Paper Crafter's Library – Page 59 – A world of creativity at your fingertips

Featured Company: Fancy Pants Designs

I’m so excited to bring you this week’s Featured Company which is also a returning company: Fancy Pants Designs! At CHA 2013 in Anaheim, as I was walking the aisles keeping my eyes open for great companies and products to spotlight, I was immediately drawn in by the gorgeous products in the Fancy Pants booth. Which is why I was thrilled that Jodi (one of the owners) accepted our invitation! They have been featured before and we are so pleased to have them back with us. In today’s spotlight you’ll learn more about Fancy Pants Designs, see a fantastic project by one of their designers and have the opportunity to win the Down by the Shore Collection shown below (details at the end of this post).

About Fancy Pants Designs

With their combined knowledge, Jodi {the creative person} and Jared {the business person} took a chance on a dream and founded their own unique company.

Fancy Pants Designs premiered their first collections to the craft and hobby industry in the Winter of 2005. What started as a home-based business quickly flourished into an exciting opportunity of bringing creative ideas to life in many different mediums.

We are proud to offer high quality designs for a variety of industries through the production and licensing of original artwork. With a group of creative directors, talented designers and experienced staff, Fancy Pants Designs continues to provide the latest and greatest designs to crafters worldwide.

Be sure to visit us at our many “Fancy” locations online! We’ve always got something going on everywhere, so don’t miss out!

Special Fancy Pants Guest Designer

Today we also have a special Fancy Pants Designs Guest Designer. Jenny Evans is part of the 2013 Fancy Pants Design Team. We are so excited to have her showcase her work today on Paper Crafter’s Library. You can leave a comment below the post telling us what you like about her project for a chance to win a the package of Fancy Pants Designs Down by the Sea Collection.

You can see Jenny’s fabulous project below, but first, here is a little more about her:

My name is Jenny Evans and I live in Oklahoma with my husband, Justin, and our 2 boys, Daniel(10) and Jacob(4). I graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, but am now a stay-at-home mom. I have been scrapbooking and papercrafting on and off for 10 years, but only consistently for the past couple of years.

My scrapbook style is a healthy mix of trendy, contemporary, modern, and maybe a bit of whimsical thrown in. Besides scrapping my fun and fabulous family, I enjoy photography, reading and cooking. I am so excited to be a designer for Fancy Pants Designs, and to be a part of an amazing team!

Album Project

Today I like to share with you how to create this photo album project using the Down by the Shore collection.

1. Start by cutting your corrugated paper into 5x7inch pieces. You will need 2 red and 2 blue. Then, round the bottom two corners with a large corner punch. Print and cut your photos.

2. Cover the back/flat side of the corrugate paper with patterned paper. I have left the last one uncovered for a clean look.

3. Select your paper, embellishments and photos for each corrugated paper.

4. Design your pages, both front and back. Note that you will be punching holes in each page for the album rings, so make sure to keep all your embellishments away from that area.

5. You will need two 1inch album rings for your album. Punch 2 holes in the cover page. Take the cover and line it up on top of each of the other pages. Take a pencil and mark through the holes so you can easily punch the other pages in the same place. Add the album rings.

Here are some additional photos of the each page:

We hope you have enjoyed today’s feature. We want to extend a sincere thank you to Jenny Evans for her fabulous project and Fancy Pants Designs for sharing their company with us. Be sure to visit Fancy Pants Designs to see more of their great products.

In order to enter the give-away to win the Down by the Shore collection shown above, please leave us a comment in the comments section of this post. Winner will be announced next Wednesday on the Paper Crafter’s Library blog!

Winner of May Arts Give-Away

I’d like to extend a HUGE thank you to May Arts and their guest designer Lalo for sharing such a wonderful project and for their generous give-away of 2 rolls of ribbon from their collection shown below.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…….the winner is…… Charlotte Zweigoron!

Congratulations Charlotte!! Be sure to email us at customerservice@papercrafterslibrary.com to claim your prize. Please be sure to put “May Arts” in the subject line of the email, and then in the email itself, be sure to include your full mailing address and phone number.

For those of you that didn’t win, each week on PCL we feature a different company, and each of those companies generously sponsors a prize. Join us next week when we feature Fancy Pants Designs.

Trendy Tuesday – Anchors

Trendy Tuesday – Anchors
by Colleen Harshaw

Today I want to talk to you about the trend of using anchors in papercrafting. Prior to my researching and writing of this article, had I been asked to describe the type of projects that I would use anchors on, I would have answered with masculine or nautical themed projects. However, while browsing the internet for inspiration, I have seen some other clever ways of incorporating anchors into papercrafting projects. Today I will share some project samples with you in the hope of broadening your horizons, as my have been broadened!

I decided to look into the actual symbolism behind the anchor and I came up with several interesting points. Several different sources stated that the anchor symbolizes hope and steadfastness. It is obviously a nautical symbol also, and as a result, some feel it represents the Navy as well. According to some, it is a symbol of stability or strong foundation. For those who are Christian, it brings together the cross and the various nautical Christian symbols (fish, boat, dolphin), and it symbolizes Christian hope in Christ.

Now that we know all about anchors and their symbolism, let’s look at some projects!

This first project is a Father’s Day card, which of course, falls into the category of masculine cards.

Card by ‘snowmanqueen’ via www.splitcoaststampers.com

This next anchor project falls into the category of ‘oh, I hadn’t thought of that!’ for me. This is an invite to a ‘sip-n-see’, which is a party to introduce the newest memeber of a family. So, in this case, the nautical anchor symbol was incorporated into a baby/nursery theme. I found other examples of this online also. Anchor shaped confetti in pastel colours to decorate tables at a baby shower isn’t something that would have occured to me!

www.celebrationsathomeblog.com

This next card is a tri-shutter card that clearly incorporates anchors into a Christian themed card. This is the second application of anchors that I had not really thought of before working on this article. I had a tendancy to associate anchors with strictly nautical or masculine projects, and I was missing the possibilites of Christian or baby themed projects. That is why reading and learning and drawing inspiration from others is so important to improving our craft! I can’t imagine how crafters survived prior to the birth of the internet!

Card by Grace Nywening for Our Daily Bread Designs
Photo credit to www.splitcoaststampers.com

This next card features a stamp called Tilda Un Anchor from Magnolia Ink. She really is a cutie, isn’t she?

Card by cabiotse via www.splitcoaststampers.com

The next project featured is an anchor wall hanging. This would be really cute for a little boy’s nautical themed bedroom. The anchor was actually cut out using an electronic die cutting machine, and then it was adhered to striped fabric and framed. It’s a very easy project that packs a lot of punch!

Photo courtesy of www.craftaholicsanonymous.net

Next I have a scrapbook layout to share with you. There is a company called Scrap Orchard that offers a nautical themed digital scrapbooking kit, and I was able to find many samples of projects online using this kit. The one I have selected to share with you today has the sentiment/title ‘you are the only fish in the sea for me’ which I think is a great title for a layout dedicated to the significant other in your life!

Anchors Aweigh digital scrapbooking kit from www.scraporchard.com

This next layout incorporates a couple of trends that we have talked about here at Trendy Tuesday. The first is banners and the second is….you guessed it, anchors! This layout is fun and summery with its bright colour palette and bold patterns.

Layout by Godschild94 via www.scrapbook.com

The next photo that I have to share is both a project and a crafting supply. I found this photo via Pinterest (I am offically a Pinterest junkie). The original website shows you how to make your own anchor stamp. Of course, this technique could be applied to other shapes and symbols too, but anchors are our subject for today.

Simply Happenstance via www.pinterest.com

OK, now we are moving on to the products! This is the fun part (if you ask me). I love an excuse to collect papercrafting supplies, however after my family’s most recent move (from the USA to Thailand) and all the unpacking I had to do, I am beginning to re-think my hobby of collecting!

The first product that I have to share is a Tiny Roller Doodle, which is really a rubber roller stamp. I don’t tend to use these myself, but I know there are people out there who really love them. If you are looking to mass produce a project with an anchor design, I can see how this would be really useful. This one is from the Uncharted Collection by Glitz Designs.

Tiny Roller Doodle by Glitz Design
Photo credit to www.scrapbook.com

Also from Glitz Design’s Uncharted Collection is some anchor themed Washi tape, which I have shown below.

Anchor Washi Tape – Uncharted line from Glitz Designs
Photo courtesy of www.scrapbook.com

This next product is a Slim Profile Edger Punch. These are really on trend right now. I particularily like my Threading Water Border Punch (Fiskars). You can find quite a line up of these edger/border punches available from EK Success, Fiskars and Martha Stewart.

EK Success Slim Profile Edger Punch – Anchors
Photo courtesy of www.scrapbook.com

This next product is a standard anchor punch by Martha Stewart.

Anchor punch by Martha Stewart
Photo courtesy of www.acherryontop.com

The next item that I want to share is a stamp set from A*Muse Studio. It is called Anchors Aweigh and they offer a die set from the same line for coordinating your projects.

Anchors Aweigh Stamp Set from A*Muse Studio

Anchors Aweigh Die Set from A*Muse Studio

I found quite a few examples of digital papers with an anchor theme. This example is from a company called Moo and Puppy.

Rainbow Nautical Anchor Digital Paper from Moo and Puppy
Photo credit www.etsy.com

Next, I found an anchor wall decal, which clearly in this photo is being used in a boy’s nursery.

Anchor Wall Decal from round321 via www.etsy.com

The next items I want to share are metal anchor buttons that I found on www.etsy.com. There were several different choices available.

Anchor Metal Buttons from DansandBrandi via www.etsy.com

Lastly, I have some Jolee’s Boutique stickers to share with you. They are dimentional stickers that are widely available at craft stores and online.

Jolee’s Boutique Stickers Large Navy from www.createforless.com

Well, that wraps things up for today. I hope you enjoyed learning about anchors with me! Happy crafting!

Free Project of the Week – Ribbons, Buttons and More – 05 10 2013

This week for our Free Project of the Week we have this Ribbons, Buttons and More card. We’re heading into summertime and summer makes me think of gingham. So, with the summertime theme, I headed for my May Arts Gingham ribbons. I chose three colors of Gingham ribbon to stand out and be the focal point for this card. With matching buttons and a simple greeting, who needs more!

You can download the pdf handout here

You can watch a video on how to create the Ribbons, Buttons and More card below:

If you enjoyed today’s project, you enjoy our style of teaching and would like to learn even more I encourage you to check out the benefits of becoming a Paper Crafter’s Library member.

Featured Artist/Designer: Karen Baker

Today on the Paper Crafter’s Library blog, we’re continuing our weekly featured artist spotlight whereby each week we spotlight a different artist/designer in the paper crafting & mixed media world and introduce you to their fabulous work.

Today we’re thrilled to welcome – Karen Baker

Before we show you her fabulous projects, let’s get to know her a little bit more…

I’m a mother to two busy boys and graphic designer by trade. I create in my spare time, a reprieve from my full time day job in hospital billing.

Card Projects

Hello, Karen from The Bald Dragonfly here, so very thrilled to be guest designing for the fabulous Paper Crafter’s Library! I thought I’d let you in on a secret: where I find inspiration for cards. Today I’ll show you a series of clean and simple creations inspired by corporate logos!

This first card was inspired by the logo from FedEx. I took the colors and, just as in the logo, aligned them on my card in strips, touching each other. For added interest, I embossed each with a different pattern.

Supplies:
Cardstock, Woodgrain Impression Plate, In Bloom Impression Plate- Papertrey Ink, Stamp from Hope Blooms-The Craft’s Meow, Folk Art Florals Die-WPlus9, Black Ink-Versafine, Corner Rounder-WR Memory Keepers

This next card was inspired by IBM. I liked the series of stripes! For this card, I started by die cutting the cow three times onto a panel, then backed that panel with striped washi tape. This was then adhered to the card base, and the sentiments were added. So super simple!

Supplies:
Cardstock-Bazzill Card Shoppe, Unknown Source for Kraft Cardstock, Cow from On The Farm Die-Papertrey Ink, Washi Tape-Target, Sentiment from Birthday Pun-The Craft’s Meow

BP‘s logo inspired my last card. I was drawn to the colors and the general flower shape, so I pulled out some dies and layered them, and then added a simple, bold sentiment to finish the card.

Supplies:
Cardstock-Papertrey Ink, Green Patterned Paper from Oliver Collection-Basic Grey, Yellow Patterned Paper-Authentique, Lovely Layers Die and Stamp Set- Papertrey Ink, Sentiment from Sentiment Sampler- Paper Smooches, Corner Rounder -WRMemory Keepers

There are so many logos out there, you can find them in print, on the web, the tv, billboards, everywhere! Take note of them and create a card inspired by them!

Thank you again, Paper Crafter’s Library, for having me here!

We hope you have enjoyed today’s projects courtesy of Karen Baker. Also, be sure to stop by Karen’s blog to see even more of her beautiful work (and let her know we sent you).

Featured Company: May Arts

Today we are excited to welcome back this week’s Featured Company May Arts and to share a beautiful creation from one of their designers using some gorgeous May Arts Ribbon.

Here at Paper Crafter’s Library we’re ribbon lovers – you’ll find ribbon on almost all of our projects – which is why we’re so thrilled to bring you another fabulous May Arts project. You haven’t seen ribbon until you’ve seen May Arts Ribbon – they offer a multitude of different colors and styles of ribbon to suit any preference and taste – and all of it, top quality!

And, we also have a give-a-way for you!! Two lucky winners will receive a “winners choice” of 2 spools of Ribbon from May Arts. One winner will be drawn from all the comments left here on the Paper Crafter’s Library blog to win AND one winner will be drawn from all the comments left on the May Arts Blog to win. You certainly have a lot to choose from

Remember, each comment you leave is one entry, so be sure to visit today not only for the great project idea, but also to enter your name into our give-away.

About May Arts

May Arts Ribbon was founded in the early 1980’s in Riverside, Connecticut. The original products were high-end silk flowers imported from Taiwan, which were decorated using quality ribbons. The decorative ribbons proved so popular among customers that the business gradually evolved into a dedicated ribbon wholesaler.

As a family-owned and operated business, May Arts began a long-standing tradition of quality, affordability and exceptional customer service. We are dedicated to carrying on this same tradition by offering high quality products at competitive prices. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff is always happy to answer your questions or to assist you in placing your order.

May Arts carries a wide selection of quality ribbons to choose from; such as grosgrain, silk, satin, burlap and a variety of prints and patterns. All inventory is held in stock, so we can ship orders out right away—typically the same day.

Where to Buy May Arts Ribbons

The May Arts website is their wholesale site for online and brink and mortar retailers. We’ve linked to it so that you can easily view their entire product line in one place. There are numerous places where you can purchase May Arts Ribbons including many local scrapbook stores as well as online stores. Two of the online stores that carry the biggest selections that we are aware of include Amazon, who carry the complete May Arts Ribbon Line (plus you can qualify for free shipping). Click on the link we provided and it will take you to our May Arts Ribbon Search Results. To find a particular ribbon, go to the May Arts website, find the name of the ribbon and color and then enter that into your Amazon search results. Please note that through Amazon you’re buying by the roll. Most other online and local scrapbook stores sell May Arts Ribbon by the yard. One of the online stores that carries a great selection is Stamp Simply Ribbon Store.

Special May Arts Guest Designer

Today we a special project for you created by May Arts Guest Designer Lalo. You can see Lalo’s fabulous project below, but first, here is a little more about Lalo:

Hi everyone, my name is too long for most so I just go by Lalo. I live in Hawaii where I have the BEST job of raising three awesome boys and one pretty princess. When I’m not at the beach or running my kiddos around, you can find me paper crafting up a storm.

I like making everything from cards and scrapbook pages to altered arts and gifts. I’m also big on tutorials because I love to share.

May Arts Featured Project:
“Turn your scraps into a mini album”

I have scrap pattern paper in all sizes and being the hoarder that I am, can’t throw it away. So I’ve come up with a super cool way to use up your leftover papers and embellishments. Make a scrap mini-album. Just gather your pattern paper and score down the middle of each one. Then start randomly stacking them onto each other lining up the score lines. Stitch down the middle and that is basically it. Just use up your leftover embellishments and some paper punches and you have a super cool mini-album. From the paper to the fibers, this mini-album was made entirely from scraps.

Products used:
Pattern paper and stickers: Echo Park Paper “For The Record 2” collection
Fibers: 4 inch burlap (398-4-02), Houndstooth (435-15-10), Woven Chevron (443-58-01), Burlap String (sm10), Black Baker’s Twine (412-10)

We hope you have enjoyed today’s feature. We want to extend a sincere thank you to Lalo for her fabulous projects and May Arts for sharing their company with us. Be sure to visit May Arts to see more of their great products and to enter the fabulous give-away.

In order to enter the give-away to win the ribbon rolls, please leave us a comment in the comments section of this post and visit May Arts to leave a comment on their blog as well. Winners will be announced next week on the Paper Crafter’s Library blog!

Winner of Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Give-Away

I’d like to extend a HUGE thank you to Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft and designer Rita Barakat for sharing such a wonderful project and for their generous give-away shown below.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…….the winner is…… Terry Duncan!

Congratulations Tammy!! Be sure to email us at customerservice@papercrafterslibrary.com to claim your prize. Please be sure to put “Faber-Castell” in the subject line of the email, and then in the email itself, be sure to include your full mailing address and phone number.

For those of you that didn’t win, each week on PCL we feature a different company, and each of those companies generously sponsors a prize. Join us next week when we feature Fancy Pants Designs.

Winner of Maya Road Give-Away

I’d like to extend a HUGE thank you to Maya Road and designer Caroline Lau for sharing such a wonderful project and for their generous give-away of their prize pack shown below.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…….the winner is…… Tammy Hanson!

Congratulations Tammy!! Be sure to email us at customerservice@papercrafterslibrary.com to claim your prize. Please be sure to put “Maya Road” in the subject line of the email, and then in the email itself, be sure to include your full mailing address and phone number.

For those of you that didn’t win, each week on PCL we feature a different company, and each of those companies generously sponsors a prize. Join us next week when we feature Fancy Pants Designs.

Trendy Tuesday – Frame It Right

Trendy Tuesday – Frame It Right
by Katherine Elliot

It is no surprise to find creative photo frames used on scrapbook pages in the paper craft world. However, besides showing off your best photographs in scrapbook albums, frames are a trend in many other paper craft projects and products. Check out the various embellishments, stamps and dies that can help you frame it right…

Album Project by Greta Hammond, image source Paper Crafters Library

If you missed it earlier, check out the showcase of Fancy Pants Designs products here on the PCL blog, including the patterned photo frames shown above. Coordinate these frames with matching papers and accessories from Fancy Pants Designs and you are sure to have a winning design in no time.

Trend Setter Patterned Photo Frames from Fancy Pants Designs, image source Two Peas in a Bucket

Pink Paislee also offers some pretty decorative, patterned frames that could be perfect for many spring projects.

Mixed Media Mini album by Shellye McDaniel, image source Papered Cottage

Cottage Farms Photo Frames from Pink Paislee, image source Two Peas in a Bucket

Frame embellishments are chic, too. Mandy”s scrapbook page shown below uses trendy mini-frame wood cut embellishments from Maya Road in addition to an embellished frame around her photo on her scrapbook page.

Hello You scrapbook page by Mandy Koepen, image source Cocoa Daisy Scrapbooking

Maya Road You”ve Been Framed wood embellishments, image source Eclectic Paperie

Some of the next scrapper”s fun photo booth style pics are highlighted with ornate mini frame embellishments from Websters Pages.

Just Us 2 scrapbook page by Trace Mar, image source Two Peas in a Bucket Gallery

Webster Pages Frame Variety Pack image source Flamingo Scraps

Photos of your loved ones do not need to be used exclusively in binders or scrapbook albums, of course. A framed photo card would warm the heart of any proud parent on Mother”s Day, Father”s Day, or any occasion.

Photo frame card by Julie Dinn, image source Kreative Jewels

Julie Dinn”s card above used a simple frame die from My Favorite Things. The frame window on this die makes it simple to add your photo or image to any project.

Die-namics InstaFrame from My Favorite Things

Other companies, like Maya Road, have similar, simple photo frame stamps and sentiments to use with your photos.

Instant Photo Frame stamp set from Maya Road, image source Stuff4Scrapbooking

Frame themes pop up in even more rubber stamp sets. The photo craze of holding an empty frame up to your face is fun and festive. Here are just a couple of cards that used stamps with that fun trend that caught my eye…

Card by Melody Rupple, image source A Paper Melody

Picture Perfect stamp set from My Favorite Things

Card by Joslyn Nielson, image source Unity Stamp Company

Vicki, Catherine and Leica Girls stamp set from Unity Stamp Company

Frames are not only used for personal photos. They make great focal points on cards framing both sentiments and images. Believe or not, the image below was created by Erin Gonzales using digital stamps from My Digital Studio. The depth of the framed image looks fantastic on this digital thank you card.

Fancy Frames digital card by Erin Gonzales, created using My Digital Studio from Stampin” Up!, image source Hand Stamped Style

Fancy Frames digital images from My Digital Studio, image source Stampin” Up!

Create your own stamped ornate frame using a stamp set and coordinating dies or punches, like this Flourishes set that goes well with several oval shapes.

Flowers and Frames stamp set from Flourishes

Card by Silke Ledlow, image source Flourishes Boutique

Using layered dies, like those from Spellbinders, you can make your own frame shapes and patterned paper frames for your projects. Andrea”s card below shows a lovely, classic way to create a frame using Nestabilities. This card is from a post from the PCL archives…of course Andrea has always been on trend!

Nestabilities Frame card by Andrea Walford, image source Paper Crafters Library

Hope you found something inspiring to put you in a crafty frame of mind today. Until next time, happy crafting, everyone.

Free Project of the Week – Thanks – 05 03 2013

This week for our Free Project of the Week we have this Thanks card. This card features a masking technique using various lace ribbons. I started by laying a piece of lace along the bottom of the White CS. I then spritzed directly over the ribbon using Dylusions ink spray. I repeated this two more times, using different lace patterns, working my way up the CS, creating this beautiful background! Not only did I create a beautiful background, but I also have colored lace ribbon that I can use on another project. The washi tape and greeting add the finishing touches to complete the card.

You can download the pdf handout here

You can watch a video on how to create the Thanks card below:

If you enjoyed today’s project, you enjoy our style of teaching and would like to learn even more I encourage you to check out the benefits of becoming a Paper Crafter’s Library member.