrapbook artist: Lilith Eeckels

scrapbook artist: Serena Gedlaman

scrapbook artist: Gina Rodgers

scrapbook artist: Tarrah 

and finally one last project that I thought was too sweet to not share with you! Ania submitted this cute embellished gift bag created with a single sheet of paper from Emma's Shoppe! 

scrapbook artist: Ania 

 Thank you all again for joining me in Crate's August Color Challenge and a very big thank you to everyone who contributed their wonderful projects! We hope to see you next month for an all new color combination and inspiration wire!  

Golden Crate Paper w/Teka Cochonneau

 

   

Hello Crate readers, Teka here with you today. I'm excited to share with you a page centering around the color 'gold'. The Little Bo Peep collection has so many cute goldish-yellow hues sprinkled throughout and with this layout and blog post, I wanted to draw attention to them and bring them front and center. 

 

When I think of gold, I think Sparkle & Shine! I usually love to leave these Crate wooden frame embellishments in their natural state, but figured I could mix it up a bit with the addition of glitter. To get the glitter to stick, I painted the frames with Mod Podge using a paint brush. I then sprinkled over each one, a sizable layer of colored glitter. The process was super quick, and easy! Truthfully, the hard part was having to be patient while waiting for the frames to dry. Once they were comfortably dry, I then adhered them to the layout on top two adorable baby photos and a Crate Paper's "Little Bo Peep" Tag Cut-Out.

 

I find the pale pink and gold combination aesthetically pleasing, and this being a page about my daughter's first week, I felt it fitting to then pull some 'pinks' from the baby girl collection. I left the journaling short and sweet, and to the point. Finally, I adorned the frames with Little Bo Peep's Phrase Stickers and Stand-Outs.

I hope this brief, 'golden' post inspires you to take out your beloved glitter, and to sprinkle it atop your favorite Crate Paper Wooden Shapes. Have a great day everyone!

Summer Hot Pick Winner + Missed Confetti

Once upon a time, Crate Paper treated you to confetti galore by means of a spectacular Creative Weekly unlike any other. After it's five day showing spree of confetti-prompted projects, it officially closed and we said good-bye to the party.  Fast forward to the present, and low and behold, TWO enormously beautiful projects turned up on our desk, each created specifically to boast it's love for confetti. The first is a fun, re-casted card rack from our International CP Designer, Stephanie Degan. The second is a tossed confetti card, crafted by Rahel Menig. We cordially invite you to take a look at them, as well as their written counterparts. Also, at the end of today's post, is the winner from Tuesday's "Summer Hot Pick" giveaway. 

CP Designer: Stephanie Degan

I'm never very comfortable when I have to sprinkle pages with paint. I'm always afraid of missing the project, or that the result is not one I wanted. So, I decided to put myself to the test and try the technique on a few cards based on the word "Voyage" ('travel' in French). In this instance, I didn't use a lot of spray "per say". Instead, I opted to use alternative materials that I could control and manipulate on my own. On the first card, I used sequins and rhinestones. The second, I used glue and little black stars, the largest with glitter. On the third, I cut a stencil with my Cameo and painted the word with white, onto patterned paper. The forth, I sprayed the paper with liquid glue and then sprinkled it with glitter. And on the very last, I simply sprinkled confetti, brads, buttons and rhinestones. As you can see, there are plenty of ways to add "sprinkle" to a project. Ultimately, the important thing here, is to find small things to help with the job - I do hope you'll give it a try!

 

CP Designer: Rahel Menig

When I read the assignment, I knew exactly what I would do! I used my hole punch to make colorful confetti and hot glued them onto a card. To keep the card "simple", I kept the background as neutral as possible - one can never go wrong with white cardstock! I then wrote out my title and tucked behind it a small swatch of white cotton fabric that's been disheveled, folded, and playfully positioned. 

~

Summer Hot Pick Winner

On Trend, On Trend, On Trend. That was the most popular pick amongst your comments left in response to Tuesday's "Summer Hot Pick" post. So, it's no surprise then that the winner chose it as her favorite CP Collection, too! Congrats Cynthia B., you're the fabulous winner of a "On Trend" Collection Kit! 

"On Trend looks fabulous! If I were lucky enough to choose, I'd choose that one because it's the newest, and my other favorite - Storyteller - I've pretty much bought the whole collection pack. ;) Thanks for the chance, and kudos to Crate Paper for being a PC hot pick! Cynthia - Cypress, TX" Posted by: Cynthia B. | August 07, 2012 at 06:24 PM

Send your info to cpblog@cratepaper.com - a mighty congratulations to Cynthia!! 

And a special thank-you to all whom commented. We promise to host another giveaway in the very near future - we're all about spreading the CP Love!! 

Have a wonderful weekend friends! We'll see ya next week!

Splash Layout Tutorial w/Michiko Kato

 

Hi Crate Paper fans, Michiko Kato with you today to introduce a brand new, whimsical layout, and instructions using one of my favorite techniques, watercolor painting. Even if your not a "painter" per say, more than likely, you still use a painting medium of some kind. Maybe you prefer the ease of use and unpredictability of "acrylic mists". They're reliably fun and readily available. As a stamper or card maker, you probably have a sizable collection of Copic Markers, a great medium for coloring stamped images and creating watercolor effects similar to that of watercolor paint. My painting medium of choice has always been watercolor. It's colors are beautiful and soft, and mixing and matching them is a breeze! With that said, let me show you how I went about using watercolors on this most recent layout titled, "Splash".

 

Project Supplies

{Pretty Party Collection}

Patterned Papers, Chipboard Accents, 6 x 6 Patterned Paper Pad

{Miscellanious}

Cardstock (Kraft & White), Washi Tape, White Gel Pen, Sewing Machine, Circle Cutter, Scissors, Exacto Blade

 

Cut a sheet of 12" x 12" cardstock to 12" x 9" and adhere to it, a 6" x 9" section of Pretty Party's "Confetti" patterned paper. Trim a a varied selection of 3/4" x 6" strips from Pretty Party's 6" x 6" patterned paper pad, as well as two tags from Pretty Party's tag sheet. Position them accordingly beneath your photos.

 

Cut different sized circles from white cardstock. Trim some of the them to fit the edges of the layout (or you could wait 'til after they've been adhered to the layout and then trim them).

 

Using a watercolor paint brush & watercolor paint set, paint the circles using a combination of soft and dark colors. Start with soft colors first. Load your brush with water and paint, (the less water, the more concentrated the color). Lay the brush at the edge of the circle and pull the color inward. You should see some subtle gradation during the application process. Continue this technique with the darker colors. 

*Make sure not to use too much water on your brush as it may cause the cardstock to curl. In this instance, less is more. 

 

In total, I used six colors; Pink, Flourescent Pink, Yellow, Veridian, Emerald Green, and Gray

 

Once the circles are painted, and dry (or not dry - it's up to you!), spray them with "White" mist. It looks like they've been splashed with water, doesn't it? Kinda fun...

 

Journal around the bottom portion of the page, and draw a line around the top portion. Sew the patterned papers with the help of a sewing machine. If you're lucky and own a Cameo Cutting Machine, trim a cute lil' page tab and back it with patterned paper. Lastly, finish up the page with your painted circles and other Pretty Party embellishments. If you'd like to add more mist, feel free to do so - and don't forget the washi tape! 

 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you again next month...

 

Crate Paper Delivers :: Mix & Match

 

 

Hello Everyone, this is Stephanie Degan! I'm with you today to introduce a project that centers on the combining of the old & new. I've been a HUGE fan of Crate Paper for some years now, and I've managed to accumulate a lot of Old Crate Paper supplies. Very often, we prefer scrapping the current collections, but I realized that the old could very well marry with the new. Not surprisingly, they provide other interesting hues and motifs that are entirely complementary - it's pure game to mix them! 

 

For this project, I put on my desk all the 6 x 6 Crate Paper Patterned Paper Pads.

 

I chose twenty patterned papers +, and further classified them into varying groups via color. Each color combination has it's own separate page in the mini album. 

 

For example, I chose seven patterned papers for the cover and positioned them horizontally with some overlap. 

 

After finalizing the combination of papers, I stitched over them as if creating a quilt. It further defines the differing papers and also, helps to unite them.

 

All that remained for me to do was to add a few embellishments and finally, the cover was finished!

 

For the inside pages, the designs are slightly different, but the principal remains the same - small sections of various papers layered on top of one another. As for embellishments, I used Crate Paper's older cardstock stickers and brads. 

 

And almost identical to the cover, the back of the mini album is designed from an array of mismatched papers, stitching included. :)

In the end, you end with a mini album that is beautifully made from an assortment of colors and patterns that some how appear "meant to be". So, don't let the old collections sit around forever! Pull them out, mix and match them, and watch as they come together almost effortlessly. You'll be surprised by the result!

CHA Summer Hot Pick :: Paper Crafts Magazine

We're not a big fan of toot'en our own horn, but when Susan Opel, Creative Editor at Paper Crafts magazine, told us that "On Trend" was a CHA Summer Hot Pick, we had to spread to the word. It's a HUGE honor to be recognized by the expert card making publication. They're highly enjoyed by card makers and crafters alike, so to be chosen as a "favorite" is a compliment worth recognizing, especially here, on our blog. Thank-you, Susan, for highlighting the phenominal "On Trend" collection. And we completely agree, anything that brings together animal print, glittered clothepins, roses, pretty buttons, and peacock feathers is undeniably a hit! 

Visit Paper Crafts Connection to get the full scoop on this latest news! And while you're there, check out some of the other collections chosen as a "Summer Hot Pick" - then come back, and tell us which of our three new collections you favor the most; On Trend, Sleigh Ride, Acorn Avenue?

One of you will win your favorite collection's pre-packaged collection kit - the winner will post this Friday, August 10th. Please list your name and location within your comment. Hopefully, you won't find it too difficult to "pick" just one! 

Instagram Accordian Mini Album :: Heathyr Hintz

Hi all! Today, I'm here to show you how to make a brochure-like mini album to hold a few of your favorite Summer photos. Mini albums are a favorite of mine to make, but it's rare that I take on the challenge due to the extra time involved. This fold-out album, however, was super simple and was completed while watching a favorite movie!

 

 

Project Supplies

{Little Bo Peep Collection}

 Patterned papers (Sophia & Charlotte), 6 x 6 Paper Pad, Brads, Wood Veneer Shapes, Grey Lullaby Thickers, Blue/Green Lullaby Glitter Thickers, 12 x 12 Alpha Label Sheet

{Little Boy Blue Collection}

Patterned Papers (Leo, Oliver, Christopher), Brads, Stand Outs, Border Stickers, Phrase Stickers, Accent Cuts, 12 x 12 Alpha Label Sheet

{Acorn Avenue Collection}

Patterned Paper (Chestnut Boutique)

{Sleigh Ride Collection}

Patterned Paper (Silver Bells)

{Other}

12 x 18 Sheet of White Cardstock, EK Success 1 3/8" Square Punch, Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Office Clip, American Crafts Foam Tab Circle Adhesives

 

Begin by taking the 12 x 18 sheet of cardstock (purchased as a single sheet or in a bulk package at your craft store) and cutting 2 1/4" off the edge so the paper measures 12" x 15 1/3". Align the edge of the cardstock on the 12" mark of your scoring board; score the first section of paper at the 7.5" mark (your scored section should measure 4.5"). Using the same measurements, repeat this action two more times. You should end up with four sections that measure as follows: cover (2.25"), inner accordion pages (4.5") EACH.

From here, I decided that the album be a little more "square-like" and a little less rectangular.

 

The rest is a breeze! Decorate the cover and accordion pages with your favorite Crate Paper papers; I started with the front cover and the last accordion section as it was imperative that they coordinate. The last accordion section will serve as a partial cover, so I knew I'd need it to be a wild, eye-catching pattern; the new Chestnut Boutique paper from Acorn Avenue was a perfect fit.

 

I decided to use the second accordion section as the area for showing off my mini photos. With your square punch, punch out 15 pieces of patterned paper. These will be used to frame your photos. Re-arrange the paper squares slightly uneven and then glue them down.

 

Re-size fifteen of your favorite Summer Photos so that they're bite-sized! I used instagram photos since they're of a lower quality than your DSLR and point-and-shoot photos. Since my square punch is 1 3/8", I resized my photos in Photoshop so that they were a teensy bit larger at 1.35" x 1.25".

 

It's time to embellish. Your array of photos will already lend a lot of color to the album, so the embellishments should be minimal. However, the album will look naked without a few bits here and there, so don't skip out on them! Brads were my go-to item, but you'll notice that I also used a few label stickers. Add varying sized brads to a few of the photo corners. I thought individual letter stickers would look great in the photo corners as well; Pull out your 12 x 12 alpha label sheets and run with this idea! 

 

You're nearing the finish line! As you can tell, I'm working back to front with this album, so the next step is to adorn your first accordion section. Keep this area simple as you've already created an eye-pleasing set of pages. Use wood veneer frames from either the Little Boy Blue, Little Bo Beep, or Storyteller collections to frame your main photo. Add a title, stand-out, border sticker and doily, and then call it done!

 

The inside cover has been left for journaling. When creating the heading, use the alpha letter stickers! Anything more will add too much bulk to the front cover, which will make your album difficult to close. Finish off the album with handwritten journaling!

If you gave the album a bit of dimension by using brads and foam dot adhesive like I did, you'll likely need a small office clip to close it shut. 

Viola, you're done! You now have a beautifully unique mini album to remember your Summer Fun for many years to come!

~

There's a winner to announce in regard to last week's Gossamer Blue "August Kit" giveaway. What an honor it has been to celebrate with them during their highly attended grand opening. We can only imagine that things will get far more exciting for them from this point forward and that Lori will continue to surprise her just-found fans with even more beautiful, generous product assortments in the months ahead. Good Luck, Gossamer Blue!

And the winner is....

"What a great kit! I am dying for the bee hive washi tape! Thanks for the chance to win :)" Posted by: Liz Michaud | August 01, 2012 at 11:39 AM

Congratulations, Liz! Could you please forward your info to cpblog@cratepaper.com. We'll have Gossamer Blue prepare your box while we await word from you! Congrats - the bee hive washi tape is soon to be on it's way...

 

Crate Color Challenge :: August and a Winner!

Hello Hello! The Color Challenge is once again as we welcome the first Friday of the month! It's always nice to take a little break but I for one was quite ready to get back into these challenges! Are you ready?  

But first - I'd like to announce the winners of our Monday's 'Feedback' giveaway. We very much value each of your opinions and thankyou for sharing your thoughts and ideas with us! Congrats to both of our winners! 

I would love to see an "old and new" post, where you show some pages with the new collections and pieces of some of the old collections!

Posted by: Heather V | July 30, 2012 at 02:55 PM

 and 

I really like it when designers let us in on the "why" they chose this or that element. I am eager to not just recreate projects, but learn the design principles that make all my projects better!

Thanks for asking for our input. :)

Posted by: Gina Ames | July 31, 2012 at 08:48 PM

Please send us your contact information to: cpblog@cratepaper.com

Color Challenge time! Last month was a vacation month for me which has left me completely inspired by the bright eye-catching colors that surrounded us as we traveled from sunny Arizona through The Golden State all the way up to the Oregon coast. I was counting down the days until we returned home and I could start scrapbooking all the photos that I had been taking! So this month's color combination is inspired by everything I found on vacation!

This month's color combination is: Vintage Linen - Pear Green - Sea Glass Blue

 the August inspiration wire:

 

some nitty-gritty details about the challenge:

- You may submit a card, layout or project to be eligible. Projects need to be submitted by:  August 12th 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: August 14th (Tuesday), 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.

~

To start, I've made a a couple of pages to go inside of a mini album I started just for our vacation photos! Each page is just 6x6 which ends up being a perfect size for smaller photos and a couple of handmade embellishments. 

Remember that photos can also be used as a color for any of your layouts too! 

I made 2 standard layouts for our challenge also! For my first layout I wanted to use as much scrap paper as possible. I've been collecting it all these months and now it was time to put it to good use!  I started with a sheet of cardstock and a few pieces of the 6x6 patterned  paper and continued layering smaller pieces of paper until I had a very heavily layered base. I sewed most of these papers into place, (I'm super impressed with my trusty sewing machine!) but I also used some scotch and washi tape, in coordinating colors from the color palette, to keep papers in place. 

 

I clipped my photo to the top of my layout, added some sparkly Thickers, some strip journaling and my page was complete!

I'll admit that I've always wanted to try creating a layout incorporating one large photo and very minimal embellishing and that's exactly how my 'Home grown' layout came to be! I snipped a Pretty Party Foil Frame in half to use as part of my title. I loved pairing the frame with this layout because it's a bit dressy and I liked the contrast of the casual stenciled letters and the almost formal gold quality of the frame! I'm always looking to add something slightly unexpected to my layouts, I think it keeps scrapbooking fun! 

So now it's your turn! Sort through all of your Crate Paper, new and old, to find those summery colored papers and embellishments. I can't wait to see what projects you send me! - Hopefully you'll be as inspired as I was! 

Have a wonderful weekend! ~ Tara

Double Giveaway + Gossamer Blue Kit Club

  

Today, we'd like to share a brand new, shiny kit club with you. Gossamer Blue is dedicated to inspiring and motivating memory keepers and crafters alike. Each main kit is well coordinated with a mix of products from multiple manufacturers and features a set of Lori Whitlock digital designs. The digital file contains both SVG files (for use with electronic die cutting machines) and PNG files custom colored to match the kit (for use in Photoshop/or Word). The designs are current, stylish and practical and can be used over and over, again.

 

Gassamer Blue is crazy about color. Each month all of the kits (main and add-ons) will focus on one color pallette, making it a snap to mix and match.

 

Gossamer Blue Designer: Cindy Liebel

Supplies used from the main kit:

Pretty Party Eclectic Buttons, Pretty Party Planner & Cake Stand Patterned Papers, Random Curtains Patterned Paper.

 

Gossamer Blue Owner: Lori Gentile

Supplies used from the main kit:

Pretty Party Eclectic Buttons, Pretty Party Cakestand & Planner Patterned Papers

~

Leave a comment for your chance to WIN Gossamer Blue's August kit! Be sure to head over to the Gossamer Blue blog (http://www.gossamerblue.com/blog) for a chance to WIN a mixed box of Crate Paper's brand new "Acorn Avenue" products!! The kit winner will be announced at the Crate Paper blog next Monday (August 6th, 2012).

*Please, help us spread the love for Gossamer Blue. Stop by their blog, say "hello!", and tell them Crate sent ya! ;)