Crate Paper

Roam Sweet Home: California Travels - Katie Ehmann

There's nothing quite like a road trip–jumping in the car, camera in hand, a route mapped out and marvelous sights awaiting you. A few weeks ago, my husband and I flew from the still-cold Mitten State to the warm and lovely state of California. I'd never been, so I was especially excited to visit, and my husband, who'd been before, couldn't wait to share his love of the Bay Area with me. We decided to alternate our days in the City with two different road trips along the California Coast–one north from San Francisco to Point Reyes, and one south from San Francisco to Carmel. Um, you guys, can I just tell you that it was amazing??! While I loved the city, nothing quite compared to driving along Highway 1 up and down the gorgeous coast! And of course, I had to document this trip with layouts...numerous layouts!! And Open Road was the ultimate collection with which to do so!

To document our northern coastal trip to Point Reyes, I wanted to use as many photos as possible while still upholding a clean look. I printed four photos on a 4 x 6 sheet of photo paper and included a small white border around each one. I arranged them loosely on a piece of white cardstock, and decided to cut apart the tag adorned patterned paper to use as an embellishment and to add pops of pattern and color to the design. Once I had everything arranged, I used ephemera and chipboard (my favorites!) from Open Road to complete the details and title work. The "Day Trip" chipboard piece couldn't have worked better to entitle this page!

To document our trip south to Carmel, I chose a selfie that my husband and I took at a gorgeous stop along Highway 1. The coast is simply breathtaking, and since we were by ourselves, we took a lot of selfies with our phone to record the journey. The Desert Inn Paper provided a beautiful blue background to show off lots of layered embellishments. I surrounded the photo with a variety of cut-apart tags, ephemera, journaling cards and the awesome chipboard. I also added foam adhesive to various pieces for dimension. Finally, I cut a large title from white cardstock with my Silhouette and machine stitched it to the page. Although the title is large, the white cardstock is subtle enough that it adds to the layout instead of detracting from it.

I don't know about you, but creating these layouts makes me excited for my next road trip adventure! Thanks for joining me today, Crate fans - I've gotta hit the road!

Happy Mother's Day + Homemade Cards

This weekend marks the celebration of motherhood with the arrival of Mother's Day! The holiday offers us the opportunity to share great appreciation and love for all the magnificent women out there who commit themselves to family with the utmost care and compassion. We are wholeheartedly honored by their dedication, patience and craftiness :) Here are a few cards to commemorate the special occasion....

We wish all the fabulous 'moms' out there a Happy Mother's Day! - Crate Paper

 

Pretty Things: Springtime Cards - Melissa Phillips

Hooray, it's Spring! We're throwing a Spring Party through lots of handmade happiness with our monthly feature, Pretty Things. The CP Gals have gathered cheery ideas for Spring card making and more. Ahead is a pretty presenation with lots of color and springtime designs you will absolutely LOVE. And who better than to help get us started with the party? Expert card maker, Melissa Phillips!

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Oh how I LOVE the new Open Road collection from Crate Paper!  It's a sweet mix of so many irresistible things which means it can be used for anything, including some sweet, feminine cards.  I've selected some of my favorite patterns from the paper collection and paired them with chipboard frames, journal cards, and lots of other toppings, so let's get started!

One of my favorite products from this whole collection, is the darling chipboard frame I used on this card.  I love the bandanna feel, color, pattern, etc.  It instantly reminds me of summer and sunshine.  

I used some of the fun, new Open Road Thickers to form my sentiment in the center of the frame, accenting the "O" with a button, and finishing off my sentiment by using a gold foil sticker from the Maggie Holmes Styleboard collection.

And then of course, there are the beautiful florals included throughout this collection.   This flower cluster is from the Open Road sticker sheet, and I used dimensional adhesive when adhering it to my card, to make it pop and stand out a bit.  

You'll notice the sweet yellow and white floral paper used on all of my cards...it's so sweet and fresh, and my favorite pattern in the Open Road collection.  

The Journal Cards are such perfect elements for card-making and I love the mix of pastel cards included in this collection.  I matted my chipboard frame over one of these Journal Cards, added a bit of cream burlap from my stash to the center and then attached a dimensional flower sticker to the center.  Such lovely, warm colors.

Another Styleboard Gold Foil sticker stitched to the bottom of my card, a cardstock sticker tab attached near the top, and that's it.  The dimensional flower sticker needed to be center stage and using it made this card come together so easily.

The colors used throughout this collection make it so appealing for many different reasons.  For me, I love feminine touches and elements, having just one little girl, I am always on the search for girlie things and products and happily this collection fills that need.

Loving this queen playing card all dressed up in pinks, coral, and cream.  She provided the base from which to start building this card.  I added a small chipboard frame in the corner, followed by a die cut feather and chipboard flower.  I love how these frames can help you create focal points on your projects.

My sentiment consists of a die cut and Gold Foil sticker...these things are so essential, aren't they?

And then down the side of the card, I added a Stitched Layered Border accent.  Just sweet!

As you can see, Open Road is gorgeous and made up with elements, patterns, colors, and embellishments that are perfect for any occasion, including sweet and feminine :).

Thanks for visiting. -Melissa

CP Simply Pale: Pastel Perfection - Stephanie Buice

There is something remarkably beautiful and ever-so-subtle about muted colors that this month, we're focusing our attention on them. With the influx of watercolor, lighter tones and sheer white backdrops, pale colors are finding room to shine now more than ever. Crate Paper has always striven to incorporate pastels into its collections, including Open Road. This month, we're celebrating the artistic quality of pale hues and their exquisite softness. To help us get started is CP Gal, Stephanie Buice.

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One of my favorite color groups are the pastels. I like to decorate and dress in them and they are my favorites to scrapbook with. I love their softness and the feeling of freshness they invoke. They are easy on the eyes and can be used for both feminine and masculine pages. Here are two I have to share with you today:

I started both of my layouts with white backgrounds, and wanted to keep the look clean and simple. I really like the soft feel that vellum lends to a page. I dug out all the vellum hearts I had left from the vellum shapes pack and started at the bottom of the page and worked them up. I feel like you could also use butterflies or balloons in their place, but because this layout is about the love I have for my little family, I stuck with the hearts.

I wanted to the hearts to look like they were fluttering about like pouring out of something, so I started placing them in a narrow like fashion and then worked them outward. Vellum can be a very tricky thing to lay down and stay put because adhesive often shows through it. To solve this problem, I decided I would sew through most of the bigger hearts and then used the lightest adhesive I had on hand for the others. Vellum isn't very heavy like many other embellishments, so they will stay put even with very little adhesive.

This picture of my husband and son was taken last Father's Day. We went to lunch after church and right outside the restaurant was the prettiest fountain with tons of flowers. The colors were all a little too bright for my page, and so to keep the tones light and pale, I decided that it would be best to convert the image to black and white. This not only helped to keep the feel of my layout soft, but also helped me to make the pastels an option for this masculine page.

I wanted the page to be simple and clean. I didn't want the eye to stop at the picture, so I kept the journaling tiny and to the point. I printed it out and cut it up into little pieces to maintain the floating aura of the page.

For my next layout, you will notice that I kept it white and crisp, but chose to add a bit more color. It's still pale, though not to the extreme at which the other layout is.

In accordance with Spring, and since the birth of our son, we buy a brand new box of sidewalk chalk as soon as the weather starts to warm up. I usually put it in his Easter basket - it's a fun treat! Almost every morning, after our walk, you can find in the driveway drawing and having a fun time. I love how my son looks forward to it and it's something we do together. He is only two and a half, so it's not like I have years and years of chalk drawing experience. My trucks all look like cars and my cats all kind of resemble dogs, but he doesn't seem to care much about it. All in all, I just wanted to make a layout documenting our little Spring sidewalk tradition.

I again chose to stick with vellum shapes from the Oh Darling collection. I chose to work with an assortment of vellum border pieces and started by layering them in the center of my page. At first, I hadn't planned on leaving much space between them, but when I went to add my journaling beneath my pictures, it looked heavy and that wasn't the look I was going for. So, after playing around a bit, I decided to place the journaling stripes between each of the vellum pieces.

Originally, I had two pictures on the layout - one black & white and the other, full color. In the end, I wasn't happy with the combination. I decided to place a Oh Darling frame on top the b/w photo, but it still didn't meet my expectations, though I loved the frame! So, I looked through the remaining shapes I had left and decided on a tiny pink heart that says "Lovely" to put inside the frame. I felt like the pink heart was the perfect touch and kept the eye moving from bottom to top.

To finish off the layout, I added a final pink vellum strip above the picture and frame. It creates a unified design. I sewed down the center of my shapes to hold them in place. I didn't mind that they weren't perfectly straight since it added another element of fun to the page.

I hope that after seeing my layouts, you are tempted to take a lighter approach to your color choices and test them out on some fun, and even masculine pages. Thanks for stopping by today!

Stationery Style: Handmade Notes & Tag Print Tutorial - Lisa Dickinson

Welcome to another 'go' of Stationery Style! It's all about Crate Paper's newest collection, Open Road, and it's unlimited stationery-making potential. Today, Lisa Dickinson has some good ol' handwritten note cards and quick-to-create lunch box notes along with a handy tutorial - have a look!

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As much as I love the ease and convenience of text messaging and emails, sometimes you just can't convey your emotions effectively through electronic delivery. And that's why I still get nostalgic for the good ol'handwritten note. It's a tangible way to send someone the feelings in your heart, and it never fails to brighten the day of the recipient. I like to keep a few all-occasion cards handy for sending these little letters. Whether it's a heartfelt thank you, a note of encouragement, or simple words to say "I'm thinking of you!", these greetings remind my friends and family that they are special and loved!

I was inspired to create my own stationery with some of the new Open Road papers and Journaling Cards. The wide variety of patterns in this collection go way beyond the typical travel-themed line and include lots of botanicals, florals and distressed geometrics. Layering several papers and cardstock with a 3 x 4 journal card created the base for my cards. Then I added a personalized touch by printing "from the desk of" and using chipboard letters for my initials. A few simple embellishments like a die cut feather, butterfly sequin and pearls add a bit of sparkle.

To save time, I used the same design for a second card. I like to create several cards in one sitting, and making them all the same basic design helps speed up the process. Here, I layered a bright floral pattern under a journal card printed with leaves and birds. In a blank spot on the card, I typed the words "from the desk of" and then added mini alphabet stickers to spell out my name. A small chipboard chevron helps call attention to the personalization.

Because I saved time in the design process, I was able to add some extra details like stitched borders and punched scalloped edges. I love that they add texture and a handmade feel to these cards.

Another way I love to brighten someone's day is with what I call Lunchbox Love Notes. These are just small little sentiments that are easily slipped into a lunch or coat pocket and let my family and friends know I'm thinking of them. They are quick and easy to make, and can often be created using scraps leftover from layouts.

I used the Road Map paper from the Open Road collection to cut out these preprinted tags. I added my own notes by printing various sentiments directly on the tags and then embellishing them with small die cuts, brads, buttons, rhinestones and twine.

Here's a step-by-step to print your own notes on the tags:

Trim out tags and measure the space available for your text. Create a text box that size and type your note.

Print your text on a piece of plain white paper, leaving plenty of room between each text box.

Hold the paper up to a light source (a bright window or light box) so you can see the printed text through the tag. Use a temporary adhesive to adhere the tags over the printed text, lining up where you want the words to print.

Place the paper with the adhered tags back into your printer, and print again. Gently remove tags from the paper and embellish.

I hope these simple projects have encouraged you to create your own little stationery stash of cards and tags. And the next time you're inspired to spread a little love, you'll have the perfect way to convey it! Happy Scrapping!

Maggie Holmes Design Team

We're thrilled to join celebrity designer Maggie Holmes in sharing news of her new design team! 

We're sooo very excited to invite you to visit Maggie's site for EVEN MORE amazing Crate Paper inspiration!

Read more about this exciting announcement, meet the team members and enter a fun giveaway on Maggie's blog all week, starting today! 

 

Roam Sweet Home: A Pre-Made Vacation Journal - Stephanie Bryan

This month, we present a special series about capturing life's voyage via exotic travels through the eyes of the Crate Paper Design Team. Using The Open Road collection and a variety of project styles, they tell of their Summer adventures, both old and new. First on the scene is CP Gal, Stephanie Bryan, with a pre-made vacation journal.

**Tomorrow, in honor of National Scrapbook Day, we are hosting a "Full Collection" giveaway! Want to take a guess at which Crate Paper collection will be up for grabs? Join us tomorrow if you're a big time OPEN ROAD fan and want first dibs on the globe-trotting gear.

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Spring and Summer traveling is always so exciting. The trees are in full bloom, the grass is green and you can almost smell the relaxation in the air! We have a few family adventures planned this year, as well as some fun trips for just my husband and I and documenting them is one of my favorites!

Before my trips, I always like to have an idea of how I want to document our adventure. Sometimes, I will add an insert into our Project Life album, but often, I put together a mini album. Pre-planning a travel journal can be such a wonderful way to enjoy your trip while also documenting those little memories. Having a pre-made album that you carry with you on your trip lets you record those memories as they happen, rather than afterwards. I also like to use the journal as a place to reflect about my life and the things that are going on. There's nothing like a relaxing vacation to open up your mind and heart.

For the base of my album, I am using the Open Road Accordion Mini Album. I love the patterns and colors and all the "extras" that are included as part of this mini, like the little paper clips and pockets.

I have also gathered together a few envelopes, glassine bags, paper bags and vellum to create some additional pockets for my journal.

Instead of using the album as an accordion album, I cut between each page, leaving me with five beautiful front/back pages.

Using some of the patterned paper from the Open Road collection, I created a flip out page where I could add additional photos or journaling. I wanted to make sure there was plenty of room for variation as I was making the book and didn't want to have to commit to a photo size or idea before I had my photos and memorabilia.

To add extra bits and pieces to my journal, I trimmed apart the Open Road Cut-Outs paper. These pieces together create their own little embellishment pack and are perfect for any travel journal!

I like to sew or staple on any additional tags or cards prior to binding my book together. You will see that I've included many of these tags as accents throughout the journal. I'll keep all the extras together and will include those to my book when the photos and journaling has been added.

Using a piece of vellum, I created a transparent pocket for the end of my journal. Right now, I have a few pretty cards and tags in there, but I know it will soon be full of memories from our trip!

Now that all of the pages and pockets are made, my book is ready to be bound. I'm using my Bind-It-All, but you could easily use book rings or ribbon to bind your book.

Let's take a look at my pre-made travel journal!

The "Going Places" tag from the Open Road "Cut-Outs" paper was the obvious choice for my title. I added an open frame, a piece of map paper, vellum and a pretty sticker flower to finish the front.

Scattered throughout the book, I've included paper bags, envelopes or pockets. I love being able to tuck in pieces of memorabilia or journaling throughout my trips and pockets make this so easy.

For this bag, I stapled an Open Road banner across the top for a pop of color.

I've also added in smaller pieces of paper and cards in-between the pages. I love having a messy book and the varying pages keep it fun and playful.

Here, I sewed a piece of notebook paper to one of the base pages of the book to create another pocket. I plan on adding journaling onto the notebook paper and then tucking in little pictures and ephemera in the pocket.

My travel journal is all done! Now I just have to count down the days until I can fill it in with photos and memories!

CP Adorn: Open Road Journaling Cards - Ashley Marcu

Last week, we introduced the new Crate Paper mid-release, Open Road. With a rustic blend of hip retro accents and timely southwest charm, the new collection is brimming with options for documenting life's travels this Summer. This month, we're going to focus our attention on the fresh goods–cacti, cola and all! Grab your itinerary 'cause we're taking a trip to welcome Open Road!

Our May installment of "Adorn It" is packed full of ideas for using Crate Paper's much loved journaling cards. CP Gal, Ashely Marcu, is first-in-line to share her take on the subject using the new Open Road collection.

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Journaling cards are so trendy in paper crafting and they are so easy to use. Not only do they work great for pocket scrapbooking, but they look great on cards and boxes too! I have a few fun projects to show you. Let's get started!

For my first project, a journaling card makes a perfect focal point for my card, but it also has a purpose–it holds a gift card! With Father's Day just around the corner as well as retirements, birthdays and graduations, it's nice to have a place to hold a gift card that is on the front of a card.

When I make cards like this, I always put a little note inside to make sure the recipient doesn't miss the gift. The speed limit sign can also be customized to fit the occasion. Fun, right?!

For my next card, I was specifically thinking about all those graduation ceremonies just around the corner. This time I layered two journaling cards and die cut half of a circle out of the top card in the center. Strong adhesive holds both sides and the bottom to create a simple pocket.

There are so many fun words and tags to cut out of the Road Map 12" x 12" paper. For my card, instead of focusing on trimming one word or phrase, I cut out a whole stripe and ultimately felt it added a fun, trendy billboard background feel.

Journaling cards are also great as tags or box/bag toppers! To make this cute box, I simply tied some twine around a plain kraft colored box with a doily just beneath it. I then had fun picking letters from the new Highway Thickers to layer on top a matching journaling card.

The final step was choosing embellishments, which is similar to selecting the perfect accessories for an outfit.  I found a cute banner, sticker and feather from the Open Road collection and added them to the card. Not only do the colors compliment the gift box, but they add a bit of whimsy as well!

I hope to have inspired you to think outside the box when using journaling cards (literally). I definitely plan to create with them again in the near future!