Studio Calico

Insider Tips: Waleska

Hi everyone! It's Waleska with the insider tip of the week.  I want to show you how to make a polka dot background like the one in my Hula Hooping layout in the Into the Woods gallery.

This is what you'll need:
Supplies: Studio Calico Mister Huey's: Classic White, Orchard, Clover and Bonny Blue; Kraft cardstock; a plain piece of paper; ruler; mask and paper trimmer

I used two templates for this. One that I made myself (a 4x6 rectangle to define the area) + an old polka dot Heidi Swapp mask. If you don't have a mask you can create your own with punches, a die cut machine or even your craft knife!

Once I decided the shape and size I just measured, traced and cut it out with my paper trimmer.

I placed the first template on top of the Kraft cardstock, put them inside my misting box and sprayed with Mister Huey's Calico White. I wanted a subtle background so I only sprayed a few times across.

Once it was dry (you can use your heat tool to speed up the process), I placed the polka dot mask on top and sprayed with Mister Huey's Orchard (left), Clover (middle) and Bonny Blue (right).

Once again, I sprayed just a couple of time and at a close range to make sure the colors didn't blend too much.

I used a paper towel to soak up the excess ink and removed the templates... and this is what you get! A pretty, colorful misted background.

I hope you give this a try.  Please let me know if you have any questions and I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Winners

Winner winner chicken dinner!

Congratulations you lucky laides!  Please send an email by 4/5/11 to info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize and include the following information:

• Name:   
• Contest: JB Reveal or Sketchbook Reveal

Please send an email by 4/5/11 to info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize and include the following information:

• Name:   
• Contest: Sunday Sketch or Weekly Challenge
• Prize: $5 GC

Thank you for all your comments and entries.  See you next week for more fun!

Tutorial

When I created this layout a few months back I got a lot of questions about the sun rays so I thought it would be fun to do a tutorial and show you how I did it!


It's kind of hard to tell what I actually used to create the sun rays and most people thought that it was tape or mist or paint..... But it is actually just glitter!!

It is really quite simple to do and you only need two things: Glitter and Adhesive. The most important thing is the type of adhesive that you choose. You will want to use a solid adhesive and not squares or the little rectangles or anything like that. The idea is that wherever you place
adhesive on your page is where the glitter will stick. So I have found that an adhesive runner with the solid clear continuous adhesive works the best. The American Crafts This to That Solid Glue Runner works really well.

Step 1: Determine the design you want so you know where to place your adhesive. I am showing the sun rays again here but you can do this with any type of design that you want. Use the glue runner and place the adhesive onto your paper. You can use a pencil and draw it out first but I just eyeball it. I also know I don't have to go all the way to the edges of the page because the paper I cut to create the sun will cover that area.

Step 2: Start sprinkling the glitter on top of the adhesive. You want to be generous with the glitter so that you make sure you get enough on there to cover the adhesive all the way.



Step 3: Use your finger to spread the glitter all the way over the adhesive and press it in so it is nicely covered. Again make sure to cover all the adhesive. A gentle touch will work the best -- just enough pressure to make sure you get the glitter to stick on the adhesive. Once you are done with that go ahead and shake off the excess glitter to reveal your design!

That's it!! You are done with the glittering portion. Now to complete the sun you can choose some cardstock or patterned paper and adhere that to the corner like I did in the original layout.

Again you aren't limited to creating just sun rays with this technique! Feel free to use any color of glitter and any design you want. You can do this to create a border across your page or a border around a photo or you could even "draw" something fun with the adhesive like a star or flower! The sky is the limit!! Have fun!!

Weekly Challenge

Challenge: Scrap something that makes you laugh!

Happy Monday, y'all! this is Stephanie and I'm bringing you this week's challenge!  I am constantly blogging, facebooking, and tweeting funny things my girls say. I also usually have a funny story to tell involving something embarrassing I've done.

The problem is, I rarely document these moments on scrapbooking pages. I think it's just pure scrap-laziness. Because I don't think there's anything better than a funny scrapbook page. And that's my challenge for you this week. Scrap something that makes you giggle.

I took these iPhone photos of Sadie when she was getting a hair cut. She makes crazy faces ALL the time and they make me laugh so hard.

I used these photos to scrap my thoughts on how she has the most hilarious facial expressions.
Supplies: patterned paper - State Fair Die Cut Cream Ledger, State Fair Guess Your Weight, Countryside Barn Swallow, Countryside Grove, Countryside Mud Pie; stickers - Yellow Label Stickers, Addy Alpha- Yellow; mist- mister huey's in piglet; rub-ons- butterflies green dots rub-ons; chipboard - State Fair chipboard alphabet; other : Stampin' Up! Heart to Heart Punch, vintage plastic doily, American Crafts .03 Pigment Pen

I misted the background using the new Piglet Mister Huey...I love the texture it adds to the page. A sweet scattering of hearts allowed me to incorporate all of my new favorite State Fair and Countryside papers without overwhelming the page.

So there you have it, that's my take on the challenge! Now go for it...scrap something that makes you LAUGH! I can't wait to see what you come up with.

You have until next Monday, April 4  to share your layout. The winner will receive a Studio Calico Gift Card. Good luck!!
xoxo

Sunday Sketch

Happy Reveal Day everyone!  Hope that you're all having fun shopping the fantastic April kits.  I've got a new Sunday Sketch for you this week and I hope it inspires you.  This was one of my favorite layouts of Emily's from her Into the Woods gallery in March...

When I went to make my layout, I dug back into my leftovers from the Into the Woods kit as well!
Supplies: Kit - Into the Woods, Mist - Mister Huey's Applejack, Pen - American Crafts Precision Pen

Emily really inspires me to be more artsy with my layouts, but I'm just not as talented with a paintbrush as she is.  So instead, I took the placement of the rectangle photos and used a little misting + masking.  I punched out the big hearts and laid them down on my page, then misted over top.  Once they were dry, I added in smaller hearts.  Each of those hearts is placed where the rectangles were on Emily's page.

Knowing where to place the photo was easy, I replaced the beach image from her page with a 4x6 photo on mine.  I also kept my title close to that image like she did and added handwritten journaling.  Thanks for the fun inspiration, Em!

Let's see what you come up with!  Just leave a link to your layout using the sketch on this post by Monday, April 4 and we'll draw two winners for SC gift cards.  For more fun with sketches, be sure to check out my new Sketchbook 3 class starting in April!

Reveal Night Giveaway

Win the new Be Our Guest papers and Embellishments from Jenni Bowlin Studio.  Just leave a comment telling us what song you'll be singin' in the rain this April.

Reveal Night Giveaway - Sketchbook

Join Kelly Purkey and friends for Sketchbook 3!  This is a self-paced four week class filled with fresh sketches, easy instructions, beautiful examples, and lots of fun.  From April 4th to April 29th a PDF will be delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  By the end of the class, you'll have a complete sketchbook of 12 original sketches, 38 layouts, and an additional 38 sketches based on those creative pages. The best part is that you will be receiving an example layout from Kelly for each of the sketches, along with two (or more) example layouts from a very talented contributor.  Each PDF for Sketchbook 3 will also include a card designed by the amazing Jennifer McGuire based on the daily sketch.

The class will also include a private message board for questions and sharing ideas on the Studio Calico website. Visit Kelly's blog for more information and to see the full list of contributors.

Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a spot for you & two of your friends.

Design Team Spotlight: Vee

Name: Vee Jennings
City, State: DC Metro Area
Blog: creative blessing

How long have you been a DT member? seven months

Favorite SC product? eek, this is a tough one because I love all of SC products but since I have to choose here are some of my current favorites: Mister Huey's Calico White, Tweets Tan Ledger Rub-ons and any SC stamps

Any rituals when your kits arrive? No not really I am at work when my kit arrives. But once I get home and get settled I pretty much rip open my box to see the goodies inside!
All time favorite SC kit? My all time favorite kit is Napa Valley, I loved all of the pattern and texture in it!

Three products you can't live without: I couldn't live without creating with paint, white cardstock and adhesive.

Three people you get scrappy inspiration from: My dare girls, cheetahisthenewblack and life.

Three goals you have:
1. be open to change
2. continue to work hard but PLAY more often
3. Raise respectful, polite and positive children

Three of my favorite photos:

I love this photo because it shows both of their personalities perfectly.
My pages being documented for a pitch for a new television network, was totally a surreal experience and one I will remember forever.


I love this photo, it was taken when we were traveling down from the Grand Canyon back to Scottsdale, AZ last June. It is pure bliss to me a perfect capture of nature's beauty.

Here's a look at my scrap area:

Insider Tips: Sasha

Hey everyone! It's my turn to host the blog today. And I have a video for you. I had a couple of email asking me how did I do the 'Fly Girl Fly' layout from my March gallery and I thought I'd show you how. They're strips of cardstock. Eyeballed and punched. And I sort of 'hide' the edge of the strips with red strings.

Some things to note
ignore my crazy hair, please. LOL.
I know I should probably try to angle the camera towards my table. Will do that next time. So sorry.
I shriek. I should totally control myself from shrieking I know.

Then I changed my mind and added more red strings. Just the way I roll *smiles*. And here's the completed card. Very simple, but also very fast and good if you want to mass produce.
Supplies; Fabrips - Anthology Studio Calico, Cardstock - Kraft (Bazzill), Butterfly Punch - Fiskars, Sentiments Stamps - Studio Calico, Ink - Brown Sugar JBS Dye Ink

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I enjoyed getting it ready for you!

Winners!

Congratulations!  Sunday Sketch and Weekly Challenge winners please send an email by 3/31/11 to info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize and include the following information:

• Name:   
• Contest: Sunday Sketch 3/13 OR Weekly Challenge 3/14
• Prize Won: $5 Gift Card

Thanks to all who played along!