Write. Click. Scrapbook.

Pretty Paper: Party Time!

Hi Everyone! I'm back today with birthday party decorations made with...patterned paper! Pretty paper can be used for lots of fun party decor like cupcake toppers, banners, favors, frames, and my personal favorite: pinwheels! 

Handmade decorations give birthday parties an extra special, whimsical feel. And guests oooh and ahhhh over anything handmade, no matter how simple. For my daughter's carnival/circus themed party, I browsed etsy for ideas, googled tutorials, and made all my own decorations lickity split. My friends thought I spent days on things that took a few hours.

 

I decorated a frame of the birthday girl with paper and a fabric bunting (which could also be made from paper!):

 

 

And made some paper pinwheels which I secured with brads and hot glued to dowels to use as centerpieces:

 

 

Jennie also made some beautiful pinwheel party decorations:

 

 

 

Valerie made some gorgeous cupcake toppers with pretty paper:

 

 

And a matching birthday banner that could not be cuter or more festive:

 

 

Party favors like these cute butterflies add a special touch to goody bags:

 

 

Finally, pretty paper can even be used to make a handmade gift for the birthday girl or boy. I altered this Jenga game by mod podging patterned paper to the pieces, and then hand writing numbers on each piece to create a fun addition and subtraction game for my oldest daughter.

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Make sure you come back tomorrow for an awesome giveaway:  Studio Calico has generously sponsored a giveaway featuring their gorgeous Darling Dear line! Trust me, you don't wanna miss it!

Pretty Paper: Home Decor

Hi Everyone! I'm back today to share some home decor projects created with patterned paper. Pretty paper is an easy, cheap way to decorate and personalize your living space. You can dress up frames, canvases, printer's trays, letters or anything you can think of with patterned paper. Pinterest is an amazing source of inspiration for home decor projects, and I have a pin board filled with all kinds of things that I'd like to make to jazz up my house. Sometimes I copy the pins just as they are, but more often I change up the design to make it my own.

 

Frames

Frames are super easy to decorate and alter with patterned paper. You can cut paper to replace the photo mat in glass covered frames, you can create your own mats to transform a vintage frame into art, or you can frame a beautiful piece of handmade art.

 

 

 

Sarah created this amazing alphabet art using patterned paper and QuicKutz dies. Seriously gorgeous!

 

 

 

You can also use 12x12 frames to turn your scrapbook layouts into wall art, or use vintage supplies to create something new. 

 

 

 

Emily S. made some super cute frames to decorate her space as well:

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, if your life is as crazy and chaotic as mine, you can provide a little order with a large 18x24 inch frame, some patterned paper, letter stickers and a dry erase marker. 

 

 

Canvases

Canvases are a quick and easy way to decorate your space. I made this very simple art for my youngest daughter's bedroom with a pre-made 18x24 canvas, patterned paper, ribbon, a button, and mod podge.

 

 

Sarah created these awesome pixilated canvases for her son's room with a square punch and patterned paper:

 

 

 

Christa created this fun spring piece with patterned paper and bright embellishments:

 

 

 

Letters

There are no shortage of letters of every size available at craft stores. Adding patterned paper to wood, plastic, or chipboard letters with a little mod podge is a super easy way to turn letters into home decor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Printer's Trays

Lisa O. created these gorgeous printer's trays with pretty paper and other embellishments. Printer's trays are an easy way to give your home a serious wow factor.

 

 

 

If your home is feeling a little bland and you are on a budget, grab some pretty paper and create something fun and easy to spruce up your space! I'll be back tomorrow with some party decorations made with patterned paper.

 

Thanksgiving Week

We hope that you are enjoying Thanksgiving prep week! With only a week to go, we hope you are finding inspiration and looking forward to your own festivities.

 

On Tuesday, one of finest readers, Sue, left us a comment telling us about an album she made last year from her family's gratitude lists. We loved the idea and wanted to help all of you to make something so wonderful. So Marnie put together a printable for you. It is a 4x6 card with room for a photo and journaling.

First, download the printable. (You may download it here.) We put three on a page to make it easy for you!

Next, print as many as you will need for all your guests. Trim them apart and have them ready for everyone. The grey rectangle is 2x3 and is waiting for a photo, so be sure to ask everyone to smile!

Once you have collected your cards, you can spiffy them up or leave them plain. Once you add a cover, you will have a wonderful memory album!

And, if your family happens to be apart, no worries! Each household could download a page, fill it out, and then send to the designated assembler!

 

Next up, we have an album that will be a Gratitude-In-Pictures album. We put together a set of photo overlays for you that will fit on 4x6 photos. SImply gather photos that fit the themes and then cut and paste the overlays on top. It's a quick and easy way to put together a gratitude mini of another kind.

You may download the overlays here. This is how they will look. (Your photo will take the place of the brown background.) 

 

Marnie put together a few pages for her album to give you an idea of how it will look on your photos.

 

We hope you enjoy these ideas for putting together a shared album and a picture album! We would love to hear if you enjoy them! Thank you! See you for our final day tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Week

Hello and happy Monday! This week we are coming together to provide you with inspiration for celebrating and preserving your Thanksgiving festivities. We are looking forward to a fun week filled with home decor, layouts, and more!

Today, let's bring a little holiday magic to your home.

 

Thanksgiving Banners

Have you considered a banner? They are still very much the rage, from flags, to scallops, to anything strung beautifully together.

Monika created a classy banner that would be quick to recreate in a pinch.

Monika has kindly provided a free download for the letters available here. Print them out, trim the tags (as rectangles, or cut out a "v" from the bottom, if you would prefer), then fold the top over some twine, and add a bit of patterned paper. Or washi tape? Either would work great. Monika has some additional hints on her blog.

 

Or, if you have a bit more time, you could try this one that Marnie made.

A selection of patterned papers, color matched to the season, some ribbon, and chipboard letters is all that you need to put this banner together. The holiday colors add so much to fall decor. 

 

Wall Art

Put together a bit of patterned paper and a few letter stickers, or a handful of digital elements at a few mintues at the computer, and you can create some fun artwork for your Thanksgiving celebrations.

Marnie used this kit from Crystal Wilkerson to put together a bit of love for her wall. One paper, one journaling frame, and a couple of free fonts was all that she needed to make this.

Monika put together a subway art that you can see in the banner picture above. Here it is zoomed in a bit.

Putting the subway art in a frame with a wide matte makes it clean and classy. (And saves on ink!!)

 

Extra

We found this Thankful Tree as we were browsing online. It couldn't be sweeter.

::source::

We love how it doubles not just as decor, but also as a way of preserving some thoughts about our lives at this time.

 

Similarly, we love this next one as it preserves the finger size of our littles. Who knew wedding decor could be so helpful for Thanksgiving?

::source::

 

Lastly, if you are looking for a fun autumnal craft to do with your little, try this one.

Marnie's kindergartner made this one at her fall class party. Two cupcake liners, a leftover toilet paper roll, and a bit of cardstock is all you will need to make this delightful little owl.

 

That's all for today! Thank you for dropping by and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Map Week: Maps As Home Decor & Map Grab Bag

I had originally planned our last day of the week with a "Maps As Home Decor" theme, but several team members shared some projects and a tutorial that didn't fit anywhere, so we're going to throw it all in here today so you don't miss any mappy (yes, I just made that word up) goodness.

Without further ado, let's look at some more ways to use maps!

Maps As Home Decor

Paula shared an absolutely wonderful (and simple!) home decor project that I adore:

See that? That's Paula and her husband in map form. Paula covered chipboard people with maps showing where she and her husband are from. (In case you can't read the maps, Paula is from Ireland and her husband is from Boston.) Two chipboard shapes + two maps + a heart sticker + a frame = instant, meaningful, classy, mappy home decor. What could be better?

Map Grab Bag

Let's start this section with a couple of mini-album projects.

First up is a travel mini-album cover that Katie created.

Aren't the layered maps and cameras fun?

Francine created adventure books as party favors for her son's birthday party. The party theme was based on the movie "Up."

I know my kids would love to have received something like this in a goody bag!

Our last grab bag item is a tutorial that Christine pointed us to. This is something for all you digi folks out there! It's a Photoshop tutorial on how to do map shapes on a digi page, along with a FREE template of the U.S. map!

How To Create a Scrap-worthy Map with Photoshop

And Thus Ends Map Week

Thank you to all of you for hanging out with us this week! Be sure to tune in next week when we will have a special Thanksgiving Theme Week put together by the write. click. scrapbook. team!

Tagalicious - Part 1

 

Hi, it's Sarah Pendergrast here again today to share fun ideas for creating tags, using different bits and pieces from your stash. With November on our doorstep, I've decided to focus mainly on Christmas, but these ideas can be used for all occasions.  Here are some ideas to get you started, using a package of shipping tags from an office supply store.

1. Use your stamps

2. Use fabric

3. Use chipboard

4. Use your die cutting machine

5. Wrap a ribbon around the middle

6. Embellish with bling

7. Use strips of washi tape

8. Use stickers

9. Use buttons

10. Use a mask and spray ink

11. Go glittery

12. Add some flair

13. Use a doily

14. Use your punches

15. Use some twine

 

I hope this inspires you to grab what you have and just start creating. These tags are super quick, and could also be used in December Dailies, Project Life, or on your pages...come back Friday!

To finish up, here's a few birthday tags that I whipped up using strips of washi tape, stamps and spray ink.

just when you think you have forgotten...

... someone's birthday, or boss' day, or your very own anniversary, you remember, "I am a scrapbooker! I have the supplies and the know-how to make one!" 

And so you do. In just a matter of minutes, you can create a card as lovely as this.

This birthday card was created by Paula. She is really very talented. She found the perfect letter stickers for this one, with its narrow "y" and skinny "i" so that she could fit four letters on one line. And that tiny little birthday hat sticker? It's the perfect addition!

 

What if your bestie's baby comes early? and you don't have time to stop at the drugstore? No matter. A quick stop by your scrapping table will get you this:

Which is far better anyways. ps wouldn't your bestie feel very un-bestie if you showed up with a store bought card anyway? just sayin'...

Paula made this one, too. That tag behind is worth a good giggle on a baby card with its year, make model, serial, color, extras, and price. Heehee. Clever usage, Paula!

 

And that wedding for a co-worker of your husband that he forgot to add to the family calendar? No trouble.

Now, if only finding a sitter were that easy! Thank you, Paula, for this one, too.

 

There is never a need to be without one. 

You can even make a belated seasonal card. Are you dreadful about getting to the post office on time. Or even worse, you fail to get to the store on time? And even though you are at the store just as it is opening the morning after the holiday, the cards have magically disappeared. Poof! Gone! And sadness fills you.

But then you remember, "Hey, wait! I am a scrapbooker! I don't need Hallmark to make me whole! I can make it myself!" Ooh, now that is some good magic! Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, Halloween... totally taken care of! No matter the date on the calendar.

Paula made this one. Isn't it darling? The woodgrain is perfect and the stacked photos are delightful.

 

And because we are all better when we are prepared, than when we are hurrying, we leave you with this card. If you sit and make it today, you will be 24 days ahead of schedule. And that will feel nice!

It was made by Jennie McGarvey. One of our wcs friends. The layered patterns are very on trend while the design is very traditional. What a perfect blend. And a good non-gender card. Which are sometimes hard to find at the store.

 

We hope you will bookmark this post and use it as reference when you need some quick cards. Or for when you have some scraps to use up. Cards are perfect for that, and building you own card shop is a magnificent idea!

Happy Monday!

Try This at Home

A terrific side benefit of scrapbooking is all the craft supplies that you have on hand for making holidays more festive. It's so fun to just open a drawer and pull out what you need to make fun things. 

Lisa used some oogly eyes, masking tape, and toilet paper rolls to create the cutest mummies in the house. Because of the layered masking tape, they are really quite sturdy.

And if your children help you make them, they will love them for years to come. Don't you long for the homemade decorations from your own childhood homes?

With some help from her kindergartner, Marnie soaked some cheesecloth in watered down white glue to create these fun ghosts.

Once you have the wey cheesecloth, drape it over a small balloon (like your summer leftover water balloons) and let it dry. Maybe some oogly eyes would work on these, too!

 

Celeste used her digi skills and her amazing paper crafting abilities to put together some treat toppers.

If you create a foldover treat topper, you don't have to find fancy bags, but can instead go with regular ziploc baggies for the treats. Much cheaper.

 

Celeste she also made these adorable pencil toppers! What a great gift for classmates!

Can't you also imagine them atop a cupcake? With some lovely buttercream frosting? Or perhaps an orange velvet cupcake with cream cream frosting?

 

If you have some diamond glaze and basic jewelry pieces on hand, you can make some custom Halloween earrings. For the first pair, Marnie printed a text box with the words boo and eek

and for the second pair, she printed a clipart ghost. Once printed, she just trimmed the art to size with her paper trimmer (like the ones above) or punched it out with a circle punch (like the ones below). First adhere the art with regular adhesive and then add diamond glaze on top! Really that's all that's needed. (Be sure to wait for the glaze to cure. Patience is a virtue. And uncured glaze is fingerprintable.)

 

We hope that these give you some ideas for making your Halloween more fun! We hope you will share your holiday crafts with us, too!

Tomorrow we get back to our roots... We can't wait to see you back again!

Something Spooky This Way Comes

This week we are getting you ready for Halloween! All week we will be bringing you ideas for your home, your kids, and your scrapbooks! Let's get our spooky on...

 

Home Decor

Halloween lends itself to the most wonderful decorations. It's got to be the luscious colors of autumn combined with the dark shadows of Halloween. And nowadays, Halloween papers are filled with graphic scrolls, flourishes, and elements that make possible items that are grown up and kitsch free.

Diane put together a Halloween cone with a piece of patterned paper and some holiday frill. Add a timepiece, a pair of sparkly bats, some candy, and it just doesn't get better.

 

Using the same fringe, Diane coordinated her candle decor. This is a quick way to dress up your candles for the season, and it's easy to switch out once November comes.

Here is a closeup so you can see the glitter and the pennant.

Having fallen in love with the new October Afternoon Witch Hazel line, Katie used the stickers and some papers to put together this amazing wall art.

We knew you would want a close up. Isn't it adorable? (in a spooky way, of course!)

And speaking of wall art, Paula and Marnie made some too! Paula rocked the web by making every section a different pattern. First she used her Silhouette to cut out the spider web and then she added each of the patterns by hand. Truly a work of art.

 

For her, not nearly as elaborate, but still festive print, Marnie searched online for dictionary pages with Halloween on them. She found one, downloaded it, and used it as her background. Adding a digital flourish from Echo Park and the word "boo" she printed it on regular white cardstock. 

Here is a closeup.

Then for a bit of whimsy, using two parentheses, a digital black cat, and a new favorite font, Marnie made a 4x6 print that she put in the backside of a $1 frame from Ikea.

 

Perhaps Halloween decor is fun as we just don't take the holiday too seriously. How could you take a candy holiday seriously? All those candy corns and bitesized snacks... Mmm. Did I make you hungry?

Tomorrow we will be back with some projects you can do with your kids! See you then! And if you have any Halloween home decor you have made, we would love to see it in our Flickr gallery. We will be checking all week and featuring your week here Friday if you want to add some in!

Jewelry featuring The Twinery

All this week, our write. click. scrapbook. members will be showcasing projects, layouts, cards and altered items featuring baker's twine from The Twinery. I've had a sneak at what will be featured and you're going to love it all! 

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday from me, Monika, Alexandra and Marnie. We're triple-teaming you today with some out-of-the-box projects all created using baker's twine from The Twinery.

 

JEWELRY

At one time, I knew how to crochet, but have since forgotten. Too bad because these are so cute. Oh, Alexandra, are you available for one-on-one tutoring? 

Blossom

Cantaloupe

Denim

 

Using some Pink Sorbet twine and a button, I created this bracelet using a macrame tutorial I had Pinned and just knew I was going to give it a try. The bracelet has an adjustable closure so I can easily take it on and off by myself. I wear the gold ring bracelet every day, which has a length of Caribbean {one of my Top 3 favorite shades}.

 

 

CHRISTMAS CRAFTS

Marnie has created two fun holiday crafts that will add such an impact to her decor and even be great little projects to do with the kids during their break. Here, Marnie used a shower curtain ring, Maraschino baker's twine and a bit of ribbon. So cute.

 

 

The grouping of trees, using twigs from the yard in their mini "snow-filled" bowls, makes me smile. In the order they appear, Honeydew, Peapod and Seaweed rounds out this cute arrangement.

 

 

Is it ever too early to begin on Christmas cards? Monika used generally the same design, just changing the position of the metal-rimemd tags for each of her cards to help her craft quite a few cards in a short period of time.

 

YEAR ROUND DECOR

After designing her own art print, Marnie used The Twinery twine to embroider her rainbow and cloud, adding an extra bit of dimension and a big dose of adorable.

 

And her spool covered in Marigold baker's twine completes her vignette here perfectly.

 

 

AND ONE MORE

Alexandra's layouts always tell her story in such an artistic way. She's wrapped her paint swatches in a bit of Peapod.

 

 

And we have even more goodies for you tomorrow! 

 

write. click. scrapbook. is pleased to have had the opportunity to team up with The Twinery in creating our projects this week. Connect with The Twinery on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Flickr.

The Twinery's twine is made from 100% cotton, it's eco-friendly and made in the USA. Whether you're gift wrapping, crafting or tying up baked goods to give to a friend, their baker's twine adds a fresh, yet nostalgic look to any project at hand! Baker's twine from The Twinery comes in 22 delicious colors and is uniquely twisted against a bright white hue, creating an eye-popping burst of color and a creative embellishment! And all that color lends to a fun, candy-striped look.