Crate Paper

A Summer Essential - Road Trip Kit by Marie Lottermoser

Here's a random summer project to bring along the next time you find yourself and your family on a long road trip to a fun, festive summer getaway! It's a Road Trip Kit using the new Open Road from CP Gal, Marie Lottermoser!

........

Road trips are a big deal in our family. We go on at least five or six a year. But it seems like every time we get in the car, my kids head straight for their electronics and miss most of the beautiful scenery outside. When I received the Open Road collection, it reminded me of the car trips we used to take when I was growing up. We would make up games using license plates or road signs to pass the time. It gave me the idea of creating a road trip kit which will help my own kids look out the window more and look down at their screens.

I started off with a tin pencil container. This collection is full of vintage colors, so to coordinate I painted the lid blue and the base, yellow. Then I started adding chipboard and stickers, using the colorful state map as a focal point.

Next, I gathered together a set of journaling cards and joined them together to make a scavenger hunt book. Not only are they just the right size for my tin container, but they are also sturdy and will hold up to some wear and tear.

On each journaling page, I put a different item for the kids to spot. Many are generic landmarks you might see on any car trip, and some are specific locations we always pass. I used photos from previous road trips placed under chipboard frames, and also, used the fun vintage icons that are part of this collection. The journaling cards are double-sided with a different design on the front and back, which makes it twice as easy to use them for a book or mini album.

I also added some interactive elements on the cards. For instance, on the 'hawk' card, instead of just using glue to hold down the feathers, I tied them from string held down by my tiny attacher, so they actually move.

The tiny license plates in this collection reminded me of the game we played growing up trying to spot license plates from all 50 states. We actually got all the way through this game once when I was a kid, finally finding the state of Hawaii at a campground. I included a list of all the states so we could cross them off as we spot them and added a license plate as an accent.

Once my scavenger hunt game was complete, all that was left was to fill up the rest of the kit. I added in chewing gum, a first aid kit and some other odds and ends. We are now ready to hit the road, and hopefully this time we will be paying more attention to the sights around us!

Pretty Things: Effortless Beach-Inspired Cards - Ashley Marcu

 

We return with this month's 'Pretty Things' theme - The Beach! CP Gal, Ashley Marcu, has brought to shore three effortless cards using the beach-a-riffic collection, Open Road!
.......
Summer is just around the corner and I'm excited to bring the outside in, to three beach inspired cards!

There are so many ways to celebrate the waves and easy feeling of the beach through crafting, so let's get started!

I always enjoy seeing the endless blue water at the beach. I used it as inspiration and cut stripes of blue paper from the Open Road collection. By layering them, it creates a textured beachy backdrop. Stickers and die cut pieces were layered over the backdrop to complete the look.

The beach is a beautiful place, but it also makes me think of parties with friends, family gatherings, and fun! This next card captures that side of the beach. I started with the 'Big Sky' patterned paper angled in the background. This provided a trendy backdrop for a fun frame, stickers, and chipboard stickers from the Open Road collection. I kept the bright sentiment on an angle, too, which keeps this card playful and fun, just like the beach!

I can't create beach inspired cards without water color! They just seem to go together, right? I made a simple water colored panel to start my card. Then, I layered a few Open Road patterned papers together with a few embellishments. This card is purposely very casual and simple. How fun would it be to take your Open Road embellishments on a summer vacation with a few pre-created card bases?!

I hope you were inspired to bring the beauty and simplicity of the beach inside to your craft room, or to even create on the road!

CP Dots & Stripes: Yellow Camera Love - Stephanie Buice

 

June brings with it two special themes.This first one focuses on two patterns that everyone loves–Dots & Stripes! Neither ever go out of style, and to this day, Crate Paper depends on them to help play out it's awesome collections. Lately, we've had a BIG crush on large dots and wide stripes. Almost every release we put out this year includes either one or the other, or both! We enlisted the CP Gal Crew to scope out their favorite CP stripe/dot accessories and put them to use in a fun, creative fashion. Here to share first is CP Gal, Stephanie Buice!

.......

Hello everyone! Stephanie Buice here to share my Dots and Stripes layout with you today.

I love mixing patterns together, and the mix of dot and stripe papers are one of my go-to combinations. I like that you can play with a variety of scales from each pattern to add your own touch of character and interest. I went through my Crate stash and pulled out some of my favorites of both types of prints and started layering them.

My color combination for this layout was inspired by the new "Open Road" collection. Although I mixed product from many of the existing lines, I really liked the sun kissed summery colors such as the pinks, reds, oranges, yellows and teals. The feelings that they invoke play perfectly to my picture.

When I start a layout, I almost always begin with a picture and use an assortment of embellishments to help tell the story. This time was slightly different. Have you ever created a card or layout based on one special embellishment that you loved so much, you just had to use it? Well, that's kind of what happened with this layout! After I pulled all my dot and stripe papers, I was going through my embellishments and found the yellow camera from the Open Road collection.

Not only did I love this tiny camera because it was adorable, but I had recently taken one of the cutest pictures of my son playing outside that was a perfect match–a double win for me and the yellow camera! The gold vellum film strips from the Style Board collection were also the perfect 'pair' to go under my camera collage. I positioned the camera near the top so that I could still fit in small journaling strips just beneath. What goes better with a camera than film strips?!

For the 'main collage' centered arounded the photo, I added one of the layered embellishment badges from the Style Board collection. Even though it's beautiful 'as is', I still felt it needed a little something extra to help bring the eye to it. My solution–make a personalized mini badge from chipboard and gold vellum pieces, and top it off with a yellow sequin and some word strips from the Love Notes collection. Lately, I've had a major crush on little word pieces and stickers. I just love how they help to convey a story-in-progress.

I also added the red 'Love You' adhesive badge for a touch of red just around the corner. The best tip I could ever give you to get the most out of your supplies would be to never fear mixing pieces together to make your own one-of-a-kind embellishments. I really like that all of the Crate Paper collections can be mixed and used together to fit almost anyone's style, and to bring about one's own unique creative vision.

Because the picture and mini camera collage were on the upper-half of the layout, I used arrows with black enamel dots to call attention to the title. And because the upper-half of the layout was heavily preoccupied, I kept the title clean and to the point. I really like the bit of glitz that the gold Thickers bring to the party.

I hope that you've enjoyed my layout and will consider the benefits of mixing patterns together–dots and stripes are a sure no-fail way to get your feet wet!

Crate Paper Adorn It: Summer Bucket List Garland - Stephanie Bryan

We are 'adorning' it once again–highlighting one of our all time most beloved embellishment products–'Chipboard Slide Frames'. We designed the very first set of slide frames in Summer 2013 as part of "The Pier" collection.  Because they were such a BIG hit with our fans, we came up with a second set of newly designed slide frames for "The Open Road" collection. They're just as versatile and fun, and like before, we extended an invitation to the CP Girls to work with them exclusively using a host of new techniques so that once again, you might take to them just like last season! Yeah!

 Lucky you–Stephanie Bryan has a Summer Bucket List you are bound to love using the awesome Open Road chipboard frames.

.......

Hi there Crate fans! Stephanie back with you today to share my family's Summer bucket list! My two kids love to write down all of the things we would like to do over Summer break. I love hearing their ideas and my husband and I always throw in a few for us too! Writing them down is a must for me, and combining our list with Crate's Open Road collection was a complete win-win! With just a little pre-planning and organizing, we are all ready to go!

Let me show you how simple putting together your own Summer Bucket list can be!

I'm using the Open Road Chipboard Frames as the main base of my project. I love the open frames, but I knew I wanted to add an item from our list to each one, so I trimmed down a few Open Road patterned papers and backed each frame with a neutral paper. The neutral papers keep the project simple, light and airy.

Next, I typed up our summer list items on a piece of printer paper, cut them out and attached each one to a chipboard frame with my stapler. A few stickers, banners and ephemera and our cards were all ready to go! I finished each card by sewing a quick stitch along the bottom of each frame to hold the paper and frame together.

I used some twine and small clothespins to hang our list up in the kitchen. I love that it's out and visible for us to see throughout the Summer! We've already checked a few items off of our list and I have two cute kids who can't wait to do the rest. I will definitely be saving each framed item and plan to create a mini album at the end of the Summer.

Happy Summer!

.......

It's the moment you've all been waiting for since the start of the week–the announcement of the Open Road Goodie Box WINNER! Not only did you share your Summer plans with us, you literally put forth your entire Summer Bucket List for all to see and enjoy! Looks like home-base is this Summer's ultimate hotspot thanks to backyard parties galore and family, friends and neighbors. Thanks for the chance to know what you'll be up to the next three months. Sounds like lots of fun ahead!

Congratulations to Tara in Fort Collins, CO:

I can check off Florida from summer bucket list, but still have so many other things to do and see! Definitely gonna do some camping, hopefully in Crested Butte for Wildflower Festival, lots of BBQs with cold drinks and good music and maybe even a trip to Wine country to finish off the season. Tara Fort Collins, CO Posted by: Tara | June 03, 2014 at 08:01 AM

Please forward your infomation to cpblog@cratepaper.com. Your box awaits!

Pretty Things: A Day at the Beach Times Two - Ginny Hughes

 

June's Pretty Things feature calls attention to everyone's favorite Summer getaway - The Beach! Is there really any better atmosphere to be in when the sun is blazing and in front of you, an endless horizon of water fun? Here to give us a glimpse of her beach escape is CP Gal, Ginny Hughes, with two blue-friendly layouts.

.......

The beach, the waves, the sand, the sunshine...I love every bit of it! I'm super excited to be joining you today with some "beachy' layouts. I love to scrap summer photos. I love the colors and the carefree style of summertime. I mixed and matched collections again and I think they really convey the feeling of the beach.

On this first layout, I used a piece of ombre patterned paper. It resembles waves and the colors of the sea. In the center of the layout, I positioned vellum beneath the grid of images and journaling for added 'pop' and color. To tie it all together, including the photo, I sprinkled cobalt blue throughout.

Because I love 'dimension', my layouts are rarely ever flat. I punched a medium circle from Styleboard's 'Ticket' patterned paper and propped it up with foam adhesive. You might not immediately notice the circle because it blends in with the background - I set the circle on top it's original location, just above the patterned paper that produced it.

 For a bit of whimsy, I stamped mint green dots from top to bottom with the help of a pencil eraser - an instant circle stamp!

I adore BIG photos, so I went big on this next one! It's a favorite photo of mine from last year's vacation. I wanted the photo to be the main focus, so I positioned it front and center across the length of the layout. From there, I had fun with a variety of chipboard pieces. I adorned the left side of the layout with an eclectic overlapping mix of elements, most from Open Road. I didn't journal on this page - sometimes, you just don't need to! You can convey everything you want to say with only photo'(s) and products.

Of course, I had to use a smidgen of patterned paper ;) I added on a section of red/cream polka-dot paper from the Boy's Rule collection. It was a great place to house all of the embellishments and help to ground them in one central location.

I did incorporate a couple of large sized embellishments - yellow camera, transparent 'hello' and pink sunglasses. They became the cornerstone of the layout's color palette. Also, since the right side of the layout was bare, I felt I could really pile it on along the left edge without overwhelming the layout. Amazingly, it worked!

I really like how the mix of embellishments came together in a cohesive, cooperative fashion. The Open Road collection is great for capturing Summer events, vacations included!

Thanks for joining me today! Hope you have a great Summer! While outside, make great memories and don't forget your camera to document it all!

Stationery Style: Open Road Stationery Gift Set - Wida Miller

Sometimes it takes absolute simplicity to bring about a flower's beautiful side. For the month of June in accordance with Stationery Style, we're catering to florals of all varieties. First to share her simple, trendy flower-adorned cards is CP Gal, Wida Miller. 

.......

Stationery to me means coordinating sets of pretty papers and envelopes, so that's what I set out to do for my project today. I used the Open Road Collection to make a stationary gift set. I started with coordinating double sided papers that had both a masculine side and a feminine side and made envelopes. Based on the design of those, I made 4 cards. 

 

The envelopes are interchangeable, and the cards nonspecific so that they may be used for any occasion. Using the scrap paper from leftovers from the envelope, I made the background and built from that. I kept the focus on one area of the card, a technique I like to use when I am short on time. It makes the card still feel full even though I didn't use many supplies.
 

For the next card, I began with a sticker, and started to build with the scrap paper, of course, then a frame for some dimension and lastly the GORGEOUS flower that went with the envelope so beautifully. Again, leaving the sentiment out allows the sender to use this card for many different occasions. And again, decorating only a portion of the card saves supplies.

I can't get over the stitched banners. Talk about instant embellishment awesomeness! The journalling card was too cute not to utilize on a card! To enhance the masculine feel, I added burlap and a brown ticket from the ephemera pack of the collection. 

When I open new supplies, especially ephemera packs, I like to display them all out on the table and pick out my favorites. This flower, on the olivine card, is my favorite of the pack. I was so excited to use it!! I coordinated my entire card so that I could proudly display this flower. I adore the color combination. I used the journaling card as a background for the card.

 

I think coordinating envelopes for handmade cards is such a special touch. Especially if you fall in love with a sheet of 12x12 paper and are a card maker. You don't have to feel bad about buying the sheet because you will have enough to make a matching envelope and enough left over paper for the card too!

Hello Summer Giveaway + Open Road Layout by Christine Middlecamp

Looking ahead and jumping into Summer, Crate Paper is reigning in the sunshine and warm weather with an early Summer Giveaway! To help you get started with your Summer Scrapbooking Adventures, we have up for grabs an OPEN ROAD goodie box - stickers, chipboard, alpha's and all!

Tell us your BIG plans for the Summer! Whether camping upstate or spending the days outside in the backyard with kiddo's-in-tow, we want to hear how you'll be enjoying Summer this year. Leave your response in the comment area below and we'll choose a winner on Friday, June 6th. Make sure to include your location (City/State) when registering your comment for verification purposes. If you want to chat up your summer bucket list, we're open to that as well!

.......

And now an extra special 'Summer' Open Road project from Crate Paper Design Team Coordinator, Christine Middlecamp.

 For me, this Summer is about pushing ahead, forging a new path into design and making waves at the pool with my little guy, Ethan. In between, I'm crafting like the rest and diving straight way into my scrapbook stash, including the latest Open Road collection from Crate Paper.

Just this last week, I sorted through my Open Road contents and organized them in preparation for a new layout. As is often the case, I paced the creative process so that I could carefully consider the details. There were more than enough to go around this time. ;) Open Road gave me plenty of options to choose from and in the end, I was optimally happy with the final project.

I was pleasantly surprised by this collection's color palette. Even though most it's weight is on the pastel end, there is no shortage of rich, vibrant color. The key is to break away from "just white", a very popular trend taking the craft arena by storm right now. Personally, I'm a color gal all the way. The more, the merrier.

For pops of color here, I placed a great deal of emphasis on the lively hue, 'Cherry Red'. I paired it with pink, mint, olivine, yellow and black - a fave color combo of mine. Red typically stands out more because of it's intensity. I even went so far as to make the page's title red to instigate priority amongst a busy layout.

I occasionally go out of my way to challenge a product to look entirely different from it's original form. As a collage artist, I work in 'bit-mode'. I love to cut things up and toss itty-bitty pieces around until I find that perfect match. It's like a puzzle to me every time I'm faced with a pile of patterned paper and embellishments. I take great satisfaction in disassembling and reassembling while never knowing what to expect in the end. This badge is made from a total of nine layers using Open Road's chipboard assortment, stickers, patterned paper and more. 

Right next store to the '66' badge is a petite 'Courage' framed square. Again, lots of surprises inside from stickers to a small trim of the 'number 10' playing card {journaling card lot}.

I'm a big fan of my gold gel pen. Let me tell you, it works like magic for bringing about a hint of metallic gold. I typically use my gold gel pen to create borders around things, or outlines. It's a quick fix for sprucing up ordinary embellishments, too!

Lime Green & Black/White - and that CUTE camera! Seriously Crate, you leave me speechless!

Them fancy stitched borders aren't always an easy embellishment to conquer, but when paired with tabs and other minuscule borders of colored paper, they can save on a lot of work and time in avoiding the whole sewing machine thing. Considering that I was once a quilter, I can appreciate pre-stitched embellishments.

And now for my favorite fixture - fancy gold sequins, yellow epoxy dots and vanilla rhinestones, all on top an Open Road 'peach label sticker' and 'pink chipboard arrow'. It'll put a smile on anyone who loves tiny plastic additions.

Finally, even though I'm a proud owner of a Silhouette Cameo machine, I'm not afraid to pull out my exact-o knife and craft a design from scratch. I first drew radiating lines from the layout's main focal point, the photo, and then carefully trimmed away every other section with my exact-o knife and ruler. I placed behind the open areas a large sheet of 'pink polka-dot' patterned paper {Mae's Cafe}. I intentionally left some of the black outline to remain visible to endorse a quirky, less-than-perfect feel.

.......

A brief reminder, there is a GIVEAWAY in full swing and you have the entire week to chime in with two cents worth of Summer happiness! Submit a comment as instructed above and be ready to find out if you're a WINNER this Friday, June 6th! Good Luck Crate Fans!

Pretty Things: Final Spring Moments - Ginny Hughes

 

A final good-bye to Spring is accompanied by two beautiful, budding layouts from CP Gal, Ginny Hughes. It's the very last of Pretty Things 'Spring'. We invite you to take notice...

.......

Spring is finally here (and almost gone) and I couldn't be happier! It is so nice to get back outside and capture the beauty of nature, and all the budding leaves and flowers. My children are equally happy to see Spring arrive. I used a combination of the new Open Road collection, as well as Oh Darling and Maggie Holmes' Style Board in creating my layouts for today. I love the way they look all mixed together!

This layout is all about how my daughter loves to swing - it's her 'thing'! I went with the Spring theme, but still added my own touches to the layout. The black and white striped paper, as well as the grid paper, are two of my main go-to's. I really like the way they contrast with the more girly elements on the page. Gold is so on-trend right now and the Style Board gold rub-ons added a nice pop to the page.

The Oh Darling chipboard pieces are some of my favorites. I love that the chipboard is super thick, adding dimension to just about any project. I wanted to play off the journaling, so I included elements that gave off a sense of 'flying high'. The butterflies and the hot air balloon do just that! I included the horse badge as well because it reinforces the word "Go' from the title.

A tip I have for your journaling is to sew around it. It really helps to ground it so that it doesn't look like it's floating off the page. You can hand-stitch, or instead, doodle around your journaling with a pen. The 'chipboard frames' included in most CP collections would also be a great little place to house your journaling. For me, capturing the moment via photo and words is an important part of the memory keeping process. Finding fun, new ways to journal is something I always seek out!

This next layout was such a fun one to put together. I adore grid layouts - I occasionally like to spice things up a bit using grids with a special twist. Here, I started out with a few blocks of patterned paper and a 4" x 4" photo. I then proceeded to move them around the page until it transformed itself into a handmade collage.

The chipboard Thickers from the Open Road collection are an eclectic bunch! I love the graphic feel they lend.

I kept the embellishments fairly minimal because I felt that with all of the patterned paper and colorful chipboard alphas, adding too much more might overwhelm the page.

I still kept to a visual triangle though - it's a preferred standard design rule that I abide by when composing a page. You can see the points of the triangle - the chipboard frame, the banner and butterfly, and the embellishment cluster in the lower left hand corner.

This was just a small moment of the day, but one that really captured my heart. I love to document the little things. They mean the most to me :) Hand picked flowers on a beautiful Spring day is something that I want to remember for a long time to come!