Paper Pals Design Team

TCP Studio-- Let's Eat!

2012-01-14T17:23:00.000-08:00

This line from TCP Studio has the most suitable title... "Let's Eat!" As soon as I saw this paper I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Our family's favorite recipes are used frequently, and I'm always fearful that I'll lose them. (I have them written up in word files too, but you know that if you lose the paper version your hard drive will crash too and then you'll have nothing... but I digress...)

So I created a mini book featuring our family favorites (along with photos). I don't think I'll lose a mini album. :)
Here's the front of the little book...

And then the back... (TCP has the cutest cardstock stickers (utensils, etc.) for this project!)

And inside. Each page has a photo and recipe. Some pages have handwritten notes from the members of my family to denote their favorites.

This was my first opportunity to use TCP Studios products, and I had a lot of fun with them! The pattern papers and cardstock stickers went so great together for the mini album as well as a few greeting cards, too.

What would you make with this line of papers?

Websters Pages

2012-01-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

I love the Websters Pages New line at Paper pals! It is double sided with lots of interesting patterns! This year I had a little mini-obsession with circles. When I did my daily December book I found that I could do six little 1by 1/8 inch circles on the sides and it was really fun and really cute. I found different ways to decorate these little circles and I got a bit addicted to it. The card on top is done in a similar fashion. The "lovely" lay-out I did with a 2 inch circle punch and then with "Dream Big" I went back to the 1 1/8 inch size and used some little gear stickers from the Steam Punk sticker collection which is totally, absolutely awesome! They are also at paper pals. I used one of the Websters Pages papers as a background for it and really liked it. I love this paper, it has so many nifty patterns and possibilities. In the "Beauty" lay out I got myself a 3 inch circle punch and tried a lay-out that way. I hope I don't get arrested for having way too much fun! love, Deb

Sew Easy Stitch Piercer

2012-01-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays I got to play with the Sew Easy tool. I brought it on my trip to Canada with me and worked on a page I wanted to scrap lift. I copied the description of the tool from the We R Memory Keepers site because they say it much better than I can. Here is their description:

We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy makes adding stitching to your projects easy so you don't have to drag out your cumbersome sewing machine. This rotary stitch piercer creates perfectly aligned holes in over 25 designs and patterns (15 interchangeable heads available) with 22 great floss packs in 3 coordinating colors of over 26 yards of floss total. You'll love the baker's twine, glitter floss, variegated floss and the basic floss colors! Every crafter wants the new Sew Easy Carrying Case. Find out why the Sew Easy makes the hand sewn trend so popular!

Here is a link to a short video they have about the Sew Easy stitch Piercer
http://www.weronthenet.com/sew_easy_tutorial

I stitch on my pages a lot. Usually I use a pointy tool that I purchased from the sewing section of Joanne's to make the holes in my pages. It takes a bit of time to do this. The sew easy tool is super fast. I especially loved the straight stitch, which I use on my pages most of the time, the banner one and the loops. Karen had 9 different heads for me to try and I used them all on my page. I think they would be perfect for both cards and scrapbook layouts.

This is what I did.

I first penciled in a grid on my paper. I used my Mom's quilting tool.

Then I followed the lines with the Sew Easy using a different design for each horizontal line but a simple straight stitch for the vertical lines.

I penciled in the area where I will be placing the photo so I wouldn't have to stitch in that area.

Then I just did some stitching. This took me a while because there is a lot of stitching but I just worked on it while watching TV and on our long drive home from Canada. On the horizontal lines I used the We R Memory Keepers floss which is nice and thick. On the vertical lines I used an off white embroidery floss. I only used three strands of the floss because I wanted these lines more subtle. Next I just added my photo and embellishments.

My inspiration for the page was from Studio Calico. You can check out the page here: http://studiocalico.typepad.com/.a/6a0133f3181fde970b01675f74b6cf970b-pi
Thanks for looking.

Paisley Princess Collection...

2012-01-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

I had some fun yesterday with ADORNit Caroleees Creations new collection called "Paisley Princess." This paper is perfect for the princess in your life!

Zutter Bind-it-All — The tool I just couldn't live without!

2011-12-02T09:47:00.000-08:00

I just purchased a new tool that I'm very excited about—the Zutter Bind-it-All. I know it's been around awhile, but until recently I wasn't familiar with how it worked and how much I needed it! I will be using it on mini albums and anything else I can imagine using it for, but here's the project that prompted me to get it.

I wanted to make photo calendars of some of my pictures for my co-workers this year for Christmas gifts. I have eight co-workers in my department. I priced out how much calendars cost to have printed and bound. They are NOT cheap! The least expensive I found for a desk calendar was $11.00 plus shipping. Multiply that by eight and it's not very economical, especially these days. So I started looking for other options which brought me to the Bind-it-All.

Not including the price of the tool itself, printing and binding my 5 1/5 x 8 1/5 calendars only costs me about $2.20. That's right folks! For nearly the same price as having eight calendars made by some online company I was able to purchase an AMAZING tool that I can (and will) use over and over, plus make my calendars and say I did it all myself.

As far as I know, Paper Pals is the only local store that carries these and you can find so many samples in the store of how they use it. There's some SERIOUSLY cute stuff! There's lots of ideas online too. Here are some of the ideas I've either found or come up with.

Mini albums
Smash books
Notebooks and journals
Calendars for co-workers, friends, teachers, etc.
Bind your kids' artwork and/or school work
Bind greeting cards from special events so you never lose them (Christmas, birthday, baby shower, wedding, etc.)
Rebind books that are falling apart
Coloring books
Travel activity packet - laminate games such as dot-to-dot, tic tac toe, car bingo, etc. and bind them all together and attach a dry erase marker.
Just use it as a border punch and run string or ribbon through the holes.
Limitless possibilities!

I haven't even touched on all the accessories and products that make creating albums so simple and easy. Go into Paper Pals and check out this amazing tool today! I bet if you ask nicely, they will even show you how it works in person! ;o)

What's Up Wednesday

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Did you take note of what Amber mentioned in our last post?

Holiday paper does not always need to be used for holidays.

Here's my example!

First off, my holiday paper:
(Who doesn't love a little Fourth of July with Christmas?)

Then, the FLIP SIDE of my holiday paper:
(Looks like it would work for a project for a Coug fan, huh?)

I was creating an extra special project for a fantastic family here in Pullman who are big Coug fans. Dad was going in for a major surgery and this banner was created to cheer him with a "visit" from his kids while he was recovering.

I used holiday paper, ribbon, WSU stickers, Bazzill Borders, and some fun flowers... all items from Paper Pals!

Their greeting: We love you. Get well soon!

A shout out to Team Davis-- we hope the hardest part of your battle is done!

Come up with a fun project that you could do for someone else... and use your holiday paper in a new way!

Holly Jolly Christmas Collection by Echo Park

2011-11-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

I had a great time playing with the Holly Jolly Christmas line by Echo Park. The colors are so vivid and playful, plus the patterns aren't all Christmas so while you can use them for Holiday projects and layouts you can also use them for other projects not related to Christmas.

On this layout I used the Sew Easy large paper piercer and fancy floss to stitch the fun swirly border then cut out the stockings and attached them with dimensional dots.

For the Christmas tree card I used an EK Success border punch then curled the paper up using the shaft of a pen to give it more dimension. For the reindeer card I cut out the scalloped circle using Nestabilities dies. I love those things! I added a jewel to the reindeer's nose and colored it using a Copic marker.

This card is pretty simple. I used my border punch again then raised the two pieces of paper with dimensional dots. I also added a little stickles to the snowman for some bling.

The last project I did was to make some fun ornaments. On the back of each ornament I attached a small B&W photo.

As always, these samples can be seen in person at Paper Pals. I hope you have as much fun with this line as I did!

Whats up Wednesday!

2011-11-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

I am primarily a Scrapbooker and so I usually wait until after Halloween to scrapbook Halloween pictures and so I hope it does not feel unexpected to see Halloween ideas after Halloween has already past! I am so in love with the "My Minds Eye" Halloween paper "Mischievous"! It is my favorite of all Halloween paper EVER! I love that it has orange, black and white combinations and a pale ghostly blue. The patterns are awesome and workable for any pictures with any color scheme. It is two sided and the patterns are varied and scrumptious. My kids this year could not stop picking up the accordion album I made in 2009 and just looking at all their costumes. I made another book in 2010 they also liked, but the Accordion Album really stood out as part of our Halloween decorations, so I decided to do another for 2011. I was surprised how excited my kids were for me to finish( apparently they like my scrap book projects better than my cooking!) It was easy and fun, I slapped it together with a minimal of embellishment and just a few light touches. My family loves it and it is so easy to pack away in it's little case for next year! Enjoy!

What's Up Wednesday - DIY Christmas Ideas

2011-11-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but this year has gone way too fast! I can't believe it's already November, which means, it's time to seriously start thinking about handmade Christmas gifts and other Christmas-type ideas.

Sometimes it's hard to come up with something new, unique, and memorable so I go looking for inspiration online. Here are a few great ideas I've found so far.

I've wanted to make one of these scrappy photo collage stars for a few years now and finally found a tutorial! Yay!

I'm in love with this personalized monogrammed tote bag. Elegant, easy, and best of all, inexpensive.

Check out this goodie box! Filled with cookies or other yummy treats, it would be perfect for coworkers, neighbors, church members, etc. It's made out of a single sheet of 12x12 paper. So simple and adorable. Check out the tutorial here. Paper Pals has so much cute double-sided Christmas paper to choose from.

SPECIAL NOTE: Speaking of cute boxes and packaging for Christmas, Paper Pals has got a class coming up called Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More! where Karen will teach you how to make unique and fun Christmas packaging.

Here's a great project for the kids in your life - page corner bookmarks. They would have fun making these for their classmates or maybe even a teacher.

Here's another project to get kids involved. They can make their own bows! Give them a sheet of white paper, have them go crazy drawing and/or stamping on it and use that for the bows. What could be simpler? You could also use scrapbook paper that coordinates with custom tags!

I love these glass candle holders! These glasses can be found at any thrift store or dollar store. Take rubber bands and stretch them around the glass at different angles, then take a can of spray paint to it. Wait for it to dry, then remove the rubber bands. Easy peasy!

This may be the most brilliant idea I've come across and I WILL be doing it! Transfer a photo onto a block of wood. AWESOME! Here's a great little video tutorial. I had no idea it was so simple!

Now before you go thinking 'I don't knit,' this scarf is super easy and doesn't require any knitting. Isn't it adorable?! I'm thinking this might be a good gift for the nieces this year.

These ornaments are absolutely adorable and what better way to use all that fun Christmas scrapbooking paper you have?

I absolutely LOVE these little guys too! Clear, glass ornaments decoupaged with vintage papers, sprinkled with glass glitter and tied with a "Noel" stamped tag. The Lost & Found Christmas collection by My Mind's Eye that is currently at Paper Pals would be PERFECT to make these.

I thought this was a cute idea for the envelopes for Christmas cards this year.

Mix up the tree decorating with this fun and easy twisted felt garland. What a cute idea!

I came across so many great ideas. There's no way I could share them all, but hopefully these few I chose will inspire you.

Amy Tangerine from American Crafts

2011-10-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hey all, I recently had the chance to play with some really fun new papers from American Crafts-- their Amy Tangerine line!

It's fun, versatile and appeals to all kinds of hobbies and pleasures. Quirky and bright!

There were a few different layouts I created with the papers, and they're all very different.

The first was a feature of me-- a photo I took on my 37th birthday. Only thing missing: the letter I want to write to myself and tuck among the layers for posterity. My favorite part is the "banner" of pieces I cut from a pattern page and strung with bakers twine! I also used Martha Stewart fringe scissors to cut some fringe on the fabric paper.

My daughter dressed up for a rock and roll birthday party, and was a great model for me before she headed to the party. I think it will be fun for her to look back on the crazy outfit and hair she donned that day. I used little frames from a pattern page to create my visual triangle with the quirky objects in this line.

And lastly, my family layout. It's a recent photo of me with my siblings... and all our children. Wow. What a crazy fun crew! The matching dimensional stickers worked great for this layout.

Lastly, I used scraps to make simple cards. The bright colors made them fun to make for multiple occasions.

Have you used this line for any fun papercrafts?

Graphic 45's Christmas Emporium - easy to use and love!

2011-10-23T22:24:00.001-07:00

Graphic 45’s Christmas Emporium line was a perfect choice for one of my favorite old photos of my Mom and her sister as little girls. The photo itself is in need of more “correction” than I can manage, but nonetheless, I think it is complemented by this new line really well!

This layout is really quite simple. If you follow this blog and “know” me, you know that I comfortably use patterned paper. However, the piece with the Santa scene was a challenge for me when I initially thought I should use the piece in its entirety. How freeing is was dissect it and use the Naughty or Nice list and Santa as embellishments instead of as part of the background. Because the paper is double sided, I was able to use pieces and parts from both sides to create the horizontal stripes on the bottom of the layout and the tag from the paper that is full of tags and small embellishments. After inking nearly every piece and edge to bring out the rich brown undertones, the layout came together in a snap.

The cards came together in similar fashion. Using both sides of the patterned paper, and parts of the papers as embellishments and tags, these cards came together quickly. Of course I utilized Diamond Glaze and glitter to add a little extra pizzazz to the cards.

Finally, I just hated to see the really small “bits” got to waste and the decorative Christmas tree was born! I simply cut the paper to size, used Diamond Glaze to adhere each piece to a Tim Holtz acrylic tile, glued the jute twine to each ornament, and added some bling for the final touch! My circle punch came in handy to create a simple garland for the tree that perfectly complements the ornaments! Simply use a hole punch on each piece and thread them onto a long piece of jute (don’t forget to tie a knot behind each one to keep them more evenly spaced).

You can get many more ideas for using Christmas Emporium after a quick Google search!

Enjoy!

Anita

What's Up Wednesday - easy, peasy photo editting!

2011-10-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

Maybe you have such a fabulous camera that 100% of your photos look absolutely flawless 100% of the time. Or maybe, you have a less than fabulous camera, that takes flawed photos, and because you're not a computer wizard, or a graphic designer, you think you have to just settle for this mediocrity!

Not true!

If you are taking the time to document your family's life through photos, then you really must give Picasa, a free download from Google, a try! This may be really old news to some of our blog readers. If so, you can quit reading and just head to the store to see what new goodies Karen and Kristi have to compliment your fabulous and flawless photos.

Or, take a look at this quick tutorial and testimonial, then head over to Picasa.com, then over to Paper Pals once you are really inspired by your awesome photos!

Once you are at Picasa.com (which looks like this), you can watch a couple of tutorials (which are not really necessary, this software is soooooooooo easy to use). Follow the steps to install Picasa. Be patient, this may take a few minutes while Picasa finds all the photos on your computer and sorts a copy of them into the program. Don't panic, it sorts by date, and is really easy to re-sort into other folders/groupings if you want to later.

In literally a few clicks, you can adjust almost everything in your photos!

Admit it, you're not happy with mediocre photos. You do your best, and still get average results, and sometimes even worse results when you hand your camera to someone with less experience behind the lens than you. Fear not...here are two examples of what you can do in Picasa in under 60 seconds per photo:

Edits: red eye corrected, color adjusted (from very "yellow" to a cooler shade).

Edits: cropped to a more flattering landscape view, soft focus (to blur the background distractions), retouch tool (used to remove the piano lamp that was coming out of my head in the first photo), fill light, and slight adjustment to color saturation.

You can do so much more than simple editing in Picasa. You can upload photos to web albums or to order them from print labs. You can create collages* and many other sizes of photos for printing or web posting purposes. Basically, you can enjoy your photos more than ever before!

Enjoy!
Anita

*Visit my personal blog and you'll see how handy collages can be!

ADORN it-Holly Jolly Collection

2011-10-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

I can't get enough of Christmas paper. This paper from ADORN it is called the Holly Jolly Collection. The papers I got to work with were Christmas Potpourri, Mix and Mingle, and Star Jazz. I also got a sticker sheet that worked perfectly with the paper. I almost used up every sticker on that sheet. Cards are easy to do with these stickers. I am having an obsession with baker's twine.

This page was a scrap lift from Creaking Keepsakes September 2010 issue, page 54. It is hard for me to leave that blank space at the top.

This is the Mix and Mingle paper. The back side has a pretty green pattern. I didn't want to cut this page up. I thought it would work great as a page. I just cut my photos to fit over some of the journal spots. I really liked the doodle design in the top left corner. I had to resist the urge to color it all in. I am sure it would look great colored if I had some of those copic markers. Hmmm. Thanks for looking.

What's Up Wednesday

2011-10-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. I am going to show you my green ribbon organizer. I had 2 overflowing baskets of ribbon. I hardly used the ribbon I had because I didn't feel like digging through the mess. So I came up with this solution. I saved some cereal type boxes and cut out some rectangles that would fit in a little wooden box I have. I then used 2 of my circle punches to make half circle slots for the ribbon to sit in. I used the smaller punch for the narrow ribbon and the larger punch for the wider ribbon.

I used rubber bands to hold the ribbon onto the card.

I used small clothes pins to hold the ribbon onto the card while I wrapped the other ribbon. After my first card I decided to punch some half circles in the sides of the card to hold the elastic.

Here is my stash of ribbon now neatly organized in one little box. I can now see all the ribbon I have. I do get creases in my ribbon but it hasn't been that big of a problem. This was a free super easy, green project. Thanks for stopping in.

What's Up Wednesday...

2011-09-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

NO, your calendar is not wrong....today is Monday, but I will be "leavin' on a jet plane" tomorrow to go back to Washington DC to cheer on the Vandals when they play University of Virgina next Saturday (trust me, they need a LOT of cheering), so I'm posting my "What's Up Wednesday" blog a couple days early! :0)

For the last two years I have been doing "Personal Yearbooks" with my two granddaughter's classes. The idea comes from Becky Higgens, and she has passed the idea on through her blog. From Becky:

Description

This is an ongoing project designed for students to complete themselves – no matter if they're in public, private, or home school. This will work with children as young as preschool and can even be used for older kids. The end result is a very basic month-by-month look at their journey and growth in a single school year.

Why?
I believe that teaching children to record their personal history is important and should be fun! Highlighting their own handwriting and art and pictures in a format like this can really boost a child's self-esteem. This isn't the type of project that ends up in the garbage. Volunteering to help kids complete this is a great way to get in the classroom with your child and serve your community.

Getting started

Introduce yourself to your child's teacher if they don't already know you. Volunteer to do this Personal Yearbook project with each of the kids in the class on a monthly basis.

Determine ahead of time if you are going to provide all the materials or if you're going to ask for a small donation from the parents to contribute to the project. It could be $2-3 per student, depending on how fancy-schmancy you want to get. I recommend keeping it simple and un-cluttered. (I kept it simple and the cost to me was very minimal.)

Together with the teacher, create a plan of each month's topic/theme/activity so that the "big picture" feels good to both of you. For example, you could focus on a big-deal activity each month (first day of school, holiday performance, Valentines exchange party). Or you could focus on routine activities that paint a picture of everyday life for the students (library, cafeteria, recess).

Gather all supplies based on how many students are in the class.
What you need

Time to pop into your child's class twice a month.

Camera

White cardstock for printing the pages (title page + 2 pages per month of school)

Adhesive (most kids will already have glue sticks at school)

Pen or pencil (if the kids don't already have this at school there's a problem)

Crayons, markers, colored pencils for drawing art (again, they should have this)

Variety of patterned paper (optional)

I have SO enjoyed getting to go into their classrooms every month and get to know the children and work with them on this project. After teaching Kindergarten for 17 years, it's always a treat for me to get to go into a classroom and work with the children. Having it be my granddaughter's classes makes it an extra bonus.

In September I took each child's picture, they made the covers for their books and did the September page:

What's Up Wednesday

2011-09-22T18:07:00.000-07:00

Hey all, here's another look at what's new for you at Paper Pals for Autmn. Go in and check out the scrapping goodness!

Which of the three products on the video most interests you?
Enjoy!
Angela

(A big THANKS to Kristi Wildung, my amazing videographer. But keep your day job-- I like seeing you at the store!)

"Savor" Little Yellow Bicycle's Awesome Paper!

2011-09-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

I wish I was better at making cards. I am not doing this paper justice! I love this paper, the way it tears and stretches and feels, it is almost like material, you can clip and curl and mangle and it holds up beautifully. You can do just about anything to it and the double sides never let you down. I had a lot of fun with this. I didn't even know what I liked about my Kitchen until I thought about it with this paper. What a great thing to record: What we do in, and love, about our kitchen! It was fun!

My Minds Eye Lost and Found TWO

2011-09-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to see the color options for the new Lost and Found Two line... they had several options, but I knew this one was PERFECT for the photos I needed to scrap.When I was taking a photography class in the spring, I had my daughter pose for a great little photo shoot with her and knew I'd love to scrap some photos from the day. Isn't she just adorable?

This second layout using the MME line features two photos in the same place but at different times. I'd like to make more pages by featuring "now and then" photos in them.

The chipboard pieces were great for the cards especially! These cards came together simply and turned out pretty cute.

Which of the color combos in the Lost and Found Two did you like best?

What's Up Wednesday - Are you a "Pinner?"

2011-09-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

Are you a pinner? Do you pin? Do you know what I'm talking about? I'm talking about Pinterest! One of my very favorite websites. I get soooo much inspiration from this site, especially for scrapbooking. For those of you who don't pin, let me explain how it works. Or better yet, let me just quote their explanation from their site.

"Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.
People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and share their favorite recipes." - And so so so much more!

You can read in more detail about it here. In the meantime, let's take a tour around my Pinterest.

Here's the main page that came up when I logged in today. It shows you the latest pins from the people that you are following. Kinda like if you were following someone on twitter.

So, when you see something you like you repin it to your own board. If you find something on the web, from say your favorite blog, you use the "Pin It" button to pin it to your board, and add notes about the picture you are adding (i.e., love the flower technique used on this layout). You can even use the search feature on Pinterest to find ideas/pictures of what you are looking for.

The beauty of Pinterest is that it's versatile and super easy, and it's in one place so no matter where you're at you can access it as long as you have a computer or a smart phone.

Here's the toolbar where you can go to your own pins, boards, preferences, etc.

This is a snapshot of some of my boards. I have 24 right now categorized for different things. This is different for everyone. That's kinda the beauty of Pinterest. You can create a board for anything that interests you; hairstyles, clothing, shoes, gardening, scrapbooking, home decorating, cooking, etc.

Let's look at my "Organization" board. There are some great ideas in here huh?

When I click on one of my pins, it takes me to where I've entered notes and it gives me the website this idea is from. If it is a repoin it also shows who I repinned it from. Pretty cool huh?!

These are some pins inside my "Paper Crafting" board. (I just love Tara Orr! She's amazing! Plus, Paper Pals carries most of the lines she works with.)

Here are some from my "Projects for the Kiddos" board.

Did I mention it's FREE? Are you ready to sign up? If you need an invite, send me your email address to ambermemcatcher at hotmail dot com and I'll hook you up! I hear that otherwise you have to wait a couple weeks. If you are already on Pinterest follow me!

Happy pinning!

My Mind's Eye - Lost & Found Two - Portebello Road - Absolutely Fabulous!

2011-09-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

My Mind's Eye is on a roll. You've seen other Design Team projects from the new lines that are fully stocked at Paper Pals, and now it is my turn to share. I had the opportunity to work with the Portebello Road line, a gorgeous combination of blues and browns. This paper is so versatile too! I chose to break a rule at the Cory house and use a photo of my son Spencer for Design Team layouts that will be at the store! You see, Spencer isn't fond of being "recognized" by his female friends and begged me not to use him as my subject matter anymore. Alas, this photo and this paper, beckoned me otherwise.

OK. This is a really straightforward set of goodies. On the layout, I followed three easy steps:
Step 1 - No matter what you think of the patterns in the paper line, trust the designer, and trust yourself! As you can see, I tried to do both in using the glittery green and blue diagonal print as accents to the "flowery" background paper.
Step 2 - layer, layer, layer...bits and pieces of the other papers (front and back sides) using strips and circles here and there
Step 3 - Embellish, embellish, embellish! I used a tiny Ali Edwards stamp, and goodies from the decorative brads that are part of this line. In addition, I inked the pom pom trim a darker shade of brown to coordinate with this background paper better. The trim looks fabulous with the papers that have more of the blue tones as well!

Next, I turned to my Card Ideas for Paper Crafters magazine (the current edition) for inspiration You can get one at the store...it is good! The Thank you card was inspired by "Several Circles Birthday (p. 49). The You Are So Special card was inspired by "Gradient Blues" on (p. 64), and the Gratitude card just came to me after perusing the magazine over and over. I share these examples so you can see how to take a basic concept and make it your own.

Finally, I turned to the scraps I had left and wanted to do something else with the adorable pom pom trim*. I just couldn't toss the remaining piece of the background paper either. You see, when making a layout with a large photo and mat, I usually cut out the background paper from behind it so I can use it in other smaller projects. This cute little photo holder provides a nice stand for the little dresser decor item I made for my daughter to remind her of her long-standing friendship with her BFF. The girls are 12 now, the photo was taken at Camryn's 7th B-day party, and they have been friends since they were 4 years old!

There you have it... choose a line, trust the designer, and go for it!

Enjoy!
Anita

* I also think the pom pom trim would be a great embellishment to a lampshade, pillow, or curtain! Think outside the box!

What’s Up Wednesday has turned into Trying to Think of Something Thursday…

2011-09-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

…and then it came to me when talking to a friend. You see, I am really a trash to treasure, or recycle/reuse, “I can make something else with this” sort of gal. I also have a high need to store all of my crafting supplies and goodies in a space efficient manner.

I’ve collected a few very useful pieces of the modular paper crafting storage pieces by Making Memories. The only thing I didn’t love about them is that they are white. My entire house has knotty pine, hardwood floors, black or brown accents, and white just really isn’t much a part of the color scheme.

Then it hit me. A can of spray paint could change everything! I used two coats of a high gloss chocolate brown and now these pieces add wonderfully to the décor of our family room (and my scrapbooking nook within it).

This isn’t exactly paper-crafting expertise, but when you have great storage and organizational pieces that create a alluring space in which you can create, you can get back to work on your favorite projects with ease!

My Mind's Eye-"Mischievous" Halloween collection

2011-08-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

"My Mind's Eye" has done it again with their new Halloween collection "Mischievous!" Cute, double-sided cardstocks with lots of accessories to match!

Pair these papers up with Bazzill cardstocks (that just happen to match perfectly), buttons, ribbons, and other fun embellishments and you will LOVE scrapbooking some new layouts with your Halloween pictures.

My Mind's Eye- 12 days of Christmas

2011-08-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

I love Christmas so I was very excited to work with this fun cheerful paper. It is My Mind's Eye 12 days of Christmas: Tinsel, Joy and It's the Season pattern paper along with the accessory sheet and 12 days of Christmas trim. I love the trim with the little fuzzy pom poms. I also used up a bunch of baker's twine.

I did a lot of punching and pasting on this page. For the ribbon I ran it through the sewing machine on a basting stitch and then bunched it up and tacked it down with glue strips.

There are so many accessories on the sheet that you could make at least 12 cards. It was so hard to choose. I wanted to use them all. I added some pearl dots in silver to the tree.

Lost & Found Christmas by My Mind's Eye

2011-08-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

I got to work with one of the fabulous new lines by My Mind's Eye; Lost & Found Christmas. This paper is gorgeous! I don't usually enjoy scrapbooking Christmas (I know, I'm crazy), but this line makes it easy and really inspired me. I have four projects to share.

The first one is this layout.

I made two types of flowers; paper flowers (good tutorial here) and embossed ribbon flowers. For the ribbon flowers I used a product called Ribbon Stiff (now being carried by Paper Pals). You paint it onto ribbon, let it dry, then you can punch your ribbon, cut it into any shape without fraying, and even use it in your die cutting machine or Cricut. I cut these out with my Cricut then used an embossing folder to emboss a polkadot design into them. *Note: I saw that Karen is offering a closs on different flowers. Check it out here.

My next project is this little matchbook type mini album. It's so simple and fun to make!

I also made two cards. This first one is a simple greeting card.

This next card was designed to hold a gift card inside.

There you have it! Now go check out the new products that have arrived at Paper Pals. You're gonna love them!

Whats up Wednesday!

2011-08-17T11:42:00.001-07:00

I always thought it would be fascinating to do file folder books and scrapbook file folders and so for school I decided to make my 8 year old a little folder to keep his papers and artwork and other items in for school. We picked a picture of Roman with a snake and decorated it with October Afternoon 5 & dime paper. It was pretty darn fun!

What's Up Wednesday!

2011-08-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

Another video featuring some of my favorite new products in store! Enjoy.
Angela

New Design Team!

2011-08-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

We've got a new design team underway at Paper Pals!

Several ladies have remained a part of the team from the last term, but we're happy to introduce to you a couple of fresh faces.

First off, we welcome Amber Anderson. She's new to our team and you can see her first project posted here. Welcome, Amber! We can't wait to see more of your projects.

We are also welcoming back Anita to the team. She took a break from the team to finish her PhD and now Dr. Cory is back to create and share with us. Welcome back, Anita!

Those remaining on the team are Judy Pilcher, Leah Larson, Deb Felsted and me (Angela Lenssen). We are excited to get going on some new projects to share what Paper Pals has to offer. Come back soon for even MORE!

What's Up Wednesday....

2011-08-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite things to pull out of my scrapbooking/card making "bag of tricks" are different fonts. I LOVE FONTS!! And, I think you can really enhance a card or scrapbook layout by choosing just the right font.

I have purchased fonts from "Two Peas In A Bucket" and from "Scrap-n-fonts". But, you don't have to spend a cent to get FANTASTIC fonts....there are SO many great sites on the Internet that offer hundreds and hundreds of FREE fonts!

I want to share with you some sites that I go to frequently to download some terrific fonts...and, all for free!!

1001 Free Fonts, http://www.1001freefonts.com/

dafont.com, http://www.dafont.com/

urban fonts, http://www.urbanfonts.com/free-fonts.htm

Font Garden, http://www.fontgarden.com/gallery.php

Free scrapbooking fonts, http://www.kevinandamanda.com/fonts/freescrapbookfonts/

Scrap Village, http://www.scrapvillage.com/fonts.htm

To INSTALL a font:

1. Open Fonts by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Fonts.

2. Click File, and then click Install New Font. If you don’t see the File menu, press ALT.

3. In the Add Fonts dialog box, under Drives, click the drive where the font that you want to install is located.

4. Under Folders, double-click the folder containing the fonts that you want to add.

5. Under List of fonts, click the font that you want to add, and then click Install.

(**If the font is in a zip file, you will have to "unzip" it: Right click on the folder and choose extract feature / option. Then you are ready to begin the download procedure.).

It's just that easy!! I hope you will go out there and find and download some new fonts that you would like to try! But, let me warn you...it is addicting!! :0)

Magic of Oz Mini Album

2011-07-31T00:58:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Amber here. This is my first project as a Paper Pals design team member. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

For this project I used "The Magic of Oz" line by Graphic 45. You have GOT to get down to Paper Pals to check it out. What a fabulous line! It's whimsical, fun, and nostalgic. I absolutely LOVE the coordinating chipboard tags too! I used lots of Tim Holtz charm clips. Love those little guys.

I'm not going to show you every page of this album, just my favorites. If you want to see it all in person head down to Paper Pals! Pick up some of this awesome paper and chipboard tags while you're there.

Front Cover - All I did here was cover two pieces of chipboard and glued them together on three sides to create a pocket for a tag. I also added some stickles to the Emerald City and poppies for a little punch of bling. The chain is attached by a jump ring and has a clasp on it, but I like to just slip it on and off.

I added a Tim Holtz key and sprocket gear as well as a chipboard tag to the chain. Did I already mention that I LOVE these chipboard tags? They're nice and thick.

There's the tag I mentioned earlier. I printed off a few fun quotes from the movie and used them throughout the album.

On the inside cover I added a little spot to write a personalized note to the recipient of this mini.

I added two folding folders inside that stick into small pockets.

They give you the option to add four more photos or mix it up with journaling spots.

This is one of my favorite elements. I used a Tim Holtz memo pin to create this latch along with one of the chipboard tags and an elastic band. This folds out and has two pictures inside.

Just like with the front cover, I made a pocket for a final tag that slips into the back cover, but instead of slipping it in from the top it slips in from the side.

That's the end folks! This paper really was the star of this mini. I didn't feel like I had to over embellish or add much to it.

Before I sign off I want to tell you about a fabulous product that will be coming to Paper Pals soon; Scor-Tape. It's double-sided adhesive like the red line tape, but you can tear it. No scissors needed people, and I personally think it's stronger than the red line tape. Not to mention you get a lot more for your money. It's a must-have if you like to make mini albums. I love this stuff!

I hope you enjoyed my first design team project. I'm looking forward to creating more in the next five months!

Hip Hooray-- Boy by MME

2011-07-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hip Hooray! A super duper birthday line that works great for boys AND girls! They created this line for boys, but I found it to work great for girls too-- especially girls who are a little older or not so fond of pink. :)

I had a lot of easy ideas come to me for the cards and I'm happy with the way they have turned out. The accessory sheet and the Bazzill pleated borders made it simple!

Layouts were fun using this line and the Technique Tuesday chipboard circles. I covered the largest circle w/ pattern papper and wrapped the smaller one with tulle. I think it has quite a unique look to it.

Then I did a layout for my daughter's birthday-- the colors from this line worked perfectly with the environment of the gymnastics party.

Lastly, I made the layout w/ my son on the bike. "The Whee! Part" was a story I wrote down a couple of years ago and have been waiting to scrap it. So glad I got it down on paper now!

Go in to the store and get some "Hip Hooray" for your next birthday layouts!

What's Up Wednesday?

2011-06-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

Well I made a lovely little video last night but I couldn't get it to load so instead I have a bunch of photos. My friends and I threw a baby shower for our friend, Alison. I took a ton of photos with the idea that I would make her a shower book. I got a 8x8 We R Memory Keepers Scrap Book from the store as well as all the boy themed lime twist papers from My Mind's Eye. I also added a couple sheets of My Mind's Eye fine and dandy paper. I love the way these papers go together. It totally takes the guess work out of color combos.

I had a bunch of photos so I wanted something fast and easy. I cut some photos to 4x4 and left some at 4x6. I simply mounted them on the paper and cut out some words on the Cricut. My Mind's Eye has great accessories that go so well with this paper.

I had so many photos of her opening presents so I cropped all of them down to 4x4 and slapped them down on the page.

For some pages I spent more time but once I was organized this book came together very fast. I have a few finishing touches and then I can send it off.

I got some lime twist twine that I plan on using in the book. I am thinking I will tie it around the 2x3 pattern paper that I put inside the pockets of this page protector. The book came with divided page protectors with room for 2-4x6s and 2-2x4 spots. I cut pattern paper to fit in those pockets. I also bought some full 8x8 page protectors and used a mix of both.

Sorry for the delay. Thanks for stopping in.

Our Designers LOVE Comments!

2011-06-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

Our Design Team is so creative! One of the compliments I hear over and over again from people visiting our store is how amazing all of the samples are. Well, the majority of the in store samples are from this amazing team of scrapbookers. I know I LOVE them so if you see a post or sample that inspires YOU please feel free to leave a comment.

Bo Bunny Timepiece

2011-06-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a Design Team layout by Leah Candler using the Bo Bunny line, Timepiece.

The combo of this product line, the Tim Holz metal key, Kaiser flowers and Technique Tuesday chipboard shapes and the adorable photo just works perfectly together!

And, a couple of lovely cards with the line too...

Nice work, Leah! Thanks for your contributions to the Design Team while you were here!

Whats up Wednesday!

2011-06-22T08:25:00.001-07:00

This is just a simple 8X8 of an old photo of my parents with 3 of what would eventually be 8 children. I used the October Afternoon five and dime series for it and it was really fun, I could have really gone hog wild but I wanted to keep this picture precious. I had this great fathers day Idea years ago because my father could not keep track of all his cards from us. I bought him an 8x8 album and started scrapbooking him 8x8 lay-outs with pictures of our family for special occasions. Now I just send it to him, sometimes with a note on back and he slips it into the photo Album. He just loves this! It is so practical and meaningful at the same time. It is easy to throw together an 8x8 and it means so much if the receiver can look them over in an album instead of digging them out of a box. Something to think about. love, Deb

Paper Pals Design Team Call!

2011-06-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

Paper Pals is excited to announce that we are searching for new members for our design team. This call is open June 20, 2011 through July 5, 2011.

So WHO are we looking for?We are looking for inspiring designers who are creative, ambitious, and love a challenge. We are looking for designers who can display the following:
~ Open communication skills
~ Unique individual style
~ Teamwork and cooperation
~ Ability to work within deadlines and under pressure
~ Skilled with technology: taking and uploading photos of projects, blogging and social networking

How do you apply?Submit the following:
1. 2 or 3 of your favorite layouts that you feel best showcase your style
2. 2 or 3 cards that you feel best showcase your style

All entries must have your name printed on the back. Submit your entries at our store June 20 through July 5 . (Remember, we are closed on Sundays).

The fine print:The design team term will run for 6 months, July 2011 through January 2012.

If you have questions please contact Karen at the store by calling
509-332-0407.

What's Up Wednesday

2011-06-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's What's Up Wedneday again! I've recorded another video to promote the new My Minds Eye products at the store... check it out!

And it's even better in person, so come on in to see for yourself!

Bella Blvd.

2011-06-04T16:14:00.000-07:00

Another "super cute" boy line of double-sided patterned paper, this time from Bella Blvd. The collection is called "Mr. Boy" and the fun dinosaurs, stars, and stripes in primary colors make an excellent backdrop for little boy pictures! I really had fun with this paper!

The challenge for me was using the "FUNdamental Technique Tuesday" chipboard circle. (On a side note, my niece, Jamie Harper, is a designer for Technique Tuesday and she can literally "pop out" the cutest layouts using any and every thing!! Here is a cute layout she did using the FUNdamental chipboard circles.) But, I had fun with this. I stamped the circle with a pigment ink "chalk" stamp pad to give it the blue color to match the paper...I really like how it turned out.

The cutest part of the layouts are my grandsons, I never get tired of scrapbooking when I have such fun pictures to use!

Karen Foster Design

2011-06-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons that I love being on the design team is that I am challenged to step out of my box. My assignment this week was to create using Karen Foster Design: Summer Sun, Wild Water & Making Waves Collage Paper as well as Splish Splash Cardstock Stickers. The collage paper is one I wouldn't normally pick because I have trouble covering it up. After looking through countless magazines I finally settled on an idea.

This paper is super fun and great for a whole bunch of water fun. I made little loops in the ribbon and then attached charms I had made out of the stickers.

I got some paper board circle shapes to play with. I covered 2 of them with cardstock and embroidered on the other.

Cards made out of the few little scraps I had left.

What's Up Wednesday

2011-05-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

I love everything Tim Holtz..I try to keep all his stuff together. He has GREAT embellishments for scrap booking, I have also made allot of jewelry with his products.

So many different things can be done! I have added a courage charm and used a pink pearl for a breast cancer awareness necklace for my boss, who's sister is a cancer survivor.

Thanks for visiting!

Leah Candler

What's up, Wednesday?

2011-05-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

I love to scrapbook, but for me, the part of scrapbooking that I struggle with most is journaling. "Simple Scrapbooks" (a magazine that is no longer in print---and I miss it!) published an idea book titled "Scrapbook Shortcuts with Quizzes and Questions. 25 easy quizzes to jumpstart your journaling today, scrapbook YOU painlessly, tips and tricks for getting the story." This idea book came out a few years ago and I still pull it out on a regular basis to get ideas.

It's fun to "interview" our grandchildren about once a year and record their answers on a scrapbook layout. I am working on a layout using these questions:

Who is the smartest person in your family?

What is your Daddy really good at?

How are you different than your Mommy?

What can you do better than your Daddy?

What is one thing Mommy always says to you?

What do you and your Daddy do together that you will always remember?

How do you know that Mommy and Daddy love you?

***************************************************

You can also record the answers to the following questions every year and see how they change as the child gets older:

Favorite subject in school, best friends, favorite lunch, something new I've learned, favorite movie, the best thing about me, the most fun I've had lately, favorite song, favorite clothes to wear, last compliment I received, favorite toy, favorite TV show, favorite thing to eat.

****************************************************

Using the quizzes is also the perfect way to scrapbook about yourself. There is no greater gift for your friends and family than a glimpse of the "real" you, a "slice of your life" right now! These questions can be answered yearly for a personal year-end inventory:

The last person I sent a card to

What I ate for lunch today

Something I just learned

My favorite song this year

The last book I read

What I'm wearing right now

The last phone call I made

Inside, I don't feel very different from when I was

The last restaurant I ate at was

My favorite TV show

The last movie I saw

************************************************

You can capture someone by just doing journaling blocks of their "favorites."

One last idea is a "fill in the blanks" approach to journaling. These idea also comes from the book:

*If I hadn't become a _____, I might have been a _____.

*If I hadn't gone to _____, I might have never met _____.

*If I hadn't learned to ____, I would never have gotten to _____.

*My _____ is my most prized possession.

*My ability to _____ is one of my greatest skills.

*If asked, my family will say my greatest accomplishment is _____.

*I'm sorry I will never see _____ again.

*Going to _____ taught me that _____.

*My life would be easier if I got my _____ fixed.

*I would be happy if I never saw another _____ again.

I could go on and on, but I think this gives you an idea of the fun you can have will this approach to journaling!!

What's Up, Wednesday?

2011-04-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi. It is Leah Larson. I get to fill you in on what is going on in my world. Have you ever been asked "How often do you scrapbook?" Well I would love to be able to scrap every day but we all live in the real world. I do get to check in on some of my favorite blogs daily.
Ali Edwards, Becky Higgins and Cathy Zielske"s are the 3 blogs that I check on a daily basis. I especially love Ali's blog and enjoy reading about her life and her projects. I also check in on a regular basis at Blue Cricket Design. I like when they have a show and tell linking party were you can check out what people on other blogs are doing. There are a lot of talented people out there. I am thankful for that because it gives me an endless supply of inspiration. Check out the blog little things bring smiles. I am thinking that these canvases can also be done with letters cut out on the Cricut. I love the bright colors. I am thinking of making them for my craft room. Perhaps with words like: create, cut, paste, crop, sew.... So much to do so little time. Thanks for stopping in to my world.

What's Up! Wednesday

2011-04-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

It's my turn to share on What's Up Wednesday, and I decided to try something new for Paper Pals-- a video post!

Enjoy as I share with you my favorite things available at Paper Pals right now.

What's your favorite?

BoBunny Gabrielle Elegance

2011-04-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

The line of paper I used is BoBunny Gabrielle Elegance, what a beautiful line,I love double sided paper. With paper like this a person doesn't need allot of embellishments.

I cut the Family out with the Cricket Home Accents cartridge, the metal tag is Tim Holtz. The butterfly I cut 2 of the same out so I could layer it and fold the wings to give it some dimension! It turned out great I think.

The cards were very simple. I cut the butterflies out with an inch circle punch and I Mog Podged them with the glitter to give them a little sparkle...love the bling!!!

Thanks for stopping by! Leah Candler

Whats Up Wednesday!

2011-04-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

My latest and greatest infatuation is mini books. They can give the "life artist" a chance to do a quick slice of life; a childs soccer season, a typical monday, Easter or any fun day with the family et. These little slices of life help you remember a lot without a lot of time put into them and they are easy to pick up and look at, really fun to embellish and you can whip it out in an afternoon. Paper Pals has tons of ideas for quick, sweet, fun mini-book scrapbooking. I did a mini-album of Romans summer for a Valentines gift this year and he loved it! I used the "My Minds Eye fine and Dandy" Collection at Paper Pals, It was a total blast!

More Good Day Sunshine

2011-04-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

I don't think I posted this layout earlier that I made with more of the Good Day Sunshine line from My Minds Eye. Can't say how much I love this manufacturer!

I post this as these two boys are playing together downstairs. The photo in the layout was taken a year ago, guess it's time to take another shot!

Do you have any good projects where you compared photos of the same people at different times in life?

What's Up Wednesday

2011-03-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our third "What's Up? Wednesday"! Each Wednesday you'll hear from one of our Design Team members on what's up in the scrapping world-- either worldwide, at Paper Pals, or even in our Design Team member's lives.
This Wednesday it is my turn-Leah Larson. Right now I am changing our guest bedroom into my scrap room. I have been referring to it as my studio. My husband says I can't call it that unless it brings in money. I have a small desk set up in our rec room where I have been scrapbook. My stuff has kind of spread over into the entire rec room. Oops. So I finally talked my husband into letting me have the guest room.
I have been busy clearing out all the stuff in there and preparing to paint. I have one coat of paint on and plan to do another coat tonight. I will post the finished room on my next turn at What's Up Wednesday.
I am super excited to get everything set up. My scrapbooking has been on hold while I have been working on the room. I of course forgot to take before pictures but I did take some midway photos the other day after I had started painting.

This room has a lot of light. It is going to be perfect.

In the photos I have started painting. The two colors together looked really bad so I was a bit worried. I am planning on putting in a counter top in this area. Stay tuned for the finished project.

Kaisercraft Bubblegum Hills collection

2011-03-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

I love these bright wonderful patterns and color combinations! There is such a variety of nifty paper that my only real disappointment was that I couldn't show them all. They are double sided and full of variety and whimsical pattern. I just loved, loved, loved my scrapbook journey with this paper. I think you will too! It is great for Easter and just for spring!

Three Bugs In A Rug

2011-03-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

Three Bugs in a Rug is quickly becoming one of my very favorite companies! Their double-sided printed papers are adorable, whimsical, colorful, cheerful...all the things that I look for when I'm choosing printed papers! When I see layouts on more "grown-up" type printed papers (you know the kind I mean), I always wish I could do the beautiful layouts that I see other scrapbookers doing! But, bottom line, I love the whimsical, cutesy style papers!!

This new "April Showers" group from Three Bugs in a Rug didn't disappoint...both sides of the papers are fantastic!!

Besides the papers, this line includes a sticker sheet that makes it super simple to create cards. Go in and take a look...you're going to love it as much as I do!!

Bazzill Basics Paper-Grandma's Feather Bed

2011-03-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

I love the bright colors of this paper. It is nice thick good quality paper. The stickers on the sticker sheet were super cute. They were perfect for photos of the family. The fork, knife and spoon were cut out on the Cricut and then I covered them with some silver pearl. Thank you Shawna. You can't tell in the photo but on the top pattern paper I covered the dots with brads. I also covered the "my family" sticker with glossy accents because I love that stuff.

I love the way this page turned out. I like to have a mix of pattern paper. Especially when the pattern paper is so cute that I can't decide which one to use. I actually cut the circles in the paper then placed the pattern paper behind the circles. I then sewed them in place. I painted the chipboard flowers then covered them in 2 coats of clear embossing powder. The "together" and "2010" were cut out on the Cricut and then covered in glossy accents. I embroidered around the stickers.

The colors of the paper are so bright. The patterned papers are called Art Deco,Chocolate Drops, Deco Daisy, Lazy Daisy, Grandma's Damask & Bold Stripe. It makes for some real cheerful cards.

What's Up? Wednesday

2011-03-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

Last week Angela introduced you to our first "What's Up? Wednesday"! Each Wednesday you'll hear from one of our Design Team members on what's up in the scrapping world-- either worldwide, at Paper Pals, or even in our Design Team member's lives.

Today Judy is sharing her very favorite scrapbook gift (to give)..."Mini Albums!"

Those of you that know me, know that I LOVE to create mini albums! They make a perfect gift for birthday, Christmas, new baby...whatever the occasion! (If you've never given someone a mini album for a gift, you need to...I guarantee the response you get will make it worth all your time!)

My current project is a "Happy First Birthday" mini album for our baby grandson, Graehm, who will be turning one year old in July. I have SO many photos, and this is a great way to use them! I'm using an 8X8 3-ring binder album from "We R Memory Keepers." Paper Pals carries these albums (and, refill pages if you want to add more pages to your album. The refill pages with two pockets allow you to add more pictures without doing a layout for that page. It's a great way to increase the number of photos in an album.)

In my years of teaching classes at Paper Pals, my favorite thing to teach was mini albums. It was so fun to get together for two hours and have everyone leave the class with an album "picture ready!" Below are a few--- using only Bazzill Cardstock.

Shawna is teaching a "Mother's Day"and "WSU Cougars" mini album class...perfect for gift-giving!! You should check them out!!

Echo Park-- For the Record

2011-03-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

This was my first chance working with some Echo Park products... and I just love them! These layouts came together more easily than normal. The only thing different in the creation was the products, so I'll attribute my success to Echo Park!

I was so excited to scrap this photo that my good friend Becky w/ Simply Enjoy Photography (in NW Washington) took of my kids and I in December. Scrapping really important photos can be scary-- you don't want to "lose" them in the layout. How do you think I did?

I hand cut the black and white polkadot banner-- just begin with rectangles and then flip over your square punch, turn it to a 45 degree angle and precisely match up the corners to punch out the bottom edge!

This next layout uses photos from a fun little game of football w/ my son. My friend Harmony shot these photos... I'm so thankful for others who enjoy photography so that I can BE in photos sometimes!

Echo Park's "For the Record" pattern papers include borders and journaling spots that just made throwing these layouts together simple! Go check out their stuff at Paper Pals today.

What's Up? Wednesday

2011-03-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our first "What's Up? Wednesday"! Each Wednesday you'll hear from one of our Design Team members on what's up in the scrapping world-- either worldwide, at Paper Pals, or even in our Design Team member's lives.

Today, Angela is sharing a bit about "What's Up" for her cardmaking.

I'm not all that confident in my cardmaking skills. Photos are a passion of mine, and layouts I make always have photos as a central theme. I've used photos on cards before, but get a little discouraged when trying to come up with card designs.

I've learned to scraplift others' great ideas, or even just use their cards as an inpiration piece. Today I'm sharing two cards with you that I made using the new My Minds Eye boy line "Good Day Sunshine" (at Paper Pals)-- both of which were inspired by cards I saw on blogs I like to visit.

#1: The inspiration card (found on "Bean Talk", Jillibean Soup's blog):

And my take on the card using My Minds Eye from Paper Pals:

#2: The inspiration card (found on The Scrap Review blog):

And my take on the card using My Minds Eye from Paper Pals:

Where do you get your inspiration when you are looking to create something?

Good Day Sunshine! from My Minds Eye

2011-03-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a layout I created today using the Good Day Sunshine line from My Minds Eye. This is a super set of papers that work great for boy themed layouts but is versatile enough for beach layouts or no theme at all!

The paper line also had a page called "Boardwalk" designed to require little to no embellishing. I just loved the graphics on the page. I emphasiszed the existing artwork by adding some Stickles and Glossy Accents. Otherwise, the Thickers title and the photo collage were all I needed to complete this page. Fast and easy!

Go get yourself some MME Good Day Sunshine!!!

DT Technique Challenge-- Claudine Hellmuth

2011-03-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

CClaudine Hellmuth Studio Creative Layers Foam and Clear Stamps

These new stamps that are available at the store are a little slice of stamping heaven!

The foam layer plus the defining clear layer are whimsical and have such a variety of uses. We put the design team to the test to see what they came up with for projects using the stamps. (You can see most all of the samples up close and personal at Paper Pals.)

Angela created a tag using spray ink, the stamps in paint, and bits from the new My Minds Eye "Good Day Sunshine" line:

Leah created an ADORABLE growth chart for her little girl. Is it not the greatest idea ever? You could make this for gifts!

Angela also gave her girls (age 7 and 10) the chance to play with the stamps-- they stamped with acrylic paint on fabric and created two clever and creative pillows.

Lastly, Angela also created a card and jazzed up a gift bag too.

There are so many options with these great stamps! What are your ideas for using the layered stamps?

GOOD DAY Sunshine-My Mind's Eye

2011-02-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

I really like the name of this line and of course the colors and the cuteness. I used the Sunny Stripes, Up Town, Out and About, Daytime Digits & Cityscape Paper. I also used the Good Day Sunshine Girls Accessory Sheet. I did a loose hand stitch down the length of the ribbon then gathered it up and glued it down. I put some Glossy Accents on the "Love". I embroidered around a few circles and the letter "A". I added some buttons and that is about it. It would have been a fast page with out the embroidery.

I just had to use this paper with the bridge. I cut out a couple clouds and popped them up. I put some Glossy Accents on some windows and on the circle embellishments and the number 5. I embroidered around the block. The buttons came on the accessory sheet.

Some fast cards. The accessory sheet had a bunch of cute cut outs like the scooter and the boat.

"Be Mine" collection by Echo Park Paper Co.

2011-02-24T14:27:00.000-08:00

Don't limit yourself to just Valentine's Day for this great double-sided pattern paper by Echo Park Paper Company. The color's are shades of pink, black and gray...so many possibilities, the sky is the limit!! Pair it with Bazzill cardstock and "voila!!"

TWIG...by Little Yellow Bicycle !

2011-02-18T10:14:00.001-08:00

A cornucopia of delectable embellishments and delicious paper! That is how I would describe the "Twig" line by Little Yellow Bicycle. The paper almost feels like fabric it is so flexible and sturdy. The paper designs available cannot be displayed by this one lay-out; Beautiful birds and leaves and flowers and fabrics and designs that are so delightful! I was in heaven playing with all the nifty stuff! Take a look at it and see if you can resist it, I can't!

Basic Grey-- Curio

2011-02-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

In addition to the recent layouts I posted, I made 4 simple cards, one with tulle and the Die cuts that match the Curio line.

The cards are fun to make. I like the TIM HOLTZ Rosetta, and the paper that looks like lace. I use tulle alot-- it gives the card great dimension!

Enjoy! Leah C.

Meet DT Member Deb!

2011-02-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

And last but certainly not least is Deb!

Deb Felsted has been on the Paper Pals Design Team in the past, and we are so excited to have her join us again! She has an unmatchable, unique style to her work. Truly incredible!

Deb has lived in Pullman for 16+ years and has been married to her husband Devon for the same. Deb and Devon have 6 children: 3 boys and 3 girls. Ages: 21, 16, 14, 12, 10 and 7. "They are all fabulous! I am a stay-at-home mom and I have been scrap booking for about 8 years, the first 4 being very minimal and the last 4 have been more prolific. I love art, writing, photography, family history and my family- so scrap booking is pretty much a slam dunk for me. Time is the only issue, right ladies?"

Deb's favorite reason to scrap all comes down to creation and inspiration. "I love art and creating. This is an important exercise for me. Creating gives me energy and helps me to tap into my soul. Art provides a way for me to express that. It forces me to take time out and think about what and who I love in my life. I remember little things, slices of life and funny occasions, I take time to write them out, to really think about the meaningfulness of how I live my life and who is in it, and this brings me joy. It is also deeply meaningful to my family members. No moment ever spent carefully evaluating what I love about the people in my life and trying to re- create that in art has ever been wasted!"

She varies on what her favorite paper line is, "but you will usually find me choosing more versatile patterns for myself and less thematic ones.I have a "thing" for nifty embellishments. Right now I really love "My Minds Eye". They are terrific! They keep coming out with lines I love. I like funky designs and often lean towards eclectic stuff. But I also like variety. I really love Alli Edwards, too."

When asked what her favorite thing about Paper Pals is, she responded: "I am so glad we have Paper Pals in Pullman. My favorite thing about it is Shawna and Karen. They are creative geniuses in so many different ways. I love that the store offers such a variety of ways to create and that they hand pick their lines so well. They are not afraid to do something new and clever and they really listen to their customers."

Thanks for sharing with us Deb. Keep designing great stuff!

And thanks, blog readers and customers, for following us on our Design Team introductions! Keep coming back here to see more work by all our lovely ladies. We look forward to creating to inspire YOU!

Cosmo Cricket BOYFRIEND!!!

2011-01-27T09:01:00.000-08:00

When I got my packet to work on for Design Team I was thrilled! I adore the Cosmo Cricket Boyfriend line! It is just the kind of paper product I love; colorful, original, with lots and lots of variety of pattern that isn't too "matchy, matchy". It has a mixture of all kinds of things that I really like, Test paper and excellent journaling paper, the paper airplane paper was beautiful, the funky spots and the clothesline, awesome! I could have just kept rolling out the lay-outs non stop! You can use it for Valentines, for Babies, for boys or girls or teenagers or anything. I could of even used it for the olden days ie: Pictures when I was a kid. It is so stink'en fun!

BASIC GREY

2011-01-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

I used Basic Grey the Curio line on my heritage page.

I layered the paper and cut the Scalloped piece with the Cricket. The setting I used was fit to page. It cut it 12 x 12. I like to ink all my edges it makes them look antiqued. I cut the paper flower out of the Tim Holtz Paper Rosette, it is Sizzix cartridge.

The large rose and butterfly are die cuts that match the paper. Its a fun line, it went great with the picture of my grandfather and his siblings.

Meet Design Team Member, Leah Candler!

2011-01-24T15:26:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to introduce to you the newest member of the Design Team, Leah Candler!

Leah is a local gal-- raised right here in Pullman. Currently she lives in Genesee.

She has been scrapbooking for about 15 years, starting with die-cuts and stickers and getting as many pictures on a page as she could. As the years have gone by, she's changed up her style a bit. "Now I embelish so much I am lucky to get 1 or 2 photos on a 12 X12 page! "

Leah's favorite paper line is My Minds Eye. "However I LOVE Tim Holtz. His embelishments rock, I use lot of them to make jewelry...another passion of mine!"

Lately, she has been making clocks. "I get one of those chip board boxes, the one in the photo is a wine box, I have also used a regular square box, it turned out great." What a creative way to make some great home decor, Leah!

Leah's favorite thing about Paper Pals would be the great selection of products that they have. "I can always find what I need there."

It's great to meet you Leah, and we are looking forward to more of your great designs in the months ahead!

Next week: meet Deb!

My Mind's Eye "State of the Heart"

2011-01-21T14:35:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo-- I got to work with products from my favorite manufacturer, My Minds Eye! One of their valentines lines this year is called "State of the Heart" and includes some great patterns.

For this round of projects, I pulled out my sewing machine for some stitching. If I get the machine out, I stitch on everything! (It's probably good that it's a rare event.)

I also went with a paper doll/folded hearts theme. It is still snowflake season, so I joined in the fun with my kids using folded paper and scissors to cut out shapes. Mine were hearts and paper dolls. How would you incorporate these handcut elements (snoflakes, hearts or paper dolls) into your papercrafting?

My first layout is a hybrid layout. I took a digi class through JessicaSprague.com and created her digital layout (posted on my blog here) and then modified it for this valentines layout.

I created a second layout of my daughter and her sweet friend. The idea of adding paper dolls came while I was cutting out folded hearts. I remember as a young girl cutting paper dolls and decorating each to look like my friends. Such a little girl thing, huh?

And, with all my heart cutouts and sewing machine I made up several valentines cards, too.

What will you do for valentines papercrafting this year?

Meet Design Team Member, Judy!

2011-01-17T17:31:00.000-08:00

Here she is: Judy Pilcher, Design Team Member at Paper Pals!

Judy is the VETERAN member of the team-- she started designing when Paper Pals was a new store almost 7 years ago!

Judy was born and raised in southern Idaho and she graduated in Elementary Education from the University of Idaho. After 3 years living on both coasts of the US while her husband was in the Navy, the two returned to Moscow to live, work, and raise their three children. Judy taught Kindergarten in the Moscow Public Schools for 17 years---"a super fun job! 5 year olds are such fun little people, it was a joy to go to work every day."
Judy retired early 9 years ago when her first two grandchildren were on their way. "I LOVE being wife to Jim, Mom to three great kids---a nurse practioner, a PGA golf professional and a development officer for the University of Idaho, AND... "Nana" to 6 adorable little grandchildren, 3 girls and 3 boys ranging in age from 9 to 5 months. They are, more often than not, the "subject" of my scrapbooking!"

A recent project that she's done is pictured here:

"Every Christmas I make checkbook-size datebooks for gifts. I have carried one of these in my purse for several years and couldn't get along without it. I enter all important dates...doctor appts., hair-cuts, birthdays, sporting events at the University, vacations, etc., in my datebook. I know that I could enter them in my iPhone calendar, but I guess I'm just a "hard copy" kind of person." Judy buys these calendars at the office supply store and then alters the covers. "This year I used some printed paper with months and then I used a doodled quote by Stepha nie Ackerman, of "Homegrown Hospitality" blog fame. (I took her doodling class via the internet this fall, and I have been practicing, but I'm not accomplished enough to do anything like that yet!)"

Judy has been scrapbooking for a long time. "I still have "scrapbooks" I made in high school with dance programs, birthday cards, and all those treasures that teenage girls love to keep." She scrapbooks now for fun. "I LOVE to play with all the beautiful patterned papers, cardstock and all the other fun "goodies" that go along with scrapbooking-- and, to journal and record the life of my family. Besides scrapbooking for my children and grandchildren, I also do layouts for my "Book of Me"...I would love to have a scrapbook that my Mom had done with pictures and journaling about her daily life."

"I also make scrapbooks for gifts. It's so rewarding for me to see the response they get when someone opens a scrapbook that was made especially for them."

Judy is influenced by so many scrapbookers. "Along the side of my blog I have links to many of their blogs. Among my "favorite" scrapbookers are Ali Edwards , Cathy Zielske , Stephanie Ackerman , Susie Plantamura, and SO many more!"

Judy's favorite thing about Paper Pals can be summed up in two words: Karen and Shawna! "They do amazing job of keeping the shelves at Paper Pals stocked with the latest and greatest in scrapbooking!!! I've been to MANY scrapbook stores and I always think to myself "this store could take a lesson from Paper Pals!"

Thanks, Judy for your dedication and creativity!

Come back next week to meet Leah Candler.

"Be My Valentine" by We R Memory Keepers

2011-01-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and Paper Pals is ready for the big day! We R Memory Keepers Valentine line "Be My Valentine" is in the store now. I had lots of fun with these papers...they are bright, colorful, two-sided cardstock papers with so many great designs!

(Pictures on the Princess Party layout by Amber Anderson, photographer.)

Meet Design Team Member, Leah Larson!

2011-01-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

Here she is: Leah Larson, Paper Pals Design Team Member!

Leah is a returning member to the Design Team. She's great at incorporating sewing into her projects and has the kind of handwriting that should be made into a font. No journaling disasters for this gal!

Leah is originally from Canada. She has now been in the states for over 15 years, but she's managed to hold on to her accent. :) Leah formally worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse in Seattle. "We moved from Bellevue, WA to Pullman 4 years ago. After my daughter was born I really didn’t want to go back to work and leave her in someone else's care, so my husband and I decided to move to Pullman where my stepsons live."

Leah has been scrapbooking for 10 years now. She says, "The more I do it the more I love it. I am sure I will be a scrapbooker for the rest of my life." There are many things that inspire Leah when it comes to papercrafting. "I love the stories and the photos. Not to mention the paper, stickers, embellishments, stamps… I am driven to record the everyday things that happen to us. It would be wonderful to see all these kind of details about my Grandmother’s life. Just a simple photo of what was in her cupboards would be fascinating to me."

When it comes to the pros, Ali Edwards is a “life artist” that she truly admires. She loves her clean and artistic style and the fun projects to share. She also regularly keeps tabs on Becky Higgins’ blog. Leah is currently doing Becky's "Project Life" and she is "totally in love. This is the first time since starting scrapbooking were I have been caught up on the current year."

One of Leah's favorite product lines is Cosmo Cricket-- available at Paper Pals! She's drawn to the manufacturer's cute designs.

One recent project she has worked on was for her daughter's birthday. Isn't that robot just the cutest? And what a unique idea for a little girl's birthday!

You can see more of Leah's work and keep up with her creative scrappiness at her personal blog, Confessions of a Scraplifter.

Leah had a hard time picking just one thing that she loves most about Paper Pals. "There are so many things that I love. Karen and Shawna make the store what it is. They greet you when you walk in. How nice is that? It is truly a treat to go in there. I love looking at all the wonderful products and dreaming. You could look in there all day and still see new stuff. The smell in there is so delicious. It even comes home on the paper you buy. The products they sell are good quality. I just can’t say enough. "

Go visit the store yourself to experience what Leah loves!

And come back here next week to meet Design Team Member, Judy!

My Mind's Eye-Fine and Dandy

2011-01-09T22:29:00.000-08:00

My latest project was with the My Mind's Eye-fine and dandy line. I got to work with the True Blue paper,stickers and banner stickers. I love the colors. My favorite was the orange honey comb paper on this card. The banner stickers are perfect for creating banners, stars or flowers. I especially liked the letter stickers.

I just love those little owls. So adorable.

I have wanted to try a layout with a banner and it was easy. I did embroider the tops of the banner stickers only because I knew my sewing machine would get gummed up with the stickers.

This kind of paper is so easy to create a layout on. Basically you just add your photos and it is done. I made openings in the paper and placed my photos behind. The two owls are already on the paper but I wanted them to pop so I added the owl stickers from the True Blue Layered Stickers. I embroidered around the clouds and stitched around the photos.

Meet Design Team Member, Angela!

2011-01-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

This is Angela Lenssen, Paper Pals Design Team Member and Blog Coordinator.

Angela is starting into her third year on Design Team and she's excited about the chance to share more about the products and inspirational people at Paper Pals.

She has lived in Pullman for almost 7 years and is a stay at home mom for her three kids. Outside of scrapping, Angela loves photography, singing and event planning/marketing/graphic design (in fact, she's seeking a position in these areas if you know of a job opening!). She ran her first 5K in 2010 and hopes to keep up training for more in the future.

Her favorite reason to scrap is her three kids. "I want them to not only have a visual reminder of the events that happened in their lives, but I also hope to include stories in those layouts that share memories of the relationships they have with me and others as they grow up." She started scrapbooking at a young age with her mom, but started "modern" scrapbooking 10 years ago with the birth of her first child. Angela's inspiration in the scrappy world comes from a variety of places, but mostly she's inspired by blogs. Three of her favorites are listed here:

Cathy Zielske

Noel Culbertson

Elizabeth Kartchner

A favorite project she did recently was for her daughter's golden birthday in October. She turned 10 on 10.10.10 and Angela created a layout as well as party decor and invites with the "Perfect 10" theme. Here's a couple of photos of what she made here, and you can find more details about it on her blog post here.

She says "I love these projects because they celebrated a huge birthday for my daughter. The bright colors made it playful and inviting. I had fun with a couple new techniques on it too-- making a triangle banner and using glittered cardstock for the part of the title and embellishements."

She enjoys posting a variety of creative projects on her blog, Mom-e-Memoirs when they are beyond the projects she does for Paper Pals. Stop by her blog and say hello!

Angela's favorite thing about Paper Pals is the fact that she can get great quality products for scrapbooking locally. "Stopping in at Paper Pals makes me feel like I'm in a big city scrapbook store for product selection and inspiration-- yet with the small town local service! It's perfect."

Come back next week to meet anther member of the Paper Pals Design Team, Leah Larson!

Last Minute Ornament

2010-12-20T16:57:00.000-08:00

Need a last minute idea for an ornament?

I recently created a mini barn star ornament using a template from the Paper Barn Star class that was taught at Paper Pals. The template that you can get at the store is for three larger sized stars, so I just downsized the smallest one and cut out pieces to create a tree ornament sized star.

And, to make it a fun group project, I made it into a "Memory Star". On the back side of the paper pieces I wrote the year and listed a few different memories from 2010. This may become a fun tradition to create one each year!

If you'd like to make one, stop in to Paper Pals to get some christmas themed paper and the template. It's a fun project that kids and adults alike can work on this holiday season!

Merry Christmas from the Paper Pals Design Team!

Christmas Traditions Accordian Album

2010-12-01T10:47:00.000-08:00

I had a truckload of fun creating this Album about some of our family Christmas/December traditions. I did not get them all laid out, so I put some on a list and tucked it in the family photo picture. Each lay-out has a little secret pull-out with journaling on it. I loved using all the paper and embellishments from Paper Pals. They had so many nifty things to choose from. I used leftover scraps from a " day-in-the-life" Christmas book I created to write something in each day for this month and then add pictures later. It was one of the funnest projects ever! I kept the lettering similar to add continuity and tried to keep every thing in sort of a semi square or rectangle in the middle of each page. If you want to get a close up it will be at the Paper Pals store in Pullman!

Home Decor Idea

2010-11-28T19:29:00.000-08:00

Chances are that you are thinking about home decor this week.

Maybe you are taking down some year-round decor to make room for Christmas decor, and you hope to "accidentally" drop and break it so you don't have to put it back up after the holidays. ;)

Or you have a great wall for some simple artwork, but not the budget. If only you had new holiday decor or even year round decor to fill that space...

Paper Pals customer at previous Design Team member Anita Cory has a solution for you!!!

She cleverly used scrapbook paper to its fullest and most original design... simply by placing a page straight off a Paper Pals shelf into a frame!

She said "I like how it turned out and literally it took 10 minutes and about $30 (frames on sale at Michaels)."

What a world of simple and easy possibilities!

1. Buy christmas paper now, then for the other 11 months of the year place a different sheet over the top (or change it for every holiday!)

2. Buy adorable baby paper for a nursery and put it in white frames.

3. If you already have 8x10 frames, trim your 12x12 sheet to fit frames you already have.

What about you? Any more ideas? I challenge you-- design team OR customer-- to "scraplift" Anita and change up your home decor! Leave a link in the comments if you use this great idea.

"Holly Jolly"

2010-11-28T12:21:00.000-08:00

I had some leftover "Holly Jolly" paper, so I decided to do another layout! I love this "My Little Shoebox" Christmas paper! Soooo many possibilities!

BasicGrey "Jovial" Line

2010-11-21T18:25:00.000-08:00

Oh, the joy of christmas scrapbook papers! And, as expected, BasicGrey did not disappoint. Their Jovial line is simply gorgeous.

I did something different and created my cards before my layouts. I loved that this line could look formal and classy but with the same papers it could be fun and sassy!

Formal and classy: (marshmallow glimmer mist makes great lookin' snow on black cardstock!)

Fun and sassy:

For my layouts, I created a two page layout (which I haven't done in awhile) using several photos. I like the idea of using several photos on my Christmas layouts so I don't have pages and pages and PAGES of the same kinds of pictures every year. :)

My "Frosty" layout also uses multiple photos-- wallet sized. I based the theme on a subject that passed over multiple years versus the same activity in one year. This is a great way to combine a tradition w/ only one photo from several years together.

Aren't those chipboard snowmen (and snowflakes... and ornaments.... and stars... and frames.... and journaling spots) just the cutest? Go get you some JOVIAL!

"Holly Jolly"

2010-11-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

My Little Shoebox Christmas line, "Holly Jolly," is in the store now! I love this paper, it is MY kind of patterned paper---bright and whimsical! The paper is two-sided, just adorable! One of my favorite things about this paper is that it combines the traditional red and green, and adds in pink, lime green and teal! SO many possibilities!!

(It's hard to see, but I added Crystal Stickles, from Ranger, to the snowflakes on the layout and the buttons on the snowmen.)

Laundry line by Little Yellow Bicycle.....Happy!!!

2010-11-09T13:09:00.000-08:00

So happy to be back on Design Team, Yahoooo! so far my first project has proved to be FUN. The Laundry line paper is not only versatile and pretty but the paper itself is of the highest quality, you can do all kinds of things to it and it can take it. My kind of paper! I had some pictures of my Niece Zoey Held that seem to be a great match for the little pocket booklet I used. I didn't get too wild and crazy this time, I just kept it simple. I need to warm up the creative juices just a little. This was a super fun way to do it! It was so easy to throw together with all the wonderful word stickers and the nifty paper.

MERRY January

2010-11-09T09:07:00.000-08:00

I realize that this page is overflowing with info but I wanted to do a sort of December Daily idea. This is from 3 Christmas' ago so I didn't have all the info. I sewed a grid on the page and then filled up the boxes. The snowflakes were a bit of an accident. I punched some snowflakes then misted them with silver and while they were still wet I sprinkled on some clear embossing powder. While I was heat gunning them some of them got a bit crispy on the edges. I totally love the look because it matches the tan in the paper.

This is my quilt page. I just cut up my pictures and then pieced them all together. I know it doesn't follow some design rules but it was fun.

This paper is from We R Memory Keepers and it is called MERRY January. I got to use the papers: Mitten, Branch, Slush, & Crisp. I also used the layered Chipboard self adhesive words. These words are solid. If you stick them down that is were they are going to be. I know I rave about all the paper I get to use but I can't help myself. I had eyed this paper in the store earlier. It is beautiful paper. I love the colors. I know it is called MERRY January but I used it for some Christmas photos. I also used the clear journal stamp that is in the same line.

Say Hello....

2010-11-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

to the new Paper Pals Design Team.

We had several entries this year and deciding was hard, but here is your new Design Team:

Leah Candler

Deb Felsted

Angela Lenssen

Leah Larson

Judy Pilcher

Keep an eye out for some fabulous inspiration from these ladies, and thanks so much to everyone that applied!

You're Creative.

2010-09-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm talking to you. You who are here visiting the Paper Pals Design Team blog.

You wouldn't be here if you didn't have some interest in papercrafting. My guess is that you LOVE it.

Have you considered submitting some of your work to the Paper Pals Design Team call? You should. (Details in this post.)

I remember thinking a few years back that there would be no way that I was "creative enough" to be on Design Team. But one day I felt a little brave and I took some projects I had to the store to submit. I wasn't sure that each of my items "qualified" for their submission requirements, so I was nervous. But Shawna liked what I brought to her and it gave her a good idea of my style.

From there, I was chosen to be on the team! Surprised, challenged, honored and scared... those were a few of the feelings I had when I started out. But I have to say it's been one of the best opportunities I've had. I've grown and changed as a scrapbooker/papercrafter and have had a lot of fun in the process!

I just want to encourage you to give it a try. Be brave. Take something you've created into the store and ask some questions if you have them. It may be the beginning of a new creative chapter of your life!

Back to School with Bo Bunny

2010-09-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Did you get some sweet photographs of your kids or grandkids when school started this fall? Well, rather than leaving them on your camera, get them printed out and scrapped using this fun little line of papers for Back to School!

Bo Bunny made the grade with their "Learning Curve" line. They have such a variety of patterned papers and embellishments that just make creating pages easy! Their patterned papers are double sided-- and they are the kind that makes you want to buy two of each page since you want to use both sides.

Instead of focusing on the "first day" for this layout, I decided to feature another important part of school starting... and for my daughter that means NEW CLOTHES! It was fun to do a little fashion shoot w/ her so she could try on her new clothes.

This line uses the classic primary colors you'll find in school papers, but it had a great style that didn't seem too juvenile to me. It was fun to match the geometric shapes that the line offered on one page.

And instead of using the scraps from these projects on cards only, I decided to make a little teacher gift too! I used buttons, ribbon, pattern paper and cardstock stickers to decorate a little dollar store cork board. Then I cut out journaling cards from one of the pattern paper sheets and pinned them onto the board for the teacher to use to jot down notes in class. Hopefully the teacher will find it really useful.

And since the teacher is new to the school, I made her a little welcome card too using the pattern papers that come in this line. What a great way to get into the school year for a teacher to get a gift and welcome card!

Sunburst shaped printed paper

2010-09-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

I picked up this paper a few weeks ago at the store (and Shawna tells they still have some!)...not really sure how I was going to use it, but I just loved the bright colors. I used my 2" circle punch for the pictures, and some mix and match colorful alphabet stickers for the title.

New baby boy layouts

2010-09-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

It's fun to have a cute "new" baby boy in the family again!! I always love scrapbooking baby pictures. In these layouts I used lots of Bazzill cardstock along with baby boy printed cardstock from Three Bugs in a Rug and Creative Imaginations.

Paper Pals Design Team Call

2010-09-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

Paper Pals is excited to announce that we are searching for new members for our design team. This call is open September 13th, 2010 through September 30th, 2010.

So WHO are we looking for?
We are looking for inspiring designers who are creative, ambitious, and love a challenge. We are looking for designers who can display the following:
~ Open communication skills
~ Unique individual style
~ Teamwork and cooperation
~ Ability to work within deadlines and under pressure

How do you apply?
Submit the following:
1. 2 or 3 of your favorite layouts that you feel best showcase your style
2. 1 altered item, home decor item, or mini book
3. 2 or 3 cards that you feel best showcase your style

All entries must have your name printed on the back. Submit your entries at our Pullman location September 13th through September 30th. (Remember, we are closed on Sundays).

The fine print:
The design team term will run for 6 months, October 2010 through April 2011.

If you have questions please contact Shawna at the store by calling
509-332-0407.

My Minds Eye "I Believe" Christmas line

2010-09-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah... My Minds Eye has not disappointed, has it?

We've seen several of their new lines, and I say I'm super impressed with what our team has done with these great new products. You have so much to choose from at the store right now! Go check it!

Until you can get into the store, here's some more My Minds Eye for you to enjoy...

I pulled out the sewing machine for this layout and used some of acrylic stamps that go with this line. It was fun to break out of my norm to create this simple but attractive layout.

The die cut sheet had some great tags, berries, letters, poinsettas... so fun! The pattern papers are extra special with glitter too.

The ribbon and acrylic stamps make for some easy but lovely accents for your next holiday project.

So which of these MME product lines we've been posting lately is your favorite?

BOBUNNY'S-OLIVIA

2010-09-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

This line from BO BUNNY is called Olivia. Oh so pretty. I love the color combination of pink and orange. I knew I had to pick this paper for my layout even though it is a challenge for me. You could just put a photo right in the middle of this paper and call it good. It is just so pretty. Of course I can't leave well enough alone so I had to embroider on it and put buttons and some glossy accents and some white puffy paint and...

The cards. The cutout sheet came with a bunch of pretty cutouts perfect for cards and scrapbooks. The other side was divided into 4 sections each 6x6. It would be great for those

We R Memory Keeper photo sleeves that are divided into the 6x6 sections.

New Halloween from My Mind's Eye - Blackbird

2010-08-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

My Mind's Eye has done it again! This may be my favorite Halloween paper and accessories line. Ever.

Every piece of paper is double sided, which allowed me to have so many options for this page with only a couple of sheets of the paper. When I dropped off my creations today at the store, I couldn't help myself...I had to have some of every sheet (black cats, pumpkins, the cartoon figures in costumes, argyles, polka-dots, etc.)

There is also chipboard accessories, ribbon, and amazing clear rubber stamps that round out this line and make it a snap for you (and me) to create great pages and cards.

Now, for a little challenge. Head into the store to see what is different on the layout or cards from what you see in the photo of the creations. Because this is a "must see" challenge and posting on the blog will give it away, email me at anitacory@hotmail.com to tell me what you notice by next Monday (September 6th) and I will randomly select one of the responders and award them a prize!

Enjoy!
Anita

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas .... seriously!

2010-08-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Oh my! My farmer is still harvesting and here I am working on Christmas cards and layouts. Oy! My Minds Eye has done it again ... an incredible line of papers combining the traditional colors of the Christmas holidays with some non-traditional colors thrown in. The best part (and there are always lots of best parts when it comes to scrapping in my oh so humble opinion) is that not only are the patterned papers double-sided, but each side is absolutely one I would add to my Christmas List.

The Christmas Memories layout is one that I 'scraplifted' from the September issue of Scrapbooks, Etc., page 46. I have had these pictures of my kids from 1996 and this was a great opportunity to use them. Thus my theory of not scrapping 'in chronological order' was proven. Hold onto those special pictures and wait for just the right paper or opportunity to scraplift. Products used for the layout were: Cardstock - Bazzill, Patterned Paper: My Minds Eye Holly Jolly line "Winter Branches" & "Reindeer Fly". Within the same line I used the Holly Jolly twine & 'punch outs'. I used my Slice "Just Chilling Teen" to cut the letters for Christmas.

For the cards I used the same products, adding more trims from the Holly Jolly ribbon & trims, and added the Holly Jolly stamps. These were fun stamps. They will be a must for me. The snow flakes, the Merry Christmas stamp ... all perfect sizes and so easy to use. At first I was a little hesistant to use the stamps, since I don't consider myself a 'stamper' but these were easy to use, didn't smudge and even better ... easy to clean.

Lost and Found

2010-08-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

It was really fun to work with the new My Mind's Eye Lost and Found collection. The papers and embellishments all sported lots of glitter, which I LOVE, and the palette of Madison Avenue was in one of my favorite color combos, pink and brown.

The photo I chose kind of blended into the page a little too much for my liking, so I grabbed a little pink paint and painted the bird and the vines so they would pop on the page a little more. The "cherish" piece was from the die-cut embellishment sheet, and again I painted the edge in brown to add a little more contrast. I am so very pleased with this layout. The photo does not do it justice, so you'll have to visit the store to see it in person.

One of the coolest things about this collection, in addition to the amazing glittery die-cuts, is that it comes with a coordinating set of acrylic stamps. The dress form and the banner on the second card are both stamped images; I just added a little sewing and a quilt pin to finish it off.

Love the banner. I added some jute and then placed the die-cut banner pieces over it with pop dots. The princess die-cut was a little big for this card, so I chopped it up and then glued it back together to make it the size I wanted. I also cut out the crown and outlined it with cinnamon stickles.
I'd love to see what you're doing with Madison Avenue.

My Mind's Eye "Alphabet Soup" Boy collection...

2010-08-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

I had the fun of getting to play with the "boy version" of the new My Mind's Eye "Alphabet Soup!" (And, to go along with this adorable new papers collection is my "adorable new" grandson!! :0) Nothing more fun than new papers AND new babies. This collection of double-sided printed cardstock is just so fun, and the deck of alphabet playing cards are the perfect embellishment! Besides using the alphabet cards on the layout they are perfect to use on these note cards.

My Minds Eye-- Haunted

2010-08-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun scaring up some ideas to use with the new "Haunted" line from My Minds Eye. The kraft paper look was a fun element for the halloween theme.

It's natural look inspired me to stop alongside the roadside on the Palouse in August where you can find dried up flora... to make into a witches broom! Most all the other elements on the page are from the MME Haunted line or other MME products (i.e. the "Lush" letters).

The second layout came from the pattern paper that had several fill in the blank spots for recording halloween memories. I let my 9-year old illustrate the costumes we wore this last year to be recorded from HER memory instead of just mine... a fun way to change up your pages!

And lastly, the cards were fun to do-- I used the new acrylic stamps from the Haunted line to spook up some fun greetings. I also tried out Glimmer Mist for the first time and sprayed a ghost onto one of the cards. I like the way that turned out!

Are you ready to scrap some halloween??? Get Haunted.

My Mind's Eye-Alphabet Soup and Lost & Found

2010-08-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

More paper and goodies to love. The little creatures on this pattern paper are so adorable. This line is called Alphabet Soup Girl. I got to work with "Powder Puff", "Zoo Cuties" & "Little Princess" pattern paper. All double sided. The Accessory sheet has more cuteness to add to your pages. One of the best things about this project was I got to work with the "Alphabet Cardstock Card Set". There are 52 cards with 2 of each card. These cards are so cute I wanted to plaster them all over my layout. I stitched around some of those cute animals and added glossy accents to their eyes.

I made a pocket on this card and inside I put the cards L-O-V-E. The accessory sheet had two of these little girls on it. This My Mind's Eye line is called Lost & Found. Madison Avenue "Cherish" Pintuck Paper, Madison Avenue "Pretty" Polka Paper& Madison Avenue "Girlfriends" Lovely Paper with stickers, ribbon and letter stickers to match. As usual with the double sided I can't pick because they are all so pretty pretty. I got to pretend to be a quilter on this page. The banner I cut out from the "Girlfriends" paper. Check out the ribbon. It is ribbon sewed onto crepe paper. How delicate. I made a little crepe paper flower. The letter stickers are already glitterized. No messing with glitter

Printer Tray Class & A Challenge for You

2010-08-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

What a fun class this was!!! Oh my goodness, Karen & Shawna's knowledge in class facilitation and their willingness to 'open' our minds to go past their 'samples' are incredible. After taking this class I was hooked on signing up for more classes. Now ... if I could get more hooked on their classes I'd be in 'paper' heaven. Before I share my finished product, let me tell you about the treasure box. I forgot to take a picture of mine, but let me tell you this -- it truly was full of treasures and I plan to keep filling it up so when I need to get a creative 'nudge' I will reach into my treasure box and that 'treasure' will fill just 'hole' that might be missing in a layout, project or some other scheme I've going.

I'd like to hear your experiences and see your end results of classes. I was kinda sad to hear the Ranch Mini-Album class was cancelled due to lack of participation. Being a ranch kind of gal, I was so looking forward to this. So ... my challenge to each of you, make a goal to sign up for X amount of classes per year. Get your girlfriends together and make it a party. The printer drawer class was my birthday party to me and I was able to catch up with a dear friend while being creative, getting feedback from her on what looked right or what didn't and we even traded treasures.

So what class are you signed up for next?

BLOG BONUS!

2010-07-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

BONUS!!!!

Just for our blog readers!
We've got a week left in the 4 product challenge. You only get to use four products for the challenge:
Cardstock

Letter Stickers

Pattern Paper

and Ribbon

Here's the bonus: leave a comment here telling us which of those four products most inspires your creativity. Then, when you go into the store this week to get your products for the challenge, mention this post to Karen or Shawna.

The first three people to leave a comment and mention it will get a FREE GOODIE BAG with their purchase!

So, leave a comment, go shopping, get a goodie bag, enter the challenge, and have a chance to win the big prize pack! Remember, the challenge ends a week from tonight.

Good luck!

Four Product Challenge

2010-07-05T05:56:00.000-07:00

It’s time for our next customer challenge! This time you can create any paper product that you want...

using just 4 products:

Cardstock
Patterned Paper
Letter Stickers
Ribbon

Products should be purchased at Paper Pals. Use only the four listed products (plus adhesive) in your project. You have two easy ways to enter:

1. You can post a comment with a photo of the project attached on the Paper Pals Facebook wall. Please label it as the "Paper Pals Product Challenge 7/10".

2. You can e-mail a photo of the project to Karen at Karen@paper-pals.com for her to post on our Facebook wall.

Project photos and links must be posted or e-mailed by midnight PST on Sunday, July 24. One lucky winner will be randomly chosen to win a goodie bag of Paper Pals products!

If you have any questions or problems, leave a comment on our blog or e-mail Karen at karen@paper-pals.com.

Go get creative!

"Sun-Kissed"

2010-07-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

Bo Bunny's new collection, "Sun-Kissed", has bright colors to complement your summer photos! I only used a few of the papers that the collection has to offer---you will love them! And, Bazzill has cardstock colors that are a perfect match!

Old Glory

2010-06-30T09:53:00.001-07:00

We R Memory Keepers has always been an old stand-by favorite of mine. I love their bold use of pattern and color. The Old Glory line inspired me to create this layout of my son. Although it is not "4th of July" themed per say, the photos were taken in July and he was at an age where he didn't really care for the loudness of real fireworks. So we compromised and blew bubble fireworks instead.

The Old Glory line came with an amazing sheet of die-cut stickers that included scalloped borders and embossed images. I added some Stickles (one of my very favorite products) for a little extra sparkle and voila, a great and meaningful layout of my son.

These cards literally took minutes to make using the die-cut sticker sheet, a little ribbon, and again, Stickles. I think it's a ton of fun to make holiday-inspired projects, especially with a line like Old Glory that does all the work for you in a super-cute way. It's kind of nice to think "inside" the box for a change.
Happy 4th of July!

Love Happens

2010-06-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

My husband and I recently celebrated our first anniversary. Since the traditional gift is paper and I'm a scrapper, well it only seemed natural to do a layout as a gift.

Used: Bazzill Kraft CS, October Afternoon letters, misc. rhinestones & buttons, clear drying glue with dimension as a border, Graphic 45 couple on the journaling spot, pattern paper - Bo-Bunny Mama-Razzi Dot & Mama-Razzi Cut-outs, Hero Arts vintage collage flowers, Vintage Cards Distress Ink - Tim Holtz, notebook border punch, .03 black journaling pen. The vintage playing cards I picked up at an antique mall somewhere in my journeys through the backroads. I sprayed them with the Archival Safe spray available at Paper Pals to ensure they would be acid-free.

Celebrating Teachers & Remembering a Special Friend

2010-06-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Details, details, details ..... Probably the words a teacher thinks about all year and now, aaahh, sunshine & summertime! The card is just one way to remember a teacher. A great thank you might be to add a envelope inside to slide a gift card in to their favorite coffee shop or book store .. or maybe even a pedicure.

The papers I used for both the card and layouts were fun, fun, fun. Lots of details, great colors, and the best part (my favorite part) -- the paper is double-sided! One thing I immediately noticed about the paper was the different personalities of the cats ... I saw alittle bit of my Neko in each one of them. The paper itself is full of personality.

So onto the details .... the subject Kitty is my childhood Neko-Chan (Japanese translation for kitten). The patterned paper was: Basic Grey Max & Whiskers; Lightening/Max 2450 & Gannett/Max 2455), Reminise Stickers - Cat, Mini-Alphas - cream. A 1" circle punch & notebook-like punch was used on the card. Embellishments: Ribbon (available at Paper Pals), glue dots, .03 black pen, and metal frame (from Paper Pals). I had fun twisting the ribbon and trying something other then just keeping it flat on the card/layout. To keep some of the 'twisties' in line I add a glue dot.

Happiness Makers

2010-06-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

I had fun playing with the same paper's that Angela just posted..."72 & Sunny"

from We R Memory Keepers. The bright colors are just perfect for kid's pictures!!

Sunny and 72 by We R Memory Keepers

2010-06-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

Love the name for this paper line... Sunny and 72. That's just about perfect. :)

After my recent trip, I had plenty of sunny pictures to share. I used a 12x12 die cut paper to make this Endless Summer layout. I cut the pictures to fit inside the die cut so that it wouldn't be hidden to much. I loved the shapes and colors!

The second layout incorporated the pattern paper with so many fun and fitting words... I simply cut out some of the most applicable words and popped them up over the top of the photos to feature them.

The pattern paper page with all the monograms gave me so many ideas-- they worked great for my second layout but I loved them most for these cards. There were still tons left over on the one 12x12 sheet that had a great pattern to use on the opposite side too.

Do you have some summer or vacation photos you could use with these bright and colorful papers???

Mama Razzi by Bo Bunny

2010-06-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

Bo Bunny's new Mama Razzi line is so great to work with! Sure, much of the printed paper and accessories are cameras and portray the Mama as Paparazzi, but the colors and flourishes on these papers are really my favorite part of the line!

By using the accessories sheet and the paper "strips" you can create really great layouts and cards, really fast!

As always, don't forget your Diamond Glaze a spot of glitter!