Studio Calico

NSD Challenge: Triangles

First NSD Challenge of the day is brought to you by Kelly N and Davinie! Can you guess what it's going to be after this layout by Kelly?

Yep, it's using triangles as your inspiration!

Supplies: Mister Huey's Water Cooler, Lullaby Thickers, Rolodex, Spreadsheet, Noteworthy,

Think Tank, Destination, Executive, Abroad Printed Tags, Calico Borders Stamps, Ladybug Chalk Ink, Classic Calico Vol 2 Alpha Stickers, Wood Veneer Stars

 

Check out Dav's mini....I'm loving that cover!

supplies: wood veneer people, wood veneer transportation, chevron journal kit

Ok, ready?
Now go make and show us your triangle-inspired project! Post the link here to your project that has been posted in the member gallery by May 13th for you chance to win a collection pack from one of stash of prizes!

Have fun!

NSD Sketches

It wouldn't be a weekend dedicated to scrapbooking without some sketches!

Here are 5 new sketches from the design team galleries.

based on Geralyn's layout.

based on Susan's layout.

based on Davinie's layout.

based on Kelly P's layout.

based on Nicole H's layout.

Have fun! Post your sketch layouts here!  

Wholesale Feature

I was recently tasked with teaching a small workshop to demonstrate a specific teaching style in a class I'm taking for my Graduate School program.  Obviously, as a crafty person I knew I wanted a crafty project for the group to do, so I decided to make bookmarks.  All school kids need bookmarks, right?  Prior to that workshop my partner and I had to present a Power Point presentation, and I needed a few photos of kids creating the bookmarks.  Luckily, I had baked a couple of those who were eager to help, and they created a couple of super cute bookmarks!  I wanted to document it all on a layout, and had the perfect title in mind.
To create this layout, I utilized the Cameo machine to trim out the apples.  Don't have a Cameo?  No problem.  Simply search online for an apple image, print it, trim it out, and use it as a template to either trim with scissors or cut with a blade.  I've done apple layouts before using this method.  The Cameo?   It's just faster.  After I placed and cut my apples, I played with various prints from the Take Note and Abroad Collections, and layered patterns and strips for the design of my layout.  I trimmed my title with my Cameo as well (using the Pacifico font), and added some chipboard alphas that have been colored with mist.  The fun badge was the perfect finishing touch.

Items used:  Take Note (Spreadsheet, badges), Abroad (First Class, Bucket List, Destination), Anywhere Thickers, Mister Huey's Passport

Take Note:  I used a couple of Hero Arts/ Studio Calico stamp sets in my class and these non-crafty students were all over them and had a lot of fun with this project.  Surprisingly, the people who had the most fun and had to be pulled away from this project so we could continue with our class?  The boys.  Watching two grown men experimenting with acrylic stamps, Hero Arts Shadow Ink, and various Studio Calico stamps was unexpected and adorable, really.  They really liked the Hey Y'all stamp set and Airmail, especially.  It was the potty people and the planes that got them.  Boys.

words to inspire

I have a Pinterest board called "Words".  One of my favorite things to pin on Pinterest are fun quotes, inspiring quotes, and popular quotes in fun typography.  When I'm on top of things, I like to post "Words on Wednesday" on my blog to share fun ones when I find them.

I found this quote and thought it was a great resource for those creative days when you found the time, the bathroom is clean, but you are stumped.  Maybe the photos aren't working, the color palette isn't working.  These tips were designed for photographers, but they work for all artists. 

 

1.  Do what you love.  If you like wonky stars, use the wonky stars.  It shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks.  ;)

 

4.  Be yourself.  Don't use mist if you don't want to.  You have to enjoy the process, and if making a mess doesn't work for you, don't do it.

 

22.  That said, if you don't normally mist and you want to try and mist, go for it.  Work outside the box.  Let the process free you and see where it takes you.

 

I hope these prompts help you out of a creative slump, both in your pages and behind the lens as well. 

 

Have a great day!

Weekly Challenge

New Years Resolutions.
Project Life.
To Do lists.
Momento. (on my Iphone)

There’s a lot of chatter this time of year and right now in the scrapbook community about recording things daily, making goals, how to keep a to do list, plans for the future, so I wanted to share a fun way to cross a few things off the list and challenge you to take a moment and think about what you want from the coming year.

I was recently reminded of a Millenium time capsule I made in 1999 at a New Year’s party I was hosting with roommates.  I had this piece of butcher paper and went around to partygoers to have them write thoughts on the coming year (I honestly don’t remember specifically what I asked them to write down, though.  It was a party on New Years Eve in 1999, you know.  At the time the world was going to come to an end, or so they said).  When I had the paper filled, I rolled it up, and we put it in the garage down that metal pipe that normally protects the hot water heater from the front of your car.  Know what I’m referring to?  Anyway, this one had a twist top and we just slipped it down inside and sealed it tight.  The “millennium time capsule” we called it. 

Unfortunately, the friend who owned that house no longer owns it.  I’m still debating whether to knock on the door and ask if I can go into a stranger’s garage and start taking things apart to retrieve it.  HA! For me personally, 2012 has a lot of changes coming my way.  In contemplating that as well, I thought it would be fun to create another time capsule for just myself, but this time tuck it away for just a year before opening to read it again.

My challenge to you is this:  Sit down with a pen and paper, or your laptop, and write a letter to yourself.  In mine I jotted down all the goals and thoughts I had for the coming year, things I intend to accomplish, even words of encouragement for my future self.  I have to tell you, it was a very empowering challenge for me.  I wrote out everything.  I talked about food and exercise, the hubby and the kids, and I didn’t hold anything back.  It was a personal letter, and when I open it again, it’s a letter only I intend to read.

I did this challenge a few years ago, and that time I created a paper pillow box and slipped the letter in.  This time, however, one of my New Year goals is to reduce the clutter, so I had to take that into consideration, and decided to do something I could add to my scrapbook albums now, on the very last page, so in the back of my mind I can think about my words each time I add a new layout (but I must be honest here, I have stacks unfiled right now, so it could be December before I see it again.  Ha!)

Because I am also participating in Project Life in 2012, I decided a page protector was the way to go, and because I have a mild love affair with my Pinterest account, I peeked around for ideas and went with a popular idea circulating for a couple of months now, and added confetti.  It’s a celebration, right?!  This is what I came up with:

I took a 12x12 page protector from American Crafts and stitched the different sections.  I did the bottom section first and stitched it closed before adding the next layer.  The envelope with my letter inside is sealed all around with thread.  When it comes time to read it again, I’m going to use a blade and slice the front of the page protector open and slip it out to devour.
My confetti is a mix of Studio Calico veneer, patterned paper trimmed with a simple hole punch, and Martha Stewart medallion punches.  The great big doily in the middle is the very first thing I’ve trimmed with my Cameo.  P.S.  I want to marry my Cameo.

My life is not only about me, but my family, so I had to include photos of both.  I also included patterned papers from the County Fair kit, some Memoir, and I also added a little Clementine from Project Life. 
Additional supplies: Autumn Press alpha stickers, Autumn Press die cut tags, Classic Calico Fabrips

My challenge for you this week is to write a letter to yourself and seal it up tight.  You don’t have to do anything fancy with it.  Just tuck it away to be read this time next year.  It’s a gift to yourself.  I hope you’ll play along! Happy New Year! 

It's Davinie with your new Sunday Sketch based on a layout from Jen Jockisch's October Field Guide gallery...


Here's the card I created based on the sketch...
Supplies; Coredinations cardstock, American Crafts cardstock, Studio Calico Memoir patterned paper, Studio Calico chipboard clouds, Studio Calico kraft sticker alphas, MME bling, machine stitching

I was inspired by the general design of Jen's layout and thought it would make a really fun card.  This is a great design to use with those leftover paper scraps and tiny embellishments.

Now it's your turn!  Create a card or layout based on the sketch and post the link here by Monday, November 7th for your chance to win a SC GC!  Have a good week!

Sunday Sketch

It's Celine here with your new Sunday Sketch, based on a beautiful layout from Davinie's October Field Guide gallery...

 
I took the sketch and created a 8.5x11 layout using the new Studio Calico stamps...
Supplies: Papers ( Studio Calico Memoir Wallpaper/Heirloom); Stamps (My Happy/You are the Best); Veener Asterisks; Die Cut Tags Autumn Press; Chipboard alpha cream; 6x12 book plate

Leave a link to your layout here by Monday, October 17 for a chance to win a SC GC!  Good luck!

Challenge

Sometimes when I’m crafting I get tired of following the traditional rules.  Sometimes I have a hard time with the white space on my layout, or feel there’s a lack in texture, or have a story I’m trying to tell through the products I am using, and in order to do so, I need to use products in a different way.

Titles are normally in a straight line and in a distinct place to set the stage for the photo and the moment that was captured.  But sometimes coming up with the wording is difficult, or it feels like the placement of a title will take away from the design of the rest of the layout.  It’s time like these when thinking of the title as a shape, an embellishment, is in order.

A fun thing I like to do with my titles is to curve them into circles.  To me it makes things more interesting.  It also often helps take up space in order to fit all the letters. Making a clean, pretty circle for a title is important to me.  I just like the clean look.  This is what I do in order to capture that:

Using a punch, a plate, a CD, or other embellishment as a guide, I determine the placement of my title on the layout, and place that object in the general area to see if it’ll work.  Then it’s just a matter of placing the letters around it. The key is to layer your letters perpendicular to the edge of the guide.  I usually lightly press the letters until I have them all lined out, and then adjust them as needed to better fit the circle and for a more even placement.



When you remove the guide, it’s a perfect circle, a title, and a great embellishment.

This card was made with the September kit, Glee Club. 

The challenge for you this week is to create a layout or project incorporating a circular title.  Here’s a closeup to a layout I created for the Glee Club gallery using a circle as part of my title on a layout.

As always, a gift card is up for grabs.  The shop is going to be full of delicious goodies this month, as always, so this prize is worth going for! Have a great week!  I look forward to checking out what you come up with.

Insider Tips

July’s main kit, Mind the Gap, comes with a main kit stamp that looks like an open circle border. I think this is my favorite Studio Calico stamp to date, probably because it reminds me of a quilt pattern.

Inspired by this stamp, I recreated this image with paper for one of my layouts, and for an insider tip today, wanted to share this easy process with a quick tutorial for you.

First, start by punching several circles out of double sided patterned paper. I used the Picnic pattern from the Countryside Collection.
After punching your circles, it’s just a matter of folding over a corner at an equal distance on both sides, and layering them together. Remember, the outside circle only needs to be folded once.

After you have created all of your shapes, adhere the back of them on your layout. In the past I have sewed these down, but it makes a fun alternative to the ruffle or floral border, so this time, I let the flaps flip up.

Layer a few rows together, and you can come up with a fun design, this one in honor of Independence Day in the US. I’m out of veneer stars, so went with white cardstock and a Fiskars punch. Kraft cardstock is a standard base, trimmed for a card size of 4.25 x 5.5”. Wouldn’t it be great if I had kraft colored star stickers to use for this card? Maybe I could Huey them. Maybe not?

I hope you’ll give this quick and easy technique a try!

Insider Tips: Davinie

With Paper Moon, the June kit, I created a couple of layouts for my gallery using a new punch we have in the shop, the Everywhere punch from Fiskars.

I have long wanted a punch that could create a shape in the middle of a 12x12 layout exactly where I wanted to be, and this punch does it.  I’m so happy with it!  I currently have the square and the circle punches, with the scallop circle on the way to my house with the next kit.  I can’t wait to play with it.

One of the layouts in my gallery this month was called “Spring Portrait” and featured a super cute 5 year old as well as a grid pattern made with this punch set.  I wanted to share a bit on how I did that.

First, I wanted my grid to sit inside the 12x12 layout, so I trimmed a piece of kraft cardstock to 10x10.  To make the grid pattern, I made a mark across the top and bottom every two inches, creating 5 columns, and then turned the layout and did the same on the perpendicular, creating a grid pattern.

After that, it was time to break out my punch.  The starter set comes with the square punch.  There’s the punch base, and then a clear piece with a guide, that is magnetic which made it easy to get the punch base lined up in the perfect space without possible shifting. I set the punch inside each square, lined up the grid until it looked centered, and then punched away. 

Repeat inside every box, and you will have created a fun grid piece that works as a fun embellishment for your pages.  I layered paper underneath and on top of this grid pattern for this design, and plan to use it again.  I had fun with it, and it makes for a great addition to my growing basket of punches.