Creative Imaginations Blog

The story of Three Princesses!

Once upon a time there were three princesses named Riley, Lindsay and Madeline.  These girls were blessed with intelligence, beauty, good health…*AND*…a crafty aunt! One day, the crafty aunt saw Bare Elements Reyna Castle Books in her local scrapbook store, and she knew immediately the perfect gift for princesses had been found!”

Hi, I am Lauren Bergold, the crafty aunt in question.  When I found these adorable mini-books last fall, I may have actually done a happy little dance right in the store! Two of my nieces had just been to Disney world, and my brother had given me an entire disc full of breathtaking princess pictures. Probably the hardest part of the entire project was narrowing down to just eight 2.5x3“ photos, two 3.5" squares and a 3.5x5" cover photo for each girl. My youngest niece, Madeline, did not go on that vacation, but I had plenty of princess photos of her from various other occasions: Halloween, birthday parties, "Princesses on Ice" and so forth. From those I chose my favorites.

Supplies:

• Bare Elements Reyna Castle Books
• Art Warehouse Fresh Collection, as well as other manufacturers
• Other:  Stickers, photo corners, brads, sequins, Bling crowns, flowers and heart pins
• Glitter glue, Fine line black marker, Rhinestones,
• Tangerine and Quigley Wiggley fonts
• Foam Tape
• Colorbox ink

Instructions:

1. Make a template by tracing each panel of the blank book or take a photo copy of each panel for a reuseable template.
2. Use the template to cut out multiple panels of patterned paper cutting slightly smaller, so that each of the books eight panels will have pattern paper on it. ...keeping a white margin of the book visible on the edges.  {Tip: Choose patterns with a little bit of white in them to incorporate the book's colors as an element}
3. Print photos and trim to size for each panel.  Apply chalk ink to the edges if desired and adhere to book.
4. Create a text document with the princess's name and the occasion commemorated by the book.  Print onto patterned paper and cut out using template from step one.  Adhere to book. 
5. Embellish your book with flowers, motifts cut from the patterned paper, stickers, rhinestones, brads, photo corners, glitter glue and anything else that befits yo8ur royal recipient! 
6. Create flags by adhere a strip of patterned paper around the shaft of a decorate pin and trimming it into a pennant shape.  Use a teeny tiny hand drill {or paper piercer} to make small holes in the top of the books.  Using strong, wet, fast drying  adhesive in the holes place the pennant pins and allow to dry completely.

Lauren Bergold lives in central New Jersey with a lovely husband and a whole lot of art supplies.  She has always been crafty and has been known to knit, crochet, paint, do needlework and bead things.  But mostly, she likes paper.  {She likes paper very, very much!}  For the last few years she's concentrated on making greeting cards, collages and small paper gifts for her nieces and others.  Lauren firmly believes that most things in this world can be improved by the judicious application of tiny rhinestones.   Be sure to read more about Lauren and her family on her blog, "All the GOOD blog names were taken"

Think Spring!

Even though the snow falling steadily outside my window makes it seem impossible, Easter and Spring are right around the corner.  I've worked with the Signature "Hippity Hoppity" collection this week to create these simple cards.  With a great color scheme, and fun matching embellishments, your Easter holiday papercrafting couldn't be easier. 

Easter Joy Card

Product

• # 17699 Petunia Harlequin Pizzazzill cardstock
• # 20607 Signature Hoppity Stripe patterned paper
• # 20605 Signature Hippity Hoppity patterned paper
• # 20609 Signature Hippity Hoppity sticker sheet
• dimensional paint
• ribbon trim
• pop dots

1. Trim 17699 Petunia Harlequin Pizzazzill to 10x7 inches.  Score in the center and fold.
2. Cut vertical strip of #20605 Hippity Hoppity patterned paper 2.5 x 7 inches. 
3. Add texture to rabbit images with dimensional paint. Allow to dry. 
4. Adhere to right hand side of card.
5. Trim jelly bean stripe from #20607 Hoppity Stripe paper.  Adhere to card front.
6. Add ribbon trim and egg stickers from #20609 sticker sheet.
7. Adhere Easter Joy sticker to scrap paper.  Adhere to card front with pop dots.

Hoppy Easter Card

Product

• #17717 Wisteria Dot Pizzazzill cardstock
• # 20607 Hoppity Stripe patterned paper
• # 20609 Hippity Hoppity sticker sheet
• # 20610 Hippity Hoppity epoxy sticker sheet
• # 18881 Narratives Melonberry borders and ABC cardstock sticker sheet
• ribbon trims
• pop dots
• glitter paint

Instructions

1. Trim #17717 Wisteria Dot Pizzazzill to 10x7 inches.  Score in the center and fold.
2. Cut horizontal strip of #20605 Hippity Hoppity patterned paper 3.5 x 7 inches. 
3. Add glitter to jelly bean stripe with glitter paint.
4. Adhere Hoppy Easter sticker from # 20609 and bunny epoxy sticker from #20610 to scrap paper. 
5. Adhere to card front with pop dots.

Projects were created by Design Team Member Linda Auclair.

Teri Martin - Sweet Beginnings

Teri Martin’s new collection “Sweet Beginnings” features Teri’s trademark calligraphy, soft wash textures, and a gender neutral color scheme in shades of yellow, green and teal, just right for scrapping a baby shower, or a very special arrival. The papers are foiled for a touch of casual elegance, and both the epoxy and the flat sticker sets contain a mixture of moon, star and heart motifs and sweet sentiments for your scrapbooking and paper crafting projects.  Look for the product in stores April 2008.

All projects created by design team member, Linda Auclair.

Green Acres!

What do you get when you cross the country of FFA and the glamour of Swarovski? Green Acres of course! Showing the diversity of our product lines was evident in our Key account Party theme.  Get what you want at Creative Imaginations.

Green acres is the place for me,

Farm living' is the life for me.

Land spreadin' out so far and wide.

Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.

New York is where I'd rather stay.

I get allergic smelling hay.

I just adore a penthouse view.

Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue.

...The chores.

...The stores.

...The fresh air,

...Time square.

You are my wife.

Good bye, city life.

Green Acres we are there.

Forest Friendly Tree using several of our paper lines on display at the pre-party

Seen in Green, forest friendly printer John Austen with some eco friendly patrons!

Crazy farmer creates frenzy and the biggest milk recall in US history.

Whistle Blowers trying to get an early lunch break?  Not a chance we are blowing our train whistles for the new Lionel train product line!

Just a bunch of kookie country folk having a grand ole’ time. See you at CHA Summer. Come on back now, y’here!

Jenn Mason's Parts & Parcels

Creative Imaginations is pleased to welcome Artist Jenn Mason to the Creative Imaginations family. 

I’m so excited to finally bring Parts and Parcels to the paper crafting community.

The idea for Parts and Parcels hatched officially on New Years Eve a 2004! I was at a lovely dinner with my best friend Jen and my husband. The two of them ganged up on me in a sort of intervention kind of way and told me to “Just Do It.” We strategized all evening and decided the first step was to write a book on making your art more interactive. Pockets, Pullouts and Hiding Places (Quarry book 2005) was soon born. Next up was to start working the ideas in mock-ups and to present the idea to Creative Imaginations. A year after we signed the contract we are SO happy to have a really great product for you!

Parts and Parcels is designed to help you get organized, work through piles of photographs, give thoughtful gifts, and allows beginners to work simply and experience paper crafters to add their own touch and embellishments. I love how each little book within the album begs you to interact with it. I also adore the Flip Flop Folios in all three sizes—they make it SO easy to create a “wow” gift or a memento of a special occasion. I am also happy to bring a series of accessories like Clips and Clasps to help you decorate and embellish your Parts and Parcels.

The most important thing to know about my new product line is that there is only one way to use Parts and Parcels—that’s YOUR way! 

New Art Warehouse "Candles & Cake"

There are a few new Art Warehouse releases for CHA.  This is one of the paper collections called "Candles & Cake" available April 2008 .  This birthday collection has a significant meaning for Danelle's family.  When she designed this collection she wanted it to be a "celebration of life".  The transparency reflects her feelings about this special occasion. 

 

Allison Connors new Beach Days!

Allison Connors New Beach Days Collection will be available in stores this April.

Allison will be releasing two lines at CHA Winter.  Here is the inspiration behind her first release "Beach Days".

The beach has always been a significant part of my life, from my youth thru adulthood.  When I was a child almost every weekend in the Summer was spent at the beach with my family.  We were the classic picture of the 1960's -- my mother with a scarf on her head and pedal pushers, my father carrying the cooler of sandwiches and a bunch of kids in their funky bathing suits trailing behind.  We spent many hours collecting shells, building sandcastles and burying each other in the sand.  As a teenager, I would hop on the town bus and go to Jones Beach with friends until we moved to Fire Island.  Living at the Fire Island Lighthouse, the beach was both my front and back yards--you could say that the beach is in my blood. Perhaps this is why summer is my favorite season of the year. I LOVE the beach! Even now, when I go to the beach I feel like I am at peace…at home. My Beach Days Collection with Creative Imaginations was inspired by these memories. From the scallop shells, to the starfish, to the sand dollars, to the beach bum status…my hope is to share this peaceful, yet fun tranquility with others. So…dust off your beach chair, dig out your suntan lotion, pack the cooler and meet me at the beach! Enjoy!

Another Christine Adolph Sneak Peek!

This is Christine Adolph's second release for Winter CHA called "TIDE POOLS".  Look for this collection in stores May 2008.

Here is a glimpse into the inspiration of this line by Christine Adolph .  The ocean seashore motif is a common theme in so much of my art and reflects my love of the seashore. For most of my life I have lived in walking distance to the beach and my family is full of surfers and beach lovers, it is ingrained in our DNA. Part of the process for creating the collection involved me getting my watercolors out and painting much of the collection "the old fashioned way" and then scanning the parts and pieces in to create the final paper and stickers.  This is the way I love to design, mix the old (good old hand painting) and the new (digital) to create patterns and adjust color.

Our family LOVES going to the tidepools and beachcombing, I can't wait to use some of the pictures that I took from this trip  or this trip to do some layouts, I used some of the sand dollars we found as inspiration for this line ...

Layout created by Design team member, Diane Ditullio.

Samantha Walker's Holey Cardstock!

This is the story of the seed....the inspiration behind the brand!

Here is what Samantha had to say about her newest release "Holey Cardstock".    They start out as little thoughts {seeds} that can expand into something so fabulous if you nurture them and allow them to grow! My next release, although it took root a long time ago, has taken a few extra seasons (shows) to raise it's head out of the soil. You have no idea how close this idea was to making it into Creative Imaginations summer 2007 catalog, but some manufacturing decisions had to be resolved before it could be made official. (We had colors picked out and everything!) Let's just hope there is truth in the mantra: "Good things come to those who wait." 

My idea...was to cut a pattern out of cardstock to use as an overlay on top of another cardstock. You could then overlay the cut cardstock onto any base cardstock and come up with an unlimited number of color combinations! I had been seeing a lot of little die-cut things creeping into the forefront of scrapbooking trends and thought that it would be amazing if we could do this on a grander scale.

I found it difficult to try and explain my idea to Jack (Creative Imaginations President) and Shelley (my art director) prior to the show but it was difficult to convey without actual mock ups.  So I created some patterns in Adobe illustrator, and had some samples cut from Bazzill cardstock by a local laser company here in American Fork, Utah. I created a board with my samples on it, and Creative Imaginations saw my vision for this line.   It was fun to see their excitement about it. I hoped for a CHA winter 07 release, but the timing just didn't work out...there was still a lot to figure out in how to manufacture such a product to keep costs down. By summer show, C.I. had done a lot of homework, but the decision was made to hold off a little longer. With each postponement, I was getting more and more anxious. Okay, maybe impatient (forgive me Rick.)

So here we are at CHA winter 2008, and my little seed is about to come to it's fruition. The seed has only grown stronger over time, and I feel it was truly grown by a community of gardeners. I could not have grown such a seed without the hard work, research, and creative direction from Creative Imaginations. I feel so blessed and lucky to be a part of their family.

Visit Samantha Walker's blog for inspiration and behind the scenes details!

Layout created by Cheryl Mezzetti.

Marah Johnson "Asian Fusion"

Be sure to check Marah's blog for more sneak peeks of this collection!  The Asian Fusion will be available May 2008!

This collection is my favorite of my CHA releases. On of my favorite places to shop is Cost Plus World Market. I really wanted to create a collection that reflected Asian influenced design combined with some non traditional patterns and colors. My early teen years were spent helping my dad studying to be an acupuncturist, and my mother took to painting traditional Chinese ink paintings. It would not be unusual to hear my dad studying for class in mandarin Chinese. Our family was heavily immersed in the Chinese & Japanese culture of health, decor and food. This collection is a tribute of sorts to my upbringing, my parents constant exposure to the world around us. Member, Tammy Gray.

Layouts and Bare Elements Manny holder and Glass Coasters created by Design Team Member, Tammy Gray!