paper: pretty paper. true stories. {and scrapbooking classes with cupcakes.}

Time to take another look at what all of you have been making for your scrapbooks. We are now moving onto the first two sketches in February, Simple Designs for Patterns on the Diagonal and Adapting a Sketch Page for Project Life .

I love how Katie Scott’s layout clearly took inspiration from guest artist Paige’s beautiful layout with the sketch, and yet made it her own with different colours and a different theme. This page proves how that stitched stripe background can be so versatile, and it can be made with scraps, so it’s an efficient use of supplies too. Snow White’s Layout shows an innovative way to use a sketch. Replacing the photo block with a fold-out journaling booklet is a great twist on the design and gives her writing quite a special treatment, and the diagonal stripes take on a candy cane motif when paired with a Christmas theme. The warm colours in Mel’s Layout are gorgeous, but it’s that central paper that made me spot something that I definitely need to try: using a border or corner printed paper with this sketch. Her placement of the papers in the corners makes great use of a tricky pattern, since those corner printed papers can be so pretty but rather a challenge to use well.

If you’d like to see more of the responses for this sketch, take a look here.

Sketch six (Adapting a Page Sketch for Project Life) is much more elaborate than the previous sketch, which resulted in more detailed layouts.

The colours on Christy’s layout are gorgeous! This is a great example of a page that keeps the focus on the photos, but still has a sense of fun with the theme. Kate Taylor took on a very different perspective of the “
sketch. Her page uses the style of a divided page protector and keeps things blocked away in tidy, even portions of the page. The Simple Stories papers are a great choice for this, and I like how the embellishment appears in a large triangle along the edge of the page. The last page takes a very similar theme, but showcases it in such a different style. Kerry’s layout has s a very sophisticated look, with more open space in the background. The choice to separate the four photos works really well as there are really two different styles of picture here. I think I would have been tempted to put them on separate layouts, but this design proves they can work really well on the same page.

Thank you for joining me this week and please, keep your responses coming in! Take a look here at all the sketches you can still work on. I hope they inspire you to get crafty.

Happy Scrapping!

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One of my go-to designs is the grid design. It’s a super easy way to design any project or layout. Many may think a grid is basic, but I find it to be very versatile.
Today I am going to give you five different ways to use a grid design in your Scrapbooking.

Use a Grid in the Background
A grid design does not need to be front and center in your project. Use it in the background to create a solid foundation for your design. In this layout I used a punched circle mask and painted a circle grid in the background. I then layered my photo and bits and pieces of papers and embellishments over the grid.

Use Pattern Paper
One simple way to create a layout with a grid is to use pattern paper as your grid design. Don’t always think of a grid as something that is perfectly symmetrical. In this layout I created a grid with my papers by punching the pattern paper in squares, then trimming into triangles. The pattern was then created by putting the triangle pieces together in a square and diamond design.

Pair with an Enlarged Photo
Recently I have enjoyed pairing an enlarged photo with a grid in a two page design. The enlargement offers a wonderful focal point for your layout. The grid balances the enlargement with smaller items and details.

Include Photos Within your Grid
In this layout example I once again used a grid as a part of the foundation, or background of my layout, but I was also able to squeeze in three more photos in my layout by placing them as part of my grid design. A grid design is a perfect way to add multiple photos within your layout!

Project Life
What could be more perfect for a grid design than a system all-ready set up with grid-style pockets? These pocketed pages are a perfect way to complement a layout in your album. I filled my pocket pages with memorabilia and photos to complement my layout.

I hope these 5 layouts inspire you to create with a grid design today!

Jenni Hufford lives in Indianapolis, IN and is married to Todd. She is a stay at home mother to Jonah James and Jordan Nicole. Jenni enjoys applying the creative aspect of scrapbooking into every day activities with her family. Currently, Jenni is a Blog Contributor for Project Life at Elle’s Studio, and is a Jenni Bowlin Studios Ambassador. You can learn more about Jenni on her blog at the Hufford House

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Yes, I know it’s July.
Yes, I know those are supplies from last Christmas.
Hear me out anyway.

This week is the summer trade show for the craft industry in the US, and that’s when all the new Christmas collections are debuted and I order supplies for what will become the annual Christmas in a Box scrapbooking kit!

I’ve been offering Christmas kits (called Christmas in a Box) to UK addresses for the past six years or so, and for the last two years I worked with Two Peas to also be able to offer the same supplies from their shop, shipping to anywhere in the world. That will continue this year. Every year the UK supply of these kits sold out on the first day, so last year I introduced a deposit and reserve system that worked pretty well. This year I will do the same, and I have a version for both UK and rest of world addresses. The two work in different ways, so please read the details that apply to you before clicking to reserve.

For shipping addresses in the UK: if you would be ordering to a UK address and would like to reserve a kit, you can do so by paying a £5 deposit today. Kits will ship around the first of November (earlier if possible – manufacturers’ shipping dates are an important part of picking what will go in the kits). The £5 will be deducted from the total price of your kit. In past years, the kits have been priced at £40 to £45, including first class postage, and that is the same price range I will use this year: it will be no less than £40 and no more than £45, including first class post to a UK address. So you would simply pay £5 now to guarantee your kit, then the £35 to £40 balance will be due when the kit is ready to ship to you. If you choose not to pay the remaining balance for your kit, the £5 will not be refunded and you will not receive the kit, but that’s all: no further action will be taken.

That’s exactly as I ran things last year and for 2013, I’m adding just one change to that: a set time in which you need to pay before your box will go back up for sale. The only snag I had on this project last year was a handful of boxes that were reserved but not paid in full despite several claims that they would be paid any day. I totally know what it’s like to try to manage a crafty treat for yourself when the budget is tight, so I kept letting those days go by… but in the end those boxes were never paid for and I found myself with Christmas boxes in January, which are not really a hot item. Also, there is no room here for these boxes to stick around! So here is what I think is fair: you will get ten days from the first invoice to pay the balance. I’ll email at least two more reminders before the tenth day. On day eleven, I’m going to go ahead and list those boxes for sale at the full price. If you don’t feel that is fair, don’t reserve a kit. I’m hoping that seems pretty sensible and fair.

_{and those supplies are from Christmas 2011.}

For shipping addresses in the US and rest of world: your kit will be fulfilled by Two Peas in a Bucket, and like the Best of Both Worlds kits, you’ll have the freedom to make some changes if you would like. But the most important thing for us to get the numbers right, so we don’t vastly underestimate how many scrappers would like a kit. To gauge that number, I’m offering a deposit on this too, but it will work a little differently. Unfortunately, with the flexible kit structure, I cannot guarantee every item to every person, because everyone is free to increase the quantities on items they like. So instead of a deposit that goes to a credit, your deposit will be returned to you via a Two Peas gift certificate. You’ll pay a $5 deposit now, and you’ll receive a $5 gift certificate before the kit goes live. You’ll also get an email with a heads up of when the kit will be live to order, and this way we can make sure that each item on the shopping list has more stock than the number of people who have paid that deposit. There may be minor differences between the US and UK kits – each year there has been one or two little items that wouldn’t arrive to another country on time, etc, and I just made little changes to find something very, very close that could get there on time.

To be very transparent about where your money is going between now and November: you’re paying your $5 deposit to shimelle.com, and when the kit is ready, I will send you a $5 gift certificate to spend at Two Peas. If you decide you don’t like the kit, you’re free to spend that $5 on anything you want at Two Peas, and if that means you want to spend it later in the new year, you’re welcome to do that. The gift certificate does not cancel out any discount codes or loyalty discounts, so you can still use the free US shipping code, etc. Just know your $5 will be sent back to you as a gift certificate, not cash, and as you’re sending the deposit to shimelle.com, you’ll need to contact me if there is a problem between now and then, not Two Peas customer service. You can reach me by email any time (shimelle at gmail dot com).

Yes, I definitely realise it’s a bit different to consider paying a deposit to reserve a kit sight unseen, and by no means do I feel you have to do that! There will be a very (very!) limited number of kits further available to UK addresses at the time should you wish to see the kit in full. Or there is the option of ordering the kit contents from Two Peas, which requires no deposit (and Two Peas ships internationally). It’s totally up to you which option is best.

To get an idea of the value of scrapbooking supplies packed into the kits, you can see kits from 2012 and 2011 as examples. There will be a similar balance: plenty of paper, letter stickers in a range of sizes, versatile pieces for layering and writing, quick-to-use embellishments and pieces with dimension. The kit does not include an album and can be used easily for different sizes of scrapbook, from a tiny mini album to a full 12×12 book. I always look to create a kit that can be used to the very end, so instead of everything being loudly Christmas in nature, you’ll find Christmas prints with simpler b-side prints (polka dots, stripes, ledgers) and elements that are Christmas in colour rather than pattern, so you can easily use those papers for non-Christmas projects by mixing and matching with other elements from your stash.

You don’t need to participate in Journal your Christmas to purchase the kit, and the kit is not required to participate in Journal your Christmas. It’s just for fun, and it can be a great way to treat yourself to a lovely mix of brand new products for Christmas crafting when the calendar is extra busy with holiday celebration leaving you little time to shop. In case it’s not obvious, Journal your Christmas will run again this year. It had a big refresh last year and will have a few smaller updates this year, and you can sign up at any time and have access to all the materials from previous years. (Rest assured, all previous participants are still welcome to join in at no extra cost.)

Okay, I think that is everything! Please be sure to select the right deposit – £5 for UK addresses, $5 for anywhere else in the world. It will get really messy if you click the wrong one, so please triple check!

Reservations will close at the end of this Saturday, 27th July 2013.
Reservations have now closed. Thank you!

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I love using arrows on my projects. There’s nothing like an arrow to highlight something on your page and add emphasis. They’re even perfect as a subtle accent. They work for any theme and are super versatile. They’re truly a workhorse.
I wanted to put a spin on the everyday arrow for this tutorial. Origami arrows, with their added dimension, are the perfect little twist to this favorite embellishment.

Trim your paper into 3×3 or 4×4 squares. I used both on this layout.
Note: If you’re using origami paper or copy paper you can skip this step.
Lightly mist your patterned paper with water. This will make it easier to fold. I misted both the front and back with three spritzes each. Start by folding your square in half. This fold will make a folded line going through the center of your finished arrow. If you do not want this line in your finished product then just fold a tiny bit in the center.

Open your paper back up. Fold the outside edges in so they meet on the folded line you just made.

Now take the outside corners and fold them in to the center to make a tip.

Fold over this entire triangle you just made.
Flip your paper over and fold the large rectangular portion of your paper over so that it reveals about half of your little triangle. Here’s a view from the front and the back.

Now turn your shape over so that you’re looking at the back side… the side that shown in the last image. Take the bottom corners and start folding them inward to the center.

As you do this, find the opening in the sides of the flaps and use your fingers to spread it flat as you fold. Do this on both sides. Flip your arrow over. It’s done!
Feel free to use a glue dot to keep the arrow closed, especially if you’re doing this with patterned paper.

I love the extra dimension they add to my page. Sure, I’ll continue to use my punched paper arrows and my stash of arrow stickers, but it was fun to learn something new and incorporate it on my projects.

Now I’m wondering what an arrow folded with vellum would look like! Or maybe one made with watercolored paper. Guess I’ve got some folding to do.

Marcy is a self-proclaimed simple girl. She is married to her high school sweetheart and they have three kids. For the last 12 years they’ve been living on the family farm, homeschooling two of their three kids and renovating a 120 year old farmhouse in Canada. Yes. Still renovating! She’s a major homebody so country life is a great fit for her! Back in the day she earned her Bachelor of Education degree, but an artistic life has always been calling her name. She’s always busy doing something creative, photography (sometimes shooting others, but enjoying shooting her own family the most), scrapbooking, decorating… you name it! She loves that scrapbooking combines so many of her hobbies into one! It’s the perfect fit. You can find Marcy at her blog, Hello Forever , and hanging out on Twitter and Instagram. She also design for Studio Calico and is a Garden Girl over at Two Peas in a Bucket.

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Welcome to the July Gardeners’ Digest, with updates from the Garden Girls! Since last month, Glitter Girl has been on several new adventures, covering scrapbooking panoramic photos, adding stamps to your journaling, creating title pages for albums, and using map prints without travel photos.

Here’s a look at Glitter Girl’s latest adventure, and you can find her new video weekly here at Two Peas. Are you up for her scraplift-yourself challenge?

This month one of my favourite projects in the garden is by Jen Kinkade. I had to pick her bespectacled project in the Scrap your Stash series! As a girl with glasses, I’m loving this trend. Unfortunately it does make me want to shop for funky new frames all the time and glasses are significantly more expensive than paper and stamps! Guess I’ll have to settle for new frames on my pages but maybe not on my face. See more of Jen’s project here.

With it being CHA week, new products will start to arrive in the droves next month! But there are a few new things at Two Peas this July that have caught my eye. First up is the Hello Again collection by Carta Bella. It’s designed by Kaitlin Sheaffer, the lovely lady behind Ormolu designs, and I’m excited to use that style in paper form! Some other new picks that have jumped into my cart include this cut apart sheet by Echo Park, chalk tape by Fancy Pants, and plenty of new items from BasicGrey’s Capture and Carte Postale collections.

Want a little more scrapping inspiration? One comment left on this post by the end of the month will receive a class pass to Celine’s new Two Peas workshop, Mini Books, Big Style. (You can see the full workshop details through that link.) This workshop includes minibooks and technique videos to break down Celine’s gorgeous mixed-media style. Although it’s designed for mini books, you can definitely use what you learn in this workshop on your standard pages too. No need to wait to see if you’ve won- if the winner has already purchased the workshop, the class fee will be refunded. Make sure you include a valid address in the email box when you leave your comment, and your Two Peas username would be a great help too, though not a strict requirement. Good luck!

I’m the last stop on the hop today, so you can jump to Paige to find the beginning and follow right on through to see what the Garden Girls have to share with you! Enjoy! And you can find the full list of links on the Two Peas blog.

Gardeners’ Digest is a monthly update from the Garden Girls, the design team at Two Peas in a Bucket. To keep up with the Garden Girls throughout the month, check out the garden gallery any time!

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Time to take another look back at what you’ve been making in response to some of the 2013 sketches. Today we’re going right back to some designs from January, with Two Photos in Quadrants and Scrapbooking with Square Print Photos.

Continuing from last week, let’s start with the third sketch challenge, Two Photos in Quadrants . Looking at the sketch, it is quite simple. However, sometimes that’s the best way as it gives you more freedom to add little embellishments and really show off your photos! In Lori’s layout I love that she has sneakily added in more photos but kept to the overall photo size. It doesn’t look overcrowded, which I think it shows that you can have fun with a simple sketch and turn it into something truly creative. The choice of colours in Tilla’s layout is so lovely. The blue in the photos look so vibrant amongst all the browns, with just the right amount of contrast. I feel like I can really capture the beauty of her holiday from this layout. Unlike the other two, HokieCoyote’s Layout is digital. I like how the background is more sparse, which makes the photos the main focus and you turn to the journaling to see what it’s all about! I love that your eyes sweep across the page, as it tells you the story.

If you’d like to take a look at even more pages from this sketch, then have a look here.

The fourth sketch is quite a contrast to the previous sketch as photos had more focus whereas this time you had more room to journal and add embellishments.

Don’t you think the little photo boxes look like a strip of film negatives? I didn’t even think of that when I drew the sketch, and now it’s all I see. I get the feeling that Debbie had the same thinking when it came to her layout. When you read through her journaling, you notice that the pictures & the writing on the little tabs all match as you go along. It’s a wonderful use of design elements to help tell a story. In Leanne’s layout, she’s made the sketch spread across the page and let more of the photos do the talking, as it were, rather than a big amount of journaling. Maya’s layout has many added elements to it such as the zig-zag stitching and layered patterned paper, making it very colourful. I like Maya’s layering, making you feel like you could lift up those tabs, revealing some hidden journaling. The dots between the letters are a great touch here, a mix of both cute and purposeful so as you’re reading, you’re joining in the cheerleading!

It’s great seeing how different all the finished pages can be when it comes to a sketch and remember, if you wish to look at the other wonderfully creative responses, you can find them here.

It’s been great looking through all your layouts and I hope you can take something away from them! If you’ve been inspired to do some scrapping, four new sketches got put up last week, so if you wish for your work to be featured on ‘What You’ve Been Making’ you have three more weeks to submit your layouts. Find all the scrapbooking sketches here.

Happy scrapping!

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Recently, I have been smitten by cork products. I like its natural color, fun shape, and unique texture. It’s easy to add cork to your projects as cork is so versatile. Today, I’ll share five fun ways to use it with you.

Use as a Photo Mat
I used the Cork Label Stickers as a photo mat. A 4” x 2 3/4” scallop bracket is perfect for a wallet size photo. I just put my photo on the Cork Label Stickers with a small paper clip.

Perfect for a Title Space or Journal Spot
I have decided to use the 4” x 2 3/4” bracket as a title space on my layout. I put a flocked Transparency, tape stickers, chipboard alpha, and alpha stickers on the Cork Label Stickers.

Decorate with Stitches
Cork is so soft, you can easy to sew it. I cut my photo into a round shape and put it on the 2 3/4” x 2 3/4” Circle. I stitched around it with green embroidery thread.

Paint it your Favorite Color
Heart shaped cork is so cute, I added a couple of them to my layout. I wanted to paint one of them in red which I painted with acrylic paint.

Decorate with Brads
Cork Shape Stickers have thickness and the surface is very soft. Here I added three small brads and a large fabric brad to the 1” cork shapes arrows.

My gallery at two peas in a bucket showcases several more projects which I have used Cork products. I hope you enjoyed my Cork project!

Yuki Shimada lives in Japan with her husband and two daughters. She loves to make layouts and cards. She currently designs for Fancy Pants Designs and Simple Stories. She has been published in Scrapbook trends and Cards. You can catch up with Yuki on her blog at Love Today and on her Facebook.

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Are you afraid to get sprayed mist or acrylic paint all over your desk? Are you too impatient to wait for the different layers of color to dry or do you think mixed media is not for you? This tutorial offers a drier approach to the world of mixed media – a light version.

Start with a sheet of white cardstock. Start with a clean sheet and be ready for what is going to happen. See this as a small exercise in losing control – Why? Even if dry media can be more controllable, you are still playing with color.

Next thing – dust off your Distress Inks. Let them come to use for something else other than stamping because you may have noticed the same thing as I have, the Distress Inks don’t stamp perfectly on Bazzill classic cardstock.

Stencils are next on the list and now it’s time to put the sponge to the test. Go look in your bathroom for those make-up sponges and use them with the Distress Inks if you don’t have a Tim Holtz ink applicator with foam. Use different colors and ink the page here and there using the sponge and stencil. (You can even do the same technique using Pan Pastel – just then remember to fix the layers so it doesn’t smudge). The Distress Inks (or other dye inks) dry very fast and you can add layers right away; you don’t have to wait for it to dry or use heat to speed up the drying time. Add as many layers and colors as you want. Here I have used a total of eight different sizes or shapes of stencils from The Crafter’s Workshop.

When you are satisfied with the amount of stenciled layers, it’s time to use background stamps, but this time – leave the acrylic block on the table. This time you don’t want the edges when you stamp to be clean, but rather pretty random, so just hold the stamp with you thumb and index finger and use some fingers from your other hand to push the ink on the page.

If you use a smooth cardstock you are able to stamp a little cleaner than with a canvas cardstock, but I prefer the slightly more yellow white canvas cardstock than the more bluish tone of the smooth cardstock.

If you dare not travel further in the land of mixed media, you can actually stop here and hop down to the part where I continue with layers of paper.

Now for a white medium – gesso. Pick out a stencil again and use a spatula to smear out the gesso over your inked and misted parts. Preferably with a heavy gesso to give the page some extra depth. The whole idea of adding a white gesso to the layout is that it gives you more texture and it softens the layers of color. The gesso takes some time to dry, but you can speed it up by using a heating tool, just avoid using too close or too long, the gesso will start creating bubbles and you don’t want that.

The next part requires a little drying time too. It’s time for the mist. For this project it doesn’t matter which kind of mist you use, you can also mix your own mist using the Distress Ink and some water! Drop some mist here and there in coordinating colors – a little lighter and a little darker than the distress inks to give the page some more contrast. The black inked parts and the black stamped parts help give the page some contrast. Again, this is a part you can skip too if you don’t want to use any wet mediums. Here you can see the finished background where parts of the stamped parts are covered in gesso.

While that is drying, gather a new sheet of white cardstock and the pictures you want to use. You might wonder why you need more cardstock. It’s mostly to have a light background when you work with the next phase – the layering.

Start with the picture and pick out a light paper to have behind your picture, crop it pretty close to the picture, then start to add different sized layers behind those layers. Leave some wider and others taller. Bend the sides and corners slightly. In between the layers add patterned paper cut with border punches, add doilies and stickers and other fun things, but not too much. You don’t want your embellishments to draw the attention away from you project.

When you are satisfied with the layers pick up your stapler and staple the layers together, excluding your picture and picture mat. That way you can more easily choose where to have all your layers. Don’t worry if you cover up most of what you have inked… that is part of the game. Since you have stapled the papers together in the middle you are free to cut pieces off if you think they cover up too much. When you are happy with the placement start adding more pieces, like cut out pieces with a punch, a doily or other fun things and then tape or glue the layers to your mixed media background.

Add your last decorations, title and journaling when every thing else is in place. Don’t be afraid to use your own handwriting. During my first years of scrapbooking I never had any journaling on my pages because I hated my handwriting. My handwriting hasn’t improved, but now I don’t mind it anymore and gives the pages a more personal touch. I think that goes together with the non-measure thing of just letting go and create and not letting anything hold me back.

Here is the finished project. Hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and that it will give you a taste for more multi medium approach to scrapbooking. I would love to see what you create with these ideas!

Christin Grønnslett lives in Røyken,Norway with two kids and a husband. When the kids are tucked in bed she escapes down to her scrap cave in the basement. Christin currently serves on the Design Teams for Pink Paislee, Zva Creative, My Creative Scrapbook, Papirdesign, Scrap around the world and The Color Room and will be teaching for the first time in the fall. Feel free to give her some good advice! You can find her blog here and follow her on Instagram.

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