Crate Paper

Clip & Create :: Melissa Phillips

Welcome to 'day 2' of Crate Paper's Clip & Create festivities. Our CP Gals are remodeling clipboards this week! Today, CP Gal Melissa Phillips conveys homespun happiness & Craft Market as part of her clipboard redo.

MELISSA PHILLIPS: I love clipboards...large, small, miniature, you name it :). In my mind, clipboards are the perfect element in creating pieces of art ready to hang in your craft space, kitchen, child's room, etc. They can be fun and functional, or just fun to look at.

I chose to create a "just for fun" clipboard inspired by the beautiful mood boards you see floating around Pinterest. I decided to focus on a color scheme that I found inspiring, soothing, and perfectly me.

I used many elements from the Craft Market collection including Ephemera Die-Cuts, chipboard, glittered clothespins, and cardstock stickers.

I wanted to leave my clipboard natural instead of painting it because the color is so beautiful and combines perfectly with the aquas, creams, and pinks used in my color combination.

I love the touches of gold glitter brought in by the Craft Market Ephemera Die-Cuts, the vintage inspired postage stamps, and the burlap print on the chipboard...little things that add character, age, and touch-ability.

I added just a few of my own special touches such as tiny paper flowers, sequins, and wooden spools wrapped in fabric tape, tea-stained twill, and vintage lace. These things bring in more of my own personality and create a homespun feel which I am always striving to achieve.

This was truly so much fun to make.  I challenge you to create a mood board/clipboard of your own, adding in colors you are drawn to and elements that you find inspiring and special.

Melissa Phillips

Guest Designer :: Evelyn Pratiwi Yusuf

As we say 'hello' to the weekend, a long time Crate Paper CP Gal is visiting us with a special, unexpected contribution. Evelyn Pratiwi Yusuf is a gifted photographer and paper craft artist who's talent is met with an elegant feel that is very much her own. We are delighted to have her as a guest. Welcome, Evelyn.

EVELYN PRATIWI YUSUF: Typically, I'm not one to partake in DIY project making. If it just so happens that I feel up to creating something pretty and the moment calls for it, I'll jump in headfirst!

Recently, we celebrated my baby boy's {Jasper} 1st Birthday. Before the celebration, I visited Pinterest in search of party ideas. Eventually, I decided upon a 'Lemonade Summer' birthday theme with the color combination yellow, brown and a little bit of gold.

In working with my chosen theme, I created a series of decorative centerpieces that included party bags using Maggie Holmes' Confetti collection and Craft Market's Mason Pocket Jars.

I started with three brown paper bags and decorated each one using the pocket jars and other odds and ends. The plan was to create 'birthday wish' bags for the guests to write down wishes for my baby boy on his special day. Later in life, he can read their wishes and be reminded of the event and those who love him.

Inside the bags, I tucked a random assortment of CP papers & tags for the guest to write on. I then leaned them up against canvas wrapped mason jars adorned with flowers, and a lemon & pencil.

After the party was over, I committed each wish to memory and then placed the pocket jar paper bags into Jasper's special box.

 

Summer Inspired Mason Jars w/Christine Middlecamp

It is the very last day of Crate Paper's Summer Inspired Mason Jars series. This final project is brought to you by Crate Paper Design Team Coordinator, Christine Middlecamp.

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I'll admit that I skipped right over the whole "Summer" thing and went straight way to 'Cats' instead. Over the years, I managed to collect more kitties than I care to confess. I blame it entirely on the "Vet Tech" in me, an old career I left behind in my late twenties. To this day, I LOVE cats more than anything in the world (minus chocolate & my little kiddo). 

For the 'Mason Jar Pocket" feature, I crafted a glamorous, warm mini album that focuses exclusively on my current cat collection. It includes Crate products from Poolside, Craft Market, Journey, and Maggie Holmes Open Book. Please allow me to introduce the inner pages....

This 'Craft Market tag' is from the collection's ephemera pack. The pack contains at least two or three tags that can be easily slipped onto a ring as a mini album accessory. The back of the tag is covered with patterned paper.

A 'Poolside Ephemera die-cut' and 'wood-epoxy embellishment' sit side-by-side above my photo. They are anchored by a piece of zigzag from the Journey puffy sticker pack.

The album is constructed of different size/shape pages. I love the randomness of it. It leaves open plenty of opportunity to experiment with various page sizes and composition ideas.

The first pocket in the album holds a photo of my boyfriend's sweet kitty, Ruby. Tucked inside with her are large black sequins, the letter "F" for "feline", and the word "love". Around the neck of the jar is a border of zigzag felt & tied twine.

I often buy random 'non-specific' paper supplies to use on projects. This page is an actual 'black' plain mini pocket pouch that is decorated with plain graph patterned paper, light peach cardstock, a 'Poolside' frame sticker, a 'Craft Market' wood arrow, a section of vintage velvet ribbon and finally, a 'Poolside' sequin heart. It's a simple, sweet compilation of exactness.

Tucked inside are the names of my four cats and their age.

Believe it or not, this was the very first page I made for the album. Yes, I'm in the habit of creating pages 'out of order'. Typically, I decide on the order of the pages at the very end. Much easier that way.

Here we have another jar pocket with a photo. Because the jar had a pre-printed title in the center, I focused much of the embellishment work along the neck of the jar. The flower is handmade from felt & netted flowers, striped pattern paper, cardstock circles, a vintage B/W button and a pretty rhinestone.

This tag plays two roles - The front is purely decorative and on the back is a photo with two kitty names.

On the last page, I explain the purpose of the album - 'cat nerd' all the way. The gold glasses befit the theme perfectly!

The final addition, a '#4 Poolside metal clip' (current number of cats) and "Memories" chipboard piece, was slipped onto the ring prior to my closing it off with ribbon. 

And that brings us to the end - my love for cats is undeniable, as is my love for mini albums. Both are a treasure to behold.

**A quick reminder; there is still ample time to participate in the "Mason Jar Pocket" challenge! Visit this link to find out more about the event (THREE prizes included!):

MASON JAR POCKET CHALLENGE

Everyday Pocket Page Spread w/Marcy Penner

When it comes to simple scrapbooking & documenting everyday life, Marcy Penner pulls it off effortlessly. This latest pocket page spread is a perfect example of this and as a bonus–a freebie step-by-step tutorial from Marcy herself. 

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Sometimes I just don't have a lot of photos. Sometimes it's because I just didn't take a lot and sometimes it's just because of having breaks in my album, like title pages for months and so on. I like to include random thoughts and accent cards in my pockets when that happens.

Also, the photos I had to deal with were pretty light and had a lot of white space in them so I wanted to make sure that I played up that part of the design in my pockets too.

I started by placing my photos in the pockets. I want to transition to mostly 3 x 4 photos in my spreads, but the spread behind this one still has a 4 x 6 photo in the larger pocket. So, for this spread, I'll need to fill up that larger pocket with something other than a photo. I'm also using a trimmed down (and sewn) page protector on the right side instead of a full-sized one.

The full 4 x 6 pocket was a little intimidating so I started with that one first. I rummaged through my die-cuts and pulled out a heart and a gold foil leaf bunch. My plan was to layer some items to create an accent card in this space.

 It was looking a little plain with just these two items, so I snagged a wood button from the Poolside collection with the idea of adding it to the center of the heart.

I gathered some more die-cuts for the other pockets and started moving them around. Die-cuts are some of my favorite things to use in my Project Life spreads because they're thin and light-weight.

I eventually settled on using a glittered "N" as a "Z" for the photo of me sitting in my bed and a banner for the card underneath my other photo.

I moved a forgotten Anthropologie gift card into one of the 3 x 4 pockets and moved the "Z" over to the photo pocket.

Now that I was mostly happy with my layout, I started working on the individual cards. I sewed down the heart and left the die-cut and added the wood button. It felt a little plain to me, so I added in some journaling as well.

I looked through my die-cuts again...this time looking for something that would work with the Anthropologie gift card. I loved this flower die-cut from Craft Market.

I adhered it on top of the gift card and trimmed off the excess.

On my last card, I added a mix of typed and handwritten journaling and simply stapled the pennant down.

With the exception of the wood button, everything I used on this spread is nice and flat. My cards compliment the compositions in my photos as well, which is always a good thing!

Mixed Media Crate Paper Canvas Tutorial

 Crate Paper Design Team Coordinator, Christine Middlecamp, has something extra special to share with you today–it's an ultra colorful mixed media canvas tutorial using some of Crate Paper's most popular collections. Check it out!

One thing you might not see a lot here is mixed media. It's an arena all its own that often requires additional skills, materials and an underlying knowledge of basic art principles.

For the past two years, I've been pushing my way through the fine arts program at a local university. The experience is forcing me to navigate new mediums and take on new techniques while undergoing routine critiques and project evaluations. It's tense to say the least, but the benefits are huge as I finally solidify a style that I feel good about. Mixed media included.

So, in running with the idea of mixed media, I created a 5" x 5" altered Crate Paper canvas for today's post. It encompasses both a painted polka-dot border and collage interior using a host of Crate Paper goodies and other fun materials.

Creating the canvas itself was fairly simple. I took photos of the process in-action so that I could share it with you step-by-step here at the Crate Paper blog.

1. I started with a 5" x 5" wood board purchased at a local hardware store. To seal the wood, I gessoed the surface (front & sides) with Golden Gesso.

2. I then applied a single layer of "Cream" colored acrylic paint.

3. To initiate a more "aged" appearance, I applied Ranger Distress Ink (Frayed Burlap) to the edges of the painted canvas using a sponge. I smeared the ink in and around the corners to create a 'circular vignette" effect.

 

 4. I defined the collage area by drawing a square in the center of the canvas using Charcoal. Using my finger, I smudged the lines just a bit. 

Charcoal is a wonderful for mixed media because it can be moved around after application. It smudges easily–lending an imperfect feel that caters well to the nature and style of mixed media. It also glides on without a lot of pressure and works well on multiple surfaces. It's almost like chalk, but doesn't disappear entirely when touched.

5. Carelessly, I applied eggshell blue acrylic paint the square frame with a small flat brush.

6. Using a simple Martha Stewart circle sponge dabber, I stamped dark/light yellow circles around the border of the frame. The dark & light circles overlap  to create a shadow effect.

7. Finally, I created a collage using both an assortment of embellishments and misshaped papers. Crate Paper's "Craft Market" & "Notes and Things" are perfect for this sort of project because they're neutral friendly and have a 'vintage' feel.

**I tried to incorporate alternative materials that are non-specific to paper crafting; washi tape, fabric, buttons, sequins, glitter, vintage paper goods, etc.

8. As a finishing touch, I added black paint to the sides of the canvas. I then took a flat brush and painted a fine black border around my design. Note how the black paint makes everything else "pop".

**A quick mention–I drew countless squares around the collage using a variety of drawing implements; wax pastels, art bars, colored pencils, etc. There are no rules here and they are totally optional.

 And there you have it–an *uber* cute colorful mixed media canvas for the home/studio! Mine sits on top my bookshelf. I'm considering adding ribbon or a drawer pull to the top.

Spring into Color with Crate Paper!

 
We're creating with bright, bold color! All week long, our awesome design team is going to infiltrate your world with colorful creations you won't want to miss. It's a mix & match of your favorite Crate Paper collections and straight up saturated color. The CP blog is coming to life!

Rebecca Luminarias is the ultimate knick-knack crafter and color enthusiast! She is first in line to talk COLOR!
 

When given this assignment, I turned to the ultimate in bright colors: fluorescents.  You can't get much brighter than that, right?  In trolling the internet for a neon scheme that wasn't too cheesy, I actually found two sources for inspiration.  The first was the "bright" part of the equation.  When I saw this photo with the vibrant trays and the pretty floral rug, I thought it offered plenty of options.  They are toned-down neon, but still lively and saturated.  The second source I'll talk about a bit later...

{Photo Credit: Brit + Co}

The challenge:  There aren't many neon hues in the Crate Paper collections, so I had to get creative.  I first looked through my own stash of supplies to find washi tape, thread, and crepe paper which would serve as the fluorescent base for each tag.  After that, I went pretty far back through the troves of Crate lines to find some bright accessories that would complement and balance the neon.

 

 

 

In the end, I didn't end up using most of the pieces I found!  But they did add interest when it came to photographing the project.  I settled on using mainly items from the Confetti collection and paired them with stacked washi tags and a few other everyday items--the crepe paper and thread, along with some lace.

 

 

Being that I was designing with neon, I wanted to then create tags with a more modern, graphic look, rather than going with soft and sweet, which I suppose has become my norm.  There are traces of sweetness--the resin birds and flower, the gold sequin leaf, and the lace bits--but overall, the feel, I think, is bolder.  That's why, instead of the cute bow embellishments, I chose the two-toned diamond elements.

 

 

I was pretty excited about all of the mini clothespins I still had in my hoarding pile (one instance where that has actually paid off!).  They are from DIY Shop and one of the older Maggie Holmes collections and at the time, I kept them because I was mad for neon.  As it turns out, all these years later, I'm still mad for neon!

 

 

Because I was (mostly) going for bold, I paired the bright neon and white tags with the deep black and gold sayings.  This contrast is striking.

 

 

Seeing the photographs on my computer screen, I love the bold black and in hindsight would have probably switched out the 'pretty' phrase on the tag below with another black sticker.  But this was the very first tag that I finished and at the time, I loved it.  I still do, actually--the complimentary pairing of the aqua and coral is much more dynamic in real life than it looks in my photos.  I have a very difficult time capturing the true essence of fluorescents with the camera.

 

 

Remember I had 2 inspiration photos?  The first was bold and bright; the second is a bit softer, but what actually influenced me were the patterns and textures.

 

{Photo Credit: El Rancho Relaxo} 

 

I incorporated bits of this into my tags, using the shades of bright aqua/coral and the black dot patterned papers (Confetti's 'Life of the Party' and 'Garden Party').  And because it's difficult to capture the fluorescents, especially when I'm using a plain white background, I decided to use a linen/tweedy canvas as my backdrop.  While it's still not perfect, I think it definitely helped.

 

 

 

Although the idea of stepping out of my soft and sweet comfort zone was a bit scary at first, I ended up embracing this challenge and maybe even finding a whole new color scheme to adore!

 

 

Embroidery Hoop Wrap :: Rebecca Luminarias

A favorite Craft Market embellishment, the wood veneer embroidery hoop set is today's *uber* cute specialty thanks to Rebecca and her gift wrapping expertise. We can't get over her awesome DIY craftiness!

 

There is a very fun set of wood veneer embroidery hoops that are a part of the Craft Market collection.  They are especially brilliant for DIY--you may remember this gorgeous project from our very own Christine Middlecamp...It's kind of hard to top that one, so I put my own spin on them and created a little something to top off a package.

 

 

The possibilities are endless in terms of finishing them off--you can paint them, cover them in glitter or patterned paper, adhere buttons or sequins or another small object all the way around them, or you could just leave them as is.  For my gift, I decided to wrap them in seam binding.  A different trim or fabric will work, too.

 

 

This could not have been easier.  I started at the top, leaving a few inches to tie off at the end, and simply wound it around the hoop until I reached the top again.  I used about 1.5 yards to cover the largest hoop in the pack; the ribbon color is Melon, by Hug Snug.

 

 

Once I reached the top, I wove the ends through the opening of the ring two times and then tied it into a bow.  I traced and cut a circle of Confetti's 'Life of the Party' patterned paper which I adhered to the back of my hoop.  The embellishments I used here were actually my first step in this whole process and the inspiration for the project itself.  I was playing around with the large words from Confetti and tried them out on the plain hoop, which I liked all by themselves, but eventually decided to add a few more details.  So I had the words and the bird Standout and then tailored the rest of the composition around them.

 

 

The size of my box is just over 5x7 and I wrapped it in ruched gold crepe paper (made for me by a sweet friend).  I placed my hoop frame on top of it with a dab of glue to hold it in place.  A couple of 4x6 journaling cards tucked behind the crepe paper offer more patterns to dress up the plain white box without having to use wrapping paper (I'm so clumsy when it comes to wrapping paper!!).  Such a sweet and simple project!

 

 

I made one more little piece with the mid-size hoop.  I left this one plain because I used more embellishments (again, I messed about with it and came up with the decorative elements to start).  I backed it with the polka dot burlap specialty paper from Craft Market, but everything else is from Confetti.  It needed a little something at the top so I added the blue wood bow.  It's such a small thing, but it really makes a difference.

 

 

In the end, I used this hoop on a card instead of a package.  It was just the right size for my favorite card measurements--4x4.  This size would also make a darling gift tag.

 

 

What have YOU done with the Craft Market embroidery hoops?  We'd love to see!  Use hashtag #cratehoops and pin or post on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook and we'll be sure to check them out!  Thanks for stopping by today!

 

Craft Market: Easter Project Round-Up

With Easter quickly approaching, it's the perfect time for handmade bunny-riffic project ideas! CP Gal, Jen Chapin, is here with a few of her own, along with Craft Market's adorable bunny jar!

 

Hello hello! Jennifer Chapin here, and today's Crate blog projects are all about Easter. It's just around the corner! It seems to have come much sooner this year, and here in the Midwest it has even been too chilly to hunt eggs! I created this layout using a photo of my kids from last year's Easter morning. They are always so excited to wake up and find out what is in their baskets, and we also hide eggs throughout the house. The Easter bunny even brought them their very own bunny ears!

I started out with a sheet of white cardstock and cut a 6" strip of the floral pattern from Craft Market. I knew I wanted to keep this side of the page simple due to the busy floral pattern.

I matted my photo on a sheet of neutral patterned paper, then added the title underneath with Memo Thickers from the Craft Market collection. These letters are so beautiful! I also added some more chipboard embellishments to round out this part of the layout. The bunny topped mason jar was also a perfect addition to this page. Who knew Craft Market was so versatile?

A technique I always seem to fall back on is typed journaling. I used the same color of white cardstock as my background, then typed the journaling on my typewriter and adhered to the page. I added chipboard diamonds from the Craft Market collection chipboard embellishment sheet as well.

Next up, a cute treat bag and Easter card. I used Craft Market as well on these projects; the linen bags are perfect for a quick gift for any occasion.

To make the card, I used a piece of smooth white cardstock and added a strip of patterned paper and stitching to the bottom. I then added chipboard letters as well as a happy sticker. I carefully added some pink mist droplets to the top of the card, then punched white butterflies and adhered to the card with tiny glue dots.

The result is a simple card that makes a big impact! Anyone would love to receive a card like this. I love the subtle dimension that the tone-on-tone butterflies create.

And a quick look at the tag on my linen sack. I simply embellished with a sticker and some enamel dots, then added a glittered mini clothespin from the Craft Market collection. Since the sticker did not say what I needed it to, I quickly typed out a sentiment and punched it with a 1" circle punch, adding it to my sticker. This works great for any use and you can customize stickers for any theme!

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today. Have a great week!

Craft Market & Confetti DIY Inspiration Board

We are starting the week off with a phenomenal DIY inspiration board from CP Gal Team Coordinator, Christine Middlecamp. The details are priceless and convey two of Crate Paper's most current Spring collections: Craft Market & Maggie Holmes' Confetti.

One of the greatest gifts as an artist and scrapbooker/card maker is 'color'. Usually, my color preference is 'the more, the merrier'. I'm always in the market for a dynamic, uplifting color palette, especially this time of year.

One of my favorite hues this season is Violet. It radiates freshness, an ideal quality fit for Spring! This is especially the case when paired with light olive green, emerald, gold, and a smidgen of pink and peach.

Today's project is a great example of the aforementioned color combination brought to light. The colors look fantastic together! I brought them full circle through a series of intricately created layers using the Crate Paper collections, Confetti & Craft Market (hints of Journey). The project itself is an investigation of color & everyday design. The end product is an inspiration board for my studio bookshelf.

To create the board, I started with an antique white, thin "8 x 10" frame. I removed the glass from the frame and painted it a pastel violet using a wide flat brush and craft-quality acrylic paint. After leaving it to sit and dry overnight, I inserted a "8 x 10" burlap covered board that I purchased from a local craft store.

Next, I pulled out a stack of Russell and Hazel blank, foil stamped "3.5 x 2.25" cards. I laid six of them on top the burlap in the upper region of the frame. I then went about decorating each card with its own array of closely clustered embellishments and other necessities. Even though the cards are separate, each one carries over onto the next, creating one large cohesive design.

As a finishing touch, to the lower region of the frame, I added ribbon and a simple flower/feather duo.

**Tip: To adhere the cards and ribbon to the burlap, I utilized a hot glue gun. Worked like a charm!

One clever tiny combo I want to share is this adorable flower. A cake stand & painted plastic dome serve as the base. There are four layers; turquoise cardstock, a Confetti pinked-edge circle, a 1" pink button & flower cabochon, and finally, two banners (Confetti chalkboard label & American Crafts gold glittered paper ribbon) and delicate blue vinery.

 This little polka-dotted fella is from Confetti's die-cut pack. He is oh-so-charming. He has matching friends throughout the collection in both cardstock and chipboard form.

I wish I had a photo of how pretty the frame looks on top my shelf in my studio. Never does Crate Paper disappoint! Love the violet, too!

Thank for stopping by today and keeping us company! We appreciate your support and wish you a wonderful, happy Monday!

Watercolor Flowers & Craft Market

 

One of our favorite patterned papers from the Craft Market collection, Stitching, is the star of today's pretty watercolor tutorial. The black and white line-drawn patterned paper takes on a whole new look when painted and looks fabulous on Jen Chapin's vintage-inspired card.

 

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Hello friends! Jen Chapin here today and I am sharing a card with you using some water coloring and the new Craft Market collection. I chose this neutral outline patterned paper as it just begs to be water colored. I gathered my supplies, just a water color palette I picked up from the craft store and a water brush.

 

 

I worked through the pattern, adding colors as I went. I chose green for the leaves, then yellow, pink and blue for the florals.

 

 

Afterwards, I let the paper dry completely before adhering it to the card base.

I gathered a few bits and pieces of ephemera, tags and one of the chipboard hoops from the collection to decorate my card.

I knew I wanted to add lots of texture and dimension, so I used some foam adhesive squares on the wood hoop as well as the embellishment inside the hoop. And here's a fun fact - that twine that you see in the background actually belonged to my great grandmother. I love to use it on projects as it gives a great vintage feel.

Here is the finished card! As you can see, I have also added some machine stitching, as well as a vintage stick pin and some stickers from the collection. I love the way it turned out, so bright and colorful.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you get your hands on this collection soon - the colors and patterns are just fabulous. It is vintage with a modern twist. Word on the street is that it is finally  making it's way to stores! If you make a project please link us up in the comments so we can check it out. Have a great day!