Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Happy National Scrapbook Month with Guest Designer Elissa Mantalas


Welcome this month's Guest Designer, Elissa Mantalas! What struck us about Elissa's scrapbooking was her ability to always tell her family's story. Whether she is doing a simple Project Life layout or a traditional 12x12 page, she is always using everyday photos of her family that we have either on our camera's or printed out at home already! She shows how easy memory keeping can be with a busy schedule as a mom, wife, and homemaker

How long have you been crafting?

In 2001, I wanted to create a scrapbook for my best friend’s wedding.  I had another friend who scrapbooked and she helped me create the scrapbook for my friend’s wedding.  After that, I scrapbooked on and off for the next two years.  When my son was 18 months old, I decided to make him a scrapbook of his first year – this was in the summer of 2007.  This time, I went to the local scrapbook store and fell in love with the assortment of all the different scrapbook supplies.  At that point, I started to learn everything I could about the more modern way of scrapbooking.  I discovered the different scrapbooking manufactures, I went onto scrapbook message boards and started following blogs of the “celebrity” scrapbookers.

What inspires you to be creative?


I find most my inspiration from patterned paper and the product themselves.  I love to pick out a piece of paper that I want to build a page around and mix and match supplies to create my layout.  I also find inspiration from challenges.  I will either use a challenge from a blog or message board.  Sometimes I will create challenges for myself – I have a jar of different techniques, products or color combinations, and I I will randomly draw two or three things from the jar that will be my challenge to create a layout around   Lastly, I will use layouts that I love (and have pinned to Pinterest) as a starting point for inspiration.  I will either scrap-lift the layout almost completely, to using the basic sketch of the layout or some of my favorite elements from the layout on my own page.

What Craft Warehouse products do you love to use?


My favorite product to shop for at Craft Warehouse is patterned paper.  I often say that I scrapbook so that I can buy patterned paper!  When I go to Craft Warehouse, I head straight for all the newest releases in the scrapbooking section.  Some of the other products I shop for at Craft Warehouse are embellishments – specifically brads, stamps, embossing powder, mists and punches.  I also like to for items that I can use for diy home décor pieces – usually canvas or wood pieces because I like to decorate my home with art that I’ve created.

How can you encourage others reading this column?

The number one thing I would say to someone who wants to start scrapbooking is to just start.  Don’t worry about “catching up” because you will never be caught up.  Scrapbook the pictures you like first.  You don’t have to scrapbook in order if you don’t want to.  If you find that you’re feeling pressure or some sort of responsibility that you ‘have’ to do this or you ‘have’ to do that, then scrapbooking won’t be fun.  And if it’s not fun, then the chances that you’ll continue scrapbooking are slim to none.  So if you want to continue scrapbooking – to preserve your family’s memories or because you like doing it or whatever other reason inspires you to scrapbook then don’t put pressure on yourself to follow a set of rules that don’t really exist.


You can also enter to win prizes the entire month of May on Instagram! This is how to play:

1. Take a photo in Instagram while you are in Craft Warehouse anytime during the month of May (no purchase necessary).

2. Tag your photo by typing "@craftwarehouse" and "#craftwarehouse" so we can see your photo!

3. Each time you post a photo between May 1st - May 30th and tag us, you can be entered to win prizes!

Fabric Collage Wall Art




We all love Pinterest, but it's time to stop searching for ideas and start creating in real life!

Use our projects as a tool: replicate the project entirely, tweak it with your favorite colors and embellishments or use it as a starting point for something even more amazing! No matter what your 'crafting' skill level, there's a project here for you!

Use a 12-piece fat quarter bundle to create a perfectly coordinated look with different fabrics!

Supplies:
  • Choose a combination of 10-12 canvases. (50% off regular prices)
  • Choose a fat quarter bundle with coordinating fabrics ($26.88 - reg. $35.99)
  • Easy Shot staple gun
  • Wood screws
  • Electric screw driver
*Sale prices good until May 30, 2013

Get our free Fabric Collage Wall Art project sheet on our website here!

Monday, April 29, 2013

Canvas-on-Canvas Display



We all love Pinterest, but it's time to stop searching for ideas and start creating in real life!

Use our projects as a tool: replicate the project entirely, tweak it with your favorite colors and embellishments or use it as a starting point for something even more amazing! No matter what your 'crafting' skill level, there's a project here for you!

Stack 2 canvases for a layered look and add a drop-in frame for a professional finish! 

Supplies:
  • 12"x12" White Canvas
  • 8"x10" Black Canvas
  • 12"x12" drop in canvas frame
  • Fat quarter of fabric
  • "Family is Everything" Plaque
  • Easy Shot staple gun
  • Double sided Scotch tape
  • E6000 Glue
* Canvas 50% off regular prices, Fat Quarters $2.25 each (reg. $2.99), and 12x12 Drop in Frame $11.99 (reg. $19.99). Sale prices good until May 30, 2013.

Get our free Canvas-On-Canvas Display project sheet on our website here!

How to Pack for a Scrapbooking Crop



Craft Warehouse is celebrating National Scrapbook Day all month long! We have asked some of our favorite scrapbook designers to share with us some scrapbooking tips!

How do you get ready for a scrapbooking crop? Do you pack your whole car up with supplies? Do you page plan? Do you get frustrated that you don't get as much done at a crop?

We are excited to ask Craft Warehouse Alumni Design Team member Elizabeth Wiederspohn, to share with us how she prepares for a scrapbooking crop. This is one of our most popular scrapbooking articles on the blog and we thought in honor of National Scrapbooking Month we asked to have her back!

 Photo of basics bag

Getting ready for a crop is something that took me a really long time to wrap my mind around. The first couple of times I brought two rolling suitcases with a bag over my shoulder which was pretty much my entire scrapbooking supply collection just in case I needed something. This drove me crazy not because of the mass amounts of stuff I had to crawl through to find things but because when I got home, I had to reorganize everything put everything away and much like my filing it never got done. Plus I didn't get much done because I spent most my time trying to figure out what I was doing and where to find things.

So after a few of these times not knowing where anything is and spending most my time organizing my stuff at the crops instead of scrapbooking I created a system. This system allows me to scrapbook mass pages during a crop and have to put away very little when I come home.

First of all I pack my basics bag (see photo above). This bag has the basic pens, cutting board, scissors, adhesive, ribbon, and tons of letter stickers in it.

Then I pack a bag of all my favorite embellishments. My current bag is a Clinique giveaway. (On a long trip I might pack two of these bags.) When finished this bag stays packed on my desk for me to pull from at any time. Pulling embellishments from a small bag saves me tons of time on my layouts.



Then I start on my photos. I take my memory cards in once a month to get pictures printed. Immediately after getting them printed I place each event in a 2.5 gallon resealable bag.



Then I place them in a Ikea storage cube until I am ready to make page kits. Sometimes I will have an idea or a piece of paper that really fits these pages right away and I slip those ideas and products in the bags before I even start making page kits.



Next, when I run out of page kits or before a crop I do a mass taking over of my living room and layout all of the bags with photos in them.



I start in one corner and work my way down the lines filling each bag with an idea from a magazine or printed online.



Then after all the bags have ideas I match the ideas and pictures with patterned paper. Making sure to Look at the idea I have and determining if I could use scraps or if full sheets of paper are needed



Then lastly I add my basic solid paper to all the bags.



There is one more step but I rarely get to it and that is journaling. I try to journal on all my pages and journaling is one of the hardest things to do at the crop. So if I am very organized I will look through all my page kits and write down the subject of each kit in a small notebook. I slip the notebook in my purse and while waiting for appointments or during breaks at work I bring out the notebook and pre-journal for the page. then I bring the notebook with me to the crop and I will have both journaling and titles for the pages ready to go. Like I said rarely does this step get finished but I try and when I have this done, that is when I can complete 10-15 pages in one night.



So in all the only things in my page kits are photos, ideas from magazines or printed online, patterned paper, and solid paper. Now when I am ready to crop I grab a bag, some page kits, and my embellishment bag and I am ready to go.



On a short trip I can get away with just bringing my one bag and a cutting board. That is a big difference from the two rolling totes and and shoulder bags.

Join us for our National Scrapbooking Event, May 4-May 6th 2013 (Wenatchee is on May 18th)!  To help celebrate there will be in store giveaways, make and takes, and special sale prices!


You can also enter to win prizes the entire month of May on Instagram! This is how to play:

1. Take a photo in Instagram while you are in Craft Warehouse anytime during the month of May (no purchase necessary).

2. Tag your photo by typing "@craftwarehouse" and "#craftwarehouse" so we can see your photo!

3. Each time you post a photo between May 1st - May 30th and tag us, you can be entered to win prizes!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Bo Bunny Isabella Giveaway


This giveaway is now closed! Thanks for playing along! Our winner is:
LOVE this. would be perfect for crops
 
We love our customers and are so thankful every day for the support you continue to give Craft Warehouse! Craft Warehouse always takes pride in building relationships with our customers! Some of our devoted customers are some of our best friends! They are the first to come to use with their latest art project about their family event, children, or even grand children! We feel like we are a part of one big family! 

That's why we are so grateful and excited to reach 9k Facebook Fans! Whoohoo! To celebrate, we are having one HUGE GIVEAWAY in addition to the Weekend Giveaway and National Scrapbook Giveaways we are having right now on Instagram!


For our 9k Giveaway, we have Bo Bunny's Isabella Collection to giveaway!


This prize pack includes 12 12x12 double sided pattern papers, 1 12x12 Chipboard Sticker Sheet, 1 package of Large Doilies, 1 package of Medium Doilies, 1 package of Small Doilies, 1 sheet of Cardstock Stickers, 1 sheet of Cardstock Scripted Alpha Stickers, 1 package of Isabella Buttons, 1 package of Isabella Trinkets, 1 package of Isabella Jewels, 1 package of Isabella Brads, 1 package of Isabella Petals, 1 package of Isabella Noteworthy, 1 package of Isabella Layered Chipboard Stickers, 1 package of Isabella Dimensional Stickers, 1 package of Licorice Jewels, 1 package of Chocolate Jewels, 1 package of Frosting Jewels, and 1 package of Glaze Jewels! That is a prize package valued over $100!


Not only can you win this prize package, but you will ALSO win this amazing Bo Bunny tote that matches the collection!




To enter to win, you can...

1. Comment here! We need to be able to contact you if you win! If your email is not attached to your profile, please add an email address in your comments making sure to add spaces as shown: email (at) address (dot) com. Thank you!

2. Share our giveaway via Facebook by clicking "share" on our Facebook post, then come back here and tell us that you did.

3. Share our giveaway via Twitter, then come back here and tell us that you did.

4. Pin our giveaway via Pinterest, then come back and tell us that you did.

One winner will be picked via Random.org on May 7th, 2013!

*We ship in the US only thank you.


You can also enter to win prizes the entire month of May on Instagram! This is how to play:

1. Take a photo in Instagram while you are in Craft Warehouse anytime during the month of May (no purchase necessary).

2. Tag your photo by typing "@craftwarehouse" and "#craftwarehouse" so we can see your photo!

3. Each time you post a photo between May 1st - May 30th and tag us, you can be entered to win prizes!


Jewelry Keeper Canvas



We all love Pinterest, but it's time to stop searching for ideas and start creating in real life!

Use our projects as a tool: replicate the project entirely, tweak it with your favorite colors and embellishments or use it as a starting point for something even more amazing! No matter what your 'crafting' skill level, there's a project here for you!

Add hooks to the edge of your canvas to hang light objects! 

Supplies:
  • 2 - 5"x7" White Canvas
  • 2 - Fat Quarters of your choice $2.25 each (reg. $2.99)
  • Clear Crazy Tackz $1.99 (reg. $2.99)
  • Metal bird on a stick (Floral Dept.)
  • Easy Shot staple gun
  • E6000 Glue 


 
These work great for adding to any jewelry holder or bulletin board

 *Sale prices good through May 30, 2013

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Organizational Boards



We all love Pinterest, but it's time to stop searching for ideas and start creating in real life!

Use our projects as a tool: replicate the project entirely, tweak it with your favorite colors and embellishments or use it as a starting point for something even more amazing! No matter what your 'crafting' skill level, there's a project here for you!

Add cork or a metal sheet to your canvas before wrapping in fabric to create a trendy "get organized" area!

Supplies:
  • 16"x20" White Deep Canvas $9.50 (reg $18.99)
  • 2 - 12"x12" White Deep Canvas $5.75 (reg $11.49)
  • 12"x12" metal sheet $4.99 (reg $3.99)
  • 12"x12" Cork sheet $2.99 (reg $3.99)
  • 3 - fat quarters of fabric $2.25 (reg $2.99)
  • Crazy Tacks
  • 6 Yards of ribbon
  • E6000 Glue
  • Easy Shot staple gun
  • American Crafts medium black brads
  • Zva Rhinestones (for the top of the brads)
* Dots and Chevron Cotton Print Fabric by the yard 30% off regular prices ($10.99 per yard). Sale prices good until May 30, 2013

Print your free Organizational Board project sheet on our website here!

Friday, April 26, 2013

Heartfelt Instagram Canvas Art



We all love Pinterest, but it's time to stop searching for ideas and start creating in real life!

Use our projects as a tool: replicate the project entirely, tweak it with your favorite colors and embellishments or use it as a starting point for something even more amazing! No matter what your 'crafting' skill level, there's a project here for you!

Supplies:
  • 20"x20" White Canvas $10.99 (regular $21.99)
  • 11 - 2x3 Mini Canvas $1 (regular $1.99)
  • 14 - 2x2 Mini Canvas $1 (regular $1.99)
  • Black Acrylic Paint
  • FolkArt Black Chalk Paint
  • White Chalk
  • Glitz "Uncharted Waters" Paper Collection 6x6 paper pad, What Knots, Rhinestone Stickers, peek-a-boos & Title Stickers
  • Pioneer embellishment glue sticks
  • Glossy accents
  • Metal plaques (YOR/3018)
  • TomBow Permanent Tape Runner
  • Easy Shot Staple Gun
Do you use Instagram? Turn your favorite Instagram photos into a work of art. We put each photo onto a mini canvas for dimension! Add keepsakes for even more sentimental value!

Did you know Craft Warehouse is now on Instagram? Follow us @craftwarehouse and tag #craftwarehouse through the entire month of May to enter to win prizes all month long! Check out more details here!

Get your free Heartfelt Instagram Canvas Art project sheet on our website here! Sale prices good until May 30, 2013

National Scrapbook Month Guest Designer Stephanie Howell


Craft Warehouse is celebrating National Scrapbook Day all month long! We have asked some of our favorite scrapbook designers to share with us what scrapbooking means to them! Stephanie Howell is mom to four girls that keep her on her toes! We love how she still makes time in her busy schedule to document life, no matter how crazy it can get! You can follow Stephanie on her blog, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!



As seen above, NEW My Mind's Eye Collections NOW in stores!

How long have you been scrapbooking?

Seven and a half years or so.

What keeps you motivated to document your life?

The fact that there is so much I wish I knew about my mom and my life when I was younger. I try to get down the little stuff because i would LOVE to know that sort of info. I just hope my girls are into it one day, too. HA!

What do you use the most to take photos with?

Point and shoot, Digital SLR, or your Phone Camera? lately? my iPhone 4. i just don't like to lug around my DSLR and when i get it out it often kills the spontaneity of the moment.

What is on your scrapbook table right now?

A bunch of project life ephemera.

What do you do to celebrate National Scrapbook Day?

I don't. :) My daughter's birthday is may 3. So that means that the first weekend in May is spent celebrating Miss Harper. I think I have been throwing a birthday party for every single NSD for the past 7 years.

Join us for our National Scrapbooking Event, May 4-May 6th 2013 (Wenatchee is on May 18th)!  To help celebrate there will be in store giveaways, make and takes, and special sale prices!


You can also enter to win prizes the entire month of May on Instagram! This is how to play:

1. Take a photo in Instagram while you are in Craft Warehouse anytime during the month of May (no purchase necessary).

2. Tag your photo by typing "@craftwarehouse" and "#craftwarehouse" so we can see your photo!

3. Each time you post a photo between May 1st - May 30th and tag us, you can be entered to win prizes!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Love Love Love Canvas Projects



We all love Pinterest, but it's time to stop searching for ideas and start creating in real life!

Use our projects as a tool: replicate the project entirely, tweak it with your favorite colors and embellishments or use it as a starting point for something even more amazing! No matter what your 'crafting' skill level, there's a project here for you!


 Here are the tools you will need to create your stencil template:
  • Fiskers Precision  knife
  • Steel Ruler or ruler with steel edger
  • Blank Stencil Sheet
  • Sharpie fine point marker
  • Cutting Matt




Start by printing your letters "LOVE" In Rockwell Bold font, size 475
Then place the letters under the stencil and trace then with a Sharpie. 
Notice How the "O" in Love is tilted?


 Cut out your stencil with precision knife. Make sure your letters connect and save the inside of the "O" and "V"

Supplies: 
  • 12"x12" Black Canvas
  • Martha Stewart Extra Fine Glitter or Darice Rhinestones
  • Foam Brush .75" wide
  • Beeswax pick up stick (helps with bling project, find in Jewelry Department)

 To create "Bling" or "Glitter" LOVE simply trace your stencil with the yellow watercolor pencil on to canvas. Then Use Martha Stewart Glitter Glue and foam brush to add your bling or glitter.



Supplies:
  • 12"x12" Deep White Canvas
  • Montana Gold "Red" Spray paint
  • 2 - Darcie Battery Powered teeny lights
  • Removable pop-dots or tape 
  • Small Nail & hammer
  • Duck Tape
  • Cardboard or Styrofoam for support when you hammer nails into canvas
To Create "Lit Up" LOVE tape down your outer stencil placing the center of the "O" and "V" and the space between the L & O. once secured on the canvas Spray paint red. Once dry remove your stencil. Place Styrofoam or cardboard under canvas for support. Then hammer small holes for your mini lights to go through. Poke light through the holes then tape battery pack to the back of your canvas.

Tip: If you place one battery pack inside in the bottom corners this will help you canvas hang straight.

To get our free Light Up My Love Canvas project sheet visit our website here!