paper: pretty paper. true stories. {and scrapbooking classes with cupcakes.}

Greetings from sunny California, where the annual CHA trade show is just about to start – and I’m thrilled to be here to release a new collection with American Crafts: True Stories! Over the next week, I’ll be sharing so much about this, from an in-depth look at the products to project ideas and techniques. But today, just a little look to get things started, and a heads up about the chance to win the collection from American Crafts over on Instagram.

True Stories is my interpretation of everyday daydreams: a mix of things that appear most days at home and the odd fantastical notion that makes you look twice. Because when I asked myself what I wanted to see on my desk with my paper and scissors, my literal answer was ‘coffee cups and rocket ships’. I promise we have both for you.

We also have wood veneer border strips for you. With Alice in Wonderland quotes for good measure.

And wooden buttons with happy little centres. No sewing required – ready to stick straight to your project as a lovely little detail.

(That’s with a card from the cut-apart patterned paper and a sticker from the sticker book, which itself is a product I’m irrationally excited about, but I’ll show you that in detail soon.)

And a pack of 4×4 cards, which is such a simple product but something that makes me so happy. Each card is a four inch square, but each design is created so it can be trimmed to 3×4 without losing the image or text, so it doesn’t matter if you want to use a 3×4 or 4×4 pocket, it will work perfectly. They are also handy for cards…

…since they can be dressed up with just a little something to finish a design in minutes.

Don’t miss your chance to win a True Stories prize pack from American Crafts – they are running that opportunity here via Instagram.

With that, I think we’ll get back to preparation for the show – and I’ll be back with more details, projects, and photos throughout the coming week. Thanks for taking a first look at True Stories!

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Wishing you the merriest Christmas from one home very much filled with happiness this year.

May your holidays be so happy, it seems rational to run around with Christmas pudding on your head.

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In years past, my husband, kids and I would hurry out the door on Christmas Eve, arms loaded with fancy wrapped packages of all shapes and sizes, for a family gathering and present exchange. Now that our many nieces and nephews are older, we purchase gift cards to their favorite stores…and I can fit almost everything in my purse! Still, I want those packages to be special. The perfect solution – decorated handmade gift card holders.

While there are many gift card holder templates out there, I wanted something different. The requirements: ease of assembly, able to be reopened and closed, secure sides, and large enough to pretty up with my scrappy supplies! The result is this tri-fold holder, with tab and slot closure, foldable side flaps, and a finished size of approximately 3 1/2 × 5 inches.

Click here to access a true-sized jpg. template for use with your digital cutter.

Instructions

Select several 12 × 12 patterned papers, with relatively small prints on one side and contrasting colors and patterns on the reverse. I used Pink Paislee’s Merry and Bright collection.



The reverse



Cut two holders from each sheet of 12 × 12 paper (and save those scraps!)



Here is a look at those papers with a sheet of kraft cardstock added to the mix.

Using a bone folder, score across the card at notches and side tabs. Fold as shown, securing side tabs with adhesive to create a secure pocket for the gift card.



Now for the fun part! Shop your stash for stickers, buttons, chipboard, labels, flair, wood veneer and more. Not everything will find it’s way onto my project, but it’s nice to have a variety of embellishments from which to choose! Below are a few of my finds, including tags punched from paper scraps and corrugated cardstock (a favorite for adding dimension)



Here’s one way to turn unused chipboard shapes into coordinating embellishments for your card holders. I’ve chosen a few chipboard shapes from Maggie Holmes Open Book collection, 



painted them with two coats of acrylic paint,



and decorated them with white dots (along the perimeter of the ovals, polka dots on the deer).



Next it’s time to let your creativity shine! Decorate the front of each gift card holder using all those paper scraps and your stash of embellishments.

For me, having a basic design helps to streamline the process. I began by layering horizontal strips of patterned paper and corrugated cardstock across each of my card holders. Chipboard, banners, tags, buttons, stickers, burlap hearts and more make each one unique.



At the bottom left is an alternate style, with vertical banners cut from paper scraps.



Inside or out, add a sentiment and/or place to add the recipient’s name.

There you have it, a beautiful and unique set of gift card holders, fun to create and sure to impress.

Madeline Fox is a mother of five, living in the suburbs of New Orleans. Through the years she has tried her hand at practically every creative pursuit known to man (quilting, smocking, cross-stitching, painting, and most recently, stamp carving) but has fallen hard for scrapbooking. Beginning her love for patterned paper when her youngest was a baby, she’s realized that she will never “catch up”, but that’s OK. Fourteen years later, Madeline still enjoys finding new ways to combine paper, pictures, and memories.  She is currently on the design team for the Scraptastic Kit Club and Store, and can be found on Instagram, Pinterest, her Paper Gumbo blog, and poolside cheering for her avid swimmer.

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When I saw the Shimelle collection I was instantly taken with the bold shades of pink, turquoise, and orange. I love color, and gladly embrace it any chance that I get! I couldn’t wait to dive into the glittery rub-ons, die-cuts with gold foil and embossed images, wood veneer, layered stickers and printed cork pieces. I also fell in love right away with the two packs of Thickers letter stickers, included in the collection. I couldn’t wait to get the collection in my hot little hands and create with it. And, even though I love Thickers (I do, I really do!) and hoard them any chance I get, I couldn’t wait to create my own custom titles. Which brings me to my post – five ideas for scrapbooking with creative titles.

Happy
Hand cut letters are all the rage and are becoming a big trend within the scrapbook community. I decided to create my own hand cut letters and used them as a graphic design element on my page. To create my hand cut letters I first hand drew the word happy onto black cardstock paper with a pencil, and then cut it out. Since I decided to repeat the word “happy” three times to create my title, I just retraced them two more times and then cut them out by hand. This technique creates a fun handmade look.

Shine
Creating a sequin title is easy and creates a big impact on a project. The idea to create a sequin title came to me while I was at the craft supply store looking at ribbons and I saw sequins sold by the roll. Because they are already stitched together they are easy to manipulate, position and use. To create my sequin title I first cut the word “shine” with my silhouette and then used the negative piece as a stencil. I used liquid glue to adhere the word down. I found that it was easiest to adhere the word down while the template was still in place, otherwise the word moved to much and fell out of place. To finish, simply cut off the excess from the sequin roll and make sure that the ends are glued down well so that none of the sequins fall off.

Oh My
Hand stitching is one of my favorite techniques. Sometimes I use templates, sometimes I create my own. To create my title on this page I first started by cutting out the word “Oh” using my Silhouette. I then used the negative (leftover piece of paper from the cut) as a stencil to create my stitched word. With a needle, I poked holes around the word and then stitched it up using black embroidery thread. I also, added the die cut word “my” and some letter stickers to finish off my title.

You’re A Gem
I love a simple mixed title. I think that mixing up supplies that you already have on hand can give them a fresh and unique look. To create the title for this page I simply combined die-cuts with Shimelle’s gold glitter thickers. The die cuts are basic but the thickers add interest and texture. The result is a fun mixed title.

Hello Love
Brush script is a creative way to bring originality into your memory keeping. There is nothing that draws me in to a project more than seeing a unique brush script title. To create my title for this page I first started by hand painting a large quotation bubble onto my page using a light watercolor pink. After my page dried, I hand painted the words “hello love” using black acrylic paint. For best results it is important to use a paint brush that it designed for calligraphy and sketching. To create my title I used a fine tipped size two bamboo paint brush.

Gina Lideros lives in Northern California with her military husband, two teenage kids and 3 dogs. She loves to spend time outdoors and in her craft room. You will usually find her with a Starbucks cup in hand. Gina designs for American Crafts, Scrapbook Circle, The Cut Shoppe and is the co-owner of BoxCrops Events and Scrapbook Retreats. You can follow Gina on her blog and Instagram.

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After my first tutorial on Shimelle’s blog I received a couple requests on how I altered the different size pocket pages from that album so they could all be used together. So today I’m here to share my “how to” with you all. There are two videos. The first is where I show my tutorial for the custom pocket pages, and then part two is where I assemble a fun holiday mini book incorporating them into my design. Here are the supplies and videos:

Something to note is that even though I use 3×4 pocket pages in my example to be used with an Instagram Album, the customizing of the pocket pages can be used in most any size project. I’ve used it in 6×8 albums, a 4×6 mini book, a 5×7 travel journal, as well as my Project Life.

One of the things I love about this project is that Shimelle’s beautiful papers and embellishments were so easy to mix with my Christmas product! I was really wanting to make a holiday themed album that wouldn’t interfere with my December Daily, and this ended up being the perfect solution : )

Below are some photos of the mini book I decided to make where I document 5 of my Christmastime favorites from this year. It was important to me to jot down some notes about the simple things that seem to make this time of year special. Hope you enjoy!!

Carrie is a YouTuber and Blogger who loves to take photos and create little pieces of art with pretty paper. She adores her family, is expecting a baby girl very soon, and thinks where she lives in the Pacific Northwest is breathtakingly beautiful. When it comes to memory keeping her imagination usually takes over and helps her see outside the box. Carrie likes having blue mermaid hair, thinks that rain smells sweet, and still has a crush on her sweetheart of 20 years. Carrie’s YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest

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When I opened my American Crafts box with the new Shimelle line, I couldn’t stop looking through each and every product. So many possibilities with great colors, patterns and embellishments. But I kept going back to the circle alphabet letters. They are just simply gorgeous. I wanted to use them in a unique way.

I picked the orange, pink/orange, and green colors from the 12×12 pattern paper pad to cut the stars from the Silhouette, and the circles with a 1” circle punch. I cut enough circles to cut some of the them in half and adhere to a full circle. Then I embossed those with the Shimelle embossing folder.

The black and white polka dots background pattern paper added both neutral colors and texture. I trimmed this piece to 8.25×10.75 and adhered to an 8.5×11 pink pattern paper. I wanted to bring in more of that green color, so I put paint on a non-stick mat, sprayed with water, and spread the length of my pattern paper background, then pressed it into the paint.

After the paint dried, I placed my die cuts, then added stitching to connect some of them to bring in a little more texture.

I decided on a large 4×6 photo with a lot of white space. I added my journaling directly to the photo using a typewriter, and then layered a transparent frame over it (I can easily lift this piece to see the journaling).

Using the Shimelle die cuts, I layered a cork camera over the die cut banner. To bring balance and repetition to the layout, I brought down another layered star with a heart circle from the same alphabets, and continued that repetition down to the bottom of the photo with my daughter’s initial.

Once I had my photo and theme, I decided the title “talent” would fit my journaling and how I felt about my daughter’s photography skills, and layered these over the die cuts at the top.

To bring in more of the colors from the top of the layout, I layered pieces of pattern papers to the left of the photo (tip: don’t throw out those pattern paper ends, they work great for layering). Last, but not least, I used the Shimelle date stamp.

As I worked on this layout, I could see how this would work so well for the holidays. This is a collection that truly works year round and in any season. Thank you so much, Shimelle, for having me!

Patricia Roebuck lives in Mandeville, LA, about 30-45 minutes from New Orleans. Patricia lives with her husband of 24 years, her six-year daughter, and her nineteen year-old cat. She discovered her addiction to scrapbooking while waiting to adopt her daughter from China. Patricia has been published in Scrapbook Trends, Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbook & Cards Today, Scrapbooks, Etc., Scrapwerk, and Paperhaus. She is currently designing for Pink Paislee, Elle’s Studio, October Afternoon, and Cocoa Daisy Kit Club. She blogs at www.patriciaroebuck.com and is frequently on Instagram and Facebook to connect with friends and family.

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When I first saw Shimelle’s collection I knew I would love every single product and when I got it I was so thrilled because it was even better in real life. The colours and designs are all up my alley. I knew I wanted to showcase all the products I had. I opted to create five different projects to show how amazingly beautiful the collection is.

When I scrapbook I tend to make layouts but with this collection I had many ideas. I decided to create a card and layout, to decorate an envelope, embellish a 12” by 12” photo, and I also was inspired to make a simple mini book containing photos from our family’s summer vacation.

A card
This was such fun to create. I picked one of the patterned papers and added some watercolour paint in the same hue as the paper but just a touch darker. Then I cut out a banner from one of the 6×6 papers from the paper pad. I added a doily from my stash and a sentiment I had lying around. To finish off I used one of the wood veneer pieces. For a bit of glamour, I sprinkled some gold embossing powder over the wood veneer heart and heat embossed it. I was surprised to see that the details on the heart still showed through after the embossing process.

An envelope
I love creating cards but decorating and envelope is just as important. I wouldn’t embellish it if I were sending it by post but I often give out cards in person and handing it over in a pretty envelope is a lot more fun.
The design of the envelope is really simple because I wanted to highlight the amazing ampersand that came in the wood veneer pack. I used the heart 6×6 patterned paper from the paper pad.

Embellishing a large photo
In my photo orders I had a 12”by12” photo. I thought I’d just frame it but then I knew I wanted to use the collection to embellish it. I used the overlays and cork embellishments. I love how just by adding a couple of details more attention is drawn towards the photo.

A layout
My fourth project is a layout. I went with my favourite design for the background. I love black and white stripes. This paper just jumped out at me. I cut out some squares which I placed randomly over the background and then added some clusters of embellishments. Shimelle’s collection has quite a few pink and red tones which are my favourites but there are also amazing aqua tones. I am still more drawn towards the pinks and don’t hesitate to use them on layouts about my boys.

Mini book
The last project is a mini book. I went for a simple design which focuses on the photos and the papers from the collection by using one side for the photos and the other with just a couple of embellishments.

Lilith Eeckels lives with her family in the south of Belgium. She is South African by heart and hopes to return to this amazing country where she grew up as child. By day she is an English and Dutch foreign language teacher in a high school as well as mother to four mischievous boys who keep her very busy. By night you’ll find her in her scrapbook nook playing with pretty papers and embellishments. Currently she a Design Team member of American Crafts, Esprit Scrapbooking, Scraptastic Kit club. She shares her passion for scrapbooking on her blog, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

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I hate to admit it, but no matter how many amazing electronic die-cutting machines I own, I still love reaching for my manual die-cutting tool and my wafer-thin dies. Maybe it’s the fact that I don’t often feel like turning to my computer in the middle of creating a layout, or that turning the crank on my manual machine is therapeutic and allows me to continue creating with my hands. Whatever the reason, I love thin dies, and the Shimelle collection dies are a perfect accent to any card, layout or mini album. Today I would like to show you five different ways to use them on your next project.

Cover a background
One easy technique using dies is creating a custom background by covering cardstock with the shapes cut from a die. On this layout, I cut 25 banners from the Shimelle 6×6 paper pad and folded the banners into pennants. I then adhered the pennants to my layout and machine stitched through the tops. To keep the layout simple with so much going on in the background, I just added my photo on a contrasting mat and a small cluster of embellishment to finish it off.

Layer your cuts
I love creating dimension on a project, and one way to achieve this is to layer your die-cuts. In this example, I used the ‘lovely’ die to cut cardstock six times and then adhered each of the layers together with a glue pen. To make the word look more like an embellishment, I topped the layers with a glossy medium and allowed it to dry thoroughly before layering it on my card with other Shimelle embellishment.

Paint with watercolor
I love using watercolors on my projects in small doses & pairing the dies with watercolor paper is the perfect way to get ‘artsy’ on your next project. To see my non-messy way to achieve this look, check out my watercolor tutorial video.

Create a mini album
The Shimelle die globe is the perfect size for creating a tiny mini album with 2” round photos. This would also be a perfect addition to finish off a wrapped gift for someone special. To make the individual pages sturdier, I layered two pieces of cardstock on the outside of thin chipboard, all of which were cut with the die.

To attach the pages together, I created a tassel with thick baker’s twine.

Use dies to make a stencil
The negative from a die-cut can also be put to good use to create a stencil of your die-cut shape. On this layout, I made stencils using the globe die with a single piece of cardstock and filled the space in with colored embossing paste using a palette knife.

I hope these ideas have given you the inspiration to try a new technique using your dies!

Meghann Andrew is a former interior designer turned stay-at-home-mom to her toddler daughter and wife to her Brit husband, living in Texas. After scrapbooking for close to 6 years, she has been fortunate enough to have her work featured in several publications. She is also honored to represent Elle’s Studio, Chickaniddy Crafts, Scraptastic Kit Club and in 2015, Jot magazine. She writes about her projects, food and life at her blog and shares her everyday photos on her Instagram feed. If you’ve been inspired to make layouts today, you’re going to need an album in which to house them! Meghann would like to give away the gorgeous gold glitter album from the Shimelle collection. Just stop by her blog and leave a comment for a chance to win!

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