Crate Paper

Creating Pretty Book Covers

Recently my sister-in-law had a serious surgery. Luckily she's home and recovering, but stuck in bed, in pain and bored...boy, do I know what that's like! My answer to that situation is scrap-therapy. That's what I do...I find the act of creativity often helps to get my mind off of the pain. So I decided to make her an art-journal that she could use to create in! I decided to make one for myself too so we could work on the project of filling up our art-journals together!

I took two hardback books and I covered the outsides with 12x12 patterned paper from the Maggie Holmes Bloom collection. I thought the collection would be perfect for this surprise for Jen. It's totally her style with it's vintage, cute vibe! I layered flowers on the front covers of the books along with a different transparency word for each book, and a vintage button. I also added a cute denim and lace ribbon, tied in a bow as a finishing detail that would help hide the edge of the pattern paper covering the books.

I covered the inside covers of the books with patterned paper too. On the left of the inside cover, I adhered a Maggie Holmes library pocket from the Confetti collection and I filled the pockets in each book with tons of cute tags and things. On the front of the pockets, I added a little layered and stitched heart that would pop up and allow for some nice dimension.

For each book, I painted some of the pages with white gesso and tan paint to create some backgrounds for art journaling. I also created a pocket out of one of the inner pages in both books and decorated and filled them with goodies.

I love the finished books and when I surprised Jen with hers and said we could work on filling them up together, she was so excited! I love my sister and I'm so happy that I made her something that she enjoys and that might help her (even in a small way) while she is on the mend! Hope I inspired you to make an altered art-journal for you and/or someone you love!

Maggie Holmes Bloom Ephemera Pack (680434), Maggie Holmes Bloom Sticker Accents (680435), Maggie Holmes Bloom Foiled Clear Stickers (680443), Maggie Holmes Bloom Emily Paper (680411), Maggie Holmes Bloom Blissful Paper (680424), Maggie Holmes Bloom Adore Paper (680410), Maggie Holmes Bloom Delighted Paper (680424), Maggie Holmes Bloom Flourish Paper (680414), Maggie Holmes Bloom Garden Party Paper (680406), Wonder Brave Paper (680218), Wonder Foiled Transparency Cut-apart Sheet (680220), Maggie Holmes Confetti Festival Paper (683685), Maggie Holmes Confetti Library Pockets (683712)

 

 

 

Create an Altered Clipboard

Hello it’s Karen to share with you a clipboard that I altered using the ‘Hello Love’ collection by Crate Paper.

I purchased these small clipboards from a stationery shop in town. I love having these on my wall in my studio & I like to call them my mood boards. I can change them around, decorate them as often as I like, or hang scrapbooking layouts on them too. They are so much fun. So firstly I cut out a heart and using my sewing machine carefully sewed around the edges. I love my sewing machine I simply could not live without it.

Next I attached the ‘Hello Love’ wood veneer that I stamped with gold ink, but you could use glue & glitter, paint etc. I love how easy the inkpad works on wood veneers.

Next I layered some flowers & hearts from the collection on top of each other & glued them into place. Adding the banner at the bottom to complete & I love how it turned out.

I then added it to my clipboard wall, I’m going to change the other clipboards now too, I’ve caught the bug.

I’m really happy with how it turned out. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Thanks for coming by the Crate Paper blog.

Crate Paper products ‘Hello Love’: Maggie Holmes Bloom 6x6 Paper Pad (680428), Hello Love Ephemera Pieces (680362), Hello Love Wood Veneers (680368)

Altered Glass Jars

Hello there, it's Gina here today to share with you embellished mason jars that I altered using the Maggie Holmes 'Bloom' collection.

I purchased some simple mason jars from my local craft store and then coated them with white chalkboard paint. After the paint dried I used sandpaper to lightly distress each jar.

When I look at altered mason jars, I love to see pretty embellished tops. I used the top of each mason jar as a template and traced them onto vellum gold paper (from the Bloom collection). I then used scissors to cut each top piece out. I placed the vellum piece over each lid and embellished with loose threads, fringe hearts and ephemera pieces.

To embellish each jar I used a variety of products and papers from the Bloom collection. I started each jar off by wrapping white string around them and then threading them with tassels.

Next, I cut out words, tags and phrases from the collection and used my crop a dile tool to pierce a hole in each piece so that I could hang them from the lid of each jar. I also added a few puffy stickers, paper flowers and sticker accents.

These jars are great for dressing up your workspace. Or you can fill them with your favorite treats, flowers or succulents and share them with a friend.

Thank you for stopping by the Crate Paper blog today, I hope that you feel inspired to create your own altered object.

Supplies: Maggie Holmes Bloom (680431) - Puffy Phrase and Accent Stickers, Maggie Holmes Bloom (680442) - Fringe Hearts with Glitter, Maggie Holmes Bloom (680443) - Clear Stickers with Foil, Maggie Holmes Bloom (680435) - Cardstock Stickers Accents, Maggie Holmes Bloom (680446) - Molded Paper Flowers, Maggie Holmes Bloom (680437) - Tassels, Maggie Holmes Bloom (680417) - Sweet Rose Paper, Maggie Holmes Bloom (680427) - Vellum Paper Gold, Maggie Holmes Bloom (680434) - Ephemera with Glitter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Create a Fun Altered Notebook

I always enjoy personalizing gifts for friends and family members. Something simple & nice would definitely touch the heart of the receiver. Recently, my friend's crafty daughter just celebrated her 13th birthday & thought I should take this opportunity to present her a handmade gift. After much thought, I decided to alter a notebook that I purchased from the dollar store. The notebook would be perfect for her to doodle creative ideas or to jot down important notes. 

Firstly, I measured & trimmed the patterned paper to adhere onto the notebook. Once the base is done, cut the doily into half and adhere at the left & right side of the edge. Then I started layering with tags, flowers & butterflies. Finally, I added the clear sticker 'Hello' and the girl's name.

Layering has been one of my preferred techniques whenever I create. It definitely gives a very interesting outcome to my creations. I love how all the layering turned out so well. Just so perfect for a girly girl! 

By adding the tassel, it certainly gives a very classy look to the altered notebook. Perfect for the finishing touch!

Supplies: Maggie Holmes Bloom Ephemera Pack (680434), Maggie Holmes Bloom Happy Thickers (680432), Maggie Holmes Bloom Accent Stickers (680435), Maggie Holmes Bloom Clear Stickers (680443), Maggie Holmes Bloom Spring (680419), Maggie Holmes Shine Tassel (680325)

Special Handmade Friend Gifts

Hi everyone! It’s Ashley, and I’m here today to share a fun project with you, that will make a great gift for a friend. Hand-made and personalized gifts have come a long way, and there are so many products that you can use for a special gift. One of my favorite ways to create a hand-made gift is by mixing my scrapbook supplies with items like frames, canvases, notebooks, etc. For this project, I used the Bloom collection from Maggie Holmes with a Heart Marquee shape from Heidi Swapp.

The Marquee shapes and alphas are perfect for a friend gift. You can use one of the shapes for a more generic gift or make it a little more personal by using one of the letters for an initial. I chose the heart shape paired with the Bloom collection, because it can be displayed all year.

I wanted to add more dimension to the heart, rather than just covering each of the surfaces with patterned paper. To do this, I cut 28 flower shapes on my Cameo, from the Bloom 6x6 paper pad. I used a flower shape from the Silhouette Store that already had a circle cut out in the center. This way, I could pop the Marquee bulbs through the center of two of the layered flowers. Once the bulb was pushed through the flower into the holes on the Marquee, I bent the petals of each flower up.

After I had all of the flowers in place, I covered the outside and inside edges of the heart with the Wonderful patterned paper. I finished the gift by backing the inside of the smaller heart with the Little Bird patterned paper. Before adhering it to the backside of the heart, I cut the word “hello” on my Cameo, and then used the Petals Thickers to repeat the word.

These types of gifts are always fun to make, and maybe even make an extra to keep for yourself! You could also create adorable baby shower gifts with the Little You collections and the Marquee products! It’s all about getting creative with those hand-made gifts!

Bloom Products Used:

Maggie Holmes Bloom Wonderful (680416), Maggie Holmes Bloom Little Bird (680425), Maggie Holmes Bloom Hello Hello (680426), Maggie Holmes Bloom 6x6 Paper Pad (680428), Maggie Holmes Bloom Petals Thickers (680430), Maggie Holmes Bloom Rubber Shapes (680436)

Gift Giving: A Cute Card Set

I love giving simple and thoughtful gifts.  For me it's important to put just as much thought into the packaging as the gift itself.  The two are one in the same.

The recipient of my gift is a card maker so I figured a nice set of envelopes and blank cards to inspire their creativity.

I gathered up some envelopes, blank cards, and then some supplies to add to the presentation.

I had already decided that a white tag with a “title” would be tucked in there somewhere, so I used the LOVE THIS stamp for that.

I gathered up some die-cuts and other items from the Bloom line and started to visualize how I wanted my packaging to look.

I decided to skip the bag or box approach and instead try to make the packaging as interesting as the gift itself.

I started with my white tags and started tucking in some die-cuts for layers.  My thinking was that if I adhered these items very loosely they could also double as the gift themselves... embellishments for the receiver to use on her cards!

Once I was happy with my layers I wrapped them all up with a light pink ribbon.

Tip // To get the kinks and folds out of my ribbon I ran it across a light bulb a few times.

I'm left with a pretty gift that includes packaging all in one shot!  I'm hoping that the recipient loves it as much as I do.

Supplies:  Maggie Holmes Bloom ephemera die-cuts (680434), Maggie Holmes self-inking stamp (680434), ribbon

Make a Recipe Notebook

Hi everyone! For this week's project, I'm sharing a fun recipe book. I like to handwrite my recipes and this is a great way to have them in one place. I can't wait to pass it on to my daughter when she grows up, so she can make desserts and food that I prepared for her. I have a handwritten book of my mom's recipes as well.

 

 

For this project, I used a plain notebook with white pages

inside. Kraft is easy to customize, color and is less messy than

other options. It will keep for years!

 

 

I stuck the polka dot paper to the center of the notebook and cut the other pieces to place on top.

 

 

On the bottom, I added a strip of florals! I love this print and it goes well with the kraft color. 

 

 

To accompany the recipes book, I created a small notebook for ideas and recipes I'm testing. It can also be used to jot down meal ideas! I used two patterned papers to make the background and I added a nice fringe heart.

 

 

Now I'm all set to pass along my favorite recipes to Lisa. I love the little things that are passed from mother to daughter!

 

 

Supplies: WONDERFUL Paper (680416), TOGETHER Paper (680422), LITTLE BIRD Paper (680425), Accent stickers (680435), Washi stickers (680440), Fringe Heart (680442)

 

I hope you enjoyed this idea!

 

Vintage Recipe Box

My grandma Sheila had a vintage recipe box, but after she passed away, I don't know what happened to it. I remember her thumbing through her beautifully handwritten index cards at the kitchen table. They were so special – like magic cards that held the secrets to yummy food! Because I don't know what became of that box, I decided to make my own vintage-style recipe box with my own magic cards. I made the box to hold the recipes that I've come up with over the years along with some actual vintage recipes that I found online!

My husband made the box from some scrap wood, but I've seen boxes like these at craft stores, so you can find one to make your own vintage recipe box too! I painted the box off-white, then added a small frame to the front of it with a scrap of patterned paper from the Bloom collection with the word, “food”, written on it.

 

Inside the box, I used index cards for my recipes and then attached them to various sized scraps of pattern papers with paper clips. To some of the cards I also attached a pic of food made using the recipe. I used mostly papers from the 6x6 Bloom paper pad along with a couple papers from other Crate Paper collections (Hello Love and Little You). I wanted the box to look like it had been curated over time. I also included some cards from the cut-apart sheet mixed in here and there with decorated tags and vintage kitchen ephemera that I collect (you can find such images online).

 

To finish, I added a little muslin bag filled with blank index cards to the back of the box so I can add more recipes over the years! I hope you enjoy my vintage recipe box and that you will consider making one for your kitchen too!

 

Supplies: Maggie Holmes Bloom 6x6 paper pad (680428), Maggie Holmes Bloom Emily paper (680411), Maggie Holmes Bloom accent stickers (680435), Maggie Holmes Bloom Washi Booklet (680440), Maggie Holmes Sweet Rose paper (680417), Little You 6x6 girl paper pad (LY680403), Little You 6x6 boy paper pad (LY680384), Hello Love 6x6 paper pad (680356)

 

How-to: DIY Memo Pad

Hello there, it’s Karen here today to share with you a kitchen item that I altered using the Maggie Holmes ‘Bloom’ collection.

I purchased a simple kitchen magnetic memo pad from my local two-dollar store. I love these to quickly write out a shopping list or anything I need to remember. Next I chose a 6x6-patterned paper and cut it down to the size of the top of the pad, you can see in the below photo of what the pad looked like before I started, I needed to cover up that top logo.

I attached the paper to the top of the pad with craft glue and then began adding some Maggie Holmes Bloom die cut leaves from the ephemera pack.

Next I layered some of the flowers from the same pack on top of each other and stitched using my machine in the middle of the bunch.

I then added some more craft glue and attached this to the leaves on the pad. Using your hands gently lift the sides of the flowers and fold upwards to create a layered look.

The paper flowers were added at the last moment and after I sprayed them with a tiny bit of glitter spray I attached a few of those too. I found the ‘more of this’ accent sticker and thought perfect addition.

I’m really happy with my new kitchen memo pad, so no more forgetting things. I think these would make great Mothers Day gifts.

Thanks for coming by the Crate Paper blog, have a look around — there is plenty of inspiration.

--------------------------

Bloom products ‘Kitchen Memo Pad’: Maggie Holmes Bloom 6x6 Paper Pad (680428), Maggie Holmes Bloom Ephemera Pieces (680434), Maggie Holmes Bloom Accent Stickers (680435), Maggie Holmes Bloom Paper Flowers (680446)

How-to: Capture Travel Memories

Hello there, it's Gina here today to share with you a mini travel album that I created using the Maggie Holmes 'Bloom' collection. The colors in the Bloom collection are so so gorgeous and matched my summer travel photos perfectly from a recent trip to the beach.

I started with the 6”x6” paper pad and trimmed 7 different patterns to 4'x4” each. I backed them with a thin layer of chipboard and and adhered a piece of patterned paper to each side. To bind my book together I used a hole punch and a jump ring.

I printed 4 small photos and added them throughout the book. I made sure to add lots of little details like, ephemera, hanging rubber tags, washi tape and stickers throughout.

I also added a few sewn pieces, hanging tassels and loose threads throughout to add a homemade feel.

On the last page of the book I created a small sequin pocket by trimming a piece of transparency down to 3”x3”, and then stitching it down 3/4”s of the way with my sewing machine. I dropped sequins down into the pocket and then finished sewing it up. Washi tape, an epoxy sticker and a hanging rubber charm helped finish the page.

Thank you for stopping by the Crate Paper blog today. I hope that my mini album has inspired you to create your own!