Studio Calico

Sunday Sketch

This week, we invited SC member Monika (username MonaLisa) to share her take on one of our sketches. She couldn't resist seeing the ability to use both, and we're excited to share them with you!

First up is our card sketch, based on a card from Stephanie Washburn:

Our scrapbook sketch this week is from Stephanie Bryan's gallery:

Monika dove right in with the scrapbook sketch first...I love how she used color paired with her black & white photos!

Supplies: SC kit - Front Row ; Spencers, SC Sundrifter Sticker sheet

When I saw the sketches, I knew I have to use the layout sketch because of its composition, and the original work by Stephanie.  I used older SC kits with colorful papers and black and white photos of my son. I loved work with this sketch.

But I liked also the card sketch, and I couldn't resist it. I had to make another layout! I flipped the sketch and grabbed this month's SC kit.  I loved the star in a circle and I thought I could use different papers to make the arms of the star,  and colorful cord to make the circle.  I love how the sketch turned out! Thank you Studio Calico again  for the invitation. It was fun to play with these sketches! 

Look at her gorgeous interpretation of the card sketch, featuring the star!!

Supplies: SC MAIn kit Roundabout Addons - Navy pier ; Outer Banks 

Monika's ability to think outside of the box really shines through in this second layout...I love that she focused in on the star element. We love what she came up with, and hope you do as well. If you'd like to see more of her work, check her SC gallery or visit her blog. She is also active in the Twitter community: @ _Monalisa1_ . Thank you for sharing these with us, Monika! :)

Now it's your turn! Make a project with using one of this week's sketches as a starting point, then share it in the Studio Calico gallery. Leave us a link to your project by July 1st in the comments here to be entered to win a $5 GC to the Studio Calico Shop.

 

Layout of the Week

Be True to You, the layout of the week, is brought to you by Ginny, member name ginny. She used the months of the year paper from our Roundabout Kit as her neutral background and kept things simple by just adding pink elements. The stamped Polaroid style frames from the Roundabout Project Life kit and circles punched from leftover pink alphabet stickers have us all digging out our kits again...no wonder our members fell in LOVE with this! If you would like to see more of her work, you can stop by her gallery here at Studio Calico or her blog. Ginny is also active in the Twitter community: @glthughes.

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 6/9-6/15.

Congratulations Ginny!! 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!

winners

We have a new set of challenge winners - CONGRATS to all of you!! If your name is on this list, you'll be getting an email from us with info about your prize. Thank you again to all who take part in our challenges!

wholesale spotlight | Atlantic

CHA-S anticipation is starting to mount (look for the reveal of our new lines in early July!), but in the meantime, our team is still working their magic with our Atlantic line :

Deb Duty - Happy Place


Nicole Reaves - Project Life week 20

Sasha Farina - Sea World '09

Anna Maria Wolniak - Summer Break

workspace wednesday | Stephanie Bryan

Today, we're sharing a workspace tour from our June guest designer, Stephanie Bryan. Come see where she made her beautiful projects! I love the photo grouping over her desk, and she has a few great storage ideas to share as well :

Hi everyone!  I'm so excited to share my craft space with you all today.  This room is my favorite place in the whole world and you can often find me in here.  It doubles as our guest room, but luckily, most of our family and friends live close by so I don't have to share this space too often!  I do have two little kiddos who like to think that this room is "theirs", but we all know the truth!!  :)

This is my desk area.  The table is actually an old kitchen table that I repainted.  I love how much room it has and how I can really spread everything out.  I'm kind of a neat freak, so the table top actually looks like this most of the time unless I am in the middle of a project.  I find that I work better in a clean space so I usually try to put everything back in it's right spot after I finish a project or layout and before moving onto my next project. 

I keep the "essentials" out and easily accessible on the table top.  The "THINGS" container is from Land of Nod and is perfect for holding my pens, tiny attacher, scissors, tags and some journaling cards.

I keep a small container of my favorite stamps (and most recent stamps) out on my desk as well.  I find that I'm more likely to use them if they are in my eyesight rather than in a drawer.

This little tin holds my journaling cards and filler cards for Project Life.  I use the tags to help keep them organized by theme.  When I work on my PL album, I'll usually just pull out a handful and see what fits with my spread on that particular week.  The 4x6 cards are kept at the back of this tin, along with a few notebooks and journals (you never know when you will get inspiration!!).

This little "lazy susan" holds all of my current silhouette cuts, tags, circles and labels.  It's perfect because it spins around AND each of the ceramic dishes is removable.  It definitely comes in handy when looking for the final touches for a project!  

This little basket sits under my table top and holds all of my 6x6 paper pads.  I find that I use these A LOT for Project Life, as well as for my traditional layouts.

On the other side of the room is a dresser that is perfect for storage.  I keep most of my embellishments and small items in these drawers.  I also keep my Project Life album out and open so I can work on it throughout the week if I have some free time.

Here's a peek into the top drawer of the dresser.  These little bowls from Anthropologie are perfect for keeping my odds and ends in sight.  I love being able to open these drawers up, look and see what might work with a project, grab it and go.  It definitely makes my life a little easier.  (And if you haven't noticed….everything has a place.  I'm a little weird like that….just ask my husband!!)

Other than embellishments, clips and what not, I also use these drawers to store my extra stamps, stamp pads, heat gun, glue gun, tags and stickers.

This is my craft closet.  Sorry for the poor quality photo…this closet doesn't get much light.  Here's where I keep all of my albums, mini books, and design team products.  The baskets at the top of the closet hold things I like to keep handy, but don't necessarily use everyday (think fabric, felt, iron).

And that's about it!  Thanks so much for letting me share my craft space with you today.  And a super big thanks to Studio Calico for allowing me to be the guest designer this month.  It's been pretty awesome!!  xoxo

-Stephanie Bryan

Project Life journaling prompts | Laura Kurz

I often use journaling prompts to come up with ideas for filling up my Project Life spreads with all the most-important information! I know sometimes you get stuck in a rut and feel like you are saying the same thing each month, so here are some ideas to jump-start some new journaling!

1. What are you loving right now? From clothes to recipes to the weather, what is it? I usually like to do this in a list format. (Here is an example of a page I did this on).

2. Quotes. What are some of the funny things/expressions your kids are saying right now? (Here is an example of a page I did this on using a journaling card with a speech bubble on it).

3. Highlight a few days out of the month and specific events that happened on that day. (I did this on this spread, pulling out a few key dates from the month).

4. Who did you visit with this month? Did you have playdates or meet friends for lunch?

5. Where did you travel this month? How many miles did you put on your car? Where was your favorite place you visited?

Here are two journaling cards I did to show my list of what I’m loving right now and how I highlighted some of the things my daughter is saying right now.

Supplies - patterned paper: Studio Calico Abroad Montauk; letter stickers: Roundabout Project Life Kit; fabric bows: Studio Calico Atlantic collection; vellum die cuts: Atlantic collection 

 Do you have any great journaling prompts for adding to your Project Life albums?

-Laura Kurz

introducing Samantha Shepard

Hi everyone! I am so excited to be writing to introduce myself to all of you. I’m Samantha Shepard, the new Marketing Director at Studio Calico. I am beyond excited to be a part of this awesome group of folks and get to work with all of you! A little bit about me: I am first and foremost a mom. I have two awesome little girls (ages 4 years and 20 months )and a new little man will be joining us very soon. I have been working in sales and marketing my whole career - mostly in the IT world. I have a sewing machine and a silhouette sitting on my desk next to me as I type this. I fear they do not get as much of a workout as all of your equipment does though! Although I am an amateur compared to this community, I am in constant amazement at what the crafting community creates and I look forward to learning from all of you what is possible with the awesome materials Studio Calico brings to you each month.

  

Now for the fun part of this post. I am a little crazy… ok scratch that. I am BORED with being conventional and normal in this life, so I like to do things that are a little silly sometimes and a lot fun. If you’re not having fun then what is the point, right? The best part about my silliness is that you are going to benefit!
 
Here’s what I did, I snuck into the warehouse and stole some awesome goodies to give away to one lucky person!! You have to watch the video and see how to enter. You’ll also get to see what I stole right off our shelves. ;) Post your entry as a comment right here on the SC blog - you have until Friday!
 
Good luck and again, I am so excited to get to know all of you and be so inspired by your creativity.
 
Sincerely,
Sam

weekly challenge | Marcy Penner and Nicole Harper

This week's challenge is to use a repeating pattern on your page.

From Marcy Penner : I have a hard time with circles, but the whole idea of using repeating circles on this page it emphasis the pile of stone by the culvert was just too perfect to pass up.

I started by layering my photos and papers and then found some circle elements in the Atlantic collection that could accompany circles punched from patterned paper.  Once I had a few I started layering those on in a diagonal pattern and finished it off with some stitching and sequins.

Supply list : paper - plymouth, rock port, bridgeport, montauk, atlantic bundle collection, atlantic 12x12 paper pad, atlantic 6x6 paper pad; sequins - atlantic variety sequin pack; stickers - atlantic sunrise thickets, atlantic glittered star stickers; printables - atlantic printable labels, atlantic digital printable #1 MP; tags - medium white tags; tools - tiny attacher, tiny attacher refills

From Nicole Harper : When we came up with the idea of using repetitive shapes, I was stoked to have a chance to show off my love for the die cut files this month. I resisted adding 'hello...' to every single window of this Project Life layout!! I forced myself to only use 3 of them, as well as 3 of the tab cut files and used the triangle elements on the washi tape as another graphic to repeat.

Supplies: Roundabout PL Kit, Navy Pier kit, Cumberland Gap Kit, Roundabout Printable File, Roundabout Label File, Hello banners Cut File, Roundabout Tabs Cut File, Gold POW Glitter Paper

We can't wait to see how you use repeating patterns! Make a project for this challenge, then share it in the Studio Calico gallery. Leave us a link to your project by June 17th in the comments here to be entered to win a $5 GC to the Studio Calico Shop.

Sunday Sketch

This week, we invited SC member Leanne (username leannemw) to share her take on one of our sketches. She couldn't resist seeing the ability to use both, and we're excited to share them with you!

First up is our card sketch, based on a card from Lisa Spangler:

Our scrapbook sketch this week is from Kinsey Wilson's gallery:

Jennifer couldn't resist the scrapbook sketch...look at how awesome these colors look against her white background!!

Supply list:  Roundabout main scrapbook kit; shop items include the shipping tag, twine, & the Noah alphabet stamp set

I guess you could say I was really excited about being asked to make something for the Sunday Sketch because I didn't waste any time getting right to work.  I followed the layout sketch for this page about the month of June.  This was kind of a just for fun page documenting all things I love about this time of year.  I loved the idea of using strips of patterned paper to divide the page into sections.  I cut several strips of the different papers from Roundabout and just moved them around until I like the order.  I basically flipped the sketch upside down because I liked the photo on the top half and the title on the bottom.  I then took the raindrop acetate shapes and altered them to look more like flower petals.  I wanted to tint them with color so I lightly sanded them so they would accept some Mr Huey's mist better.  I carefully used my heat tool to dry them and held the heat on them just long enough so they would slightly curl. 

 

Then, she decided to use the card sketch to help her finish a problem that had her stumped!

Supply list:  Roundabout scrapbook & card kit;  Mr Huey's First Kiss and This Is Me class stamp set

I took the This Is Me class a couple months back and needed a title page for my book that I'm still in the process of completing.  I thought the card sketch would be perfect for that.  I really liked the cascading elements down the right side and followed that idea almost exactly.  I changed it up just a bit with the misting but following the sketch made it quick and easy to get this page done! 

Leanne's use of color against neutral backgrounds allows for versatility, as well as giving her photo the spotlight! We love what she came up with, and hope you do as well. If you'd like to see more of her work, check her SC gallery...thank you for sharing these with us, Leanne! :)

Now it's your turn! Make a project with using one of this week's sketches as a starting point, then share it in the Studio Calico gallery. Leave us a link to your project by June 24th in the comments here to be entered to win a $5 GC to the Studio Calico Shop.

 

 

 

member spotlight | KimberlyMarie

Hello!  My name is Kim (SC username is KimberlyMarie).  I live in beautiful southern Ontario, Canada and have been scrap-booking on and off for the past 12 years.  I have two girls 19 and 17 and twin boys who will be 16 this month!  Time is going by just way too quickly :(  Scrap-booking is definitely my creative outlet, I love it when I just sit down and "play". The whole process is so satisfying and I love the sense of accomplish when I've completed a page. I love the Studio Calico community, everyone is so nice and there is so much talent and inspiration in the gallery.  I see and learn new things every day!

What are your top 5 favorite products and why?

1-My circle punches and my mini heart punch.  They're classic and never go out of style and are perfect for when you need to add a small embellishment.  I use them on almost every layout I create.
2-Water colours!  They are so versatile and I love how you can change embellishments, papers and letter stickers with them.  Ever since seeing how the design team has been using them I've been hooked!
3-Wood Veneer, cannot get enough of this stuff.
4-Vellum, one of the best products ever made.  I love how you can add texture ore create softness with it.  Very versatile.  
5-My printer, I hate my handwriting so I love to use different fonts.  They're great for creating different dynamics and emotions on my pages.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Mostly from the photo's I'm scrapbooking, I like to draw inspiration from how the photo makes me feel and go from there.  After that I'll check out the Studio Calico Gallery and Pinterest :)  There are so many wonderful, creative artists out there and Studio Calico has some of the best!

What is your favorite color and/or color combo?

Kraft or white with soft muted tones.  I really like soft pinks, blues and greens.  Every so often though I like to get crazy and a bright colour ;)

Tell us a bit about your design process.

Scrapbooking is my creative outlet. I love sitting down and going through the whole process from start to finish.  I love that feeling when the page is complete and I've created something unique and beautiful.  I start with the photo and think about the message I'd like to convey with my page.  Then I'll start thinking of colours and go through my stash to see what I have available to me.  I consider my style to be classic, clean with a touch of whimsy.  I also LOVE embellishments and sometimes have to remind myself less is more....lol  Every so often I'll take inspiration from the Studio Calico kit.  I love the different themes they come up with and it's so easy to grab photo's to match.  It's what I love about the kits they do a lot of the hard work for you and make things easy.

Tell us a bit about what else you do since we know you are creative in more ways than just scrapbooking.

I mostly just scrapbook but would love to learn more about photography.  I know a great shot when I see one however I need to learn a lot more about lighting and f-stops and all that other techy camera stuff.

Thank you again to Studio Calico for featuring me this month, I am beyond humbled and so flattered.  I truly am glad I found this community and can definitely see myself sticking around for a long while :)

Thank YOU, Kim, for letting us feature you this month! If you want to see more of Kim's work, stop by her blog or SC gallery.