Studio Calico

weekly challenge

Hey y'all, it's Stephanie and today I'm here with a brand new weekly challenge.

I have a problem, and I can admit it....I hoard thickers. It's gotten to be seriously out of control. I am moving in a few weeks and as I stared down the MESS that used to be my craft room, I realized that it was time to start USING supplies. 

That's how I came up with the idea for this layout. The challenge is simple:make a long title using at least three different types of thickers,stickers,or silhouette fonts.

(supplies : patterned paper : Heyday Ethereal ;  Thickers : Heyday Ali Thickers in aqua, Heyday Bliss Thickers in pink, Heyday Bliss Thickers in black ; die cuts and brads :Heyday Ephemera Pack ; Veneer-Heyday My Type  Other :American Crafts Precision Pen,adhesive)

I chose three different thickers from the Heyday release. I just had fun. I didn't worry about perfection or anything of the sort.

The end result is a FUN,happy layout with a BIG title. Hahahah! Not my usual layout, but again...so darn fun.

Good luck! I can't wait to see what you do! Link your  project here by July 30th for a chance to win a $5 gift card to the Studio Calico Shop.

 

NSD Challenge: Confetti

Next up is Lisa T and Stephanie H.

Their challenge? Use confetti! 

Lisa writes....
"I'll admit it. I'm confetti addicted right now. It's a quick and easy way to add a little fun to any page. I make my confetti by using the Large Swiss Cheese Border punch from EK Success. I punch all of my scraps from projects into a jar on my desk so I always have some ready to go!
For this page, I cut the stars and title from my background cardstock using my Cameo. I backed the largest star and the "O" with two layers of transparency, and then added confetti to the pocket I'd created."

(cardstock : More Vanilla ; patterned paper : Abroad Locals, Departure, First Class ; mist : Mister Huey's Pinstripe, Shine ; mask : Circle Graph ; veneer :Stars, Hearts & Arrows ; clip : Take Note fabric paper clips ; stickers : Take Note tiny alphabet stickers ; other : Cameo, Large Swiss Cheese Border punch, Tiny Attacher, brad, washi tape)

 Here's Stephanie's take on the challenge.

Abroad-mini envelopes, Concierge patterned paper, Locals patterned paper, Departure patterned paper,Continental patterned paper, Classic Calico 2- wood veneer stars, Take Note graph garland,lullaby thicker, American Crafts .03 precision pen, adhesive, Martha Stewart heart confetti punch, EK Success Swiss Cheese border punch.

Post your layouts here by May 13th for you chance to win a collection pack from our stash of prizes!

 

weekly challenge

Hey Y'all!

This is Stephanie...and it's time for another challenge! This week I am challenging you to go simple. Graphic, clean...whatever you want to call it. Put the embellishments away!

In this layout from my City of Lights gallery, I kept it simple. It's all about the photo and journaling. Sure, there are thickers and a bit of paper here and there, but the focus is the story.

Actually, it's harder than it looks. Clustering embellishments comes easy to me. Keeping it simple does not. Like my husband says...sometimes I just don't know when to stop. HA!

So go for it. Tone it down. Try it clean and simple. I can't wait to see what you do! Link your layout back to this post by April 9th for a chance at winning a SC gift card!

xoxo

 

Weekly Challenge

Hey y'all it's Stephanie here with a brand spankin' new challenge for you!  Today I'm challenging you to make a monochromatic layout or project.  Here's what I came up with:
supplies: Fall Fashion (Autumn Press); Steamer Trunk (Autumn Press); Rose Bud (Autumn Press), Frolic (Autumn Press); Love Bird (Memoir) ; Die Cut- Cream Ledger;   Chipboard Butterflies (Studio Calico and Sassafras);  Mister Huey's in Cameo; Butterfly Mask; Scrap Pads (Autumn Press); FabRips (Autumn Press); Alpha Stickers (Autumn Press); Addy Alphabet Stickers; Die Cuts (Martha Stewart); Heart (October Afternoon); Pen (American Crafts)

As you can see, i went with pink. Shocking. I know. heeee! I wanted to use the Love Bird script paper but it wasn't pink, so I misted it with cameo mist. I used butterflies throughout, from the mask to the chipboard. This supports the theme of flying.

I just went with as much layering of pink elements as possible. From the stickers to the papers to the embellishments, to the bow (a FabRip)...all pink.

So go for it! All one color. You can DO it! I can't wait to see what you come up with!!  Post your link here by Monday, January 23 for your chance to win a SC GC.

Happy Creating!

Sunday Sketch

We've got a fresh spin on our weekly Sunday Sketch post and I think you're going to like it! Each week we'll be sharing the sketch along with the layout that inspired it, same as always, but I've asked an active member on the SC message board and gallery to create the new layout to go with the sketch.

First up is a gal whose work I've admired for a very long time and has been catching my eye with her cool take on a December Daily album.  It's Claudia Shadler (username Clouds85) with your Sunday sketch inspired by Stephanie's layout from the Brooklyn Flea gallery.

Here's Claudia's take on the sketch...

Claudia says: "I'd like to say that I actually made the cupcake on the pic from scratch, or that I've actually baked something lately, but instead the wonderful bakers at "Happy Cakes" beat me to it and they did an amazing job ... I can tell by how happy I was when I took my first bite, yummy :)" I love the layered strips of papers that she used to mimic Stephanie's angles on her layout!

Post a link to your layout using the sketch by Monday, December 26th for your chance to win a SC GC!  Have fun!

Sunday Sketch

It's Kelly with your new Sunday Sketch, inspired by Stephanie's layout from the Field Guide gallery!


Here's my take on the fun sketch:
Supplies: Autumn Press Scarf paper, Autumn Press Frolic paper, Autumn Press Maple Syrup paper, Autumn Press 6x6 paper pad, Classic Calico Piano paper, Chipboard Alpha Tan, 6x12 Border Stickers

Link up your layout using the sketch by Monday, October 24 for your chance to win a SC GC. I can't wait to see what you make!

Tutorial

Hey y'all! It's Stephanie here with my very first tutorial! I am so excited to share something I'm very passionate about...doilies. Yes, you heard me right. Doilies. I am doily obsessed and have a huge collection! I have paper doilies, plastic doilies, and crocheted doilies. I am always adding to my collection too. I am clearly a granny in a 34 year old's body.

Today I'm going to talk about something I love to use my doilies for...misting with Mister Huey's.

A wide selection of doilies work well as masks, and here are a few of my favorites. The plastic (aqua and cream) doilies are vintage and can be found in junk/antique type shops. The white paper doilies were found in the baking sections of grocery stores and craft supply stores.   The yellow and pink doilies were Easter themed doilies that I found at the Dollar General.

Today I want to share my favorite ways to use doilies and Mister Huey's together. It's a match made in heaven! And this is coming from a girl that not too long ago had NEVER had any desire to try misting.

I have doilies as masks on many layouts, but the most recent is my glorious layout from my field guide gallery. Field Guide is still for sale here!

I think the reason I like this layout so much is that the Calico Shine Mister Huey's on the dark cardstock is just so subtle, shimmery, and pretty.

For this layout I placed a large circular paper doily on cardstock and misted it with Calico Shine. I misted pretty freely here, not caring that there were larger splotches and uneven spots.

The final result is hard to relate in photos, but it is shimmery and elegant. There is plenty of room on the design to add photos and embellishments in the center of the doily. Voilà!

For this next misted background, I used my vintage plastic doilies and a bright white background. Please note that I placed them a bit off of the sides of the page. I chose to use the Cameo Mister Huey's here.

I decided to mist the center of the doilies a bit heavier so that they would pop more than the rest of the design.

The final result is, honestly, my favorite of the three designs I did for this tutorial. I can't wait to use it! I love the Cameo on the background. So pretty.

For this last background, take medium sized circle shaped paper doilies and cut them in half.

I chose to use Dewey Mister Huey's on a cream/light brown background. Take three of the half doilies and place them around the perimeter of the cardstock. One to the bottom left, One to the upper right, and one in the upper left corner.

I lightly misted the doilies with the Dewey mist. On this page, I decided to lightly mist the doilies only, not extending the mist to the middle of the page, except for a few splatters here and there.

The final result is soft and feminine and subtle. You could certainly mist heavier here, but I wanted a light effect.

So there you have it! Three different ways to use doilies as masks on your layouts. I honestly could have shared a million more ways, but I had to stop myself. :)

I really hope you are inspired to try this technique soon. And if you do try, please share your links here. I would LOVE to see!

Have a beautiful,blessed day!
xoxo

Sunday Sketch

Hello all!  Nicole S. here with you Sunday Sketch!  This week's sketch is based on this lovely page by Stephanie Howell.

 

Look at those sweet baby faces!  swoon!  I was instantly inpsired by Steph's use of the circles on her page.  Love how she used little bits and pieces to make each circle a little different.  I stuck with the circle theme on my page, but used them more for a background for my photo.  I tried to layer a few different elements on my circles as Steph did...although mine aren't as interesting as hers!  Supplies:  Autumn Press Rose Bud, Scarf, Fall Fashion, and Frolic patterned papers; Autumn Press Bookplate Stickers; Autumn Press Label Stickers; Autumn Press Alphabet Stickers; Mister Huey's Cameo; Smash Date Stamp; adhesive foam squares
 
Take some inspiration from the sketch and play along by uploading your layout to the gallery and linking us up in this post.  You have until Monday, August 22 to enter for a chance to win!

Sunday Sketch

Happy Sunday, Y'all! This is Stephanie, and I'm here to share a brand new Sunday sketch with you! This week, I was given the pleasure of lifting April's amazing layout. This is one of my favorite layouts April has ever done and it was an honor to lift it.

I chose to convert this sketch to a 12x12 layout. I also flipped it and put the photos along the top. I had scraps of the new Memoir line left, and punching them into 1 1/2" circles was the perfect way to use them. You can tell I only had scraps left by the fact that I had to use the negatives of the purple memoir alpha stickers. HA! Waste not want not,right? Supplies: Patterned Papers and Stickers: Studio Calico Memoir Collection; Die Cut Paper: Die Cut Cream Ledger, Punches: 1 1/2 inch circle punch, Pen: American Crafts Precision Pen .03

I layered punched circles instead of using scalloped trim or a border punch.
I'm so happy I finally found the opportunity to scrap these sweet photos!

We'd love to see your take on April's layout. Post  and link your layout by Monday, August 8 for your chance to win a SC giftcard!

Have a wonderful day!
xo,

4th anniversary challenges

We are thrilled to be celebrating four years of inspiration, delivered! Studio Calico has grown and evolved over that time, and we couldn't have done it without all of you. As a thank you, we wanted to deliver a little EXTRA inspiration this month.

We've invited four past Studio Calico designers - Kelly Goree, Jenn Olson, Joy Madison and Caroline Ikeji - to join in again this month, and you will love what they made with MIND THE GAP. We also asked each of them to issue a challenge to our community and our design team. You'll love what they came up with - and we'll have details at the end of the post on how you can play along to win! Thanks Kelly, Jenn, Joy and Caro for being willing to lend us your time and talents!

Our first challenge comes from Kelly Goree : 

I have found that the number 1 question I get asked when it comes to scrapbooking is "How do you mix so many patterned papers together in one layout?" For many people, Patterned Paper usage can be a real challenge and mystery. I have found simply by selecting papers of simliar hues and variety of pattern sizes, you can start mixing patterns with ease. Most of my layouts (as do both of these) use a minimum of five different patterns at a time and I truly prefer seven or more! (I can see some of you shaking your heads!) So that's my challenge to you. Break 'em out (there are so many gorgeous ones in this kit) and get to mixing! We'll start small so let's see you use at least three different patterns on one layout. Don't be afraid to go bold!

I am addicted to YELLOW right now and I loved that there was plenty of it in this kit - perfect for summer photos and anything that makes you happy! I found the patterns blended together so easily and I wish I had had time to create more than 2 layouts with this main kit as I still had plenty of paper left! It's on my "to do" list!

Kimberly Neddo's bright and happy style was a perfect fit for Kelly's challenge - here's what she made :

Next up, we have a challenge from Jenn Olson :

Although I haven’t been scrapbooking much, it was tons of fun to create a page for SC’s 4^th anniversary!! I really miss my monthly SC fix, so opening the box and finding new fabrips (mmmm—have you sniffed those yummy things?) and map paper just made this page fall together. I probably shouldn’t confess that I got so excited to pull my mist out that I accidentally misted my entire computer screen! Oops!

Anyhow—my challenge: Scrap a song, song lyric or any part of a song and how it relates to your life. 

Waleksa Neris used song lyrics as the title for her carefree summer page :

Our third challenge is from Joy Madison :

Next Monday, the mister and I will be married 13 years.  Sadly, in that 13 years I've never had a finished bedroom.  I've bought things here and there, but never had the bedroom I wanted.  

Over the past year I've been slowly remaking our room and finding pieces I wanted to incorporate.  I'm down to the last item, THE BEDCOVER.  I've been searching thrift stores and antique stores for a reasonably priced quilt.  I've been searching online for a new or vintage quilt and haven't found anything exactly right.  So I've decided to make my own.  That's pretty daunting, but I've been scouring the internet for quilt patterns and the right look for us. 

(image source - providencehandmade on flickr)

One of the patterns that immediately drew me in it this cross pattern.  I knew I needed to make a page using it as inspiration.  Join me this week and use the quilting world as inspiration for your page.  Copy a pattern or a technique or really anything.  I'd love to see what you come up with. 

Jen Jockisch played along with Joy - here's her quilt inspired layout :

And last but not least is Caroline Ikeji :

We all have a "to-do" list, whether it's things to accomplish during the day, week, month, year, or even in a lifetime. My challenge to you is to scrap those to-do lists. It could be a simple day-to-day to-do list, or a "things I want to do in my lifetime" kind - whatever floats your boat! For the last few years, I've been making a list of things I want to do before my next birthday (I think I might have originally been inspired by KP), and this is this year's (27 things to accomplish before I turn 27).

Stephanie Howell turned her summer wish list into the perfect take on Caro's challenge : 

Now that you've seen the challenges, it's YOUR turn to take one! Link your layouts here by Monday July 11th at midnight EST for a chance to win one of four $5 gift certificates! And yes, multiple entries are welcome. We can't wait to see your submissions!