Studio Calico

winners

Please email info@studiocalico with your name and the contest you've won by 5/30 to claim your prize.

BG Giveaway

Hey everyone! We've teamed up with our friends at Basic Grey to bring you a little collaborative inspiration today. Melanie Bauer and I both started with the same products - Studio Calico's 35mm kit + Basic Greys PB&J 6x6 pad, Die Cuts & Pins and Tags - and put together a week of Project Life. You can see Mel's week over on the Basic Grey blog, and there's also a special Studio Calico offer you won't want to miss. ;)


I tend to get overwhelmed with choices when I'm working on a week, so working focusing on using the kit + Basic Grey products really helped to speed up the process. And I could use a little speeding up, since this time of year is so busy! The brights in PB&J coordinated beautifully with the blues and greens in the kit, so I had no trouble mixing and matching between 35mm & Basic Grey. 


Die cuts are one of my favorite products to use for Project Life, and I had a lot of fun incorporating the die cuts from 35mm and the ones from the Basic Grey pack. If you missed out on 35mm, don't worry - the June kit, So Cal, will have more exclusive die cuts.  They're just such an easy way to add a little bit of detail to a photo or card.


The Basic Grey PB&J 6x6 pad was perfect for filling the pockets in my Project Life album. I love working with this size in my book since the scale of the patterned paper is smaller. There were several ledger print papers in 35mm, I turned them into journaling cards and decorated them with embellishments from the kit and tags from the Basic Grey Pins & Tags.


This little heart pin was a great finishing touch on my big birthday photo (man, I love this picture, and it was so fun to print it as a 6x8!) - I popped the "hello" die cut on foam dots and just slid the pin right through it. This way it will stay put and no one will get poked by it. You can also see that I used some of the Studio Calico Adventure & Good Stuff stamps throughout my week - I am a stamp addict and couldn't pass up a good chance to get them inky! ;)


We are giving away Basic Grey's pb&j 6x6 pad, Die Cuts & Pins & Tags. Please post your comment here and we'll choose a winner this week!

Thanks for joining me today - don't forget to pop over to the Basic Grey blog for more Project Life inspiration and an awesome special offer!

Hello everyone!

Here's a video I made to show you how to make fun and textured background using your Silhouette and gesso!

All you'll need is patterned paper, white cardstock to use in your Cameo, gesso and Mr Huey!

Now watch the video and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

 

Weekly Challenge

Weekly Challenge: Make Hexagon Photos

Hi friends, it's Kelly Purkey here with a fun challenge for you this week.  Hexagons are all the rage and we're seeing them all over layouts, cards, and projects.  I've recently shared a tutorial on how to make your photos into hexagon shapes right here on my blog: http://www.kellypurkey.com/its_me_kp/2012/04/how-to-make-hexagon-photos.html

My layout Pulino from the 35mm gallery uses this tutorial on the little Instagram photos.  I sized them so that they would fit nestled inside the patterned paper from the Main Kit.  Now it's your turn to trun hexagon pictures.  I'm challenging you to create a layout with your own six sided pics - whether you want to use my tutorial, have a punch on hand, or just freestyle cut them out.  Hope you'll give it a try!

Sunday Sketch

This week's sketch is based on Nicole Samuel's layout entilted Stand Out which can be found in her 35mm gallery. 

Our lovely sketchee this week is Kaori Watanabe, member name Chelseavan. Here's her take on the sketch.

supply list: 35mm, Lomography, Silhouette CAMEO, alphabet ( Pink Paislee, October Afternoon）"I like making layouts with sketches very much. This sketch is particularly pleasant! Because I wanted to make a pleasant work, the photograph chose a pleasant thing.  Don't you think the color of kit of this month fits perfectly? I love it!"

Thank you Kaori! Your layout is certainly pleasent and lovely! 

You can see more of Kaori's work on her blog.

Now it's your turn to give this week's sketch a try! Post your layout or card here by May 28th for your chance to win a $5 gift card to use in the Studio Calico shop. 

 

Layout of the Week

I Choose Life, the layout of the week, is brought to you by Elena. You can visit her blog or her gallery at Studio Calico for more fabulous inspiration.

Each week, the layout in the gallery is linked, so you can add it to your favorites easily.  This layout has been added to your favorites more than any other layout in the SC community gallery for the week of 5/6 - 5/12.

Congratulations Elena! Because of this you have won a $10 gift card to be used on any new purchase at Studio Calico.  Want a chance to win next week? Be sure to upload your projects to the SC gallery, and support your community by adding special projects that catch your eye into your favorites! It could be YOU next week!

Member Spotlight

Please welcome this month's Member Spotlight, Jennifer Kinkade! 

When did you start scrapbooking and what got you started? 

I started scrapbooking back in 1998 when I was pregnant with my 2nd daughter as a result of someone having a Creative Memories party in their home! That was back when you played with strips of paper and triangles and a corner rounder--which I still have and use to this day (the corner rounder, that is..)

What are your top 5 favorite products and why?

My main "go to" items when I scrap are:

   1) my sewing machine! I can't hardly do a page without it! I use it to secure chipboard letters, washi, pictures or just give the page a little bit of interest.
   2) Mister Hueys mists or black spray paint. I love the look of splattered paint on pages--I like the edgy look that it gives to any page.
   3) my manual typewriter. It's a great way to add quick journaling to a tag, label or page.
   4) Washi tape!! For me it is that perfect little piece of embellishment to add to a page. The versatility of the stuff is AMAZING! I am signed up for and super stoked to be taking the Washi Workshop at SC next month, too!
       I just did a "photoshoot" of my washi that I hope to have up on my blog soon!
   5) FONTS!! I confess that I am a font freak and I can create just about anything with a cool font and my Silhouette Cameo!

What is your favorite Studio Calico product and why? 

I have 2 favorites!! Mister Huey's mists--I use  Calico Shine, Taxi, and just started using the Silver! Wood Veneers are my 2nd favorite. I can't resist all those little shapes. I love using them plain or coloring them with mists, paints, or stamping inks! I am going to try nail polish on them soon!!

What is your favorite go-to or signature technique? 

Sewing. Hands down.

Where do you find your inspiration? 

I know this is cliche, but I really do find inspo everywhere...magazines, photos, the SC forum and gallery, design, colors, a moment that I've captured...and I am a total Instagram junkie! :)

What is your favorite color and/or color combo?

I start out with a neutral background then use pops of yellow or aqua/teal or grey mostly.

Tell us a bit about your design process. 

The secret is...I really don't have one. I think my scrapbooking is non-traditional and imperfect. I will usually start with a photo that I love or want to use and move on from there. I do a lot of layering with patterned papers or Hambly transparencies, then I will add a few embellishments. Sewing things down is normally my last step. I am a fast scrapper...layouts are done in 30 mins or less, unless I am waiting for paint to dry! I try to keep my photos the main focus of any layout that I do.

Tell us a bit about what else you do since we know you are creative in more ways than just scrapbooking. 

I do a fair amount of digital scrapbooking as well. I find that if I am in a creative funk or I have taken a break that making a digital page normally gets my creative juices flowing again. I also LOVE photography. It's a big time passion. Photography has allowed me to see everything in a new light, from life to scrapbooking to design.

You can see more of Jennifer's work in her SC gallery and her blog. 

Thank you for sharing with Jennifer! 

The Washi Workshop Blog Hop + Giveaway

Have you heard about our June Calico Classroom online workshop?  It's called The Washi Workshop and you won't want to miss this fun class!

We love it. We hoard it. We can't get enough. Now let's use it! Yes, we're talking about washi tape and creative powerhouse Megan Hoeppner of Creating Keepsakes magazine is full of ideas to share for digging into your stash to make amazing new projects.

She's joined by washi addicts Nicole Samuels, Kelly Purkey, Allison Waken, Sasha Farina, Julie Ebersole, Tina Aszmus, Lisa Truesdell, and Amy Tan. They'll be providing brand new, exclusive layouts, mini albums, cards, and other great projects.

This is a four week class with two detailed PDF lessons posted each Tuesday and Thursday during the month of June, beginning on the 5th. The class includes a private message board and a live chat with Megan & the contributors.

Registration for the class is now open and ends May 31st.  The classroom opens on June 1st with the first lesson going live on the 5th.  Don't forget that subscribers automatically save 10% off of all classes and our lucky Rewards Members save 25%!  Click here for more info and to register.

To celebrate The Washi Workshop we have a blog hop going on with the contributors and the lovely Creating Keepsakes Dream Team sharing some great washi tips.  We're all giving a seat in the class away - so be sure to leave a comment here for your chance to win. 

Hop on over to Megan's blog to get started on the hop and you can also enter to win a seat on the Creating Keepsakes blog.  See you in class!

Workspace Wednesday

Heidi Swapp is with us to show us her workspace and a few personal photos of herself and her little one. Here's what she had to say.

"I chuckled when i was asked to share photos of my studio... 90% of the time (maybe more, it's an embarrassment of creative catastrophe!  in fact, one day i left a note for my son to clean his room, and later, i came home to a bigger note that said 'clean your studio'. When it's nice a clean (in between projects) it's lovely! it is situated on the second floor on the landing right outside the bedroom doors of all the kids upstairs. from there, i have a nice birds-eye view of all the goings on. i can even watch the TV and the stove! i can see into the backyard through the kitchen window and keep peace through all the land! 

I use a MacBook Pro that is hopelessly old (and wishing for a new one!) so it travels where ever i happen to be working. I like to watch hulu.com and netflix as i work late into the night. "

"Usually, my littlest son likes to bring his pillows and blanket to the edge of his doorway and set up camp while i work. I can always be seen sporting an apron, and i like to work in my crocs..(so fashionable, i know!) i am a stand-up scrapper, and they are my most cushy comfy shoes! "

Thanks for sharing Heidi!

 

Weekly Challenge

This week's challenge is brought to you by our May guest dt member, Heidi Swapp! She's done an amazing layout using Studio Calico's Take Note and Abroad line AND she's providing 2 PDF's to be used as Silhouette files. She even has a video tutorial on how to do this. 

Her challenge is song lyrics. Here's her layout and what she had to say about the challenge. 

"I recently hit the big 4-0… and as you would imagine… I got to reflecting on the last few years (the last 40). i have been teaching a class at Big Picture Classes called the “Art of Observation” and a couple weeks ago, we were talking about music…songs that we love, and why. A few days before my birthday, that iconic song by Simon and Garfunkle popped into my head, and the lyrics… ‘slow down, you’re movin too fast. Gotta make this moment last!” it must have been my subconscious mind screaming at me! For the rest of the day I was humming the tune and thinking about those lyrics, and how.. YES I really do need to ‘slow down’ and ENJOY! (a little)
This is the page layout I made. It highlights some different happenings in my life here, and now… with a reminder to enjoy them! I love how it turned out! And I LOVE all the stuff I got in my may kits! What a delight it was to be the guest designer! Thanks to April and the whole Studio Calico team!"

Thank you Heidi! What a great idea to put all these little bits of life onto one layout! 

Here are the 2 free files Heidi has provided:
Slow Down View this photo
Fast View this photo

Post your layout or card here by May 22nd for your chance to win a $5 gift card to use in the Studio Calico shop! Good luck and have fun!