Monday Challenge : Scrap Recipe 2

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!

Neutrals continued.

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!

Monday Challenge: Monochramtic Layout w/ Neutrals

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!

Members Spotlight: using theme items

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 :)

Monday Challenge

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.

Challenge Monday - Collage Inpsiration

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

Tutorial: How to Create Index Prints in Photoshop

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 an ultrasound photo!

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

Scrap Recipe Challenge

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!

Super Easy Monday's Challenge

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!

Challenge: Punches

Good morning! I'm here with another challenge for you this week. Since there are some new punches coming this reveal in the shop, I thought a punch challenge would be fun. Punches can be so versatile and fun, for this challenge, we want you to use them creatively. Push yourself to see them in a different way and give new life to your older punches. See how I layered borders here I punched with THIS punch (my new FAVE!)...

Check out how Lisa trimmed the edges off the labels punched from THIS punch to make those sweet little tags...
Use your punches for paper piecing like I did with 2 different sized circle punches on this butterfly here...

Be sure to link to link your layouts on THIS thread by Saturday at midnight EST. I'll draw a winner Sunday morning for a $5 GC to the shop...perfect for your reveal shopping! :)

Challenge...Vacation Photos

Hello Studio Calico friends...it's Monday, which means it's time for another fun challenge here at SC. Lisa and I are hosting the blog this week and we thought since summer is in full swing and so many of us have been on vacation or are getting ready for vacation, it would be fun to share some travel related inspiration and projects. Also perfect timing since Documentary is now available in the shop for you to purchase! These journaling cards should be enough to make anyone want to scrap...SO much fun!

Okay, so here's the challenge for you...Scrap a vacation/travel layout. Super simple, but we'd also love it if you used Studio Calico product. In fact, we'll give you an extra entry into the drawing for a $5 SC gift card if you already have some Documentary on hand and you use it on your challenge layout. Stay tuned to the blog this week for more travel inspiration. And be sure to post your challenge layouts on THIS thread, so we can draw a winner this weekend. Happy scrapping! :)

Numb3rs - Member contributions and my inspiration piece

Last week I put out the call for two members to help me out with the challenge this week.  I had barely posted it before my quota was filled.

Jessica (jmr0310)was the first email I received, and when she took on the challenge, she was inspired by numbers to do a layout about her daughter and turning four. 

I spy some Granny's Cupboard!  I love the use of frames and the cluster of embellishments.  I also like the way she spaced out her title, make 4 the focus at the base of her layout. 

Scrapper Jenn also sent me an email to participate with the challenge this week.  Rather than use numbers in the title of her layout, she used numbered paper as her inspiration. 

I like how she used gems on each strip of journaling.  It looks like the journaling is bullet points, which is a numerical thing, even though it isn't written that way. 

Jennie also included a birthday card.  Super cute!  I love how the numbers are layered on the caterpillar.  Good dimension and a perfect card for a little girl (Halle must like purple like my Payton loves her purple). 

Thank you ladies for helping me out this week!  I may have to do this again the next time I blog.  I love the different perspective and interpretations of the challenge!

There is more number inspiration coming up this week but I wanted to also end this post with a little inspiration and a sneak at my own project.

I can't wait to share what I've been up to!  Have a great day!  Davinie

Challenge Monday - NUMBERS

Hello all!  I hope you enjoyed a relaxing weekend and are ready to get back to it.

Waleska and I are hosting the blog this week and have an easy challenge for you.  Numbers.  Do a layout or project and incorporate numbers, be it through paper with numbers, titles with numbers, journaling all about numbers....   numbers are the name of the game.

We put out the call for members to help out, and have a couple of extra bits of inspiration to be shared later in the week.

Magazine page numbers #1
Originally uploaded by Sick Little Monkey

As always, you have until Saturday to post your projects to this thread.  We'll be drawing a winner for a $5 gift card to the store, so we hope you will play with us!

Davinie and Waleska

Go forth and Be Bold

I hope that you guys were inspired by boldness this week.

Remember that the weekly challenge is due by tonight. Please post your link to the thread HERE:

Here are our examples of the bold challenge:

From My Pictures

I made a shadow box gift for my husband for Father's Day! I was inspired by Tina's bold esty picks! My husband is an avid photographer and uses a polaroid just like that one to take photos.



Here's Tina's BOLD example..she was also inspired by one of her Etsy picks as well. She used watercolors and a few stencils to create the bold background.

Here's a few links to some fun BOLD things:

BOLD Quotes

BOLD Photos

BOLD Art Prints

BOLD socks :D

BOLD Jewelry

Be BOLD Challenge

This week my friend Tink (or Tina A) and I are taking over this blog! WOOT!

We are going to be loosely following the theme of BE BOLD! That means different things to different people. It could be tackling a new topic that you hadn't been brave enough to tackle before, or using RED, or learning a new technique! Whatever it is, I hope you will BE BOLD with us this week!

Our challenge to you is this: Make a layout with a BOLD title. Make it striking, and link back to THIS Studio Calico message board post!

Here are a few examples:

You can GO BIG!

You can GO RED!

You can just GO AWESOME!

Do whatever you want, but BE BOLD!

paper + fabric continued

In case you missed them (and because they are amazing & deserve a shout out) I want to post some of the projects done for this week's challenge...

by midwesternsewinggirl

by brianaj

by Andreamac

I love all the different ideas and textures here... Thank you for playing along and sharing your wonderful work with us, ladies. And if you haven't played yet you still have a couple more days so hurry :)

challenge: paper + fabric

Hello everyone. Happy Monday! Before I discovered my love for paper I was in love with fabric, so of course getting to play with them both is pure happiness.

One of my favorite items from Partly Sunny was the K&Co Fabric Swatches and I know many of you loved it too (since it's now sold out) so how about a challenge to actually USE those? ;)


Here, I used Partly Sunny, the optic dot + bumpy road punches and a couple of swatches. One swatch to frame the picture and another one to create some fun clouds.

Using a craft knife, i cut inside & around the clouds paper and then adhered the fabric behind it with a glue pen. (tip: always cut the inside first).

So this is your challenge for the week: create a new layout using paper + fabric. When done, post it to the studio calico gallery and link it here for a chance to win a $5 gift card to the shop :)

challenge : scrap a summer photo

Hello, Studio Calico friends! =) Kelly and I are hosting the blog this week, and we are planning on bringing you a week of summertime inspiration. We're winding down the long Memorial Day weekend here in the US, which unofficially kicks off summer. School is almost (or already!) out, the weather is getting warmer, and we're spending more and more time outside.


(partly sunny + rec league,oa word stickers, tiny attacher, turquoise mist, large monarch double punch, photo label punch)

I made this page for the Partly Sunny gallery (and while the main kit has sold out, there are still add-ons available!)- the photo was taken less than three weeks ago. I love seeing how each season impacts our everyday routines - since this photo was taken, the jeans and long sleeves have been packed away and my boys are in full time shorts and sandals mode. Homework has been traded for sprinkler time, and the late nights are no longer a novelty. We're in full on summer mode.

Our challenge to you for this week is an easy one - scrap a summertime photo. Whether it's recent or an older shot, get a little piece of your summer captured on a page. Once you've finished your page, link it up on this thread and let us see it. We'll close the entries at midnight EST on Saturday, and draw a winner for a $5 gift certificate for everyone's favorite shop on Sunday. I'll be back with my summertime page later this week!

Rub Ons Challenge!

Good Morning!! How's your Monday so far? :) It's a brand new week and this particular week, Emily and me are gonna be your host. Check back daily, yes? :)

Our challenge this week is to use rub ons on your layout. Simple, yes? Here's my layout.

I used all three colors of the 'Patterns' - green, brown, grey and 'Buttons' in blue and grey. I used twine to stitch on one 'button', and some brads for the rest. Background misted with Sunflower mist. I am in such a 'yellow' mood lately :) See that yellow butterfly? I told ya! And btw, I think my punches are my best investment for this hobby. Yup. The best.

So, play with us? :)

Just link your layouts up on this thread by Midnight EST on Saturday, May 29th for a chance to win a $5 Gift Certificate to the Studio Calico shop!

Reminder : All layouts must be uoploaded to Studio Calico's gallery, and linked back to the thread on the message board to be eligible. :)