And the winner is...

Thank you to all the amazingly talented crafty ladies who participated in the WM color challenge!

I used random.org to pick a winner and the prize goes to: Cyndee Kawa! Congrats, Cyndee! Heather will get your prize sent out to you soon!

Again, thank you all for participating. More fun challenges to come- keep checking Woodgrain Mustache!

Thirfty Thursday: Repurposing Post Office Boxes for Scrapbook Paper Storage

It's Van here with another Thrifty Thursday post on how I store my 12x12 scrapbook paper. 

Now I love my patterned paper as much as the next scrapper but it is a pain figuring out cheap and affordable ways to store it.  All the fancy paper storage solutions available at the crafting stores look fantastic.  But in all honesty, I'd rather spend my money buying more paper than boxes.  So after perusing the internet awhile back, I came up with a completely free solution - USPS Medium Sized Flat Rate Boxes.

They are large enough to hold 12x12 paper and you can customize the boxes to fit your needs.  I personally stack my boxes to store the paper flat and here is how I do it.

Step 1.  Get some flat rate boxes.  It's all actually amazingly simple because you can order the boxes from the US Postal Service website and have the boxes delivered right to your door!

Step 2.   Assemble the boxes.  It goes without saying that the boxes will arrive at your doorstep (or you can pick them up at the post office) flat.  So follow the instructions and assemble the boxes. 

Step 3.  Cut the box.  Here's a photo of where you should make your cuts for flat paper storage.

You'll end up with something like this...

Then just stack them up and fill them with paper!  We live in a pretty small apartment which is hurting for storage.  So my boxes sit stacked up in the closet like this.

Definitely not the prettiest thing in the world, but it works for me.  I've seen people cover these boxes with paper to pretty them up.  But I'm basically can't be bothered (especially they sit inside the closet.) 

If you're looking for a vertical paper storage solution, check out this blog post.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

November's Color Theme...

It's Heather... I know that the ladies at Woodgrain Mustache have been a little busy... It's Fall. There are kiddos to take places, the beginnings of fall colds, school functions, holiday activities... All in all... We've been busy. Sorry.  It's just that time of the year.

For this week's color challenge, I chose a fantastic grouping of lovely warm tones, with just a small splash of light aqua. I got the inspiration from Pinterest via Design Seeds.

Because I want to see how some of you use this color palette... I will actually be sending the winner just a small treat from my personal stash... Possibly even in this color palette!!

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Use the colors that are shown in the color challenge for the week. Make sure that you stick to the color choices. White, black or kraft may also be used. Post the link to your card/layout/project that uses the colors for the given week before 11:59 PM the following Tuesday.

For this week, I will send the winner a small, color palette inspired prize!!

Texture

Texture refers to surface. All surfaces have texture. Texture may be tactile, where it may be felt, or it may be visual, which is an illusion of texture on a smooth surface.  Texture is an extremely versatile element of design, and may be used in many different ways. Here are some examples of texture in images:

 

Texture may be subtle, so that it is barely noticed, or it amay be a design focal point.  Varying texture empazises different parts of a layout. It also adds dimension.





Lukenbach, TX

  In this layout, the relative smoothness of the Kraft paper is contrasted by the visual texture of the 7 Gypsies paper.  The photograph of the building offers a rough texture from the weathered wood, and the paper bag reflects the texture of the Kraft Paper.  The different sizes of prints crate different visual textures.

In the "US" layout below, the brown cardstock offers a slight visual texture, which is contrasted by the buttons, chipboard letters, and photo mats, which all appear reatively smooth.  The pink paper appears to be weathered, offering a visual texture.


US



Addie



In the "pumpkin" layout, the Indie Bloom Basic Grey paper background offers a heavy visual texture that is broken up by the journaling circle and the photo mats.

In the "Addie" layout below the smooth black cardstock is contrasted by the patterned paper, Euphoria and Curio from Basic Grey. Euphoria is extremely visually textured, and can be overwhelming, the contrast of the background allows the texture of the paper to take center stage.

The "addie", "us" and "Lukenbach" layouts are Mid-Week Mojo Sketches from scrapbook steals, and are designed by Kristy Lee.

http://www.scrapbooksteals.com/

Featured Designer- Karen Weingartner

I have loved playing with paper since I was a little girl. In fact, I used to spend my allowance on construction paper, glitter glue, and anything made by Crayola. I started scrapbooking in late 2007 with the intent to scrapbook my wedding. At the time, we lived RIGHT next door to a Ben Franklin (which I walked to at least once a week!) in 700 square foot townhouse. Frustrated by a lack of storage, inspiration, and workspace, I gave up after completing 4 pages that I hated.


Shortly after buying our first home and finally having my own space to create, my husband stumbled across Scrapbook Steals and I have been hooked ever since. Not only do they sell deeply discounted, high-quality scrapbook supplies, they also have a fantastic online community of paper-crafters.

In May, I had the chance to meet a few ladies who are part of the lovely community SS has created. Heather encouraged me to get back into scrapping in June and I have more than a dozen layouts since!

Thank you, Heather for encouraging me to scrap again!

I am going to leave you with my favorite layout! It is inspired by the lovely Kristy Lee and her Topaz #4 sketch!

I used Echo Park: Little Girl, Doodlebug buttons, and American Crafts cardstock to create this layout about being an aunt.

Everybody get in line!

One of the elements of design is line. Line can express shapes, movement, and draw the eye into the layout. First, let's look at the line sketches. In the first, the proximity of the lines cause the eye to fill in the missing pieces and make the inner and outer circle appear complete. In the lotus sketch, lines of slightly varying width, give boldness and strength to the lotus. The diagonal lines against the horzintal lines in the third sketch give a feeling of depth to the image. The lines in the cherry bloom provide texture to the cherry blossom branch. The varying width in the final sketch implies motion.

In the "bounce" layout, line is implied by the placement of the letters and buttons. This is mirrored in the placement of the paper strips.

Are you ready to try it on a LO? The sketch below uses 3x3 photos to create horizontal and vertical lines, the papers behind provide additional line of different weight. The strips on the top and bottom of the layout repeat the line, and create an implied line vertically down the center of the page. The title and journaling mirror the papers. To switch up the LO, try a wave in the middle and top, placing the pictures in a wave pattern.

Full disclosure, I drew the sketch, but this LO style is very common, so there are many interpretations out there.

Color Challenge #2

Hello fellow Woodgrain Mustache lovers! It's Heather again with another Color Challenge!

I have a confession to make... I am a  Pinterest addict. I just love stumbling on a TON of interesting pics. One of my favorite boards is my Color Palette board! This week, I'm going FULL FALL! 

This is a truly special week for me, as I will be meeting up with some of my fellow scraptastically wonderful people in lovely Salt Lake City, Utah. We are all meeting up for the soon-to-be-annual ScrapbookSteals Croptoberfest. Or at least, that's what I'm going to call it :)

(The Purl Bee)

Although this really isn't a pin of a true color palette... It does have some great colors involved. The light green, khaki, cream and orange rust are just perfect!!

Each week one of us will be showing a color combination, your goal is to link your work that uses that color combination in its entirety. You may use white, black and/or kraft as needed... You can use the image as inspiration, but it is not necessary.  Have fun, and link away!

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