Creating with our Monthly Kit

Earlier this year, we launched our kits. These are released on a bi monthly basis, usually around the cusp of the month. The current kit for May/June was released at the start of June and is called "Hipster"!! It's packed with the very funky Basic Grey Hipster papers and embellishments. I sat myself down to create with a "Hipster" kit and this is the page I made.

The kit has a variety of patterned papers, some are floral, some quite generic and a few which called out to me "Teenage Boy"!!! Perfect for scrapping a photo of my nephew!

 

The only things I added that weren't in the kit are the black/white thickers letters, the grey striped MME washi tape and a few staples.

 

 

 

 

I used staples, wood veneers and enamel dots to hold the acetate pieces in place as glue or tape would show through the acetate.

 

 

 

The little Cosmo Cricket letters are ideal for adding details to titles or for journaling. I love how they look almost handwritten on the paper!

 

I often find it tricky to find papers and embellishments suitable for boy layouts, especially teens but these are spot on!!

 

I still have loads of papers to make another layout.

 

There's some lovely floral papers like this one:

 

 

and this one:

 

 

 Perfect for a more girlie layout so I'll pop back and show you that soon!

 

Here's a picture of everything that's in the kit:

 

 

Please note: Each kit may have slight variations, such as different wood veneers, different coloured enamel dots, metal tab designs.

 

Click Here To see Full Details and Order a Kit

 

Plans for the next kit (July/August) are well underway and it's due for release around the end of July/early August, so keep an eye out for that too!

 

Thanks for stopping by and if you do buy a kit, be sure to link us up in your comment so we can pop over and see!

 

Sarah x

Crate Washi Paper - 10 tips in 10 minutes!

Hello!

Jennifer here today, to show you a video:

Crate Washi Paper -  Ten Tips in Ten Minutes

 10 ideas to use Crate Paper's The Pier Washi Paper on your layouts

I changed a page from this:

(Supplies include The Pier 'Sunscreen' Paper, Summertime Cut Outs, Splash Cut Outs, Label Stickers, Mini Alphas, and Ephemera)  

To this:

Using just this washi paper:

Plus a few tools, and some gems and enamel dots!

Here's the video:

Okay, so it does go ever so slightly over ten minutes because of the images I added for the 'tip' title pages. I also sped some of the video up - so you can watch ten tips in ten minutes but it might take you a little longer than 10 minutes to actually use all these ideas! Of course you can just choose a tip or two to add quickly to your next project.

Here's a couple of detail photos:

You can see "The Pier" collection here! I'm loving it!!

If you make something inspired by anything you've seen in the video let us know - we'd love to see!!

Jennifer x

See more of Jennifer's craft on her blog: Jennifer Grace Creates

Carta Bella Boardwalk ~ Part 3

Hello and welcome back to the 3rd (& last) post in my series using the Carta Bella Collection Kit

 

If you missed them you can see Part 1 here and Part 2 is here!

When I originally planned to use the Carta Bella Collection Kit  I was thinking of my holiday album and the photos I had yet to scrap from a day at a Water Park. This collection has been a perfect match for my photos but it would also suit lots of other holiday destinations or you could scrap your summer days out using it.
Today I want to share with you two more 12x12 layouts, from another park ... Seaworld!! Again, Beach Boardwalk was perfect!!

When I first received the collection kit I noticed the reference to whales. Hmmm....Sea World came to mind! So, once I'd finished working on the Water Park layouts and the mini-book I found I had enough scraps for a double layout. I haven't made a double layout for a long long time and have recently been inspired by one of the other S J Crafts design team members Lisa-Jane, who creates amazing double layouts.

I had those adorable whale stickers and titles I wanted to use. Who'd have thought that I'd find whale stickers? Another reason why I love this collection so much.
 

Having a Whale of a Time at Seaworld Layout
 

All elements are from the collection kit, excluding the wood veneer hearts and arrows and the yellow bracket.

I stitched a pocket, so I am able to tuck away the journaling. Both pages have a pocket and the other one has a journaling card which the boys have written on from the entries they made in our travel journal.
 

A close up of the Whale Sticker - I love it and of course you don't have to have Whale photos to use it!

 

 

Relax & Enjoy the Show Layout
 

Using more of the kit elements & stickers this title quickly came together.
 

To bring these layouts together I wanted some elements to flow while still being able to keep the layouts individual. I placed a border on both edges and used panels of patterned papers. Each page hold's it own title while, I hope you agree, both titles complement each other. Having a Whale of a time at Seaworld - Relax and Enjoy the show. To join the two layouts together I have stitched a circle element across the pages.
 

A close up of the titles.....

 

and the stitching....

 

These layouts bring me to the end of my projects using the Carta Bella Collection Kit. In all, I have made four 12x12 layouts, one divided page with 4x6 pockets and a mini book. Not only is my holiday album filling up nicely I have layouts that I know I will enjoy for many, many years.

Thank you for stopping by and again thanks to Sarah for letting me work with a such a wonderful collection kit (have I told you how much I loved it!!).

I really do hope I have inspired you to try one of the Collection Kits in the SJ Crafts shop.

Louise x

See more of Louise's crafting at her blog: Boys, Bugs and Beautiful Buttons

Carta Bella Mini Book ~ By Louise

Hello ... Louise here again!!

Last week I shared some projects with you using the Carta Bella Beach Boardwalk Collection Kit. Today I want to show you a small mini book, created to sit between the 12x12 layouts in my holiday album.

I didn't really have a plan for this book. I just jumped straight in!!

The patterned papers I picked out of the collection Kit were very busy patterns so I made a decision not to use any Mister Huey Mists. My fingers and my dining room table were pleased with this decision!

I started with the back page cutting it roughly to 7"x8"

 

Then I made a large tag, cut roughly 7" x 5.5"

 

The top of the tag was scored so it could be lifted up to reveal the page underneath (See below)

Before cutting any more pages I worked out what photos I wanted to use....ideally I should have done this first.... sometimes though I like it when I have no plan to see what I end up with. Once the photos had been selected I added the circle page (10 x 5.5"), cutting off the overlap and scoring along the edge so that it folded over nicely.

The front flap was cut to 7 x 4" and the edge scored along so that again it folded over nicely too.

The pages are all held together with stitching. My machine did find it a little tough to go through the papers as they are a thick/good quality paper but we got there in the end.

I have used photos and titles in this book to tell the story. Let me see if I can show you what I mean.

The underneath of the tag has a pocket holding journaling cards which my three boys used to record what they liked/thought about the water park. The arrow pointing down links the tag page to the back page...

 

 

...which reads "Riding the Waves @ " with an arrow pointing to the inside of the circle page.

The inside of the circle page holds a photo of the Water Park name. Blizzard Beach. So hopefully you can see that when the pages are opened out it reads "Riding the Waves at Blizzard Beach"

The inside of the opening flap for this book holds a title to accompany the first photo on the tag page. When my son was little I used to read to him the "Harry and my Bucketful of Dinosaurs" Books. Mainly because they had his name on them but also because he loved them. When I saw this photo of him with his bucketful of ice-cream I had my title!

Here's my completed book all folded up.

I will be punching some holes along the left hand side so that it sits in my holiday album between the 12x12 layouts.

I like how this little book turned out and may well make a similar one for another of the parks we visited. If this inspires you to make your own please link up in the comments so we can come see.

Many thanks once again to Sarah for letting me have the pleasure of working with the wonderful Carta Bella Boardwalk Collection Kit.

All elements except the wood veneers hearts, arrows and camera and some of the alphas are from the Collection Kit.

I still have some more 12x12 layouts to share with you from this collection kit and will be back very soon to share them with you.