Crate Paper

Crate 365 :: A Week of Baby Shopping w/Piradee Talvanna

Hi Everyone, Piradee here to share one of my latest Crate 365 spreads. This time around, I wanted to address a little something different than the usual weekly update. Lately, I've been baby "buying up a storm" as I get ready for the little one and honestly, I some how lost track of what I've bought, haven't bought and/or should have bought. LOL.

So, this spread is dedicated to all things baby! Starting with the cute little lamb that's been on my wish list for a while now and the playmat that I finally splurged on (I know that I won't need it right away, but couldn't resist how cute it is). Also, in putting together this spread, I mixed items from various collections (Party Day, Maggie Holmes and DIY Shop) and most of the embellishments are from either the DIY Shop or The Pier collections (along with a few must use items: glitter tape).

In addition, I got out my Cameo for detailing, which allowed me to create the perfect contrast (using mist) against the pattern papers that I had chosen from the various collections. For some reason, I always focus on 3-4 colors at a time - I find that's it's easy to mix and match them among the pages. Do you also focus on only a few colors at a time?

Now lately, I haven't been able to complete a project without using at least one of those polaroid chipboard frames from The Pier collection. I can't wait for the new set from the latest CHA release. These are a definite must have item and are great for layering and creating dimension. Also, for one of the cards, I opted to repeat the pattern from the first page to have some consistency among the pages (and just love that "today" pattern paper).

On the back side of the page are a few more pictures of some of the goodies that I purchased thus far (actually, there's quite a few more stuffed animals- lots more!); hubby asked me whether they were for me or the baby - uhmmmm.

And to help me keep track of things, I decided to list out some of the items that I had purchased; yeap, I have definitely gone overboard! Everything is just too cute!! Can't wait to create another spread like this next month. It's surely going to be interesting to see the difference and also, will be another great addition to break up my weekly spreads. 

Thanks for stopping by - hope you have a great weekend!

 

A Bali Island Visit & The Pier w/Evenlyn Pratiwi Yusuf

I just returned from Bali Island, Indonesia, which we usually refer to as the Island of Gods. This time, I recorded the visit via a summer layout using my favorite summer collection: The Pier. I used a self portrait of me and my husband, a photo I happen to love the most. To see the summer layout in the making, watch my video! Also, watch what happens when plastic and mist join together to create a one-of-a-kind background. You'll highly *heart* it!  

 

Have a video idea in mind for Evelyn? She's seeking your feedback as to the kinds of scrapbook videos you'd like to have her create for the Crate Paper blog! More and more, you've expressed interest in our sharing videos here - what might you like to see in the videography department? Tell us and we'll spread the news to our CP Gal Crew! 

Tips for Creating Simple Dimension w/Kimberly Neddo

Hey CP Addicts! Kimberly here with you today to share my love of keeping things simple, yet interesting at the same time.

I love to try just about anything, but sometimes, I prefer to keep things simple, too. I don't always stitch, paint or use a ton of different patterned papers. Sometimes less is more, right?

For this layout, I created some fun dimension by inking around the edges of the photograph. It draws your eye right to the pictures, making them stand out with the darker edges, don't you think?

Then, to add some dimension to the design, I curled the papers I used to back one of the photographs, as well as the edges of the banners. I love the drop shadow effect that comes from this easy-to-do procedure. Don't forget to add a couple of pop dot adhesives, too. This is always great for embellishing layered clusters.

Here is another thing I often do. I love my layouts to tell a story without a lot of journaling. How I do this is by carrying the theme around the page. For instance, the number fourty-four that I have in my journaling, I also used in the cluster of embellishments in the top right corner.

Now for the title work. Keeping it simple once again, but not boring, I combined two fonts to create my title. It generates interest for the viewing eye to read more. Take a look for yourself!

Thank you for stopping by! I hope some or all of these tips will help inspire you to try different ideas when you sit down to create your masterpieces.

Expressing Conversations on Paper w/Jeanette Lee

Like many of you, I love documenting about life's memorable events. Be it jotting down my thoughts on a notebook, writing a diary entry or doing mini albums and Project Life, words do speak louder to me, simply because I'm able to remember more vividly on what happened and why it happened.

My nieces are at this stage where they are learning to speak a lot more - one of them even loves to read and write. Sometimes, I can't keep up as there is so much I want to remember about the conversations that we have. So, how do I transcend all of these beyond the traditional pen-paper method?

Today, I'll share with you some tips on how we can record the conversations that we want to preserve while ensuring our layouts remain visually pleasing. 

Tip 1: Think outside the box - use shapes!

Just like how a heart shape can be used to represent love on our layouts, I used arrows to direct directionality of the conversation I had with my niece. Arrows are a great shape to consider as they cover length - using just a few of them across a layout allows for more coverage and space.

My older niece has her likes and dislikes. I love asking her about her current favorite hobby, food, clothes, etc. I simply aligned snippets of the questions and answers next to the arrows to symbolize our back and forth conversation. To make it more interesting, I also added open and closed inverted commas next to the arrows.

To decorate the arrows further, I used the 12 x 12 washi tape sheet from the Party Day collection. I chose to leave the backing of the washi strips intact so that the bold vibrant colours would stand out more. For quick adhesion, I used a nearby tape I had on hand to stick the washi strips to the back of the layout.

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Tip 2: Strike a balance - allow for space to do both

To strike a balance between visuals and documentation, I broke the layout into three sections: clustering of elements, photos and journaling. This type of set-up ensures that I not going overboard in doing too much. There is a designated space for each section. This "blocking" technique allows me to go crazy and be creative in clustering scrapbook elements while still having the liberty to pen down my thoughts.

To tie the sections together, I adhered two strips of patterned paper between the top and bottom, and overlapped the three sections. It creates cohesion throughout. Also, the speech bubble patterned paper, "house" card and "b" elements help to reinforce the idea that this layout is about a conversation had with my younger niece.

To share a little bit more about this funny conversation, my younger niece is at the stage of favoring girls' toys over boys'. It talks about how we tried to persuade her to treat Charlie, her toy, the same way that she treats her other toys. However, she refused.

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Tip 3: Inspire me, Project Life. Break conformity and just do it!

I love Project Life. I really do. It makes practical sense to many who see it as a fuss-free solution in recording your everyday moments in an album. But as much as I love it, I'm still a layout-kind-of-girl. I can't seem to find the time to commit to the PL process. Not to fear - the PL concept can easily be drawn as a source of inspiration for the foundation and concept behind the layouts you create.

For example, I collected a memorabilia of letters written by my niece, to me. I made a vellum pocket big enough to contain the letters for adding to the layout.

*A tip in finding creative ways to embellish your page would be to focus on the little details - like adding small pearls to Crate's pretty flower chipboard or wrapping a button in thread. These details can help make a layout more visually pleasing to the eye.

I, too, did a fun spin on the 3 x 4 pockets commonly associated with the PL page protector. I cut down a transparency sheet to the exact same size and using a brad, I attached my photo and a journaling card, together. I placed a simple green photo corner to maintain the alignment of the transparency. Beneath it and the photo, is my journaling. True to the traditions of Project Life, I added the week and date on the layout to remember when the letters were given to me.

That's it! I hope you find these tips useful! If you haven't tried them before, go ahead and put them to the test! Let me know what ultimately works for you - also, share with us how you record memorable conversations. We would love to hear about it!

 

A Close Knit Decorative Wreath for the Home

Hey there, Katie Ehmann here with a simple, fun decorative wreath project that is certain to add a little warmth to your home. The new Close Knit collection is filled with cozy, whimsical prints and fun details, so I knew it would be ideal to turn a plain grapevine wreath into something special.

I used pattern papers, epoxy button brads and chipboard to craft a variety of flowers, pinwheels and a banner to decorate my wreath. Paper flowers can be made in a variety of ways, including layering punched or hand cut shapes and securing with a brad as shown:

Fringing a paper circle by making small cuts around the edge:

Or, by cutting a spiral and wrapping tightly to create a rose-like flower.

Paper pinwheels are equally quick and easy to create! Start with a paper square, cut from each corner towards the center, stoping about a quarter-inch from the center, then fold each alternate corner and secure with adhesive and a brad:

Finally, I used the chipboard triangles, patterned paper and my sewing machine to make this fun little banner:

To secure each element to the grapevine wreath, I used floral wire (which works like a big twist tie!) and hot glue.

Here is my finished wreath, hanging in my family room!

August Creative Weekly Challenge :: Navy Blue & Sequins + Challenge Reminder

It is the end of our Navy Blue & Sequin August Creative Weekly. Now it's your turn to give the flashy theme a try! Our challenge inbox is open and awaiting your project entries. There's a Flea Market prize box in it for the winner - our brand new Maggie Holmes collection on schedule to release in just TWO weeks! Fabulous news for those of you who have been patiently awaiting to see it on sale at your fave local and online scrapbook stores. So, what are you waiting for? Send in those challenge projects --cpblog@cratepaper.com!

MEGAN KLAUER

Last Fall, while doing a photoshoot at a friends house, she was nice enough to send me home with some of her zinnia seeds. I was excited to get them planted this Spring and am now enjoying every beautiful bloom. I wanted to document these in my Project Life album and using a touch of navy blue was the perfect contrast against the brightly colored flowers. I went with a collage look on my layout because sometimes, it's just so much fun to see how many layers you can get away with; don't ya think?

 

REBECCA LUMINARIAS

I was so excited to learn that navy blue and sequins were our inspiration for this month's Creative Weekly. I've definitely been seeing navy quite a bit over the last few months and I have to say that I love it! It works in any season -- it's nautical in Spring and Summer and a great dark neutral in Autumn and Winter. You'll be seeing it in the upcoming Crate lines, Flea Market and Close Knit, but it's also been spotted in past collections like the original Maggie Homes line, Story Teller and Random.

In my layout, I used a lot of products from Maggie Holmes, starting out with the navy side of the "Happy Day" paper, which also has a coordinating canvas photo frame. I paired it up with one of the pink frames and went for an overall balanced look for my layout. The final details were the sequins -- and a lot of them! From the start of my concept for this project, I knew I wanted a line of them somewhere on the page. Once my photos and text were organized, I played around with the empty space and settled on the placement of the sequin lines. I glued them down before hand-stitching them onto the paper simply because it was easier to sew with them already in place. I also chose not to do a three full lines across the top and bottom because I didn't want to overwhelm the page with bling!

 

SOPHIE CRESPY

I don't usually use navy, but I challenged myself to use it as the main element of my layout and for a girl's photo. I chose the chevron paper from The Pier. I cut out the darker parts of the chevron pattern and backed it with this dotted navy paper from the Maggie Holmes collection. I added vellum and sequins in two parts of the chevrons for a fun look. My title was cut from navy Pow glitter paper. In addition to navy, I used yellow as a complimentary color to add a pop of brightness and to compliment the summer-y theme of my photo.

 

August Creative Weekly Challenge :: Navy Blue & Sequins

MARIE LOTTERMOSER

We recently got home from a trip to Alaska, and I have to say it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. One evening, my daughter and I walked out on the ship's balcony and we were both just blown away by the blue color of the sky and sea. I used gold sequins and tiny navy stars in a random pattern under my photo to represent the sky. I layered them under a piece of vellum to soften the effect. Then, I searched for gold pieces from several different Crate collections including Party Day, DIY Shop, The Pier and Maggie Holmes. I thought the gold was a perfect way to reflect the Alaskan gold rush history and the navy blue reflected the clear skies, deep blue waters and glaciers we cruised through. I think the colors of this layout, along with the tiny sequins and stars, was the perfect way to help capture the special magic of Alaska.

 

NAOMI ATKINS

Hello Everyone! Naomi here with our Creative Weekly theme, navy and sequins! When I heard the topic, I was very excited...sequins are such a popular trend right now, and I immediately thought of gold sequins to go with navy paper. The new Maggie Holmes collection, Flea Market, has a gorgeous navy and cream polka dotted paper and I LOVE it! Then, I thought of gold sequins, and stars...and I thought of a photo I just took of my daughter playing her guitar. She has grown leaps and bounds with her voice and musical talent this year. She sings her heart out..she sings to God, and it always seems like she has stars in her eyes because she loves it so much, and puts so much heart into what she is doing.

I cut stars out of the patterned paper and knew I wanted to put sequins in the stars. I had this brick looking paper from an older collection, which matched my brick wall in the photo, perfectly. I then used the stars that I cut and inked them navy blue to match the paper. I added a banner from The Pier collection at the top, and some gold chevron washi tape from Party Day that had music notes in it as well! I had a gold chevron pop up sticker from DIY Shop and that coordinated perfectly, too. I added some gold thickers and a die cut for the title and was done! I hope you get a chance to play along this week! I can't wait to see what y'all create!

 

KATIE EHMANN

Whether it be confetti, gold accents or sequins, I've been on a roll lately adding jazz and pizazz to my projects. When I saw that this month's Creative Weekly theme including my beloved sequins, my crafty heart started to beat a little faster! I wanted to make a big impact on my layout, so I chose to cut my title with my Cameo, and then adhered silver, gold, white, wood grain and soft pink sequins to the letters. To adhere sequins like this, simply run a generous amount of American Craft "This and That" Tape Runner over each letter and press each sequin firmly to the tape. I added "This and That" Foam Adhesive to my title to add dimension and really make those sequins pop!

August Creative Weekly Challenge :: Navy Blue & Sequins

MICHIKO KATO

I used navy and white watercolor on my layout. Navy reminds me of the deep blue often associated with the sea. Recently, I went camping with my family and enjoyed a swim in the sea. This layout is packed full of summer memories of my family and that trip. The Pier collection is just the right fit for summer, and it's one of my favorite collections in all of Crate Paper.

 

DEB DUTY

The theme this month was awesome to work with because I'm loving navy and sequins right now! Navy is such a beautiful color. I used it in my title and as a peek behind my photo with the navy dot paper from the Maggie Holmes Flea Market collection. I also added some navy misting to finish off my page. And of course, I added some navy sequins, too! I wanted to use my sequins in a different way than my usual sprinkling in little clusters on my layouts, so I decided to add them in rows throughout my title. I chose navy, yellow and woodgrain sequins to complement my page. Hope you will give our theme a try this month and have fun with it!

 

MAGDA MIZERA

Navy blue with white is my favorite color combo for dressing up. It's elegant and trendy at the same time. But, rarely do I use it on my craft projects. None the less, I made two cards using navy blue from the old Crate Paper 'Neighborhood' collection and combined it with white cardstock, doilies, gauze and a frame from The Pier collection. They are perfect for any kind of celebration so I think I just might use them as a gift for my friend's wedding!

August Creative Weekly Challenge :: Navy Blue & Sequins

Photo Credit: Style Me Pretty

With the appeal of Navy Blue on the rise and the lush sparkle of flashy sequins, a duo of the two is unstoppable. We're dedicating the week to them and put the design team to the task of showing off some creative ingenuity using the snazzy pair. Crate Paper doesn't fall short on it's Navy Blue obsession either - the team came up with projects of all sorts using a mixed batch of CP collections! There is ample 'Navy Blue' inspiration ahead.

The August Creative Weekly is open to your challenge entries! Details are as listed...

- Fresh Handmade Wares encouraged - at least 75% Crate Paper (old and new/three product minimum)

- Original Design following this week's CW theme; Navy Blue & Sequins

- Winner & Runner-Ups published at Crate blog & Crate's Pinterest Board; Creative Weekly Challenge

- Open to most project types; layout, mini album, card, etc. One project per submission.

- Submission deadline is September 3, 2013 (5:00pm Central Time) - cpblog@cratepaper.com

- Winner announced September 4, 2013.  Late Submissions not accepted.

- Prize: The NEW Flea Market - Product Assortment Box

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JEANETTE LEE

Since this month's CW is all about trends, what's more suiting than creating a layout combining navy blue and sequins with another hot trend in the market; triangles! There have been a growing number of these trendy layouts recently and I, myself was truly inspired to join in on the trend wagon!

First, I die cut the triangles from navy blue patterned paper and vellum. I filled the vellum triangles with an assortment of sequins and sealed them tight. Next, I arranged these triangles across the page until I was satisfied. To make these triangles stand-up a little more, I stitched the vellum pockets and added sequins to the bolder navy blue triangles.

I once read that triangles symbolized growth. This sums up my niece, the girl in my photos; fearless, free-willed and full of life! Playing at the playground happens to be her forte, too. It's truly a joy seeing her grow into the child that she is.

 

EVELYN PRATIWI YUSUF

   Hello August! It's a little bit too late for me to celebrate this month, but today, allow me to share about this summertime layout using navy and sequins as a theme before we get crazy with the new Crate Paper collections. Summer is often akin to the beautiful sea and sand - My husband and I captured some of it on a trip in Lombok, Indonesia. The layout I created shares an image from the unforgettable experience - To connect with the water, and navy blue theme, I used Maggie's bold blue polka-dot patterned paper for my backdrop. I then took my brush and playfully painted navy blue stripes onto white cardstock. To make for an even more fun impression, I dressed up the layout with navy blue embellishments. Both the Maggie Holmes and The Pier collections include lots of navy blue. As a final touch, I pasted gold sequins randomly as a reminder of the beauty of the seashore. Summer isn't always about the warm colors like yellow, orange and brown. You can also get away with using a strong color like Navy Blue when creating different layouts highlighting Summer's most magical moments!

 

SASHA FARINA

Hello, my name is Sasha and I'm a mother to two girls :) I'm only half kidding when I say I hyperventilated a little when I saw that we have to create a 'navy' + sequins' for August Creative Weekly. Navy (and purple) must be my least used colors so far. To say I'm being thrown out of my comfort zone is a little bit of an understatement. I have no problem what-so-ever with sequins, though. :)

First, I used my sewing machine to create the sequins pocket with a piece of patterned vellum and an enlargement of the photo I'm using for this layout. I stitched the three sides, filled it with some beautiful shiny sequins and then stitched the last side shut. Then, I decided to focus on blue-colored embellishments. I had no problem at all because apparently, I've been neglecting all the blue pieces. Who knew?! I certainly hadn't realized it. LOL.

I love how easy it was for me to incorporate other colors to complement all the blue pieces. Turns out that pink, yellow and light green, were perfect partners of navy blue! I also altered the white thickers I used for the title with some spray mist.

I must say, I no longer panic when I hear navy blue. Laugh. The color is, after all, quite friendly and I can see myself using it more! What about you? Give navy a try - you might love it as much as I do right now!

Crate 365 :: The Page Protector Reinvented w/Janna Werner

 

Upon reviewing your feedback to last Tuesday's inquiry, we want to personal thank you for taking the time to share your ideas with us. We strive to bring you relevant, original projects with a story in hand and techniques to spare with Crate Paper front and center. That will always be a constant. We look forward to applying your ideas as we go about renovating Crate Paper's blog this upcoming October. Thank-you CP Fans! 

And congratulations to Erin Whelan - she has won an assorted prize pack of Crate's Fall/Winter releases!! Her feedback touched on areas repeated over and over again by almost all those whom commented..

 

Erin Whelan said:

"Your variety of projects thus far have been great. That being said I do enjoy tutorials that include a video or step by step instructions. I like learning mixed media techniques, anything art journalling related and new ways to use products. I'm also interested in Project Life type spreads and mini books. Thank you for asking your readers what they would be interested in viewing! It means so much ;)"

We'll be contacting you shortly, Erin! Watch your inbox :)

Now, take a moment to check out this week's Crate 365 with Janna Werner! 

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Hello everyone, this is Janna Werner. Today, I would like to share how to create a fak multi-pocket layout for your Crate 365 albums. I recently saw this technique on the internet and just knew I had to try it - if being successful and happy with the result - share it with you. As I am writing this post, you already know that I was successful and happy with the result ;)

So, what exactly is fake about this page?

it seems as if this was a normal Crate 365 page protector with several pockets. But, it aint actually, it's a complete layout with a 12" x 12" white cardstock base. I used my sewing machine to create fake pockets: ten at 3 x 4 and one at 6 x 4.

Ok - now why should you create a layout like this if you could easily fill a premade page protector with multiple pockets instead? There are several reasons:

1. You ran out of page protectors that have pockets..all that is left is the standard plain 12 x 12 page protectors which you think is quite boring.
2. You would like to create your own segmentation but don't want to cut-up a page protector, nor sew on it.
3. You would like to have a white border around all your elements, but don't want to cut out eleven pieces of white cardstock, plus the photos and other papers (who has that much time, right?!)
4. You just need to try this technique.

Now, let's take a closer look at how to create this type of page.

In this first step, you'll need scratch paper, a ruler and a pen. Think about what segmentation you would like to have on your page. The good thing is, you can create it any size you want - no need to stick to 3 x 4 or 4 x 6! And yes, you could do this without a ruler as well, but most likely you'll get a better idea of your page design when the lines on the scratch paper are straight.

As soon as you are happy with the look of the 'pockets', you can start transferring the pattern onto the 12 x 12 cardstock - just keep in mind to not push the pen too hard when drawing the lines onto the cardstock as this might leave marks on it after erasing the lines later.

To create straight lines, consider using a triangular ruler - this makes the process easier and is less time intensive. After drawing the lines, use a sewing machine and sew along them. Try to stay on the lines to achieve a straight look. Erase the pencil lines when you're done. And, a quick fun tip: I used white thread, but you could also use colored thread!

More than likely, your sewn lines won't be a 100% straight, therefore, you'll need to cut the photos and papers separately so they'll fit into the "pockets". Make a mark on the papers and photos so you'll remember which pocket they're assigned to.

After filling the pockets with photos and paper, it's time to decorate the page. I chose papers, tags and stickers from the Maggie Holmes collection, and also, The Pier and DIY Shop collections. This time around, I added journaling directly onto my photos.

Here are a few detail shots of the page:

And this is what the page looks like when it is in a plain 12 x 12 page protector...

You can hardly see the difference! I really, really love this technique and will use it many more times - now let me know what you think of it: yes, or no? Have you tried it before? Do YOU have any fun tips to share on how to create a fake page protector page? Let us know :)

Have a great day, wherever you are...