supplies Patterned paper, stickers, journaling cards (A Walk in the Park by Echo Park Paper) kraft cardstock (bazzill)
This week’s giveaway is an Echo Park – A Walk in the Park complete kit. The sophmore line for this new paper company really hit it on the mark. This line is a richly colored line perfect for summer photos, girls, boys, and will even take you back to school and into the fall. The creative possibilities are endless. Be sure to swing by their FB Fan page and say hello. You will find lots of fun projects, inspiration, and yes.. freebies!
To win, visit the blog each day and leave a comment. Each comment is an entry for the drawing. Friday morning I will pull the lucky winner… simple and easy. Have a great weekend!
TIP: For this layout I created, I wanted to save some of the yellow patterned paper that the layout is built on. So I cut a 8×8 sqare from the very center of the page. Then, I mounted the 10×10 square of Kraft cardstock and added machine stitching. That way, I can still use the pattern that would have otherwise just been covered up!
A few years ago, I was totally inspired by a project that Ali Edwards created. She used a printers tray to create a beautiful wall display. Well, its been almost two years since I found and purchased a couple vintage printers trays… and they are still empty.
supplies: Paper, stickers, and journaling cards (“A Walk in the Park” by Echo Park Paper)
But these little inexpensive house shaped trays are really fast to put together. This one I created in just 20 min. using just a single picture. I have also used smaller houses – like the one below - (about 5″x7″ in size) for baby shower gifts. Perfect for a new nursery.
And here is the first little shadowbox house that I made about 4 years ago~
A couple years ago I created these little baby shirts for my sister’s baby shower. Recently a friend of mine requested I post the pattern. So here it is! Click here to download a printable PDF. And for you Silhouette owners I also have a link to a gsd file of the same pattern.
Click here to download the pdf with instructions and the pattern. bittybaby
Click here to download the gsd file. (in a zip file) bodytwo
Take a look at the magazine stand and you will see that everyone is talking about it. From Martha and Oprah and beyond, the story is COLOR. For a designer – no matter if you’re a pro or a home crafter – color can be a big subject. After all, color can be the easiest way to create something delightful. And it can also bring a project down fast. So choosing a color pallette can be a daunting task.
But have no fear. There are many tools out in the “world wide web” that can aid in choosing and using color. I was recently inspired by a blog called Inchmark. (hosted by Brooke Reynolds) Brooke was the senior art director for Martha Stewart. So you can imagine that there are some very inspiring goodies over there. I am really moved by her color stories. A simple set of fabric swatches that represent a color theme. Simple yet brilliant.
So to draw upon my love for both fabric and papers, I created a simple color story of my own. I decided to work on a little swatch card that could hold both fabric and paper. Working on a small canvas like this is much less daunting than trying to create a color scheme on a larger scale. And considering that I tend to very heavily lean toward pink, this was a much needed excersize.
Once I created these little swatch cards, creating from that point was a breeze. I created these “everyday moments” cards.
And also this layout.
For more of color inspiration, check out these blogs and color tools all available online.
Inchmark – Home to color “Color Stories” along with colorful and inspiring projects.
Colour Lovers – a place to check out a world of color, compare color palettes, submit news and comments, and read color related articles and interviews.
Adobe Kuler – a great tool for creating color swatches online. You can also download an Adobe Air version so you can have your favorite color combinations right on your desktop.
Color Schemer – This is a great tool for the color phobic. Click on a color and a set of coordinating colors appears.
Heather Bailey – Fabric designer and avid crafter, Heather’s blog is visually stimulating and enticing.
For more of color inspiration, check out these blogs and color tools all available online.
Inchmark – Home to color “Color Stories” along with colorful and inspiring projects.
Colour Lovers – a place to check out a world of color, compare color palettes, submit news and comments, and read color related articles and interviews.
Adobe Kuler – a great tool for creating color swatches online. You can also download an Adobe Air version so you can have your favorite color combinations right on your desktop.
Color Schemer - This is a great tool for the color phobic. Click on a color and a set of coordinating colors appears.
Heather Bailey – Fabric designer and avid crafter, Heather’s blog is visually stimulating and enticing.
I love the way stitching looks on paper. But when trying to create a sewn cover on a thick material, like this notebook… machine sewing just would not work.
A simple solution is to just fake it! I started by taking a piece of Kraft cardstock {that matched the cover of the notebook} and glued all the little paper strips to it. {a great way to use those scraps} I ran that through my machine, then…adhered the whole “faceplate” to the cover of notebook. Now there is no surface safe from paper stitching. This works for all types of thick chipboard, board books, or anything you want to have machine stitching on a thick surface!
Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win the My Little Shoebox prize! Winner announced tomorrow along with a new weekly giveaway.
Ever since I was a child… long before I started “scrapbooking” in the way think of it today… I was fascinated by photocorners.
You know, those little triangles that held the photographs in place. While doing some “spring” cleaning in my studio… I came across a pile of these simple paper wonders. A rediscovery of sorts. Use them for a cool retro modern feel to your layouts like this one below that I created for the Scrapbook Trends blog.
Photo corners also add a little extra touch to cards.
And finally, how about using them to accent strips of patterned paper or quilt block style layouts.
Simple, inexpensive… rediscover photo corners!
Supplies used: Patterned papers, journaling cards, etc: Elle’s Studio. kraft cardstock: JilliBeanSoup. black ribbon: Nashville Wraps. photo corners: Canson. other: crepe paper
