Tutorial: Fabric Scraps!

Susan here again today, with a fun little tutorial involving fabric scraps...

My office is a mix of scrapbooking paper products and sewing/fabric goodness. I have boxes and bags of fabric scraps (from past sewing projects) that I can't bear to throw away. Instead, I've found a variety of ways to incorporate the fabric scraps into my paper projects.

This spring card that I made will demonstrate three different fabric scrap techniques...


FABRIC FLOWER:

The first technique is a super simple fabric flower. Start by punching a large circle from cardstock - this circle punch would work great. Next gather a variety of small fabric strips, loop them in half, and adhere around the punched circle. This adhesive in the shop would work well.


After adhering fabric scrap loops around the circle, flip it over.


Punch another circle in the same size, and adhere to the top of your fabric flower base.


Accent the center of your flower with smaller punched circles (from cardstock), or scalloped punched circles, and even with small crocheted flowers and rhinestones. 3D Dots work really well for adding extra dimension in your flower centers!


Here is a peek of the finished scrappy fabric flower on my card! :)


FABRIC RUFFLE:

The second scrappy fabric technique on my card is a fabric ruffle. This is an easy element to add to either a card or a scrapbook page. Start with a strip of fabric that is at least double the length of the card or page that you will be stretching it across. Using a strip that is folded in half lengthwise (like my green gingham strip) will add additional volume to your ruffle.


Lay ruffle strip along your card and start stitching at one end. I start with a straight stitch up until the point where I'd like my first ruffle pleat. Also, I find it easiest to work with my sewing machine needle set to stop in the downward position (if this is an option on your machine).


Then I simply stop stitching where I'd like a ruffle pleat, and raise my foot, fold some fabric inward, lower the foot and continue stitching until the next point that I'd like a ruffle pleat at.


Continue this process across the width of your paper project.


Finished ruffle may need to have a few loose thread and ends trimmed once finished.


STAMPING ON FABRIC:

Stamping is the third and final scrappy fabric technique included on my card. Stamping images directly onto fabric is a great way to get yet another use out of your stamp collection.

I'm using stamps from the sentiment stamp set included in April's first add-on - Skycoaster. This is such a fun add-on, and the stamps are so versatile! (hint hint - you don't want to miss out on it on reveal day!)

Stamping onto fabric is very easy - just stamp as you normally would onto paper, but use fabric instead! A few tips: I've found it's best to iron your fabric before stamping, to make sure that there are no creases - and, Staz On Ink works the best on fabric in my experience.


After your card sentiment (or image) is stamped onto fabric, use a sharp pair of scissors to trim your image. Fray edges as desired. Stamped fabric can be glued or sewn to your paper project.

I also added a tiny bird (stamped and embossed) from the new-to-the-shop "Tweets" stamp set, sitting atop my card greeting. LOVE this stamp set - it's absolutely perfect for spring projects!


My finished card... Hope that you enjoyed my scrappy fabric techniques and that you try one out on a project soon!


:) -Susan

Behind the Scenes - a baby book

I have quite a few friends that are pregnant or have just had their babies. My friend had little Jada in November, and when I saw the colors of the last kit, I knew I had to make a baby girl book.


When I make a mini book I think of a few things:

• What is the subject matter?
  
• Who is the book for? A scrapbooker, a non-scrapper, a grandma, a new mom?
• How much handling is the book going to get?

As I considered these questions. I decided to go with an easy to handle, easy to clean and easy to travel with 4x6 photo book. These type of books are very quick for a new mom to "fill," and they are also pretty rough and tumble. I love using these traditional books in a new way by filling some of the pages with photos and some with scrapbook pages.



On the opening page I included the vital statistics of Jada as a newborn. There is also room for a newborn photo of her.


In the following pages I followed a simple pattern that was easy to duplicate and relatively flat, I also left room with the awesome SC stamp for Jada's mom to fill in some of the things that happened during that month.


At the back of the brag book there is plenty of room for extra photos that the family might want to include and carry around with them.

Let me know if you try one of these quick and easy brag books for anyone in your life. I'd love to see them.

This would be a perfect purse accessory for a new mom, or a doting auntie, or especially a gramma who wants to show off all those wonderful grandkids!

Ruffles! A Challenge...

Hi Everyone! Susan here this week (along with the fabulous Stephanie W.) - and we have some fun activities and challenges planned... so excited to start the week!

First up is our challenge... Which is all about RUFFLES! Whether it's with fabric, paper, OR FabRips (or even something else that I'm not thinking of!), we'd love to see you add a ruffle to either a layout or card. Besides being a scrapbooker and papercrafter, I also am a sewer and quilter, and have a HUGE weakness for delicious fabrics... So I end up adding my leftover fabric scraps to layouts and projects all the time! >>>> I made the quick card at the top of the post with some fabric scraps from my current quilting project, and also a few bits and pieces of this month's Baker's Dozen main kit. Ruffles have a way of instantly making anything both colorful & fun! ;)

Make sure to link your layout to THIS POST in the comments section, and I will randomly choose a winner (for a $5 Studio Calico gift card!). Layouts must be linked up by 12pm PST on Saturday night.

Can't wait to see how ruff-ly everyone can get ;)

-Susan

tutorial : snow frosted background

Happy New Year's Eve! I'm popping in here today with a tutorial to help you add a layer of frost to your winter layouts.

The January kit, Whodunit, has a gorgeous color scheme that is awesome for any season - but I wanted to make it even *more* winter-y for a page featuring my older boys sledding with friends. I started my page by drawing a border 1in in from the outside of my 12x12 cardstock, and then punching squares of various patterned papers from the kit and arranging them in rows inside my square. I used a square punch from Fiskars, but you could simply use your trimmer to cut squares if you don't have a punch. I attached each square of patterned paper to my background using just a bit of adhesive in the middle of the square.



Now, I'm loving this color scheme, but it's a bit spring-y for what I'm going for. I could have left out the greens and yellows, but I really liked the pattern that those pieces added. I knew a wash of white paint could tone down the colors and give me the effect I wanted. I used Manila paint by Making Memories, but Claudine Hellmuth's Blank Canvas paint would work just as well. I love these brushes - the set is inexpensive and they are *much* nicer than the brushes I used to pick up at my local craft store! I put a glob of paint on a paper plate and then soaked my brush in water. I dabbed the brush in the paint and then brushed it across the plate a couple times to remove the excess paint and water. Remember - you can always ADD more paint to the background, but you can't take it away - you'll want to start with very little paint on the brush. If you get a spot that looks too watery, press a paper towel over the top to soak up the excess.



I brushed my watered down paint across the background, adding more paint and water as my brush got dry. I ended up doing two coats to get the shading that I wanted. I painted a little outside my block of squares on all sides to give the piece a nice border. While the paint was still wet, I sprayed the whole background with Silver Plated Maya Mist - the Iridescent Pearl would give you a similar effect. It didn't add any color, but it *did* add a frosty shimmer. Since I only adhered each square in the middle, the water in the paint warped each piece a bit, giving the background some dimension. I hadn't planned on this, but really loved the effect.



I love the star stamps that came with the main kit, and wanted to work them into my design. I laid my photos and journaling block onto my page so I had an idea of what areas would be covered, and then added a couple of stars to each row. I stamped with silver pigment ink and embossed them with clear embossing powder - the stamping is subtle, but adds an extra bit of shimmer and interest to the background.




I cut the scallop sticker from the sticker sheet in half and added it to the top left and bottom left of my square of blocks and then I stitched a border with grey thread. I stamped the journaling stamp with black ink on blue patterned paper twice, and cut each block out. I used one whole to hold my journaling, and cut the top off another and used it as a date tab at the top of my page. I took advantage of the white space in my larger photo and layered the smaller one on top of it, and then added them to my page with foam adhesive. I wrapped the photo with red baker's twine and finished the layout with a few button accents, and a label sticker embellished with star rubons.



While I've used this white washing technique to get a snowy look, it can also be used to unify *any* collection of patterned papers. This would be a great way to use up a bunch of scraps that don't quite match. You could also add a twist to it by using a bolder mist over the top of your background. I hope you get a chance to try this technique, and please link me up if you do!!

Pop Dot Examples

Thanks for playing the Pop-Dot Challenge with use this week!!

Lisa and I both participated in the challenge along with you all:) Here's our examples:





I love how Lisa popped up all of her little circles. From what I spy MOST of this layout can be made from the November kit.


I used the foam tape and popped up several bits of this little card ALSO using left overs from the November Kit.

We both used that same paper from October afternoon for our examples! Great minds think alike!

Thanks to everyone for participating in our challenge this BUSY week. There were lots of great entries! I used random.org to pick a winner and the winner is Cari (cskuse) Cari send an email to info@studiocalico.com and let them know you won a $5 GC from the blog!

Tutorial: Handcut Titles

From the time I was in elementary school, I was practicing the art of handcut-titles. Remember those bubble-letters we used to draw? And, those posters for pep rallies? Well, handcutting titles is really no different.




All you need is 4 supplies:

• Pencil
  
• Scissors (fine point)
• Craft Knife
• Self-healing mat

To begin, choose your patterned paper. A lighter color is easiest to work with.



Next, write your title word(s) lightly with the pencil. You'll want to write the letters larger enough to cut around. (I've written this a little darker than typical, so you could see it in the photo.)


Using scissors, cut around the pencil lines leaving about a 1/4" on each side. At this point, it's easy to see if your letters are a bit off, so if an "L" is too short, just cut it taller, or if a "C" is too flat, round it out a bit more. Here, my "r" was too narrow, so I cut over a bit to compensate.


To finish the title word, cut inside the letters using an exacto knife and self-healing mat, then erase the pencil lines.


Now the title is ready for your layout!



A few more ideas for hand-cut titles:

• Before erasing the pencil lines, hand-stitch or sew over them to accentuate the word.
• Before gluing the title to the layout, add a layer of glossy accents.
• Handcut a title from cardstock or lightly patterned paper, then stamp directly onto the title before adhering to the page.
• Trace around the outside of the letters with a black journaling pen to make them stand out.
  

monday's challenge

my challenge for you this week is to do a layout using the stamped collage paper that's featured below.

You can alter the project a bit like I did below and just stamp a few random images. I also decided to keep the paper unwrinkled.

you have until Saturday to get your creations in the gallery!
have fun! :)
Tina

let's make something.

Still staring at all those stamps you've accumulated from past kits?
Here's a fun, easy way to use them.

Supply List

a variety of rubberstamps(I've used all Studio Calico stamps in those project)

Distress Inks is Walnut and Brick Red

acrylic blocks for stamps

brown paper bags(the ones our lovely kits come in)

Maya Road Mists in Gold and Charcoal

Claudine Hellmuth blank canvas white paint

a find mist bottle with water

fluid matte medium

foam brush

bone folder

a small box

Ok, let's get started. Hope you're not afraid to get your hands dirty! If ink bothers your skin, you may want to wear rubber gloves.

Start by cutting one brown paper bag. I've cut it down to a 12x12 piece for this tutorial but I usually just collage the whole bag with stamps when it's cut and flattened out.

I like to start with a scripty rubberstamp or something that has fine lines. This creates a nice backdrop. Ink up your stamp and press down to the paper several times before re-inking. Be sure to stamp in different directions, this adds to the layer effect.

Next, I went with the numbers stamp that I arranged horizontally. Same thing....ink, stamp several times, re-ink.

I'm sort of filling out any spaces. You'll start to notice squares that need to be filled. I just keep going down in size with the stamps, leaving really bold stamps for last.

Keep stamping until you achieve a layered look that you're happy with. You really can't mess this up. Actually the messier, the better.
Here's the fun part....wad your stamped masterpiece in a ball. mash away. trust me. this adds to the beauty and makes the paper look old and textured. I do this about 2-3 times until it's all nice and wrinkly (is that a word?) Smooth out the paper with your hands.
Run your Walnut ink pad lightly across the wrinkled paper. You can do this as little or as much as you like. Next, take a couple different Maya Mists and spray in a few places. I've used Gold and Charcoal here.
Then, spray with a fine mist of water. It makes the Walnut ink sort of bleed and will start to look like actual walnut ink.
Let the paper dry.

At this point, you're left with a sweet looking piece of vintagey stamped paper. You can do whatever you want with it. I've covered boxes with it. I've scrapped with it. I've also used this paper as a book cover for a mini.

Boxes are fun and easy to cover. Who doesn't have a random little box lying around?
I was going to use decoupage glue but didn't have any handy. I did have fluid matte medium and it works wonderfully for this project.
Cut your paper into pieces.
1 piece for top of the lid leaving a good amount of overhang to glue down onto the sides of the lid.
1 piece for the bottom with about a 1/2" extra all the way around.
2 long pieces for the sides of the box.
(the measurements will all vary with the box you choose to cover.)

Brush on your choice of glue evenly and press your cut piece of paper down. Smooth out with your hands and use a bone folder to brush down some of the creases and push out any excess glue.

see the photo above on how to tuck in your corners. glue down all sides.
smooth with your bone folder.

continue on with the bottom of the box.

glue flaps up the side of the box. this will be covered nicely with the last 2 pieces of paper.

measure your sides, then cut paper to size.
I like to cut just 2 pieces instead of 4. easier and quicker.

glue all around the box. smooth out with the bone folder.

you can certainly paint the inside of your box. I like the unfinished craft color, so I left it as is.

It's nice at this point but why not do a little more distressing?
Add some white paint to the corners by using a old gift card. see photos below.

I felt like it needed one more thing that made it pop.
How about another stamp? I used Brick Red Distress ink and a special stamp I placed carefully on the edge.

I have several boxes covered in all different patterns of this stamped collage paper. They look really cool all stacked together and house some of my favorite little things.

I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial. Please feel free to email me with any questions.
:)
Tina

Now To Get Rid of All That Paper

How are you all doing with the number/letter challenge? I have to warn you, it's hard sticking down that last letter, especially if it's an A or an E, which are precious in my house! BUT, it was quite liberating to do so! Keep working on it, using up one whole package or sheet of letters/numbers. YOU'LL BE OK! I promise!

Now on to today's challenge... Lorie isn't the only one with a whole bunch of papers hanging around her scrap area. In my purging and cleaning this week, I've filled up an entire SC box (that's 4 1/2 inches my friend) of just paper. I'm donating it to my daughter's school. They love me. But what about the paper I still have? Well, make cards with it! Here's what I came up with, using Fountain Square again.

Here's why I love pleating paper strips: you can use a whole 12 inch length on a traditional 4.25 by 5.5 sized card! If you just put a strip on the card, you'd only use about 5 inches, pleating it allows you to get rid of more paper! How can that not make you happy? :)


Another way to use up lots of paper? Punch a bunch of squares and add a bit of stitching:


The perfect solution for all those little bits of scraps is the paper crazy quilt. It takes a little bit of time, but the overlapped look is a very fun way to use up scraps.


Adding dimension means you're using more paper. Notice how many butterflies I fit into one small area? I punched three strips of paper 1.25 by 12 inches and fit almost all the butterflies on this card, just making the wings three dimensional allows for a bit more room.


With these four cards, I used up about 1 sheet of paper between all the projects. If I made mulitple of each card, I'm almost done with using my entire kit. Do you think I can be done by Sunday? That's my goal.

And your challenge for today, with the prize being the Glossary add on, is to use up at least two whole sheets of paper making cards. Post a link to your creations and I'll throw your name into the random generator at the end of the week, you have until Monday night.

Out of Chaos Comes Cards

Lorie explained how she and I came to the topic of this post. I was going to post my entire scrap area, but today I will only share with you the part that got my thinking I needed to start getting organized. This is my computer desk. My scrap table is to my left and behind me. It looks even worse. Since I started subscribing to Studio Calico, I've kept my kits in their original bags, in the rolling tote next to my computer desk. It worked well for the first year, but now that we are nearing the end of year two, you have to agree with me that it's not working any more. I am running out of room and don't really want to buy more storage, so I decided a solution would be to start using my kits for cardmaking. Use up the product, then send it away and brighten someone's day. So my goal for this week is to get cleaned up and get rid of old kits!




I chose Fountain Square because I have a good amount left, and I love the color combination. I took a picture of what I had left, each day I post my latest creations, I take another picture to show you my progess. I hope that by doing this, I'll come up with some good ideas to share with you on how to use up your product, so you'll have room for more. This is what I started with:



My goal for today was to use up all the felt letters that came in one of the addons. The container says there are 92 characters. I am happy to report that I have used every single one of them! Not including what I had already done with the kit for the gallery, it took 5 cards and one layout. I hope my ideas will inspire you do to the same with at least one of you sheets or packages of letters/numbers.

That's my challenge for you today, start making cards or layouts, see how many it takes for you to use up an entire sheet or package. Post your creations to the gallery and at the end of our blogging week, plus a couple of days, I'll choose three winners. Once you finish this particular challenge, please link your creation to this post, I'd hate to miss anyone's work.

I made two like this one because I had two 0s and two 8s. I call them my number humor cards and I really think they'll make someone smile.


This is what happens when you dump all the letters out, you find this really cute smiley face and can't help but add it to a card.


One of my favorites, inside it says, "For A Number of Reasons"


I used my final bunch of letters and punctuation to make more of a design than to actually be letters and punctutation. It's got a very graphic feel.


So to recap, how many layouts or cards can you create to use up an entire sheet or package of letters/numbers? Please link in the comments section. You have until March 16th. The prize will be the Glossary add on...

Oh, and I will take another picture of my desk for my next post. I need to clean more than Lorie does! :)