Facets

I just wanted to share with you some simple cards I made using our Facets coordinated stationery. I am obsessed with Slate! I find myself using our dark gray Slate paper in almost all of my projects recently. I think it pairs really well with so many other colors... pink, teal, yellow... the list goes on. (And did you notice I used the new glitter cardstock? I am in paper love!)

Another great thing about Facets: If you buy 10 or more packs you get 10% off! What a great opportunity to stock up on some really nice colors of cards and envelopes.

Happy card making!
Christina

Sticker Chart

I am always making sticker and star charts for my 9 year old son. He is very hard to get motivated to do something he doesn’t want to do (not too different than any other 9 year old) and using an incentive works well for us.

This summer he needs to read, practice his multiplication tables, and his writing so he doesn’t lose any learning momentum before he starts 4th grade. We have currently decided his next goal is a new skateboard, and made the agreement that he can earn one sticker for ever hour of homework he does. When he gets 25 stickers, then he can have his skateboard.

On this chart that we made, he will put stickers on the number squares once he has completed the required work.

You will need the following items in order to make this chart:

1 12x12
25 square 2 inch diagonal punches
Letter and number stamps and stamp pads
Deckle scissors
Regular scissors
Poster board or other large paper.
3 sheets of 8.5x11 cardstock.
Adhesives
Stickers

1. Using letter stamps, stamp out the words you want to put on the chart and cut them out.

2. Punch out 25 squares

3. Stamp each square with a number, 1-25.

4. Adhere the number squares to the 12x12

5. Position the pieces on your piece of poster board and adhere.

6. Using a scoring tool, score an 8.5x11 piece of card stock so you have one inch at the bottom, and a square large enough to hold the stickers in the middle

Cut out the corners of the cardstock, and down the vertical score lines until you reach the top of your desired square size and stop cutting.

Create two one inch flaps on the outer portion of the box by cutting them with scissors.

Fold the flaps in and put adhesive on them in order to adhere them to the poster board.

6. Cut thin one inch strips from the scraps to use for the plus and equal signs

7. Adhere the strips to the sign in the desired space.

You now have a chart that you can hand up. We usually put it on his bedroom door using UHU Tack.

Product used for this project

12x12 - Max and Whiskers, Tater Tot by Basic Grey
Punch - 2 inch square punch by Marvy
Cardstock -French Construction in Safety Orange
Poster Board – Fabriano Tiziano Paper in Aquamarine
Stickers – Stinky scratch and sniff stickers by Peaceable Kingdom

Happy Crafting

Sandra

Tins of Fun

Hello Everyone! One of the things I love about Paper Zone and Paper Zone's product is that it can be so versatile and the simplest little thing can be turned into a cute gift or fun treat for someone. This week, the products of choice are tins from Pinecone Press. We have some amazingly creative people in our stores and you'll agree once you see what Jenn in Shoreline created. She took one of the smaller tins and created a very cute and very useful sewing kit. It's so cute, I'd love to have that in MY purse!

She took her creativity up a notch and created the most adorable traveling version of Tic Tac Toe which smartly uses a CD size tin along with magnets also sold in our store. How great is that?!?

Sarah in Tacoma also had a fabulous creation using the tins to house a "Critter Card Kit" she made using the adorable Max & Whiskers line and Pop Tones.

So next time you see a tin, remember that the possibilities are endless. And with a little bit of paper, some embellishments and a touch of creativity, you can really have something special (from a tin!!). --Kim

New Papers from Hambly!

We just received a new shipment of screenprinted papers and overlays from Hambly. I have always been a huge fan of their papers, and this release features some really fun designs from peacock feathers to cupcakes to doilies. These 12x12s are so great for so many different projects beyond scrapbooking.

Our Salem store came up with this cute idea for a cupcake box. Using one of our everyday cube-shaped gift boxes, they cut out a window and placed an overlay (basically a clear sheet of acetate that has these cupcakes printed on it) over the opening. Really simple, but such a great idea! A couple of little added embellishments on the top make a perfect little package and gift for any birthday boy or girl. PLUS...the papers actually even smell like vanilla!

I saw another creative use for the overlays on Hambly's blog. They basically modified a plain Ikea lamp to transform it into a really striking piece of room decor. See the full details and how to on thier blog at: http://hamblyscreenprints.typepad.com/screen_prints_blog/2010/06/ikea-lamp-hack.html

What kinds of projects have you come up with using overlays? We'd love to see some more ideas! Happy Crafting! -Amanda

Calendar Crazy

Can you believe it's almost August? Soon it will be back-to-school time and then the holidays and then, before you know it, a new year! Yikes!

Speaking of a new year, do you know how much I love calendars? No joke. Last year I bought three and I received two as gifts. That's five calendars! Why do you need so many calendars, you may wonder? Are you really that busy? Well, no, I'm really not that busy, and truth be told, I did end up giving away one calendar, but when it comes to calendars, I really can't help myself. More than marking the passage of time, calendars can be great conversational pieces and a fun way to spruce up your environment.

I especially love Cavallini calendars, of which I bought one last year. They are so sophisticated and timeless looking. I really appreciate the quality of the images and the paper they are printed on. These calendars are so beautifully done, in fact, that one could easily cut out a month's or even a full year's worth of images, mount and frame them, and hang them on the wall for an elegant display.

We just got a shipment of these calendars in at the stores for both the wall and desk and you can be certain that I will be getting my hands on one (or two or three) very soon!

Tiffany

Fabric Paper!

We just got a shipment of fun new stuff from American Crafts in our stores... I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Fabric Paper! This stuff is co cool! It comes as a 12x12 inch sheet of paper-backed fabric that already has adhesive on the back! We received an assortment of printed and solid sheets.

I made a little mini book and used the fabric paper to bind my book and to decorate it. Take a look:

I wanted my book to be 5x7, so the first thing I did was cut down my pages to 5x7.Then I cut the fabric paper into strips of 3x5 and scored them in half at the 1.5 inch mark. (These pieces are going to used bind my book. You will need one piece for every page of your book.)After I scored the fabric paper I then peeled off the backing to reveal the adhesive. To bind the pages together I put half of the fabric paper on one page and the other half on the next.

I repeated this step until all my pages were bound together.

I added a piece of the fabric paper to the outside covers. Then added photos and embellishments to finish it off.
Happy paper and fabric crafting! Christina

Corner Bookmark

Hi Everyone

I hope that you are enjoying a great summer. Don't forget to take a little time out of the busy summer activities for yourself to do a little fun crafting project. I personally like doing mine in front of the air conditioner duct!!! I have also been known to take all of my crafting supplies outside on the picnic table and enjoy getting a little sun. I guess it would depend on how warm it is outside!!

I found this idea for a corner bookmark and thought it was just too cute. The bookmark has a little pocket in it that fits over the corner of a page to hold your place.

These don't take very long to make, and I think I am going to be making a lot to give away as friendship gifts.

Supplies

One 4" x 4" piece of cardstock
One 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" piece of cardstock
Score-it™ or other scoring tool
Paper cutter
Adhesive tape
Boarder Punch
Stamps, Ink, or embellishments to decorate.

Step 1
Mark the center of three sides of the 4" cardstock square.

Step 2
Place your cardstock square on your scoring tool so two of the marked spots are aligned in one groove. Score between the markings. Repeat on the other side.

Step 3
Prefold at both score lines.

Step 4
Add a decorative border to the unscored side of the 4x4 cardstock square.

Step 5
Line up the 2 3/4" cardstock square diagonally in your paper cutter. Cut the square in half, (corner to corner, to create two triangles. You will need both triangles.

Step 6
Adhere one of the triangles on the front of the bookmark with adhesive and decorate.

Step 7
Turn the bookmark over, fold your corners back in and apply adhesive. Adhere your second triangle over the flaps. This will keep your bookmark closed.

Turn the bookmark back over and it is finished.

For this bookmark I used

Stardream Serpentine Cardstock as the base

Kioshi Motochi 12x12 by Basic Grey for the accent paper

Martha Stewart Doily Boarder Punch

Kioshi Bloomers by Basic Grey for the embellishment

A small piece of ribbon for the bow.

I am also going to make some of these bookmarks using chipboard cutouts and stamps and see where the creativity takes me.

I hope you have fun making these little bookmarks.

Happy Crafting

Sandra