Studio Calico

More with Julie Balzer

Amazing inspiration from our February guest designer, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, continues!  Julie came up with this fantastic layout really showing off the Memoir patterned paper...

How cool are all the details... I love what Julie does with paint!

Doesn't that just make you want to grab some paint and play!

Julie did a very detailed blog post (complete with a video) about her process behind her guest designer layouts this month... head over here and check it out - so insightful and inspiring to get a peek into her crafty brain.

Winners

Congrats to our new round of winners!

Please send an email by 2/8/12 to info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize and include the following information:

• Name:   
• Contest: Weekly Challenge/Sunday Sketch, Basil the Cat, or Julie Balzer Class

Thanks to all for entering and playing along!

Happy Little Moment

Introducing our March Calico Classroom Class... Happy Little Moments from Maggie Holmes! This self-paced class is only $10 and chock full of awesome techniques and ideas that are true to Maggie's adorable style.  Registration is now open and ends February 29, with class beginning on March 1.

Life is full of happy little moments that we often don't scrapbook. This altered book is the perfect place to tuck them in along with a few sentiments and beautiful hand picked embellishments.

Maggie will walk you through the creation process and show you some fun techniques for making a magical and unique album.

We are also offering an exclusive kit for you to play along with Maggie.  It's now available in the shop and you won't want to miss out.

Click here for more info and we'll see you in the classroom!

Weekly Challenge

Weekly Challenge - use a quote or lyrics

I find myself using song lyrics or quotes more and more lately on pages. I have so many pictures of both of my kids and sometimes a song or a quote says what I want to say better than I can. And sometimes it's a great photo I just want to use but I don't necessarily have the words to go with it.

One of my favorite resources for quotes is the website Goodreads. You can search by topic, author, keyword, etc. Here are some layouts I've made recently with quotes and song lyrics:

Supplies: Brooklyn Flea Kit

Supplies: Glee Club Kit

...and here's a page I just made with a song I recently heard on Sirius Radio (the coffee house station - an all-acoustic station and a great place for good lyrics!) The lyrics are to Eric Bibb's "The Cape."
Supplies: Autumn Press Butterfly Kraft Cardstock Stickers, Classic Calico Fabrips, Classic Calico Folio Paper, Mister Huey's Mist - Bonny Blue

So your challenge this week is to create a page using a quote or lyrics as the focal point. Link your layout here by Monday, Feb 6 for a chance to win a SC GC.  Can't wait to see what you create!

sc at cha

Greetings from sunny California!! The Studio Calico team has been keeping busy at CHA-W, both in and out of the booth.

We've had an amazing response to our new releases, and we're loving meeting everyone coming into the booth!! You can see more of our booth on our facebook page.

We've also been scouring the show for all of the best new releases, and working to put them together into kits. We took over Christine's bed with catalogs and samples this morning to start planning what you'll be getting - we know you'll love it!

We're doing out best to post updates to twitter throughout the day - we hope you'll follow us and see what we're up to!

Sunday Sketch

We've got a great Sunday Sketch for you this week!  The inspiration comes from Nicole Harper's County Fair gallery...

We have the wonderful message board member Magdalena Stigson (rockarmorsan) from Sweden sharing inspiration using the sketch this week.  Check out her awesome layout...

She made use of the SC plano stamp from January and her County Fair + Photo Booth kits.  Magdalena says: "I really enjoyed working with this sketch. I tried my hand at embossing for
the first time ever. I really like the result. This is something I will definitely use for layouts in the future. I love the craft on craft look too, so that's how I did my title. I adore this photo of my son we took at Christmas. Star Wars is his passion at the moment, and he was almost in shock at getting his first little action figures. He just sat there looking at them with a happy smile on his face."  A happy smile indeed!

Let's see you use the sketch - share your layout here by Monday, February 6 for your chance to win a $5 GC.  Can't wait to see what you do this week!

Layout of the Week

All Smiles, the layout of the week, is brought to you by Tara LeClaire (TaraLeClaire).  She used the January kit, County Fair, to create this fun layout. To see more of Tara's layouts, visit her gallery at Studio Calico.

Each week, the layout in the gallery is linked, so you can add it to your favorites easily.  This layout has been added to your favorites more than any other layout in the SC community gallery for the week of 1/22 - 1/28.

Congratulations Tara! Because of this you have won a $10 gift card to be used on any new purchase at Studio Calico.  Want a chance to win next week? Be sure to upload your projects to the SC gallery, and support your community by adding special projects that catch your eye into your favorites! It could be YOU next week!

Tips & Tricks from Jennifer

It's Jennifer McGuire, back with a new video using the February Daydream Believer kits.  This time I created a set of cards and some pretty rosettes embellishments.  You'll also see how to use the entire stamp set from Stepping Stone to create a background:

Here's a closer look at the cards...

Supplies: February Kit and Add-On Kits, Craft Sheet from Ranger (or other work surface), Thin Double Sided Tape (such as Wonder Tape or American Crafts Tape), Mister Hueys Cameo, Dewey, Estate Green, Heirloom Blue and Overdue, Glue Dots, Glossy Accents, Kraft Cardstock, White Notecards, Colorbox Frost White Pigment Ink, Hero Arts Black Dye Ink (or any black ink), String

Hope you enjoy this month's video!

Reveal Night Giveaway

We have two awesome Reveal Night prizes to give away today!  The first is from one of my favorite Etsy shops, Basil the Cat.  She is giving away an initial necklace in silver or gold with the letter of your choice:
She's also offering a 15% discount to our customers.  Enter code SCREVEAL at checkout.  Expires 2/11/2012.

Our February Guest Designer, Julie Balzer is also giving away a spot in one of her online classes of your choice.  Here are the details from Julie:

Stamp Carving 101 is my newest online class. It begins on January 16, 2012 and runs for five weeks.


This class is all about carving your own rubber stamps! We’ll be making all of the stamps you see in the photo, plus many more – including a self-portrait stamp made from a photo! Absolutely no experience necessary! You’ll see how quick and easy it is to make your own stamps and then you’ll never look back!

These are online classes I previously taught and are currently available as self-paced classes (don’t worry – I still check the classroom, message board, and gallery in each class):

30 Days in Your Journal


This class is all about the practice of daily diary-style art journaling. Each lesson takes about ten minutes. You’ll be amazed by how much you can accomplish in a very short period of time. If you’ve ever wanted to pick up the art journaling habit (and a ton of techniques), then this is the class for you!

It’s Sew Easy


This is a mixed media sewing class. If you are interested in learning how to use a sewing machine and a paintbrush to create fabulous paper and fabric projects, then this is the class for you! Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned veteran, there are sure to be projects and techniques that will excite and inspire you!

Technique-a-Palooza: Paint & Ink


I will take you on a journey through THIRTY fabulous papercrafting techniques using paint and ink. You'll learn how to use watercolor, acrylic, gesso, water soluble crayons, ink pads, and mists! Each lesson is short and focused on technique, so you’ll walk away
with an arsenal of great new techniques!

You can find more information about each class and read student testimonials here.

Leave a comment here and we'll draw the winners after the weekend.  Good luck!

Tina's Tutorial

Hi guys! It's Tina, and I've got a quick tutorial for ya. Just a simple approach to creating some of your own personal fillers and journaling cards for your 2012 Project Life. I made several batches using neutral colors so they will be easy to incorporate with my other PL paper items and everyday ephemera.

I first gathered my supplies which included my favorite Mister Huey's, Clay, Calico White and Atmosphere. I used More Gray and More Kraft and several patterned papers from the Classic Calico Collection. I also gathered some stamps and a few embellishments.

I created some simple backgrounds using different stencils, like my favorite SC Ampersand along with the Misters.

After drying, I cut them down to size according to my own PL page protectors. I did a little stamping and added a few stickers. Now I have my own personal journaling cards ready to use!

Thanks for hanging with me today!