Studio Calico

workspace wednesday

This month's guest designer, Lexi Bridges, is letting us take a peek into her scrap space : 

Until 1.5 months ago I was scrapping on a concrete floor in the world's messiest scrap/storage room. "Hoarders" would not be proud. Or maybe they would. Anyway, it wasn't pretty. We turned our john deere room (an extra room in your basement to drive in your lawnmower for anyone not in the midwest) into a new space for me to scrap and teach. (I homeschool part of the week.) The room had concrete floors, part concrete walls/part unfinished walls, no light to the outside world and an unfinished ceiling. Not pretty. I've only been in this space about 6 weeks, but the remodel was well worth it. 

The desk is Ikea. That might be the theme of this room: Ikea. An orange vintage Herman Miller chair might have been the best birthday surprise ever. 

This clear container came from Target, bathroom section. It has some current favorites and project life stuff. My much used selphy printer sits right beside. 

I made a few simple shelves with just pine boards and Ikea brackets. They serve a decorating and practical purpose: a place to put books I never have time to read...

a spot for my instax camera so I remember to use it, gold dinosaurs (because every room needs a gold dino or two, right?)...

and my ever growing collection of wood veneers. Jars are from Hobby Lobby. Lego robot from my son :)

My top two desk drawers might be my favorite. They hold my newest product. I also have a drawer that has a secret candy/snack stash. Shhh... (It's the fourth drawer on the left in case you ever come over.)

To the right of my desk is my cameo and paper. Yep, the paper you see there is seriously it. Shocked? I was purging paper into piles on my floor, it rained, flooded my new room and all the paper was wet & ruined. Hey--it's a quick way to decide what to get rid of.

To the left of my desk is the cart of the moment. I use mine for stamping: small stamps in the top, bigger ones in bins below, and ink at the bottom. If I don't see my stuff I tend not to use it, especially stamps, so having a station like this I can wheel it over and actually use them. Thickers, small alpha and label stickers are in a wire basket that I still need to hang. 

Behind my desk is the ever popular expedit unit. Mine is filled with vintage wire baskets.

I think my favorite basket is B88.

 

At the back of the room is one of my favorite pieces ever and it was free, so that's a huge bonus. I was told it was an old mailer sorter. 208 cubbies to fill. Currently ribbon rolls and punches reside here. 

But...let's be real. This is a serious illusion. My room is never, EVER this clean. Ever. On a good day it looks like this :

....and usually it looks much, much worse. And that's with the floor covered in junk, too. Just thought you should know ;)

Thanks for looking around my room today! If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them. -Lexi Bridges

day by day

Hello SC friends! My name is Colleen Warren, and unless you are on Instagram or a San Diego Nordtsrom's employee, you most likely have no idea who I am. I am wife to Joe, and Mom to Lola (two AND A HALF) and Wyley (three months). Not too long after I had Lola, I discovered Project Life and I fell in love with that method of scrapbooking. Especially for this certain time in my life where I want to document as much as I can, with the little free time I have. The problem I found initially, for me, was that a lot of the joy I get from scrapbooking is as my main creative outlet, so strictly using the same kit for an entire year or album wasn’t the right fit. I began using my Studio Calico kits and my stash in combination with my Becky Higgins kits and that has been great – but now with SC Project Life kits, it really has been a perfect solution for me. The kits are gorgeous and unique, different every month, and can be intermixed with the other kits and shop items. So I still get to shop! Sure I want to document my kid’s first and formative years, but also I really enjoy the shopping aspect. Just ask my husband. And Wells Fargo. 

For me, I could not do Project Life without:

1. An iPhone! Aside from the convenience of always having a really good camera with you at all times, it’s primarily what I use to edit photos and order prints (and shop!). And now with the flip view lens, I take more self-portrait pictures than ever. Most of my favorite pictures of myself with my kids are with the flip view lens.
2. Instagram! I follow many fellow project lifers & studio calicoers (word? probably not), as well as photographers, artists, interior decorators, people with cute kids, some random celebrities…I draw so much inspiration and motivation from just a glance at my feed, at anytime of the day. It has also been so fun seeing what other SC PL kit users are doing with exact same bag (or box) of goodies. (user name: colsterspl)
3. Letting go of perfectionism! I try really hard to not re-do things. And if I miss a week (or 5) (or 40) - no biggee. I just start with the most recent week, and if I get to those missed weeks some day, great, but I’m not losing any sleep over them either. Last year while I was pregnant, I was so crazy tired almost my entire pregnancy (like someone-was-slipping-Ambiens-in-my-teas tired) that I think I only finished about 25 weeks – and that’s probably a pretty generous estimate. But, I love looking at the weeks I did complete, and I seriously doubt Lola and Wyley will some day say, “Hey Mom, what happened to week 37?” They’ll just be happy with whatever was done as well.
4. Time savers! The tiny attacher I swear saves me hours. And the SC kit, having someone do all the leg work putting together a cohesive and beautiful color scheme. And items I love like Pow Glitter paper and veneer add so much without any work and time to achieve how great they look.

 

Well, I could go on and on – but I know you are all just as busy as me and probably more so, so I’ll wrap it up! I had so much fun with the February Project Life kit! I couldn’t bring myself to mess with several of the cards, they were just too pretty and it seemed like if it ain’t broke…. I’m not super active on the SC message boards, but very much so on Instagram. Thank you to all my Instafriends! I really do gain so much inspiration from all that everyone shares on there (and friendship to boot!)! And thanks to Studio Calico for this opportunity to share my Project Life! This has been very exciting!

Xo Colleen Warren

weekly challenge

This month, our guest designer is the talented Piradee Talvanna. If you haven't had a chance to check out her SOCK HOP gallery, then pop over and check it out right now. Don't worry, we'll wait on the challenge till you get back. ;)

Amazing, right? And today we get to share MORE of her work with you - she absolutely rocked our Yearbook and Classic Calico Vol 3 lines!

(supplies - Studio Calico Yearbook Valedictorian, Electives, Superlatives and Trapper Keeper patterned paper; Yearbook Journaling Cards; Yeabook Stitched Pockets; Classic Calico Vol 3 Journaling Cards; Classic Calico Vol 3 diecut frame; Mister Huey's Letter Jacket and Honor Society; Classic Calico Vol 3 wood veneer frames; Yearbook wood veneer school icons & speech bubbles; Silhouette Cameo)

(supplies - Studio Calico Classic Calico Vol 3 Botanical, Time Sheet and Hexed patterned paper; Yearbook Mistable Leaves; Classic Calico Vol 3 Everyday Badges; Yearbook Paper Clips; Mister Huey's Letter Jacket, Bookworm and Honor Society; Classic Calico Vol 3 wood veneer frames; Silhouette Cameo)

We love how Piradee colored her wood veneer and mistable embellishments, and we want to challenge you to do the same. Recolor any embellishment with ink, mist or paint, add it to a layout or card, then share it in the Studio Calico gallery. Leave us a link to your project by November 19th in the comments here to be entered to win a $5 GC to the Studio Calico Shop

workspace wednesday

For this week's workspace Wednesday, we're sharing a peek into guest designer Teresa Collin's workspace! Teresa's room is a perfect reflection of the elegant style obvious in her layouts and products!

We love how Teresa has left room to showcase some of her pages and mini albums - do you have display space in your scrapbook room? We'd love to see - link us up in the comments!

weekly challenge

This week's challenge comes from our October guest designer, Teresa Collins. We loved her Roller Rink gallery and couldn't wait to see how she'd use our wholesale lines!

(supplies -patterned paper - Classic Calico Vol 3 Charted, Hexed & Yearbook 6x6 pad; badges - Classic Calico Vol 3 Weekday badges; alphabet : Sotheby's Mistable Thickers; Handbook inserts - Yearbook)

Teresa mostly used our Classic Calico Vol 3 line - it was the perfect way to create a netural backdrop for her three lovely photos. Then she brought in a bit of yellow, red and blue from our Yearbook line. This week, we want you to challenge you to follow Teresa's formula and create a page that's neutral + a pop of color. We can't wait to see what you make!

To be entered to win a $5 GC to the Studio Calico Shop, just complete a project based on this challenge, then upload it to the Studio Calico gallery. Leave us a link to your project by October 22nd in the comments here.

weekly challenge

We loved Kelly Marie Alvarez's gorgeous work with our October kit, Central High (have you seen her gallery? It's overflowing!!), and couldn't wait to see what she'd make with our Heyday line.

(supplies : patterned paper - Studio Calico Heyday 6x6 pad; alphabets - Studio Calico Heyday Ali Thickers Aqua, Bliss Thickers Pink; mistables - Studio Calico Butterflies, Cameras; mist - Mister Huey's Mint Julep, Buttercup, Sherbet and Boss Lady; stickers - Studio Calico Heyday Frame Stickers)

This week's challenge is a simple one - take a little inspiration from Kelly Marie and make a card! For bonus points, pop it in the mailbox and send it out into the world to put a smile on someone's face. Post your projects by September 24th for a chance to win a $5 gift card to the Studio Calico shop.

 

weekly challenge

We're taking this week's challenge from a gorgeous page from our August guest designer, Wilna Furstenburg.

(supplies - patterned paper - Studio Calico Summer of '69 kit, Abroad Departure & Locals, Heyday Pop ; banner - Abroad ; veneer - Wood Veneer frames ; stamps - Heyday Thoughts, Dear Lizzy Date Stamp)

We love how she used our wood veneer frames on her layout and would love to see what YOU would choose to frame on a page! You could use our wood veneer, our Heyday Frame Stickers or just cut your own. You could frame a photo, an embellishment grouping or pieces of patterned paper like Wilna did. We can't wait to see what you choose!

Link your  project here by August 27th for a chance to win a $5 gift card to the Studio Calico Shop. We can't wait to see what you frame!!

 

shimelle laine - july guest

Our fabulous July guest, Shimelle Laine, set out on a mission to use every bit of the kits we sent her this month. The result? 16 amazing layouts in her gallery, and 21 finished projects total. WOW.

Shimelle is also sharing a series of videos on her blog so you can get a peek into her process of making these layouts. I love seeing how she adds all of these cool details! You can find the first two here & here - keep an eye on her blog for more to be posted.

Thank you for the inspiration overload, Shimelle! I think I need to go cut some paper ASAP - how about you?

crate special feature

We're excited to be partnering with Crate Paper again - they designed two fabulous papers that are exclusive to our Boardwalk kit. In honor of this collaboration, we've asked two designers from Crate's team - Lexi Bridges and Amy Heller - to work with the kit.

First up is Amy Heller :

I was introduced to scrapping in 2004, like many scrappers, from an in-home party. But I didn't scrap with real consistency until 2008, once my kids were a bit older and out of their infancy stages. :) As a graphic designer by trade, this hobby has brought me back to the fundamental reasons why I fell in love with design in the first place : paper, color, letter form and layout. My style has of course evolved from those early days. Now I would definitely say that I have a fun, cheerful, colorful and whimsical style. I LOVE to layer pattern, color and texture (especially with buttons, ribbon and sewing). I think it's safe to say that I love to embellish on my work. :)I currently design for Crate Paper and October Afternoon, and have been fortunate to have had my work published in several magazines from Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbook Trends, CARDS, Paper Crafts and Scrapbooks and Cards Today. I am from the beautiful state of Washington, but I currently live in a small town in Connecticut with my awesome husband of 11 years, our daughter, who is nearly 9 and son who is 5.

One of the things I love doing when creating my pages, is trying new ways of folding patterned paper. I took the awesome hexagon SC paper in the Boardwalk kit and cut out individual hexagons to create the windmill-like flowers down the center of the page. Once I cut the perimeter of the hexagons, I cut a slit down from each of the corners in towards the center, though not all the way. Then I gently folded each of the corners towards the center of the hexagon, and tucked the tips underneath one of the glazed Brads from Basic Grey. I used both the a & b wides of the hexagon paper alternating the outside pattern of my 3 Windmill flowers to add interest and depth to the page.

 

We recently took our kids to the coast for a couple days of beach fun. When I received the beautiful Boardwalk kit, I knew it would be perfectly suited for the whispy ease captured in my photos. I especially love the beautifully watercolored sassafras paper and exclusive Crate paper patterned paper in the kit for these photos. To accentuate the windblown feel from the pictures, I decided to use the Pink Paislee mistables scallop borders in their natural form, cutting and pulling out random strands of fabric, then sewing them down with stands exposed. It really adds to the texture and movement that is always present at the beach.

Next we have projects from Lexi Bridges :

Hello there! My name is Lexi Bridges. I am blessed to be married to my high school sweetheart and be a stay at home momma to two very sweet and active boys. After trying out several different crafty avenues (rug hooking, feather tree making--I kid you not!, cross stitching) I found scrapbooking and LOVE it. There is just something about playing with pretty paper and glue :) I am currently on the design teams for Crate Paper and October Afternoon, as well as a cameo designer for May Arts. I feel lucky that my work has been featured in Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbook Trends, Simply Handmade and CARDS magazines. When I am not chasing after the kiddos, and seriously when am I not?, you can find me scouring thrift stores, drinking something Starbucks related and, in the wee hours, crafting in my scrap room cave. But really it's probably more like cleaning dirty dishes and folding laundry. Hey, a girl can dream, right? ;)

This kid is all kinds of goofy :) I think my favorite piece of SC/CP exclusive paper was the green with the tiny dots. I just had to use it as the background on this "10 things" layout. I sprayed it all over with white Mister Huey, and as you can see, typed up 10 things I love about my littlest and hung them from the My Mind's Eye twine. The scalloped trim was stamped and then bunched up while sewing it down. I tried to use an all over punch, but because my layers of paper were so thick it wouldn't go all the way through!  I thought the layout was pretty much ruined and then realized if I pulled on the the partially punched shape from the backside it gave it a kinda neat look. Adding the numbers along the bottom were a last minute thing, but I wanted to use more of the SC exclusive alpha! The font and color are too perfect.

 

Every year we take the kiddos to a fun, 16 and under, fishing spot. And every year I play photographer :) The camera is an Amy Tangerine design cut with my Silhouette from the exclusive SC/CP paper. I have a thing for triangles lately so once I cut this photo mat out I chose to leave most of them intact and only pull put a few, which I then backed with several different pieces of kit paper. The trim is sprayed with Clover Mister Huey. The misting job on the sides of the layout were another scrapping accident, I tend to have a lot of those ;), but I tried to incorporate some stars to make it not quite so obvious.

Please join me in saying THANK YOU to these two talented designers -we're so glad you were able to take time from your busy schedules to share some Studio Calico inspiration with us! Be sure to stop by both Lexi's and Amy's blogs - they have a special SC giveaway to share with you!

Guest Designer Spotlight

Hi everyone! It's Kelly here with a little Q&A from our beautiful July Guest Designer, Karine Cazenave.  Her wonderful layouts are in the July Mind the Gap gallery. I love what she did with the kit.  Let's get to know Karine...

When did you start scrapbooking? I started 8 years ago when I was pregnant.

Where do you find your inspiration? Everywhere, magazine, books, in my ordinary life and my travels.

What's your favorite thing about this hobby? I love to change design, style, colors with  every new layout. You can create differently every time without any rules.

What do you like to focus on when you scrapbook (photos, design, journaling, etc)? Photos, I can't scrap without photos. The picture give me all my inspiration.

Besides scrapbooking, what other things do you like to do in your spare time? Dancing Salsa, cooking and travel.

Take a look at this amazing mini album that Karine created using the Countryside line...

Karine is a very talented teacher and I would love to take a class from her on mini albums... that is too cool!

I also asked her to share a favorite photo and here is her adorable son:
That little face looks up to no good ;)

Thanks for being such a fantastic July guest, Karine!