Mixed Media Foxes, Hedgehogs, Acorns and Leaves

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Ciao Bella Sound of Autumn-Mixed Media Card-Really Reasonable Ribbon-Reneabouquets-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Mixed Media Foxes, Hedgehogs, Acorns and Leaves Easel Card with RRR and Reneabouquets

Hello, Friends!  The promise of fall has inspired me to create this Mixed Media Foxes, Hedgehogs, Acorns and Leaves Easel Card with Really Reasonable Ribbon and goodies from Reneabouquets.  Everything about this card reminds me of strolling in an autumn wood with leaves crunching under my feet and sweet woodland critters scurrying around my feet.

This was a very fun (and messy) crafty adventure with dies, texture pastes, paints, stains, RRR mulberry flowers and chippies. I tied it all together with gorgeous Copper and Cream Plaid Ribbon and Pumpkin Baker’s Twine.

TIP: Add fall texture to your die cut wreath by applying Crackle Texture paste through a stencil.  If you color your branches with Gathered Twigs Distress Stain, the color will seep through and create a really cool fungi-like effect.

Autumn Roses

TIP: Did you know you can alter mulberry flowers and leaves with stains and paint?  It’s quick and easy!  Here’s how:

  • First, select a few 35mm Mixed Earth Tone Trellis Roses from your stash (linked below).
  • Next, select autumn hued Distress Stains like Carved Pumpkin, Tea Dye, Fossilized Amber and Candied Apple.
  • Now lightly dab the applicator tip of the stain over the the petals of the roses in a random way.  Let the ink run down the sides and inside the petals, too.
  • Don’t forget to gently heat dry between colors so you don’t end up with mud-colored roses.
  • Use this same technique to quickly alter Reneabouquets fall chippies (linked below).
  • Alter green mulberry leaves by dabbing Distress Paint over the surface until you achieve the desired autumn hues.
An Easel Card Pocket?

Create a pocket inside your easel card, and it does double-duty as the brake for the easel mechanism.  This allows you to tuck some sweet surprises inside the card.

Create a mini folio and tag with your scraps.  Then add a honey stick to sweeten the deal.

Fall weather calls for a Pumpkin Spice tea break, so I tucked a pumpkin spice teabag into the pocket of this little folio.  Now my card doubles as a gift and home decor, too!

I hope I’ve shared some tips and ideas that you can use in your fall crafty adventures.  What’s your favorite element of this sweet card?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

If you’d like to see previous fall projects made with Ciao Bella Sound of Autumn, please click HERE.

You’ll find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Pumpkin and Spice Loaded Library Pockets Tutorial

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Prima Pumpkin and Spice Loaded Library Pockets Tutorial for Throwback Thursday

Hello, Friends!  It’s Throwback Thursday and I have the sweetest Pumpkin and Spice Loaded Library Pockets Tutorial to share with you.  These little cuties are so quick and easy to make that you are going to want to make stacks of them to have on hand for quick gifts, table decor or party favors.

This design is easy to adapt for birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers, or Christmas.  Wouldn’t they make the cutest stocking stuffers ever? (Note to self: make these in a Christmas theme!)

Each loaded library pocket measures 4 1/2″ x 6″.  I’ve tucked a 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ note card, vintage demitasse spoon,  Pumpkin Spice teabag, honey stick and bookmark into each pocket.

If the weather was cooler, you can bet I’d find a way to add chocolate to the pocket, too.

Use scraps leftover from previous projects to line and decorate your pockets and the card inserts.  That’s a double-win in my book!

These would be so cute displayed in a pretty basket as part of your fall home decor.

You can change up the items you tuck into the library pockets to make customized gifts for your friends and family.  How fun is that?

Pumpkin and Spice Loaded Library Pocket Tutorial on YouTube

If you’d like to see how quick and easy it is to make these darling little library pockets, please enjoy this video on my YouTube channel.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and  have loads of fun making these cute little pockets!

To see more Pumpkin and Spice projects, please click HERE.

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks so much for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Simple Stories Little Things Box Pocket Folio Tutorial

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Simple Stories Little Things Box Pocket Folio Tutorial for Make & Take Tuesday

Hello, Friends!  I’m a little late getting this Simple Stories Little Things Box Pocket Folio Tutorial out to you for today’s Make & Take Tuesday.  I took a couple of days off over the weekend because I was tired!  It felt good to get caught up on laundry, read a book, go for a drive and relax for a bit.  Even though I’m late getting this out today, I think you will still really enjoy the project.  It’s a darling little box style folio  that’s really easy to make.

Transitioning a Summer Collection into a Fall Project

Simple Stories Little Things Box Folio Kathy Clement

Little Thing is technically a summer collection filled with lemon images, and soft summer colors.  But I didn’t get the collection until summer was nearly over, and even then I didn’t have time to use it…until now.  I needed to find a way to make this summery collection feel appropriate for the current season.

So I focused on the yellow gold, black and red tones, plaid patterns and used just a touch of floral papers.  I think it worked really well.  If you die cut the  shaker frame from yellow gold cardstock, back with strips of black cardstock and accent with the cute black floral teapot, it really sells the changing of the seasons.  Or at least, I think it does.  What do you think?

A Peek Inside: Flip Flap Folio

This is a very easy folio base to create, but easy doesn’t mean boring.  It’s loaded with fun flips and flaps.

There’s even a hidden pocket behind the gatefold closure.

And a fun mini waterfall feature, too!

The Box Pocket

The box pocket is scored into the folio base design so it’s super quick and easy to make: just add the sides!  Then you can fill it up with cute goodies like cookies, a vintage demitasse spoon, ladybug tag, honey stick and a mini folio.

Simple Stories-Little Things-Spellbinders-Eyelet Lace Frame-Shaker Box Folio-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design-Photo 01

There’s room inside the mini folio to add a Pumpkin Spice tea bag…which also  helps with the seasonal transition!

Simple Stories Little Things Box Pocket Folio Tutorial on YouTube

If you’d like to learn how to create this fun folio base, please enjoy this video over on my YouTube channel.

NOTE:  Embedding the videos into my blog has been using too much disk space and costing me too much money.  So I’ll be linking to my YouTube channel instead of embedding from now on.  Thanks for understanding!

I hope you all enjoy this fun to make folio design!  You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

SUPPLY LIST

How to Store and Organize Paper and Scraps

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How to Store and Organize Paper and Scraps: Craft Room Organization Part 2

Hello, Friends!  Today you’re invited back into my studio to see How to Store and Organize Paper and Scraps.  This is another installment in my Craft Room Organization Series.  Last month I shared tips and tricks for ribbon storage.  Y’all enjoyed that series so much that you asked me to share more storage and organization ideas with  you.

Your number one request was for paper storage ideas and solutions, so that is what we will be tackling today.  I’ll also provide links to paper storage tools that I enjoy using in my studio below this post.

I hope you will join me in my studio again today!

Organization Tips

Have you ever noticed that everyone has their own system for organizing a kitchen?  Well, the same holds true in your studio.  What works for me won’t necessarily work for you.  But there are a few general tips that I think work across the board, so I’ll share them here.

  • Keep your papers stored in a way that makes them easy to access.  If you can’t get to them, you won’t use them.  And that’s kind of the whole point, isn’t it?
  • Group cardstock paper scraps by color and by size. This makes them quick and easy to find, and you’ll be more likely to use them.
  • Create a place for everything, and keep everything in its place. This way, you’ll be able to find it!
  • Label your paper folders with Post-It tape.  You’ll be able to tell what’s in a paper storage box, but if you need to change things up, the label removes easily.

I share more helpful tips in the video.

What storage solution are you the most interested in hearing about?  If you leave me a comment below, I’ll put it on the list!

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

FAVORITE PAPER STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Life Captured 4th Quarter Kit Reveal

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Life Captured 4th Quarter Kit Reveal-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design-Button Farm Club

Life Captured 4th Quarter Kit Reveal for the Button Farm Club

Hello, Friends!  It’s been a busy week in the studio getting this Life Captured 4th Quarter Kit Reveal ready for The Button Farm Club.  This is the final installment of our year-long project featuring monthly folios made with Simple Stories Life Captured paper collection.  It’s been such a fun year creating with these fresh, vibrant papers.  And now we are stepping into the most beautiful months of the year: October, November and December.

So many fun holidays and events take place during these months, and we want to preserve all the wonderful memories of time spent with family and friends. But documenting memories takes a lot of time, so often we just don’t get it done.  That’s why I designed these quick and easy folios so we can capture the faces and places we love so much.

Each of the folios can be completed in under an hour.  Yet, the simply layout provides loads of room for photos, journaling and sweet spots to tuck in memorabilia so we can look back at happy days and smile. Here’s a quick peek at the folios in this quarter’s kit.

The October Folio

Acorns, fall leaves, flowers and pumpkins take center stage in this vibrant little folio.

Wait ’til you see all the room this compact folio has inside!

November, November

It always seems to me that fall flowers are the most vibrant blooms of the year.  Do they know that winter is coming soon, so they decide to show off?  Whatever the reason, I decided to feature these gorgeous fall blooms on the cover of the November folio.  You’ll get to see all the goodies inside when you watch the video reveal below.

December: The Sweetest Month of the Year

December is made for memories, don’t you think?  Holiday baking, wrapping presents, decorating the tree, and then unwrapping on Christmas morning make for perfect photo ops.

Since baking plays such a huge role during the Christmas holidays, I decided to add some sweet little recipe folios to the design.  And honestly, how sweet is this paper?

Add On Storage System

Life Captured 4th Quarter Kit Reveal-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design-Button Farm Club-Storage

So how do we store all the  memories complied in these sweet little folios?  Well, After much thinking, planning and searching, I found these adorable magazine slipcases to house the folios.  They are a perfect color match for the paper collection: super affordable,  sturdy, easy to assemble and look great on display.

These are an optional addition for those who have been making the folios all year long.  You can find out about them HERE.

Life Captured 4th Quarter Folio Kit Reveal on YouTube

If you’d like to take a peek a the materials in this kit and walk through the finished folios, please enjoy this video tour.

 

If you subscribed to the Folio Kits, your order will ship out automatically.  But you don’t need to be subscribed to order.  The 4th Quarter Kit is available as a stand alone purchase.

We also have a limited number of kits available for Quarter 1 (January-March), Quarter 2 (April-June) and Quarter 3 (July-September).

If you’ve been making these folios along with me this year, I’d like to thank you for making this kit a success.  I hope you enjoyed making them as much as I did!

What’s next?  Well…I’m working on our September card kit. And it is going to be gorgeous!  I’ll be sharing that with you next month.

That’s it for me today, friends!  I wish you a day filled with joy and creativity!

Cheerio,

kathy