Echo Park SCOOT!!

Hi there, its Lisa-Jane here today with some layouts I have made using the wonderful Scoot collection kit from Echo Park.

 

I fell in love with this collection as soon as I saw that Sarah was stocking it in the shop and once I had it in my hands it was even better in real life than it had looked on-line.  I recently went away on a scrapbooking weekend retreat so I had a great chance to play around with the fabulous and colourful papers, stickers and cut apart sheets in the collection. The collection is designed with little boys in mind but I hope you can see from my layouts that I made that its actually more versatile than you might first think as many of the "b" sides are more generic and non-themed.

This first one was fairly quick and easy using both sides of 1 sheet of paper (the fire engines and the ruled lines). I cut the paper about a third in from the edge and then stuck both pieces to a piece of cardstock. Use a sheet of card that you don't like or is damaged!  It gives the layout some stability and makes sure everything stays true to 12x12!!

I was really lucky to catch my baby boy doing his first roll over at 4 months old. I had the camera out to take a picture of him in his little fireman's uniform when he just happened to roll over! I couldn't resist using the lovely fire engines paper!!

I used some pop dots to give height to some of the stickers and added a couple of buttons, a paper clip and some ribbon.

 

How about something on black for some contrast to those bright colours? 

 

This layout was made when I had completed most of the others so  I decided to use up some of the scrap paper panels to make a messy layered stack. I love how the vibrant colours really pop on the black background the same way the black does on the baby mat.

I used my Cameo to cut the title which refers to the mat being a present from an Aunt in New Zealand that we have never met. She made it all by hand and sent it over in time for his birth and left a space for us to record the birth details.

I journalled around the edge in white gel pen and added a few red cross stitches to give texture and to refer to the hand stitching in the story.

 

Even though quite a few of the papers are aimed at little people, there is a lot of variety in the pack, especially with the B sides. I used 2 of the more generic pieces for my layout featuring my little girl wearing aqua and orange which matched the orange paper nicely.

I die cut my title and the heart background from a template by Daniela Dobson and used the hearts as a mask on the kraft background with Mr Huey's white mist. I used a few bits and bobs from my stash and then outlined the title and the hearts with a white gel pen. I love the subtle effect of kraft on kraft and kraft on orange.

 

I'll be back soon to show you a few more Scoot projects!

 

Have a wonderful day!

 

Lisa-Jane x

 

Visit Lisa-Jane's blog: Come inside My Crazy Head!

 

 

Trend Watch!

Hello, Jennifer here!

In January it was the Craft & Hobby Association’s Winter Show in Anaheim, California, which is when all the Scrapbooking manufacturers (along with other crafting brands) show off their upcoming releases. So I've been watching all their blogs with a close eye as they also revealed all the new products online, for us to drool over whilst we wait impatiently for it to get to the UK shops!

The good news is that Sarah from SJ Crafts has lots of lovely goodies on order, and some of it has already started to arrive! 

I want to tell you about a few of my favourite trends that I've been spotting, so you can watch out for them arriving to the shop!

Trend 1: The Pink and Turquoise Colour Combo 

This has appeared in many collections before, but it’s a combination that will never grow old for me. It just looks so fresh and pretty, and is perfect for spring and summer projects - something we all look forward to after these long grey months!

The Maggie Holmes Collection by Crate Paper has bold pink and turquoise hues, that make me think of tropical days and lots of laughter! Look out for the collection pack coming soon!

The Sundrifter Collection by Studio Calico has slightly softer pinks and blues, but it teams them with black, grey, and patterns with a slightly urban feel, that makes it oh-so trendy and cool! This one is due into stock early February.

The Collectable Collection from My Minds Eye is due to arrive at S J Crafts next week. This collection has four themes within it, and I think Memorable is my favourite with the pink/turquoise colour combination in a super sweet, girly way, with flowers, doilies, and lots of delicate details!

Trend 2: Hints of Travel

I love that a lot of brands are adding just small touches of travel to their lines, rather than it taking over a whole collection. I especially like ones that have hints of going up in the air, as it's been 6 years since I flew anywhere on holiday and I miss it! The travel details can usually be used on all kinds of pages though, so I can add an uplifting phrase here, or an aeroplane image there, and get a sense of travelling on projects that have nothing to do with going away!

The Scoot Collection by Echo Park is a really fun boy-themed collection. It's also got lots of aeroplanes and clouds, and a sweet 'up, up and away' sticker that I adore! Plus the collection pack is in stock already, so you can get your hands on this one straight away.

The Lucky Charm Collection by Dear Lizzy for American Crafts is based on bracelet charms, like horses and hot air balloons! My absolute favourite bit is the 'come fly away with me stamp' which is too dreamy for words! The mini-chevrons and clouds will be sweet little details too. The stamp and the 6x6 pad should be in the shop in early February.

The DIY Shop collection by Crate Paper also has hints of travel. It has a real vintage vibe about it, which works so well on projects all year round. The map-paper details and one little aeroplane chipboard are the perfect touch of escapism! The collection pack will be in stock very soon.

Trend 3: Arrows and Arrow Heads

This trend is so hot right now! There are arrows all over the place. I love it because each new year I feel like I need some 'direction' in my life! It looks great when you go over the top and add arrows all over the page to really emphasise something, or just one arrow tucked away on a layout or card can draw your attention to whatever it's pointing at. Whichever way you like it, the arrow trend is definitely something to embrace!

The Snippets Collection by Studio Calico has some great graphic chevron-arrow patterned papers and wood veneers. It also includes these fantastic arrow stickers, in nice bright colours - I like the mix of shapes and sizes! Look out for Snippets arriving soon. 

My final pick is from Studio Calico too - their awesome Huey's Masks. I just had to draw attention to this one from the Sundrifter collection. It's called a 'Triangles' mask, but it fits in well with the arrows trend, as it looks like arrow heads pointing up and down. This will make a great layering element on layouts, or a background for cards. And you could always block off some of the design to just have one or two rows of arrows! Look out for this and other Studio Calico goodness including more masks, wood veneers, and Mister Huey mists arriving soon.

So there's a few of my favourite trends that I'm looking out for this season! 

Has anything here caught your eye? Now I've just got to wait on the edge of my seat until it all arrives in the UK and into the SJ Crafts shop! 

Don't forget to 'like' the SJ Crafts Facebook page if you want to know as soon as the new stock arrives! I'll let you into a little secret (Shh!) ... Sarah usually announces new arrivals over there first!!

Bye for now, Jennifer x

Winners of Challenge 10 & 11 AND the Future of our Challenges

Hi Everyone!
It's Jenny here with the winners for Challenge 10 & 11!
Huge apologies for the long delay in announcing the winners of the last two challenges .... real life got in the way for a while.

First up Challenge 10

Our winner of a £5 voucher to spend in the S J Crafts Shop!, selected using random.org is.....

 

No 10!!

 

 

Thats Anne Marie Lewis !!!  Well Done! 

 

Please e mail sarah at sj papercrafts (dot) co (dot) uk to claim your prize!       

 

Then onto .... Challenge 11

 

Our winner of a Mystery Christmas themed prize!!, selected using random.org is.....

No 37!!

Thats Fiona L !!! Well Done!

Please e mail sarah at sj papercrafts (dot) co (dot) uk and with your address details to send you your prize!  

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The Future of S J Crafts Challenges!

You may have noticed there has not been a challenge this month.
After a lot of thought we have decided not to run the challenges for 2013.
However there will be ad hoc competitions and challenges from time to time with prizes to be won!
And Giveaways too!!
We know how much you like to win stuff!!

These will be both on our Facebook page and right here on this blog!

If you've not already joined our Facebook page ... you can find us on this link:

S J Crafts on Facebook

We'd love you to "like" our page to keep up to date with all our news!

A huge thank you to everyone who entered our challenges in 2012!!
 

Have a great day!

NEW Echo Park Collections

Sorry the blog has been a little quiet lately. I've been busy browsing the new CHA stock ... sadly not in person (I wish!!) but on line and choosing new stock for the shop. There are just so many gorgeous new lines and products coming out, I can't wait!

New stock is gradually starting to arrive, kicking off with two collections from the ever fabulous Echo Park!

Just arrived today:

I just love the bright colours and fun images! A great for boy layouts - young and old!!

Click here to shop for Scoot now!

Also new from Echo Park:

Love Story is for all those Valentine/love themed layouts but also many of the papers are pretty floral designs which can be used for a wide variety of layouts!

Click here to shop for Love Story Now!

Watch out for lots more new stash arriving soon!