Stencils & Cards

Stencils come in many patterns and sizes and
 Echo Park Paper
has the cutest around! 
 I have two ideas on how to use stencils on cards,
along with the “The Story of Family” Collection.

 For the first card, I’ve taken a scrap piece of white textured cardstock,
 the “Branches Stencil”, washi tape and chalks. I started with a yellow
 chalk and chalked all of the branches.  Then I added a light green and
 dark green to the base of the branches.

 I die-cut two 2.5” circles from the chalked area and matted them with a larger, 
3” circle of diagonal striped paper. 


The embellishments were kept simple with just a few stickers and decorative
 brads added around the edge of the circles.
 
 
The second card is made up of the “Leafy Border Stencil” and dark green chalk ink. 
 For the base, I cut a rectangle from off-white cardstock that’s just a bit larger
 than the 3X4 journal card.


 I taped the stencil down over the cardstock with washi tape.
 The portion of the leaf border was inked and then the stencil was adjusted so that
 the pattern could continue around the top and bottom edges.

 The journal card was attached to the center of the leaf frame with foam adhesive.


One of the scroll sentiment stickers was cut in half and added to the top
 and bottom of the frame.
With stencils you can customize your own unique look to cards or other craft projects! 
 Try other types of mediums such as modeling or stencil paste, crayons, etc. and have fun!
 Products:

See more design ideas at www.echoparkpaperblog.com
Wednesday, September 30, 2015 September 30, 2015
2 comments

Scripture Calendar


It's that time of year to start thinking about calendars for next year!
 Plus they make great Christmas gifts for a secret pal, teacher or friend.
I have a simple tag style calendar up at 
BELLA BLVD 
this week...come take a look at how I put it all together:

It's a great place to jot down favorite scriptures or scriptures to read, 
prayer requests, birthdays and special moments!

Thursday, September 24, 2015 September 24, 2015
1 comment

Frightful Door Hanger

Halloween decorating time is upon us and I have
this cute door hanger up on the 
PETALOO BLOG

 For the base, I used the Pumpkin Album Die by Top Dog Dies and covered them 
in paper from Authentique.www.authentiquepaper.co  I used a scroll shaped die for the center and it also acted as a way to attach the two pumpkins together.

 I added two oval shapes to dress up the sides of the ghost die-cut.  
The outer edges of the ovals were trimmed with burlap twine that I dipped in
 Amethyst Color Shine Spray by Heidi Swapp.  I used a paper towel to soak
 up the excess spray and allowed it to dry before gluing into place.


For the flowers, I took three of the Wild Sunflowers and dipped them into 
Black Velvet Color Shine Spray.  Again, I used a paper towel to soak up the excess
 and then used a heat gun tool to finish drying the sunflowers.

To the center of the sunflowers, I added one of the Beaded Acorn Pick pieces...
it added just the right amount of color!  I also used the leaves from the same 
picks around the center flower.

 Again, all of the papers and die-cuts (except for the ghost, which was from my
 stash of decorations) are from Authentique's Spirited Collection.  I punched two
 holes at the top and strung through wire for the hanger.
  All ready for hanging out on my front door!
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 September 22, 2015
1 comment

Juniper Berry Holiday Cards

With the new look of the Basic Grey Collections, you will find a very specifically
 themed design on one side of their patterned papers and a more basic, 
everyday pattern on the back, which is especially great for cardmaking!

 For the first card, “Winter Wishes”, I used the pretty sentiment sticker as the inspiration. 
 Next, I matched up all of the “side B” papers from the Juniper Berry collection and 
pulled aside the ones that fit the color scheme of tan, green and black.

 I matted the sentiment sticker with a speech bubble sticker and then die-cut an
 oval mat for the bottom layer.  Wanting to incorporate a bit more of the tan color,
 I attached the die-cut frame to the bottom right before adding the die cut trees and veneer owl.



 After layering the patterned paper pieces together, I outlined the edge of the tree
 paper with black/white twine from the Embellishment Pack.

 For the “Merry Christmas” card, I was drawn to the “quilted star” look of the
 “Rooftop Paper”.  I cut out a repeating hexagon design and then highlighted the
 top of the shape by cutting out two star patterns from the same paper and attaching 
with foam adhesive.


The die-cut reindeer was just perfect embellishment for such a card! 
 I even added a small red pom pom for the nose. Before adding the sentiment, 
I added a border of gold striped washi tape to the top and bottom edge of the piece.


 

The rest of the design was kept simple with a couple of vellum snowflakes
 (that I attached with glue dots) and green sequins from the Embellishment Pack.

I’m in love with the very masculine look of the two cards; I hadn’t planned on it going
 in that direction!  But after looking back through the “Juniper Berry” collection,
 I can see so many beautiful and feminine cards that can be created as well! 
 Have fun trying to use only the B sided papers and you will be amazed
 at how the embellishments and accents really POP!

www.basicgrey.com
Thursday, September 17, 2015 September 17, 2015
1 comment

A "Hocus Pocus" Mini

Halloween, hay rides and autumn festivals are quickly approaching! 
 Fashion this easy-to-make mini album using just a few sheets of cardstock
 and pieces from the “Hocus Pocus” Collection from
ECHO PARK PAPER
  You’ll have pockets for keepsakes and plenty of room for photos of your favorite goblins!

 The album pages are staggered with the cover page measuring 6X6
 and the following pages increasing in size by ½” in height 
(page 2= 6.5”H; page 3= 7”H; page 4= 7.5”H). 
 The 12X12 cardstock was cut to the desired height and left 12”, 
scored in the middle and folded in half.


 For the pocket page, a sheet of 12X12 kraft cardstock was cut to 10X12. 
 The paper was placed on a score board and scored lengthwise at 6 inches.  
The paper was turned vertically and scored at 4 inches; this score line was 
folded upward to create the pocket.

 The cover decorations include pieces hand cut from the “Journaling Cards” paper, 
stickers and pom pom trim. 

On the second page, I didn’t want to use a square journal card, so I trimmed out 
the cute potion bottle and added it to the page with foam adhesive.  
I also added a glittery spider from my stash.



To adhere the patterned papers to the base pages, I used the
Xyron 9" Creative Station.  This allows you to have a nice, even coat of 
adhesive and makes putting together the pages very quick!

 Both sides of the pocket pages were decorated with trimmed down journal cards.  
Large tags or photo mats that measure 5.5”X6.25” were tucked into the pockets.

 
Here room was left for journaling on the journal card.

 I had a small portion of the banner sticker left over from the cover page, 
so I used it here as a corner accent along with a bat sticker duo! 

Next is my favorite page!  I used the “Bats Stencil” and a chalk ink to add a little
 extra interest to the green patterned paper.   There were a couple of smudges where I over-inked the corner of a bat, so I conveniently covered them up with enamel dots.


 A band of ribbon is a nice way to add texture and pattern to a busy background.
I ran the ribbon through the Xyron 3" Sticker Maker and then attached to the pages. 
 I glued on a couple of buttons from my stash and a sticker to the center of the ribbon.

 I created tabs using the fancy label die from the “October 31st Die/Stamp Set”. 
 I sandwiched two die-cut pieces together (for each one) and glued them in between
 the folded kraft pages.  Add itty bitty stickers or label them with spooky words if you’d like!
Finally, two holes were punched along the edge (the open side of the base paper) and the pages were held together with 1.5” rings.  My album is all set for some fabulous
 Halloween photos and memories!

PRODUCTS:

See more project ideas at www.echoparkpaperblog.com
Wednesday, September 16, 2015 September 16, 2015
2 comments

Pumpkin Spice Duo

It's almost time for Fall decorating and today
I have this set of pumpkin jars to share at 
SIMPLE STORIES
www.simplestories.com


Create this pumpkin duo with your favorite pieces from the "Pumpkin Spice" Collection,
 a couple of recycled glass jars and burnt orange acrylic paint!

Before decorating either jar, a generous amount of burnt orange acrylic paint was
 squirted into the bottom.  After reattaching the lid (securely), the jar was shaken 
and rolled around until the interior was completely coated.  Next, I placed the jars
 upside down onto a thick mat of newspaper and allowed the excess paint to drip off. 
 You may need a sponge brush just to touch up some spots if needed. 
 I also used a heat tool (or hair dryer) to complete the drying process.

The largest pumpkin is a standard Mason jar size.  To it, I cut a strip of 
"Autumn Splendor" paper to 3.75"X12" and taped it in place around the jar with
 high tack adhesive.  I used a couple of dies that I had on hand to create a cute tag
 for the front.  The tag was distressed around the edges with a walnut ink and
 then embellished with goodies from Pumpkin Spice.

The second pumpkin is a smaller 2.75"X5" jar.  The same paper was cut to 2.5"W
 and just enough to wrap around the jar completely.  After threaded the chipboard
 buttons with jute, they were attached with a glue dot.

The bands of the lids were covered in a strip of the turquoise barn wood paper
 from the Simple Basics pack.  A wooden spools was inked with walnut ink 
and added to the top for the stem.

What an adorable display or gift for the upcoming Autumn season!
  I can't wait to share them with my visiting guests soon.  I hope you've enjoyed!
 

Pumpkin Spice-
4600 Collection Kit
4601 Simple Basics Kit 
4622 6x6 pad
4628 6x12 Chipboard
4629 Bits & Pieces
4631 Enamel Dots
Monday, September 14, 2015 September 14, 2015
3 comments

Type Set Eye Candy

Basic Grey 
is revealing a brand new collection, "Type Set" 
and it is the yummiest of the yum!

Take a peek at the reveal and a snippet of two projects that I made:
 


Wouldn't you love to win this beautiful collection?  You could!
Just head on over to the Basic Grey Blog and leave a comment on this post
by September 13th...the winner will be drawn on the 14th...good luck!

Wednesday, September 9, 2015 September 09, 2015
2 comments

Craft & Create: Holiday 2015

The Holiday edition of "Craft & Create" is now
available for download...and it's FREE!
Brought to you by 
Echo Park Paper & Carta Bella Paper
Grab yours here:
www.echoparkpaper.com 
 

I made this altered treat pail with the "Trick or Treat" Collection from Carta Bella!

I love anything Halloween and most especially vintage or retro Halloween, so
this collection is right up my alley!  I can't wait to use even more of it!

All of the projects are fun and amazing, so be sure to 'check it out' for FREE :)

Wednesday, September 2, 2015 September 02, 2015
1 comment

Back-to-School Welcome!

We're kicking off the back-to-school year today at the
ECHO PARK PAPER BLOG
with a quilted door hanging welcome sign!

It makes a great back-to-school gift for your favorite teacher and the kids can help too.

 Start with the 6X6 Paper Pad from the “Teacher’s Pet” Collection.  
Choose as many patterns as you’d like (I chose six).  
Cut the papers into 3x3 squares.

 Next, arrange the squares in an alternating design pattern.  Begin attaching
 to a piece of 12X12 cardstock until it has been completely covered in squares.
  Using a zig-zag stitch, machine stitch between the squares to give it a quilted look.

 Use various Designer Dies from the collection and stickers to create unique
 embellishments for the front of the quilt.  The 6X6 Paper Pad is perfect for die-cutting
 those smaller pieces…saves those 12X12 papers for larger projects!

 For the pair of scissors, two pieces were die-cut from the same paper and 
then layered together with foam adhesive for a fun 3-D look.


If you’d like a sturdier hanger, add a piece of chipboard to the back.  
Next, punch two holes at the top and string a piece of ribbon through for the hanger. 
Now it’s ready to great those back-to-school kiddos!
Products:
Tuesday, September 1, 2015 September 01, 2015
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