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Crate Paper + Little Boy Blue "New"

 

 

When I heard that Crate Paper was releasing lil' boy and lil' girl baby collections this Spring, I just knew they'd be extra cute! Each has a slightly different feel and vibe, but both encompass that retro-ish feel that's recognizably "Crate", and only "Crate". Of course, there are some new embellishment/paper additions - check out the wood "baby-themed" shapes, and matching AC Thickers. Also, the boy collection is home to a "flashy" patterned paper that'll cost you less than a buck - though some trim-work is required. Still, the flashcards, when seperated, are worth every little penny. Use them alone, or together (frame the sheet while you're at it! The paper is super darling...)

 I actually had a chance to create with the collection over Mother's Day weekend. Before doing so though, I had to seek out a baby picture. Sadly, I lost all of Ethan's baby pictures to a failed external harddrive a number of months ago. Luckily, I as able to located an adorable picture of Ethan's cousin instead. Them blue eyes are as precious as can be...

Believe it or not, this young lil' boy is now well over three years old! Ethan and I have plans to see him this weekend as his sister is about to turn one - guess I'll have to use the Baby Girl collection to document the special, upcoming occasion. :))

 

I'm keeping the post short and sweet 'cause I'd love for you to make it to Crate's blog to see the new collections as soon as you depart from here. Make sure to tell Crate Paper what you think of them!! Leave a comment if you'd be so willing. Lastly, there's a "Name that Baby" contest on Friday - Lullaby could be all your's for free! Mark your calendars. See you over there..

Good-Bye Spring Semester & Hello Summer School!

Hello Friends, on this very fine Friday! Yes, I seem to pop in and out of this place at random. On the flip side of that though, Spring semester is just about over {two finals remain!}. It's hard to believe that already, I conquered two years of business school (Business Calculus, Macro Econ, Micro Econ, Accounting I, Information Computer Systems (Database Development), etc.) It's a HUGE achievement given the circumstances of the last four years. I feel truly blessed that all has worked out well. In pushing forward, I have two Summer Class ahead of me; Accounting II & Business Stats. One starts in June, and the other, July....the adventure continues.

Speaking of which, from the movie "Up!", my very favorite line...

The movie tugs at my heartstrings every time I watch it, but this quote is so, so true. Eric would have said the very same thing! 

 

A few days ago, I spent the morning with my good friend, Jeff, at the local Brueggers Bagel Shop. Upon concluding our visit, I handed him my camera to take a couple of photos - he did a pretty amazing job! Love that I look happy and healthy again. :)) 

 

Yesterday, I posted a brand new layout at the Crate Paper blog! It's followed by a lengthy description and a brief number of technique ideas. There's a whole range of colorful photos as well - locate it HERE. 

Also, Crate's hosting it's May color challenge!! Tara Anderson has once again created a new "gorgeous" color palette - just look at her clothesline display..the PEACH is heavenly, don't you think?

One more item about Crate Paper before concluding today's post :)) There's been a makeover of sorts, one that has been long time coming, and is extremely exciting..feel like taking a guess? I'll return Monday with a full disclosure - enjoy the weekend!

The Pretty Party begins at Crate Paper!

The second collection, Pretty Party, is on display at the Crate Paper blog! Hop on over there to find out what it's all about - cuteness awaits!

 

I feel like the momentum and tandum of quilting is starting to embed itself into my work. And even though I'm no longer a quilter (wish I was 'cause I'm loving the new fabric releases lately!), there's still a part of me that leans ever-so-slightly to the fabric side of things. It certainly doesn't help that Pinterest serves to unite the entire crafts/design industry, given that everything I find there is suddenly influencing my crafting habits, and not necessarily for the better. Laugh. I've too many ideas, and not enough time to try them all out! I'm realizing that there is such a thing as "too much" inspiration...and the "quilt" pins won't leave me alone! Still adore the hobby...

 Every child has a sizable pile of stuffed animals tucked away in their closet, under their bed, or in the middle of mom's living room floor. I've always kept Ethan's animal collection at a reasonable size, however, there are two or three of them that have been stalking him for years, including  this heavily worn shaggy dog. Already, I've had to make minor repairs to it and thankfully, this woman can sew, as it's seams have come apart more than once! Obvioulsy, it's undergone some serious wear and tear over the years, but it's been an immense source of security for Ethan - there's rarely a night he's without it! 

Random patchwork is just that, "random". It's free-form trim work pieced together with the help of instinct and an underlying source of color/pattern knowledge. And just as with traditional quilting, it's centered within the confines of a frame. I chose a dark, neutral colored cardstock for the framework. It's a nice contrast to the white background without competing with the patchwork.

 

There is a little Sassafras "love" to be had in these alphas. Still have a large assortment of them at my disposal from having served as a team member for the company years ago. I've always enjoyed their product and miss them terribly!

 

Stamps - I've not always known what to do with them, but inside a circle label, and secured by a brad, this red "love" stamp is right at home.

 

I'm a collector of die-cuts. I've shown them here previously, but it's been a while since I last spoke on the subject. Let it be known, they're a huge, immediate resource to me for collage work. Either as a whole, or sectioned off into different parts, die-cuts take up space! They can be used exclusively for their decorative features, or for more practical purposes such as journaling or labeling. I tend to view them more as mini sheets of pattern paper, rather than as small individual embellishments. I take off an edge and glue it here or there, and then throw away the remainder. I do the same with small printed transparencies. My Mind's Eye regularily makes available 4" x 6" transparencies with each of their collections, and I buy nearly every single one of them. They're always chalked full of great designs!

K & Company recently introduced a new "nature-inspired" collection titled, Edamame. It's available at both Jo Ann, and Michael retail stores. The vertical orange/pink florals on the layout are from the collection's die-cut combo pack. I distressed them slightly and folded their edges forward.

 

The vacation thus far hasn't been much of a vacation, but then again, it's CHA time! Laugh. Speaking of which, for those of you attending CHA, note that I won't be at the show. A couple of you inquired as to my presense at the event, and sadly, I just couldn't pull it off this time around. School starts next week and I've waiting for me, Business Calculus, Accounting II, and Macro Economics...Lord help me!

 

The New CP Girls + Vacation Ahead

The week has been long, and my time here has been fairly sporadic, though for good reason; Crate Paper's brought forth a new team of CP Girls! They were just announced this weekend at the Crate Paper blog. The line-up of ladies is tiptop perfect, too! I couldn't be more pleased, and I'm already looking forward to seeing what they have up their sleeves with the release of Crate's Winter/Spring collections. Speaking of which, keep a close eye on Crate's blog this week...There are pretty things ahead...

And Crate Paper's Winter/Spring 2012 Design Team is as follows...

 

Design Team Coordinator 

 

Challenge Host/Specialty Contributor 

 

Anabelle O'Malley

 

Charline Cundy

 

Claudia Shadler

 

Jamie Warren

 

Kaori Watanabe

 

Latonia Grant

 

Lilith Eeckels

 

Michiko Kato

 

Piradee Talvanna

 

Rahel Menig

 

Roree Rumph

 

Sarah Martina

 

Sasha Farina

 

Shanna Noel

 

Stephanie Dagan

 

Suzanne Sergi

 

And there you have it my friends! A vast and varied group of talented scrapbookers, card makers, and altered project experts! Congrats to every single one of them!

It's my final week before returning back to the classroom, and I've plans to create almost the entire time. This place could use a project presentation boost, don't you think? There's also a couple of items that need taking care of for CHA, and Scrapbook and Cards Today. It'll feel wonderful to finally sit down at my scrapbook desk, amongst my supplies, and without interruption doing the one thing that I love more than anything else - scrapbooking!! It's the kind of week I aspire to most, and only comes around twice a year - to put it quite bluntly, it's "vacation time". Laugh. Well, sort of. I've some work, but less of it. Let's just hope my mojo isn't non-existant this week - good lord, wouldn't that be unfortunate? See you a lil' later!

Christmas Carols + Cute Kids

I'd a good friend ask as to my whereabouts lately since my blog lacks updating this week! And I appreciate her inquiry as it's true, I've been seriously slacking this week, but I've a legitimate excuse...

I worry that any mention of a good thing, in terms of dating, might jinx me out of something potentially succesful. That being said, this really good thing has kept me semi-away from scrapbooking for a fair number of days, but it hasn't completely stopped me from producing a smaller sized project on behalf of Crate Paper. It's a project I've been working on alongside Tara Anderson - I mentioned it just slightly via the previous post. A few nights ago, I finally finished my version of it, and surprisingly, it turned out really cute! I can't wait for it to appear at Crate's blog. That being said, I've now two projects to show there - the first will premier on Saturday, and the collaboration project on Monday. I know, it's absolutely no fun when I can't share these things with you right away..but, I promise, they'll be worth the wait!!

 

I bet that most of you, like myself, are enjoying some of the fun, festive holiday activities common this time of year! Earlier this evening, Ethan took part in a Christmas concert at his preschool alongside a multitude of other cute, lil' kiddo's. They sang there hearts out in front of a large crowd of parents, grandparents, friends, and other attendees.

Because I didn't want to forget this special moment, I brought my D60 with me to capture photos and video footage (will post video later) of the concert. While panning the three rows of kids with my lens, I immediately took notice that each one was putting on their own show, including Ethan. From what I was able to determine, instead of singing and waving his arms, he was frantically trying to talk to me. Turns out, he was telling me to turn on my camera's light! Laugh. He also took to yawning, cleaning his nose, crossing his arms, and when he felt up to it, wiggled to the tunes. I, of course, tried to encourage him to sing, though it only helped slightly - from what I was able to deterimine, he was just fine standing there and you know what? I couldn't of been happier - he's all my own :) 

 

One last bit of news, Crate Paper's "Paper Heart" found me yesterday! I'm always thrilled when a new Crate Paper collection makes way to my home! This particular collection has a few color-envy, eye catching papers that I think nearly everyone should have, too - including the following three....

What I love best amount'em most is that their usable beyond Valentine's Day! Big pink polka dots, yellow stripes, turquoise diamonds, and red anything are quintisential to nearly every patterned paper collection. With that being said, I'm wondering what your favorites (Paper Heart) might be? 

And incase you'd like to have this collection as your very own, Crate Paper is giving away three "Paper Heart" collection kits next week during their "A Very Crate Christmas" blogging event - make sure to check it out if you've a moment!

Will return with full Crate projects as soon as they debut! Thanks for visiting me! Much Appreciated - love your company! Take care...

Crate Paper + Monthly Mini Albums

Most recently, I've been contemplating what to bring to the Crate Blog as part of an ongoing monthly series since with each new release, there's turn over in subject matter. Because the common, prolific request has been for me to contribute mini albums when time allows, I opted to take on the task of creating one full mini album a month. So, with each brand new month, at the Crate Paper blog, a new mini album will be available for the viewing and in conjunction with the album will be a quick, readily doable tutorial. The tutorials themselves will be on the small side since a lot of the emphasis and focus is that of the album instead of the construction process. The primary reason being for this is because typically, a full mini album tutorial (at least for me) is often capable of taking up more space than is practically available via an individual post. To save on space then, I'm miniaturizing the tutorials into bite size pieces for easier consumption..if I should even reference it as that. 

The first album in line is already finished - it's emphasis is of course, Farmhouse. Considering that school starts in less than four weeks for me, I thought, "Why not jump into Fall already?" I could sure use a cooling down after this latest hot & humid Summer..though I'd be more than willing to skip the books! Laugh. In any event, I'm showing snippets of the album today - it'll post in it's entirety next week on the Crate Blog.

I simply can't wait to share the rest of the album with you, but it'll have to wait 'til later! It's been a week's worth of creative energy, so expect the usual details! 

Not quite sure what the rest of you have planned for the weekend, but it's "art festival" time for those of us in the Twin Cities. We've two of the largest outdoor festivals this weekend, including the Uptown Art Show! I'll not be attending the Uptown, though I have plans to visit it's "neighboring show", Powderhorn Art Show. A long time has past since I last attended an art event, so I'm looking forward to catching up with the Minnesota art scene. Should be adventuresome and fun..have a great weekend you guys! Catch up with you Monday!

Crate Randomness

Random is one of those collections that's easily manipulated if you're in the mood to try something a little different in terms of design. Whether going the route of traditional scrapbooking or taking a more artistic approach, Random meets the requirements from start to finish. It's a major fave of mine since Crate released their brand new collections few weeks ago. I created two layouts from the collection after having received it - it's literally almost "gone" at this point! A second helping will find me in a few weeks of course since I've still five more months to play with it. Don't think I'll ever grow tired of it either....it's perfect for mixing and matching too. 

 

I fell upon the idea to mix vellum and pattern paper after brainstorming and reviewing flower ideas while producing the layout. I trimmed various sized circles from both materials and layered them on top of each other during the positioning of a large size brad. The flower is subtle, sweet and airy. 

 

The bright denim blue polaroid frame from Random's chipboard collection is sooo fabulous! The fact that it's "blue" instead of "black" is a huge plus! Now if only Crate would package up a bag of different colored poloroid frames - I'd be entirely happy. 

 

The circles took a little bit of extra work to make, but they're central to the layout's overall design. I first trimmed circles with a circle cutter from Vanilla cardstock. Of the negative shaped circles left behind on the paper, I handcut around them with pinking scissors (Fiskars). I then backed them up with varied pattern papers. The small circles were created with the help of different sized circle punches. Small punch first, large second. 

 

Tara Anderson talked me into trying her spray paint technique. I've done it a couple of times before and my results are always so mixed. The application process is tricky too...though Tara has it down pat!! Ultimately, control is key! Maybe someday I'll have mastered it, but I think for now, I'm sticken' with October Afternoon's/Studio Calico's Mists. :))

 The studio is calling me! Lots of creative work ahead - almost a full afternoon of it! Have a leisurly afternoon my friends! More Crate ahead...

~ CM ~ 

Unique Occurrence :: Card Making Weekend

You'll stumble upon a actual card from myself today if decidedly over at the Crate Paper blog. It's part of Crate's ongoing "Wedding Week" which is to continue on through to next Tuesday! A fabulous triple challenge has been announced in conjunction with the special feature - they've enlisted three options so that everyone is able to participate if they so desire. For full details, visit Crate Paper's blog! The first set of projects are up as well! 

I created a synonymous, everyday wedding card for the event. It's not technically the kind of card that you would sit down to make two hundred of, it's more of a "gift" giving card that you'd probably have to find an extra big envelope for so as to not mess-up the pretty bow. Bulky cards are often my specialty if ever in a desperate enough situation to create one. I still love to pile on the layers, even with cards. Someday, I'd like to produce a collection of them and stash them away for a rainy day. One never really knows when they might need a card for a special occasion like that of a "I thee wed" event! :)

 

It feels like forever since I last enjoyed a round of scrapbooking with a friend in my own home. Jing Jing Nickel, a very good friend of mine, came by Saturday evening for a fair number of hours and we sat at my kitchen table and scrapbooked until semi-late into the evening. I devoted the hours to continuing the production process of Bella projects while Jing Jing took to producing cards at a mile a minute ! The difference between the rate at which we create was hilariously funny and I couldn't help but admire her quickly paced crafting abilities. I barely made a dent in the project I was working on - huge shocker {not really}. Still, we had a great time working side-by-side and spending time together as friends always do when scrapbooking beneath the same roof. I wish this sort of thing could happen more often..maybe it's time I start a local scrapbooker's meet-up group? Maybe...

Note the high level of production emphasized by the strayed number of items laying on top our work surface!! I brought half my scrapbook room with me to the table whereas Jing Jing brought one container and a trimmer. Hmmm...maybe this is why I rarely leave the house to scrapbook. I love stuff.

 

A tired cat will sleep anywhere if you let him. Boxes like this one are a constant presence in the house and it's not at all unique that at least one of my cat's will make himself/herself at home in a strewn about box. This particular box sat on top the chair in my scrapbook space and Casper squeezed himself inside it for a two hour nap! Must of been one tired kitty...

I'm still working on my button images, so I've plans to show them around mid-week. In the mean time, ran and visit Crate Paper - hope to see you over there! ~ CM

National Scrapbook Day w/Crate Paper

Crate has a basket of Crate Paper goodies for both you and your mom that are valued at a $100 each - Davinie Fiero has also orchestrated the cutest bundle of spiral flowers ever as part of Crate's National Scrapbook Day/Mother's Day weekend. I recommend a visit to Crate if you think you're mom might garner a smile to basket full of Crate Paper items - they'll be announcing the winner on Monday, so make sure to throw your name and favorite "mommy moment" into the mix! 

I've begun a new Advantageous Kit this week, though it still a work in progress and probably won't receive it's finishing touches until tomorrow afternoon. It's nearly final's week for me, so I'm running a tight schedule the next five or six days. The kit will show tomorrow evening on my blog - do come back to check it out at some point this weekend! I'm off to retire - while you're waiting for me to post the kit, tell me what you're up to this weekend! Is anyone scrapbooking or attending a crop of some sort in honor of National Scrapbook Day? I'm to garden....not exactly scrapbooking, is it? laugh. I'll do that too though :) ~ CM

Inspire then Crate...

I've been hatching out a special project behind the scenes this week and it'll show up on Crate's blog today as part of their monthly feature, "Inspire then Crate". I know, cute name, right?! They're creative with words over there - I'm not that witty, but wish I was! Laugh. Anyway, I would love for you to see the project and post!! Stop by and say, "Hello!" See you over there! ~ Christine M.