Studio Calico

Insider Tips

I have a confession to make. Are you ready? I am not a stamper. There, I said it. I'm no good at it, it's messy, and I always forget to clean the darn things when I'm done.I know where my strengths lie and I usually like to stay inside that cozy little box. But with the recent addition of American Crafts Zing embossing powders to the store, I started to get a little excited about stamping. I started to think that maybe I could try it, and maybe it wouldn't be as bad as I remembered. So I busted out my Zings, and some of the awesome Studio Calico stamps and got to work. And you know what? It was fun. I'm happy with how my page turned out, and I discovered that maybe stamping isn't my kryptonite after all.

So I encorage you to step outside of your comfort zone. Be it stamping, stitching, layering, misting, whatever... just work with something that makes you a little uncomfortable. Something you think you're not any good at, or just don't think you really enjoy doing. The results just might surprise you.
Supplies: American Crafts cardstock, State Fair Best in Show patterned paper, Countryside Barn Swallow patterned paper, Countryside County Line patterned paper, Countryside Wildflower patterned paper, Countryside Picnic patterned paper, Countryside Harvest patterned paper, Elementary Wood Veneer Alphabet, Natalee Alpha Stamps, Jett Alpha Stamps, Jett Numbers Stamps, Labels Stamp Set, American Crafts Zing Copper Metallic, American Crafts Zing Power Opaque, Jenni Bowlin Brown Sugar Dye Ink, Mister Huey's Applejack, American Crafts brads, American Crafts Precision Pen Brown, misc. twine, Silhouette, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

Insider Tips

Emily here, sharing my storage solution for ribbons with you today. When I first started scrapbooking, I didn't have a plan for my ribbons and so as they began to accumulate, I started shoving them into a large ziploc baggie. I thought it would be great because I could see them all. I found this didn't work too well because the bag wasn't pretty, so I kept it out of sight. I rarely would pull it out, and when I did, the ribbons would be all tangled, even more of a deterrent to using my stash.

A few years ago, I decided I wanted to have my ribbons out where I could see them, so I began the hunt for a cute wire basket that would hold everything. I found the perfect one at an antique store. Armed with a couple of bags of wooden clothes pins and some pins, I sat down one morning with my bag of ribbons and started winding them around the clothes pins. I could usually get two or three different varieties on one pin, then I'd carefully secure each end so I wouldn't get poked as I was hunting through the basket.

I keep the basket out on my desk and because I can see my stash, I find I use the ribbons a lot more. For this layout, I wanted to use ribbons to frame the photo. I found two varieties that matched the paper and fabrips easily because of my storage system. I've been able to bring my ribbons with me to crops and have even inspired a few fellow scrappers to try this storage system out. I hope it will get you thinking as well!
Supplies: Patterned Paper - Mud Pie; Fabrips - Pink Houndstooth; Alpha - Chipboard Alpha StickersTan, October Afternoon; Ribbons, Flower, and Pin - Maya Road

Insider Tips

Hey y'all! It's Stephanie here with today's insider tip. Which, consequently, might be the world's shortest/quickest insider tip. :) That's good, because that's how I have to do things these days if I ever want to have creative time. Quick and to the point!
I wanted to talk about how I created my "For the Love of Sadie" layout this month. I love the playful vibe that the circles give to this playful layout. It just seemed to match the mood of the photos!

There are obviously lots of ways to crop your photos into circles. Coluzzle (are those still around?!?!?!), punches, etc.

I cropped these photos in PSE9 using the cookie cutter tool and it was super easy. I've selected a different photo now so that I can walk you through how to do this step by step.
1.Open the photo in PSE and select the "cookie cutter" tool.


2. Select the circle shape from the drop down menu. There are so many fun shapes I want to try next time!


3. Place and size circle where you want it on photo and crop. Note: for the Sadie layout, I thought it was fun to use several different sizes. I didn't worry about exact dimensions, i just went with what looked right.


4.Select "print" and choose print dimensions. Most of my circles were big enough to take up most of a 4x6 print, so I just printed them this way. You could easily print these as a collage as well. I'm not exactly the best at conserving paper, I just usually take the route that is quickest. HA!

Now go try this yourself! Have fun and make sure to share what you make!
xoxo

Insider Tips: Davinie

With Paper Moon, the June kit, I created a couple of layouts for my gallery using a new punch we have in the shop, the Everywhere punch from Fiskars.

I have long wanted a punch that could create a shape in the middle of a 12x12 layout exactly where I wanted to be, and this punch does it.  I’m so happy with it!  I currently have the square and the circle punches, with the scallop circle on the way to my house with the next kit.  I can’t wait to play with it.

One of the layouts in my gallery this month was called “Spring Portrait” and featured a super cute 5 year old as well as a grid pattern made with this punch set.  I wanted to share a bit on how I did that.

First, I wanted my grid to sit inside the 12x12 layout, so I trimmed a piece of kraft cardstock to 10x10.  To make the grid pattern, I made a mark across the top and bottom every two inches, creating 5 columns, and then turned the layout and did the same on the perpendicular, creating a grid pattern.

After that, it was time to break out my punch.  The starter set comes with the square punch.  There’s the punch base, and then a clear piece with a guide, that is magnetic which made it easy to get the punch base lined up in the perfect space without possible shifting. I set the punch inside each square, lined up the grid until it looked centered, and then punched away. 

Repeat inside every box, and you will have created a fun grid piece that works as a fun embellishment for your pages.  I layered paper underneath and on top of this grid pattern for this design, and plan to use it again.  I had fun with it, and it makes for a great addition to my growing basket of punches.

Insider Tips: April

I know it won’t surprise many of you that I’m super organized, even when it comes to scrapbooking.  On my desk now is two piles.  One with all the items from my June Studio Calico kit.  The other has several Studio Calico branded items that coordinate with June’s kit.  Keeping both stacks of products handy helps me to make the most of my kit, complete my assignments each month, and keeps me from rummaging through the rest of my room for extra items.  It’s all right on my desk!  
 
When, I’m ready to create, I throw it all together and mix and match.
You’re probably laughing now, because this photo show anything but organization, but it works.  You see remnants of the June kit plus fresh Countryside & State Fair branded product.
 
As I was working on my layout, I pulled from my scrap pile of cut papers.  Even the pink cardstock was already punched, so I left it that way.  I just lined up some pieces on a spare 4x6” piece of cardstock and angled the ends of the strips and added some embellishments.
You’ll notice that this project used only items from the June kit plus some branded product.  It just fell together so easily. Supplies: PAPER MOON KIT, Mister Huey’s (Piglet, Clover, Bonny Blue), Countryside Chipboard Alphabet, Zing Embossing Powder (Charcoal), Wood Veneer Buttons, Paper (Die Cut Cream Ledger,Cotton Candy, Midway, Pie Contest)

And as a bonus tip, use a versamark pad and your favorite Zing to change the color of any chipboard alpha!

Insider Tips:

Hello SC friends! Kelly here to share with you some insider tips on my "Noon Obsession" layout from my Lawn Party gallery. To be honest with you, this page was a struggle. I knew as soon as I saw that cute little OA chipboard bear, I wanted to do a page about Brady's obsession with the show Little Bear. But, my original design didn't pan out. I thought circles might be fun, so I punched some papers and arranged them on the page, but I wanted to make things a little more interesting which is where the idea for the paint circles came from. This is a super simple technique that took only minutes and added a fun detail to my page. You only need a few things...some acrylic paint, a plate to pour the paint onto and a small votive holder (or some other round thing you could use).



Dip the votive holder (or whatever you're using) in the paint and then use it as a "stamp" on your page. I didn't really have a plan for where my circles would go...I went for a random look, which was really easy to do.

After I "stamped" the circles all over the page, I added back in my punched circles and started working on the rest of the page design.

Once I had the base design, adding the details was super simple and the rest of the page fell together pretty easily. The paint circles added just the detail I was looking for. I hope you enjoyed hearing a little about my process for this page.

Insider Tips

Hello to all my favorite people! Kimberly here to share with you all a little insider tip I do regularly for my titles. Several people have asked me where I come up with my creative titles, so I thought I would share this with you all. I love putting a fun twist on words, as well as add different fonts into my titles to draw the interest to a particular word.

What do I do? Where do I go for title inspiration? My newest favorite place: Pinterest!

Here is my Pinterest home: Kimberlyneddo 

If I am ever stumped for a title, this has become the first source I go to. I have all my quotes in a “Quotes and Inspiration” folder.

Here are a few layouts I’ve created using quotes I found on Pinterest:

Supplies- Cardstock: More Vanilla; Papers: Studio Calico State Fair-Best in Show and Guess your Weight; Mister Huey’s: Lemonade and Bonny Blue; Sew Easy Tool and heads- Scallop, Blanket and straight stitch; Alpha's: Addy Alpha yellow and Chipboard alpha stickers.

Supplies - May's "Lawn Party" kit



Supplies- March's "Into the Woods" kit

A few other places I love to go for poems and quotes are:
Titles quotes and quotations
Scrapbook.com
The Perfect Title
Thanks for letting me share this fun insider’s tip. Have fun finding new and inspiring titles to add to your next creation.

April's Insider Tips

Circles are one of my favorite design elements.  I love big circles and small circles.  And even teeny tiny circles can make a big statement on a page.  Most of the layouts in my favorites at Studio Calico have circles as a major design element.
 
So, it’s no surprise that my circle punches are some of my most used tools in my scraproom.
 
On my “Fear” layout in the May Gallery, I punched 1.5” circles from some scrap paper and laid them end to end on the paper I wanted to mist.  When I mist, I don’t adhere the mask to the page or hold it down with my hand.  I just lay them and let the mist fall where it lands.
I sprayed several times with White Mister Huey and removed the circles.

I basically created my own patterned paper with mist and a circle punch.  This is a great way to use mist on your layout without having a “messy” look to your page, too. Supplies: Kits (Lawn Party, Pink Lemonade, Paper Lanterns), Mister Huey White Mist, Cardstock (More Color 5/2011), Pen (American Crafts)

Celine's Insider Tips

Hi everyone! Today, I'm going to show you how to make a quick and easy layout with Mr Huey spray inks and handmade masks.

 

First of all, you'll need some State Fair papers, left over cardstock that you can use as a mask, a Big Shot or whatever cutting machine that you have ( a Slice, a Cricut, an Epic Six...) or even you cutting blade if you don't have any of those.

Make a mask with whatever dies you have in hand : I personnaly use a Tim Holtz die from Ranger to make my mask, then used Studio Calico Mr Huey Atmosphere ink to spray over the background.

I also used the frame and cut it shorter in order to put it on top of the inked mark I just made with spraying.

Use your heat gun to dry. Then add some MR Huey Sunshine ink here and there to bring SUNLIGHT!

Work with layers when it comes to design your layout and place your photo at the center of your background.

Mount your white background on a patterned paper and you're set!

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!