Studio Calico

darling dear

With our CHA releases coming to the shop soon, we wanted to share a bit more Darling Dear inspiration from our Creative Team.


patterned paper - Darling Dear Wayne, Hepburn vellum, 6x6 paper pad ; chipboard - Darling Dear Printed Chipboard Speech Bubbles  ; veneer - Darling Dear Triangles and Diamonds wood veneer ; gems - Darling Dear Opaque Brights ; alpha - Darling Dear Navy 6x7 alpha stickers ; stamp - Calico V.3 roller date stamp ; ink - Versafine Onyx Black

(Supplies - Patterned Papers : Darling Dear - Sinatra & Gable ; Stickers : Hearts & Arrows, Vellum Shapes ; Tiny Alpha - Charcoal : Tiny attacher)

(supplies : darling dear badges, darling dear crawford, darling dear hepburn, darling dear garland)

patterned paper - Darling Dear Crawford, Sinatra, Flynn, Taylor; veneer - Darling Dear Wood Veneer Alphabet; gems - Darling Dear Opaque Gems - White

(Supplies - Patterned Papers : Darling Dear - Wayne, Gable ; Tiny Alpha - Charcoal ; Stickers - Hearts & Arrows ; Chipboard - Hearts ; Gems - Greys & Whites )

day by day - Darling Dear

The last week of the year was such a short week.  Only two days.  So, instead of combining those two days with the prior week I decided to give them their own page.  This eliminated the need for me to create an end page for my 2012 album.

I dug into my Darling Dear products and printed my photos.  The oranges and blues in the collection worked really well with my photos from those two days.   I added a receipt from our New Year's Eve pizza night and a music book page with "Auld Lang Syne" on it.  Totally lucky that I came across that in my scrap basket.

To hold the new business card my husband had printed I cut a 3x4 piece of patterned paper and also a smaller piece.  I punched a half circle in the middle and stitched them together, leaving the top open.  A quick and easy pocket.  Just make sure to do any embellishing that goes through the back of the paper (ie. sewing, brads) before you sew your pocket closed.

I didn't do a lot of embellishing on this spread other than adding labels and a tiny embellishment here and there.  There wasn't a lot of room.  I wanted to do something subtle so my photo would still stand out so I punched snowflakes out of vellum and stitched them down over the photo.  I added some of the gems for a little sparkle.

I really love the Darling Dear journaling cards and pushed my hoarding tendencies aside so I could use this one with my photo of my daughter on the sled.

And with that my 2012 Project Life album is complete.  It's a good feeling and I'm excited to be moving on to 2013.

(Supplies: patterned paper - Flynn, Gable (Darling Dear); journaling cards; chipboard speech bubbles; gems - brights, whites, grays; vellum; date stamp - Classic Calico V.3; tiny attacher; ink - versafine; labels)

product spotlight

I just love these Darling Dear chipboard heart stickers!  So much so that my entire package is almost used up.  Not only are they full of assorted shapes and sizes, but the patterns and colors make for a fun mix.  I've put a few to use on today's card...

These stickers are perfect for layering (one on top the other) without creating too much bulk.  I thoroughly enjoyed how easy it was to select from the collection the perfect hearts to embellish the edge.

They also pair well with other elements from the Darling Dear collection.  Take for example the Darling Sayings stamp set, which I used to finish off this card of mine. 

 

 

(supplies : patterned paper - Studio Calico Darling Dear 6x6 Paper Pad ; chipboard stickers - Darling Dear Printed Chipboard Hearts ; stamps - Darling Dear Dear Sayings ; other - Papertrey Ink cardstock & ink)

We wanted to show you even more ways to use the Darling Dear chipboard shapes, so we asked two more Creative Team members to put them to work. Kinsey used them on this Project Life Spread - the chipboard is a perfect way to embellish cards without making them too bulky for the pocket page protectors!

(Supplies: patterned paper- Studio Calico Darling Dear, October Afternoon, Crate Paper, Dear Lizzy ; Cardstock- American Crafts White, Bazzill Kraft ; alphabet stickers- Studio Calico, Basic Grey, American Crafts ; stamps- Studio Calico date stamp, KI memories 'real life' ; stickers- Studio Calico Darling Dear ; ink- Hero Arts black, Staz On Jet Black ; other- glitter, sequins, tiny attacher, vellum, paint)

Natalia used the speech bubbles on a layout - we've loving how they look layered over the paper speech bubbles!

(Supplies - Patterned Papers : Darling Dear - Garland, Hepburn, Monroe, Flynn; Stickers - Hearts & Arrows ; Chipboard - Speech Bubbles ; Gems - Whites, Brights )

How have you used the Darling Dear speech bubbles and hearts? We'd love to see - link us up in the comments!

weekly challenge

We fell in love with this page from Becky Novacek - she did a great job making the sophisticated color scheme of Darling Dear fit with her adorable photo of her grandson. Our favorite part of the page was the line of chipboard speech bubbles - how fun is that detail?

(supplies - Darling Dear chipboard speech bubbles, badges, Monroe patterned paper and wood veneer letters)

For this week's challenge, we want you to create a line of embellishments on your next project. It could be chipboard shapes, stickers, sequins or buttons - just make sure to line them up!

Create a project, then share it in the Studio Calico gallery. Leave us a link to your project by December 31st in the comments here to be entered to win a $5 GC to the Studio Calico Shop.

 

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.

day by day

Hi everyone! It's Geralyn here today, sharing with you a bit of my Project Life. For this spread, I used Studio Calico's Darling Dear collection and the coordinating digital printables and files. Since my Project Life this year is 8.5x11, I opened the digital printable PDFs in Photoshop and resized the journaling cards to fit my page protector slots before printing them out.

(Supplies: patterned paper - Darling Dear 6x6 paper pad; alphas - Darling Dear Tiny Alpha - navy; veneer - Darling Dear Wood Veneer Triangles & Diamonds; stickers - Darling Dear Hearts & Arrows; digital stamp brushes - Darling Dear Sayings Digital Stamp Brushes, Darling Dear Sentiments Digital Stamp Brushes; printables - Darling Dear printable #1, printable # 2)

I also had fun playing with the Darling Dear digital stamp brushes! I combined some of the brushes with a mix of fonts to create a filler card for my Project Life.

I have loved doing Project Life this year and am so glad that I can document random, everyday moments in my life. Using the Darling Dear collection and the coordinating digital supplies for this spread made everything come together easily! I hope you enjoyed this little peek into my Project Life!

silhouette background

Hello SC friends!! Kelly here to share a fun way to use your Silhouette to make your own background or large accent for you layout. 

For my layout, using lots of new Darling Dear papers, I was inspired by this piece I saw on Pinterest. I loved the way the composition of the arrows and knew I wanted to create a similar layout for my page. Rather than cut out lots of arrows from different patterned papers, etc. I decided to do a negative cut as a whole instead.

Click here to download the tutorial as a PDF

(Supplies: cardstock - American Crafts ; patterned paper - Studio Calico Darling Dear Wayne, Gardner. Monroe, & Hayworth ; stickers - SC Darling Dear Hearts & Arrows, SC Darling Dear 12x12 Alpha, BasicGrey ; Chipboard - SC Sotheby Ledger)

The first step do recreate this look is to choose several different arrow cut files. Open the first file and select the entire image. 

Repeat this same process with several different arrow cut files to add variety to your arrow background.

You'll want to mix up the arrows so that there are larger and smaller ones for variety and interest. Play around with it until you get the look you're after. Once you have all of your arrows moved around and resized, you are ready to cut!

After you cut your background, place the cut background onto your intended layout background. Adhere the cut background with repositionable adhesive. 

Now, use scraps to add detail underneath each arrow cut. Adhere the scraps carefully, making sure to line them up with each arrow.

After you're finished adhering the scraps, you can adhere the arrow background with foam adhesive for added dimension.

And that's it, you're all finished! A simple and easy way to create a custom background/large accent for your layouts. I hope you'll give this a try!

darling dear blog blitz

Our newest mid-release, Darling Dear, has hit the shelves of the Studio Calico store and is currently in route to many of your scrap desks. What better way to celebrate this dazzling new line than with a blog blitz?

We're starting you off here with three downloadable PDFs and a peek at our new digital offerings. But this is just the start of the inspiration - our design team has been working with Darling Dear and we think you'll love what they've made. You can find links to each of their blogs in our sidebar, or at the bottom of this post.

Lucky Stars by Maggie Holmes // click here to download the PDF


Long Time, No See // click here to download the PDF

Pumpkin Fun // click here to download this PDF

We have an exciting announcement to make - we now have digital files to coordinate with Darling Dear! Stop by the shop and check out our new Die Cut files, printables and stamp brushes. You may be able to spot these on some of the projects by our design team!

Amy Tan - April Foster - Becky Novacek - Celine Navarro - Dawn McVey - Geralyn Sy - Jen Jockisch - Kelly Noel - Kinsey Wilson - Lisa Truesdell - Maggie Holmes - Maile Belles - Marcy Penner - Nicole Samuels - Robyn Werlich - Sasha Farina - Stephanie Dagan - Susan Weinroth - Tina Aszmus

Our design team has worked their magic with this versatile line and we're excited to show you their projects! We've listed their blogs above so you don't miss any inspiration. Enjoy!

weekly challenge

Hi! Maile here, and I'm so glad to be joining you today to give you this weeks challenge.  How many of you have a few favorite go-to layouts or designs?  I do for sure.  I have a few basic designs that I like to refer to from time to time; either when I find myself stuck and need a place to jump start my creativity or just need to create something real quick.

 

So, my challenge to you is to pull out one of your favorite basic designs and quickly assemble a trio of cards.  Stick to the same layout, but switch things up by using different pattern papers and embellishments on each project.

 

For my card trio, I've chosen to pair my favorite go-to layout with the new Darling Dear collection...

(supplies : patterned paper - Darling Dear 6x6 Paper Pack ; stamps - Darling Sentiments ; stickers - Darling Dear Printed Chipboard Hearts and Darling Dear Printed Chipboard Speech Bubbles ; veneer - Darling Dear Wood Veneer Tags & Plates ; cardstock - Papertrey Ink Rustic Cream ; ink - Archival Viridian and Papertrey Ink Limeade Ice, Canyon Clay, Ocean Tides, Enchanted Evening, Dark Chocolate)

It's easy to quickly crank out an assortment of projects when sticking to one basic design.  So whether you're planning on cranking out Christmas cards or just need to refill your card stash, this just might be the quick fix you need.  I hope you give this challenge a go! 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 November 12th in the comments here.

weekly challenge

Hi all!  Nicole S. here with your weekly challenge that will hopefully be fun and not too "puzzling".  ;)  My 3 year old really loves puzzles right  now and his favorite is a butterfly shaped puzzle with all sort of different sized pieces that make up the whole.  They aren't your normal puzzle shaped pieces and to be honest… it's a HARD puzzle.  I'm pretty sure he's better at solving it than I am!  I thought it'd be fun to incorporate that idea into my layout design and wanted to challenge YOU to do the same.  I decided to make my puzzle a heart  (but you can choose any shape) and I just cut a bunch of different shaped/sized puzzle pieces from patterned paper to fill in the heart shape.  I even cut my photo into a puzzle piece!  

Supplies: patterned paper: Darling Dear Gable, Hayworth, Garbo, Crawford, Flynn, Sinatra, Taylor; Darling Dear Journaling Cards; Darling Dear Printed Chipboard Hearts; Darling Dear Vellum Shapes; stickers: Darling Dear 12x12 Alphas and Hearts and Arrows; veneer: Darling Dear Tags and Plates and alphabet.

So,let's see what puzzling designs you can come up with!  Your "puzzle" can be the main focus of the page (like mine) or a smaller embellishment.  You can go with abstract puzzle pieces or cut out more traditional shapes.  Anything goes!  

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 November 5th in the comments here.