Christmas Cards with Park Ave Card kit

Hello there! I love the Christmas season. All the festive trimmings, the decor of sparkly ornaments and lush ribbons, people in the spirit of giving, Hallmark movies and even the snowy bluster of the season, but maybe that's because I don't live in an area with snow. 

In the spirit of the season I created a trendy and  simple Christmas card and matching envelope with Studio Calico's Park Ave card kit. The card was so easy to make that you could easily replicate them for mass Christmas card making. All you'll need is the kit, cardstock, Studio Calico Christmas tree veneers and tinsel glitter (plus your favorite ink color combination).

First I stamped a cityscape with the stamp set included in the card kit, alternating ink colors. I then trimmed the sentiment masking tape to create a festive sentiment strip of the same scale. I added a bit of gold trim and affixed a sentiment banner with foam tape to the card.

To give the city scape a festive holiday feel, I added some veneer Christmas trees and a light dusting of tinsel glitter on the rooftops of the buildings.

To create the matching envelope, I stamped the buildings on both edges of the envelope, leaving room to write the address, and added a few wood veneer trees. If you mail the envelopes rather than hand-delivering, you may want to not affix the veneers, but with a little extra postage and some strong adhesive you can mail the envelopes with the cute trees.

I think these cards would be fun to make and send, even personalizing them by switching up the ink colors used for the buildings. How would you add your own touch to your Christmas cards to make each one unique?

Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Special Thanks Blog Hop

Welcome to the farewell Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Special Thanks Blog Hop. You've probably just arrived from Jeanne Jachna's blog.

I never thought this day would come, that the day to say goodbye to such an endearing and beloved magazine and family would ever be a reality. For so many women, this magazine  has made such an impact on our lives. We found confidence in it's pages, beauty in it's design and love in the friendships that were fostered through it. 

My journey with Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking magazine started in 2004 shortly after the magazine began. At the time I was in college, and my mom found it and thought I'd like to read it, so she bought me a subscription. I had always had an interest in crafting, sewing and paper, and I soon  loved reading the magazine on the shuttle ride to school, collecting issues for inspiration. Some of the biggest names in the industry found their start on the pages of Paper Crafts magazine. And, one day I too would find my own creations on these pages as well.

Fast forward five years later to being a newlywed on summer break from school. My husband encouraged me to take up a hobby to fill my summers off from teaching, so I began scrapping our wedding album. As I made some simple layouts that were characteristic of that time, I remembered all the cool cards and paper-crafted projects I used to look at in a magazine that I had been subscribing to since 2004. So, I decided to visit PC's website, and took a look at their submission calls. New to submitting, I had no idea what I was doing. I crafted a few cards with brads, decorative edge scissors, patterned paper and some simple stamps that I had laying around in a craft drawer, took some pictures and sent them in. 

I wasn't too surprised that they weren't picked up, but the submission bug had just hit me. A few days later, I checked their site again and saw a new call for a special Card Creations issue, which has a lot more general card categories. I printed the call out, took it to my local scrapbook store, and perused the aisles. After purchasing some a lot of crafting goodies, I went home, crafted and submitted. 

A few days later I received an email from the magazine. From someone important. Someone special. Everyone's favorite puffy heart editor, the beautiful Susan Opel. I couldn't believe it! I had to read the email three times before I grasped that two of my very own cards were going to be in the magazine!! I was still in bed at the time reading this, and my squealing woke up Mr. Emily (as Susan calls my husband), and he too was excited for me!

That was the beginning of my love affair with paper crafting. From then on I was crafting every day, and even on weekends. I was pouring over issues, reading blogs, following the latest trends and reading manufacturers sites. Paper Crafts magazine gave me such joy. I loved coming home every day from work and being creative, I loved the challenge of trying to use my tools in a new way, crafting with unusual materials, using new stamp techniques, but most of all--the friendship between Susan and I, and I and other crafters. 

You see, Paper Crafts Magazine wasn't just some paper magazine with pictures of pretty projects and advertisements, while--yes, the projects were phenomenal and clever, the columns were inspiring and trend-setting, it was the people at Paper Crafts that made it so special. Paper Crafts Magazine was a staple of all that women love; friendships, fun and beauty. Paper Crafts Magazine brought people together, from all over the country and even, the world. Paper Crafts Magazine created a sense of belonging for people like me who loved to make beautiful crafts and share that love with others.

After a while of submitting and meeting new online friends, I began to hear about this tradeshow called CHA. I didn't know much about it, but from what I had heard it sounded amazing. Meeting up with other crafters, being given a chance to see the newest product before it hits stores, and hanging out with my crafting friends on a fun-filled weekend in So. Cal--sign me up!! IT. DIDN'T. DISSAPOINT.

Not only did I love seeing the product, the amazing projects and being in the thick of all things crafty, I got to meet the Paper Crafts family….a group of women that I felt I knew already. We laughed, shared funny stories and enjoyed each other's company….trips to CHA with my paper-crafting friends were some of the happiest times in my life. Had it not been for Paper Crafts Magazine, I may have never met these women; what a sad thought indeed. 

Paper Crafts Magazine, this hop is for you. This hop is to recognize how many lives you have touched, how many women found acceptance in your hobby, how many crafters found inspiration in your pages, and how many friendships were created and still last because of this magazine we call Paper Crafts. Even though the magazine is coming to an end, it's not the end of something more important--the bonds of friendship that were forged around tables of crafters, eating, laughing and sharing in life. Love. And Paper.

Paper Crafts Magazine. This hop is for you. We love you…Forever.

In honor of the beautiful people who make Paper Crafts Magazine the incredible community it is: Jennifer, Kerri, Stacey, Susan, Holly and Matt, I made a card because you are all my favorites! The editorial content and design of the magazine shows your love and attention to this beloved magazine. You are all gems!

It just seems fitting to make a card with gold, because Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking is the gold standard of paper crafting. 

And, now for the hard part--now for the final goodbye. I'm crying as I type this. I feel such a sense of loss as I come to the realization that Paper Crafts Magazine is closing its publication doors. 

No more supply lists saved on my computer. 

No more printing out acceptance forms. 

No more mailing boxes of cards. 

No more issues to look forward to reading. 

No more blog challenges, blog hops and publication calls, 

No more fun meet and greets at the Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking CHA booth….

it's all come to an end. Please know, that I have grown so much as a crafter because of you all, and I have developed a life-long love of paper crafting because. My prayers and thoughts will be with you as you embark on you embark on new paths, and say goodbye to one another. I can't even imagine what you're experiencing.

With all my puffy heart love….goodbye Paper Crafts Magazine. 

Your next stop on the Goodbye Hop is Anja Bytyqi. Thanks for stopping by!

Full Reveal of Park Ave Card kit

Hey there friends!! Today's the full reveal of the kits from Studio Calico. If you're a subscriber, the kits and add on's are available on the 27th in an exclusive pre-sale, which you're definitely going to want to do this month. For non-subscribers kits are available to purchase now, so don't delay!!

My first two cards showcase what you can do with the main kit this month. I love that the main kit isn't "holiday heavy," you can still make a variety of cards, but if you need some holiday cards, its totally possible to use the main kit--very vesatile!

I was really liking the black and white floral paper this month, as well as the patterned paper included in the main kit's paper pad. The pinks, yellows and aquas create such a fun contrast with the black and white flowers and text. 

The lovely kraft paper with gold glitter is back in the main kit, but it's even better this time----it's large envelopes that you could use to place cards in or trim to add as a decorative touch to card. And, that calligraphy in the sentiment---ohhh how I love calligraphy!

Oh my goodness the stamp set included in the main kit is so fantabulous!! I loved it, and wanted to try something fun with it. The patterns had a retro feel to them, so I wanted to play with that design. I stamped a block of patterns and used watercolors to give the patterns some pizazz.

Add some drops of water, and while the water is still wet add dabs of watercolor with varying intensities of pigment on the brush and watch it "spread"--it adds a certain amount of colorful flair to the design.

 This card features an add on stamp set; Happy Something. This set has a font-focused feel to it that makes it look like the words are hand-written, making it super low key and trendy.

I stamped the words around in the card base in a circle to create a "frame." Then, I stamped a few birthday motifs, watercolored them and added a vellum panel to give a little dimension.

This next card features the cutest die ever which I am sure you're going to be using ALL THE TIME!! I die cut envelopes from the Dots and Stripes paper pad, and then stamped a playful sentiment with a stamp from the main kit 

I filled the envelopes with fun little goodies like sequined butterflies and wood grain chipboard stars.

My last card features another mini add on Heart Valentine stamp set. These cute little add on sets are nice on the wallet and perfect for your card-making needs! I was really attracted to the ombre dot image.

I stamped the ombre in the center and alternated the image on the sides and then layered a negative envelope die cut from paper found in the Dots and Stripes paper pad.  I added a bit of embossed velum, some string and a playful sentiment spelled our with stickers from the main set.

Serioulsy, this kit and the add on's are going to zip on outta here this release! Make sure to get your products soon, something tells me they won't last long! 

Emily's Park Ave Card Kit Sneaks

Hey there friends! I wanted to share some fun sneaks from the fabulous Park Ave card kit which will be on sale starting Nov 27 for subscribers, and November 29th for everyone. This kit isn't necessarily holiday themed, so you make cards for any event, but if you need to make some holiday cards, it's easy to tailor the product to suit your needs!

My first card sneak uses the main card kit, which includes some amazingly fun product! I loved the floral paper from the paper pad, so I fussy cut the flowers and adhered them to some of the other lovely patterned  included  in the kit. A sentiment stamped on vellum adds an edgy and trendy feel to the card.

This card features the miniature envelope die and the dots and stripes pad. I die cut envelopes from the paper in this pad and filled them with some fun goodies!

My last sneak features one of the add on stamp sets; Happy Something! It's a trendy font set with some cute images that will be perfect for gift giving!

Fun Cards with Studio Calico's Stamps

Good Morning friends! I'm on the Studio Calico blog today to share some fun stamped cards perfectly fun for the upcoming holidays! I'm a sucker for fonts-the prettier-the better. I have been hoping and searching for a long time for a fun and pretty alpha stamp set in a beautiful font, and the So Fancy stamp set from Studio Calico is perfect.  I'm a carmaker, but what I liked best is that the letters are a great size for both card makers and scrapbookers looking to create their own custom title or sentiment. The scrip is clean and pretty, and looks lovely by itself, or with a veneer or sticker sentiment. I made two cards showcasing this lovely  and buildable set.

For this card, I wanted to showcase how nicely the alpha stamps work together to create a simple sentiment.  I started with a woodgrain rub on  die cut rectangle from the LemonLush collection. I affixed it to the card base, and then affixed a floral rub on to the woodgrain.

I then stamped the sentiment on a strip of patterned paper from the Walden card kit and adhered it over the rub on card base. Some gold leaves on a polka dot washi tape with a pin add a fun flair to the card.

 For my next card, I wanted to play with making my own sentiments, so I combined the So Fancy stamp set with the Get Happy collection from Gossamer blue. Stamping the sentiment at an angle was so easy with this set! It would be perfect for making hand crafted Christmas cards. 

 I affixed this woodgrain rub on frame to the card base and then the tree sticker and banner, finally stamping "Get" at and angle next to the tree. Add some embellishments to make your card  a playful and festive Holiday card.

Thanks for stopping by to check out what I made with this stamp set. I am totally IN LOVE with it, and and can't wait to use it even more! What are you planning on using this set to make?

SCInspires Blog Hop Winner

  Hey there lovely ladies! I have a winner for the SCInspires blog hop! So glad y'all participated- it was such fun!
   The winner is Roberta who said, "SC kits inspire me to try new things and use items I never would of thought of using."
    Please email me your Studio Calico username and contact information so we can get your prize to you!

Thanks for participating everyone!

Full Reveal of Walden Card Kit

Hey there everyone! Welcome to the full reveal of Studio Calico's Walden Card kit.  Kits were available to subscribers through an exclusive pre-sale event yesterday, so it's a great idea to subscribe so that you don't miss out on these exclusive kits and stamp sets. 

For my first card I used the main card kit exclusively. I absolutely loved the mini deer charm from Smoky Mountains and the SC exclusive black plastic strips.  I thought they'd work perfectly with the forest patterned paper from the kit's paper pad.

I layered the deer and plastic strips on some yellow seam binding and this pretty cupcake pink doily.  Papers are found in the kit's paper pad.

For my next card I was really drawn to the main kit's stamp set. These images are so trend-setting and provided countless ideas. I tried a lot of ideas, but in the end, this card is one of my favorites. The leaves alternating in diagonal stripes create movement, and filling some in while leaving others blank make it fun.

Seriously, I am obsessing over these plastic sentiments! They're so much fun to add to card, and they're no too bulky.

I broke out the watercolors for this next card that also features the main kit's stamp set. Oh my goodness are these stamps perfect for any type of coloring! First I stamped the acorns on a diagonal to create a background, and then I layered colors on the acorn to make them pop out using watercolor paint.

 For some dimension I painted one acorn, fussy cut it and backed it with some brown twine.

My next two cards feature two of the stamp add on's for this month. This card features the Wreath stamp set. It's a modern take on the traditional build-your-own wreath sets, with a geometric feel to it that you're going to love.

First, I stamped the wreaths all over the card, and then I went in with my watercolors  and painted shades of reds and greens on each wreath, using both for the wreath holding the sentiment, trimmed into a cute banner with an embossed gold doily and red thread,

My last card features the French Fry set in a totally different creative way. When I looked at the fry stamp on my desk, the silhouette reminded me of a city scape, and the set has a coordinating sentiment for a Miss You card. With that idea I layered patterned paper from the kit's paper pad on an embossed card base. Then, I stamped the cityscape and sentiment on a banner and fussy cut them, adhering them together with foam tape.

Before I adhered the cityscape to the panel, I painted a sky with blue watercolor, and sprinkled salt over it to create "stars." What a fun technique this is! A cute veneer heart is stapled to the painted cardstock panel.

This month's release is full of countless inspiration, I'm still crafting with it. Kits were available to subscribers yesterday during an exclusive pre-sale, but you don't have to miss out; consider subscribing to Studio Calico so that you too will get first pick on the cool fun! Kits are available now to non-subscribers, so grab them quick before they sell out.

Sneaks of Walden Card kit

Are you getting excited? Release day is ALMOST here! I've got  a few sneaks to show you of some cards that I made. I had so much fun with this release! It has some fun and trendy playful add on stamp sets, but also includes some fun stamps for the upcoming holidays.

I used one of the add on stamp sets in a different way by creating a little city scape

Here's a super modern Christmas card, a geometric wreath full of possibilities!

The full reveal will be available at midnight on October 28th for non-subscribers, but lucky subscribers will be able to start buying at midnight--It's so worth it to subscribe, these stamp sets will go fast!

SCInspires Blog Hop

Welcome to the SCInspires Blog Hop!! This hop is all about getting inspired! Inspiration is a big component of the creative process. It's what helps designers create and helps crafters make. Inspiration comes in so many forms. You could be walking down the aisle at Target, and see a pattern that inspires you, or maybe it's a sign on the outside of a cafe that gets you thinking, "what could I make with that?" Whatever you use to get your creative juices flowing, Studio Calico is offering a free digital download to help inspire you!

As many of you know, I became a mom this year to a precious little girl; Maggie. Every day she inspires me to work harder to be a better person, more patient mother and loving wife to my husband, so that she  can in turn grow up to be a secure strong woman herself by my example. She inspires me, but so do other things. Being a mom is hard. It's time-consuming, draining emotionally and physically and sometimes pure craziness. I've learned that as much as I love my little one, and want to devote all of myself to her, I as a woman, need time to myself to recharge. Part of re-charging  and relaxing for me and crafting. Studio Calico inspires me to craft. To play with my product; to challenge myself; to stretch beyond my usual style and try something new. 

Today, were talking about what inspires us as crafters. I was inspired by Studio Calico's  free digital download. The colors, fonts and layout appeal to my personal design aesthetic, but the wording inspires me the most. The words in the graphic inspire me to cherish the everyday moments of the season. Having a child reminds you that there are so many firsts and so many "only's." Maggie will only have one first Halloween, only one first trip to the pumpkin farm, only one first trip to our traditional Christmas farm. This print inspires me to stop. Stop and take a look and take in the moment of my little one and just relish it. Sometimes that's so hard to do. But, I want to try. I want to try because all of her "only one first's" are my "only one first's too. 

The download inspired the colors and textures of our first family photo. My dear friend Rahel of Rahel Menig Photography took this picture of our little family in the park outside our house.  Maggie and  I incorporated the yummy warm salmon pink of the photo into our outfits, and dressed in cozy sweaters. This photo captures the perfect joy of the holiday season; a time where you can just enjoy your family and friends.

Studio Calico inspired me to make this card using the The Underground card and scrapbook kits. I stamped the background with a circle form the Snowman stamp set. I then used patterned paper  and  a doily from the scrapbook kit to create a patterned paper block and notched paper strip.

 

I embellished my card with cabochons and stars from the scrapbook kit, and a glittery envelope and frosted pearls from the card kit. The stamp is from the card kit as well.

Now that I've shared what inspires me, I want to know…how does Studio Calico inspire you? That's what this whole blog hop is about. Share with me how Studio Calico inspires you by 11:59 pm on October 31st, and I will pick a winner from my blog to receive a free card kit from The Underground release. 

Make sure to download the free digital download to enter your username in Studio Calico's larger giveaway. There is over $1400 worth of prizes to win.As more and more people spread the hahtag #SCInspires, the prizes get bigger, so don't forget to share the inspiration.

Your next stop is the talented Natalie Elphinstone!

Happy World Card Making Day 2014

Welcome to the holiday of our people, the people of card making. Every year the first weekend of October is reserved for celebrating the love of our craft. Card makers from all over the world celebrate by making cards. Cards for fun. Cards for challenges and even getting a jumpstart on making their holiday cards. 

Studio Calico is hosting some fun challenges in honor of this fantastic day! Every hour beginning 10am EST members of the creative time will post a card making challenge. All you need to do is find a challenge, make a card, and post it in the corresponding challenge thread.

For my challenge, I wanted to reach out to the non-card makers, get them in on the action! So, I decided that a fun challenge would be to Embellish your Embellishments with Studio Calico Scrapbook Kits. Naturally Studio Calico attracts scrapbookers, many who subscribe to the fabulous kit club, but may have never tried their hand at making cards. So with the kits you have on hand, I wanted to show how you can use some scrapbook kits to make some lovely embellished cards. 

This card features stamps and enamels from Camelot, rub ons from Poet Society and a wooden embellishment piece from Hello, Hello. I adore this wooden chip! It's so unusual and the texture is a perfectly lovely backdrop! Lovely decorative stamps from Camelot line the bottom of the card while a gold doily and label from Hello, Hello adds a perfect backdrop to the embellishment.

I added the floral rub on to the chip,and a golden sentiment rub on above it. Then, I threaded a butterfly sequin and affixed it to the chip. You can use any sequin you like, but I loved the butterfly. Then I added the pretty puffy sticker to the bottom of the chip to draw the eye to the rub on. 

For my next card I got a little pattern-heavy because I love vivid and bold patterns. Using paper from Camelot, I created a paper block on the card base and threaded some twine onto a tag embellishment  from Poet Society. 

The tag is the embellishment I further embellished on this card. Adding floral die cuts and a cabochon flower from Camelot to the tag, I also added a crystal gem from Hello, Hello to the center of the flower to grab the eye to the tag. Some butterfly sequins further draw the eye towards the floral embellished tag as well

I hope you enjoyed these cards, and that you're inspired to make your own with the kits you have on your hand. There are some fabulous prizes for each challenge  full of product that is perfect for the card maker in all of us. And, if you participate in 8 or more challenges at Studio Calico, you'll be entered to win the grand prize---a three-month subscription to the card kit!! Yippee!! So, make your card and post it to the gallery, and don't forget to stop by my thread in Challenge Central and post a link to your card so that Studio Calico knows you made a card!!

Studio Calico Full Reveal of The Underground Card Kits

Welcome to the full reveal of Studio Calico's newest release, this has been a hot kit with the design team, so you're going to want to snatch it up quickly!! You're going to find lots of cute little details in the card kit like die, flair and glittery envelopes! I had lots of fun playing around with the product, and I hope you're so inspired by what I've created, that you snatch up a card kit!!

For my first card I used this month's main kit. I like the art-deco feel of this particular paper, so I wanted it to take center stage, and added it to the center of an embossed cardstock base.

 

I was really "feeling" the glittery envelopes in this month's kit, but sometimes you don't need to use the entire envelope on your card. I took the striped envelope, and made notched paper strips and laid them on an die cut vellum label. I then adhered the hello badge over the gold and white envelope twine.

 

This next card features the stamp set from the main kit. It has some fun circle stamps with some clean and graphic sentiments. I don't make a lot of male cards, but I decided to try one with this card. I like how it came out, and even showed it to my husband to make sure it was "masculine" enough. 

I stamped the circles down the outer sides of the card and punched some dots from the kraft envelopes and placed the glitter dots inside  the stamped circles. I added strips of patterned paper to the center and stamped the sentiment.

For this next card, I wanted to show how versatile the main card kit is. I made a Halloween card using one of the circles from the set. I stamped the "pumpkin" repeatedly to create a background on the card base.

 

I then embellished the center pumpkin with some gray twine and the black jewels. Some patterned paper strips on the bottom of the card add some color and pattern and to soften up the lines, I added a little thread atop the paper strips.

For my next card, I used the Halloween Stamp set which is one of this month's add-on stamp sets. I thought the ghosts were eerily fun. I stamped the ghosts, slightly overlapping them to make them appear translucent and added "boo" in a bold copper ink.

 

I trimmed the hexagon foil strip from the envelope packaging that comes in the main kit, and added a strip of copper cardstock to tie the boo caption to the hexagon pattern. A little bit of thread is adhered to the card with staples black jewels from the kit. 



And, finally if you are one of those awesome card makers who get all your cards made in October, (like I....don't), then you're in for a treat. The snowman stamp set is a fun Christmas theme, with buildable snowman, snowflakes and sentiments. For this card, I made a design that could be easily replicated for mass cards.

 

I stamped oh Joy in an ornament circle, with falling snowflakes all around. A glittery notched tab with a glittery bow embellishes it.

What are you waiting for? These two sets and the main are flu of fun products; but they're going to sell out quick! If you're a subscriber, kits and new product go live at noon (EST), but if you're not a subscriber you can (quickly, I might add) snag these fabulous kits at midnight (EST).

Make sure to also check out what's releasing in the Studio Calico shop today…..its been long awaited!!