Coordinates Collections

{PCC} - Are you ready???

I'm getting SO excited!  I'm going to share with you a little snippet of what we will be revealing at the end of the month, and a peek into my January layout:

 

I just wanted to share my thoughts on prepping for PCC.  I'm going to be working on an 8x8 format, putting together a bunch of photo collages in Photoshop, so I can just print them out and keep assembly time to a minimum.  So, 2 key things:

• I bought and album and page protectors.  I'm using an American Crafts brown 8x8 cloth album.  I really want these to go right in my album and not, um, in my pile.  I think it will help keep me motivated to see the completed product growing each month.
• I've started a folder in iPhoto to just drag and drop pictures throughout the month.  Once I upload from my camera, I go through and delete the worst ones, do a couple of quick fixes if needed, and make a quick judgement about whether it's a candidate for my monthly layout.  It's not a final decision, but it will limit my choices (and speed up the process!) at the end of the month.

I can't wait to share January's layout!  While you're waiting for the chance to create your first PCC layout, spend some time planning and organizing to save you time later.

 

 

One main thing that I have been doing for PCC is jotting down daily or weekly notes in a small notebook of all the stuff going on this month so that I can pull together my monthly page based on that list. Initially I was thinking of doing 11x8.5 (landscape) because I think that's a fun size but then I thought it might not work for a multi-photo-page gal like myself when doing a layout about a whole month. So I'm staying traditional and going 12x12, some of my layouts maybe be two pages. I won't start my January layout till the month ends but I went ahead and created my cover page this past weekend! Eventually, I'll add either one picture or a collage of photos on my photo mat.

I love the color combos of the PCC kit (I may even pick up another!). I also grabbed a BasicGrey paper pack to compliment it (that's the grid of my mat). Plus, I snagged some scraps from old kits, including these Prima flowers that I distressed with Ranger ink and AC Thickers letters and symbols. The butterfly is from my own stash (K&Co). I love butterflies and am quite excited that they are a new trend. Best of luck on your own PCC!

Cara here! I wanted to give you a quick update on my January mini-book. I've finished a couple of pages, and I pretty much have the others planned - we have 2 birthdays and a "first day on the job" to cover. Here's a quick glimpse (you can get all the details in the PCC Gallery):

 
 
 
 
 

I love seeing all the PCC albums! I'm keeping a little notebook for the project, jotting down pictures I think I might want to include, but I'm being pretty relaxed about the whole thing; it's supposed to be fun!

 

 

 

 

Hey there everyone, Jen here!  Have you picked up your PCC kit and other supplies to play along with us this year?  I've already created a title page and my album cover is posted in the gallery...so I wanted to share a little on my organization (what little I do have...I'm usually a "fly by the seat of my pants" gal)  I always organize my photos into folders based on month and depending on the month maybe a sub-folder of an event.  That way I will always have the right picture(s) for each month.  My actual PCC organization is in organizing my supplies/notes/ephemera for the month.  I'm actually using a Cropper Hopper 12x12 paper holder with some clear dividers.

I have my PCC kit in one section/addon papers that I've purchased in another/some embellies/ and then another section to place any notes I jot down or ephemera I want to scrap.  That way when I'm ready to do my monthly layout I just grab the folder and it's pretty much all there for me.  I just may have to go search for some alphas or a small embellie from my stash.  Okay that's all I've got for now...go get your stuff organized and get ready to have fun with Project Calendar Collections!!!

 

 

Hi Marielle here, how fun is this project going to be !!! I decided I would make a 8x8 album to document the adventures of my two little boys as a Christmas present for my mother in law !!!  I bought a American Crafts album and a package of page protectors for this project . As far getting things ready,I have pulled some cardstock and Basic Grey Basics papers I plan to use and my large stash of tiny type alphas !! I also plan to use a little something from each month's CC kit as a reminder of the beautiful kits I used during the year !!! For January : I punched out snowflakes from the Echo Park "falling snowflakes" paper and from the glistening cardstock to add to my pages !! and of course I will keep an eye on the store for the great add-ons !!!

 

Here's peek of my title page :)

I do hope you will join us this year for this fun project !!!

 
 

January Project Video

Aren't Sleigh Ride and Amish Quilt just lovely?  I have a few tips to share with you in this month's project video:

 

Of Challenges, Crops and Creativity

Good day, ladies!

First, congratulations to Lindy. She is Monday's Challenge winner (randomly drawn!) for the January 10 "New Year" challenge. Remember, to claim your prize, you must send an email to Jamie at jamie@coordinatescollections.com not later than Tuesday, February 1.

Next, I want to remind everyone that our Winter crop is coming soon. If you haven't already, mark your calendars for January 28-30. We'll be posting challenges and games, with lots of fun and fabulous prizes to go around, so make sure you hang out with us that weekend.

Also today, I'm sharing a little project I've been working on. Have you ever had a project that even after it was done, you thought it wasn't quite done? That it needed just a little more ... something? Well, that is this project for me. I think it's complete, but I also feel like I want to do something more with it. Hmmm ... that may end up being my next creative post! For now, here's a what I did with the remaining pages from the Cosmo Cricket blackboard album I got in the "Amish Quilt" kit.

If you didn't get "Amish Quilt" you can still get one of these little albums in the CC store -- they're only a dollar! Gotta love a fabulous sale like that. I love the black color -- it's perfect for painting. And the chipboard is not so thick and heavy that it can't be used on a layout, like I did with a couple of my "Amish Quilt projects. And I found out, too, that my sewing machine has no trouble stitching through it.

For my mini-book, I used some wallet sized pics of my youngest boy, Daniel. I painted each page with a few swipes of grey acrylic paint. From the CC store, I added BasicGrey "Kioshi" micro mono alphas, BasicGrey "Hopscotch" Pops, and American Crafts clear stickers. The white doodles were made with the awesome UniBall Signo White Gel Pen. The ribbon scraps came from my stash. Put them all together, add a bit of stitching, and viola! A cute little mini-book that took practically no time to make (and used up some of my ribbon scraps).

Thanks, y'all, for taking a look at my project. Congrats again to Lindy, and I hope to see you all at the crop!

 

Monday's Challenge: Journaling with Lists

 Happy Monday everyone! I am super excited for today. Want to know why?

1 - My office is closed for MLK Day. 

2 - It's my birthday! The big 2-6.

3 - It's Journaling Challenge Monday.

4 - I really like lists, and that's what we're focusing on this month.

 Lists are a great way to journal. Mostly because there are just ENDLESS topics to choose from. Top Ten lists, things you love/hate, goals, favorites, etc. All are wonderful topics for LISTS. I'm going to give you a few ideas for creating your journaling with lists, and then it's your turn.

Numbered Lists

This is probably the most popular form of listing. Numbering makes everything seem neat + tidy. A numbered list can make your journaling really feel more cohesive, even if it's scattered throughout your layout, like in my example below.

I got to work with the Amish Quilt kit this month, and I was totally inspired by one of the little cardstock stickers that said, "10 things I love!"  Perfect way to kick off a list-inspired layout. I used a few different stickers (one for each family member) and ran down a few quick character traits that I loved about each of them. Quick, simple, lovely.

A numbered list is also a great way to use up some number thickers/stickers! I always seem to have leftovers of those. And not enough a's. But that's neither here nor there.

So, now that we've done a neat + tidy list layout, how about one that's . . . not so neat + tidy. I definitely wanted to do a "resolutions" layout this year, but my list here takes a more free-form style. Keep in mind that just because it's a list, it doesn't HAVE to be in a linear, one-right-after-the-other format.

It's also a fun excuse to use a mix of letter stickers + handwriting. Or typing! Or stamps!  Fun fun fun.

 

Last, but not least, you all know how I feel about mini-books. I. Am. Obsessed. I used the super cute blackboard album that was included in the Amish Quilt kit (another style is coming in the Songbirds kit next month!) to bang out a sweet little album all about the reasons I love my kid.

Whoa! Just checked, and these little blackboard books are on sale for $2!! What a total steal.

I actually probably needed about a gazillion pages to list ALL the reasons, but I settled for just four.

 

In a total departure from the resolutions layout, I stuck to a pretty specific pattern with this book. One line of journaling on the left, starting with, "I love . . ." followed by a full page photo, trimmed to fit the book. Ah, simplicity.

 

The Challenge: Create a layout or other project using list journaling.

The rules:

• Upload the challenge project to the ‘Contests and Challenges' section of the CC Gallery in the Monday's Challenges folder by Sunday, January 23rd at midnight PST.
• Include the name of the Challenge in your title.
• Post a URL LINK of the project into the thread for the Monday Challenge for that week on the Message Board

 You MUST upload to the Monday's Challenges section in the Gallery AND provide a URL LINK on the Message Board for your entry to be valid. Posting the project image in the Message Board thread only does not meet the rules, and won't be counted as an entry. Challenge projects do not need to use a CC Monthly kit.  The winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 24th on the CC Blog and CC Message Board.

Have fun!

 

Product Spotlight: Echo Park Be Mine

Good Sunday morning, Scrappers! Have you fallen in love with Echo Park papers yet? If you haven't, their new Be Mine collection is a great way to jump in.

 
 Designed by the talented Cassandra Cooper, this collection offers a mix of 12 double sided papers in shades of bubblegum pink, raspberry, black and grey. The style? Elegant vintage chic. There is a yummy variety of patterns: stripes (both vertical and horizontal), polka dots, diamonds, damask, & floral.  A sheet each of journal cards, element stickers and alphabet stickers offer the perfect way to embellish your projects with images like tickets, butterflies, and hot air balloons.

 
 
 

  
  
 Here is a gorgeous layout and card (with downloadable directions) by Jen Gallacher featured on the Echo Park blog:

 
 
Cassandra showed that she is not only the collection designer, but an amazing scrapper. Here are a few samples of projects I discovered on Cassandra's blog:

 
 

SWOON! Is this stuff gorgeous or what? As you can see, this line can be used for so much more that just Valentine's Day. Think wedding, travel, girlie, or even everyday events.

 So run (don't walk) to the CC Store to get yours!

Marielle's 2010 creations and Fancy Pants giveaway winner

Happy Saturday to you all !!!

Let me start off by announcing the winner of the Fancy Pants giveaway :

Posted by: Becky D | January 10, 2011 at 01:21 PM

Congratulations to you Becky !!!! Please contact Jamie at Jamie@coordinatescollections.com by 11/29/11 to claim your prize !!!!

Today, I will share a few of my favorite layouts of 2010 ! (Thanks Jamie for giving me the idea, as I was a little mojo and sleep deprived this week !!! )  These are totally in random order and a little different from my personal blog post, because I also wanted to share some of my favorite CC kit projects.

 
Mama's boy ( made with the awesome Preppy boy kit),I used almost every little piece of this kit!!!

 
This boy is ...(also made with the Preppy boy kit and those super red Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type alphas)

 
Into the wild- The papers for this layout came from the CC store (Crate Paper-Brook collection)...one of my all time faves....I wonder what they will be coming out with at  CHA in a few weeks....keep your eyes peeled Jamie and buy everything LOL!!!

 
Expressive face- loved this one ,just because !!! :) and this was posted on the Jillibean blog !

 
Nature nut- More Jillibean goodness ,this was fun to make,most of it done with tiny scraps of patterned paper !!

 
Petit coeur sur 2 pattes-This one got published in a french magazine called Scrapbook Extra (Winter 2010)!! Those fun little birds are from my first DT kit (as a guest) called Sky !!

 
You are so trendy- My little niece being a little fashionista !! Papers are from Crate paper Pink Plum collection and most of these supplies can be found in the Funky kit. (few still in the store!!)

 

Gamer-Seriously, how fun was this Golden Rule kit, also still a few in the store!!  :)

 
My wish for you- There's that Crate Paper Brook collection again !!! Man,my hair was long in this photo!! The plaid paper was from the South Pole kit.

 
It's a beautiful day- I really fell in love with Imaginisce with this Apple Cider collection and now... toot,toot ! I get to be on the 2011 Imaginisce Design team !!!!!!! This layout was created with the beautiful Festive Feast  kit !  

Well, that's it for today,thanks for joining me down memory lane. Hope I have inspired a few of you to get your old and new kits out and to find a little time to scrap this weekend !

 


 

Friday's Find, Cosmo Cricket Giveaway Winner, and Sarah's Amish Quilt Kit Ideas (Whew!)

And the winner of the Cosmo Cricket giveaway is ... 

Posted by: Teri/scraptag | January 06, 2011 at 10:30 AM

Congrats!  Please email jamie@coordinatescollections.com by 1/28/11 to claim your prize! 

For Friday's Find, I searched the gallery and fell in love with this layout by Daiva.

She used Linda's 2 page sketch and created a great, balanced layout.  I love how she chose to pull the red and green out of her photos, and they really pop against the black background.  The journaling placement also helps lead you eye across the page.

Go leave her some love!

I got to work with the Amish Quilt kit this month, and it's one of my most favorite ever. Lots of pretty little patterns mixes with some bold ones. And the colors were just so pretty - the red, yellow, grays. Aaaah.

My add ons this month:

• Bazzill pom pom in Raven
• Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 12" Chipboard
• American Crafts Marquise Stitched Thickers in Crimson

I actually got some other add ons, too, but they didn't turn up in my layouts yet.

Let's start with cards, since those are actually what I started with this month.  I've been desperately behind on cards.  I used a piece of the blackboard album as the background.  I cut the sentiment using my Slice, and added some chipboard elements from the add on.  I also added some pearls from my stash.  The only bad thing about this card was that with all the chipboard, it was really heavy!

Next, I made a pair of birthday cards.  All kit and add ons, and some pearly from my stash.

On my first layout, I added some teal-ish mist to the white cardstock background, and some baker's twine from my stash. The chipboard banner is from the Cosmo Cricket add on. Don't be afraid to layer the Tiny Alphas to get words to fit in... They tend to have a bit of extra room on one side or the other. And a word of warning - Make sure you test your pens on some of the background scrap if you plan to write on those Cosmo stickers. You can see mine blurred, and I used one of those Sharpie pens. Maybe try a slick writer?

This is one of my favorite layouts ever. I planned to use the stamp to create a background, and I had also planned on stamping one image in red to highlight my photo. I started by placing my photo (not adhered) so that I could figure out where the red stamp would be. Leaving room for it, I then stamped randomly on the rest using watermark ink (love, love, love). And then I found some red embossing powder. I honestly don't know when I bought it, because I've never ever embossed before. I thought I burned it when it first started melting. But I just adore how it came out, and I love the gray flower on top of it. I hadn't originally planned to, but I decided to journal around each background stamp. That definitely took some planning - and lots of pencil and eraser. My title is done with the Thickers add on. These are just gorgeous! The black bracket is a piece of the chipboard album that comes in the kit.

 

I decided to add some pink to this kit, in place of the red, since I really wanted to scrap these photos. I started by spraying the white cardstock with metallic pink grapefruit Maya mist. I also sprayed some of the wood alphas left over from my Vintage Attic kit with the same mist. I had some disappointing results with metallic mist last month, but I think these look a lot better and the coverage more even. So my new misting technique? Putting my cardboard mist box in the bath tub and standing over it. It gives a very fine coverage and gave me a better shot at more even coverage. Then I went about cutting paper, layering, and sticking things down. I uses some of the Basic Gray Basics micro alphas in Manilla for the rest of my title. Even though they were technically Manilla, they looked stark white with all that yellow and on the kraft tag. So once I got them all done (but before I stuck down the wood letters), I sprayed the whole tag with Cream Metallic Maya mist. It gave it a much creamier feel. I was about done and trying to find a place for some journaling. My original plan was to use the Prima stamp with some pink ink and block out the center of the stamp to leave room for journaling. That was a mistake, on a bunch of levels. . But by stamping on some scrap beige cardstock (it looks like craft, but it's not) to try to get a center piece to use to block my stamp, I ended up with pink stamped frames on beige cardstock. I cut it out and liked how it looked. Then I made some more, which allowed me to extend my journaling when I ran out of room. With a few more pieces, I tied my stamped image into the rest of my design. I added lots of chipboard bits from the chipboard add on, and some pearls from my stash.

Thanks for reading this far!

February is Fabulous! {aka Lisa's preview videos}

Sometimes I wonder... how could each month be So fab? So awesome? So exciting?  But they are! February is no exception... come take a peek:

WARNING:  Um, apparently I really enjoyed talking to myself tonight .... for... um 20 minutes :)

 

 

  

January Blog Hop Challenge

Welcome to a new edition of the blog hop challenge! Now that the holidays are behind us and life is (hopefully) slowing down, I encourage you to take some time to play along. This month's challenge is...

Circles!!!

Circles add visual interest to your pages and there are sooo many possibilities, I'm sure you will enjoy designing with this challenge in mind. Weather you choose to cut your background, your photos, or add a circle as a decorative element (think doilies... hint, hint!), just have fun with it! 

Here's a page I created using the Amish Quilt kit. (If you didn't order this one, run to get it, it's FABULOUS!!!) I wanted the circle to ground my cut-out photo so the result is quiet subtle.

 
 
I used a couple of addons from the CC store, like the chip pieces ,  Bette paper, and the Prima pearls with swirls. The butterfly stamp is from last November's Just Dessert kit addon and the envelope and alphas are from my stash. 

Here's how to play:

1. Create a layout that includes with circle element(s).
2. Post your layout on your personal blog or in the CC Gallery. The title of your post should be “Coordinates Collections January Blog Hop Challenge.”
3. Come back here and use Mister Linky at the end of this post to add the URL link to your layout.  Remember in order to qualify for the prize, you must post your project by 11pm EST January 20^th. Be sure to link to your actual Blog Hop project POST, not just to your blog.
4. During the week, visit the blogs/galleries then head to the CC Blog Hop forum! Take some time to praise your fellow scrappers, discuss anything new you might have learned and provide each other with valuable feedback.

A lucky participant will be randomly selected to win a $25 Gift Certificate to the CC Store! The winning layout will be posted on the CC Blog on January 22nd.  Have fun everyone!

 

 

  
 

 

Stacey's Sleigh Ride Kit Ideas

Happy Tuesday!!Today's date is 1-11-11, so do something interesting with that, if you like to play with numbers.

The winner of the Debbie's Monday Paper Piecing Challenge is (drumroll, please...) Amybug! Congrats, Amybug! You can see her adorable paper-pieced layout here.

For January, I got to work with the Sleigh Ride kit, which has completely sold out! It's a fun, versatile kit, with lots of sparkle, great almost-neutral brown and blue colors as well as some fun pops of red. I live in Central Texas, where the temps don't dip below freezing much, and we never have sleigh rides! I had a blast creating with this kit, even though I have very few opportunities to scrap anything snow-related.

Mr. Cake Walk

I printed these photos out several weeks ago and realized that there was something wrong with my printer. Even though they weren't what I was expecting, I kind of liked the desaturated look of them, so I set them aside and picked them up again when Sleigh Ride arrived because I loved the way they looked with the papers in the kit.

I might be getting into a bit of a rut, but I really enjoy the way the strip of smaller photos works with the one bigger one - I may have done this last month...and possibly the month before...? I tend to really embrace something when it works for me! {grin}

I slightly trimmed the patterned paper (as almost always, I used a "B"-side!), mounted it on the kit's Bazzill Glass Slipper cardstock, and stitched around the edge a few times with red thread.

From the CC Store I used a sheet of Basic Grey Basics White Sphere and a Basic Grey label sticker (I think they are sold out!) add-ons for this layout. I also used Jillibean Soup Corrugated Alphas in blue (left over from my October Golden Rule kit - which is now ON SALE [as in discounted!] in the CC store) for my title. I also used those yummy little Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type Alphas in navy (which are now only $1 in the CC store!).

 

 "Either"

I've had this photo printed out for a long time, just waiting for the right papers to use it with. I liked how the photo had a lot of "white space" to journal in.

I added some Basic Grey White Lexicon from the CC store for journaling on and I used some Jillibean Soup Journaling Sprouts I had left over from another project.

"Be Mine" Card

Wow, I really love this flocked transparency! The label is one from the CCstore, and the heart is a punch. May Arts ribbon. My favorite.

"Hi" Card

I am usually challenged by anything swirly. For some reason, I'm just better with straight lines...but after I put together this very-straight-lines card, I had a blast with the swirls. Hopefully the swirls look like snow - that was my plan!

If you were one of the lucky ones who ordered a Sleigh Ride kit for January, have fun creating with it!