Studio Calico

Sunday Sketch

This week's sketch comes from Nic Samuels' 34th Street Gallery - and is based on her layout titled "Serenity Point".

We were excited to see how Wendy (wendy mckee) interpreted the sketch to make her layout, and love how it turned out!

Here are Wendy's thoughts on using this sketch:

I loved the original layout that matched this sketch...there were many points to it that I wanted to use as a starting point to my page...

1.I loved the fact that the title across the middle broke the page up into two parts.

2.I loved all the squares and rectangles on the page.

3.I loved the font of the title...also that she mixed several different fonts.

4.Having lots of photos ( which I don?t tend to use on my pages) and that they are different sizes.

 

Using all of those elements from the original page, I came up with this page...

The little heart in the tag was really easy to make, you just use up some scraps of your favourite pattern paper and lay them out in a fan shape.

I used my Cameo alot on this page, for cutting out the title, the tag with the heart in the middle and the vellum arrow across the bottom.

I loved the bright colours of these pattern papers, so I kept the background cardstock plain to bring out the colours even more.

This page had inspired me to really try to add more photos onto my page especially in different sizes. It?s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, trying to fit them all in, so I didn?t glue things down right until the last minute.

We adore the tone on tone elements here, as well as the pops of color...and the little details as well, like the word strip below the photos. Thank you for sharing this with us, Wendy!

Please check Wendy's gallery and blog for more inspiration!!

How will YOU use this sketch?  Whether it's a layout, a card or something else, link us up to your project by December 31st for a chance to win a $5 gift card to the Studio Calico shop. (Please remember, your project must be loaded into our gallery to qualify...and your comment has to link back to it in the SC Gallery)

Layout of the Week

Sparkle, the layout of the week, is brought to you by Michelle, member name portablemichelle. We love her photo and all the layering, and so did our members! If you want to see more of her work, you can stop by her gallery here at Studio Calico or her blog.

Each week, the layout in the gallery is linked, so you can add it to your favorites easily. This layout has been added to your favorites more than any other layout in the SC community gallery for the week of 12/2-12/8.

Congratulations Michelle!! Because your work has caught our member's eyes you have won a $10 gift card to be used on any new purchase at Studio Calico.  Want a chance to win next week? Be sure to upload your projects to the SC gallery, and support your community by adding special projects that catch your eye into your favorites! It could be YOU next week!

day by day giveaway

Our all new Project Life Creative Team has been busy behind the scenes working on our January class, Day By Day. Now that the team is revealed, we can give you a little more information about what they'll be sharing in the class. Here's a line up of the videos and tutorials :

video : favorite Project Life spreads of years past (Ali Edwards)
video : adding type to photos in PSE (Catherine Davis)
video : Project Life evolution (MaryAnn Perry)
tips & tricks : getting photos from your phone to your computer + printing photos (PS/PSE, Lightroom, Picasa, phone apps) (Kelly Noel)
tips & tricks : ideas for memorabilia (Allison Waken)
tips & tricks : PL product organization (Marcy Penner)
tips & tricks : stacked text cards in Silhouette Studio (Leena Loh)
tips & tricks : making your own journaling cards with stamp brushes (Geralyn Sy)
tips & tricks : pre-stamped journaling cards (Natalia Bun)
tips & tricks : ideas for title / week cards (Nicole Reaves)
tips & tricks : precutting Silhoutte shapes and storage (Shanna Noel)
tips & tricks : doodling and coloring (Suzy Plantamura)
cover pages : samples from the Project Life Creative Team (Amanda Caves, April Foster, Deb Duty, Kinsey Wilson, Laura Kurz, Lisa Truesdell, Maggie Holmes, Nicole Harper)

On top of that, each and every Monday we'll be sharing 5 new spreads from the PL team - these PDFs will contain new PL spreads, as well as 5-7 in process photos and a description of how they work on a week. Think of it as getting to peek over their shoulders as they work on their album! Our Creative Team members will also be sharing their top tips for Project Life.

While supplies last, our Day by Day students will recieve this stamp set with their registration - and it ships free no matter where you live! We've also put together a fun collection of printables and digital diecuts - you can see those all here.

We want to give one of our fabulous blog readers a seat in the class (stamp set included)!! Just leave a comment here telling us what you're most excited about for Project Life in 2013. Please include your Studio Calico username so we can get a hold of you!! If you've already registered, we can refund your class fee or pass your spot to a friend.We'll announce a winner next Thursday!

If you don't win, there's still time to sign up! Registration ends on 12.31, and class begins on 1.1.2013. You can enroll right here. We hope to see you in the classroom!

 

masking + stitching tutorial

If you're anything like me, you likely have more than enough seasonal supplies to cover documenting the holidays. Since the products outnumber the occasions I can scrap about, I wanted to find a way to give new life to some of my stash. By mixing some of your older supplies with the newer ones, you can cleverly combine them to turn the holiday theme into an everyday page. (Click here to download this tutorial as a printable PDF)

I gathered these supplies together.


From the 6X6 paper pad, I pulled out the woodgrain sheet and took it outside with the ampersand mask and possibly my favorite Mister Huey's of all time, the opaque white.


Once it was dry (I sped up the process with my heat tool), I placed the paper onto a foam pad and used the brad setter as a paper piercer. I poked holes all the way around, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch apart. TIP: around the curves, you want to stay a bit closer together, while the straight parts can have holes that are further apart.



Then using Aunt Lydia's crochet thread in fuchsia (embroidery floss works fine too), I did a back-stitch all the way around the design using the pre-poked holes as a guide. TIP: You can do this on the sofa while watching your favorite show. You may even find it to be therapeutic.




From the Handbook Album Inserts, I chose a plain beige grid with a Christmas tree on it.


Then I took a different sheet from the 6X6 paper pad and covered the tree. I noticed that it didn't completely cover the holes, so I make a mental note at this time that I would use washi tape to remedy that.


Laying out all the elements with the photos allowed me to choose the colors of tape I wanted to use.

I put some strips of tape down, adhered the photos, title, and the typewriter journaling. Then I finished it off with the stamping of the date in the top left corner.


Hope you're able to transform some of your holiday supplies!


(supplies:  patterned paper- Studio Calico Wonderland 6x6 Paper Pad; cardstock- American Crafts; frames- Wonderland; wood veneer- Studio Calico Darling Dear; Handbook- Wonderland; mist- Mister Huey's Opaque White; mask- Studio Calico; stamps- Studio Calico Roller Date; other- Brad Setter)

winners

Congratulations to our latest set of challenge winners! Thank you to all who participated. Winners, watch your inboxes - you'll be getting an email with your promo code!

workspace wednesday

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today we get to peek into the workspace of Allison Waken, our December guest & new Project Life Creative Team member! Here's what Allison has to say about her space :

We moved recently so I haven't really felt "settled" into my crafty space yet. It's in an open room so I have to contain all my storage into a closet or drawers. I try to keep it simple so it doesn't compete with the rest of the house (my mess already does that!). I cleaned up after a big crafting session and snapped these photos so no real staging was done - this is it, right now, picked up. I love the drawers from IKEA they hold SO much. I stand when I scrap and go between that and the computer. I always have little boy craft supplies mixed in here and there so they can feel free to create when the "need" arises without getting in to my stash. I'd love more desk space but this is what is working for me now with what I've got!

Thanks for letting us visit your room, Allison!

a week of photo prompts

Hi Everyone! It's Becky here today with a week of photo prompts to hopefully inspire you to take photos that you may not normally take. Or maybe you haven't felt like picking up your camera lately? I hope this will "prompt" you to take photos! I am so NOT funny!

Here we go:

#1 Take a photo of something inanimate that has meaning to you regarding the holidays.

#2 Take a photo that includes someone's hands. 

#3 Take an everyday photo of something or someone messy. We don't always have to wait until our little ones are perfectly dressed, with hair combed and clean faces, to snap a photo. I'm bad about this and need to relax!

#4 Take a photo of someone who is unaware. I like to take photos of my loved ones when they're involved in something that they love to do. Addie loves to water my flowers when she's at my house, so it's become our little thing. I try to always document it since she's not here all that often.

#5 Take a photo of someone who is not happy. Maybe they're just tired (like Grey in my photo) or bored. We don't always have to take the smiley shots!

#6 Keep your eyes open for a "natural" frame. Could be a window or doorframe. But watch for even more creative ideas.

#7 Use the sun in a photo. It takes a little practice, but it sure is fun when you capture that ball of fire on an image. 

I hope this provides some ideas for creative photos for you! We would love to see the images you capture using the prompts. Link them in your comments or the gallery, or tag us on instagram! 

weekly challenge

Hey guys! My challenge to you this week is to scrap a photo from last December. Maybe a photo that didn't make it in last years December Daily (tm) or a photo you loved so much, you want to scrap it again. Journal what you can remember about last year or maybe how things have changed. 

I created a 6x8 layout (I'm loving this smaller size) to fit into my Handbook binder. I started with a photo I came across in a box from last year and I knew I had to scrap it again. I used bits and pieces from the Darling Dear line and hand stitched a grid for fun. :) I think it also helps define each square of paper and the special photo. 

supplies: Darling Dear 6x6 pad, Darling Dear Arrow sticker sheet, Studio Calico Veneer Arrows, Wonderland woodgrain snowflakes, Wonderland tree farm patterned paper, Mr Huey opaque white, heart in home paperclip from Kris Kringle add on, white thread, needle

Create a project using a photo from last December, then share it in the Studio Calico gallery. Leave us a link to your project by December 24th in the comments here to be entered to win a $5 GC to the Studio Calico Shop.

Sunday Sketch

This week's sketch comes from Jen Jockisch's 34th Street Gallery - and is based on her layout titled "Chicago."



We were excited to see how Toni (supertoni) interpreted the sketch to make her layout, and love how it turned out!

Here is what Toni had to say about using this sketch:

I simply adore Jen's original layout! I knew right away what photos I wanted to use with this sketch and could not wait to begin. I love how Jen's layout has a graphic quality and the large font really draw you into the focal subject-her gorgeous photos. She is such a talented designer and this particular sketch is super simple to follow and can be mixed up to fit anyone's needs. For my layout, I used her graphic block concept as a block of 5 images (one being a journaling block, ) instead of using 4 photos like Jen did. For my background paper, I chose one of my favorites from Studio Calico Wonderland Collection: Tree Farm. I love this dark woodgrain paper and it is so perfect for holiday photos! Because my background paper was a 12 x 12 inch square I wanted to mix up the photo block with a rectangular shape, and 5 images worked perfectly to achieve that. I just adhered all of my photos and journaling block to a white piece of cardstock. Additionally, I ran the title along the bottom portion of the photo block (on top of my American Crafts silver glitter tape,) oh how I love this product. I also had an absolute blast doing some different stamping on this layout. I used the wood veneer snowflakes as a stamp using white ink. This was so delightful and something I will be recreating in the future with my kiddos. (Tip: The veneer work really great as a stamp if you first apply adhesive to one side and stick that to your hand. Then just dip into ink and put on paper, super simple, and a fun project.) I love how Jen's sketch really allowed the photos and journaling about my children to really take center stage. This was such a great day and this layout is one that I will display throughout the Christmas Season. Thanks Jen for the great idea!!!

We love all of the ideas you shared with us Toni...this turned out great, and we thank you for sharing your work with us!

Please check out Toni's gallery and blog for more inspiration!

How will YOU use this sketch?  Whether it's a layout, a card or something else, link us up to your project by December 24th for a chance to win a $5 gift card to the Studio Calico shop. (Please remember, your project must be loaded into our gallery to qualify...and your comment has to link back to it in the SC Gallery)

Layout of the Week

Hello, the layout of the week, is brought to you by Megan, member name meganklauer. She used bold petterns, subtle details and this gorgeous photo to draw us in, and we love how it all came together. If you want to see more of her work, you can stop by her gallery here at Studio Calico or her blog.

Each week, the layout in the gallery is linked, so you can add it to your favorites easily. This layout has been added to your favorites more than any other layout in the SC community gallery for the week of 12/2-12/8.

Congratulations Megan!! Because your work has caught our member's eyes you have won a $10 gift card to be used on any new purchase at Studio Calico.  Want a chance to win next week? Be sure to upload your projects to the SC gallery, and support your community by adding special projects that catch your eye into your favorites! It could be YOU next week!