Crate Paper

Fall Home Decor: Halloween Pinwheel

Ready for a quick and easy idea for Halloween home decor? Do you remember making pinwheels in grade school? The After Dark collection of papers is perfect for making these fun little gems, and because the paper is double sided...they turn out irresistibly adorable.

I cut one block of paper 4" squared, snipped inwards toward the center from each corner, and then adhered one point from each triangle cut, to the center, forming a pinwheel. I repeated this with different patterned paper, cut into a 3" block, this way I could layer two different sizes of pinwheels, with 4 different patterns of paper showing.

After I attached my pinwheels to a decorative paper straw, I just slipped it right inside an empty wooden spool I had on hand. Then came the embellishing. I wrapped my spool in vintage trim and then adhered a cardstock label and chipboard bat.

I embellished my pinwheel using a die cut paper rosette and a few chipboard images, a puffy bat, and glitter Thickers.  A perfect little addition to your Halloween decor, or a fun gift for a teacher or friend.

Happy Halloween!

Melissa

Fall Home Decor Week

Hello everyone!

It's Fall Home Decor Week on the blog and I'm excited to show you the decor I made for my living room. Autumn has arrived and it's the perfect time to change the decor in my home sweet home.

I have a long space where I placed the cube-shaped shelves and I change the decoration regularly

depending on the season or my mood.

 

 

To start, I chose to put paper in the bottom of my cube shelves.

In the first, I added the "Sparkle" paper from the SHINE collection.

I then placed a beautiful mint rosette paper from the "Confetti" collection.

 

 

In another shelf I covered the back with the geometric print "Brilliant" from the Shine collection. I then placed a porcelain apple as a reminder of the current season.

 

 

On the largest shelf, I placed the frame that I created some time ago with the WONDER collection. You can find the details here:

http://crate.typepad.com/cratepaper/2015/09/home-decor-week.html

 

 

On the last cube, I customized a jar and a little vase with pretty tassels and 2 tags from the SHINE collection. I tied the set with gold twine and mint.

 

 

 

See you soon!

Laetitia

 

 

Halloween Week: A Fun Layout

When I think of Halloween, the first thing I think of is TREATS. I’ve got the biggest sweet tooth. So, when I was putting together this layout, I grabbed the After Dark treat bags right away. The lovely Kraft paper of the bags is just the right amount of contrast against the rich black patterned paper.

I also grabbed a bunch of the After Dark die cuts. I arranged a few pieces of my favorite eye candy so they are poking out from the treat bag. 

Sequins sprinkled above add a bit more whimsy to the composition.

The treat bag is the perfect mount for my photo and the die cut “Happy Halloween” phrase is a perfect title and focal point for my page.

I love using unexpected elements in my scrapbook pages, but this polka-dotted treat bag added more than just visual interest; it also served as a strong anchor for all of my other embellishments.  Lastly, I love how quickly my page came together.  After I decided to use a treat bag as my focal point, I didn’t even have to think about where to place my photo (right on top of the bag) or my embellishments (coming out of the top).

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at my page—I hope my little technique save s some of you some time as well!

- Maria

Halloween Week: Custom Gift Bags

All you need is candy...and some sweet After Dark fixings from Crate Paper :).  I've created a couple of gift bags and tags for you today using different elements from this adorable collection.

I started with a couple of After Dark Party Favor Bags. These are so cute!  They come glittery or covered in polka dots. All you have to do is decide how to dress them up.

Layering is my love...so for each tag, I layered tags and die cuts from After Dark paper and the Ephemera Pack. I found a chipboard frame for this tag that highlights what's behind it and is easy to add toppings to.  I love the glittered pumpkin and of course, couldn't resist the sweet owl Puffy Sticker.

I attached all of the elements together using an orange paper clip, also found in the Ephemera Pack and then simply clipped it to the top of my bag.

I followed the same idea here, choosing a die cut frame from the Ephemera Pack, and then layering behind it and over the top.

The tiny After Dark Adhesive Enamel Dots are another must have and favorite of mine. I love their size and sparkle. They always seem to add the perfect finishing touch.

The hardest part of trying to decide what to use :).  This collection perfect for Halloween...just the right amount of spook!.

There's still plenty of time to create for Halloween and spoil someone special with a handmade gift.

Melissa

Halloween Week: A Colorful Layout

Hello and welcome to Halloween week here on the blog! Today I am sharing a layout using the After Dark collection and American Crafts Sticky Thumb adhesive.

I started this layout with a black circle of cardstock, stitching around the edges with my sewing machine. I also printed off my photo, then cut it into a circle.

I filled the circle with all sorts of embellishments from the After Dark collection - wood veneer, chipboard, stickers, sequins and ephemera.

I thought the chipboard banner made for a fun addition to the top of the circle, then added a date and a cute chipboard bat.

I also used one of the orange paper clips from the ephemera pack on my photo after I popped it up with some foam adhesive.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, have a great week!
-Jen

After Dark October Notebook

I'm really loving working in my notebooks. One of my favorite things to do is to create little booklets with my scrapbooking supplies. For October I decided jumping into the new After Dark collection would be just perfect. To create this booklet I used the B side from one of the specialty papers. I'm a sucker for those B sides. I folded that over 10 sheets of copy paper and then stapled and trimmed it to fit in my Travelers Notebook. I decorated the front with a chipboard "October" and a small glittered foam star. I placed my October notebook inside a kraft file folder pocket. It gives me the perfect place to carry some extra embellishments with me when I'm on the go. Over time this notebook will be filled with stories, memories, photos and more. Wonder how I'll decorate November's notebook?

Favorite Things: Falling in Love with Shine

This week we let go, and we scrapbook our favorite things.
We received the new Maggie Holmes SHINE collection
and we're falling in love.

For my second creation with this collection, I wanted to offer a page a very good friend and I selected based on his photograph.

To begin my page, I selected my favorite embellishments, woods, a frame glitter, and other pretty things.
For equipment, I used Sticky Thumb adhesive from American Crafts.

  I stuck the floral black and white paper to my background. Then I cut the yellow card into paper tags and fixed it with a piece of masking tape to give a post-it effect. I placed 2 die-cuts from the ephemera pack and above I glued down a golden chipboard frame.

On the other side I placed tags I created with my cutting machine and I framed my photo. I then chose to put a wood banner and glued on "Lucky Us" stickers.

I placed the cup that I found very cute and funny and then added a mint bicycle from the Crafts Market collection. I finished this part by adding a piece of matching washi tape.

On the bottom of my page I stuck a strip of kraft paper, added mint and gold liquid ink and 2 wooden cross.

On this part, I picked up the edge of a paper and stamped "Happy Little Moment" in gold with the new Maggie Holmes roller stamp.

I also added a bow I made with my cutting machine.

I added stitches here and there  to give the final touch.

What are your favorite things?

Laetitia

Favorite Things: More Layers Please!

Hello there!  Melissa Phillips here and today I get to share with you a few of my favorite things...Crate Paper style :).  

Currently, my go-to product list contains the following things:

Gold!

Florals

Polka Dots

Mixed patterns

Texture and touch-ability

Frames

Dimension...the more layers, the better!

Mason jars :)

I also love mixing collections, so I've used elements from the Crate Paper Open Book collection along with the Confetti collection.

You'll notice the mason jar right off in my first project, spray painted gold of course.  I mentioned texture, and that's where the embossed tag comes into play (using the Open Book Floral Embossing Folder), along with the Open Book Ribbon Tags, selecting a polka dot print.

I used a mini chipboard frame and tiny flowers to embellish along with a dimensional sticker...all layered happily together.  Loving that sweet, gold heart, stapled to the center of the frame.

You'll notice all of my favorites used here on my card...patterns combined together, from plaid, to polka dot, to a beautiful floral on the frame.  The darling Open Book chipboard deer...in gold :), and a dimensional, floral sticker from the Confetti collection. 

So, there you have it...all of my favorites rolled into a couple of projects.  Have you tried treating yourself to creating with your Crate Paper favorites?  You'll love the challenge!

Thanks for visiting.

Melissa

Favorite Things: Showcase Your Faves

This week on the blog, it's all about our favorite things! Today I am sharing a layout created with the new Maggie Holmes Shine collection (which is definitely one of my current faves). The layout is also about my favorite moments of September.

The "Treasures" 12x12 patterned paper was perfect for a background! I printed and cut my photos to fit inside a few of the frames, and also added patterned paper cut to size as well as some stamping.

I also had a lot of fun using the gold foil chipboard alphas on this page. I layered them on patterned paper and popped a few of them up on dimensional adhesive. I love the way the title turned out!

I suppose it would be appropriate to say that this is one of my favorite layouts that I've made recently! Have you gotten your hands on the Shine collection yet? If so, please share your projects in the comments - we would love to see them!

Have a great day!
-Jen

Favorite Things: After Dark Mini Album

 

In case I haven’t already mentioned it, After Dark is my favorite Halloween collection.  Ever.  There’s so much to love, including all the amazing patterned papers.  Today, I want to share a mini album I made using all of After Dark patterened papers that I love.

 

The cover of my album features After Dark embellishments that I paired with a monochromatic floral paper from the Shine collection by Maggie Holmes.

 

 

 

 

On the b-side, I spelled the word “EEEEEE” using black and gold-dotted After Dark Thickers.

 

The rest of the papers in my album are from the After Dark line as well, which was a really easy choice because every b-side is super cute and versatile. 

 

 

These two pages are sandwiched with a sheet of vellum.  In the center of the vellum sheet, I added a phrase sticker from the After Dark line.  When you turn the page over, the same phrase sticker is mirrored on the other side.

 

Then, I used my Fuse tool and a plastic photo sleeve to create a little pouch.  I filled it with gold glitter and the bat-shaped After Dark sequins as a way to add some texture, but still keep my album pages semi-visible underneath.

 

 

In between the next two pages, I repeated the vellum and phrase sticker technique I used earlier. 

 

 

In this spread, I used a die cut cobweb from the After Dark Thickers line.  I love the glittery black texture against the neutral backdrop.

 

In the next couple of pages, I paired two busy patterns together, which can be a pretty challenging technique for me.  However, the process becomes a lot easier if I keep all of my design elements more neutral.

 

 

In the pages that follow, there’s nothing neutral about the bright orange paper I decided to use.  To add some balance, while at the same time providing contrast, I included this light green journal card that I cut down from the "Happy" patterned paper.  All the gorgeous vintage-inspired illustrations mixed with this pretty pale green color are so lovely against the traditional orange and black color palette of Halloween.

 

When you flip the card over, there is a cool cobweb pattern.  I used a gold foil Thicker from the Wonder line to monogram it with an "H" for Halloween.

 

 

 

I sandwiched another journal card in between the next two pages of my album and used more of the same gold-foil Thickers to monogram a “31” on the backside.

 

The “love this” acetate tab is from the Shine collection and it was an easy embellishment to add to the top this page.  It works really well tying together some of my accent colors because you can see it peeking out, no matter what page you’re looking at in the album.

 

 

The next two pages are another example of how I pair two busy patterns together using a neutral color scheme.  This spread is fairly monochromatic and I think that's what makes it work with the pops of pink and dark black.

 

 

My last couple of spreads both feature clear plastic pouches filled with various glitters and sequins.  After stapling and clipping a few bits of ephemera to the rest of my pages, I added a banner from the After Dark sticker sheet to my back cover as a finishing touch.

 

This album was so fun and easy to make.  Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a look at it!

 

 

- Maria