Studio Calico

the SC blog has a new home!

2010-10-03T16:57:00.001-05:00

Please visit us at our new blog:

http://studiocalico.typepad.com

If you're here looking for the winners of the Reveal Night Giveaway, they're posted here.

2010-10-02T16:56:00.001-05:00

The layout of the week is brought to you by Jill Sprott (JillS).
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 9/26-10/1.

Congratulations Jill! Because of this 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!

Gallery Spotlights...

2010-10-01T22:40:00.007-05:00

I don't get nearly enough time to spend in the gallery each day and my goodness, there are some really amazing layouts there this week and always. I've chosen a few favorites to share here....

This layout by poki is outstanding! I'm totally digging the pops of red, the woodgrain background and all the great little bits here...
Lisa never disappoints...her layouts are always so perfectly designed. Check out the fun way she stamped this background with the journal lines stamp!
This layout caught my eye right away. Love the tiny photos and the colors are so fun!
Penny knocked this one out of the park...the design is just perfect and I love the way her journaling strips follow the shape of her flower.
Have a great weekend everyone!! :)

Insider Tips: Misting

2010-10-01T18:29:00.004-05:00

I have a secret to tell you. I'm a little bit scared of misting. Ok. A lot scared of misting.

See, I like things that I can easily undo. Like pulling letter stickers up once I've laid them down or re-punching a shape. But then a man entered my life. His name is Mister Huey. And he was all pretty and the other girls talked him up like he was the hottest stud. So I had to try him out.
My misting adventure started when I couldn't cut up the American Crafts lace paper from On the Easel because it was too pretty. A lightbulb went off in my head to use it as a mask so that it could stay intact.

First I gchatted Lisa and asked her oh, eighty questions. She told me to line a big box with newspaper and to set my cardstock down inside. She also advised to make sure to lightly adhere down the edges and the center so it doesn't slip around. I love a good tone on tone page, so I picked out the Applejack Mister Huey. I want to try more tone on tone misting in the future - it's such a fun look. After giving it a good spritz I let it dry for a couple minutes and then viola! I have a completely masked background.
It turned out to be so easy and not only did I have a misted background for my page, but I could also use the lace paper as a mask again and still use the lace paper on my layout (cut up if I dared!) So even a 'fraidy cat mist-er can easily do a little masking + misting... hope you'll give it a try!

Fashion Inspired Layout

2010-09-29T23:09:00.002-05:00

Happy almost Thursday! :) Kelly N here with my fashion inspired layout. When I saw Kelly P's post yesterday, I was instantly inspired by the ruffle neckline on this shirt. I knew right away I wanted to try something similar on my layout.

Being the Mama to 2 boys, I knew the purple wouldn't work ;), but I thought I could pull off the "ruffle" look without it being too girly. I used my circle punch to punch a bunch of circles from various Elementary papers. Then, I simply layered the punches along the edge of the Window Seat paper from Documentary. Super simple to do and it's a really fun look. To make my fashion inspired page less girly, I added some masculine elements like buttons and an arrow. I added in the Sass banner and border stickers from the En Plein Air add-on along with bits of the Sass paper to finish the layout. Also, using more traditionally masculine colors lends a boy-ish feel to my page.

Don't forget to link your fashion inspired layouts to this thread on the message board! We can't wait to see what you come up with! :)

Fashion Inspiration

2010-09-28T16:44:00.012-05:00

Hi everyone, it's Kelly Purkey here! When Kelly Noel + I were brainstorming up themes for our blog week, I knew we'd be perfect for a fashion inspiration week since we're both girls that love to shop. I wanted to share some fashion inspiration today from a couple of my favorite sources.

I love the GAP website because their lines often have bright colors and fun combinations. I found this cute little boy's sweater... I never would have thought to put grey in with orange + brown but it looks fabulous.I also really liked the homepage for GAP. I could see a cool design for a page using this as inspiration. Maybe frames made from the polaroid stamp in the On the Easel kit!

I also found this cute top on the Banana Republic site (don't you love how easily they're all linked at the top of the GAP/ON/Banana websites?!!) and thought it would be a fun idea for layered punched circles.One of my favorite places to shop is J.Crew and they always inspire me with the color combinations they come up with. I loved this green, tan, dark grey, and light blue combo... it would be perfect for some winter photos.
I found this page in a recent J.Crew catalog and the colors that they listed for the coat caught my eye.
I whipped up a quick page using a dark green, dark blue, taupe, dark orange, and plum inspired by the colors listed...
Hope this gives you some ideas for finding and using fashion inspiration. Can't wait to see what you all come up with for the challenge!

Challenge: Fashion Inspired

2010-09-28T07:08:00.002-05:00

Good morning! I meant to post this challenge yesterday, but got caught up in all the reveal excitement last night and forgot. My apologies! :) KP and I are hosting the blog this week. Since fall is here and all the fall fashions are popping up in the stores, our challenge to you this week is to create a layout/project inspired by fall fashion. Think fall colors, ruffles, stitching, etc. I'll play along too and post my layout later this week.

We'll choose a winner on Sunday night, so be sure to link your layouts to this thread for your chance to win a $5 SC gift code to the shop. We can't wait to see what you make!

Tutorial: Misted Flower Headband

2010-09-26T20:24:00.005-05:00

Hello SC friends! Kelly N here to show you a quick little headband I made this weekend. It's super fast and easy and now I'm so hooked on making them, I might have to go buy some more headbands.

I used some of this new white flowery American Crafts ribbon (Maya Road makes a similar ribbon that would also work well). To start, I cut 3 flowers from the ribbon, trimming away the excess.
This is what the flowers will look like once you've cut them from the ribbon...
Next, I used mist to color the flowers. Super quick and the mist dries so fast, which I love, because I'm an instant gratification kind of girl! I used turquoise, purple and the Dark Calico Mister Huey for mine, but with so many different color mists in the shop, you could come up with all sorts of fun color combos.
Here's what they look like all misted....
Now, take a piece of cardstock punched into a circle (felt would work better for this, but I didn't have any...you should use felt!). Put some glue onto your circle...
Stick all the flowers down onto the circle, add a fun button/brad in the center to finish it off and then simply glue it onto a plain headband and voila, you've got yourself a snazzy headband!

I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial...be sure to show us if you make one of your own. Enjoy the reveal tomorrow night and have a great week everyone! :)

Layout of the Week

2010-09-25T23:02:00.000-05:00

The layout of the week is brought to you by Geralyn Sy (Qingmei), using the Back 40 kit. Geralyn also added the Addy Alphabet stamps available in the shop on 9/27.
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 9/19-9/25.

Congratulations Geralyn! Because of this 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!

Sunday Sketch

2010-09-25T23:01:00.000-05:00

Here's a challenging sketch this week inspired by Susan Weinroth's "Remembered" layout. This sketch is perfect for documenting LOTS of photos, but feel free to include memorabilia, embellishments, patterned paper, or whatever your heart desires in all the nooks and crannies of this layout.

Oh, and if you'd like to modify it to be a one page layout, that's fine too. Whatever you do, have fun and play!

Now it's your turn! Make this sketch your own and link your layout to this post no later than Saturday for a chance to win one of two Studio Calico gift cards!

Sunday Sketch Winners

2010-09-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

by simplytam using the Joyland kit

by Houston

Congrats to both winners! Please send an email to info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize and include the following information:

Name:
Contest: Sunday Sketch 9/19
Prize Won: $5 gift card

Reveal Night Giveaway

2010-09-25T19:06:00.003-05:00

Want to win a fabulous Lost & Found prize pack?

Let us know if you ever lost anything of value and if you found it. This might even be a fun prompt to scrapbook about.

Member Spotlight: Amy Tan

2010-09-24T18:05:00.003-05:00

I am so excited to spotlight this cute girl today because not only is she super duper creative and inspiring but she is also super sweet. I met her earlier this year at Reflections and she is one of those people that instantly treats you like an old friend! Love her!

I asked her a bunch of questions and picked out some of my fave layouts from her gallery...... here we go.... all eyes on the cute and creative.... and sweet Amy Tan (also known as Amy Tangerine since many people think that is her name!)

Q: When did you start scrapbooking and what got you started?

A: I started in 2007 after visiting a local scrapbooking store and signing up for Emily Falconbridge's class that was happening the next day. After taking her class, I was totally smitten with the hobby, the producs, and all the wonderful people involved.

Q: What are your top 5 favorite products and why?

A: 1 - Patterned Paper - reminds me of fabric, and usually sets the tone of the layout

2 - Stickers - who doesn't love stickers?

3 - Rub ons - so versatile and fun to use

4 - Cardstock - especially white and kraft, just a good base for a page

5 - Punches - this is a fairly new obsession. Love making fun embellishments and putting a new twist on the papers

Q: What is your favorite Studio Calico product and why?

A: Love the patterned papers and the Fabrips. Both are fun to cut up and transform. I like the sticker sheets too. Heck, I really like it all!

Q: What is your favorite go-to or signature technique?

A: Sewing on paper - both hand sewing and machine sewing

Q: Where do you find your inspiration?

A: I'm inspired by the world around me, quotes, experiences, new products and life in general

Q: What is your favorite color and/or color combo?

A: I love all colors really.... but I suppose my recent faves have been yellow, orange and turquoise.

Q: Tell us a bit about your design process.

A: Usually I start with a photo and then choose the patterned papers and cardstock. Then I glue everything down and add the embellishments and the title. I rarely ever take a layout apart. I trust my instincts and go with it. Mistakes have been made, but it usually turns out to be something new and cool.

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

A: I have a full plate, balancing both creative and business. I am a consultant for Rodan & Fields. If you want amazing skin or a great way to make some extra income, let me know! I also run my company, Amy Tangerine, which used to be primarily a tee shirt line sold in over 250 stores around the world. Now it's multi-faceted and we provide custom tees, creative consulting, on-site scrapbooking for events, and custom scrapbooks for clients. Please come say hello: amytangerine.blogspot.com

....................................................

Well, as you can see from her layouts and pictures, she is not only adorable but uber talented! Be sure to check out her blog and her gallery on Studio Calico if you want some serious inspiration!! Thanks for letting me spotlight you Amy! Can't wait to see you again next time I am in Cali!

Insider Tips: Pink for Halloween?!?

2010-09-23T22:30:00.004-05:00

I am getting super excited for Halloween! It isn't necessarily my favorite holiday for the holiday in itself but I do absolutely love the Halloween decor! Next to Christmas it is my favorite holiday to decorate for and I always wish that I could just leave everything up all the way until I am ready to switch it out for Christmas. My house always feels kind of bare when I take down the spooky things and leave just the "fall" things. Is anyone with me on this or is it just me? :)

But then I also have another sort of dilemma which is that my home isn't decorated with "fallish" or Halloween colors. I have lots of turquoise and pink around my home -- in the pillows, frames and even the pictures and so the question becomes how do I work it all in without having to literally take down and switch out all of the permanent/normal decorations in my home? Of course there are some things I take down and put away just to make room for the holiday decor but then there are other things (like the frames and art) that I must leave in their normal places. Well, I'm here to tell you that it can work! There is no hard and fast rule that says pink can't be included in a Halloween color scheme! When it comes to color, you know I love it and I am not afraid to push the boundaries or break the "rules."

Let's use this layout as an example. The Harvest Moon Add-On Kit jumped out at me as one I knew I would use and get a lot out of (since I do love Halloween and I always have lots of photos of the kids in their costumes!) Then I got it out and also got out my photos of Emily Jane in her adorable little butterfly costume, which was (yep you guessed it) PINK! Lo and behold there was no pink to be found in the Harvest Moon Kit and so I was faced with the same dilemma.... how do I use the fun and spooky and fallish papers and embellishments without making the photos stick out like a sore thumb??!?

Here's what I did..... I grabbed a sheet of pink cardstock even though it wasn't part of the actual kit (shhhhhh, don't tell! remember that part about breaking the rules? only no one needs to know... it's our little secret! ;) ) Then I got out some of my trusty orange maya mist and got spraying. I wanted the pink background to tie in with her costume but I also wanted to add some orange right on the background. That's because I knew that if the background had both orange and pink it would feel like it was made to match the photos and the layout. Not only does it tie in the costume color but it also ties right in with the orange from the halloween accents.

Next you may also notice that I didn't use a huge amount of Halloween accents that were overwhelmingly orange and black. Again I wanted it to feel like Halloween but didn't want the pink to stick out or feel out of place so I went for things that had a lot of colors in them - adding in some blues, greens and yellows as well. Now we have lots of different colors going and all of those colors look great with pink..... which ends up leaving us feeling like the pink blends right in. Whereas if I had only used papers and accents that were strictly orange and black, the pink might have seemed a little off and out of place still.

So in the end it seems opposite of what you might think to try but it worked..... by introducing even more "non-halloween" colors and accents into the mix, it tied the pink in even more and made it all come together perfectly! Who knew that pink could do Halloween so beautifully? :)

Sunday Sketch - Sasha's version :)

2010-09-22T00:01:00.001-05:00

I played with the Sunday Sketch this week! This layout, my friends, may look nothing like the sketch in the end, but I promise you I started with it! :)

I punched the classic butterfly out of a scrap cardstock. Then, using that as a mask (and covering the rest of the layout) I misted them with *from the bottom* - Orange Sherbet, Sunflower, Bubblegum and Pink Lemonade. Then, I lifted the mask, and using the 'outline' classic butterfly stamp, I stamp roughly where the masked images are with Fired Brick. And again with Black Soot.

And the rub on was applied on a Studio Calico brown bag. Makes me happy, that brown bag. *grins* I hope you'll play along, if you haven't already!

Outside Inspiration + Bonus Challenge

2010-09-21T00:01:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone!

Yes, you read that right! I have a bonus challenge for you this week! It's gonna be fun, I promise :)

You'll get two images - as below. All you have to do is be inspired by them. A layout, a card, an altered item - whatever makes your heart happy.

(via KellysKeepsakes on Etsy)

(via persimmonandpink on Etsy)

Here's my take :)

This layout makes me smile, wholeheartedly. That photo, wasn't even perfect. They were busy spinning at the playground, didn't wanna stop, didn't wanna pose for mommy. *sigh* My babies.

I used kraft cardstock + white flower to mimic the tan purse. Then I stamped my title in many colors just like the graphic print. I added some 'me'~ness with the subtle misting, jute, punched butterfly, tiny attacher, tim holtz memo pins and Studio Calico Rub Ons - the alphabet border.

Now it's your turn to be inspired.

Please link back your entries to this thread. Winner will be chosen randomly from all eligible entries. I'll draw a winner for a $5 GV to our favorite shop next Monday morning.

Yes, you have one extra day to work on this one. :) Have fun!!

Monday Challenge : Scrap Recipe 2

2010-09-20T00:01:00.009-05:00

Good morning to you,

Good Morning to you,

Good Morning my dear friends,

Good Morning to you!

I'm back with another Scrap Recipe challenge for you since many of you love the last one :)

Here's your recipe for this week :

ledger paper
kraft cardstock
three photos
frame
mist

Here's mine. I used

Ledger Paper - mine is from Elementary *Diecut Ledger Blue* - and Documentary *B side of Window Seat Paper*.
Kraft cardstock - doesn't have to be the background, just use it somewhere on the layout.
Three photos.
Frame - mine is the black and white frame - painted blue from Joyland.
Mist - the layout may look 'clean' to you, but there are still a few colors of mist there. I used Seafoam Green, BubbleGum, Pink Lemonade and Raspberry Pink. Close up below.

Now go have fun! Remember you can add your own 'ingredients' to the layout. Just make sure you have all five items in plain sight on your layout. I used the some fun punches and rub ons on mine.

Please link back your layout to this thread. Winner will be chosen randomly from all eligible entries. I'll draw a winner for a $5 GV to the shop next Sunday morning!

Layout of the Week

2010-09-18T23:16:00.002-05:00

The layout of the week is brought to you by Mandy Starner (MandyKay ), using the Back 40 kit.
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 9/12-9/18.

Congratulations Mandy! Because of this 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!

Sunday Sketch

2010-09-18T23:09:00.003-05:00

This week's sketch is inspired by Vee Jennings' "New Look" layout from the Back 40 Gallery.
Notice how Vee used a scalloped sticker along the complete right side of her layout. This could easily be adapted to use a corner punch and some patterned paper as well. Vee used 3 photos sized to 2x3". To learn more about resizing photos, check out Susan's tutorial.

Now it's your turn. Take this sketch and make it your own for a chance to win one of two $5 Studio Calico gift cards. Make sure to link your layout to a comment in this post by Saturday.

Sunday Sketch Winners

2010-09-18T23:05:00.002-05:00

by just g
using the Back 40 kit

by koostacy

Congrats to the winners! Please send an email to info@studiocalico.com with the following information:

Name:
Contest: Sunday Sketch 9/12
Prize Won: $5 Gift Card

Paper Bow Tutorial

2010-09-18T17:20:00.000-05:00

This bow came into being because I needed a 3-D accent. I did a search and learned how to make them from a post on flickr that used magazine pages. Paper is a little different, but these are really fast to make and can add a fun happy look to your pages or cards. OR... you could actually make it for a present topper. :)

You'll need a paper cutter, liquid adhesive and a pair of scissors (optional). Here's a step by step for you:

Cut 4 strips of 12 inch long paper. For this example I cut mine 5/8" wide, but you can experiment with the width.
Cut three of the strips in half at the 6" mark. At this point, you'll chose which side you want showing. I wanted the ruler side of Harper's Ruler to show because I thought the variations would make for a fun bow. Notice how I marked and X at the 3" mark on the ruler side? That will guide where you put the spot of glue, right in the middle.

3. Now comes the trickiest part of the process. You'll put a dab of the liquid adhesive on the X and then fold the end on the paper backward onto itself.

Here's what it looks like from the front:
Now you repeat the process with the other end of the same 6" strip.

Here's what it looks like from the other side:
Now you repeat the same process six (6) times. For the last two times, before you start the process, you'll want to cut about 1/2" to 3/4" off the strip to make the end loop a bit smaller than the first four. You'll have a group that looks like this, aren't they so cute in a row like that? Notice the two on the end are just a bit smaller. It makes it easier to put the bow together.
Now the fun part, assembling the bow. Put a dab of glue in the middle of the first twist.
Then start stacking, adding a dab of glue (this is why I use the Quick Dry Adhesive by Scotch 3M, it really is FAST. The first and second ones will nest nicely, the next four will not nest, they'll start the lift that you see in the end.
The final step involves cutting a small piece of the strip, mine was 2.5" long, gluing the ends together and inserting it into the middle of the bow, attaching with one last dob of liquid adhesive.
Then you can use the bow in any manner you'd like, on a layout, a card, or another project. The bow will smash when you put your layout in an album, but that just leads to the personality of the project in my opinion. I hope you have fun with this project!

Member Spotlight: Margrethe

2010-09-17T14:11:00.005-05:00

Today's spotlight is on member Margrethe.
Her unique compositions and photographs always capture my eye.
I asked Margrethe a few questions...here's what she had to say.

1. What's your 3 must have products?
This is so difficult... After being scared of mists, mists are now starting to become a must-have. I also love tape - washi tape, ducts tape or just ordinary masking tape. And I just love alpha stickers.

2. Current Inspiration?
Everyone on the Studio Calico message board/gallery! Seriously. You guys are all amazing!

3. Favorite Studio Calico Kit?
My first Kit was August 2009, Over the Rainbow, and even though I love them all... My favorite must have to be Granny's Cupboard.

4. What are you listening to right now?
I'm not a person who listens to a lot of music, but the car is currently playing Depeche Mode and Ego Likeness.

5. Guilty pleasure?
At the moment I have a thing for rice pudding (the Norwegian kind mentioned).

6. Layout that best represents you as a scrapper

Check out more of Margrethe's layouts here in the Studio Calico gallery.
Keep up with her here on her blog.

Thanks Margrethe for being apart of the Studio Calico community and inspiring us all with your visual and artistic layouts!

Insider Tips: Paint Spots

2010-09-16T14:38:00.000-05:00

Paint is one of my most favorite accents and a must have item for all of my projects! It is always on everything I create in one form or another. Today I am sharing with you one of my favorite ways to add a pop of paint and color to any layout using paint!

I love to use my actual paint bottle as the tool for applying the "spots" of paint. First shake your bottle of paint with the lid close a few times to loosen up the paint. On the last shake hold it upside down for a second or two. Second, open your bottle of paint right side up, see the paint gathered on the tip of the top that goes into the base of the cap? This spot of paint is the perfect size to add little accents of paint to projects.

After I've adhered my layout together I add paint where it is appeasing to the eye by dabbing the screwed off top to different areas of the layout. Remember start with a little first, and then add more as desired by putting the cap back on and repeating steps 1-3.

(Supplies used on Layout: Studio Calico Elementary and Making Memories Paint)

Neutrals continued.

2010-09-14T22:16:00.003-05:00

Vee's Neutral challenge has got me in the Fall mood.

Mister Huey has stolen my heart. I adore the smaller size and matte finish not to mention the outside label matching the actual color of the mist. Helpful, no? My favorite colors are Classic Calico which I used above, Dark Calico & Warm Calico.
I first spritz water on my cardstock, then followed it with the Classic Calico mist to achieve the watercolor splatters.
Looks as though the Mister is available at Two Peas.
It will also be availalbe in the Studio Calico shop in November.
Other items used:
Woodgrain Star Rub Ons
Elementary Label Stickers
Both are also available through Two Peas.

I've created a little mosaic as my inspiration.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Be sure to get your challenge layout posted to the gallery by Saturday for your chance to win a $5 Studio Calico gift card!

Sneak Night Winners

2010-09-14T19:34:00.001-05:00

And the winners of the My Mind's Eye prize packs are............

Blackbird:

Somertime said...

The mummy costume I made my son by hand sewing strips of gauze to a white shirt and pants and then wrapping his head. As the night wore on the strips began to pull away waving in the breeze behind him as he ran from yard to yard.

September 13, 2010 11:12 PM

Haunted:

Laci J said...

My favorite halloween costume was last year when I baked mustache cookies on a stick. So simple and AWESOME!!! Best Halloween pics I've ever had.

September 14, 2010 3:36 AM

Winners, please send an email to info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize. Include the following information:

Name:
Subscriber: (y/n)
Contest: Sneak Night Giveaway 9/14
Prize Won:

Outside Inspiration

2010-09-14T14:19:00.004-05:00

Today's outside inspiration comes from a few of my favorite artists.

Keri Smith
I get a lot of my journaling and title ideas from this amazing illustrator. Her quirky handwriting and doodles in simple black and white are amazing and inspire me to no end.

1. 2. 3. 4.

Gustavo Aimar
I found this amazing artist through Flickr a few years ago and followed his work since. His collage style illustrations have been a jumping off point to a few of my layouts. I also love the color combinations he uses.

1. 2. 3. 4.

Sneak Night Giveaway

2010-09-13T18:59:00.001-05:00

Here's 2 chances to win a Halloween Collection by My Mind's Eye.

Just leave us a comment letting us know your favorite Halloween costume and you'll be entered to win. It's that simple!

Monday Challenge: Monochramtic Layout w/ Neutrals

2010-09-13T13:14:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, Tina and I are blogging with you this week! Today's challenge is to create a monochromatic layout using all or semi-neutral tones.

On this layout I used a mix of Studio Calico Products ( Documentary Alpha, Home Front Journaling Cards) with a mix of other embellishments to create a neutral semi-monochromatic layout with a few notes of color. I love how neutrals can really make elements of a layout stand out more.

Be sure to post your new layout to the gallery and a link to it on this thread by Saturday (9/18) at midnight EST. I will draw a winner Sunday morning for a $5 gift card to the shop!

2010-09-12T08:53:00.002-05:00

The layout of the week is brought to you by Danielle Flanders (Dani).
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 9/5-9/11.

Congratulations Danielle! Because of this 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!

Sunday Sketch

2010-09-12T08:52:00.002-05:00

This week's sketch is based on the Baby Mine layout by Jen Jockisch made with the September kit. I love Jen's ability to layer and use lots of products, but still keep the focus on the photo(s) she is scrapbooking. This layout of her sweet baby is no different and though it may look complicated, it's not!

Notice how Jen used strips of patterned paper. Some are punched with border punches and some are left straight and one is the decorative edge from a piece of Sassafras paper. Those papers are lined up, layered, then a single 5x7" photo is placed on top.

Now it's your turn. Take this sketch, make it your own and link it on this post by Saturday for a chance to win one of two $5 gift cards.

Sunday Sketch Winners

2010-09-12T08:50:00.002-05:00

by kocaro

by rebeccak

Congratulations to the winners! Please send an email to info@studiocalico.com with the following information to claim your prize.

Name
Contest: Sunday Sketch 9/5
Prize Won: $5 gift card

Members Spotlight: using theme items

2010-09-10T12:02:00.006-05:00

Happy Friday! Today I want to showcase some of our members and their clever use of theme items on non-theme pages.

hera used the Documentary kit (July 2009) for this family picture. I love how she used all these travel items for a non travel page. The tickets and the map tags at the bottom... perfect!

Here, MandieLou used the Documentary collection for this sweet mustache page. How adorable is this? :)

Check out how scoop71 used all these home items (Homefront + Documentary + Houses stamp) for a family picture. Lovely!

Finally, I love how tinacloer used Airshow from Partly Sunny on this page. I think these airplanes work great for *any* boy page!

I hope you get inspired to use all those theme items and join the challenge this week. Have a great weekend :)

Q and A with Megan Hoeppner!

2010-09-09T12:56:00.004-05:00

I'm interrupting the regularly scheduled blog posts to share a bit from this month's guest designer and Creating Keepsakes editor, Ms. Megan Hoeppner. You might remember that a couple weeks ago I had posted this thread on the message boards asking for some questions you'd like Megan to answer. Well, I emailed those questions on to Megan and she very graciously answered them all with plently of detail and specifics! :) Get ready to be inspired to start submitting....

1. Is there ever one specification you always look for in every page to be published? One thing all pubbed pages MUST have? Actually, no. There are so many factors that go into the decisions behind each page we publish. And while we have general things we look for, there are always exceptions to every rule depending on our specific needs.

2. As someone who is crazy about scrapbooking, has previous magazine-writing experience and whose dream is to contribute to Creating Keepsakes one day, how might I be able to write for the magazine in the future? What would I need to do?
Our articles are generally written by either our in-house staff of editors or by our amazing group of contributing writers, but this doesn’t mean we don’t also take proposals by those passionate and creative folks outside of the Creating Keepsakes editorial staff. The best way to propose an article idea is to send us an e-mail, which outlines the idea and how it would benefit our audience. If you have layouts completed that you’ve done to help support your idea, you’re welcome to send those along with your outline. And if you have a previous writing sample or two to include, it would help to also include that. We always appreciate fresh ideas and love seeing what others come up with. If you have something to share, please send the aforementioned information to letters@creatingkeepsakes.com with “Article Idea” in the subject line.

3. According to your bio, you began at SU. What made you take the leap into the magazine world?
Yes, I started my full-time professional life in the public relations department at Stampin’ Up! (Talk about an amazing out-of-college job!) In that position, I had the pleasure of working with members of the media all over the world, including the lovely ladies and gents at what was then Primedia (Paper Crafts, Simple Scrapbooks, and Creating Keepsakes magazines). After a few years of working for SU!, one of the magazine editors mentioned that there was a job opening with Paper Crafts magazine. I had always been interested in the magazine world and decided to look into that opening further. As much as I LOVED my job at SU!, I decided to jump on the chance to broaden my skills and learn new things. The journey has been a wonderful one, and I don’t regret any of the decisions I’ve made to grow and experience the many different aspects of the communications field!

4. What is your favorite column in CK and why?
Wow! You know how to ask the tough questions. Do I really have to pick a single favorite? If so, I suppose I’d have to be selfish and pick “Creative Spaces.” (Is it lame to select a column I also write? Maybe a little.) This is my personal favorite because I’m always impressed and inspired by how others choose to organize their crafty surroundings. I love seeing how different scrapbookers live their creative lives, and I’m always so blown away by the clever and innovative ways people find to store their ever-growing scrap stashes.

5. What sections of the magazine are most "open" to publishing regular submissions each month?
A great entry point into our magazine is our “Reader Gallery” column, which aims to showcase our wonderful readers. But we love publishing what we call “Fresh Faces” in all areas of the magazine, so we hope people will submit to any of our open calls that inspire them. You can find all of our open calls on our blog under the “Submit” tab, along with instructions on how to go about sending your work in and helpful submission pointers.

6. What percentage of the magazine is already filled by regular contributors/designers?
I don’t know if we have an exact percentage, but we do have a talented group of Creating Keepsakes designers (our Dream Team and Contributing Writers) who are given a spot in each issue, and there are a few of our in-house staff editors, myself included, who create for each issue as well. Between our editors, our contributing writers, and our Dream Team members, we know we’ll have at least 17 spots filled. BUT we publish more than 150 unique projects and tips in each issue, so there are plenty of spots remaining for other scrapbooking talent to help us fill our pages, whether they’re submitting layouts, cool techniques, or other creative projects. And it’s a high priority of ours to ensure we’re offering a balance of styles and designs in each issue, so we’re always looking for unique people and ideas to include. In other words, we hope readers will submit, as we love seeing what they’ve got up those creative sleeves of theirs.

7. How do you prefer layouts to be submitted? What pixel size is "ideal"? Do you want them in the body of the email or as an attachment? Do you want a supply list with the submission?
You can find great information on what we’re looking for when it comes to submissions in our online article “Tips for Getting Published.” As far as how pages are submitted, we prefer e-mail to regular mail, and low-resolution attachments are usually easiest. But if you’re only able to send a page in the body of message, please don’t feel like you can’t do that. Either way works for us.

8. Do you want any tips/tricks listed in the submission email if it's not specific to the call?
Absolutely! If there are tips or techniques about the page that you feel are worth mentioning, we’d very much appreciate you pointing those out with your submission. And we also ask that you include a supply list and layout-measurement information with your submission.

9. Do you lack more single page layouts or double page layouts when you're trying to fill in holes?
This is a great question! We always get more single page submissions, but our readers have let us know that they prefer two-page spreads with multiple photos. With that knowledge, we make a great effort to include these in our issues. We include a good amount of both layout styles in the magazine, but we do find we’re more in need of the two-pagers, so if you have them, we hope you’ll send them. :)

10. How important is it to keep the pages simple?
Clean and simple designs definitely speak to our readers, but we don’t aim to publish them exclusively. We also like to include collage-y pages, whimsical designs, shabby chic styles, technique-heavy creations, and more! I think it’s safe to say we publish more pages on the simple side than anything else, but your page not being simple isn’t a deal breaker.

11. Do you prefer layouts with more than one photo?
Unless a project calls for single-page photos specifically, we prefer to publish multi-photo layouts, as our reader research shows that’s what our audience is the most interested in seeing.

12. If I submit a page for general and it doesn't get a call back for it, and a few months later, a call comes out that it would be perfect for, should I resubmit? or is that just too repetitive?
You bet you should resubmit. There are SO many things that go into selecting each and every layout we publish. And what may not work for one issue may be just what we need for a future issue.

13. Why does your publication give priority to two page layouts?
Responding to our readers wants and requests is our top priority, and the large majority of our audience has indicated that two-page layouts are the style they prefer.

14. Will you be getting a journaling columnist again?
We know that journaling is a key piece to just about any layout. In fact, we often push back and ask designers to include journaling on their pages (where they may have submitted a design without it). With the importance of journaling, I can say that we include journaling and/or storytelling features in each of our issues. In addition, we will continue with our “Journaling Solutions” column in 2011.

15. Could you walk us through the selection process from the time a submission is received via email to when an actual page request is made?
I’d love to! It all starts with member of our team posting our specific page calls on our blog. From there, we will monitor our submission’s in-box and flag any layouts we feel meet our article’s criteria. After a while, we hold a submission review meeting, where each editor brings their layout options to the table…well, to the wall, actually, as we hang all of our submissions on the wall together to see how everything fits together. During that meeting, Jennafer Martin (or editor-in-chief) and I will meet with each editor and review each and every layout option being submitted. From there, we select what will go into the issue, and our editors will then go back and let the designers we’ve selected know that we want to use their pages. Page requests usually come via e-mail, but we have been known to call people about their pages (or ideas) if we’re unable to reach them by e-mail. The entire process generally takes a little over three weeks, from the time our calls are posted to the time e-mails go out.

Nicole, since we’re on the awesome topic of submitting, I’d also like to give you a little sneak peek information. We have an article coming out in our Oct. 2010 issue, which provides helpful hints on getting your layouts published. The article is called “Ten Tips to Get Published in Creating Keepsakes,” and it can be found on page 87. It includes visual examples of what works, and we hope our readers will find it helpful and informative!

Thanks so much for this opportunity to share information on our magazine processes. I hope your brilliant Studio Calico crowd will begin submitting. :)

Cheers!
Megan

I so appreciate the time and effort she put into her answers. Thank you so much, Megan! Now girls... get those pages ready for submission!!!

Insider Tips - Use FABrips for Scraproom Organization

2010-09-09T08:49:00.000-05:00

Today, I would like to show you how I turned a Kitties Powder Milk can into a nice, textured Mists box! :)

Simply use any jar or box that you can recycle.
The FABrips have been one of my most favorite Studio Calico products : you can cut them, trim them, punch them, fold them. I just LOVE the texture!

I really wanted to use a sheet of FABrips to add to my scraproom : the design of the Documentary FABrips just rock!

Being travel themed doesn't mean you have to use them for your travel projects only : think about the design, the color, the patterns. Try to think outside of the box.

Simply trim your sheet of FABrips and adhere it to your box.
Here, I used Documentary stickers and a scallop punch to decorate my box a little bit.

Now I can organize my Mists by color and recycle my Kitties powder milk boxes for my other mists colors :D
Céline

A Twist and a Tip

2010-09-08T12:11:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! I'm back with a little twist on Monday's theme challenge.

My goal was to use one of my favorite papers from Documentary: Jet Set (the airplane paper) on a non travel page. And because I love a good challenging challenge (LOL) I decided, what if I mixed themes?

You see, when I was working on this page I remembered this quote: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” -Dr. Seuss. So I thought that using travel theme items (Documentary) on a school page was fitting. Don't you agree? :)

As for the tip: I stapled a 6x6 page protector to my page (using the tiny attacher) and slipped the little book inside. That way we can easily take it out to read and put it right back.

Inspiration : POLAROID

2010-09-07T20:39:00.000-05:00

Polaroid have been very popular these days and I couldn't resist posting about my love for them :)

You can turn any of your photos into polaroid on these websites :

La Photo Cabine

Poladroid

And some polaroids for the inspiration :)

Sources : Polaroid Passion

Sources : Everyday Polaroid
Sources : The Impossible Project

Sources : Bureau 206

Sources : Babart

Monday Challenge

2010-09-06T08:00:00.003-05:00

Hi there. Happy Labor Day! Celine and I are SC blogging this week :) We have a fun challenge to start off the week and hope you join us. Use theme products on non-theme pages.

On this page I used Elementary, mostly a school themed line that happens to work great for everyday pictures :)

So go ahead, use those vintage buttons from Harvest Moon on a non Halloween page or the airplane papers from Documentary on a non travel page or Amerigo's kit for a non patriotic page... Get creative!

Post your new layouts to the Studio Calico gallery and link back to this thread on the message board. A winner will be chosen at random next Sunday morning and will receive a $5 gift card to the store.

Sunday Sketch

2010-09-05T13:41:00.002-05:00

This week's sketch is based on a layout by Nicole Harper using the Open Pasture add-on kit (still available). She used a slightly cropped 4x6" photo, and added border strips from the Sassafras paper + created some of her own using border punches. She also used the butterfly stamp set from the Fresh Cut add-on in combination with the Royal & Classic Butterfly punches by Martha Stewart. Notice how she embellished right on top of her photo. Another design technique that Nicole implemented was balancing out her bold title with a similar color at the bottom of her page. Her journaling is then placed in the open space in between which gives a nice flow to the page.

Now it's your turn! Take this sketch and make it your own for a chance to win one of 2 Studio Calico gift cards. Be sure to link your layout to this post by midnight EST Saturday.

Have fun!

Sunday Sketch Winners

2010-09-04T23:01:00.000-05:00

by AmyTangerine using the Continental kit (still available)

by Saneli using the Summer Camp kit (still available)

Congrats! Winners please send an email to info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize and include the following information:

Name
Contest: Sunday Sketch 8/29
Prize Won: $5 gift card

Layout of the Week

2010-09-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

The layout of the week is brought to you by Meghann Andrew (megnard), featuring the Summer Camp kit (still available) and the Classic Butterfly Punch. Another great alternative to the Classic Butterfly is EK's new Butterfly Chain. It's versatile in punching several different butterfly shapes, and you can create a paper chain as well.
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 8/29-9/4.

Congratulations Meghann! Because of this 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!

DT Highlighted

2010-09-04T10:34:00.008-05:00

Hi All! Happy Labor Day Weekend! :)

I wanted to take a minute to highlight 2 of the many talented and special ladies designing for Studio Calico. Because Sasha and Celine didn't get their kits until after reveal day...they both busted their hiney's to crank out FABULOUS creations in a very short time. I wanted to pick on them and put them in the spot light here to show off my Fav's of theirs this month.

By Sasha: I LOVE "We Trip Daily"

I LOVE how she splattered color, I LOVE how she did the title...and I LOVE the message to her daughters. Fantastic! :) Be sure to check out all of Sasha's GORGEOUS creations here to get inspired.

By Celine: I really LOVE "Enjoying our London Getaway"

Celine always inspires me with how atrsy she is with all her creations. She is not shy with her misting, paint or stamps...and I LOVE what she did with the border sticker with this. I also LOVE how she did the title...very creative! :)
You can see all of Celine's AMAZING creations and inspirations here.

Now I want to go over seas to see these girls in person! :)

Have a blessed day!
Loves,
Kimberly

Ideas for scrapbook kit storage

2010-09-03T12:28:00.000-05:00

Good Friday morning to you! Davinie here. As a long weekend approaches in the US and perhaps some time to clean and sort in the craft room emerges, I thought I'd share my process for my Studio Calio kit storage. I've been around SC since 2007, so I have tried many different things, and this is what works best for me.

Each month after my kit arrives, I fondle the contents, sniff the exclusive SC products, hot off the presses, and then I put everything in an Iris container:

I'm a girl who definitely likes to combine my main kit with the add-ons, if I purchased any (and who am I kidding, I always get add-ons!)

I usually put the cardstock in first, then the patterned papers, and then the alphas and embellishments, as I usually choose my cardstock first, and then play around with the "decor" for my layout.

This Iris container has a snap lid, so I can haul it around the house if I want to, or take it with me to a crop or on vacation, if I need to.

Once I am finished with my kit for the month and the next one has arrived, I take the remining contents, and put them in a drawer from a stacking 3-drawer system:

I *try* to remember to use my labels punch to note the kit name, so that when I go back to use the kit at a later time, or create a layout for submission, I can remember what kit it came from.

I am a bit of a kit hoarder, and keep a year of kits in my stash. Is that bad?

I don't have a lot of guilt with this because Studio Calico is the only place I shop really. I use older kits a lot. There have been times when there were only wee bits left of a kit and I didn't need to save it, but in general, in order to clean out my stash, since it is 12 months full, when I went to put away Back 40, I took the oldest kit, or the one with the least amount of product in it, and sorted it appropriately, papers here, buttons here, etc., in my stash and then filled it with my new loot.

You'll notice Back 40 was put away. That's because I'm waiting in anticipation for my next kit! That said, I can't wait to play with it some more. I just, uh, have family coming this weekend, and really need to clean up my space. heeee.

I have heard many people mention Crop Bags as their method for kit storage. There was a time when I also used Cropper Hopper's for my kit storage, but I have an Expedit system now, and the Cropper Hopper with any tall items in it doesn't really fit in there, so I needed a change. I like the horizontal storage over the vertical anyway.

How do YOU store your kits? That's what I'd like to know.

Have a great Friday! Davinie

Insider Tips...Stamping techinique and more...

2010-09-02T09:10:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone!
I've had many emails this week as to how I stamped the background of this Layout, so I thought I would shed some extra light on the details of this Layout, and the techniques I used to create it.

Using the Free Range Add on... and the More color add on
I picked out the colors and background paper that I wanted to use. I used my Tim Holtz ruler and a pencil to draw even lines spaced an inch apart. Then I simply stamped across each line with this color ink
After the ink was dry, I used my white eraser to take erase the penciled lines

For the outside borders, I used different patterned paper from the kit with different techniques. I used one of my border edge punch, and the fun lace tape that is in the kit. I also love to wet down my papers to get them to mold how I would like them to when they dry, so I did that along the edge to show a little smidge of the patterned paper on the backside.

For the Flowers, I punched out circles using 3 different size circle punches starting with the 3 inch punch. Then I wet the paper to crinkle them up and stacke them together. To finish off the flowers, I used the cute chipboard accent flowers with some jute to tie it all in together. :)

I hope this sheds some input on some new fun ideas to impliment in your own creations to try and play around with.

Have a great Thursday! xx
Loves,
Kimberly

Collage Inspiration is Elementary

2010-09-01T16:33:00.002-05:00

When I first posted the challenge on the blog, my immediate thought was that I needed to grab my Elementary Collection and create a layout. In particular, I thought of the Penmanship print and the B side with the yellow and star print.

One of my favorite parts about Elementary, this somewhat school themed line, is that it has pink in it. I have no choice. Pink is the signature color at my house. My girls aren't interested in wearing red, yellow, and blue on the first day of school.

The color pink, and the current challenge, combined to inspire me to create a layout about Morgan's first and last day of Kindergarten last year. I'd LOOOOVE to do a layout about her first day of 1st grade, but dadgum, school doesn't start until September 7! I'm dyin' here! :)

You'll notice the touches of pink. Also see the visual triangle I made in the design of this layout, with the blue down the right side and behind the two apples on the lower left, all of it intentionally done to draw your eye through the layout.

This layout was a lot of fun to make and extremely easy as well. Here's the process:

1. Kraft cardstock (well, of course).

2. The following punches:

The apple and the scalloped square (approximately 2 inches) worked together well this month. And if you look closely, you can even see my self portrait, reflected in that square. heeeee.

3. Using your square punch first, trim 30 squares from different patterned papers in your stash (although I think you can find Elementary quite soon at your local scrapbook or favorite online store).

4. After punching your squares, it's time to punch your apples. Slip the square into the punch and squeeze. You aren't going to see any of the square when you put the paper into this punch so try and drop it straight down to ensure the apple gets punched in the center. Ink the edges (I used antique linen). You'll end up with 30 of these:

5. Layer them on the left side of your 12x12 piece of cardstock:

6. On the right hand side of my layout I trimmed a strip approximately 2 inches wide with a scallop on the left, and layered the dark blue print on top of it.

7. After they have been arranged and adhered, I randomly stitched some of them, and then attached my photos and embellishments to end up with this:

OUT FOR PUBLICATION. :)

I used Elementary sticker alphas along with some Maya Road chipboard alphas I just received in my latest Scrapbook Trends goodie box. I used my go to Hydrangea mist on the alphas.

It's an apple, and then it's a pumpkin. What a snazzy little punch, that!

Reveal Night Winner!

2010-08-31T08:42:00.000-05:00

The winner of the JBS Playdate Collection is........

Sue said...

I would like see Leah Fung be the next guest designer.

August 26, 2010 11:33 AM

Please send an email to info@studiocalico.com with the following information:

Name
Subscriber: y/n
Address
Contest: Reveal Night Giveaway
Prize: JBS Playdate Collection

Inspiring Minds...want to know!

2010-08-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

Just where to draw inspiration from...outside the Scrapbooking arena!

Hello SC Fans and Friends...Kimberly here to share with you a FAVORITE place of mine that I ADORE...and I hope helps inspire you all they way it does me. :)

Have you ever heard of Shopruche?
Well...it is simply one of my most FAVORITE places to shop...and gets my creative juices flowing! :)
Here is a great shirt that I adore...Love the colors, design and over all look that I see. Makes me ready to try something new and fun. I can see using mists...crumpling paper...all kinds of fun things to do and try.

This is what I created from this inspiration. I didn't use mists...but I can definitely be inspired for more fun creations from this shirt. :)

Often times when I want the paper to bend and not crease, I will wet it down and then work it into position and let it dry. This is what I did with the ruffle down the side border.

Have a WONDERFUL week!
xx
Loves,
K

Challenge Monday - Collage Inpsiration

2010-08-30T09:00:00.002-05:00

It's a popular thing in blogland to hunt down fun images and put them together in a collage for inspiration. For today's challenge, I surfed around and found one I loved and thought I'd share it as a starting point for a layout, card, or project for the week.

This was found on the Creature Comforts blog, post and photo credits here.

When I first look at this collage, there is the obvious inspiration of punched or stamped yellow butterflies and mustard ink on my bike stamp.

This collage also made me think of fall and family.

The color palette reminds me of Documentary.

and really makes me want to break into Elementary.

This collage definitely makes me think of the Partly Sunny kit with the browns and yellows, and the water droplets on the bag makes me think of clouds. (I LOVED those corduroy Buzz and Bloom clouds from that kit).

The color palette and the butteflies are representative of the Picket Fence add-on from this kit too.

Use this collage as inspiration for a project this week. Be sure to share how it inspired you. There is a $5 gift certificate to the Studio Calico store in it for you. Link your layouts to this thread on the message board for your chance to win! I'll be drawing a winner bright and early Sunday morning.

Davinie

CK & Us

2010-08-28T23:36:00.002-05:00

For years, most scrapbookers have been inspired in small or large part by Creating Keepsakes magazine. So, when Megan Hoeppner agreed to guest design, we asked her to provide us with an inspiration piece from the magazine from which to work. She chose the September cover layout "Charming Girl" by Maggie Holmes.

So, as you peruse the Back 40 Design Team Gallery, you'll notice a "CK & Me" logo on the first layout in each designers' gallery. Whether the designer was inspired by the butterflies, the title, the mist, or the strips of patterned paper, each of us was inspired. Thanks to Creating Keepsakes for the awesome work they do each issue to provide us with creative design, heartfelt journaling, and tips & tricks to help us express ourselves artistically through this hobby we all love!

Layout of the Week

2010-08-28T23:16:00.002-05:00

The layout of the week is brought to you by Kate O'Brien (kateobrien), featuring the Home Front Dollhouse Paper, the Anthology Alpha Stickers, and the Anthology label stickers.
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 8/22-8/28.

Congratulations Kate! Because of this 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!

Sunday Sketch

2010-08-28T23:15:00.003-05:00

This week's sketch is inspired by Joy Madison's layout "Twelve" from the Summer Camp gallery. Her layout incorporates 3 photos and a simple message. Notice how Joy used the block of patterned paper to anchor her design, then she also added some decorative edges using a border punch.

Now it's your turn! Make this sketch your own for a chance to win one of two $5 Studio Calico gift cards. Be sure to upload your layout and link it to this post by Saturday, midnight EST.

Sunday Sketch Winners

2010-08-28T23:12:00.002-05:00

by Beth Ann

by ChristyR

Congrats to the 2 sketch winners! Please send an email to info@studiocalico.com with the following information:

Name:
Contest: Sunday Sketch 8/22
Prize: $5 Gift Card

Sunshine Tutorial

2010-08-28T23:11:00.002-05:00

Kelly N here with a quick tutorial on this Sunday morning. I love making "homemade" embellishments for my pages. Making your own accents for your pages is creative and fun and can add a lot of personality to your page. Today, I'm going to show you how I made this simple sun accent on my He Shines layout from my Back 40 gallery. This page uses papers from the Main kit plus mostly products from the Free Range add-on. Free Range was definitely my favorite add-on this month. The bright colors were so fun and I looove those JBS buttons!

The first thing you need to make the sun is 2 different sized circle punches. I used the 3 inch punch and a smaller circle punch. Punch a large circle from yellow patterned paper. Punch a smaller circle from a similar pattern and stick it on top of the larger circle.

Next cut small strips (about 1/4" or so) at varying lengths. Use the In Stitches punch to punch some of the strips. After punching the strips, use some baker's twine and a needle to stitch in the holes.
Use American Crafts Foam Tabs to adhere the circles to your layout and arrange and adhere the strips you cut around the sun.
Once you've got your sun in place, adhere 3 chipboard clouds (from the shop...LOVE all of the great pieces in this set...clouds, banner, flowers!) using more Foam Tabs on top of the sun for some detail.
And that's it! Super simple, but with plenty of impact. I hope you'll try making your own page accents. If you do, be sure to upload your layouts to the gallery so we can see! Have a great Sunday!

Friday...More on Memorabilia

2010-08-27T11:46:00.005-05:00

Thanks for all your great comments and e-mails on my memorabilia post. I by no means have a comprehensive system, but it's working for now (we'll see when we have a second baby - that poor child will probably have no record of its childhood!) I wanted to show you a few more pictures and also a few more ideas for how I memory keep (outside of scrapbooking).

This is the folder I keep all of Charlie's memorabilia in before it either goes in the storage book, gets laminated and goes in the scrapbook, or gets tossed.

This is another snapshot of the storage box, and his itty-bitty newborn diaper. It was fun taking these photos yesterday and going through all the stuff I'd already forgotten was tucked away in there. I also have all the newspapers and magazines from the week he was born (this box is big, so it's the perfect size for all that stuff!)

Something else I do is every night before bed, I write in this book. It's usually something Charlie did during the day, something I'm thinking about. It's easy. And it's a great reference too when I am scrapbooking, say I'm doing a page about when he was 8 months old and I can't remember a detail, I can go back to this book and look back at that point in time.

Lastly, I have all of Charlie's photos developed in wallet size. I don't scrapbook all of them (the ones I do plan on scrapbooking, I usually print in a larger size), but the ones that don't get scrapbooked get put in these baseball card holders. They fit perfect into my album from American Crafts.

I hope this gave you some ideas for things you aren't already doing to save some of your memorabilia...I'd love to hear any ideas for what you do too. Have a great weekend, everyone.

Laura

Finding Inspiration Inside a Cereal Box?

2010-08-26T19:24:00.003-05:00

Well, maybe not INSIDE the box, but certainly the design on the box itself can be a jumping point for your creativity! I thought I'd share one of my layouts from the Summer Camp gallery to prove my point... inspiration can be found everywhere!

The whole idea for this layout was born one morning while I was feeding Will his baby food. And while this is a fun milestone in your baby's development... you moms know that after a while feeding them little spoonful by little spoonful becomes quite the chore! Anyways, I was sitting there in between spoonfuls and glanced over at the back of the Cheerios box... and it hit me. THAT would be a great design for a layout! The big heart... filled with photos... oh my. Perfect. And fun! Here's the box with my little model....forgive the diaper showing because mama didn't bother snapping his romper shut after the last change. oops!

How fun is that box? Now, how did I take that box design and transform it into what you see below?

Well, I was going to do the photo filled heart idea. And I think I may at some time. But it just didn't work with this layout obviously. However I used the same idea in cutting out different squares/rectangles of patterned paper to fill in the heart shape. (This was a super fast technique b/c I didn't measure my paper scraps or cut with a trimmer... I just randomly cut squares and rectangles placing them in the heart as I went.) I also let my heart wander off the edges of my paper like the heart on the box. Finally, to make the heart shape more dominant among the mish mash paper scraps inside, I did some simple handstitching around it.

So, the moral of the story... be on the lookout for inspiration everywhere. Scrapbooking magazines are an obvious starting point, but don't overlook non scrapping mag ads, tv commercials, website design, product packaging, etsy, stationary/cards, etc. And if you're really organized you could create a little scrappy notebook to store all these great bits of inspiration. :)

(On this layout I used bits of the main kit, Summer Camp as well as bits from Footpath and Adirondack. And they are still available... so grab them quickly if you can! The Real Estate punch is also in the shop!)

Reveal Night Giveaway

2010-08-26T09:16:00.002-05:00

Want a chance to win Jenni Bowlin's Playdate collection?

Simply leave a comment here, letting us know who you'd like to see as the next Studio Calico guest designer.

Storage Solutions for your Memorabilia

2010-08-25T18:55:00.007-05:00

Slightly sentimental? Check!

The memory-keeper’s son. That’s what I call my one year-old, Charlie. I don’t know if someday he’ll appreciate the newborn-size diaper in his memory box, or the hat he wore home from the hospital, but I like to think at least his wife will.

If you are at all sentimental, the memorabilia and photos from your child’s first year of life (and on) can become overwhelming – fast. I also thought some of my nostalgia might fade as my hormones evened out, but if anything the desire to remember my son just the way he was each day has become stronger as I’ve seen how fast he really does change.

Here are some things I’m doing in my life to help me reflect on Charlie, and hopefully someday have him look back on. Or his prom date.

We took 227 video clips the first year of Charlie’s life. Now what? Burn them to CD and stick them in one of these adorable sleeves from Owlbot. I punched holes in my CD sleeve and put it in my three-ring album (these are some other sleeves I had):

Invest in a good laminator. Might seem silly, but it will help those monthly checkup sheets from the doctor or random notes from the babysitter age well.

A large storage box. I figure at the rate I’m going, this will hold enough memorabilia until Charlie turns five. So I bought two. I try to put a tag on each item (for cards, I bundle them together with twine by occasion – all of his first birthday cards are together).

I hope this post gave you some ideas for how to handle the memorabilia in your life! Have a great day.

Laura

Tutorial: How to Create Index Prints in Photoshop

2010-08-24T19:43:00.003-05:00

I hope a bunch of you are working on Laura's awesome challenge to scrap those tiny index photos. :) I was thinking of giving it a whirl myself, since I've never used such tiny pics on a page, when I realized that I don't have any index prints laying around. At least not any current ones since I now make my own backup DVD's and print at home. So, I decided to figure out if I could do the same index print idea in photoshop without having to order a sheet of them with a CD from my photo lab. And guess what? You can!

I'm going to share some screen shots of what I did using Adobe Bridge. It's very easy. Then I'll describe in just words how to do this in plain old Photoshop. (My version of CS4 lacks the plug in or something to do it, so I can't show you in screen shots. But I can tell you in words!)

Okay... here goes. How to create the index prints (aka contact sheet) in Adobe Bridge:

1. Open Bridge. Along the top menu bar, select "WINDOW", then "WORKSPACE", then "OUTPUT". Then select a file you want to create index prints for. If you want to makes prints of photos in multiple files it's probably easiest to save them all to one file first. This is what your screen will look like at this point.

2. Go ahead and select the photos you want to use so that they show up in the large window. Press control when you click to select multiple photos. Then you want to select your output options in the window on the right. You can see what I set mine to. Choose "PDF file" and 5*8 contact sheet in the template menu.

3. Hit "refresh preview" to see what you've created. You'll see that the files you selected in step #2 are now mini index prints set on a A4 sized paper. (8.5x11) That's the default sizing and if you like that....you are good to scroll down to the bottom of the right bar and find that little save button. Just save and print.

4. However, if you'd like to create index print sheets that would fit into the CD/DVD case the files are actually saved on, you need to change a few of the default settings. In the "Document" section in the bar on the right, choose custom for your size and enter 12.2 cm by 12.2 cm for the dimensions. (See my screen shot below). Then go down to the next section in the right side bar called "Layout" and enter 5 in the columns box and 7 in the rows box. Finally, make sure "auto spacing" and "rotate for best fit" are checked. Refresh preview again and viola! (Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the right bar to find that save button and save to print.)

Not too hard, right? :) Now, if you don't have Bridge or you'd rather do this in plain old Photoshop, you do the following:

1. In the "file" menu, select "AUTOMATE" and then "CONTACT SHEET II".

2. A box will pop up. This is where you select your file you want index prints from.

3. Also in this box you need to input your settings for the prints. Choose the size of paper (again, A4 is the default... if you want to fit the print inside the CD jewel box, change this to 12.2 cm x 12.2 cm), the orientation, the resolution (300 dpi is good for print) and the number of prints in each row and column. For the CD jewel box size, set column to 5 and row to 7 again.

4. Click OK and photoshop will go to work!

5. Print.

Hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have questions about this... I just learned it today myself and I'm no photoshop expert...but I will try to help!

Challenge - Scrap those Small Photos!

2010-08-23T10:45:00.005-05:00

Happy Monday! I hope you'll find the time to participate in this week's challenge because I think it's a fun one...Time to scrap those small photos you have laying around!

It's that time of year again...The most wonderful time, right? School is starting! So take out those small school photos and scrap them. Or, do what I did on the page above and scrap your index prints. I also used index prints on this page (one of my all-time favorite pages I've done for Studio Calico using the Granny's Cupboard kit):

So you have from now until midnight EST next Saturday to post a link to your layout here. I'll pick one participant at random to win a $5 SC gift certificate (who doesn't want one of those?!?)

Have a great week, everyone!

Laura

Layout of the Week

2010-08-21T23:03:00.002-05:00

The layout of the week is brought to you by Heather Loehr (hloehr), featuring the Summer Camp kit (still available) and the Anthology label stickers. Heather created this layout for the Sketchbook 2 class hosted by Kelly Purkey.
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 8/15-8/21.

Congratulations Heather! Because of this 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!

Sunday Sketch

2010-08-21T22:58:00.002-05:00

Don't you love the inspiration behind this weeks Sunday Sketch? Emily Pitt's layout, "Daily Bread" features a fun distress ink technique that's fun, plus the layout is an easy one to incorporate several photos. Emily used 3 4x3" photos and centered a large title and embellishment above. Notice how the stitched circle anchors the two pieces. Journaling is housed below the photo grouping and a strip of patterned paper finishes off the bottom.

Now it's your turn! Take this sketch and make it your own. Just be sure to link it to this post by Saturday for a chance to win one of 2 gifts cards.

Sunday Sketch Winners

2010-08-21T22:55:00.003-05:00

by Rebecca

by Tressa

Congrats to our two winners this week! Please send an email to info@studiocalico.com with the following information:

Name
Contest: Sunday Sketch 8/15
Prize Won: $5 gift card

the sneaks have started!!!

2010-08-21T14:44:00.007-05:00

Not long now until you get to feast your eyes on the September kit, Back 40 (a personal favorite of mine)!!!

It's that time...sneaks are starting to show up on DT blogs, and I thought I'd share some.

Emily Pitts shares some glimpses, including the one below, on her blog post HERE.
Here is one by Nicole Harper. See others on THIS post.

I (stephanie) shared a variety of sneaks on this post from last week.

I spied this pretty sneak on Kelly Purkey's blog:

I got super excited when I saw this on Waleska's blog...how awesome do her creations look?

Last but not least, our new team member Kimberly posted a few vibrant peeks in this post, including this one:

Keep your eyes peeled in the coming days, you are sure to see MANY more fabulous sneak peeks!
Happy Saturday...
xo
s

member inspiration- gracie

2010-08-20T12:41:00.005-05:00

happy friday sc ladies and gentlemen!
i hope that you have something fun planned this weekend...i'm looking forward to hitting up the farmer's market and getting some much needed rest! :)

i wanted to feature a member today, her name is gracie. make sure you click on her name to check out her entire gallery, she's just awesome.

gracie is super involved in the SC community, she participates in every single challenge, and her layouts have been catching my eye again and again lately.

they are soft, lovely, and have an ethereal quality. i admire her ability to use small bits of paper effectively, and her handwriting is so romantic and pretty.

here are some of my favorite layouts gracie has created recently:

see what i mean? sigh. just beautiful.
thanks so much for inspiring me, and the entire SC community, gracie!

xo
s

Insider Tips: finding sketches.

2010-08-19T09:46:00.003-05:00

when I run out of steam while working with a new kit, I turn to my book of sketches.
I keep a moleskin kraft journal for layout ideas and sketches I find in magazines.
It's really simple and a great way to get you out of a creative slump.
pull out some of your favorite magazines and thumb through them until you find an ad or article with a great layout.
visualize that magazine page as a scrapbook layout.
sketch a few examples on a piece of paper or in a journal.
easy peasy.

happy sketching!
Tina

Inspiration: quotes, colors & happiness

2010-08-18T11:37:00.010-05:00

Tumblr.....
(my own photo with a quote found on Tumblr)

(source)

(source)

(source)

children's decor....
(source)

(source)

and weddings...

happy wednesday!

Tutorial: Resizing Photos

2010-08-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Susan here today with a tutorial on my photo resizing process.

A few of you mentioned that you'd like to know how to easily resize your photos to non-standard sizes for printing and use on layouts and projects. I frequently like to use what I call "mini-pics" on layouts as the supporting photos to my one main photo. OR - I'll just use a lot of mini pics to create one big photo collage page - as I did in this layout from the Summer Camp gallery last month.

The easiest (and probably cheapest) way to print these mini-pics is by getting a few pics onto one standard sized 4x6 print, and then having it printed at your regular photo printing lab/place.

For this tutorial I will show you how to crop and resize 2 seperate images to fit onto a 4x6 image. You can also apply these same principles to a 8x10 or 5x7 (like I did here) image if desired. >> I'm going to use a PC and Photoshop Elements 7.0 for my sample screenprints, since that seems to be what a majority of people use.

Start by opening up Photoshop and creating a blank 4x6 image. Go to FILE > NEW > BLANK FILE.

Then change the new file's parameters to "INCHES" in the drop down box next to the input fields. Type in 6 for the width inches, and 4 for the height inches. MAKE SURE that you select "WHITE" from the drop down box for BACKGROUND CONTENTS (this is what will make the nice white borders around your mini pics). ALSO make sure that you type in 300 for RESOLUTION (this means the image will be at 300 DPI).

You now have a blank white 4x6 print.

Open up the first photo in photoshop, that you want to make a mini-print out of, and select the crop tool. AT THE TOP of the screen, be sure to TYPE IN 300 next to 'Resolution'. If you know exactly what you'd like to crop your image to, input those parameters as well. Otherwise leave them blank, as I did, and we'll use the transform tool later on to adjust your image size to scale.

Drag the dotted line crop tool box around your image as you'd like it cropped. Once you have the box as you'd like, RIGHT click (on a PC) and select CROP.

Then (on a PC) hit "CONTROL + A" to select the entirety of your cropped image, and then "CONTROL + C" to copy your image.

Switch to your blank 4x6 white image and hit "CONTROL + V" to paste your cropped photo onto the white 4x6. Then hit "CONTROL + T" to use the transform tool to change the size of your image.

You want to make sure that you are keeping the correct scale dimensions on your cropped image when you use the transform tool - so in Photoshop Elements, you need to RIGHT CLICK on your photo and select SCALE to in order for the transform tool to keep the correct perspective dimensions.

Once the image is "transformed" to the size you'd like, click the green arrow on the photo. (If you change your mind on transforming or would like to start over simply click the red circle with the bar through it.)

Then use the "MOVE" tool - the four arrowed button in the upper left corner of your tool bar, to move your image to one side of the 4x6 print, to make room for a second mini-pic.

Open up your second image and repeat the process cropping, cutting & pasting, & transforming to add your second mini-pic to the 4x6 print.

Once your second mini-pic is in place, you'll need to flatten all of the layers that you created to prepare the 4x6 for printing. Go to LAYER > FLATTEN IMAGE to do this, and then save your 4x6.

You now have a 4x6 image ready to print that will yield you two mini-pics (with white borders if you want them!).

Flickr Color Inspiration

2010-08-17T09:58:00.003-05:00

1. Yellow, 2. just an observation, 3. bokeh bokeh, 4. stargazing..., 5. 050/365 February 19, 2009 "Hello, My name is Lauren Lemon.", 6. play. with me., 7. S U N R I S E, 8. Parking on double yellow lines, 9. Mommy's little girl!

I'm loving muted tones with pops of yellow.
What colors are inspiring you today?

Challenge- Scrap an ultrasound photo!

2010-08-16T00:00:00.006-05:00

happy monday morning everyone!

tina and i (stephanie) will be hosting the blog this week and we'd talk a little bit about pregnancy (with plenty of non-pregnancy stuff thrown in).

shocking, i know...considering we are both pregnant right now. tina is expecting a sweet little boy this fall, and i am expecting two little girls right around the same time.♡

we were chatting about different things we could do this week, and both of us have noticed that sometimes people comment about wanting to be able to scrap their ultrasound photos.

we know that not all of you have children, or that many of you may not even still have your ultrasound photos, but we still thought that this would be a fun, unique challenge.

at the bottom of the post are some alternative challenges from tina. hopefully one will work for you!

i have scrapped a couple of my ultrasound photos of the girls so far. i did not use the actual original photos, i scanned them and printed them on photo paper.

since the photos are black and white...your design options are endless!

here is the very first one i did, using the documentary collection:

and here is a more recent layout i did, using the summer camp kit

and here is tina's interpretation of the challenge!
isn't she amazing? ;)

(items used: Elementary Collection, Star punch & vintage papers)

we so hope you will play along this week!

Post to your Studio Calico Gallery and link your layouts to the thread I have started in on the message board.

The winner will be chosen randomly from all eligible entries. I will draw a winner on Sunday morning, and the prize will be a five dollar gift certificate to the shop.

oh, one more thing...i have noticed several ultrasound layouts in the past week or so. if you have a layout you've done within the past few weeks, go ahead and enter it in the contest!

edited to add: if you can't do this challenge, feel free to come up with your own creative substitution. we'd love for everyone to be able to participate.

a few ideas from tina:

This challenge can be taken in many directions.
A year ago, I would probably do a page about where I was at during my struggle. It always helped to get those feelings down on paper and I didn't always post those layouts either. Those were for me and my sanity.
Those of you who don't have children can take any 3 layouts and use it as a sketch.
Maybe scrap about what you see in your future....an ultrasound of things to come.
Try scrapping just a black & white photo.
There are really so many ways to interpret this challenge. Please don't feel like you can't participate. We want everyone to enjoy our weekly challenges!

I (stephanie) was thinking and I also came up with some alternatives. You could scrap a photo you've always wanted to scrap but never got around to (that's how i look at my ultrasounds from my first two pregnancies!!). Or perhaps your thoughts/emotions from your pregnancy.

Be sure to post your link here so we don't miss your creative layouts!

We can't wait to see what you do!
xoxo,
steph and tina

2010-08-15T07:51:00.002-05:00

The layout of the week is brought to you by Mandy Starner (MandyKay), featuring the Summer Camp kit (still available) and Sugar Woods add-on kit (sold out).
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 8/8-8/14.

Congratulations Mandy! Because of this 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!

Sunday Sketch

2010-08-15T07:44:00.002-05:00

This week's sketch is based on Jenn Olson's "Changeling" layout. Isn't it gorgeous? ..... and a little intimidating at first?

Once you break it down to it's parts, you'll see it's easy to create this beautiful layout. Jenn used four cropped photos. Notice the largest of the 4 is the most current photo, which is nice because it relays the thought of the title of the layout.

You'll need lots of flowers for this layout as well. Jenn used the Paper Whimsies from the Summer Camp kit and layered them....layers upon layers for this dimensional look.
Now it's your turn! Take this sketch and make it your own.

Be sure to link your version to this post by Saturday for a chance to win one of 2 $5 gift cards which will be drawn on Sunday.

Sunday Sketch Winners

2010-08-15T07:37:00.002-05:00

by amytangerine using the Summer Camp kit

by valerie bishop using the Documentary collection

Congrats to both winners! Please send an email to info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize and include the following information:

Name:
Contest: Sunday Sketch 8/8
Prize Won: $5 gift card

Sneak Night Winners

2010-08-15T07:31:00.002-05:00

The 6 winners of Cosmo Cricket goodies are:

Tam - Garden Variety 12x12" pad
the life of a teenage scrapbooker - Garden Variety 12x12" pad
Jessie B. - Togetherness Collection Pack
Rimna - Pixie-Licious Collection Pack
marianne-g - Matilda 6x6" Mini Deck
shelby valadez - Pixie-Licious 6x6" Mini Deck

Congratulations! Please send an email to info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize and include the following information:

Name
Subscriber? y/n
Contest: Sneak Night Giveaway
Prize:

Tutorial: making your own page protectors

2010-08-14T16:39:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! I'm back with a quick tutorial :)

When I started this mini [using Documentary] I wanted to use page protectors for my pictures but couldn't find anything that fit (the album size is ~3.5 x 4.75)

so i made my own :)

[supplies: 8.5 x 11 page protectors, paper trimmer, hole punch, scissors, ruler, pen, 1" loose-leaf rings]

start with a regular 8.5x11 page protector
measure your album cover
mark the sheet protector (so you know where to sew ;))
sew 2 vertical lines (3.5" wide each) to create the pockets
cut out the pockets. for this particular album you'll end up with 2 double pockets
punch holes and add them to your album

And that's it. Please let me know if you have any questions and have a great weekend.

Inspired by Sasha...

2010-08-14T04:34:00.001-05:00

...and her love for food because, yes, I'm pretty much the same! :D

I made a brand new layout using my Elk Lake & Adirondack add-ons, celebrating my love for icecreams, esp. Ben & Jerry's! :D

I'm sure there are some good recipes you'd like to share!

Mine is CRÊPES :) In France, we love them especially for breakfast and even as snacks :) we put sugar, strawberry jam or nutella inside and enjoy them with a good espresso :)

Crêpes are delicious with melted chocolate and Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough icecream...

oh well...can't wait for dinner now! :)

Have a great day!
c

Sneak Night Giveaway

2010-08-13T22:42:00.002-05:00

Simply leave a comment here for a chance to win!

Insider Tips - use stamps for your title

2010-08-12T16:40:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone!

I made a special layout for today's insider tips - I couldn't resist using my left over products from my Elk Lake & Adirondack add-ons :) I just LOVED playing with these two add-on kits, not only they match perfectly with my Main Kit, but the colors are exactly what I'm craving for at the moment :)

Here are a layout for my two of my best friends, a special gift for them : Amelie is an excellent cooker and Ben simply ADORES food :)

For this layout I used :

Elk Lake & Adirondack add-ons
Stamps : Tweets, Sewing Machine Set, Months stamps, Noah alphas
Raspberry Maya Mist
Punches : Bubbles border, Double Embossed Dotter Lace border , Photo Labels punch, Royal Butterfly
Foam squares

For my title, I simply combined one of Jenni Bowlin's journaling tags, the Months stamp and Noah alpha stamps to make my title : simply use different fonts, different ink colors, different elements to make a unique and urban background.
Feel free to mount one of the stamps with foam squares in order to add dimension to your layout.

Here I first stamped my label stamps that I got in a previous kit (available soon at the shop) that PERFECTLY matches my Photo Labels punch - could it be even more perfect?! So that means : you need to order that punch and then order the stamp soon available :)

Thank you and I'll share a layout I made inspired by Sasha on Saturday :D
Take care!
c

Channeling my inner Jamie Waters

2010-08-11T00:01:00.002-05:00

Did you see the Sunday Sketch? Yes, that fabulous layout by Jamie Waters? ah :) Love that. I played along too.

I used

bits and pieces from Summer Camp and it's associates, mostly. They are still available *except Sugar Woods* and they're all fabulous in their own way, just in case you're on the fence about this kit. :)
Gothic Arches Edge Punch
Butterfly Edge Punch - I trimmed the butterflies out and scatter them on the top left corner.
Cream and Bubblegum Mist to alter the colors of the MM notebook paper.
Classic Butterfly Punch

Can't wait to see your twist on the sketch!

Food Glorious Food!

2010-08-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone :)

if you know me at all, you would know that I love food. Love. Adore. So today, I'm gonna share some food photos to inspire you. Beautiful food. Gorgeous in fact.

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes.

Look at that colors, they remind me of Buttermilk and Cherry Mist.

This is seriously good. I could eat Annie's Shrimp Scampi everyday and I won't mind. *grins* Oh, i love shrimp, just a useless bit of information :)

Margarita Jello, anyone? *sigh* I don't even 'drink' but right now, I'm thinking of a clean, white-ish layout with splatters of Lime and Avocado mist.

Photos above are from Annie's Eats. My favorite-est *is there such a word* food blog. Thanks to my friend Bobbi from Bobbi&Mike for introducing Annie. I drool for Annie's food on a daily basis.

Btw, Bobbi&Mike is another site you should stalk for amazing photos.

Are you hungry yet? :) I know I am now! See you tomorrow!

Scrap Recipe Challenge

2010-08-09T00:01:00.003-05:00

Good morning beautiful people!!

Ready for a challenge? :) I'm gonna give you a 'Scrap-Recipe' and you're gonna 'cook' a layout/an altered item based on that. You can add your own 'ingredients' of course, but what's in the list, must be there/in use, in plain sight, on your layout. Easy peasy lemon squeezy :)

Here we go :)

black cardstock
border punches
stamp
mist
blings - anything shiny ;)

Here's an example from my Joyland gallery :-

I used

Round Binding Edge (we also have the new Notebook Border Punch from Fiskars)
Donut Chain Border
Open Scallop Border
mixed some Hydrangea and Dark CornFlower mist, painted it on using my fingers with a circles mask.
Mini Doily stamped with Spun Sugar Distress Ink. *now i crave for cotton candy, thanks a lot*
3 in 1 Classic Butterfly Punch

Play along, will you? :) Post to your Studio Calico Gallery and link back to this thread on the message board. Winner will be chosen randomly from all eligible entries. I'll draw a winner for a $5 GV to the shop next Sunday morning!

Sunday Sketch

2010-08-08T13:57:00.004-05:00

The sketch this week is based on guest designer Jamie Waters' "Burst" layout. Jamie fit 4 photos on this page each size approximately 4x5". Sometimes with this many photos, the page lacks visual appeal, but not with this layout. Jamie proves you can incorporate lots of standard sized photos and include journaling, a title and other design elements for a beautiful result!

Now it's your turn. Take this sketch and make it your own, just be sure to upload your layout(s) by Saturday and link them to this post. Two winners will be randomly chosen to receive a $5 Studio Calico gift card.

2010-08-07T23:01:00.000-05:00

The layout of the week is brought to you by Kaori Wantanabe (chelseavyn), featuring the Continental kit, which is still available in the shop.
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 7/18-7/24.

Congratulations Kaori! Because of this 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!

Sunday Sketch Winners

2010-08-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

by MandyKay

by JenJeb

Congrats to the two winners! Please send an email to info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize and include the following information:

Name:
Contest: Sunday Sketch 8/1
Prize Won: $5 Gift Card

Blended Ink Tutorial

2010-08-07T19:16:00.003-05:00

For my August Summer Camp gallery, I made a layout about bread in Switzerland. The journaling block is created using the blending tool by Tim Holtz and a bunch of Distress Inks. It's a pretty easy technique, one that takes a bit of practice, but can be easily mastered in just a few tries. I've put together a video tutorial to help show you how to do the technique on your own projects.

supplies used: blending tool, foam blenders, faded jeans, peeled paint,
and mustard seed distress inks (any distress inks can be used for this project).

Here's a close up of the technique.

I would love to see how you interpret this in your own layouts, it's really fun to see the unique results after each attempt. If you don't own the blending tool yet, it's very reasonable to purchase, and you can use the foam blenders for numerous applications if you stamp it off well.

Two Very Fun People

2010-08-06T06:02:00.007-05:00

Today's member spotlight is really a two-for-one bonus. I was going through my CHA photos and when I saw this picture of Em, Barb, and me, I knew what had to be done. WAY back, 3 years ago, when Studio Calico was very new and fresh, I met these two friends on the message board and immediately decided I liked them. They have both been here from the beginning, so I thought it was about time they got the spotlight.

So without further ado, I give you Emily Spahn and Barb Novak! Interspersed between the answers are their top 3 favorite layouts/projects.

1. How did you two meet? How did you become friends? Who joined SC first?

B: We met through a circle journal organized by a friend on Two Peas. That was probably five years ago. We met up about a year later in real life (went out for ice cream) and have been great friends since. Even our husbands are friends now! And, in case you were wondering - neither one of us ever got our circle journal back. :) We both joined SC at about the same time without telling the other (I think) and have been around since the first kit.

Barb

E: We met online probably in 2005?? We were part of a 2peas circle journal (that of course went horribly wrong!!). We met in real life in July of 2006...where thank goodness we discovered that the other was totally normal! ;) We've been friends since then and have had all kinds of fun online and real life adventures! We've even gone on vacation together and our husbands are now friends, too. We have both been at SC since the very beginning, but if you want to get technical, I joined first on 6/13/2007 and Barb joined three days later on 6/16/2007.

2. You've been around SC for a long time, list your top 3 favorite kits ever.

B: In no particular order:
Farm Fresh
Looking Glass
Whodunit

And, I will admit here that I am still hoarding part of Billboard. I just can't bring myself to break it apart and add it to my stash. (me too Barb, me too.)

E: Oh goodness. I don't know! That's really tough. I think my favorite kits were: Billboard (the first ever SC kit), Soda Fountain (June 2009?), and Partly Sunny (June 2010?). But I think this month's kit might be a new favorite...

3. What's your favorite tool or product?

B: Ledger paper
E: Patterned Paper and Kraft cardstock. I could scrap forever with only these two things, I think!!

Emily

4. Give me a quick rundown of how you create. What you start with, how you choose, etc.

B: I start with pictures and then find a sketch or something else to be inspired by. Then, I just play with paper and embellishments until I get it right. I'm an irritating person to scrapbook with because I'm always asking, "How does this look?" or "What about this?" And, I have to be honest and say that I'm a huge scraplifter, too. It's tough for me to make something without being inspired by someone or something else. I do always give credit to my source, though.

E: I almost always start with a specific paper or color scheme. I usually pick this before I even pick a photo. Totally backwards, I know!! I like to use lots of mismatched papers on my layouts, so I will build around either my original paper or the color scheme I chose. So if I know I want some green, I might have six different green papers laying out and choose the one that "fits" best. After it's all put together, I might try to throw a few embellishment on, though I admit that embellishments make me a little scared!

5. List 3 things that make you happy right now.

B: Mad Men, Sleeping late, and Iced lattes with honey.

E: At this very moment?? (Looking around...) Zucchini bread from the Madison Farmer's Market. My new orange bag from Canvas (thanks to Laura Kurz for sharing that store!). And the crabby, but cute little blonde that is pulling on my pants leg as I type this.
Barb

6. Describe your style in 10 words or less. Now describe Em's/Barb's in 10 words or less.

B: I'll would say that Em's style is patterned, colorful, quirky, and fun. I especially love how she mixes patterned paper and uses fonts. For myself, I want to be simple and classic. As much as I love product and paper, I really want to showcase a picture or two and tell a story in a way that is timeless and appealing.

E: My style....easy, fun, kinda simple?? I don't know how to describe my own!! Barb's style is easier for me to define...also semi-simple but with awesome little details. totally cool.

Emily

7. Who has influenced your scrapping style?

B: My first scrap-crush was Becky Higgins. For awhile, I didn't make anything without one of her sketches nearby. From there, I found The Dares and started to be a little less square and symmetrical. Sometime around then, I also found Ali Edwards and wanted to learn how to tell a story. And, at some point I found Shimelle Laine and got interested in making mini-albums. Right now, though, some of my favorites are: Lisa Dickinson, Jill Sprott, Tina Aszmus, and Laura Kurz.

E: My two favorite scrappers of all time are probably Shelly Lamming and Kelli Crowe, which is funny because I don't actually scrap much like either one of them!

8. What keeps you hanging around SC?

B: The people I have gotten to know here, the great kits, and the gallery. I can always find something to look at in the gallery.

E: The fantastic kits, the friendly people, and the great service. :)

Barb

9. What's your favorite vegetable?

B: In the winter I would say broccoli. Right now, though, I'm all about the zucchini.

E: Sqaush? Or creamed corn at Thanksgiving, but that's a starch, I suppose. I think I might be more of a fruit girl.

Emily

10. Which SC line have you loved the most?

B: I'm super excited for Elementary - especially the Penmanship paper.

E: I can't wait to get my hands on the new Elementary line. I love it all!!

Thanks so much ladies, I have had a blast reading your answers and seeing the layouts that top your personal favorites list. I hope you readers have enjoyed getting to know these two members better too. :)

Emily (it's so weird to call her Emily, she's EM), shared this final photo with us, it documents their first IRL meeting. Don't you love being a scrapper!?!

Insider Tips: "The first few days" layout...

2010-08-05T13:59:00.007-05:00

Hey everyone! Susan here (again) today... :)

Wanted to share a little bit extra about one of my layouts in the August Summer Camp gallery: "The first few days"...

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I have a ton of newborn photos of my newest son - Noah. This page showcases just a few, in a grouping that I created BEFORE I put together my layout.

To print smaller sized photos that all "fit" together on the page, I first started with a blank (white) 8x10 @ 300 dpi image in photoshop. I then opened up each image that I wanted to use, and cropped it, then copied and pasted it onto my blank 8x10 image.

If needed, I used the transform tool to adjust the size of each image slightly (holding down the shift key while you 'transform' will avoid skewing your image too much in one direction).

After adding all of my images, I had an 8x10 print made at costco. The white background that I used lended itself to the white frames around my mini-pics (I simply trimmed the images with a little extra white space around each).

I hope seeing how I easily fit so many photos onto this page helps you try something similar on a future project!

:)

ps - The Summer Camp kit is STILL AVAILABLE... grab one while you can!

Photo Tips: Photgraphing Babies

2010-08-04T19:29:00.007-05:00

Hey everyone, Susan here again today. :) And I thought it would be fun to talk a little bit about photography with this post.

Since I had my son (Noah) at the beginning of June, I have been taking a LOT of baby photos. :) I love photographing babies (especially newborns!) - and whether you are pregnant and expecting a new baby, or have a little one already, these are just a few quick tips to keep in mind while snapping pics...

*Don't be afraid to move in on your baby! Fill the camera frame completely with your baby's face - Up-Close style shots like these sometimes "say" more than a full bodied shot of your sweet pea.

*Don't forget how cute baby "parts" are! Make sure to photograph all of the adorable small features - hands, feet, ears, belly button(!) - of your baby. These types of photos also make great "supporting" shots to accompany baby photos on a scrapbook layout.

*When you're just hanging out at home, and snapping endless candids (as I mostly am these days), don't be so quick to delete. While you'll probably end up with a few "good" shots...

the "bad"...

and the "funny"...

...are also fun to look back on and really help to accurately tell the story of your babe's early days.

:)

Color "Inspo"

2010-08-03T20:29:00.004-05:00

hi Everyone!

It's Susan here today ;) - and I thought I'd share one of my favorite sources for color inspiration... Flickr.

Color is such a BIG part of my creative process. Anytime that I'm starting a crafting project, and at a loss for a new color combo (or even if I just need a bit of change to switch up colors that I've been dwelling on) I love to look back through the "Favorite" photos that I've bookmarked on Flickr.

These are just a few that I pulled out of my favorites to share with you tonight. Hope they inspire. :)

1. Untitled, 2. Pincushion - Yellow Aqua, 3. cathedral windows pillow, 4. The color of love, 5. dancing water, 6. Untitled, 7. natural, 8. Circles and Waves quilt, 9. Hexagonal, 10. Izziwotnot as stocked on Scribbletree , 11. sincere imitation-now 3 years later!, 12. Three Twinkle quilts , 13. ABC's, 14. valentine1, 15. When life gives you lemons..., 16. the front

Super Easy Monday's Challenge

2010-08-02T06:13:00.009-05:00

Happy Monday! And Happy August! Susan and I will be hosting the blog this week and we wanted to keep it easy and low-key for you. Susan has a new baby and I am up for jury duty on Tuesday, so easy is essential right now. :)

shop supplies: Blank Canvas white paint, bubblegum and green mists, foam tab circles

Today's challenge is brought to you out of necessity. I've had a bunch of weddings to attend this summer and this last weekend signaled the end of my homemade wedding cards. So please join us this week as we challenge you to make at least three cards. Use up your stash. I used the K & Co. die cuts from Granny's Cupboard kit, Tina's fun paint dragging technique, and a couple of them used misting. They were super easy, I made three cards in less than 20 minutes. Now I have a stash again. I think I'll try to do this challenge every day, using different themes every day. Ah, the possibilities!

Mother's Day
Father's Day
Birthday
Friendship
Thank You
Get Well
Thinking of You
Cheer Up
I Love You
Good Luck
Congratulations
Graduation
Wedding
Engagement
New Baby
Celebrate
Just Because
Holidays

To be entered in the challenge drawing for a $5 SC gift card, in one post, add your three cards to the gallery. Please keep all the cards together so we don't have to go hunting to make sure you accomplished the challenge. Separate cards will not be counted, so take a picture of them all together, or make a collage like I did, or post the three card images in the same upload. Then post to the challenge thread that I'll start today. The more sets you do, the more entries you'll get. AND the more cards you'll have on hand :) I'll draw a random winner on Saturday evening 10 MST. Good luck and here's to easy!

Layout of the Week

2010-08-01T00:02:00.001-05:00

The layout of the week is brought to you by Alison Hamblin (AllieH), featuring the Continental kit , which is still available in the shop.
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 7/18-7/24.

Congratulations Alison! Because of this 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!

Sunday Sketch

2010-08-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

This week's sketch is based on a layout by Nicole Samuels found in the Summer Camp Gallery. She used the following kit items:

Summer Camp (available): Jenni Bowlin Butterflies
Sugar Woods (sold out): Addy Alpha Stamps, Dear Lizzy Fabric Paper, October Afternoon Doily Rub-on
Footpath (available): Sassafras Paper Whimsies, Basic Grey Paper Doily Trim
Elk Lake (still available): Dear Lizzy Butter Rose Trim, Jenni Bowlin Mini Alpha Stickers - Red

On this layout, Nicole used two photos, both approximately 3x5" and centered her title on her background along with journaling.

Now it's your turn! Take this sketch and make it your own, and be sure to upload and link it to this post by Saturday. 2 winners will be randomly chosen to win a $5 Studio Calico gift card.

Have fun!

Sunday Sketch Winners

2010-08-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

by melB

by Marina

Congrats ladies! Please send an email to info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize and include the following information:

Name:
Contest: Sunday Sketch 7/25
Prize won: $5 gift card

Reveal Night Winners!

2010-07-31T21:46:00.002-05:00

And the winners of the My Mind's Eye collection packs go to:

Meadowlark:
Michele said...

That's tough, but I think Meadowlark is my favorite!

July 26, 2010 8:20 AM

So Sophie

isabel scrap said...

i love SO SOPHIE !!!

Please send an email to info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize and include the following information:

Name
Address
Subscriber? y/n
Contest: Reveal Night Giveaway 7/28
Prize won:

Tutorial: Misting Masks

2010-07-31T14:37:00.009-05:00

Hello there! Today I want to show you a few ways to create your own templates/masks for misting. There's many ways to use mist and so many items to use them with... here's a few of my favorite:

Use Stamps

On this page from the Continental gallery, I colored the inside of the mini starburst with mists by creating a template using the same stamp.

1. Stamp the starburst on a scrap piece of paper
2. With a craft knife cut the inside of the stamp
3. Layer the template on your page and mist with gold
4. When it dries, stamp on top of the image with distressed inks (i used wild honey)

Use Patterned Paper

Here, I used the Scattered Clouds paper from Adirondak both as a design element and a tool.

1. With a craft knife cut out one of the clouds (the big one)
2. Layer it on top of the paper (cover the area around it with a paper bag)
3. Mist with buttermilk or cream
4. Sew around it for more definition

Use Packaging

This is one of my first (and fave) misting layouts. I made it with Playground. Remember Playground? I still love that kit! Anyway, for the background I used the JBS chipboard buttons packaging from Soda Fountain. I just placed it on top of the blue paper and sprayed with orange mist.

You can also use the negative space by tracing and cutting out the shape. I did that on my class clown layout from the Joyland gallery. There, I used the MME ribbon packaging. Super simple.

Use Embellishments

This is an easy one. Just pick any embellishment you like and mist over. Of course, the more interesting the shape (like this bubble chipboard from Granny's Cupboard) the better. Chipboard envelops and buttons work well.

Use a Die Cut machine

Another fun and easy one (if you have a die cut machine, that is). I love this one the most because of the endless possibilities. You can cut different shapes in different sizes, letters, words, etc. When using my Slice to create a template, I use regular paper (and because I scrap 8.5x11 it works perfect for me).

1. Select and cut out the shape
2. Layer the paper on top of the cardstock or paper your scrapping with
3. Mist

Easy peasy, right? :)

Gallery Favorites: Continental!

2010-07-31T09:00:00.005-05:00

My original plan was to post some favorites from the Summer Camp DT gallery today, but when I saw that Continental was still available, I thought it might be fun to take a look back into last month's kit. I always love it when you get your kits and start posting your fabulous layouts in the gallery...here are a few of my faves:

This whimsical page from ibrokeitmommy is so much fun. Love all the borders on the right side of the page mixed with that sweet punched butterfly border...

Don't you love the way kphike managed to fit 6 photos onto one page without it looking too busy? I also like the way she used the Noah stamp set with the black ink onto red paper...great look!

I'm in love with pixiegirl1981's whitewash effect on her background paper here...totally getting myself some white paint to try it out!
Check out the great details on Lynleej1971's layout. Such fun little bits and great layering near her title. I love the way she inked the corrugated letters and she's got me wanting that notebook border punch now!

Both Continental AND Summer Camp are still available. Also, several of the Summer Camp add-ons are available as well...Elk Lake, Adirondack and Footpath! It's the weekend, yesterday was payday....what are you waiting for?? ;)

Have a fun and safe weekend!!

Top Ten Favorites: Final Countdown

2010-07-30T09:51:00.001-05:00

In the #5 spot is "You & Me Today" by Lisa Dickinson. Love the layering, the texture and the color combo.

#4, "He" by dpayne, is one of my recent personal favorites. The mist, the stitching...I love every single piece of this layout.

The #3 spot is filled by our own Susan Weinroth, with her layout, "A Surprise." She made good use of the crown punch and circle punch.

#2 is another of my favorite layouts - "Dream" by Qingmei. She used a ton of techniques on this one - by using the Hot Air Balloon stamp (my favorite) and all different sizes of circle punches, she really put some thought into this layout.

And finally, our #1 Favorite layout - "Look Out, Ocean" by JustG. Super simple layout, just some kraft, a little ink and a fantastic picture.

That's it for our Top Ten Favorites!

xoxo,
Steph

CHA Booth Tour

2010-07-29T22:52:00.004-05:00

April here, just popping in while propping my (swollen) feet up to show you what we've been busy with all week. The summer show in Chicago marked our 2nd trade show, and it's been a success in every way. We've gotten the chance to see friends we've made at previous shows, meet new store owners, play with new product and work our hardest to make sure Studio Calico makes it way to a store near you.

So, here's a little walk-through of our booth.

See the little card and mini album on the table. Tina made the mini and yesterday afternoon, it disappeared from the booth. I was in a-g-o-n-y wondering how to break the news to her, but luckily I didn't have to because the person who took it was kind and brave enough to bring it back today. She had accidentally walked off with it and found it when reorganizing her take-home bag. Aren't scrapbookers the best people?

Nicole Harper's layout got a lot of attention at the show. I think it was because of that adorable photo of Allie, but also because Nicole rocked the Window Seat paper. She loves the B side and uses it every chance she can get, so combining it with the Elementary line was a no-brainer.

The layout by Laura in the middle of this panel is spectacular. Several times we were asked where the patterned paper was that her layout was mounted on. But, it wasn't a patterned paper, she had used the new Natalee Stamp Set to stamp a quote across the entire background. It was GORGEOUS.

The tweets and stars were all the rage on this panel. We also included a make-n-take where store owners got to try out the rub-ons. Nothing but positive reviews for how smooth they went on and how great the adhesive is on them.

Side note: who is the pregnant lady that can't get a straight photo?

My favorite display of the show....Mister Huey has lots of gal pals now, just let me warn you now. He's a ladies' man for sure. Underneath each bottle of the mist, we displayed the sprayed colors so customers could see how well they matched the labels and the product line. That was Nicole's idea. They don't call her "brains" for nothing.

Oh and the white mist....super popular!

Watch out for the wood veneer and notions as well because they're going to be featured lots of places.

One last photo, just to show you the star that was misted with Applejack. So cool!

a peek into the Studio Calico booth

2010-07-29T07:36:00.006-05:00

Hi SC-ers! This is Lisa, interrupting Kelly and Stephanie for a minute to share some photos of our booth at CHA. The photo above was taken by Stephen Ogden, our amazing graphic designer. The show is always opened with a bagpipe parade - isn't that crazy? So sad I flew in that morning and missed it! We were too busy to get many pics after this one, but Jen found some photos posted at flickr by shopping diva - we hope you enjoy them!

Also, I wanted to say THANK YOU to our members who were at the show and stopped by to do a make and take or say hello - it was awesome to put faces to names, and to get to chat a little. And I hear the SC member dinner was a blast last night - I'm sorry I had to miss it. We love getting to know you all better. We have such a wonderful community here and it was nice to have that support and love at the show.

April, Lorie, Greg, Nik, Emily and Stephen are all still at the show and have another day of make & taking, taking orders and scouting kit contents - here's to one more great day in the booth!!

Top Ten Favorites...#5-#10

2010-07-28T08:00:00.003-05:00

Ever been curious as to what the most "favorited" layouts of all time are? I'm here to show you numbers 5-10 and Steph will be back on Saturday with the top 5. These layouts have been added to your favorites in the gallery more times than any other layouts. That's a pretty amazing honor, don't you think?! :)

We'll start off with #10 by our very own Waleska! Her fabulous grid design draws you in and who doesn't love a layout made with Yearbook? Definitely an all-time favorite kit!

Paperandglue wowed you with this stunning layout in our #9 spot...she rocked February's Baker's Dozen kit with those sweet punched butterflies.

The fabulous Keisha wins our #8 spot with this gorgeous layout. Her stamping is so subtle but amazing here...

#7 belongs to Chelseavn, who always creates such stunning layouts. What's not to love here...the misting and banners and all the little details are amazing!

Bluestardesign wraps up my part of the countdown in our #6 spot with this beauty. That title with the baker's twine is so creative and fun. Lisa's layouts are always so perfectly done...

Congrats to these five designers for being in our top 10! :) Be sure to check back on Saturday for the top 5!

Tuesday Tumblr Inspiration

2010-07-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

(source)

xoxo,
Steph W

Reveal Night Giveaway

2010-07-26T08:13:00.002-05:00

Want a chance to win one of these lines from My Mind's Eye?

Just leave a comment here stating which collection you'd like to win. 2 winners will be randomly chosen on the 28th.