MAGGIE HOLMES Photography and Scrapbooking Blog

Studio Calico April Kit: Singin' in the Rain

Hi there! It's been a while! I have been bogged down with a horrible cold that I can't seem to shake! Not fun, but trying to get back into the swing of things!! I meant to post sneaks of my Studio Calico layouts and now here it is after the full reveal.... time flies!!

Anyway, here are my layouts with details on shop items, techniques, etc. As always, if you have any questions about anything give me a shout!!

There were sooooo many cute girly things in the kits this month that I couldn't resist doing all three layouts about Emily! I have especially been anxious to get some of the new Crate Paper lines so I was ecstatic to some of it in the kits and the shop! 

First up is "e"........

This one is pretty simple actually. I didn't do any misting or anything. But I did paint the sticks for the banner (House of 3/Pink Paislee from the main kit) with the JBS Lemon Drops paint dabber and I rubbed some of the JBS Chewing Gum paint into the grooves on the metal piece at the top of the banner -- just to give it some more dimension and to make the pattern on the metal stand out more.

Next up is "baby doll".......

I used Maya Road Sunflower Yellow mist and Mister Huey's Lemonade mist on the background because I wanted the yellow to be more bright and vibrant. Neither of those are in the shop at the moment but you may have a similar yellow on hand that would work or check back to see if they will be back in stock later.

I used mostly American Crafts products on this layout.... loved the cute tags from the Make 'Em Laugh add on so I cut the bottoms of the tags in order to create the large banner here. Used the adorable SC flag stamp set from the Moses Supposes add on. And the AC ribbon from the Tap Dance add on. Used the AC Precision Pen for journaling and doodling on all three layouts.

Last is "darling girl".......

On the background I used Mister Huey's Lemonade mist and then Mister Huey's Calico White mist over the top. Used lots of the Crate Paper products here again because I just can't get enough of them.... including the Emma's Shoppe Trims that are surprisingly still available in the shop. Everything else I used is already sold out! Sorry!! I will be try to be better at posting all of these details earlier next time!

Now I'm off to check out the design team gallery to see what they all did with the kits this month! I'm always so inspired! And my cutest and sweetest friend Suzy Plantamura was our guest designer this month!!!! Love her and can't wait to see her layouts! I heard she did A LOT!! Go Suz!!

Studio Calico March Kits: Into the Woods

If you haven't checked out this month's design team gallery, you should do it now! There are so many creative and inspiring ideas in there this month! Things I never would have thought of and things I want to try now!! Everyone really outdid themselves!!

All of the kits sold out super fast this month again... There is just one Add-On left: Wildflower and it is actually one of my favorites! It is perfect for Spring!! The Add-On Paper is still available too so you could always snag that and then add in some of your own alphas and embellishments if you didn't get the kits you wanted. 

This month my layouts were all about the boys! The kits were a perfect fit for lots of the photos that I took up in Utah last summer and luckily for me I just edited and printed them recently so they were all waiting and ready to go!! I love it when I don't have to sit down to edit and choose pictures before scrapbooking! It makes it so much more fun for me when I can just grab the photos and dive in!

First up is "Milestone"......

This one talks about Matthew finally losing his two front teeth last year after what seemed like waiting forever and watching all of his friends lose theirs before him. He was super excited and I think he looks super cute in these pictures without his teeth!! 

Loved those Studio Calico label stickers that were in the main kit and the American Crafts Thickers from the Mossy Knoll kit that I used for the "M" above. Such a great color and font!! Extras that I used included the Maya Mist in Hydrangea Blue and the Mister Huey's Mist in Bonny Blue. I also covered the chipboard stars with the Claudine Hellmuth Multi Medium and then sprinkled glitter over the top of that. Used the American Crafts Precision Pens in .01 and .03 for the journaling and the lines.

Next is "I Absolutely Love Your Laugh".......

It's rare for me to get natural looking pics of Tyler because he hates to have his picture taken and doesn't quite feel comfortable in front of the camera. So when I can get him giggling like this and I can capture some shots of him laughing and just being himself, I really truly cherish it!

Typically I use a lot of plain cardstock for my backgrounds.... but I loved this American Crafts paper from the main kit and thought the subtle pattern was effective without being distractive, so I used it as my background here. Used the same precision pens for the doodling and journaling. Used a mix of the Thickers and other alphas for a fun title. On the chipboard star you see above I misted it with Mister Huey's Applejack and then Calico White over the top of that to tone it down a little.

Finally is "N"......

More of those pictures that I just love and don't really know why.... I know his eyes are closed and so you may not think I would love these but do. It is so Nathan and how he often tries to hold back his cutest little giggles but then he can't anymore and eventually they come bursting out. He has the cutest laugh ever and these photos remind me of it!

This one is pretty simple. I created a garland using a Martha Stewart punch and then I stitched all the circles together with my sewing machine. Then I just added a cluster of things underneath the photo and left it at that. I used the Mister Huey's Schoolhouse Mist on the chipboard star. That's about it for this one. Oh and I used the Precision Pens again for the journaling and doodling here. Let me know if you have any questions about anything! Have fun with your kits!!! 

Studio Calico February Kit: Candy Shoppe

Popping in to share my layouts for Studio Calico's February Kits. All of the kits are already sold out this month and boy did they go fast!! Crazy!! They were definitely an amazing set of kits! The only thing left is the More Patterned Paper which has the exclusive Studio Calico paper and the exclusive paper that Studio Calico collaborated with Crate Paper on. That rainbow paper was a fave among all of us designers! 

First up is "you are my everything"

I was instantly in love with the Love Notes paper by Sassafras and that's where the Love and love birds pieces came from. I also got the Sassafras stickers and used them here but they sold out super quick as well. Loving these polka dot glitter thickers from American Crafts. I inked them up a bit with Tim Holtz Worn Lipstick Distress Ink just to make them a little darker. Also loving these new Mementos metal bookplates from American Crafts. I cut two of them in half and used them here on the edges of the page. Pen is American Crafts Slick Writer.

Next up is "good friends are priceless"

Used some mists to make the background the perfect shade of pink and I can't recall which ones I used this time. I forgot to write it down. Sorry!! Someone asked about how far I hold my hand from the paper when I am misting so I thought I would answer it here..... It's not exact but I would say about 12-18 inches. I definitely like to start lighter (which means holding your hand further back) and then you can spray more and add to it until you like it. If you hold the mist too close and get it too dark right off the bat, it is pretty hard to correct that. But if you start light, you can always add more. That's my motto. Then if I want those darker more concentrated splatters (like you see up in the top left on this page) I will hold my hand closer and press the nozzle only a little bit down (not all the way). That will often give you just a few of those little splatters instead of the normal misted spray. Hope that helps!!

I also sprayed the yellow Sassafras letter stickers with the Mister Huey's Sunshine mist because I wanted them to be darker. They took a little longer to dry but it still worked. Here are those new American Crafts polka dot thickers again, but in a turquoise blue! So cute! Loving those SC cloud stamps!! Also used the AC slick writer again.

And my last layout is "muffins"

Misted the background again but forgot to write it down. Will make sure to do that next time! Lots of Sassafras here - the paper, the stickers, alpha stickers, the banner stickers. It's all super cute stuff that I LOVED!! Used the American Crafts Precision Pen this time because I wanted a thinner writing tip.

I think that's it. Pretty basic on this one. These are pictures taken with my iphone, hence the kind of wonky colors but I still love them! Nathan takes bites of food with his eyes closed like this all the time.... especially when he is really digging in and enjoying something. We adore it and I am glad I was able to capture a photo and document it!! It's those little things that we will forget too easily and now we will have it forever!! love that!!

Studio Calico CHA Layouts

It has been crazy and fun following all of the tweets and blog posts about CHA this past weekend! It was nice to see some glimpses of what was going on with my favorite companies but at the same time it sure made me wish I was there!! Not only to see all of the amazing booths and new products in person but to see and catch up with all of my scrappy friends! I have met sooooo many amazing women through this industry and it is pretty cool how many friends I have now that I would never have otherwise! Missed you all but I am planning to go to the Summer CHA show so I can't wait to see you then!!

I still need to share the layouts I did for the show! I was planning to share them throughout the weekend but we ended up with some sick kiddos over here so my time was focused on tending to them. Nathan is home sick today now too and I have to say that even though he and Emmy are both not feeling great, they sure are having fun together. Reminds me of last year (before Nathan started Kindergarten) and what close friends they became..... hanging out every day and spending so much time together. They really get along well and Nathan is so sweet with her. Every day I am happy and excited about how much Nate loves school and how well he is doing, but this also makes me miss having him at home...... A LOT! 

I am just sitting here listening to their little conversations and how cute they are with each other.... one of the great joys of being a mother! I guess there is definitely a positive side to sick days too right? 

Anyway, here are the layouts that I did for the Studio Calico booth..... using the new Countryside and State Fair collections. If you have any questions about anything, let me know!

I'll be back to share my Girls' Paperie layouts next! Have a great day!

Studio Calico Blog Hop Winner

The winner of the Studio Calico Blog Hop (chosen by a random number generator) is:

 

Geralyn Sy said...

Oh, so beautiful, Maggie! Love those SC stickers!

ReplyJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:16 AM

 

Congrats Geralyn!! Email me your info and we will get your goodies on their way!!

 

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments!! I am so glad you all loved the blog hop!! Be back soon to share some more layouts that I made for CHA!

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Also, I got a great response about the boxes of supplies!! Wow!! As of now they are all sold but I am always accumulating more things so I will definitely do this again in the future!!

If you purchased a box from me, they are being sent out today and tomorrow. It took me a little longer than I planned to get them packed up and ready to go (we have sick kiddos over here so things have been moving a little slower than usual). Thanks for your patience!!

Studio Calico CHA Blog Hop and a Giveaway!

Hi there! Today we are doing a Studio Calico blog hop in honor of their new CHA releases! Not only do I get to share a layout I created with the new products but I'm hosting a giveaway as well! And the best part?? All of us design team members are participating, so if you follow the links and hop from blog to blog, you can enter all of our giveaways! That gives you lots of chances to win!! So fun!!

Here's my layout.....

I paired the Countryside collection with a deep pink cardstock from American Crafts and I love how well the Studio Calico colors pop against this background! I misted it just a bit first with Mister Huey's Calico White and then Maya Road Silver Plated on top of that, to soften it a little.

The butterflies were made using the Martha Stewart 3 in 1 Classic Butterfly Punch and the packaging from the new wood veneer pieces. When I notice an awesome pattern that has been used in the packaging, you can bet that I am going to save it so I can cut it up or punch it and use it on some layouts!! It's like a free little bonus!!

Overall I kept this one pretty simple so that the focus would stay on the photo.... used a couple of the SC stickers, a simple title using emily's initials, some buttons, one of the new yellow SC notions, a strip of my fave American Crafts mixtape, another strip of lace tape (not sure of the manufacturer) and then a flower from My Mind's Eye and a metal badge from American Crafts. Not a lot of journaling on this page either.... sometimes the photos just speak for themselves!

Now for the exciting part.... the giveaway! Each of us was able to choose our favorite thing from the new lines to give away! It was definitely hard because I truly love so much of it, but I decided to go with the Yellow notions and the Countryside Label Stickers! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. The contest will be closed on Wednesday, January 26th at 12:00am. After that I will draw a winner at random and announce it here! Good luck!

The next stop on the blog hop is Nicole Harper's blog. Be sure to keep "hopping along" so you can see all the amazing things these ladies have created and enter all of the different giveaways!! Have fun!

 

CHA Sneak Peeks: Studio Calico

Hi there! I have been super busy this week and last working on layouts for CHA for Studio Calico, October Afternoon and Girls' Paperie. The layouts will be hanging in their booths to showcase the new product lines. This is one of the parts that I love most about my job! I get to see and work with the new products before they are released and before they hit the store shelves! Talk about lucky!! It is so exciting to get the boxes of products and open them to see everything!! It feels like Christmas all over again!!

CHA isn't until the end of this month and I know that we are all dying to see everything that our favorite companies are releasing! I love seeing the new trends and new innovative products that have been developed! Some companies now post their entire new product lines on their blogs/sites before the show so that we don't have to wait in anticipation and others are just giving little snippits and sneak peeks of things. Either way it is exciting to see what is being shared each day around the web!!

I can't show you my full layouts that I have made for the booths but I can share some sneak peeks and then once the show starts I will be back to share the full layouts.

First up is Studio Calico....

They are releasing two new lines.... both of which I am super excited about! I am especially in love with their new Mister Huey's mist colors and my favorites are Piglet and Lemonade. I have already used up almost half of my Lemonade mist!! Looks like I will be needing to stock up on that one!! You can see the entire new catalog with all of the new products they are releasing right here. I am loving the yellow notions and also the wood veneer butterflies!! The die cut tags are pretty awesome too!!

Here are sneaks of the layouts I did using mostly the Countryside collection with a few things from the State Fair collection too. 

One thing I love about both of these lines is that even though there isn't a lot of pink in them, they still work really well with pinks and can be used for very feminine layouts. You know I love pink!! It's so cool that their lines can go either masculine for boy pages or can be used in a more girly way as well. There are lots of product lines out there that are either very distinctly masculine or feminine and while I love those kinds of collections (and use them all the time), it is just cool that Studio Calico's tend to work either way! 

Another thing I love is how well the white notions and the wood veneer pieces take mists. You can easily alter them to fit with any layout by just spraying a little mist on them in any color you want!! 

I'll be back soon to share some sneaks from my Girls' Paperie layouts as well!

 

Studio Calico January Kit: Who's Who

Popping in on New Year's Eve to share my January Studio Calico layouts. This is definitely my favorite set of kits to date. There are just so many different things in each of the kits that I absolutely love! 

1st up is "I love you dad..."

I know it says princess in the quote and not prince and no, that is not a mistake. That is exactly what she says whenever we ask her what her jammies say. If they say anything about "daddy's princess" or "I love daddy" she proceeds to tell us that it says "I love you dad.... you're my princess.... EVER my life!" It is the cutest thing and my favorite thing ever!! I adore the fact that she is daddy's girl and that they have such a close and sweet relationship! It truly melts me!!!

The cardstock (Geyser from American Crafts and one of my fave colors of theirs) and the crepe ribbon and some of the buttons and paper are all from the main kit Who's Who. The October Afternoon alphabet is from the Betty Crocker Add-On. So are the Maya Road flower embellishments. I misted the alphabet because it wasn't the perfect pink and I love how it turned out! I just misted the entire sheet before I even removed any of the letters. I used Strawberry Metallic, Pink, Bubblegum Metallic and Pink Grapefruit Metallic throughout my three layouts. Little sprays of this and that, mixing and layering them until I got the right pink. The key is to start by spraying very lightly and then you can add more and add other colors/hues if you want. The trim with the rosettes is from the Buster Brown Add-On and it started out as cream but of course I sprayed it with the mists as well. All the papers that I used for the banner are a mix from all the different kits. Also used the 3 in 1 Classic Butterfly Punch from Martha Stewart. Love that one! The chipboard pieces (dressform, flower and butterflies) were all a shop item but it looks like it is already sold out. They are from the House of 3/Pink Paislee Parisan Anthology line. I painted them and the Maya Road flowers all with different paints including the JBS Chewing Gum Paint Dabber, JBS Lemon Drops Paint Dabber, and the Claudine Hellmuth Classic Teal Paint. Journaling Pen was the American Crafts Precision Pen (08 for the lines and 03 for the wording).

Next is "I Love Him"

Background paper is my favorite! It's one of the SC exclusives from the main kit. Pink Polka Making Memories behind the photo is from the Mary Jane Add-On. The flowers were made with the Punky Sprouts Lil' Blooms from the main kit. I used the pink mists for the large one and then used Mister Huey's Sunshine, Sunflower Yellow and a little Cream on the smaller flower. I used Silver Plated Mist on the cake platter chipboard piece which is again from the Parisian Anthology set. On the small chipboard butterfly I used American Crafts Zing Embossing Powder in the Powder blue color. I stamped the large hearts with the SC stamp set from the Mary Jane Add-On and embossed them with American Crafts Zing embossing powder in the Silver glitter finish. I love how their glitter embossing powder turns out!! So pretty!! Journaling Pen on this one is the American Crafts Slick Writer. No rhyme or reason as to why I used the slick writer on this one and not the last. I just love this pen so when I don't need a finer tip point (like the other smaller ones) I always grab the slick writer.

Last is "Daughter"

This is my first time ever using the Ranger Ink Blending Tool and like I said before, I am addicted to it!! LOVED it! I already ordered 5 more and probably contributed to the fact that they are now sold out! oops!! But I am sure SC will get more in soon!! I also ordered the holder that I linked to in my sneak peek post. Thanks for the tip Jennifer!! The inks I used on the background paper were Worn Lipstick and Spun Sugar and American Crafts Silver. Then after that I sprayed the Maya Mist in Silver Plated over the entire thing. The background paper that has this beautiful resist pattern (that shows up once you ink and mist it) is in the main kit from Pink Paislee/House of 3 Parisian Anthology! I am now also addicted to this paper and need more asap!! :) The small chipboard butterflies are from the Betty Crocker Add-On. I painted them and the large butterfly (from the Parisian Anthology set) with the same yellow and blue paints that I listed before. Then I also sprayed them with the Silver Plated mist. I sprayed the large one with a little of the Hyndrangea Blue mist on the edges and kind of let it puddle and dry like that. Centers of the flowers were cut from the cream rosette ribbon that I had misted pink. And then I used the 3-in-1 Butterfly punch here again too. Journaling is with the AC Precision Pens here again. 

I think that's it!! Lots of misting and painting this month!! It was so fun! If you have any questions be sure to let me know and I will do my best to answer! 

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On a different note I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all of my blog readers for sharing 2010 with me here on the blog. I appreciate all of you so much and the support and encouragement I get from you! Trust me that I read every comment and take each one to heart. I truly appreciate you!! Thanks for an amazing 2010 and I'm looking forward to an even better 2011........ more online photography workshops, a brand new website, more Studio Calico, more Creating Keepsakes, American Crafts, Making Memories and also some fun guest features and collaborations that are in the beginning stages! I can't wait to see it all unfold and see where 2011 takes us!! Oh and p.s........ since we are talking about what's ahead........I can't leave out the biggest and best news of all....... baby number 5 will be arriving in 2011 as well!!! CAN't wait!!!!!!!! eeeeeek!!! so excited!!!!!!!!! Have a great New Year's Eve everyone!!! See you on the other side!

 

Studio Calico January Kit: Sneak Peek

Let's start with these pictures first..........

One could assume that I did a lot of misting this month.... but I am not sure how you would come to that assumption....... haha! These mists do not normally reside on my scrap table or on my floor by my scrap table. So that means I pulled all of these out to use this month! Holy cow, that is a lot of misting and it was a lot of mixing of colors to get what I wanted! I misted the heck out of this kit....... misted fabric, paper, chipboard, ribbon, alphabet stickers and plastic! Oh my! I also used some paint this month too. Oh and ink too!

Wow, I guess you could say I really got my fingers dirty this time around! It was a messy and inspiring and fun dose of creative play for me! One thing I got out of it was the reminder that I don't have to use things for face value. While I absolutely adore all of the kits this month, I still found that I wanted to tweak a lot of the pieces to make the colors just right for my layouts. Instead of simply tossing something aside because it didn't fit my exact color scheme, I just painted, misted and inked until I got what I wanted! And I loved it!! And I also love that my pages feel that much more artsy and detailed.... so eclectic and so me!!

I'll give details as to the exact things I used when I share the complete layouts but you could probably safely say I used every color of yellow, pink and blue found here. I also ordered an Ink Blending Tool and used it for the first time and LOVED it! YOu will definitely need a pack of extra foam pieces so you can keep one for each color. And actually I realized that I do want to adopt Jennifer McGuire's idea of having lots of the tools so that you don't have to change out the foam pieces every time (it is kind of a pain). So I think I will start ordering an extra tool or two each month and slowly build up my supply! And then I am going to want her storage thingie too! Eeeek!

Anyway, here are my peeks. I got all of the kits this month and just mixed them all up. They are all super fabulous and right up my alley!!

Also, there is a shop item that I used on all 3 layouts.... It will be available when the kits go live and I LOVE it!!! I'll link to it once it's there! Hope you are all ready for Christmas. I am feeling the last minute anxiety and remembering things that I haven't done yet and need to! Time is seriously running out!! I need to make a list and a plan!! :) Be back soon........

 

Studio Calico December Kit: Metropolitan

Well, I didn't manage to get my sneaks up before the reveal so I will just share my completed layouts with you this month. Needless to say it is a crazy time of year for me and I am up to my ears in photo shoots and editing all of the pictures! And trying to hurry so that my clients will have them in time to create their Christmas cards and make any prints for gifts, etc. If you are a client waiting on your images, I am aiming to get everything done by the end of this week! Lots to do!!

Anyway, back to the Studio Calico kits! The design team seems to all agree that the kits for December are among their favorites and you can see that in the gallery because a lot of them went above and beyond making lots and lots of layouts! I still have a lot of things from these kits that I want to use and I may even be hoarding a few things (ahem.... the exclusive papers this month - all 4 of them!)

First up is this layout... You are HAPPY...

I used that fab calendar paper from the main kit Metropolitan and the Sassafras Las flower stickers. I also used some strips from the exclusive SC paper along with my favorite Dear Lizzy rose brads from American Crafts (from the Park Bench add on) and the MM butterflies from the Mass Transit add on. Since everyone always asks, I used the American Crafts Slick Writer in Fine for my journaling. Oh and I also used this Weekday Stamp Set that is new in the SC shop. This set was also a huge hit amongst us designers! So versatile, fun and just stinkin cute! It is a fave for sure and I'm actually surprised that it hasn't sold out yet! Get it while you can!!

Next up is... Believe...

I used a mix of papers, most of which can be found in the Add-On Patterned Paper in case you didn't get all the kits. Then I used a lot of things from the add on Holiday Lights (red MM buttons, the Notes SC stamp, the American Crafts Dear Lizzy Christmas brads and the MM gold foil "Believe"). I think the shiny gold stamped snowflakes are a favorite on this layout for sure! I used the SC snowflake stamp from the add on Busy Sidewalks along with the American Crafts Zing embossing powder in metallic gold! I am new to the AC embossing powders and now I think I am addicted!! They are so beautiful! You will be seeing more of that from me for sure!!

Finally is another Christmas layout.... Christmas Oranges....

I did some misting on the background on this one.... used the Maya Road Mist in Lemon and Cherry (which is not currently available on SC so you could also try the Mister Huey's in Schoolhouse or any other red that you have on hand.) I also used a mix of papers again here. Then again I used a lot from the Holiday Lights add on (MM buttons, tags, gold foil snowflake, gold foil Noel and ticket, the AC Dear Lizzy Christmas brads). Oh and I also used the Jenni Bowlin Lemon Drops paint dabber to paint the "Christmas" chipboard piece and topped it off with a couple spritzes of the Lemon Maya Road mist. And again I used the American Crafts Slick Writer in Fine for the journaling and doodling. 

LIke I said I am hoarding the exclusive SC paper from this month! and did you know that they partnered with Sassafras Las to create the two extra exclusive papers? They are so beautiful! Both sides of all four papers are amazing!! The SC patterned paper is already sold out but you can get all 4 pieces in the More Patterned Paper add on still until that sells out as well! They are so yummy!

That pretty much wraps it up! Let me know if you have any questions on anything!

P.S. I heard a rumor that the first two of my online photography workshops for 2011 have been announced and that registration is open!! If you aren't on my wait list or if you thought you were and didn't get the email, let me know asap by emailing me!! Spots are filling!! maggieATmaggieholmesphotographyDOTcom