Layout Ideas: Bo Bunny, My Mind's Eye & American Crafts.

Sometimes I feel like new paper lines can't get here fast enough....but lately I feel like there are so many great new lines that it is hard to keep up! We have been busy creating a lot of new layout ideas and project samples (watch for them soon!) with all of the new summer lines.

If you want to keep up on all the new lines that we get in store be sure to follow us on Facebook as we post all the new lines as we get them in HERE.

You can also check out all of our Layout inspiration on both our Facebook page HERE and we also have a Pinterest Board devoted to all of the Crafts Direct made layout ideas too!

(We do post additional layout ideas that we find online on a Layout Ideas board too.)

Here are a few layouts and cards that we have just completed:

Bo Bunny: Key Lime line layouts:

My Mind's Eye: Kate&Co.: Cambridge Court layouts:

My Mind's Eye: Kate&Co: Oxford Lane layouts:

American Crafts: May Berry line layouts:

Project Ideas: Family 3 Panel Window

Hi Everyone! And Happy Monday.

Today I just have a quick project idea to share with you using our 3 panel window frames. This piece comes finished in the black distressed wood, and plain glass panels, and hanging wire for both a vertical or horizontal design.

For this sample we used pattern paper and embellishments from a My Mind's Eye paper line, added some photos and a vinyl saying to the center panel. You can find a detailed project sheet for this piece on our website HERE.

My Mind's Eye Bag Kits.

At the end of last week I spotted these DIY Bag Kits from My Mind's Eye in our Fabrics department and couldn't wait to share them with all of you!!

They come in three different styles (Ruffle Bag, Messenger Bag, and Tote Bag) and a few different fabric colors/choices in each style.

The best part is that everything is already set for you in this kit, and from the looks of the directions would be an easy project to complete for even a novice sewer.

You can take a peak at all the bag styles available as well as read a bit more about the bags on a blog post on the My Mind's Eye blog from last week HERE.

Our CHA Finds!

Two days of the Craft and Hobby convention in Chicago are over! We've seen so many new Scrapbooking products, many of them Halloween, Fall, or Christmas themed (already?!?). We could go on and on about all the new, amazing things we've seen... but here's a list of a few of our favorites:

1. My Mind's Eye Lost and Found 2, and Christmas. They gave the old line a bit of a make-over... still with glittered die cuts, stamps, brads, and awesome papers. New to the line are adhesive pearls, and 6x6 pads.

2. We R Memory Keepers Sew Ribbon & Sew Stamper. The amazing Sew Easy tool has been remade... into a stamp roller. Now, you can simply stamp the stitching look, instead of having to actually thread the needle! The Sew Ribbon is the same concept as the Sew Easy tool, however you punch your paper with the tool, and weave ribbon into your layout or project. Super cool!



3. Simple Stories... all of their new lines are absolutely amazing! We are already big fans of their scrapbooking papers, and all four of their new lines are better than ever. Pictured is the new Happy Day, birthday themed collection. These papers are awesome, and perfect with the divided We R Memory Keepers page protectors. The other three lines are: Generations, Baby Steps, and 25 Days of Christmas.

4. American Crafts Amy Tangerine. Amy Tangerine is a new designer for the company, and their new line is awesome. This line is great because it is very versatile, and combines the designers love for travel, crafts, and fashion. The line can be used for many of different scrapbooking themes!

5. Doodlebug! Of course we had to mention Doodlebug. A few months ago they came out with their Create-a-Card program... now they've expanded it to make card-making even easier. The rack is now going to have small, dimensional stickers, twine, and "doodles" stickers so you can create your own, inexpensive handmade cards. They also released four new paper lines, that are complete with papers, stickers, and embellishments. (The Halloween lines is ADORABLE, complete with little glittered monsters on it!)



That is just a short list of all the amazing things we've seen in the last couple days. Check back soon to see all of the fun new additions to the Paper Crafts department!

Free Make -n-Takes

In honor of March: National Craft Month (NCM) we will be offering two free make & takes this Saturday, March 12th, from 1pm to 3pm. The two projects that will be offered, while supplies last are: a 6x6 layout (hanger not included) held at the Paper Crafts demo counter, and a kids foam visor held at the end of aisle 19. We hope you can join us!

Day Two of CHA!

It was another fun filled day at CHA as we visited with our Friends at Unity Stamp Co. where Angela and her team are so sweet and fun to work with. They also have the cutest stamps coming out, along with their Store Stampin' Kits, which we will be getting in. We also got the pleasure of meeting Donna Downey at the Unity Booth. We are also looking forward to getting in all the new My Mind's Eye lines, as well as Fancy Pants. It has been a fun time and we look forward to getting back to the store to share our excitement and finds with everyone else.

Snazzy Check Book Covers!

Happy Friday! I hope you're as excited as I am for this weekend, but first a project for today! These pictures aren't the greatest but hopefully they can help spark some ideas for your own check book. My cover was on its last leg so I decided instead of buying a new one that I should make my own with some of my favorite papers. We sell clear plastic covers for checks in packs of four so you can create your own cover using whatever materials you like and slip them in the plastic. For my check book I used My Mind's Eye Bohemia Collection for the cover. For the inside I used a sheet from an 8x8 Vintage Paper Pack by Paper Pizazz. I added embellishments to mine but if you use a patterned paper that is really all you need. That is all for me today, have fun, get crazy, and enjoy the weather! Tiff

Trés Jolie and Signature Life!

As Spring is arriving and the weather is changing, so is our product here at Crafts Direct! Recently, we received two new paper lines from My Minds Eye: Trés Jolie and Signature Life, both complete with coordinating paper and die-cuts.
The Trés Jolie line is full of bright colors and new, vintage-retro patterns, perfect for the upcoming summer season! The line comes with brand new adhesive page borders and fun and funky frames, cardstock alphabets and memo tags too spice up any craft project!
The Signature Life line also has a complete set of matching paper and functional embellishments to make any scrapbook page complete while taking on a more urban approach, turning even simple moments into extraordinary ones!
Take a look for yourself at http://www.mymindseye.com/tresjolie.asp
-Kimberlie

Custom Plates

Well hello, Happy Monday! I am back for more project ideas. Lately I have been really interested in collecting and decorating with plates. The problem is the ones with the really intricate patterns are usually the most expensive, so I thought why not make our own version. It is a pretty simple project but I think you don't know how good it looks until you try it. We used My Mind's Eye, Bohemia collection scrapbooking paper for ours but you can use fabric as well. We traced the bottom of the plate onto the paper and cut out our stencil. Then to adhere to the back of the plate we found that using vellum adhesive spray works really well, then you won't see any of your adhesive showing through. That's it, that's all. That might be the world's shortest project! Obviously they are not meant to be eaten on but they work as nice chargers or just decoration for your table, walls or shelves. We used some of our seasonal chargers to really dress them up for decorating your table. Hopefully we have given you a project for your own home or at least sparked some ideas. Back for more tomorrow. Tiff