Round 3: DT gallery

I got 22 entries in Monday's scavenger hunt through the member profiles, the hardest answer was definitely #6, but 20 out the 22 did get it. Here are the answers:

1. alissa palm
2. amyrjoy
3. erin B
4 and 5. There were numerous answers including {2H Designs, rachelmai, tiffharper143, snowbirds, helbells, Laura Fiore, allieH, hannal, lingannon, 3girlsmomma, cwl2283, and I'm sure there's many more, but those are the answers I got.
6. alysin
7. ahardy
8. amyjk

And the winner was: amy christine--congratulations and you will be contacted! :)

Thanks so much to everyone who played along. I know I had fun putting the questions together, and I'm pretty sure you all had fun playing along. Now on to the next challenge...

Part 3 of our scavenger hunt: the DT gallery. This hunt will take you through January's Bibliography gallery. Every DT member and the guest are subject to scrutiny. Remember to sign in and send me an email when you have all the answers. Good luck!

1. Who did NOT use the Creative Cafe red tag?

2. How many people used the Cosmo Cricket little girl? I need names :)

3. Who were the two people that used the Cosmo Cricket two fingers rubon?

4. There were nine ladies who used hearts on their layouts. Who were they?

5. How many gals used the bicycle stamp?

6. Which two Jenni Bowlin word bingo cards were used the most? HINT: They each appear 3 times.

7. The library card stamp got used by how many different DT members?

8. There were two layouts with the same title, what was the title and who were the creators?

Scavenger Hunt...Day 2

Hi everyone...Nicole H. here! I am having a blast with this scavenger hunt...hopefully everyone else is as well! So as Emily explained yesterday, I am posting a few questions today. Your job is to find/figure out the answers and then email them to me...just make sure you're logged into Studio Calico, find my profile and then shoot me a note! Everyone who has all 5 correct answers will be entered into the $5 SC Gift Certificate/coupon for the day...easy peasy!!

Round 2: Kit Contents

1. What was the first kit to have an exclusive Studio Calico stamp included?

2. How many add-on kits (including the ones that debuted Saturday night for January 2009) have included rub-ons?

3. How many 12x12 patterned papers did the first SC kit have?

4. How many kits (main or add-on) have contained paint?

5. Which main kit was the first to include die-cut patterned paper?

BONUS: if you get this one right, you'll get your name added a second time for the drawing!!

Which is my favorite Main kit?

I will close the entries tomorrow at noon EST, and post a winner tomorrow evening. Have fun and happy hunting!!

scavenger hunt with prizes!

Nicole Harper and I are hosting the blog this last week of 2008 and first week of 2009. We thought it would be fun to send you on a scavenger hunt all over the fantastically designed studio calico website to see what you could find. Every day we'll have a new area for you to search. Some of the searches will be easy, some will take a little more work, but you'll get to know the site, the members, and the design team a little better by the end of our week.

Round 1: Member Profiles

Do you know how to get to member profiles? If you click on the user's name in any comment thread or gallery post they've made, you'll get to the member's profile page. Here, you'll find a slew of information, like when they became a Studio Calico member, where they live, a short bio, their favorite layouts, and the layouts they've created themselves. I've scanned a number of profiles and come up with a handful of questions to help you explore the profiles, and I've only picked members who comment regularly so they should be easy to find. I'll give you a clue and your job is to find who I'm spotlighting. Good luck!

1. This member recently graduated from Pharmacy School and is a full-fledged Pharmacist now!

2. This member loves tea(both hot and cold), roses, and historical movies.

3. This member's blog is titled "It's a Red Red World"

4. and 5. List two members who added this layout to their favorites gallery (this could have multiple answers)


6. She's been a member since 08/07/2008, has three children and has been married for 11 years.

7. This member loves watching Food Network & Bravo.

8. Her location is as follows: in a small house

When you've found the answers, make sure you are logged in as a Studio Calico user, go to my profile and send me an email with as many of the correct answers as you can find. everyone who gets the right answers will be entered into a drawing for a $5 Studio Calico gift card. You'll have until noon EST the next day to get your emails sent. We'll do the random drawing at the end of each day FOLLOWING the day questions are given, so the winner of today's drawing (Monday) will be posted on Wednesday morning. Does that make sense?

Now go hunt!

Top Five Ways to Stretch Your Supplies

Thanks to our fabulous participants for giving me these ideas.
If you choose to participate in our four product challenge on your own,
we'd love to see what you can do! Link your creations in the comment section below.

1. Stamp your border. It looks so cool, and uses minimal supplies.

2. Add stitching. It's an easy way to add visual interest to your pages.

3. Use paper punches. You can use up every little scrap of your precious patterned paper that way.

4. Hand cut your title to save on alpha stickers.

5. Use a stamp as your title.


Thanks for letting us host the blog this week,
we had a blast!
xo

Last but certainly not least...

Today I'm sharing the final page from our challenge. This one is from Erica (aka eweinstock) and has me yearning for some snowy weather! :) Here's her supply and technique list:

"I used the following:
Bazzill Cardstock Kraft and Red (from Center Stage kit)
Crate Paper Prudence - Fortitude (both sides)
Studio Calico Stamps - bubble square and 'Remember This Moment'
Buttons and ribbon - misc.
Snowflakes are Pink Paislee Tinsel Town stamps - I stamped them with white ink and then glued some Pink Paislee silver Pixie Stix glitter over them. Buttons in the centers
Then I stamped smaller snowflake images directly on the layout using a more opaque white chalk ink and filled in the centers on those with silver gel pen.
I tried to distress the edges and inked them with Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Tea Dye"


Such pretty glittery stuff going on here!

I know we've been saying it each day that we post these pages....but AGAIN a BIG big thanks to the seven gals who created layouts for us with such short notice this week. They totally rose to the challenge and I think I've had an "aha" moment with each of their pages. You girls are just awesome!!! Let us know if you all like this idea for the blog and maybe we can do something similiar again in the future. :)

Check back tomorrow for Steph's post. She has a little top 10 list for ya!

Reveal Night Giveaway!!!

Our very own Tina Aszmus has provided the giveaway for Reveal Night. In her etsy store, she features photos she's taken through the viewfinder (TTV). To win, just leave a comment letting us know which you like best! We'll draw for winners on Monday.



Oh, and if you're a novice like myself and would like to know a way to create your own fake TTV's check out the tutorial on my blog.

The challenge continues

Today I'll share two more pages of some sweet members that we asked to participate.
We want to say THANK YOU!! again...we gave them such short notice!!

FIrst up is Scrapally.
Here is her layout, Remember:




Isn't it so sweet?
I just love her stamping,
and of course I love that sweet lacy, stitched border.
Here is what Ally had to say about the process:


First of all, had I read the list of items a little more carefully, I might not have said YES! Ok, I kid, but did you notice that this list does NOT include any type of lettering? Once I realized there were no letter stickers as an option, I was a little stumped. Thankfully, I do have the SC stamp set with the "Remember this Moment" stamp. I already knew that I wanted to use the dotted border to create a frame around my layout, so it was natural to use the title from the set too.

I used a ruler to pencil in a line for the frame and I used a strip of scrap cardstock as a mask when I got to the end of a side and had more stamp than I needed. Once I finished the frame, the layout went together easily from there. I used the double sided Sass paper from the Iconic SC kit behind the photo and then punched a piece with my scallop punch and stamped the title on the backside of the paper.

The final touch was the lace ribbon trim at the bottom of the patterned paper, a few cross stitches, a photo on some pop dots and voila! Finished layout! Thanks for the challenge ladies! This was fun!



Next up is the wonderful vtpuggirl.
Here is what Danielle sent us:




I adore this layout. She is the queen of simple perfection.
Here is what Danielle had to say about her layout:

Here is my layout for the product challenge.
I used/supplies:

Patterned paper: Making Memories Paperie from Center Stage
Ribbon: American Crafts from Looking Glass
Buttons: La Di dah Buttons from Via Airmail
Stamps and Ink: Nadiya Stamps with Black Staz-on Ink

So there you have it! Two more awesome layouts by two awesome ladies.
Thanks so much!
Nic will be back tomorrow with more.
xo

Last Minute Gift Winners!!!

Studio Calico is giving away three last minute gifts to:

Here are your random numbers:

42 54 33

Timestamp: 2008-12-24 19:22:51 UTC

Gioconda said...

My favorite gift this year is to give a gratitude journal. I used the Moleskin kraft journal and covered it with punched circles from my scraps. I used Ali Edward's example from her book. Inside I put a quote about gratitude and the rest of the book is for them to fill with daily gratitudes. It's a gift for the whole year long.

Erica Hettwer said...

Great ideas! This year I've been giving homemade Peppermint Cookie Crunch Bark with the recipe attached. Big hit!

December 21, 2008 10:22 PM

lauren said...

Buy an amazon.com gift certificate - you can get an email verison, allowing you to shop right up until and even on Christmas! :)

December 19, 2008 3:25 PM

So girls, send your mailing addresses to me at joy(at)madisons(dot)com and we'll send you your prezzies!

Two more dazzling pages to share!

I just love seeing how creative people get with challenges...how they come up with ideas and techniques that I would never have come up with. Today's two participants definitely had me thinking, "Why didn't I think of that?!" :)

This first page is by Alisa (aka lagsforlisa.) Here's what she had to say about her layout...

"I joined the circle punch club with this layout. It was fun, but circle punch layouts are like that old reader's digest joke where the kid knows how to spell banana but he doesn't know when to stop! I ended up taking off a few and liked the result better. Thanks for the nudge to take time to tell a story while doing something I enjoy at a busy time of the year. Merry Christmas!"

Isn't her wreath so cool?

Speaking of cool ideas...check out Lisa's (aka gluestickgirl) title work! The effect is just awesome! Here's what Lisa had to say about her layout:

"This was such a fun challenge - and I found that my page came together really quickly once I had decided on just the right patterned paper (we won't talk about how long that took - it was like choosing a favorite child!) I started with a sheet of kraft cardstock, then I cut my photo in 2 for a sort of film strip effect, and attached it to either side of my layout. For my sheet of patterned paper, I picked a piece by October Afternoon - clouds on one side, a yummy stripe on the other. I used the clouds in the middle of the layout, and layered letters cut with my Making Memories Slice from the same patterned paper for my title (I used foam adhesive so they'd have more definition). I used the Studio Calico houndstooth stamp at the top and bottom of my page, and layered a bit of torn striped paper over it. My ribbon was a length of yellow grosgrain ribbon - I cut it in half and used half above and half below my photo + title block. I scattered Basic Grey Offbeat buttons at the top and bottom of the layout, and finished with some stitching and journaling. Oh, and I snuck in an October Afternoon letter sticker "a" on the photo. ;)"


Thank you Alisa and Lisa for sharing your talent with us! I just love these two pages! Come back tomorrow for some more amazing layouts by our super crafty SC members! Merry Christmas!

Our first participants!

First and foremost, I want to say Thank You sooo much to the SC members we asked for help.
The reason we chose you girls is because you are active contributors to the Studio Calico community,
and when we asked for help, you didn't let us down..your talent amazes us!

First, there is the wonderful Kimber-Leigh.
Here is her layout, "Remember This Moment".



How beautiful is her family?
Here is what Kimber-Leigh had to say about the layout.

I used (mostly) my Looking Glass kit:

four products:
Sassafrass Lass "Say Timber" patterned paper
Studio Calico "Remember This Moment" stamp
American Crafts ribbon
vintage white buttons from "Classified" add-on

(Brown and a scrap of red cardstock)

I used both sides of the patterned paper, adding a scalloped border to one side of the background and cutting out part of the reverse side as a journaling block. (I used a pen to tint the numbers and gridlines a bit more red than orange to work better with my photo.) Ribbon and buttons frame the stamped title.

Journaling reads: My firstborn and my baby. Oldest and youngest. Sweet sisters. My girls. I'm thankful for this moment frozen in time...Madeleine who is wondefully chubby at 9 mos. and Hadleigh with a final glimpse of her "baby girl" cheeks...a few months shy of "all grown up" at age 5. And me...holding my girls...holding onto this moment that is already gone.


Thank you so much, Kimber-Leigh. I've missed seeing your pages, and I'm so glad we challenged you so that I could see one!


Next is a layout by the fantastic Chris Dodaj.
Here is "Merry Everything".



How cute is that Brenna? This is the Dodaj family Christmas card photo!
Here is what Chris had to say about her layout:

Hey Girlies!

Thanks for asking me to do this, it's just what I needed to get myself inspired again!

I used a piece of Sasafrass Lass holiday themed pp, 3 vintage swirl buttons, the SC "Merry Everything" stamp and a piece of ribbon.
I used the MM Slice for the snowflakes.

Hope you like this and I hope you keep me in mind for more challenges, I really enjoyed this!!

Happy Holidays,
Chris


Chris and Kimber-Leigh, Nicole and I want to thank you not only for the beautifully creative layouts you contributed,
but also for being such a loving part of the SC community.

Nicole will be back with more layouts tomorrow!
xo
s

4 Product Challenge Week!

You know those challenges you see in the magazines. The ones where they send a few lucky ladies 3 or 4 products and have them create something using just those thing? Well, we decided to do our own 4 product challenge here on the SC blog this week. Stephanie and I came up with a list of 4 general products to use and asked a handful of SC members to help us out. We'll share their masterpieces each day this week, so be sure to check back daily. Here's the list of allowed supplies:

• 1 sheet of patterned paper (may be double sided)


• Studio Calico stamp


• buttons


• 1 length of ribbon

(we also said they could use cardstock and any tools they wanted)

I tried the challenge myself last night and this is what I came up with.

I think this was the fastest layout I've ever done! :) I got the idea of the snowflakes from a handout at church yesterday and thought about the new stamp SC designed for Little Monkeys. Go check it out. I used some white paint to stamp the snowflakes. Then I pop-dotted the main part up on the background. I added some ribbon (from Jan's kit!...shhhh!), patterned paper and the stamped title, some buttons, journaling, and viola. Done! It was actually easier than I thought!

Be sure to stop back in each day this week to see which SC members we put to the test. And be sure to leave them lots of love since we really put them on the spot and gave them just a day or so to get these done! Thanks so much gals!!! :)

fun, quick photo calendars!

these photo calendars are a fun, quick project and can make great last-minute gifts, or just a present to yourself to ring in the new year!


(click for a larger view)

you can use your photo-editing software to make these. i did these in photoshop. i cropped 12 of my favorite (colorful!) photos to 4"x4", and each of them into a blank 4"x6" document. i downloaded a calendar template from myfreecalendarmaker.com, selected the calendar for each month, and dragged that into the bottom part of the page. i then used the eyedropper tool to select a color directly from the photo, and typed out the months using that color. i printed each page onto regular 4"x6" photo paper (you can even send these out to be printed).

or...if you feel digitally challenged, you can print out 12 of your favorite photos as 4"x6" prints, print the calendar template out, and paste them on top of the photos!

to hang the calendar, i was going to use a wooden clothespin with a magnet attached, and hang them on a magnetic surface. you could also use a jewel case!

have fun :)

center stage favorites

the layouts are rolling in in the center stage gallery, and BOY are they absolutely FABULOUS!!! there are so many gorgeous layouts in that gallery, that i had trouble narrowing it down to just a few, but here are some of my favorites!


what a sweet LO by rmolivero! i love her use of color - the touch of pink is perfect, and i love all her little details, like the string around the bingo card and her use of various edges!


this page by walesk is pure perfection! i love the pop of the color of the stamped title (the nadiya stamps are perfect for this!) and i really love how she matted the journaling card! the way she used the pink paislee paper is also awesome - it's perfect design!


i love the little punched tree on this layout by Lalunatique. what a fun touch!


this page by Severine is simply perfect! i love how it's so simple but has a bunch of details. i love her strip of photos, too!


wow!!! check out this december daily album cover by akaliz - it's gorgeous!!! her use of texture and layering is amazing!!

thank you for sharing all your creations! they are all so inspiring. keep them coming! :)

one more last minute gift idea + some fun blog links

my friend linda and i have been into making these french memory boards. we started off making one for her room, and we have now branched out into crafting them for birthday gifts and such. she's planning to give them out for christmas!



they're really easy to make. all you need are a cork bulletin board (we've been finding cheap ones at target for about $6), 1.5 yard (this depends on the side of your board, however) of fabric (we used a suede-type fabric on this particular board, but i would STRONGLY recommend you use a thinner fabric. you could even use wrapping paper), pillow stuffing, a stapler, ribbon, and some pins/brads. they are simple to make: spread the stuffing over the cork side of the board, then cover the entire board with fabric, staple on back, and cut off excess. Lay out the ribbon in a diagonal, criss-cross fashion, and pin down the intersections with a pin or even brads. easy peasy!

anyways. i have been scouring some blogs for some crafty holiday projects, and have come across a few of them to share with you:
* elise has a handmade holiday thing going on with lots of handmade gift/decor ideas. she has inspired me to knit some scarves as gifts, and today i baked her peppermint cookies! i also absolutely LOVE her ribbon wreaths.

* celeste has compiled a TON (and i mean a ton!) of fun links to various sites with ideas for possible gifts and projects. i love the free printable calendars she found - i'm definitely going to print some of those! she also has links to handmade wreaths and ornaments.

* this next link was included on joy's list yesterday, but i just have to repost it in case you missed it. i am absolutely in LOVE with these trees by danielle thompson! they are so fun and cute and festive looking!

* i love the gorgeous ornaments on the pink paislee blog! some of them are by our own talented SC girls!

* i love what jen pebbles did with her sheer delights to create packaging for her wine bottle on the KI blog!! it's so clever and brilliant!

* last but not least - check out this fabulous wreath on mandi's blog!

Last Minute Gift Ideas

Caroline and I brainstormed and came up with a list of FIFTY, yes 50 last minute gifts. Some are scrappy, some are not!

1. Make a Glass Ball Ornament with curled paper and bells and stickers



2. Put a bottle of wine in a pretty bag

3. Make several kinds of cookies, put them on plates, when you wrap them up include the recipes so that your friends can make their favorites next year.

4. Make a 4x6 Brag Book



5. Make Salt Dough or Cinnamon Dough Ornaments, paint them, and give them away.

6. Have your kids draw on a T-shirt, or Frame, or Mug for a parent or grandparent.



7. Make up some easy Mason Jar gifts. Top them with fabric and ribbon for a pretty presentation.

8. Make a Band-Aid Box Gift Card Holder


9. Make some pom pom barrettes for the little girlies on your list!

10.Make a felt and fabric brooch.



11. Fill a Gift Bag filled $1 Spot gifties

12. Hot glue cinnamon sticks around a candle. You could embellish it with ribbons and flowers too.



by Martha

13. Put a bow on a bag of mixed nuts (my dad's fav!)

14. Give a Paper Bag Card Gift Card Holder



15. Present a nice mug holding an individual packet of hot chocolate and a chocolate dipped spoon.

16. Make someone a piece of Monogram Wall Art



by Caroline

17. Make a set of refrigerator magnets out of bottle caps and round magnets

18. Give a Photo Ornament



by Denise

19. String a bell or two on a ribbon and tie it to a shepard's hook earring set. Give it to your favorite merry friend! This one you might want to make a few sets at a time, they'll be a crowd favorite!



20. Buy an I Tunes Gift Card

21. Decorate a box or tin filled with homemade cookies



by Danielle

22. Cover a 2009 Pocket Calendar

23. Decorate a NoteCube



24. Consider maing a different photo ornament



by Elisa

25. Find a favorite quote and make a piece of Wall Art



26. Dip Pretzel logs into melted chocolate and then roll immediately in sprinkles. Package 5 together in a lollipop bag and tie with a ribbon, viola, insta gift for your coworkers.

27. Speaking of sprinkles, Fill a restaurant sugar container (I got mine at Big Lots) with Sprinkles and wrap a ribbon around with a tag that says "spread joy"



28. Give a gift subscription to a favorite magazine.

29. Monogram a hand towel.

30. Give some Name Wall Art



31. Make a fun and bright statement for someone by stringing a button necklace.

32. Give a mix CD of your own making:)

33. Punch butterflies out of different patterned papers and make a butterfly collage.

34. Get a $1 Store big bowl, fill it with Microwave Popcorn, a couple of candy bars or movie candy and a gift card to Netflix or Blockbuster

35. Make a family tree.



by Davinie

36. Make your own gift bag, decorate the outside, fill it with candy, give away the love:)

37. Cover a Kraft Notebook from Target, wrap a matching pen with it and give it to a special friend.

38. Cover some Letters

39. Decorate a Tin and fill it with candy



by Denise

40. Give a "Night Out" to a busy couple of parents. Buy them 2 tickets to the movies, and offer to watch their kids!

41. Make a pillow box Gift Card holder.

42. Make your own Coupons

43. Wrap up a set of matching cards



44. Make a Ribbon Belt

45. Decorate a Candle

46. Make a Felt Tree, or a stuffed tree.

47. Or Make a paper tree, or a different paper tree or a different different paper trees.



by Francine

48. Frame some recent photos of your family or kids for a parent or close family member.

49. Make a reusable Coffee Cozy out of Felt and give it with a Starbuck's gift card.

50. Make an Altoid Tin Mini Book



Comment here with any other suggestions or you know, whatever, and on Monday I'll pull a name for a last minute gift or two from Studio Calico :)

Giveaway Winners Announced!!! (from the Widgit post)

Here are your random numbers:

45 57 15 

Timestamp: 2008-12-18 16:53:18 UTC

That makes the following ladies our winners:

{Happy Homes} said...

Here's my blog...
http://happyhomesink.blogspot.com/

My hubby gave me an early Christmas present to the club!! I'm so excited to be signed up for 6 months of scrapping goodness!! Merry Christmas!
t

lauren said...

Definetly easy to do! Would love the binder project and paper! :)

http://www.doublehdesign.blogspot.com

Mélyane said...

I also added mine!!
http://melyane.com

Winners: Please email info@studiocalico.com to claim your prize :)

If you missed out on the free Paris add-ons this time, please keep the widgit posted and there will be chances to win later!

Getting in the Spirit...

10 links to get you into the Christmas Spirit:

1. Spirit 105.3 is my local Seattle station. It broadcasts Christmas music from Thankgiving til Christmas. You can listen live if you want:)

2. Elf Yourself is a hilarious animation that everyone enjoys this time of year. If you've never been here its a must try.

3. Pandora has as many Christmas Stations as you can create. By plugging in your favorite Christmas song or artist Pandora makes up a station just for you!!

4. Need a Christmas Ringtone? Entirely Free Ringtones promises you some fab ones (I haven't used them, so don't quote me on the free-ness or the quality!)

5. Do you and your family go caroling or just sing around the Christmas tree? I always print out lyrics from Christmas-carol.net because my mom likes to sing EVERY verse of every song!

6. Visit Santa at the North Pole and track him across the world using Norad's Santa Tracker on Christmas night.

7. Want to send an ultra hip Holiday E Card to your friends? Check out Hipstercards.com's Holiday offerings.

8. Watch some Christmas YouTube Videos

9. Want some great ideas for holiday cookies? Check out Christmas-Cookies.com

10. If you are interested in the history of Christmas check out the History Channel's Christmas exploration.

Christmas Rush?

Anyone in the Christmas Rush?

Actually I'm not, can you believe it? This year I gave myself permission not to buy into the hype. For me and my family, Christmas is about the birth of our Savior and friend. Over the years, we decided that we were only giving 3 gifts to each child, just like Jesus got.

And this year, this year I did something crazy. This year I decided to go almost completely hand-made for Christmas. I bought my kids one main present off of Etsy, and then am in the process of embroidering them thrifted pillow cases. We'll buy them a toy each, but I've realized, hand made is possible with a little forethought.

I'm all about recycled handmade too!! Here are some recycled etsy finds that I found this week!!

Click the photo to get to etsy, and click around these shops for other great pieces.



This was the dopest thing I saw out there. Recycled SKATEBOARD jewelry. 100% post consumer skateboards that she makes into jewelry. Most pieces are reversible, one side has the skateboard part, the other side has the inside skateboard plywood showing. She shapes and sands everything, and then seals it with gloss sealer. SO rad. Click around she shop, there's a lot of cool stuff.



Love this, made from recycled tin pieces



There are tons of ties out there at Goodwill, and other vintage shops. What a great idea for reusing them!!



These bags, and pillows are made from used sails...very nautical very rad!



I love these envelopes made from old science books! They also have ones made from maps, ooh la la!!



I adore this cuff made from an old record. So cute!!



Recycling felted sweaters is SO the bomb. I love this scarf made from circles of felted sweaters.



Licence plates are always fun when recycled into photo albums like this!



These earrings are literally made out of trash.



Here is another recycled sweater idea. This lady makes bigger felt projects, and when she's done, she uses even the scraps to make something pretty, like this pin.