American Crafts Studio Blog

May 2014 Design Team Gallery

The latest creations by the American Crafts Design Team can be found in the LAYOUT GALLERY! Here are some thumbnails of the projects you'll see:

We hope you're inspired to create! HAPPY WEEKEND!

Flower Layout & Card by Diana Waite

Congrats to the winner of assorted flower-themed papers, stamps, embellishments and MORE from the American Crafts brands, Romy:

Diana Waite (Blog: Diana Waite | Instagram: @dianawaite3 | Pinterest: @dianaw3) is here to finish up Flowers Week with a lovely layout & card:

Supplies: 12 x 12 Paper Pad (366665) - DIY shop, Wood Veneer Butterflies (366618) - DIY Shop, Solid Metallic Gold/Silver Washi Tape (366614) - DIY Shop, Neutrals 12 x 12 Carstock Variety Pack (71252) - Cardstock, Mini Adhesive Badges (366795) - Daydreamer, Enamel Dots (366785) - Daydreamer, 6 x 6 Paper Pad (366767) - Daydreamer, Jacks Paper (366755) - Daydreamer, Tic Tac Tow Paper (366765) - Daydreamer, Treasure Hunt (366752) - Daydreamer, Hop Scotch Paper (366743) - Daydreamer, Nesting Die Set (366731) - Daydreamer

Supplies: Dimensional Dots (61709) - This to That, Border Punch (63013) - Knock Outs, Hop Scotch Paper (366743) - Daydreamer, Tic Tac Tow Paper (366765) - Daydreamer, Juggling (366757) - Daydreamer, 6x6 Paper Pad (366767) - Daydreamer, Sticker Book (366778) - Daydreamer, DIY Shop 12 x 12 Paper Pad (366665) - DIY Shop, Kraft A2 Card (366659) - DIY Shop

We hope your weekend is swell and includes lots of scrapbooking!

Flower Cards by Madeline Fox

Here are three beautiful flower cards created by Madeline Fox (Blog: Madeline Fox | Instagram: @madelineafox | Pinterest: @madeline | Twitter: @madeline_fox):

 

Supplies: White (AM710-81) - Cardstock, Blue Skies Paper (SUMDS-66953) - #Summer, Duo Paper (PLUDS-66823) - Amy Tangerine Plus One, Doubles Paper (PLUDS-66808) - Amy Tangerine Plus One, Fabric brads (366852) - Amy Tangerine Plus One, Black & White Washi Tape (DIYWT-66615) - DIY Shop, Bakers Twine (366303) -Premium Ribbon

Supplies: White (AM710-81) - Cardstock, Fascinating Friends Paper (366165) - Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party, Couple Paper (PLUDS-66816) - Amy Tangerine Plus One, Black & White Washi Tape (DIYWT-66615) - DIY Shop, Cardstock Tags (366206) - Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party, Newsprint Tags (DIY-TAG-66639) - DIY Shop, Die-cut Chalkboard Frames (366637) - DIY Shop, Puffy Matte Stickers (366777) - Remarks, Polka Dot Party Value Pack (366193) - Premium Ribbon

Supplies: White (AM710-81) - Cardstock, Catch A Wave Paper (SUMDS-66958) - #Summer, Swimsuit Paper (SUMDS-66956) - #Summer, Beach Towel Paper (SUMDS-66954) - #Summer, Smile Paper (SUMDS-66952) - #Summer, Cold Treats Paper (SUMDS-66957) - #Summer, Sunglasses Paper (SUMDS-66955) - #Summer, Road Trip Paper (SUMDS-66948) - #Summer, 6” x 6” Paper Pad (366984) - #Summer, Adhesive Badges (366966) - Flair, Pool Paper Straws (366943) - Details, Die-cut Shapes (366971) - Bits

Flowers Guest Designer: Allie Stewart

Our fabulous Flowers Week Guest Designer is Allie Stewart! (Blog: Allie Stewart | Instagram: @alisonleigh21| Pinterest: @alisonleigh21)

Short bio: My name is Allie and I am 25 years old. I have been married to the most wonderful man since August 2012 and we adopted a sweet blind dog last year. I love them so much and they are my most favorite thing to scrap about! When I’m not scrapbooking you might find me at Starbucks, making delicious cups of coffee for all. I also enjoy reading and watching British TV: Dr. Who, Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Orphan Black—I love it all!

How did you get started scrapbooking? I started scrapbooking when I got a job at a local scrapbooking store when I was 17. I loved all the beautiful products so much that I had to take them home with me! I stopped in college due to a tiny dorm room, but picked it up again in my early twenties once I had a space of my own.

 

What is your favorite American Crafts product? My favorite American Crafts product is by far GLITTER Thickers! I just can’t get enough!! They make titles so easy and pretty!

 

PRECIOUS MIRACLE by Allie Stewart

 

Make your own easy embellishments by cutting out elements from patterned paper! It allows you to customize your page by creating your own background/embellishments.

 

Supplies: Wanderlust, Fabric Bows (331994) – Daydreamer, Hula Hoop Paper (66760) – Daydreamer, Bike Ride Paper (66751) – Daydreamer, Flying Kites Paper (66754) – Daydreamer, See Saw Paper (66758) - Daydreamer, 6”x6” Paper Pad (366767) – Daydreamer, Dimensional Embellishments (366786) – Plus One, Sticker Book (66841) – Hello Sunshine, Hello Sunshine Paper (01241) - Favorite Things, Ephemera Pack (02087)

 

S MONOGRAM by Allie Stewart

 

Layering die cut flowers on a monogram makes a fun spring décor item.

Supplies: Lemon Lush, Loyalty Paper (331823) – Wanderlust, Etc. Paper (331940) – Daydreamer, See Saw Paper (66758) 

 

MICHAEL IS 27 by Allie Stewart

 

A hexagon punch makes it easy to create a quilted flower pattern.

Supplies: Lemon Lush, Passionate Paper (331831) – Lemon Lush, 6”x6” Paper Pad (332227) – Lemon Lush, Round Epoxy Top Clips (331865) - Lemon Lush, Loyalty Paper (331823) – Plus One, Accomplice Paper (366822) – Plus One, Combo Paper (66804) -  Plus One, Couple Paper (366816), Plus One, Tandem Paper (366805) – Plus One, Black Phrase Thickers (366837) – Plus One, Flair Badges (366906) – Thickers, Journal/Black Glitter (??) - Favorite Things, Seeing Stripes Paper (02080)

 

I'LL BE YOURS AND YOU'LL BE MINE CARD by Allie Stewart

 

Outlining elements on a card our layout can help define busy patterns.

 

Supplies: Daydreamer, Four Square Paper (66742) - Daydreamer, Hula Hoop Paper (66760) - Daydreamer, Dimensional Embellishments (366786) – Welcome Spring, Sweet Song Bird Paper (00573) – Welcome Spring, Spring Journaling Paper (05702) – Welcome Spring, Sunshine Cardstock Die Cuts (00584)

 

LOVE YOU SO by Allie Stewart

 

Enlarge a die cut (like this one from American Crafts) and make it the focal point of your page. You can get a lot of mileage out of your die cuts by mixing up the size and color of the cut!

Supplies: Wanderlust, Fabric Bows (331994) - Daydreamer, Dimensional Embellishments (66786) – Plus One, Companion Paper (366824) – Plus One, Co-Pilot Paper (366810) - Plus One, Tandem Paper (66805) – Snippets, Chipboard Sketchbook Thickers (31343) – Favorite Things, Wordy Paper (02078) – Favorite Things, Seeing Stripes Paper (02080) – Favorite Things, Ephemera Pack (02087) –  Favorite Things, Rainbow Rounds Paper (02081)

 

Thanks for guest designing for us Allie!

Flower Tutorial by Lilith Eeckels

Lilith Eeckels (Blog: Lilith Eeckels | Instagram: @lilitheeckels | Pinterest: @lilith | Twitter: @lilitheeckels) has a floral tutorial to share with everyone today!

 

THE BROOCH

Supplies: Marbles Paper (66749)-Dear Lizzy DayDreamer; Catch a Wave Paper (66958) -Summer; Summer 6*6 Paper Pad (366984) – American Crafts Paper Pad; Dear Lizzy DayDreamer Wood Buttons (366796) – Dear Lizzy Day Dreamer; Opportunity Adhesive Dimensional Mix (85625) – Details; DayDreamer Accent&Phrases Stickers (366776)-Accent & Phrases

Step 1: Grab your supplies: a chalkboard badge, a brooch pin, a DIY key ring, your favouroite patterned papers, some ribbon, and embellishments (not shown but I used stickers from the Daydreamer collection by Dear Lizzy).

 

Step 2: Using a die cut machine (manual or electronic) cut out flowers and circles.

 

Step 3: Attach the brooch pin to the chalkboard badge. I attached it with my heatgun.

 

Step 4: Make flowers which the punched out papers. I also added a fabric embellishment from the Yes, Please collection.

 

Step 5: Assemble the brooch/badge.

 

THE KEYRING

 

Step 1: Pick out an image/patterned paper and trace the shape which will be put in the keyring.

 

Step 2: Add images. I used stickers from the Daydreamer collection.

 

Step 3: Place the shape inside and assemble.

 

Two fun and simple projects incorporating flowers!

Flowers Week!

April showers bring May flowers! We hope your yards and gardens are filled to the brim with flora and inspiring you to create with flowers! This week we'll share how to make them yourself from paper, use flower embellishments, and basically just get flowery! Paige Evans (Blog: Paige Evans | Instagram: @paigetaylorevans | Pinterest: @paigeevans | Twitter: @PaigeTEvans) has a pair of floral layouts up first:

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, stickers (arrows, cloud, foam words, leaf, mini alphabet, plus signs, stars, word), washi tape, roller date stamp, pen: American Crafts; India ink: ProArt; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Die cut machine: Silhouette Cameo by QuicKutz; Doily cut file: Design ID #51759

How to: Die cut the "doily decoration lace background" from white cardstock then use the inside pieces to trace and cut patterned papers to back the doily. Use pop dots to adhere the papers in place for a dimensional look and to create depth. Adhere the doily to the center of a light gray cardstock base. Place black foam word Thickers around the top left and bottom right sides of the doily and drop black India ink around the words. Journal with a black pen and stamp the date below on the bottom right corner. Trim a black & white photo into a circle, glue it to the center, then stitch circles around the photo to emphasize it using gray thread. Embellish the doily with stickers as shown.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, enamel dots, wood buttons, badges, stickers (chipboard letters, foam letters, flower, puffy hearts, mini alphabet), vellum pockets, die cut cards, adhesive: American Crafts; Pen: Uniball Signo; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Die cut machine: Silhouette Cameo by QuicKutz; Flower petals cut file: Design ID #15463

How to: Die cut flower petals from the Dear Lizzy Daydreamer papers, assemble them into flowers, layer groups of two or three together, then sew them together with spiral circles in the center. Adhere the flowers over the left half of a robin's egg blue patterned paper layout base. Embellish the center of each flower with an enamel dot, badge, puffy heart sticker, or wood button. Layer photos onto vellum pockets and die cut cards then place Thickers for the title over and across the photos. Use a white pen to journal on the bottom right corner. 

For a chance to win a collection of flower supplies from the American Crafts brands (think papers, stamps, embellishments, oh my!) leave a comment on this post by Friday May 30th 2014 and tell us - what is your favorite flower? Winner will be announced on Friday!

Vintage Layouts by Diana Waite

We hope you've been inspired to get a little vintage modern on your projects! Wrapping up Vintage Week is Diana Waite (Blog: Diana Waite | Instagram: @dianawaite3 | Pinterest: @dianaw3) with a pair of layouts:

Supplies: Twins (366837) - Thickers, Us (366842) - Remarks Puffy Stickers, Team (366838) - Sticker Roll, Stickers (366840) - Remarks, Hide N Seek (366746) - Daydreamer, Paper Planes (366748) - Daydreamer, Juggling (366757) - Daydreamer, Love Notes (366764) - Daydreamer, Flying Kites (366754) - Daydreamer, Marbles (366749) - Daydreamer, Jump Rope (366753) - Daydreamer, Jacks (366755) - Daydreamer, Hop Scotch (366743) - Daydreamer, 6x6 Paper Pad (366743) - Daydreamer, Accent & Phrase Stickers (366776) - Remarks, Sticker Book (366778) - Remarks, Nesting Die Set (366731) - Daydreamer, Enamel Dots (366785) - Daydreamer, Mini Adhesive Badges (366795) - Daydreamer

Supplies: Tandem (366805) - Plus One, Doubles (366808) - Plus One, Pal (366808) - Plus One, Date (366811) - Plus One, Couple (366816) - Plus One, Accomplice (366822) - Plus One, Peer (366826) - Plus One,Taffy Kal Barteski (366832) - Thickers, Remarks Stickers (366849) - Plus One, Bits (366849) - Plus One, Fabric Brads (366852) - Plus One, Flair Badges (366906) - Plus One, Mini Washi Tape (366839) - Plus One, Sequins (36609) - DIY 

Thanks for stopping by this week - we love reading your comments! Have a great weekend!

Vintage Cards by Becki Adams

How adorable are these three vintage-inspired cards by Becki Adams (Blog: Becki Adams | Instagram: @beckiadams | Pinterest: @jbckadams | Twitter: @beckiadams3)?!

Supplies: Daydreamer Paper Pad (366767) - 6X6 Paper Pad, Daydreamer Stickers (366777) - Stickers, Daydreamer Stickers - (366776) Accent & Phrase Stickers, Daydreamer Buttons - (366796) Wood Buttons, Daydreamer Rubons - (366783) Rub on Transfers, Day Dreamer Die Cuts - (366789) Die Cut Shapes, Daydreamer Enamel Dots - (366785) Enamel Dots, Dimensional Stickers - (366786) Dimensional Embellishment, Amy Tan Plus One Ribbon - (366862) Remarks, White - (AC71259) Cardstock

Vintage Guest Designer: Vivian Masket

I'm super thrilled to introduce our Vintage Guest Designer - Vivian Masket! 

Short bio: Vivian Masket’s roots as a paper crafter date back to her elementary school days, when she and a childhood friend ran their own stationery business. Vivian no longer uses paint pens to create sets of stationery with rainbows, unicorns, and ice cream cones; instead, she applies her love of paper, color, and design to scrapbooking and cardmaking. When not gluing patterned paper and photos to cardstock, Vivian can be found working as an instructional coach for her local school district, hanging out in her 1928 home in Denver with her husband and her two kids (Eli, age 12, and Sadie, age 9), traveling, or creating her next masterpiece in the kitchen.

How did you get started scrapbooking? A friend of mine mentioned that she thought I’d like scrapbooking. I dismissed the thought, knowing nothing about modern scrapbooking. Not long after that conversation, I happened across a scrapbook store, wandered in and bought a few things, went home and Googled “scrapbooking,” and immediately became obsessed with the clean and graphic pages I found online. That was back in December of 2003. Here I am, more than a decade later, still obsessed!

What is your favorite American Crafts product? My current favorite American Crafts product is the hemp baker’s twine in solid colors. I love adding bows to tags, cards, etc. for a pop of color and some dimension.

TRAVELERS by Vivian Masket

It’s fun to transform patterned paper into something entirely different. Here, I took the map patterned paper and turned it into paper dolls – unexpected, and a fun twist!

Supplies: DIY Shop Paper Pad (366665) - Thickers, Sketchbook Charcoal (331343) – DIY Shop Adhesive Badges (366633) – DIY Shop Clothespins Charcoal (366621) 

NEW YORK by Vivian Masket

While basic black-and-white map print patterned paper plays a big role on this layout, a smaller bit of the same patterned paper, die-cut in the shape of an apple, plays a smaller role when inked red and used as an embellishment.

Supplies: DIY Shop Paper Pad (366665) - Thickers, Sketchbook Charcoal (331343) – DIY Shop Tags Kraft (366640) - Baker’s Twine Value Pack 5 Yard Spool (366305)

MEMORY ANCESTRY by Vivian Masket

I will admit that I got lost in genealogical research online once I started filling out the family tree patterned paper! It was fun to pick and choose from amongst various family photos and then punch stars and dots out of different colors of cardstock to serve as a key of sorts to the “who’s who” across this two-page spread.

Supplies: DIY Shop Paper Pad (366665) 

HELLO CARD by Vivian Masket

I love mixing different patterned papers on cards. Instead of letting the background paper show through the negative shape in the die-cut typewriter, I cut the negative shape out of a different patterned paper and pieced together the positive and negative shapes.

Supplies: DIY Shop Paper Pad (366665) - Baker’s Twine Value Pack 5 Yard Spool (366305)

LET'S GO FLY A KITE by Vivian Masket

My whole family has had the kite song from “Mary Poppins” stuck in our heads, so I turned it into piece of art, die cutting diamonds in the shape of a diamond for the kite and backing it with dictionary-print patterned paper, including the word “fly” in the center (orange) diamond. I first cut the diamond of diamonds out of scrap cardstock so that I could use it as a stencil to ink the shapes on the background paper; burlap bows inked to match add a touch of fun and some dimension.

Supplies: DIY Shop Paper Pad (366665) – DIY Shop Burlap Bows Light (366626) -Baker’s Twine Value Pack 5 Yard Spool (366305)

Thank you for sharing your talents with us Vivian!

Vintage Globe Tutorial by Meghann Andrew

Meghann Andrew (Blog: Meghann Andrew | Instagram: @meghannandrew | Pinterest: @meghann_andrew | Twitter: @meghannandrew) has a tutorial to teach us how to make this awesome vintage globe!

Supplies: 12"x12" Paper Pad (366665)- DIY Shop, Chalkboard Paint (CBP845-66868)- DIY Shop, Soiree Glitter Foam Thickers (366185)- Polka Dot Party

I love seeing painted globes on Pinterest, but vintage globes can get quite pricey and if I spend a lot of money for one the last thing I would want to do is paint it! I decided that I could make my own globe to paint with only a few supplies. 

 

First, I purchased a smooth styrofoam ball. The size is completely optional, but the larger the ball, the more likely you will need more than one piece of 12"x12" paper to cover it. I used a vintage map-print paper from the DIY Shop paper pad as well as all-purpose liquid glue, the awesome new DIY Shop chalkboard paint from American Crafts, and any style of foam Thickers that you choose. 

 

I started by applying the liquid glue in one small section, tearing off a small piece of map-print paper (no bigger than a 2"x2" piece) and pressing & smoothing it out with my fingertips so that it adhered fully to the rounded surface of the ball. I continued until the entire ball was covered with paper. Even though I'm painting part of my globe, I want the texture of the surface to be cohesive around the whole globe.

 

Next, I applied a piece of washi tape around the middle of the globe, where my paint line will end. Be sure to press the tape so that it adheres to your paper and creates a clean paint line. After that was in place, I applied foam Thickers. Again, be sure to press them down so that you have a clean line around your words. 

 

My next step was painting using the American Crafts black chalk paint. I used a small brush so that I could get into the small spaces around the letters. As soon as I had the area around my Thickers painted, I quickly removed them so that they didn't stick to the globe. I then continued to paint the remainder of the bottom portion of my globe. Once dry, I put it on a candle base and displayed it with other globes in my daughter's room.

Thank you for the unique tutorial Meghann! It turned out awesome!