Crate Paper

Accordion Tag Mini Album with Flora

Hi Ladies! It’s Flóra back today on the Crate Paper blog. Today I am sharing a tiny, easy and fast mini album idea. This cute project was made with the new Maggie Holmes Sweet Story line. I just love the cheerful colors and patterns, it is perfect to document your favorite photos. Every Crate Paper collection has a cut apart paper which usually includes tags on the bottom. These tags are perfect to make an accordion or a one ring mini book. Check how!

I cut out the tags from Sweet Treat Paper and fold them on the edge. I punched holes on the tag tops. I found more awesome tags in the Ephemera pack and I picked one for the cover. I just trimmed a tiny bit and adhered to the tag chain. Now the fun part started. I printed photos and place them in and decorate the tags one by one. The front got a bow, eyelet, chipboard and cardstock flowers and a gorgeous layered butterfly. 

I made every page different. Some got an extra tag page decorated with eyelet, fussy cut bow (from Ponytail paper) and washi phrases. Another was embellished with stitched mini butterflies fussy cut from Storytime Paper. 

I created a cute washi flag with the amazing washi tape set. I folded small pieces and stitched them down on the side. When you close the album the washi tape pieces are peeking out. Love it so much! On the last page I added colorful banners which I also stitched down. I like to use machine stitches on every other page just to give extra texture. 

These tiny albums are my favorites. I like to spend the time decorating the mini pages with small stickers and embellishments and of course highlight my favorite photos. So that was it for today! I hope you like my accordion tag album idea and you will try it out! Flóra

Used supplies:

Maggie Holmes - Sweet Story: Sweet Treat Paper (SKU 373070), Ponytail Paper (SKU 373138), Storytime Paper (SKU 373072), Posies Paper (SKU 373081), 6x12 Sticker Sheet (SKU 373062), Ephemera Pack (SKU 373064), Layered Butterflies (SKU 373154), Washi Tape (SKU 373059), 12x12 Chipboard Stickers (SKU 373150)

Why I Scrapbook with Bea Valint

Hi, everyone, its Bea back to you here, on the Crate Paper blog.  Today I would like to share a special project with you to showcase why I love scrapbooking, and what I love the most in the creative process.  For me, scrapbooking is to preserve memories in more of way than photos can do by themselves. Happiness ebbs and flows through our lives and I want to capture these unforgettable moments of joy by documenting it so that I can relive those precious moments from time to time. This is the reason that my favorite scrapbooking projects are mini albums, I love the creative process of assembling the base and my family enjoy so much looking through the photos and reading the stories. It’s a beautiful thing! Through the creative process, scrapbooking also helped me to became more organized, taking better photos and to find my own style. I found new friends and encouraging community through this hobby. Because scrapbooking is not only useful, but also fun! Besides the beautiful papers and embellishments, there are a lot of great new trends and techniques that make this hobby diverse and enjoyable.

This is the mini album I created for today as a sample of my favorite scrapbooking projects.

Using a brand new collection is always 'cherry on the top' in my process, so I chose the amazingly beautiful Sweet Story collection for my mini album.

The best part of the process for me is designing the album in my head. First I decide about the style, the color scheme, and the sizes. I always like to add something personal, unique to my albums. This time I designed a layered flower cut file to decorate the cover. To create the flower, I cut 7 different layers from patterned paper using my Cameo. To add dimension, I used hot glue gun to attach the layers.

Next, I covered the mini album with fabric, and created a curved spine from heavy cardstock stripes and patterned paper.

The inside pages of the album have various sizes and form just as I love. I don’t measure the size of the pages, just add them to the album in the prettiest way as I can.

I use my favorite techniques to embellish the album like fussy cutting, layering or machine stitching.

I love making scrapbooks. It's one of the most fun projects in the world to me. I can’t wait to share new ideas with you next time! Thanks for stopping by! Bea

Supplies: Maggie Holmes | Sweet Story | Sparkle (373137), Sprinkles (373144), Taffy (373073), Shortcake (373139), Posies (373081), Sweetest (373136), Storytime (373072)

Why I Scrapbook with Lorilei

Hello, Crate Paper friends!  I hope you are well!  We were given the prompt assignment - "Why I Scrapbook."  I invite you to join the design team in answering that question!  I wanted to make a layout using the gorgeous Sweet Story collection by Maggie Holmes to go along with my thoughts about the question!

I took a photo of a bunch of memory keeping projects piled up, Project Life, Mini Albums, Scrapbook Layouts, Traveler's Notebooks, etc.  I love to do all the things!  Since the photo was quite busy, I decided to arrange my layout in a grid design.  I found some pieces of ephemera and cut apart die cuts that supported what I feel about scrapbooking and memory keeping.

I used one of the blocks to add my title using the gorgeous pink alphas from Sweet Story.  It was fun to find little bits that fit into empty spaces and made for a pretty grid!

Here are my thoughts on the prompt question:

Why I Scrapbook. This prompt made me think long and hard about my answer. My first answer was that I scrapbook for a creative outlet, but I realized that it was only a small part of the reason that I continue to scrapbook or why I got started. In 2014 I felt a motivation that I couldn’t put into words to start figuring out a way to record our lives, My daughter was a big part of that motivation and the trigger for recording what was happening in her life. When she was little, I felt like I would remember every detail of her life because it was so important to me. As the years went by, I realized that I had started to forget moments or details, and that was not ok with me. It was a slow journey to find a way that fulfilled me and to find something I could stay engaged with creatively. I had many “fails” in things I tried, but of course, those were lessons in what didn’t work and got me closer to what did. Heidi Swapp was the first person to capture my attention with her ideas on recording memories. I purchased a Memory Planner that year and began filling out one thing a day and filling up the pockets with photos and stories. That starting point propelled me into a world I had no idea existed! I dipped into art journaling, travellers notebooks, 12x12 layouts, mini albums, basically all the things! What made a huge impact for me was 6x12 project life. I completed one album, and I was hooked. I went back in time and printed photos from 2010 going forward. I still dabble in all kinds of mediums for memory keeping, but I learned to keep the project life albums as the base for stories and photos and be creative elsewhere. I tried making a few 12x12 layouts in 2015; I couldn’t wrap my head around it at the time. I thought I would try again in 2017 and joined Big Picture Classes to learn how! I loved the creative element of using pretty things on a page. I have always adored Crate Paper products, and when I couldn’t figure out how to incorporate them into PL, it started coming together using them on 12x12 pages and mini albums. Pretty soon after I started making 12x12 layouts, I was lucky enough to join some design teams. What a fun journey!! I have met some amazing people and continue to have fun, learn new things and have an adventure! Through the years, I have formed a solid answer to the question of why I scrapbook. Ultimately I do it to connect with myself and my life. I do it so Hannah can look back at the rich life she has lived and remember. I scrapbook because it brings me joy.

Thank you for joining me today!  Be sure to tag #cpwhyiscrapbook if you make a project answering the prompt!

Supplies: Sweet Story - 373142 CONFECTION / 373149 THICKERS - SWEET PEA / 373064 EPHEMERA PACK / 373150 CHIPBOARD STICKERS / 373062 6x12 STICKERS / 373070 SWEET TREAT

Day to Day Planner Layout with Flora

Hi Ladies! It’s Flóra back today on the Crate Paper blog. I want to share with you my beautiful Day-to-Day Disc Planner. I picked the Blossom planner because I love the colorful tabs on the side and the whole design inside. This is the first time I tried this format and I have to say I fall in love immediately. It is so fast and easy to make a page. This is the perfect way for me to document my life.

The Disc Planner has amazing pages inside but you can add more hand made pages, photos, pockets, journals end so on. There is no limitation. The line comes with cute embellishments like this adorable bookmark with tassel. I added a hanging charm extra, just to make it even prettier.

The matching Stamp Set is super useful. I stamped the numbers with it. As the papers are thick the ink won't bleed through.

My other favorites are the Sticky Note Pads. They perfectly fit the little frames. I loved to write my journaling on but you can decorate them with different stickers as well. The line has tons of clear stickers packs what makes the sections lovely.

I can not wait to try out all the other accessories on the next pages. Make sure to get one of these cute planners and start to document your everyday life! Thanks for stopping by! Flóra

Used supplies:

Maggie Holmes Day-to-Day: Disc Planner Blossom (SKU 373057), Paper Clips (SKU 373028), Charms (SKU 373029), Bookmark (SKU 373030), Alpha Stencil (SKU 373036), Mini Sticker Book 2 (SKU 373039), Mini Sticker Book 3 (SKU 373040), Phrase Sticker Book (SKU 373046), Icon Sticker Book (SKU 373094), Washi Tape – Calendar (SKU 373041), Sticky Note Pads (SKU 373051), Sticky Note Pads (SKU 373093), Pocker Folders (SKU 373049), Stamp Set (SKU 373047)

Spring Banners with Lorilei

Hello Crate Paper friends!  I hope you are keeping well and happy these days.  Has spring arrived at your house?  Spring is always a bit elusive here in Alberta, we still have plenty of snow that needs melting, but the sunshine is warm, and the longer days are so welcome!  I have two cute banners to celebrate Spring and Easter using a mix of Crate Paper & Maggie Holmes collections featuring the latest Maggie Holmes collection - Sweet Story!

I have wanted to make some of these cute banners for awhile.  Bea made one quite some time ago, as did Crate Paper!  They are fun to make, and the sky is the limit on decorating them! Speaking of skies, my first banner features a hot air balloon!  I love the "Sweetly" paper from Sweet Story full of hot air balloons, and it inspired the theme for this banner.  I made the balloon from a cut file I purchased, with some changes to the construction so that it would have a flat back, to adhere it to the banner.  It took some figuring out to get what I wanted.  It wasn't "hard" to make, but it did take quite a bit of fiddling around!  You could easily use a hot air balloon cut file or cut a balloon shape for a flatter balloon.

I cut some clouds on my silhouette as well, and fussy cut some hot air balloons from the Sweetly paper to float in the background.  For some additional fun and spring delight, I fussy cut some butterflies from a paper from the Carousel collection and also found this little gal that sits in a ticket booth from the Carousel Ephemera pack.  I simply snipped her from the die-cut, and she fits perfectly in the basket!  The alphas for the word Spring are from Willow Lane.  I have mentioned it before, but I love that most collections from Crate Paper or Maggie Holmes tend to go together!  The banner is made from a pink paper from the Bloom Paper Pad, and the bamboo paper is from Magical Forest!

My next banner is an Easter banner!  I purchased a bunny cut file and cut it from solid cardstock to be able to piece it all together.  I cut the flower, but the bunny is in from the Sweet Story Soft Serve paper.  The banner is made from Sweet Story and Willow Lane papers.  I added hand stitching with embroidery floss around the banner for an extra touch.  Each of the banners uses a straw for the hanging tabs; you could substitute a dowel in place of the straw.

I punched some flowers and leaves from co-ordinating Sweet Story papers and made 3 cluster areas around the banner for interest.  The title is made up of a label from Carousel, sticker alphas from Willow Lane and chipboard alphas from Willow Lane.  This banner is quite simple, but we love it!

I hope you are inspired to get out your stash of gorgeous Crate Paper and Maggie Holmes collections and make yourself a cute banner.  It certainly adds a fresh touch to a room and a great way to celebrate spring's arrival!  Thank you for joining me today, take care and stay well.

Easter Cards with Bea Valint

Hey everyone, it’s Bea Valint here with you today sharing a card inspiration as part of Easter week here on the Crate Paper blog. Like many others in the world, this year we celebrate Easter at home in small family circle. I felt that creating handmade Easter cards was the best way to send a little love to other family members who cannot join us.

My idea was to create a card with a tiny basket on the front. This way I can put a little surprise into the basket, and write message inside the card.

I chose the adorable Magical Forest collection for my project. This collection has beautiful, fresh colors and contains a lot of darling bunny embellishments, perfect to use for an Easter themed project. To create the card base, I trimmed down patterned paper into 8.5x5.5” and folded in half.

Next, I trimmed down another patterned paper into 6.5x3” and folded a half basket shape. To create the handle, I adhered a paper stripe to the top of the basket. I attached the half basket to the front of the card using double sided tape.

Next, I fussy cut three bunnies from the Critters patterned paper, and arranged them to the center of the baskets. I can’t resist adding those beautiful ribbon bows to the baskets, they are just perfect to embellish these special cards. I added stickers or ephemera pieces next to the bunnies as a finishing touch.

I put flat chocolate surprises into the baskets, placed the cards into handmade envelopes, and sent them to my family members who cannot join us this year. These cards were super easy to create, and I hope they make my loved ones happy.

I hope you all have an eggscellent Easter weekend and make sure to pop back to the blog this week to see some Easer projects from the rest of the team! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Magical Forest collection | Childhood (351000), Critters (350998), Always (351002), Wildflower (351003), Meadow (350999), Sunlight (350996), Stickers (351012), Fabric Bows (351017), Sticker Book (351020), Ephemera Pack (351022)

Creative Planner Layout with Bea Valint

Hey, everyone! It’s Bea with you today rounding off ‘Planner’ week here, on the Crate Paper blog. I have to admit that I rarely used Planner before, but as I opened my Day to Day planner and I looked through the gorgeous stickers, paperclips, charms and stencils, I was immediately hooked. Everything is so soft and beautiful, and it’s super easy to add dates, notes, lists or embellishments to the pages.

I started my planner in March, and here is the first weekly spread I created:   

March is all about spring and gardening for me, and I wanted to add a huge ‘Bloom’ title to my planner pages. To create the letters, I used patterned papers from Sweet Story collection by Maggie Holmes and my WRMK Alphabet punch board. The letters fit perfectly to the 1,5x2,5’ sized spaces.

In some cases, I layered patterned paper behind the letters to create flaps, and added journaling or photos underneath.

Using round photos is always good idea if you want to add more interesting elements to your page. I trimmed in circle a photo I took at the gardening and draw a circle journaling box next to the photo. I arranged flower stickers and label stickers around them.

To add great balance to my pages, I also added a circle journaling box to the right page. I wanted to reflect the colors of the flowers from the left page, so I added a rainbow sentiment around the text box. Once I completed the pages, I added a pretty tassel charm to mark the current page in my Planner. I absolutely love how those pages turned out, and can’t wait to document the upcoming weeks.

Here is how I created the rainbow sentiment:

First, I drew a circle using my WRMK journaling tool.

Next I grabbed the alphabet stencil from the Day to day collection, and placed to the circle line. I created a tiny paper mask to cover the area around the letter, and blended ink on the letters one by one.

No matter your planning style, you can absolutely start using a planner anytime during the year! If you enjoy paper crafting, journaling or scrapbooking, your planner is sure to be your new best friend this year!

Supplies: Crate Paper | Day to Day Disk Planner , Stickers (373039), Stickers (373094), Paperclips (373058), Charm (373030), Maggie Holmes | Sweet Story | Sparkle (373137), Sprinkles (373144), Taffy (373073), Shortcake (373139)

Day to Day Planner Spread

 

 

Hi everyone, thanks for stopping by the Crate Paper Blog today! I am so excited to be sharing a super fun and different kind of scrapbooking project today. Instead of a layout or mini album, I’m sharing a planner with you today!

 

 

Maggie Holmes recently debuted her brand new Day To Day Disc Planners and tons of dreamy embellishments! I’m talking about all kinds of different stickers to help you track your to-do lists, meals, workouts, reminders, appointments, chores, and so much more. There’s also various note pads, charms, paper clips, folders, dividers, tabs, tassels, etc. There is so much to play with, and it’s all pure eye candy!

 

 

I am definitely a planner person - I use a planner to help me go about my day to day life. It helps me to stay organized and avoid getting overwhelm. So I was extremely excited about getting the chance to try out this disc planner set. 

 

 

I took a similar approach that I have always used with my past planners. I will usually break up the day into morning, noon, and evening times. Since I have a regular Monday to Friday job, most of the time my days will look generally the same - at least for the morning and noon parts of the day. I then fill in my to-do items in their corresponding parts of the day. 

 

 

I also utilized the different notepads like the meal planner, the to-do list, and the shopping list! These were definitely a favorite because I do keep lists for those things and it’s super convenient to keep them all together in the same place. It’s a fun and prettier way of staying organized, that’s for sure!

 

It was such a joy getting to use these gorgeous and lovely items to plan out my week. Definitely makes for a more exciting weekly prep! I hope you feel inspired to try out the disc planner set and make it work for you and your unique lifestyle. Have a beautiful day, friends. 

Supplies: Day To Day - Mini Sticker Book (373038), Planner (373054), Sticker Book Icons (373040), Planner Inserts (373095), Pocket Folders (373049), Planner Disc Mint (373035), Planner Sticker Book 1 (373095), Planner Sticker Book 2 (373094), Planner Sticky Notes (373093)

Day to Day Disc Planner Layout with Lorilei

Hello, Crate Paper friends!  I am super excited to be diving into the Maggie Holmes Day to Day Disc Planner goodies!  Everything is so beautiful!

I thought I would start with the weekly page spreads.  I wanted to add a few photos to my spread, so I did some measuring and set up a template in photoshop to print my photos.

Once I had my photo spots picked out, I dove into Maggie Holmes heaven and looked through the lovely sticker packs.  I quickly discovered I better choose a "theme" so that I could make some decisions about what to use.  I wanted to use it all!  I chose the wild rose pattern sticker as my jumping-off point for the page scheme and used it to make my other choices.

For a little dimension, I stamped 3 of the pretty florals from the Day to Day stamp set, and fussy cut them. I added them in three spots around the spread to soften some of the edges.  I am in love with the little bookmark clips in this collection! I had to use the Floral Charm with the pink layered tassel and puffy rose.  Another subtle layer I added was the black dot washi tape, the washi tape sets are gorgeous, and I can imagine adding them to the bottom or sides of the weekly spread pages.  The top right box at the edge of the page is washi tape as well; the roll has different patterns of washi that fit the box exactly!  How genius is that?

I have not done much "planning" in my scrap journey; I do love to go back and fill out planners for memory keeping.  I look forward to continuing to play in the Day to Day Disc planner and see what happens.  I wanted to share my pages before I added heaps of journaling so that you could see the layout more clearly.  I am a bit messy when it comes to writing!  One thing I love about the discs is the ease of taking a page out; I can see running it through my typewriter to add journaling that way!

Thank you so much for joining me today! Be sure to pop into your local Joann store or online at Joann.com to see all the stunning products included in the Maggie Holmes Day to Day collection!

Supplies - Maggie Holmes Disc Planner Day to Day - 373053 DISC PLANNER GOLDEN / 373032 FLORAL CHARM BOOKMARK / 373038 MINI STICKER BOOK 1 / 373046 PHRASE STICKER BOOK / 373094 ICON STICKER BOOK / 373041 WASHI TAPE - CALENDAR / 373093 STICKY NOTE PADS / 373051 STICKY NOTE PADS / 373047 ACRYLIC STAMP SET

Crate Paper 2020-2021 Design Team Call

We are thrilled about your interest in joining the 2020-2021 Crate Paper Design Team!

As a member of the Design Team, you will be expected to create 2-3 projects per month, photograph them, size the images, and write correlating blog posts. You will also be expected to create 4 youtube videos annually. These projects will be posted on the Crate Paper Blog and occasionally the Crate Paper Social Media Accounts. In exchange, you will receive the new Crate Paper collections along with monthly compensation. In order to be considered for the team, you must possess the following: 

A LOVE for Crate Paper

Able to Create Innovative Projects

Excellent Photography Skills (that match the aesthetic of our feed)

Experience with Tutorial and Process Video Creation

Ready to apply? Email cpsocial@americancrafts.com with the following information:

1. One paragraph introducing yourself. Tell us when you started scrapbooking and how you would define your personal style. What do you love about Crate Paper? Are you on any other design teams? Why do you want to join the Crate Paper design team? Include your name and hometown! Please help us get an idea of who you are as a crafter and your experience in the industry.
2. A link to your blog (if applicable)
3. A list of all social media handles (Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, etc.)
4. 5 Styled Images. Please include 1 Scrapbook Layout, 1 Card, 1 Altered item, 1 example of an Instagram Story Tutorial, and 1 project of your choice (something that defines you).
5. Youtube video tutorial or process video

The deadline to send applications is Sunday, April 19, 2020. The new team will be notified via email by the end of April. All applications will be considered no matter if international or local. 

Questions? Email cpsocial@americancrafts.com. Good luck!