Crate Paper

Maggie Holmes Craft Room Tour

Maggie Holmes not only has great taste when it comes to scrapbooking and paper crafting, but her designer ideas in conjuring the perfect craft space is remarkable! If you hadn't a chance to catch her studio tour this week at her blog, now is a fabulous time to check out the eye candy and be inspired. Never have we seen so much spritz and sparkle in one place before!

Click 'HERE' to see the space in its entirety! She is a gifted gal, we tell ya!

Have a fabulous weekend Crate Paper followers–We shall rejoin you next week with a brand new project and a fun, must-see monthly recap!

The Story of Us & Pocket Page Scrapbooking

CP Gal, Jen Chapin, is here to take you on a pocket-page journey that are emblematic of two fun-filled subjects - both of which take advantage of Crate Paper's new Craft Market & Confetti lines! Take a peek!

 

Hello! Jen Chapin here, and today I am going to share some 6 x 8 pocket pages with you. I love doing Project Life in many different formats. Currently, I have three albums going; 12 x 12 and 9 x 12 family albums, as well as a 6 x 8 personal album. This is the album that I am filling with things all about my life as a person....not just as a mom, but as a wife, co-worker, friend, student, etc. I had the idea a few months ago because I think that it is so important to document the story of 'us' for our children.

For all of these projects, I used a mixture of the new collections, Craft Market and Confetti. Even though they are not specifically designed for Project Life, the patterns and elements lend themselves well to it. This page is a full 6 x 8 and it is such a fun size! I love how little it takes to fill up the page but yet makes such a great impact.

These chipboard Thickers from the Confetti collection are just gorgeous. I am quickly working my way through a package of them! I also love that butterfly patterned paper and the ephemera/vellum elements too.

This is also a 6 x 8 single page. I wanted to document getting to make projects for the Crate Paper CHA booth and thought that my personal album would be the perfect place. I used elements from both Craft Market and Confetti on this one.

It seems I cannot make a project without my sewing machine....and stitching through chipboard Thickers are one of my favorite techniques to add to a page. I love the texture and interest it adds.

I also took advantage of the birthday theme in Confetti and created a few pages about my husband's birthday celebration in January. I had fun layering stickers, chipboard and vellum to create a balanced spread. Paper clips make a great addition to pocket pages as they add some fun visual interest without being too bulky.

One technique I also love to do when pocket scrapping is to layer my enamel dots on the outside of the pocket. This creates more dimension and lessens the glare from the page protector.

This black and white floral patterned paper is from Craft Market and it is one of my favorites - I love the pattern and eventually want to spend some time water coloring it. I slipped that into the pocket then added a chipboard sticker and gold heart from the Confetti line.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I had so much fun making these pages and I hope you have taken some inspiration for your own pocket scrapping. Don't forget to document your story as well -- you are worth it and it is so important!

Craft Market Hoopla!

 Such fun you are going to have today with our design team coordinator, Christine Middlecamp. She has a great project to talk about that is crafted from one of this season's most popular Crate Paper embellishments–Craft Market Wood Veneer Hoops!

When I heard directly from Lisa Parkin, Crate Paper's founder, that she was releasing an ADORABLE set of miniature wood embroidery hoops, I felt an immediate 'swoon' from within. Seriously, tiny wood embroidery hoops? Where had she picked up such an awesome idea and what direction would I run with it? 

The hoops eventually arrived, and they have been patiently awaiting my attention. Finally, over the weekend, I took to playing with them, attaching felt to the backs and embellishments and papers to the fronts.

I'm in the habit of collecting every felt color known to man. I chose a pleasant, lively color palette for the altered hoop set; emerald green, bubble gum pink, carnival turquoise, & deep fuchsia.

I adhered each hoop to a patch of felt with 'hot glue' and cut away the excess using a sharp scissors. I double checked my glue job and re-glued areas that were in need of extra support or were missed altogether.

In the end, I crafted a total of 'five' hoops ranging from 2.5" to 6" in diameter. I covered each one with circles cut from Crate Paper's various new releases, including Craft Market & Maggie's Confetti. I layered some of the circles with cardstock and topped them off with an array of delightful additions. 

**I attached the paper and elements to the felt background with Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive (my fave wet adhesive) & staples.

The key to creating flowers such as these is 'texture'. I've always made my own one-of-a-kind layered flowers. Over the years, I have simplified the process some, but I still follow the same basic rules:

1. mix & match surface texture, tone, size and shape.

2. Try to keep each layer as distinctive as possible.

3. Include an occasional layer of contrasting cardstock.

 4. Bring it full circle with a vintage, retro button & rhinestone.

5. Circle punches are a MUST.

{**I hand carved the bird from a stamp block using  both V/U-shaped Speedball Gouges.)

 You might not remember the diamond gold transparency design from the Journey collection, but it is stunning! It's part of a larger set of tags sold on a 12" x 12" sheet of gold foiled transparency.

The pretty pink multi-flower brad is from an old Crate Paper collection that is no longer in production. These last seven years, I have kept everything that Crate Paper has sent to me, brads included! I keep them stored in their very own drawer on top my desk.

These fancy Craft Market/Confetti phrase stickers are new to the Crate family–they are the perfect size!

The last two hoops call attention to a quote that inspired the project's running theme, 'letting go':

"We can never go back again, that much is certain." - Daphne du Maurier

 It has been a truth that I have endured as a young widow the last six years. Now, is the time to focus on my future. The embroidery hoops express the journey ahead through color, tiny phrases and imagery. 

 Please feel free to pin anything that is of interest–the Craft Market embroidery hoops are too cute for words!

It's been an absolute joy spending time with you today! Happy Crafting!

Maggie Holmes Weekly Blog Recap

There are a couple of cute items popping up at the Maggie Holmes blog that we thought you might like to hear about - if you don't already know, Maggie has an amazing set of designers who contribute to her blog on a regular basis via gorgeous handmade wares and beautiful photography. They work exclusively with Maggie Holmes' collections to create a broad range of paper craft projects that range from DIY to everyday scrapbooking to card making and more.

This week, Maggie chose to share with us two project posts from two different designers that are set to debut in the next day or two:

This one from Stephanie Bryan is on its way to the publishing table --> Stephanie has a couple of tips to share for adding life and movement to a page using texture, depth and layers. From what little we can see, the layout looks exquisite and is very much, 'Stephanie Bryan'.

**Stephanie was a member of the Crate Paper Design Team throughout 2014. We always coveted her creations and are extremely happy to see her remain a member of the Crate Paper family. 

This next post, Happy Heart Captured, is already up and running and entails a behind-the-scenes look at Jessy Christopher's scrapbook process and the use of Open Book and a die cut backdrop. It's a beautiful layout. You should absolutely go and check it out!

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We highly recommend subscribing to Maggie's blog. Not only are the projects some of the prettiest we've ever seen, but there are an abundance of images that would be totally at home on your Pinterest boards. There is always something to admire, including Maggie Holmes' colorful, photo-savvy life! She occasionally posts freebie as well!

Do have a great weekend - we'll rejoin you next Monday with new projects from Crate Paper's very own design team & a second look at our fave February DT creations! Happy Crafting!

We HEART Pinterest

You might not know it, but we routinely search out your Crate Paper projects at Pinterest almost everyday. We also drop by the countless online galleries that deliver an array of fresh finds on a minute-by-minute basis. The goal is to always make sure we stay current with your creative preferences and also, to share your work with others whom love Crate Paper as much as yourself.

 Today, we want to highlight a few CP projects that recently caught our fancy and found their way to our "CP Spotted Layouts" board. Take note -- they are super CUTE! 

> | Becky Novacek | <

We have been long time fans of Becky's work. Her style is usually minimal with a slightly artsy edge. It's easy to gravitate towards her style and love what she creates - this layout is no exception. 

 

> | Michelle Wedertz | <

Ok, so we had to show you both of these layouts from Michelle. Again, simple, but fun, and always a hint of randomness. The four partnering brads was an instant hit with us. We also liked the random snippets of patterned paper on the second layout.

 

> | Jessy Christopher | <

Over and over again we hear how much you LOVE Crate Paper's chipboard frames. We're crazy about them too, so whenever we spot'em, we pin'em. Jessy's layout brings our 'Notes & Things' mini chipboard frames front and center. They look neat, tidy and graceful.

 

> | Steffi Ried | <

We love the bright pink background of Steffi's layout, and how it encompasses most the design. Very rarely do we see 'full' patterned paper backgrounds anymore. The layered embellishments are an additional plus! If you haven't already figured it out, we have a soft spot for layers.

Thank you to all of these fantastic ladies for the spread of Crate Paper happiness. To see them unclose and other CP spotted projects, visit our Pinterest page --> Crate Paper.

Give a Gift with Open Book & Craft Market

 Our fellow CP Gal, Rebecca Luminarias, reminds us with Open Book & Craft Market, that it's never too late to gift a friend with a handmade something or other. And this gift idea is beyond beautiful: boutique-style notebooks tucked inside sweetly adorned glassine bags. It's the perfect surprise for just about anyone, especially the crafter-at-heart.

  

My friend Lara, a fellow creative recently said to me, "making things for other people is emotionally healthy in a way that nothing else is."  Oh, is that ever true!  It just makes you feel good to give something nice to another person.  It doesn't have to be big or expensive; it just has to come from the heart.  

 

 

One of my favorite gifts to give are small notebooks.  I buy them usually because I'm attracted to their covers, but I like to imagine all of the amazing notes, sketches, and ideas that will soon fill their pages.  While I didn't make the journal itself, I did adorn the gift wrap and create an extra special card to go with it.

 

 

I cut a strip of glitter from one of the banners in the Open Book bunting kit and layered it with blush pink crepe paper, a scrap of embroidered white fabric, and some shiny gold party tinsel I picked up at a discount store.  As a finishing touch, there are two Open Book stickers with words pertaining to writing--'notes' and 'documented.'  A strip of washi tape hides beneath the crepe paper to seal the bag closed.

 

 

For the matching card, I mixed pieces from Open Book with Craft Market (like the bottom layer of "Inspired" embossed patterned paper and the 'friends like you' sticker atop the chipboard medallion) to create some stacked pink and gold textural eye candy!

 

 

One thing I have always loved about Crate Paper is how easily you can blend all of their different collections.  Each line is distinctive, yet they all mingle so nicely together.

 

 

I don't believe it's the amount of money you spend on a present, but the care you put into giving it that is the real gift.  A nice, personal message inside the card goes a long way, as well.  I was feeling all warm and fuzzy after this crafting session; I can't wait to send this little ensemble on it's merry way!

 

  

Everyday Memory Keeping :: Marcy Penner

For the first time, CP Gal, Marcy Penner, is granting the Crate Paper blog a brand new monthly series devoted to everyday stories–the big & small. This is her very first installment and it's a good one.

***Let it be heard that her post is packed full of awesome tips! You won't want to miss a single sentence. Take a moment to read and absorb, and then pin whatever catches your eye. Marcy is genius! 

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Everyday moments are a big deal. They're the things I want to remember. The things I want to look back on. They may not seem important at first glance... but it's these little pieces of everyday life that I strive to capture and document. They're the ones that are important to me... now and later.

I'm super excited to share little tips and tricks for Everyday Memory Keeping with you through the course of the year. They may come in the form of layouts, pocket pages or something else entirely.... but they will hopefully encourage you to record and preserve those little moments of your life.

I started this page by digging into my chipboard frame stash. The Crate chipboard frames are for sure one of my top 5 embellishments of all time. They get their very own basket too. They're that special. I decided to start with the black and gold glittered frame from Maggie Holmes Open Book collection. It was quite the showstopper and I liked how the diagonal division pointed directly to my cup of tea in the photo.

I had another basket full of Maggie's latest release, Confetti, nearby so I pulled out some of my favorite things to see if they would spark some sort of idea or direction. I ended up pulling out a few papers, two alphabet sets and some die-cuts. I think narrowing down the papers was the hardest part.

I don't get to use girlie products all that often so when I can, I totally do! I used one of the leaves in Confetti's metal die pack and cut one out of vellum. I figured I should be able to layer that somewhere on my page. The vellum would keep it subtle and add dimension if I curled up the edges a bit.

At this point I went back to the item that jumpstarted this whole project... the chipboard frame. I really loved the diagonal division and thought it might be cool to echo that in my patterned papers and have them line up together. I laid out my patterned paper on my background cardstock and lined it up so that I could follow the line of the frame across the page. I marked the points where it hit the edge of the patterned paper and trimmed it off using those marks as a guide.

Once that was done, I was left with something like this.

I matched up another piece of patterned paper to fill in the other side and added some gold paint splatters. Once the paint dried, I sewed along all the edges. It's so very simple, but the black dot paper is a current favorite of mine!

I housed my large photo inside the chipboard frame and adhered a smaller one beside it. Embellishing is always fun for me, so I gathered up those die-cuts I set aside and started incorporating them onto my page. I knew for sure that I wanted to tuck the "A Gift for You" tag somewhere.

This whole page is about my morning tradition of making tea for my daughter and myself before we head off to meet the bus for school. It's a small thing. Just a minor routine, but it really is so special to me.

Once I tucked some flower die-cuts (and that vellum leaf) behind the frame, I decided to add a title. Normally I'm totally fine without having a title...but I had some extra space on the bottom that I wanted to fill up. If I moved my frame down to fill up the space, my diagonal line wouldn't line up with it anymore. So title it was. I like to use my plastic ruler to line up my letter stickers. This lets me move them around until I'm happy. To do this I just stick them on the edge...

...and once I'm happy with where I have it on my layout I press them down and slowly peel the ruler back.

Lastly, to add a little bit of context I added an "every single day" word strip to the chipboard frame.

I originally had these photos printed out to go in my pocket page album. But really there was a story to tell. A small story, but an important one. And those are the very best kind.

Happy Valentine's Day + Maggie Holmes Freebie

There is special something available at the Maggie Holmes blog that we wanted to pass along to you. It's an 'all is sweet' journaling card set{entirely free!}, just in time for Valentine's Day! If you're one to collect freebies, then stop on by and pick up this adorable these adorable cards: Valentine Printable Cards - you'll find ideas for how to use them as well! 

Crate Paper would like to wish all of you a very happy Valentine's Day! We are grateful for the love you provide us, and the many visits you make to our blog, and other Crate Paper social media outlets. We shall see you next week! 

Crate Cut It! Techniques :: Jennifer Chapin

 CP Gal, Jennifer Chapin, shows you multiple ways to mix and match die-cut techniques with your favorite Crate Paper products through a brand new monthly feature we conveniently titled, 'Crate Cut It!" For this first installment, she talks 'circles' {big & small} using the Maggie Holmes Confetti collection.

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Hello and good morning! Jen Chapin here and today I am excited to be introducing my new monthly series for Crate Paper. Whether it is punches, an electronic die cutting machine or a manual die cutter, I love incorporating die cuts into my scrapbooking projects. Today, using the new Confetti collection by Maggie Holmes, I am going to share two creative ideas for incorporating die cuts on 12 x 12 scrapbook pages.

 

The first page is a very simple die cut. I used my Silhouette machine to cut a large 9 inch circle from the center of a sheet of white cardstock. In the negative space, I placed patterned paper strips, chipboard, ephemera and chipboard from the Confetti collection.

 

 

As you can see, this line is birthday themed but I have effectively used it for a page about my little boy. The key is to pull elements that are neutral themed and incorporate those into your layout.

 

 

I also added machine stitching around the edge of the circle for some added texture. I love all the die cuts and paper peeking through!

 

 

You can also see here how I have actually placed the white cardstock on foam adhesive. This adds some fun dimension to the page which is even more impressive in real life.

 

 

Another closeup of some of the fun embellishments in this collection! Those 3D die cuts are my fave.

 

 

I also thought I would share a little of the die cut and vellum pieces with you. The phrases are so much larger in real life than they look online and I am excited to use them as I think they will make great titles for 12 x 12 pages.

 

 

You can see a bit of the gold foiling here which is just gorgeous. I love the pops of black as well.

 

 

For this page, I used a linked circles die cut in white cardstock. I added it to a 12 x 12 sheet of yellow striped paper from the Confetti collection.

 

 

As you can see, I had a lot of fun filling in the circles with punched paper, chipboard, stickers and buttons. I also used one of the pretty gold bow clips from this collection.

 

 

I was also able to incorporate the chipboard banner and thought it was the perfect touch for a birthday layout. And I added a little gold thread to my pink button.

I hope you have enjoyed the inspiration! Hopefully you will try some of these techniques soon!

A Birthday Party Mini Album

Laeticia introduces the first birthday mini album of the year using the new Maggie Holmes 'Confetti' collection. The album's sixteen page formula easily accommodates many photos and is pretty to look at!

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The Maggie Holmes Confetti collection was most ideal for documenting my dear sweet Lisa's birthday photos. Making the album was pure joy for me - I'm in total love with Confetti's patterned paper and assorted embellishments. 

To start the album, I pre-trimmed sixteen pages of the same size and decorated each one. I added one photo per double spread and bound it together with two rings and three delicate Confetti embroidery floss tassels.

On many of the pages, the elements are supported by tags and labels trimmed from Confetti's 'Party' paper. At just a $1 a sheet, they're a super deal!

A cute, feminine offering available via the Confetti collection is a multi-layered rose die. Above is a sample of the rose cut from just one sheet of patterned paper. To bring in more contrast, consider using solid cardstock to offset the various layers.

Super simple, and so CUTE! The collection has a way of standing on it's own without any extras to help make it 'pop'. It also radiates "celebration", a quality that perfectly accentuates the running theme of my album. Happy Birthday to my little girl!