Studio Calico

weekly challenge | April Foster and Lisa Truesdell

Hey everyone! This is Lisa Truesdell, and April Foster and I are here with this week's challenge. We're keeping it simple this week - we want you to break out your punches! Even with my Silhouette around, I've still kept most of my basic punches. They're a great way to add a little something extra to any project you're working on.

(Supplies - Lyra add-on; Martha Stewart glue pen; Foam dots; Precision Pen; Glue Glider Pro; square punches)

April gave her square punches a workout on this page - first she punched squares from strips of patterned paper, and then she went back and filled them with words, photos and contrasting paper. She popped the inner squares up on popdots to add some dimension. I love how the squares aren't perfectly lined up on her layout!

(Supplies -Studio Calico Atlantic 6x6 paper pad, cork circles, cork arrows, sequins, 12x12 sticker sheet, glittered stars, star stickers, printables & printable labels; 4x6 More Grid Cards; Planetarium Project Life kit; Darling Dear calendar pockets; punches - Fiskars (circles, star, arrow);other - tiny attacher, washi tape, star clip, date stamps, tags and enamel dots)

I don't always remember to grab my punches when I work on Project Life - but they really are a great fit. Punched paper doesn't add any bulk to the pockets, and it's a fun way to add accents to the empty space on your journaling cards or photos. I stuck with my three favorite shapes - circles, arrows and stars - and repeated them throughout my week.

We can't wait to see how you'll use punches!! Make a project for this challenge, then share it in the Studio Calico gallery. Leave us a link to your project by May 27th in the comments here to be entered to win a $5 GC to the Studio Calico Shop.

NSD at SC | 2013 | PL team challenge 2

Pockets and envelopes are a good product to have in your stash - they can hide journaling, hold confetti, give you a place to hide a gift card - and more! We'd love to see how you use pockets and envelopes on your projects.

Nicole Reaves | I like to use small paper (and sometimes transparent) baggies in my Project Life spreads, especially when I want to include journaling that I don't want everyone to read. I think it adds some fun texture and interest to my pages, whether it is embellished or not. The spread I did here for the challenge is an insert from a long-weekend that my kids spent with my in-laws, their first 'trip' away from us. I'm so happy my mother-in-law took a ton of photos of their adventures and shared them with us! Instead of using a bag from my stash, I cut up some Sundrifter vellum and sewed a pocket to insert in one of the 3x4 slots of this Design G page protector. For now, I've slipped a large white tag in the pocket. The next time I see my mother-in-law, I'm going to ask her to write about her weekend with the kids on the tag and slip it inside the pocket.

Maggie Holmes | Using bags and envelopes is such a fun way to add a little more dimension to a project. My favorite thing to "tuck in" or put inside a glassine bag is sequins! I love how they look in there and think it adds a nice little surprise to anything!

Dana Fleckenstein | While creating with the May kit, I used one of SC's butterfly masks to trace the shape on the back of a pretty patterned paper from the North Star card kit add-on. I then used the this as my guideline to hand-cut the shape from the paper. To finish the card, I stamped a sentiment on cardstock and slid it into one of the cute polka dotted envelopes from the Planetarium card kit.

Maggie Holmes | Cards are a fun way to use glassine bags! It creates a little element of surprise and you can hide your message inside so that the card becomes interactive!

Lisa Truesdell | I think we've all been in a position of wanting to record certain thoughts on a page without them beind front and center. For this page, I wanted to jot down some thoughts about how much we love our current ball team, but part of that reflection included some past struggles with teams. Hiding the journaling lets me focus on this amazing team of boys and their coaches.

I had a little extra room at the bottom of my glassine bag and was going to just trim it down and stitch it shut when I decided it would make an awesome place for some confetti.

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!

NSD at SC | 2013 | SB team challenge 2

Button, button, who's got the button? We're guessing YOU do, and we want to see them on your next project!!

Kelly Noel | As soon as I saw the button challenge, I knew for sure this was the one I wanted to participate in. I have a TON of buttons. More than I could ever use in a lifetime for sure. I love how using a small item, like a button, in excess can make a big statement on my projects. For this layout, just grouping together several colors of buttons with the new Atlantic Cork Stickers and some enamel dots really adds something interesting to my layout. 

Celeste Vermeend | Button on layouts is almost essential for my style! You will find buttons scattered on almost all my layouts. Any type of button looks effective on a scrapbooking page. My preference is too essentially create a scattered look with my button placement. 

But each button is decisively placed on my page before I stick them down permanently. In this way, I can achieve the messy but balanced look I am after. Buttons of various colours and size work well - especially when paired with circles.

 I find a button placed inside circles  pleasing to my eye. The addition of buttons to my work is often one of the last steps. I find placing them in the white space helps balance and complete my page. I also like to have them in a row at times. You will often find buttons along an edge of my photo. The line of them will help the eye travel to the image. 

Dana Fleckenstein | Let's face it, my buttons stash will last me forever and a day. While they still look cute, sequins and enamel dots have pushed them down on my list of favorite embellishments. I usually used single buttons on my projects, e.g. as flower centers on my cards but wanted to try something different for this challenge. So what I did here was to treat them as a regular layer on my card, just like I would use a strip of paper or washi tape. 

Lisa Truesdell | Once upon a time, I couldn't finish ANY project without buttons. Time went on, and decorative brads, enamel dots and sequins came into my life, and my poor button stash has spent a lot of time on a shelf in a jar (where it looks super cute, so at least it has that going for it!). As I worked on this PL spread, I realized that buttons fit right in with my beloved enamel dots, and I really like the two of them mixed together! They're also not too bulky in the pocket pages. Maybe I'd better move that button jar a little closer to my desk...

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!

Atlantic is here

Set sail with Atlantic! Our mid-release has hit the Studio Calico shelves a bit earlier than expected and you can find everything but the wood handled stamps in the store NOW! If you want one stop shopping, check out the Atlantic bundle - you can pick up most of the line with one "add to cart" click. 

Once you're doing shopping (we'll wait!), we have some inspiration for you. We've fallen even more in love with Atlantic after seeing our Creative Team work with it, and we think you will too!

Nicole Samuels used the sequins underneath a diecut word for an eye catching title - isn't the effect brilliant?

Atlantic's soft colors work beautifully on this sweet page from Kelly Noel - we love how she used one of the fabric bows as a flag!

Lisa Truesdell started with the Rockport paper as a background, and then pulled together lots of different star embellishments (stickers, glittered chipboard & veneer) to finish off her carefree vacation layout.

Gillian Nelson combined the Atlantic printed vellum with patterned paper waves into an awesome custom accent. Check out how she added her title with the Rockabye Thickers right along the ways - it adds so much energy to her layout! 

Our gold foil kraft paper lets Jen Jockisch's photo shine on her gorgeous layered layout. She pulled the pinks and yellows from the line for a perfectly sunkissed page, and the tiny navy anchors punched with our new mini punch accent it so well.

Kinsey Wilson knew Atlantic would be a perfect way to capture a roadtrip. The cork circles make perfect accents for a Project Life spread - they add so much texture with but fit perfectly in the pockets. Using a collection to complete a PL week is a great way to add a lot of details like Kinsey has here - while still keeping your spread looking cohesive

Lisa Spanger went to work and created three gorgeous cards using Atlantic - the stamp sets from our upcoming Planetarium Card Kit release were perfect for adding sentiments.

Now that you've seen Atlantic in action, what's your favorite piece?? We'd love to hear!!

tutorial - Sundrifter circles mask

I absolutely love the Sundrifters Circles mask - the smaller interchangeable icon masks mean that there are so many ways to use it! 

I've put together a tutorial video to show how you can use this mask with two layers of color. If you give this technique a try, link me up in the comments - I'd love to see it!

 

Supply list : patterned paper - Here + There San Diego & 6x6 pad, Sundrifter TeePee, Snippets Hey; die cuts - Here+There, Sundrifter; Sundrifter Circles Mask; mist - Mister Huey's Splash, Ocean, Desert & Hot Diggity; veneer - Snippets Punctuation & Chevrons, Sundrifter Word Veneer Phrases; chipboard - Snippets arrows and stars; stamps - Snippets Miss You So Much stamp set; other - shipping tag, enamel dots, Tiny Attacher, sequins

-Lisa Truesdell

product spotlight

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

 

Natalia Bun - Deja Vu

Deb Duty - #DUDE

Julie Campbell - just a note to say thanks

Lisa Truesdell - The Bean

Allison Waken - First Ride

Gillian Nelson - Self Talk

PL + Neverland Card Kit

I’m not much of a cardmaker, but I’ve been getting the Studio Calico Card kits since they were first released. Why? I love patterned paper, and the smaller scale of the patterns in the 6x6in pad that comes with the kit is a great fit for the pockets in my Project Life album. I’ve also found that card friendly embellishments work really well to add interest to journaling cards without bulking them up too much for the pockets in the page protectors. I’m excited to have a chance to share a few tips to help you get the most out of using a Card Kit in your Project Life spreads.  Click here to download a PDF tutorial with tips and tricks on using the Neverland Card Kit for Project Life.

1. The Neverland Card kit comes with an exclusive mask and Mini Mister Huey – mist is a GREAT way to add interest to a card without adding extra dimension. I misted over patterned paper, but you can also use plain cardstock. I embellished the misted design with a punched star and some enamel dots from the Neverland Card kit. I used the finished card next to a photo, but this would also be a fun way to make a filler card for an empty pocket or a date/title card for your week

2. The only item that I added to the Neverland Card kit for this spread was the coordinating printable labels from the shop. Labels are one of my Project Life staples & these printables are a great way to get a perfect color match. I find that they’re an inexpensive way to stretch the contents of a kit just a little further. You could also consider adding the coordinating printable journaling cards and accents, or the More Grid Cards available in the shop.

3. To turn the cardstock that comes with the Neverland Card Kit into a custom card, I machine stitched lines to hold my journaling. You could duplicate this look with handstitching, or even by drawing lines with a marker. I also added a vellum border sticker across the top of the card for a bit of color.

4. Here’s a fun way to stretch the patterned paper from your Card Kit a little further – if you use a punched accent, include both the positive and the negative from the design on the page.  I punched an arrow to draw attention to a detail on a 4x6in photo, and then used the negative of the punch on my date card for the week.

5. One of my favorite ways to use paper scraps in Project Life is to handcut banners. You can make them from tiny leftover bits of paper, and they add a punch of color and interest with almost no bulk.

6. To maximize the paper from the 6x6in pad, I like to start by trimming it into two pieces – 4x6in and 2x6in. I then use the 4x6in pieces to fill the larger pockets, or trim it down into two 3x4in cards, depending on what photos I have for the week. I use the 2x6in strip for border strips and punched and handcut accents – OR you can stack two of them and create another 4x6in or 3x4 in card. I find that taking the time to trim the paper to these dimensions in advance saves me the mistake of cutting an accent that just a little *too* big and being left with paper that’s too small to fit the pockets in my page protectors.

(supplies : Neverland Card Kit, Neverland Printable Labels, Tiny Attacher, StazOn black ink)

I hope I’ve inspired you to look at the Studio Calico Card Kits in a new way. Whether you’re a current Project Life subscriber or one of our patient PL waitlisters, the Card Kits are a great way to fill in your Project Life album!

weekly challenge

Good morning, and a happy belated new year! We'll be bringing you double the inspiration for each weekly challenge this year. Today, Lucy Abrams and I are challenging you to put your washi tape to work with your punches!

The easiest way to punch washi tape is to put it on cardstock or patterned paper first, and then punching it. Lucy used this technique for the sweet woodgrain hearts on her card.

(supplies - Block Party Card kit, Versafine black ink)

And I paired the silver star tape with a cloud punch :

(supplies : patterned paper - Studio Calico Darling Dear Wayne, Taylor, Temple, Here+There Boston; Thickers - Block Party Scrapbook kit; gem - Darling Dear opaque gems gray; stamps - Darling Dear sentiment stamps, Block Party scrapbook kit stamps, Classic Calico Vol 3 roller date stamp, Noah Outline alphabet stamp; ink - Hero Arts dye ink black; mist - Mister Huey's Audrey; arrow - Darling Dear printables; washi tape - Pollard Avenue; punch - Fiskars; Tiny Attacher)

Lucy and I can't wait to see what you do with washi tape and punches!! Create a project for this challenge, then share it in the Studio Calico gallery. Leave us a link to your project by January 14th in the comments here to be entered to win a $5 GC to the Studio Calico Shop.

black friday

Happy Black Friday, everyone! We've got some rocking deals for you today. Check out the "Black Friday" tab in the shop for two new stamp sets - available JUST for Black Friday. You'll also find past kit stamps there, and you can use the coupon codes above for great deals on Classic Calico!

About those Black Friday stamp sets.... we wanted to show you just what the Noah Outline and 2013 New Years sets look like in action!

(gift wrap by Kinsey Wilson :  patterned paper - American Crafts POW (gold); stamps - Studio Calico (Noah Outline and 2013 New Years); ink - gold metallic Staz On; other- vellum, wrapping paper, star sequins)

(tags by Kinsey Wilson : patterned paper - Studio Calico (Darling Dear 6 x 6 pad); stamps - Studio Calico (Noah Outline and 2013 New Years); ink - gold metallic Staz On, onyx black Versafine; mist- Mister Huey's (silver); frame die cut- Studio Calico (Wonderland); chipboard camera sticker- Studio Calico (Darling Dear); other- tiny attacher, craft knife, vellum)

(read card by Jen Jockisch :  Stamps - Noah Outline and 2013 New Years; Cardstock - American Crafts; Journaling Card - Wonderland Journal Cards; Alphas - Calico V. 3 Sotheby's Thickers - Ledger; Stamps - Noah Outline 6x8 Stamp Set, New Year 4x6 Sta mp Set; Ink - Staz-On Timber Brown,  Hero Arts Shadow Ink - Pool; Tape - American Crafts Glitter Tape; Die - Cuts - Crate Paper, Binder Clip - American Crafts; Tag - misc.; misc. colored pencils; Tools - We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper)

(pumpkins by Lisa Truesdell : Stamps - Noah Outline and 2013 New Years; patterned paper - Studio Calico Darling Dear Temple & Wayne, Studio Calico Take Note, My Mind's Eye, Pebbles; chipboard - Studio Calico Darling Dear printed chipboard speech bubbles; badge - Studio Calico Darling Dear badges; veneer - Studio Calico Darling Dear wood veneer; journaling card - Studio Calico Darling Dear journaling cards; star sequin and diecut - Studio Calico Yearbook Ephmera pack; alphabet - Studio Calico Darling Dear navy tiny alphabet; mist - Mister Huey's Audrey)

(happy new year card by Maile Belles : Stamps - Noah Outline and 2013 New Years; Gems - Darling Dear Opaque Gems Whites ; Ink - Hero Arts Pink Neon, Orange Neon, Yellow Neon ; Other - White Cardstock)

(made with love by Tina Aszmus : Today Handbook, Handbook 6x8 insert, More Kraft cardstock, grey tags, pro glider glue gun, Basic Gray die cuts/transparencies, Basic Grey woven tabs, Mister Huey Opaque White, Versamark Onyx, White Prima chalk ink, Noah outline stamp, New Years stamp set)

(hi new year card by Robyn Werlich : Noah Outline Alphabet Stamps, New Years Stamp Set, Ladybug Chalk Ink, Vintage Pink Chalk Ink, Coltfoot Stemens Chalk Ink, Moss Lawn Chalk Ink, Teal Damask Chalk Ink, Farmers Jeans Chalk Ink)

Happy shopping!!

day by day

Hey everyone! It's Lisa Truesdell, here with a week from my Project Life album. I am over the moon excited about the debut of Studio Calico's new Project Life kit next month - but in the meantime, I'm loving using the current kits + printables to put together a perfectly coordinated week.

(supplies - Studio Calico Sock Hop scrapbook and card kits + add-ons ; cut files - Tag Card + Pocket, Card Banner; printables - Sock Hop printable labels, printable #1 & printable #2; stamps - Sam alphabet; ink - Hero Arts black, Prima Turquoise Stone; other - Tiny Attacher, Cameo)

The printable labels are a favorite of mine, for Project Life or scrapbook pages. I use them with my Silhouette as print and cuts and find myself grabbing them to finish almost every project I do!

This Halloween photo was the perfect chance to go BIG! I printed it at 6inx8in and then cut it to fit in the pockets. And this month's foldover card + pocket cuts were perfect for holding a journaling tag - I just resized them to 3x8in, and then added an initial to the cut out window.

Do you use your kits in your Project Life album? What are your favorite items to use? We'd love to see your pages in the Studio Calico gallery - remember to select "Project Life" under "challenges" when you're uploading so they're easy to find!