Studio Calico

Day by Day | Amanda Caves

Hello everyone!  Amanda here to share some prompts for your Project Life cards. These are great to prepare ahead of time and just grab and fill in some journaling and/or a photo as the weeks progress.  I've made some samples to show you, but also have created a list of examples for you to reference when you need some filler ideas.

Prompts:
Song of the Week
Quote of the Week
Highlight of the Week
Highs and Lows
To Do List
Goals
Accomplishments
This Week We Learned....
This Week I (We) Read....
Favorite Snack(s)
Dinners This Week
Favorite Outfit this Week


This prompt can be used for all sorts of lists.  Top Ten Songs, Weekly Top Ten, Top Ten TV Shows, Top Ten Books, Top Ten Pictures, etc.


If you've checked out my Project Life layouts, you know how much I love tiny envelopes and bags.  Tiny envelope plus tiny paper clip equals incredible cuteness.  You can use this prompt to record prayers and thoughts on your mind for the week or the day.  Envelopes are a great way to include journaling that you can reflect on later, but that aren't so apparent to everyone perusing your album.

Who doesn't love a good quote? Particularly from little minds that don't always hear or repeat things the way they were originally communicated?  My son Wilder says hilarious things pretty much every day.  I love to capture this time with him as I know all too well how quickly this stage will pass.


And music.  I love music. Don't we all?  I think this card would be great to incorporate your favorite song of the week or even your playlist of the week.

(supplies---journal cards: Studio Calico Planetarium Project Life Kit, Neverland Project Life Kit, and Halley's Comet Add-on; alphas: Studio Calico Orion Add-On; Veneer: Studio Calico Halley's Comet Add-On;  twine:  Studio Calico Orion Add-On; cork embellishments:  Studio Calico Orion Add-On, Mists: Mr. Huey Opaque White and Mr. Huey Ocean; envelope: Studio Calico Abroad)

The next time you have an empty pocket in your PL spread, I hope these ideas help!

-Amanda Caves

NSD at SC | 2013 | SB team challenge 3

Count it out. Add some stats. Measure the distance, or the passing of time. Note their age. So many of us have unused number stickers hanging out in our leter packs, and we want you to put them to work!

Catherine Davis | For this challenge, I knew I wanted to do a countdown of sorts centered around my husband and I. (Majorly lacking "us" in my layouts!) Using my Cameo, I cut out numbers in a variety of sizes. Some are glued on the page flat, some are popped up with foam dots. I used little slips of paper to add a little note with each number and how they could be applied towards our story. I also had fun playing with misting here, using star embellishments as a mask.

Marcy Penner | I love using numbers as titles and large design elements on my page.  I had originally intended to include a very large number, but it got shrunk down as my page moved on and I decided I wanted it in the polaroid frame. Try using a single number as a title, numbers representing quantities, ages, and representing significant moments.

Amanda Caves |The numbers challenge was the perfect opportunity to document favorites from our recent trip to Walt Disney World. I originally planned on ten favorites, but just could not narrow it down to only 10.

Jenn Picard | Numbers are always a fun element to add to a project and when I saw this challenge I knew it was the perfect opportunity to make a very special card. My youngest daughter will be celebrating her birthday in just a few short days and what 6 year old girl wouldn’t want a sparkly number to mark the occasion? I die cut the number 6 then created a banner for it to hang on using some pattern paper and 2 of the super cute Amy Tan ribbon paper clips (I just removed the clips and used the fabric). I attached it to a PL Journaling card from the Halley’s Comet Add on, and then I couldn’t resist using the Studio Calico Roller Date Stamp to mark this special event. To finish it off I reached into my stash of letters and found these ones from Simple Stories SNAP line were the perfect match. Finally for once I would be scrambling last minute to make her a birthday card :)

Anna-Maria Wolniak | Numbers are very spectacular, always. The graphic for of the numbers are always perfect, they look great everywhere: as a pattern, as a title, multiplicate with stamps, masks, texture... If you've never tried, this is the best time to do so.

To be entered to win a prize from the fabulous Studio Calico prize stash, leave a comment here with a link to your new layout, card or PL spread/cards in the Studio Calico gallery by May 13th. We can't wait to see what you make!

workspace wednesday

Hi everyone!  Amanda here sharing some pictures of my workspace that hopefully will help you in organizing your workspace.  My workspace is a shared toy/computer/project room that fortunately gets plenty of light and has a good amount of space for me to work with.  Here's how I organize my supplies:


I use this container to house my current kits or any journal cards, pens, envelopes, or alphas that I know that I want to use in the layout I am working on.  I also store my scissors, my piercer, and my bone folder here.


The small kraft drawers hold paper die cuts, organized largely by shape as well as a drawer full of labels.  The acrylic organizers on top hold miscellaneous embellishments.

These acrylic organizers are great for storing sequins, veneer, clips, clothespins, and other small embellishments.


I use this basket to hold my thickers and other large-scale alphas.  


And this basket holds my washi tape collection which seems to grow by leaps and bounds as the days go on.  Who doesn't love washi tape?


I use these wood containers to hold miscellaneous envelopes, tags, and baggies.  They containers came with some silverware I purchased a few years back.  They work out well to hold small things in plain site.  Plus, they were essentially free. Can't beat that.

This tower holds stamps in the basket up top and the plastic drawers contain more die cuts, paper scraps, and chipboard embellishments.


I got the acrylic organizer to the left in the housewares aisle at Publix. It works great to separate enamel dots, journal cards, and other tags and ephemera.   The wooden box holds more labels, smaller alphas, and smaller sticker sheets.

When I am working with a kit or a specific line of products, I separate the embellishments into smaller containers so that I can access them easily.

And what would a scrapbook room be without an Ikea Raskog cart?  I stalked Ikea for weeks before I finally found one available for purchase online.


I use the top shelf to hold envelopes, tags, labels, miscellaneous embellishments, twine, ribbon, flair, and buttons.


The middle shelf holds stamp pads, Mr. Hueys, and miscellaneous tools including punches, adhesives, and staplers. Not pictured is the bottom shelf which I use to hold 6x6 paper pads.

Thanks for taking a peek at my craft space. I hope that you found some great ideas to incorporate into your space!

-Amanda Caves

product spotlight

Here's a peek at how our Creative Team has been using our Here+There, Snippets and Sundrifter lines : 

Becky Novacek - Peck Peck Peck

Natalia Bun - Hello Again : 

Julie Campbell - Barnyard Greetings : 

Stephanie Washburn - I Love You So Much

Sasha Farina - Today I Am Enough

Amanda Caves - Project Life Week 9 : 

handbook

Hey everyone! It's Amanda here to share a handbook I recently put together. I've had some images picked out for a while and wanted to make a mini book about BROTHERS.  This was the perfect opportunity to do that, and I am lovin' this handbook. It's just such a great size to work with. There is room for plenty of pages and pictures, but the size is still compact enough to not be bulky.  This was my first handbook, and I loved being able to customize it and make it my own.  I chose a Wintergreen paint for the outside, with an Apple green for the inside.


For the "title" page, I chose one of my favorite pictures of the boys from our trip to the beach last year.   I love the softness of this image and it shows their playfulness.  I did not use a page protector for this page, but I could have easily used a non-divided page protector and inserted this page into it.


This page includes pictures of the boys from a few years ago, and it showcases their personalities perfectly.  I loved the yellows and greens of this page.


Here's a mix of pictures from different years. I love that you can mix and match with the handbook, and it still all comes together perfectly.  I love filling each little pocket with embellishments, stories, and images.  I attached the butterfly to the outside of the pocket so that it can still retain its dimension.


As you can tell, I love the beach. This page features pictures taken on our Disney Cruise from a few years ago, as well as another image taken while on vacation at the beach.  Both page protectors offer a great layouts for both vertical and horizontal images.


I just love the 3x4 pockets. They're so fun to work with and each little pocket is a chance to showcase a different image, a different story, a different year.  I chose to include some journaling in a little bag on the right-hand side.

This spread spans different years as well. I love the two 4x6 slots to showcase larger photographs that can also be embellished over in the negative space in order to tell the story.



More mixing and matching of page protectors. I also chose to use a square photo here, and make up the different with a journal card.


This page is my forever favorite picture of the boys, which I chose to put on a handbook divider page.


The last page is a large bag in which I included a letter to the boys as brothers.


(supplies- Alphas, Journal Cards, Printable Labels:  Studio Calico PL Kit, Pattern Paper, Twine, Stamp:  Studio Calico Card Kit, Pattern Paper: October Afternoon, Studio Calico Abroad, Dear Lizzy, Journal Cards: Studio Calico Darling Dear, Overlay: Hambly, Embellishments: Labels: Bananafish Studios, Martha Stewart, Elle's Studio, Alphas: Studio Calico Yearbook, October Afternoon, Basic Grey, Thickers, Chipboard Shapes: Basic Grey, Squirrel Paper Clip: Studio Calico Studio Selections, Handbook Insert: Studio Calico Yearbook, Number Paper Clip: Studio Calico Yearbook, Veneers: Freckled Fawn Woodchips, Studio Calico Stars, Stitched Tag: Made by Mish, Vellum Word: Studio Calico Classic Frame, Adhesive: Tiny Attacher, Glue Pen

-Amanda Caves