Crate Paper

A Colorful Open Book Paper Bag Mini Album

A special soon-to-be Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American Crate Paper fans! This weekend, We leave you with a stunning paper bag Open Book mini album–a surprise last minute gift 'to us'from CP Gal, Ashley Cannon Newell.

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I've been wanting to make a mini album for a while now. So, I picked a few of our most recent photos and just started one. Without much thought, I grabbed some glassine bags, patterned paper, and a handful of ephemera from the Open Book collection. I love how it turned out. And to think I got it done during nap times in one day is just unbelievable. I really surprised myself with how much I can do during that valuable time.

The gold and stripes trends inspired the cover of this mini album.

Using paper bags and patterned paper, I folded it in half and threaded some ribbon through to hold it all together. It was very easy to assemble and produces a lot of pages to fill it up with photos and all sorts of memories. The best part about using paper bags is that you can insert additional photos or memorabilia in the opening of the bags.

This is the middle of the book. You can see the ribbon 'binding' down the center.

I'm sure you have paper bags sitting around in your craft room. If not, it's a great excuse to go buy some now! Get out your Crate Paper products, some photos and start embellishing away. I'm sure you will love what you create, but the best part about it all is that your memories are preserved in such a special way.

Out & About :: Endearing Turquoise Holiday Cards

You don't have to go very far to find holiday inspiration these days–a simple trip to a local department store can sometimes present just the right amount of sparkle and color to get one's creative wheel in motion. A perfect example of this are these shimmery cards from CP Gal, Ashley Marcu.

 

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When I'm 'out and about', I pick up so much inspiration. Holiday store displays are some of my favorite places to grab color scenes and upcoming trends. On a recent shopping trip I was inspired to make these two cards using the Maggie Holmes Open Book collection.

 

 

There are so many sources for inspiration this holiday season!

Source: Target 

 

Source: Target

Source: Target

 

 

First, I took note of a mix of rich textures and sparkling glitter next to solid natural decor. I also saw lots of neutral tones mixed with metallics. 

 

 

I took all of that inspiration and created this card. I started by using the die-cut set from Open Book to create my deer focal point. I built from there, adding a gold sticker, fabric brad and glitter die cut leaf.

 

 

I brought in more texture by embossing the corner of the patterned paper mat behind the dear. The card was finished by adding a few vellum pieces and a rub-on sentiment.

 

While shopping I also found plenty of teal. The varied tones and textures brought a fun twist to this popular color.

 

Source: Target

Source: Target

 

When trying to replicate this look for my card, I went through my Open Book collection and gathered all of the blue elements I could find. 

 

I then began to play with the elements and mix and match them just like I'd seen on the shopping aisle. The glittered chipboard frame was layered with a flower and a several die cut pieces. 

 

This trend was easy to follow and I'm thrilled with the results! 

 

Thanks for joining me today! I can't wait to see how you are inspired this holiday season!

Trending Now :: Black, White, Gold Gallery Layout

We love a good home decor trend. When we sought out a "Trending Now" topic for the month of November, every where we looked, the 'gallery wall' reigned supreme. They're eclectic, cute and well suited for a hodge podge of pretty photos. They also make for awesome papercrafting inspiration–Here with her very  own take on the topic is CP Gal,Katie Ehmann!

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Gallery Walls are abundant on Pinterest and in my very own home. They lend an eclectic look that works to make a big impact on a wall, or in this case, a layout. Small clusters of goodness abound on my page, entitled "Heart you 2".

I tend to gravitate towards bright layotus with lots of color, but for this project I decided to stick with just four colors–black, white, gold, and small pops of rosy-pink. Open Book and Notes and Things work well together in creating both colorful and more neutral projects. Chipboard accents layered atop frames and tags add detail. One of my favorite pieces is the black and white camera in Open Book! I love the vintage style!

I used a tag, Thickers, and a journaling card to create a fun title which incorporates a shape, gold-glittered word and number. Most of the time, my title work is horizontal across my page, but this time, I opted for a vertical placement. The gold Thickers from Open Book are perfect for crafting your own unique title–the options are endless!

To keep my neutral palette, I opted for black and white photos of my girls, taken with my phone. I love to have these everyday moments documented, and since my girls had no idea I was taking their pictures, they make for a photo-journalistic style.

I'm happy with how my gallery wall page turned out and plan to use this technique again on future projects!

COLLECT :: Flower Revamped Embroidery Hoops

You are going to love this next project from CP Gal, Jeanette Lee – especially if  you're an embroidery hoop fan!! Seriously, these are the cutest Open Book flower arrangements we have ever seen.

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Every once in awhile, we rummage through our scrapbook supplies and we come to realize that we have a serious hoarding situation going on. One thing I generally have 'too much of' these days are embroidery hoops. I had always wanted to venture into sewing but never really did. So, I recently decided to alter a few of them into quick and easy flower wreaths and share them here!

To begin, I painted both the inner & outer hoop with a nice uniform coat of black paint. While leaving them to dry, I assembled an array of flowers and 'leaf' die-cuts from the Maggie Holmes Open Book Collection. I placed a section of used chipboard on the bottom half of the hoop to serve as a support for the flowers and leaves.

 

Most wreaths are decorated full circle. I chose to focus most the decoration on the bottom half. I found this set-up to be more modern and DIY friendly.

*Tip: Position smaller die-cuts in the background to hide any open gaps. Also, echo the same colors from one side to the next.

Those extra details do matter. To make my wreaths more alluring and vibrant, I outlined the hoops with white gel ink and small bows. As a last additional feature, I added special sentiments and other phrase die-cuts. Not only do they complete the look, but they lend meaning to each wreath.

If you have similar embroidery hoops just 'hanging around', turn them into wreaths like I have done! You will be pleasantly surprised...

Recollection :: Thoughts and Words Open Book Mini Album

 

At Crate Paper, we treasure itty-bitty mini albums. Their small size doesn't take away from the fact that they're often packed with priceless momentos and terrific technique ideas. Stephanie Bryan's 'Recollection' project is a beautiful example of a mini album filled with love, and ideas galore. We're in total awe of her creation.

 

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I'm pretty sure you know by now that I have a sweet spot for mini albums.  Especially handmade, sewn mini albums. There is just something so priceless about a little book that contains heartfelt words, precious photos, and pretty papers. 

 

 

Using the awesome new Open Book collection, I put together this easy pocket style mini album to hold some thoughts and words for my children. I've been trying to be better about writing down the "here and now" and have started a little series called "little talks" on my blog. Here, I share little love notes to my kids, as well as tidbits about what I am feeling at that moment. I often find that I leave out MY piece of the story, so this has been a great way to document my own thoughts and feelings. 

 

This book is roughly 7 x 5 inches and each inside page is a pocket that holds a slip out card that is just waiting to be found!

 

 

I created each pocket by first trimming and folding one piece of paper from the Open Book collection. I snipped off the top corner to create a diagonal pocket and then sewed down the top flap leaving the pocket accessible.

 

 

I included some lovely embellishments, as well as a few of the awesome pins and clips from the Open Book collection. These small pieces add so much punch to a page and definitely add more dimension to the book.

 

 

 

I included a photo of the front of each inside card and added the "little talks" to my children on the back. Each journaling section is printed on white card stock and then stitched around the journaling to create the look of a journaling box.

 

 

 

 

The Open Book papers are so beautiful as they are that I really didn't need to add too many embellishments to the front of each pocket. As you can see, I clipped few little tags and banners here and there to make it more visually appealing.

 

 

 

 

Each pocket is full of memories and thoughts just waiting to be found! I love that this book gives me a place to record all of these precious details of our lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used paper covered chipboard for the front and back of the book to add a little more stability and weight.

 

 

This album is such a treasured item to me and I so wish I would have included a few more blank pages!

 

Crate Life :: Open Book House Hunting Adventure

Hi, Ginny Hughes here with a glimpse at my daily pocket page album. Now to be totally honest, I can't really say that I update the album on a day-to-day basis. It's more of a month-to-month project. The size of the album is 6" x 8" and I work on it every few days as my photo collection expands and "life happens!" I prefer the meandering updates for a couple of reasons:

1. I don't feel pressure to play 'catch up', ever. When I have a large chunk of time available, I sit down to work on the album. That simple.

2. I prefer documenting memories when they're still fresh in my mind. Capturing details is a biggie for me.

3. As a whole, the album is a lot of fun to work on and it takes me only 10-15 minutes of effort to get ahead. I'll have a completed album by the end of the year.

For today's spread, I mostly used the Maggie Holmes collection, Open Book. There's also a smidge of Crate's Notes & Things.

 

Occasionally, I leave the cards 'as is' because they look great on their own. And sometimes, when I feel like playing a little bit, I embellish them with die cuts, stitching and paint.

Might you have a daily album under construction for the year? If so, tell us about it! Also, check out Crate Paper's vast assortment of journaling cards from Open Book and Notes & Things. They are uber cute!

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As promised, we are honoring one lucky winner with a Kiss Kiss prize pack–congratulations to...

Wow! This collection i absolutely beautiful! My favorite patterned paper is the woodgrain with the white confetti hearts. I love it. But I also love that ombre patterned paper that looks like its been folded into triangles. Gorgeous. Posted by: Andrea Martin | November 17, 2014 at 01:42 PM

Andrea, please forward your information to [email protected]–we look forward to you getting the chance to play with your favorite woodgrain w/hearts paper. Thank you for chiming in with some love!

Thank-you to everyone who left a comment in regards to the Kiss Kiss collection reveal. We're grateful for our many fans and followers-you are the very best! 

 

Welcome to the CP blog! My name is Lisa Parkin and I'm the Creative Director for Crate Paper. I'm excited to be taking over the blog today to share our new Kiss Kiss collection with you!

Kiss Kiss has an amazing variety of hearts & icons in tons of styles that can help you create projects that vary from vintage to modern. My favorite style? The adorable hearts with the gemstone hearts! You'll see them scattered throughout the collection, but check out the paper--it's adorable! The collection has a true Valentine's color palette with a mix of gold and wood that will make your Valentine's projects a hit. I hope you enjoy the collection and who knows? Maybe it will be love at first sight!

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vellum Gold Paper

 

 

 

 

I hope you can feel all the "love" we put in to this collection. We had so much fun creating it and hope you enjoy sharing it with your loved ones.

We would love to hear your favorites. Leave a comment below and you could win a Kiss Kiss prize pack! The winner will be announced on Wednesday, Nov 19th. Good Luck!

Thanks for stopping by today and checking out our latest collection. My favorite part of creating scrapbooking and crafting products is seeing all of you talented ladies use them. We are always so inspired by the way you create and design with Crate Paper in your own unique ways. We LOVE being part of your life and memories.  

I'll be back before you know it to share our exciting new collections we have coming up for CHA. You won't want to miss this party! See you soon! XOXO

 

 

 

Crate Harvest: Homespun Hanging Open Book Tags

As we continue with the festive Crate Harvest undertaking, Marie Lottermoser has come up with a de'lightful tag arrangement creatively situated for the Thanksgiving holiday. It's "homespun" all the way!

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I have to admit when it comes to decorating, I am usually the kind of person who skips right from Halloween to Christmas. This year I am taking time out to make some Thanksgiving decorations, and what better place to start than a big pile of leaves from the Open Book collection. There are so many style to choose from including cardstock, vellum, glitter and gold metallic.

I started out by using the leaves to make tags, each one different from the next, but all in the same fall color family. I used a tiny attacher to adhere the leaves, and then added a hanging string through a hole in the top of each tag.

Next, I hung the tags from a strand of lights, which I strung across a piece of barn wood.

You could also use tiny clothes pins or fishing line to hang the tags, but I liked the rustic look of the loose strings. I have to say the metallic and glitter leaves really sparkle in the glow of the lights.

Crate Harvest :: Thoughtful Altered Mason Gift Jars

Gift giving doesn't have to wait until December, at least we don't think so. Rebecca Luminarias' adorable mason jar gift sets are a fun, easy way to say 'thank-you' to those on your gratitude list this holiday season. Read on to find out more about them!

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Wow, this year has really flown right by, hasn't it?  I can't believe it's already November.  I love this time of year--the hustle and bustle as the holidays draw near, the nostalgic scents of baking and spices and flavored coffees, the time to be thankful and the time to be giving.  I've combined all of those things into my post today.

 

 

My projects center around giving and being thankful--they are humble gifts to bring to the hostess of the next party you attend, your child's teacher or a helpful civil servant (like my sweet friend at the Post Office).  Simple and thoughtful things to extend your appreciation.

 

 

I will start by saying that Open Book makes creating beautiful pieces incredibly easy!  The colors, the florals, the patterns, the shine...it is foolproof!

 

 

My first gift is a jar of flowers. Being that it's autumn, I wanted to try and use fall colors for my project--hues you'd find outside on a crisp fall day. This small card on the "Full Heart" 12x12 patterned paper that says "I treasure you" was an instant eye-catcher and had exactly the colors I was hoping for--deep green, light pink, yellow, burgundy. When I paired it with some orange and gold accents, it made a pretty tag for my bouquet of purplish-pink flowers.  Most people appreciate flowers, and this inexpensive bouquet instantly brightened our house when I arranged this vase.

 

The next gift is something I actually put together for my sister...just because.  We live 3000 miles away from each other and, after losing our mother last November, the holidays can be an especially difficult time.  I wanted to make something cheerful and meaningful to send her this year, and so this little sewing kit was born.

 

 

 

It was really fun to put together and full of several "a-ha" moments!  I mixed some vintage supplies that belonged to our grandmother with some Open Book embellishments to create a sweet little ensemble.  The family pieces include the scissors, tape measure, thread spools, and the little rose card that houses needles (that was great find!).

 

 

I used an OR crepe paper tag to secure some cute heart pins (a-ha moment #1).  I took buttons from the Embellishment Jar and stitched them onto 2 of the labels from the die cut ephemera pack (a-ha moment #2).  Finally, I picked out some coordinating fabric brads and used their own backing (trimmed and turned on it's side) to create pretty packaging (a-ha moment #3).  I don't know if you'd noticed, but OB came in some really lovely packaging with a lot of gold foil debossed details--like the 0002014 serial numbers--and I intend to use them just as I will use the actual product they came with! 

 

 

 

My sister's name happens to be Emily so this E die cut was a-ha moment #4!  I am guilty of being a little too excited about all of the matching and coordinating colors in this sewing kit!  I know my sister will love this and appreciate having treasures from our grandmother's sewing box, as well as the pretty new pieces from Open Book.

 

My last idea is the very simplest and I cheated just a bit.  It's just a muffin mix poured into a mason jar.  If you've got a tried and true recipe for a yummy fall treat, by all means, use from-scratch ingredients (hold the liquid!).  I'm not much of a culinary artist and was pressed for time so I settled for a box mix.  I did spend time on the decorating here so hopefully no one will think I'm completely lazy ;)   

 

 

I made a lid skirt with a doily from the OB Banner Kit.  While there is also a package of just doilies in this collection, I found that the ones in the banner kit were a lighter weight and therefore worked better here.  To make the tag, I just overlapped some of the longer, skinny die cuts in a fan-style and stitched them together, then added the stamped white tag which tells what is in the jar.  The wood leaves are some that I hoarded way back when Acorn Avenue was released.  **Whether from scratch or a box, don't forget to include baking instructions with your mix!

 

 

And there you are--a few simple displays of gratitude and thoughtfulness.  They didn't cost much and didn't take too much time to arrange.  Hopefully, they'll make someone happy. 

 

 

Crate Harvest :: A Charming Open Book Medallion Card

This week's second Crate Harvest project from our sweet and card-savvy designer, Melissa Phillips, is brimming with warmth and layers. We invite you to browse and admire her beautiful one-of-a-kind medallion arrangement. 

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Crate Paper's Open Book collection is full of beautiful shades of fall.  I love the mix of ombre hues transforming summer into autumn.  

My card today uses an assortment of warm colors from Open Book to create a quick iconic fall card.  I love to build my cards using layers of the things I love, and this card uses mainly die cuts from the Open Book Ephemera pack; from the note card in the background to the octagon die placed second, topped with a gold foil doily, and then finishing with banners, leaves, chipboard, and a sweet, squirrel fabric brad.

As a final touch, I layered two chipboard stickers and then stitched down the side to secure them in place.

Fall represents happiness to me in so many different ways, so my sentiment is short, simple, and encompasses everything I love about this time of year.

Hope your autumn is beautiful!