Crate Paper

Sweet Story Mini Album with Bea Valint

Hi, Crate Paper fans! It’s Bea here sharing a new mini album featuring the adorable and beautiful Sweet Story collection by Maggie Holmes. I have to admit that one of our favorite programs during quarantine time was baking cakes. We had so much fun making a lot of sweet and delicious cakes with my daughter, and I decided to document those delightful moments in a mini album. The Sweet Story collection is jam packed with fruit and sweetie embellishment pieces, just perfect for baking theme. I designed a fun interactive album base with cascade pages, so now I just need to fill up the pages with the photos.

The size of the album is 5,5x3,75”. I constructed the cover using heavy cardstock pieces and patterned paper. To make the cover more playful, I cut wavy edges to the cardstock, and completed the front cover with a piece of transparent sheet.  I love that the cascade pages can be seen through the cover.

To create the pages, I trimmed down patterned papers and stitched them together using thread. I created two page groups and arrange them opposite each other. I attached the pages to the back cover using double sided tape.

I embellished the pages with adorable stickers and ephemera pieces from the collection using tone on tone technique.

I also created fun layered clusters using fussy cut bows, and cut fringes with fringe scissors.

On the last page, I created a tiny vellum pocket to make space for additional photos or journaling. I adore the gorgeous gold puffy bow on the top of the pocket.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you’re inspired to create your own Sweet Story mini album and maybe venture into this interactive design too!

Supplies: Maggie Holmes | Sweet Story collection | Sparkle (373137), Sprinkles (373144), Taffy (373073), Parfait (373140), Posies (373081), Sweetest (373136), Storytime (373072), Chipboard sticker (373150), Puffy bows (373152), Layered Butterflies stickers (373154)

Sweet Story Layout with Lorilei

Hello, Crate Paper friends!  I want to take a moment and Thank Crate Paper, American Crafts, my lovely Design Team friends and all of you for your time and encouragement over the last 2.5 years!!  I have had such an amazing time designing for Crate Paper!  I am happy to share my last project here with you today; I still have plenty of Crate Paper stash so it won't be the last of me!

I used the lovely Sweet Story by Maggie Holmes and Crate Paper.  The colours in this collection are super sweet, so it is aptly named!  I have been looking at the rainbow paper "Parfait" ever since I received the collection.  I decided to make a really fun page and cut up the Parfait paper for a cut file full of clouds.  I backed the cut file with strips of the rainbow using all 5 of the colours.  I added coordinating colors of paint to my white background for extra pops of color!

To add some detail I adhered sequins in matching colors to the Parfait paper on some of the clouds, this added a ton of sparkle!  For more fun, I stamped 5 of the rainbow stamp from the Sweet Story stamp set, and fussy cut them to tuck into the clouds.  My title came together really quickly with the "Sweet" chipboard and the sunshine and smile cardstock sticker.  It was a happy accident that the yellow and mint of the sticker lined up with the paint and cloud color blocks!

I used foam adhesive to pop up the clouds and also added a different height dimension to the photo and title.  I also added one of the white clouds from the leftovers of the cut file and stamped the cut I love you from the stamp set on it!

I love all the sparkle and fun created with this page.  It definitely makes me happy!  The stamp set from Sweet Story is a must-have, as is the whole collection!

Thank you so much for joining me today!  I hope you are taking the time to create something that makes you happy!

Supplies: Sweet Story - 373140 PARFAIT / 373062 6x12 STICKERS / 373150 CHIPBOARD STICKERS / 373065 ACRYLIC STAMP SET

Why I Scrapbook with Flora

Hi crafters! It’s Flóra back today with a colorful and lovely 12x12 scrapbook layout. This page is about why I love to scrapbook. I know for many people scrapbooking is more about memory keeping but I honestly prefer the creative process. I always loved patterned papers and stickers but I have never found a useful way to use them up. I am not a big fan of decor and other DIY projects, I like to make something with a reason. That’s why I stuck to scrapbooking. I feel my work is not useless, I create something valuable. I can make pretty handmade mini books for my loved ones, for my family and I know these won’t end in the bottom of a dark drawer or in the trash. Who would throw away her own photos, right?

My favorites are the 12x12 pages or very tiny mini albums. I like to see the result in a couple of hours as easily I get discouraged from big projects. Scrapbooking is like time traveling for me. I grab the photo and I go back in time. I am with my thoughts, memories and feelings for hours. I enjoy focusing on that memory, connected people and places for this dedicated time. I very rarely listen to music or watch film/TV in the meantime. I like to be quiet and let my brain switch off and slow down. This recharges me every time!

Through the years I tried many techniques but I only use the ones that make me happy. I don’t like to use paints and other mixed media goodies. Stickers, fussy cutting, and layering make my creative soul fly. That’s why I used my favs on today’s page. The Maggie Holmes Sweet Story collection was perfect to make this happy page. I wanted to make something vibrant and dreamy. I used flowers, air balloons and cute animals all over the page. I feel like I would fly away in a different world when I arrange my pretty paper pieces and stickers on a page. That’s how scrapbooking feels for me!

Thanks for stopping by here today! I hope you like my new scrapbook page and enjoyed reading my thoughts about scrapbooking. Flóra

Used supplies:

Maggie Holmes - Sweet Story: 12x12 Paper Pad (SKU 373158), 12x12 Paper – Parfait (SKU 373140), 12x12 Paper – Storytime (SKU 373072), 12x12 Paper – Sweetly (SKU 373079), 12x12 Chipboard Stickers (SKU 373150), 6x12 Sticker Sheet (SKU 373062), Foam Alphabet Thickers- Sweet Pea (SKU 373149), Layered Butterflies (SKU 373154), Puffy Bows (SKU 373152),

Sweet Story Cards with Sandra

Welcome to the Crate Paper blog today. It’s me, Sandra, and I’m sharing some lovely little projects with the Sweet Story Collection by Maggie Holmes. I love to make cards! And Sweet Story is perfect for cardmaking (and all other papercrafting projects too). The patterned papers and embellishments are indeed sweet. I created three cards, a gift tag, and two layered flowers with the collection.

For the first card, I cut a card base from white cardstock. Next, I glued an acetate frame from the Acetate Ephemera Pack (373064) onto the card base. I finished off the card by adding a handful of cute embellishments.

For the next card, I picked a card from the Sweet Story Boxed Cards Set (373157). Then I added a journaling card with the title 'I can't help but smile'. To round up the sweet design, I added some of my favorite ephemera pieces, star stickers, and embellishments from Sweet Story.

I also created a pretty layered flower. This is a nice decorative element to put onto a present, a gift tag, a gift bag, or a card.

The gift tag is effortless to make. Pick a tag from the Ephemera Pack (373064). Add a butterfly embellishment. Last but not least, stamp the label stamp from the Clear Acrylic Stamp Set (373065) onto white cardstock. And fussy cut the label with your scissors.

For the final card, I created another large floral embellishment. I used the Flower Die Set from Maggie Holmes' Collection Confetti (back from 2017). I also stamped the sentiment 'Hello' onto white cardstock. And I added it onto the card for the title.

And now it’s your turn to create pretty things with Sweet Story. Have fun playing around with your favorite papers and embellishments from this lovely collection!

Yours, Sandra

Supplies: Crate Paper Sweet Story | 6 x 12 Sticker Sheet (373062), Acetate Ephemera Pack (373064), Clear Acrylic Stamps (373065), Sweet Treat (373070), Pink Truffle (373075), Sparkle (373137), Kindness (373146), Chipboard Stickers (373150), Self Adhesive Puffy Bows (373152), Layered Butterflies Stickers with Glitter Accents (373154), Boxed Cards Set (373157) | Maggie Holmes Confetti Flower Die Set (683713)

CP Craft Spaces: Lorilei

Hello, Crate Paper friends!  Today I am sharing a few photos of where I craft and scrapbook! My craft space is essentially the same as I shared here on this post on the Crate Paper blog in 2018.  I have moved a few things around as my crafting life changes and updates!

I have a U shaped set up for my main workspace.  Almost everything I need is stored in this area; I can easily reach for stamps, inks, adhesives, tools, paper and extras.  I store big items like my manual die cutting machine, cinch etc in a closet across from my desk area.  My Silhouette machine is upstairs with my main computer.

My workspace is a mish-mash of older desks, Ikea shelving and Ikea drawer units and storage bins and baskets I have collected over the years from stores like Homesense.  I am always teetering on the fine line of needing to see items in order to use them and having items tucked away to have a tidier space, so a combination of closed and open storage seems to work best for me.

I find stamps one of the hardest items to store; I currently have them in multiple bins on my shelf and on my desk.  I seem to remember what stamps are in each bin, but have been looking into purchasing stamp sleeves and the lovely bins that a lot of crafters seem to use!

I love my cork boards that are in this area.  I will pin up recent work or something inspiring, and when it gets too cluttered, I start fresh again!  The bins under the corkboard hold more stamps, word sticker sheets, and the envelopes in the middle compartment hold tags, extra white cardstock silhouette cuts and doilies.

More stamp storage and another cork board.  I love these bins and, at times, change out what is being stored.  I had my Crate Paper Journal Studio supplies in the top row for a long time!

My large drawer unit holds bits and bobs in the top drawer, paper and my scoreboard in the 2nd drawer, stamping inks in the 3rd drawer, the bottom drawers have punches, large stamps and supplies that don't have a proper home anywhere else!

Thanks so much for joining me today for a quick tour!  Happy days and happy crafting to you in your happy place!

CP Craft Spaces: Bea

Hi everyone! I’m so happy to share a little tour of my scrap area today! I use a sunlit corner in our house where my craft table is set up, overlooking the rest of my children play area. My crafty space feels a lot like me…not super organized and always “in progress”. 

The most important part of my scrap corner is the wide desk. I love that I have space to take out all supplies I want to use for my project, and I still have enough space for creating.

I love decorating my little corner with my handmade projects, it creates a personalized space perfectly embracing who I am. I have a pegboard and a four-cube unit from IKEA next to my desk. I arranged my favorite mini books, journals, DIY projects on those shelves. I also placed my last layouts and cards on the pegboard.  These lovely colors make me so happy and encourage me to create more often!

The most essential stuff like scissors, paper trimmers, brushes, etc. are in my IKEA raskog to always keep them handy. I keep the bits and pieces from the scrapbooking collections in square plastic storage boxes with divided trays. I like to take everything out of its packaging and tip everything out before I get started. This way I can see all of my stuff and find the perfect elements.

WRMK tools, Sizzix machine, and my Silhouette Cameo are at the top of my list of “must have” items for my projects. I print all my photos at home and can’t imagine a layout without some die cut letters or shapes.

New products always inspire me to create! When I start working with a new collection, I display the beautiful new products in my desktop organizer.

My craft room is always open… I create things together with my kids, sometimes friends, but rarely with my husband... he just enjoys the results :)

Thank you so much for stopping by! Bea

CP Craft Spaces: Sandra

Welcome to the Crate Paper blog today. It’s me, Sandra, and I’m sharing a small tour of my craft corner. I'm creating my projects in a small corner in our living-room. All my craft supplies are stored here. Sometimes I wished I had my own craft room with more shelves and a larger crafting table. The challenge with small spaces is that you have to find smart storage solutions. Over the years, I've found that the best solutions to keep my craft corner organized, neat, and tidy are: 1) using stackable boxes with label stickers, 2) destashing on a regular basis, and 3) adding lovely pieces of decoration to make you feel happy and comfortable while crafting. 

When I sit at my crafting table, I have a rack right in front of me, where I store many of the tools that I'm using regularly: different types of scissors, stapler, and Crop-A-dile. Next to my table, I'm storing glue, stamp pads, stamps, tapes, foam pads, pens and pencils, and many other things in a mobile storage cart. That way, I have all the tools and supplies that I'm using all the time within short reach.

As I said before, If you have a limited amount of space, using clear boxes with label stickers is a great solution. You can write onto the label stickers to see at a glance what's inside each box. The boxes can be stacked, which helps to use up the space efficiently.

It's also a great idea to keep similar items in one spot. I have a small open container where I collect thread and ribbons for my bookbinding projects. The container can be pulled out easily and I can pick the perfect color for my album projects.

Here is a view of my storage cart. It holds all different essential crafting tools and supplies that I like to use: glue, self-adhesive tapes, stamps, stamp pads, acrylic blocks, pens and pencils, rulers, cutting knives, and brushes.

Don't forget the fun decoration part :). I have two small shelves on the wall right above the storage card. This is where I display decorative washi-tape rolls and smaller projects that I created.

On the left side of my desk there is a small storage rack. This is where I keep cardstock, paper pads, and clear boxes with blank cards, tissue paper, and other small supplies (punches, liquid pearls, and small bottles of color sprays).

I've also got a decorative étagère, where I store sequins, glitter, paper clips, and other items in small jars.

The main storage space - for paper collections, heat-embossing supplies, grey board, and all other supplies that don't fit inside my shelves - is underneath my desk. Each clear box has a label sticker at the front so I can see what's inside. For me, this is the best storage solution to organize a lot of items in the limited space I've got.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my small craft corner! From my own experience I can say that you can have great ideas and enjoy crafting even in the tiniest crafting space :). 

Yours, Sandra