Crate Paper

COLLECT :: Flower Revamped Embroidery Hoops

You are going to love this next project from CP Gal, Jeanette Lee – especially if  you're an embroidery hoop fan!! Seriously, these are the cutest Open Book flower arrangements we have ever seen.

....... 

Every once in awhile, we rummage through our scrapbook supplies and we come to realize that we have a serious hoarding situation going on. One thing I generally have 'too much of' these days are embroidery hoops. I had always wanted to venture into sewing but never really did. So, I recently decided to alter a few of them into quick and easy flower wreaths and share them here!

To begin, I painted both the inner & outer hoop with a nice uniform coat of black paint. While leaving them to dry, I assembled an array of flowers and 'leaf' die-cuts from the Maggie Holmes Open Book Collection. I placed a section of used chipboard on the bottom half of the hoop to serve as a support for the flowers and leaves.

 

Most wreaths are decorated full circle. I chose to focus most the decoration on the bottom half. I found this set-up to be more modern and DIY friendly.

*Tip: Position smaller die-cuts in the background to hide any open gaps. Also, echo the same colors from one side to the next.

Those extra details do matter. To make my wreaths more alluring and vibrant, I outlined the hoops with white gel ink and small bows. As a last additional feature, I added special sentiments and other phrase die-cuts. Not only do they complete the look, but they lend meaning to each wreath.

If you have similar embroidery hoops just 'hanging around', turn them into wreaths like I have done! You will be pleasantly surprised...

Recollection :: Thoughts and Words Open Book Mini Album

 

At Crate Paper, we treasure itty-bitty mini albums. Their small size doesn't take away from the fact that they're often packed with priceless momentos and terrific technique ideas. Stephanie Bryan's 'Recollection' project is a beautiful example of a mini album filled with love, and ideas galore. We're in total awe of her creation.

 

.......

 

I'm pretty sure you know by now that I have a sweet spot for mini albums.  Especially handmade, sewn mini albums. There is just something so priceless about a little book that contains heartfelt words, precious photos, and pretty papers. 

 

 

Using the awesome new Open Book collection, I put together this easy pocket style mini album to hold some thoughts and words for my children. I've been trying to be better about writing down the "here and now" and have started a little series called "little talks" on my blog. Here, I share little love notes to my kids, as well as tidbits about what I am feeling at that moment. I often find that I leave out MY piece of the story, so this has been a great way to document my own thoughts and feelings. 

 

This book is roughly 7 x 5 inches and each inside page is a pocket that holds a slip out card that is just waiting to be found!

 

 

I created each pocket by first trimming and folding one piece of paper from the Open Book collection. I snipped off the top corner to create a diagonal pocket and then sewed down the top flap leaving the pocket accessible.

 

 

I included some lovely embellishments, as well as a few of the awesome pins and clips from the Open Book collection. These small pieces add so much punch to a page and definitely add more dimension to the book.

 

 

 

I included a photo of the front of each inside card and added the "little talks" to my children on the back. Each journaling section is printed on white card stock and then stitched around the journaling to create the look of a journaling box.

 

 

 

 

The Open Book papers are so beautiful as they are that I really didn't need to add too many embellishments to the front of each pocket. As you can see, I clipped few little tags and banners here and there to make it more visually appealing.

 

 

 

 

Each pocket is full of memories and thoughts just waiting to be found! I love that this book gives me a place to record all of these precious details of our lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used paper covered chipboard for the front and back of the book to add a little more stability and weight.

 

 

This album is such a treasured item to me and I so wish I would have included a few more blank pages!

 

Crate Life :: Open Book House Hunting Adventure

Hi, Ginny Hughes here with a glimpse at my daily pocket page album. Now to be totally honest, I can't really say that I update the album on a day-to-day basis. It's more of a month-to-month project. The size of the album is 6" x 8" and I work on it every few days as my photo collection expands and "life happens!" I prefer the meandering updates for a couple of reasons:

1. I don't feel pressure to play 'catch up', ever. When I have a large chunk of time available, I sit down to work on the album. That simple.

2. I prefer documenting memories when they're still fresh in my mind. Capturing details is a biggie for me.

3. As a whole, the album is a lot of fun to work on and it takes me only 10-15 minutes of effort to get ahead. I'll have a completed album by the end of the year.

For today's spread, I mostly used the Maggie Holmes collection, Open Book. There's also a smidge of Crate's Notes & Things.

 

Occasionally, I leave the cards 'as is' because they look great on their own. And sometimes, when I feel like playing a little bit, I embellish them with die cuts, stitching and paint.

Might you have a daily album under construction for the year? If so, tell us about it! Also, check out Crate Paper's vast assortment of journaling cards from Open Book and Notes & Things. They are uber cute!

.......

As promised, we are honoring one lucky winner with a Kiss Kiss prize pack–congratulations to...

Wow! This collection i absolutely beautiful! My favorite patterned paper is the woodgrain with the white confetti hearts. I love it. But I also love that ombre patterned paper that looks like its been folded into triangles. Gorgeous. Posted by: Andrea Martin | November 17, 2014 at 01:42 PM

Andrea, please forward your information to [email protected]–we look forward to you getting the chance to play with your favorite woodgrain w/hearts paper. Thank you for chiming in with some love!

Thank-you to everyone who left a comment in regards to the Kiss Kiss collection reveal. We're grateful for our many fans and followers-you are the very best! 

 

Crate Harvest: Homespun Hanging Open Book Tags

As we continue with the festive Crate Harvest undertaking, Marie Lottermoser has come up with a de'lightful tag arrangement creatively situated for the Thanksgiving holiday. It's "homespun" all the way!

.......

I have to admit when it comes to decorating, I am usually the kind of person who skips right from Halloween to Christmas. This year I am taking time out to make some Thanksgiving decorations, and what better place to start than a big pile of leaves from the Open Book collection. There are so many style to choose from including cardstock, vellum, glitter and gold metallic.

I started out by using the leaves to make tags, each one different from the next, but all in the same fall color family. I used a tiny attacher to adhere the leaves, and then added a hanging string through a hole in the top of each tag.

Next, I hung the tags from a strand of lights, which I strung across a piece of barn wood.

You could also use tiny clothes pins or fishing line to hang the tags, but I liked the rustic look of the loose strings. I have to say the metallic and glitter leaves really sparkle in the glow of the lights.

Crate Harvest :: Thoughtful Altered Mason Gift Jars

Gift giving doesn't have to wait until December, at least we don't think so. Rebecca Luminarias' adorable mason jar gift sets are a fun, easy way to say 'thank-you' to those on your gratitude list this holiday season. Read on to find out more about them!

.......

 

Wow, this year has really flown right by, hasn't it?  I can't believe it's already November.  I love this time of year--the hustle and bustle as the holidays draw near, the nostalgic scents of baking and spices and flavored coffees, the time to be thankful and the time to be giving.  I've combined all of those things into my post today.

 

 

My projects center around giving and being thankful--they are humble gifts to bring to the hostess of the next party you attend, your child's teacher or a helpful civil servant (like my sweet friend at the Post Office).  Simple and thoughtful things to extend your appreciation.

 

 

I will start by saying that Open Book makes creating beautiful pieces incredibly easy!  The colors, the florals, the patterns, the shine...it is foolproof!

 

 

My first gift is a jar of flowers. Being that it's autumn, I wanted to try and use fall colors for my project--hues you'd find outside on a crisp fall day. This small card on the "Full Heart" 12x12 patterned paper that says "I treasure you" was an instant eye-catcher and had exactly the colors I was hoping for--deep green, light pink, yellow, burgundy. When I paired it with some orange and gold accents, it made a pretty tag for my bouquet of purplish-pink flowers.  Most people appreciate flowers, and this inexpensive bouquet instantly brightened our house when I arranged this vase.

 

The next gift is something I actually put together for my sister...just because.  We live 3000 miles away from each other and, after losing our mother last November, the holidays can be an especially difficult time.  I wanted to make something cheerful and meaningful to send her this year, and so this little sewing kit was born.

 

 

 

It was really fun to put together and full of several "a-ha" moments!  I mixed some vintage supplies that belonged to our grandmother with some Open Book embellishments to create a sweet little ensemble.  The family pieces include the scissors, tape measure, thread spools, and the little rose card that houses needles (that was great find!).

 

 

I used an OR crepe paper tag to secure some cute heart pins (a-ha moment #1).  I took buttons from the Embellishment Jar and stitched them onto 2 of the labels from the die cut ephemera pack (a-ha moment #2).  Finally, I picked out some coordinating fabric brads and used their own backing (trimmed and turned on it's side) to create pretty packaging (a-ha moment #3).  I don't know if you'd noticed, but OB came in some really lovely packaging with a lot of gold foil debossed details--like the 0002014 serial numbers--and I intend to use them just as I will use the actual product they came with! 

 

 

 

My sister's name happens to be Emily so this E die cut was a-ha moment #4!  I am guilty of being a little too excited about all of the matching and coordinating colors in this sewing kit!  I know my sister will love this and appreciate having treasures from our grandmother's sewing box, as well as the pretty new pieces from Open Book.

 

My last idea is the very simplest and I cheated just a bit.  It's just a muffin mix poured into a mason jar.  If you've got a tried and true recipe for a yummy fall treat, by all means, use from-scratch ingredients (hold the liquid!).  I'm not much of a culinary artist and was pressed for time so I settled for a box mix.  I did spend time on the decorating here so hopefully no one will think I'm completely lazy ;)   

 

 

I made a lid skirt with a doily from the OB Banner Kit.  While there is also a package of just doilies in this collection, I found that the ones in the banner kit were a lighter weight and therefore worked better here.  To make the tag, I just overlapped some of the longer, skinny die cuts in a fan-style and stitched them together, then added the stamped white tag which tells what is in the jar.  The wood leaves are some that I hoarded way back when Acorn Avenue was released.  **Whether from scratch or a box, don't forget to include baking instructions with your mix!

 

 

And there you are--a few simple displays of gratitude and thoughtfulness.  They didn't cost much and didn't take too much time to arrange.  Hopefully, they'll make someone happy. 

 

 

Crate Harvest :: A Charming Open Book Medallion Card

This week's second Crate Harvest project from our sweet and card-savvy designer, Melissa Phillips, is brimming with warmth and layers. We invite you to browse and admire her beautiful one-of-a-kind medallion arrangement. 

....... 

Crate Paper's Open Book collection is full of beautiful shades of fall.  I love the mix of ombre hues transforming summer into autumn.  

My card today uses an assortment of warm colors from Open Book to create a quick iconic fall card.  I love to build my cards using layers of the things I love, and this card uses mainly die cuts from the Open Book Ephemera pack; from the note card in the background to the octagon die placed second, topped with a gold foil doily, and then finishing with banners, leaves, chipboard, and a sweet, squirrel fabric brad.

As a final touch, I layered two chipboard stickers and then stitched down the side to secure them in place.

Fall represents happiness to me in so many different ways, so my sentiment is short, simple, and encompasses everything I love about this time of year.

Hope your autumn is beautiful!

Crate Harvest :: Open Book Burlap Gift Bags & Tags

 
We're chiming in the nearing Thanksgiving holiday with a week's worth of cozy n' cute Crate Paper Harvest creations. Even though Open Book isn't exclusive to 'Fall', it still caters an abundance of color, pattern, and imagery that is both warm and inviting. To begin, Anabelle O'Malley shows gratitude to those whom she cares for most via pretty burlap bags & matching complimentary tags.  

.......

 With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I like to create little gift bags that I can fill with treats for those people in my life whom I am thankful for. Whether it be a family member, a co-worker or a friend, there are so many people who deserve a little something to let them know my gratitude for them. I used the beautiful Open Book collection for my project today. While not a Fall/Thanksgiving themed collection per se, there were definitely elements that worked perfectly on my tags.

 

Creating a tag set was easy once I determined the design. I actually used the same design for each tag, but switched up the elements a bit for variation. At the top of the tags, I tied on a smaller tag, added a brad, a couple of leaves and a gold bow.





As you can see, each tag was unique. I went with different color combinations for each.

The leaves from the die cut set were a perfect Fall element. I folded them in half and hot glued them to the top of the tag. The folding gave them perfect dimension.

I love the mix of stripes, glitter and solid colors of the leaves.

 

There are other elements in the collection that worked perfectly for this Fall themed set. How cute is this little squirrel brad?

I love the deer, too. Especially since he's gold. Layering him over the die cut and some stitched vellum really makes the gold pop.

The gold/yellow/pink combination of the flowers on this tag looked so 'autumnal' paired with a bit of teal. I am in love with this combination!

 When my tag set was complete, I tied them to small burlap bags. I plan on popping gift cards, candies, or small trinkets into them.

 

 

As you can see, Open Book is a great line for using during Harvest time! What better way to let someone know that you are grateful for them than to gift them with one of these. Thanks so much for stopping by today.

COMP :: Open Book Quilt Block Layout

This simple, easy-to-apply composition from CP Girl, Naomi Atkins, was inspired by a visit to the local library and an immeasurable love for quilting.

.......

Hello Crate Paper Fans–hope the cooler weather is finding a few of you inside, ready to create! I know that the cooler temps and shorter days mean more time for me to create and catch up on some projects!

When I received the new Maggie Holmes Open Book collection, I was so excited–it's gorgeous! I couldn't wait to start using it!

I always try to reserve an assortment of fall books at the library for my little ones. Recently, I happened upon this book and was immediately inspired! The illustrations reminded me of a beautiful scrapbook page–just like the one you see here!

I love quilting, so I really wanted to imitate the patchwork effect in my layout. I was drawn to the bits of text on some of the embellishments as well, and this collection has an abundance of them; patterned paper, gold foil vellum w/text and chipboard. All are absolutely perfect for any project!

I started by cutting a random assembly of squares and planted them on top a 12" x 12" sheet of paper. I then stitched a number of them in place to create that whole 'quilt' effect. After completing the background, I went about adding a photo of my daughter and surrounded her with pretty little embellishments. To finish the look, I formed a title from an Open Book glittered word chipboard sticker. 

Even the glitter bows are glamorous!

The combination of Open Book's warmth and charm match beautifully with this quilt-motivated layout–thanks in part to the library and a simple book illustration.

Recollection :: Creative Open Book Tag Clothesline

This quaint, girlish layout from CP Girl, Lisa Dickinson, celebrates a daugher's unforgettable ballerina performance while featuring a line-up of Open Book tags, rub-ons and stickers. It is as sweet as can be!

....... 

 I found myself with more words than photos when facing this layout about my daughter's first dance recital. Because of the rush of that evening with costumes, hair and make-up, I hadn't gotten to snap many shots of her. The momentous occasion was, in fact, marked with only a few photos from after the performance featuring her and the pink bouquet she received from us.

While my photos didn't tell the whole story, I decided to allocate plenty of room for my words to do so.  I typed out the journaling on my computer, adding in all of the details and memories that the pictures don't include. The words took up a column about 3" x 6", which I opted to position next to the two photos (printed at 4" x 6").

Along the bottom half of the page, I chose several of the Open Book tags to string across the space, with the largest one serving as a home for my page title. To balance the large block of journaling, I matted the tags on vellum embossed with gold words, which adds text as a graphic element of the design.

 For some additional pretty details, I embellished each tag with additional rub-ons, stickers and die-cuts, also from the Open Book collection. 

 Sometimes a photo can tell the whole story, but I love that my words can always capture the memories that my camera doesn't!

 

CP Colour :: Hawaii-Style Autumnal Layout

 We love it when our journal savvy CP Gal, Jill Sprott, joins us with an insightful layout demonstrating her unique Hawaiian perspective. Her latest creation opens the gate to non-traditional fall color and Open Book's bright side.

.......

Just because it is November does not mean that you need to limit yourself to the usual fall colors in your crafting. Why not opt for a color composition, incorporating the yellow and orange of changing leaves with pink and green Hawaii-style autumnal hues?

Inspired by various sources, ranging from books on my shelves to pages from magazines, this color palette melds warm and cool to create a mix that is so very November to me–sweet, savory, crisp, and cozy.

These colors are right at home on a layout about my family's longtime love of picnics. I recently came across a photo of my grandparents, mother, and aunt on a picnic in the late 1960's. I love that the photo is a true candid shot.

Every hue in the palette can be found in Crate Paper's Open Book collection, which I used on this page. The fact that the photo is black and white allowed me to be freer than usual with my use of color on the layout.

At the top of the page, I added a large rectangle of one of my favorite patterns, "Years," and at the bottom, I added a section of "Slideshow" paper. The light color of the latter paper made it easy for me to layer die-cut accents and tags that reflect the palette.

The metallic gold elements in the Open Book collection enhance the palette by introducing a bit of shimmer to the page.

This page is more than its colors, however. At its heart is a story about a family, reinforced through the elements that help to tell the story.

Like a picnic, a color palette is best when shared. I hope that you enjoy working with these hues on your next project–and that you won't mind sharing your work by adding a link below. Thank you for visiting the Crate Paper blog today!