Tuesday, April 22, 2014

DIY // Shaker Cards

Included in a pen pal booklet I did, I made a shaker card. Today, I'll show you my process in how I make them!

Materials needed: project life sheet protectors (I used the sheet protectors from the mini albums), fillers (sequins, confetti, small wood veneer pieces or chip board), scissors/trimmer, and a sewing machine.



First, take the sheet protector and trim them down. Whats nice about this is that you know that if you sew inside the original lines, these shaker cards will fit perfectly in any project life sheet protectors.



Then, you fill the shaker card with whatever you please, but try not to make it too bulky. Here I used a combination of sequins, and wood veneer stars, all from Studio Calico. Making confetti out of left over scraps is also perfect for this. Also threw in a tag with a quote on one side and a stamped image on the other.



Last part is sewing inside the original sheet protector lines on all four sides. (or just on the sides that are open)



And this is a bonus step - if you want to add any glitter, before you sew your last side closed, you can add a little (or a lot ;) lol)



No sewing machine, you say? No problem! This is easily remedied a couple of ways.

One way to have a no-sew pocket is to use washi tape to seal the ends. Another way to have a no-sew pocket is to use paper scraps, fold them over the edges, and either use a glue runner or a mini attacher/stapler to seal the shaker card closed.



And that's it! What's fun about shaker cards is that you can get really creative with the filling, and its a great way to use scraps and confetti made from hole punches! You can also find other ways to create a no-sew shaker card here, on the Studio Calico blog.



*note: I am not a design member or endorsed by Studio Calico, I just really love their products, and I always get ideas from their blog and community, so I'm just giving credit where credit is due, haha. ;)

Monday, April 21, 2014

DIY // Heart Tabs

A couple days ago I posted about the first pen pal booklet I made and it had these cute little heart tabs! Here, I'll show you how I made them, it's so easy!

All the tools you need are: Heart punch, mini glue dots, washi tape, project life card (or any paper for that matter!)



First, I took a project life card (those cards are so useful!) and I taped washi tape I liked to the back of it.



Then, I used my heart punch to get a bunch of hearts from the card. I honestly use this heart punch way more than I expected to when I first bought it. I love using it to add little heart confetti to my letters and for little projects like this!



Then, I took a mini glue dot and put it on the back of the heart like so...



Then I placed it on the edge of my booklet page with the top of the hearts peeking off the page so you can see them!



And TA-DA! That's it! See, I told you it was easy! :)



I love how little simple things like these heart tabs can really add onto a project or a letter. I can think of so many ways to use these! Can't wait till I can get punches in other shapes! If you end up using this tutorial, please tag #ughiloveitblog, I'd love to see it in action!  XxXx - Jez

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Snail Mail // Pen Pal Booklet

I just wanted to post my first Pen Pal booklet that I made for my IG friend Sarah (@sarazorel) from Sarah vs The World! She made me this cute pen pal booklet first, then I was inspired to make her one back!

So I was thinking, what can I use for my pages that won't weigh down my letter (since you know, more weight = more postage! lol), and I remembered I had a lot of vellum left from a pack I bought a long time ago. I printed some designs on some vellum the previous night so I had this wonky heart vellum page available to use! I used some simple black Thickers to spell out her name on the cover.




I had some gold glitter cardstock in my stash so I cut a heart out of it and used some other skinny white alphas to write out "Hi". I love the cloudy transparency of vellum and how you can still see the wonky hearts printed on the cover.







The next spread I used a glue runner and stuck a project life folded journaling card on the left page. I never knew what to do with those cards in my project life, but they seem perfect for snail mail and booklets! I made some vellum envelopes the other night using my silhouette, so I stuck one on the left page to hold my letter.






Here, I used washi tape to stick a watercolored quote card I made awhile ago on the left side. Then on the right side I used a kraft envelope I had and stuck a large tag that fit nicely in it for my mail tag answers. Get it? Mail Tag? hehe..






In the middle of the booklet, I used another project life folded journaling card for the mail tag questions I'll be asking her, as well as my own answers to those questions. Sarah answered her own mail tag questions in her letter to me, and I thought that was a good idea.






This spread contained a shaker card I made for her project life. I am planning on doing a shaker card tutorial soon, so keep an eye out for that out ;). I also used some skinny washi on one page to write her a note. What's nice about writing on washi tape is that if you mess up, you can just take the washi tape off and start over! I had some ink smears on this page for some reason so I tried to cover it up with some gold sequins, lol.






On the next page I cut up a project life page protector and used a glue runner to stick it to the page, then I used it as a clear pocket to hold the project life cards I'm giving Sarah. The next page is another vellum envelope I made, smaller than the first one, to hold any little goodies I would gift her. I had an unfortunate ink pad accident on this page which resulted me in trying to cover it up with the black and white washi tape, lol.






The last page has a small note for Sarah, using another project life card. I used washi tape to stick it onto the page in case she wants to use the other side for her project life. There was some more ink smears (darn!) but it's ok, lesson learned: if you print on vellum, give it ample time to dry before handling!






In case you were wondering, I used my sewing machine to bind this booklet together since it was too large for my tiny attacher. I had fun putting this together and I will probably experiment more with booklets!






A small little detail I loved from this booklet are the "tabs" I made. I will post a tutorial up about this soon! :)

DIY heart tabs!




If you liked the paper design I used for the cover, I made it available for download here! If you end up using it, please tag #ughiloveitblog so I can see it in action! :)


Monday, April 14, 2014

Project Life // Embellishments

As I was introduced to project life, my eyes were also opened to all the new things that were out there. There were classic embellishments that were re-imagined, and there were embellishments that I never even heard of before until now. Here are a list of things I use and things I've seen on many project life spreads.

Embellishments!


Enamel Dots // These little dots come in all sizes and basic shapes (but you will mostly see them as dots) and adds that pop of color and 3D element easily since they already have adhesive on the back.

Enamel Dots


Sequins // Before, the only way I would ever think of sequins is with clothes. Now, they are used to add that little sumthin sumthin, or pop of color, similar to enamel dots. You can see me use a lot of sequins in my spread to also make it more cohesive. Another reason why I love sequins is that you can get a lot for less money.

Sequins


Wood Veneers // These come in all shapes, sizes, and also in alphas. I love the look of these on layouts, it adds a fun detail without taking too much attention away from other elements, like photos. For the most part I like to keep them "naked", but I have seen them painted, inked, or even embossed. The one thing about these though, is that most of the time I have to bust out the tacky glue to adhere these to my PL cards, otherwise I would just use glue dots or my mini attacher.

Wood Veneer


Chipboard // Most of the time, you will see chipboard shapes as stickers which makes it really easy to add another 3D design element to your spreads. They come in all sorts of designs and

Chipboard


Cork // This is newer type of embellishment that I would like to play around with more. I have seen many people buy cork sheets and make shapes using die cuts or even with their silhouette. I have also seen others stamp on cork pieces and they look so cute. Most of the time cork shapes come without an adhesive backing, but I use glue dots or my tiny attacher and it works just fine.

Cork


Cut Files/Die Cuts // I also want to play around with cut files more. I love how I've seen many others use them, but I haven't really had the chance to get to experiment with these. I don't have a die cut machine, but I do have a Silhouette Cameo. Aside from shapes and letters you can cut out, I've seen many people create their own PL cards with cut files. Also with the Silhouette, you have the design studio where you can basically cut anything you create in the program. It's another part of project life I need to explore more of.

Cut Files


Stamping // Stamping has been around forever in the paper craft industry, but now they have so much more than traditional wood block stamps. Cling stamps and roller stamps for example are becoming more popular in the scrap booking/project life world. They add some nice dimension or little phrase/date that your card might need.

Stamping


Paper Clips // This again, is not something new, but something old; re-imagined. There are so many colors and shapes that have come out that can add that extra 3D element you're looking for.

Paper Clips


Stitching // Hand-stitching is now easier with stencil kits and embroidery tools. Some also use their sewing machine to help attach other elements or just to give it that little something extra and that shabby chic feel.

Hand Stitching on a photo


Flair // This is another embellishment I haven't had much of a chance to play around with, but I do like the way it looks when I use it on a card. These are fun because they add that 3D element and they can have fun sayings or designs on them.

Flair


Do you embellish your pages or do you keep it simple? Which are your new favorites? There's so much more to explore, so many options to choose from, I love it.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Project Life // Week 14

Week 14 Spread

Most of the cards from week 14 are from Studio Calico's Bluegrass Farm kit, then I supplemented with some 4x6 cards and paper from my stash. I was actually playing catch up on my project life and this was the 2nd spread I did this week and it came together pretty quickly since I got my process down now.

Week 14 // Right side
Week 14 // Left side


My favorite card in this spread is the one of me and Bren at the beach. My husband took the picture and I just loved it so much. It went perfect with the cork alphas.

Week 14 // Detail
Week 14 // Detail
I really love the cork alphas from this kit. I almost wanted to hoard them, lol. I also love that they included skinny washi. Now that Lent is almost over, it's almost time to add more to my stash! I have a couple ideas I want to execute, but I haven't been able to since I gave up shopping for Lent. Looking forward to sharing it here!

Friday, April 11, 2014

Project Life // Week 13

Week 13 Spread

Week 13 was fun because of all the bright colors. The PL cards came from Studio Calico's Office Hours Report Add-On kit and Amy Tangerine's Plus One mini kit. Another slower week with pictures, but that was easily remedied with filler quote cards that I loved.

Week 13 // Left side
Week 13 // Right side

I took a bit of inspiration from Ali Edward's project life and started underlining my journaling. I kind of fell in love with how it turned out so I might just keep doing that.

Week 13 // Detail
Week 13 // Detail

My favorite card I think is the simple black and white one of Bren pointing at the two dogs outside. He loves those dogs. I'm so glad he's not afraid of them, because they're quite bigger than him, lol.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Project Life // Week 12

Holy Cannoli, it's been awhile my readers! I am sorry for the lack of posts lately, but for some reason I have just been so busy (or tired) lately.

Speaking of lack of things, I am behind on my project life! I just finished Week 12, but I still have Week 13 and Week 14 to do! Eep! I was doing so good, but then I got sidetracked by other crafty hobbies (yup, still working on that first quilt!) and of course every day life and events. This is the most behind I've been, so hopefully this weekend I can catch up and write a couple posts while I'm at it.

For Week 12 I decided to try using all monochrome colored PL cards: white/black/grey from the Amy Tangerine Plus One mini kit and my Midnight Edition core kit. Then I used embellishments to add pops of color here and there.

Week 12 Spread

This week was a busy week, but for some reason I didn't have that many pictures, so I had to be creative and use some filler cards. I also went a little more simple than I usually do this week because I was on a time constraint and also because I am trying to catch up on my Project Life.

Week 12 // Left side
Week 12 // Right side

My favorite card is the one that is titled "My Girls". I love the striped background with the pops of mustard yellow through the use of alphas and enamel dots.

Week 12 // Details

To be completely honest, this isn't my favorite spread. I wish I had more time to work on it, or more pictures from the week, but I'm not really one to linger, so I just finished it so I can move on. I have plenty more weeks to do, so plenty of more opportunities to be creative! As I always say, this is supposed to be fun, not stressful. Thank goodness for my bullet journal too, because I was able to refer to it to remember what happened that week (because, lets be honest, I can't even remember what I did 3 days ago!).

I have a 2 week break from work coming up to bond with my baby before he turns the big O-N-E, so hopefully during that time I can squeeze a bit of crafting! :)