Maya Road Design Team

Use Up Those Scraps!

Hi Roodies,

Hope you guys are having a great week so far.  For today's post, thought I would share some inspirations for using all those scraps that we have hoarded away; along with some yummy Maya Road products of course. I don't know about you, but I tend to keep every single little tiny piece of pattern paper (just can't get myself to throw anything away).  And what better project to create with these little bits than tags (and/or cards)... and comes in handy when you want to include a little personal touch to any gift.

First up is this tag that I created using some strips of pattern papers  to decorate the bottom portion of the tag and also some banner details and of course with loads of Maya Road goodness. Here I used a Kraft Decorative Journaling Tag, Kraft Die Cut Butterflies, White Kraft Typography Numbers, Leaf Trinket Pin, Vintage Pale Pink Pearl Ball Pins, Canary Paper Twine Cording, Button Mini Chipboard, Leaf Velvet Ribbon and Seafoam Green Maya Mist. 

Having some fun with layering details and love how you can easy color those chipboard pieces to any color that you want/need.  Also another new favorite product from this year winter release are those paper twine cording - these are super fun to use!

 And here's another tag that I created using those tiny pieces of pattern papers that I had left over and of course along with some more trinket pins, flower, chipboards and more twine. Maya Road products used on this are: Mini Scallop Chipboards, Green Velvet Ribbon, Leaf Trinket Pins, Espresso Brown Maya Mist, Champagne Vinttage Butterfly Trinket Pins, Canary Paper Twine Cording and Pink Ribbon Flower. 

On this tag, I first started by misting the mini scallop chipboards and adhering those on top of the bits of papers that I had left. Then once again, I used the remaining strips of paper on the bottom along with some ribbon. Then came the flower and more twine. On this tag, I had stitched one of the sides of the twine circle to secure it in place (on the previous tag, I had stapled the twine down and covered the staples with the baanner/ribbon papers). 

I didn't stamp any saying on these tags just yet, but will definitely be doing so as and when I use them.  This way, I don't need to worry if I have enough of a certain type of tag (ie. birthdays, thank you, congrats, etc). 

Thanks for stopping by everyone and don't forget, put those scraps to use!

It doesn't have to be so hard

Hi everyone!

This is Karen and I am here to share a quick and pretty tag with you. Sometimes when I am wrapping a present, I like to add a little personal piece to it. These quick tags make it easy to personalize without feeling like a burden.

Here's one:

I covered the background with fabric tape, colored the edges with acrylic paint and then added a little bit of burlap trim. I then added my canvas butterfly (which I painted with acrylic) on top. I used two tall pins to make its antannae. A beautiful white flower on top of my butterfly made it even prettier. I took a wooden tag and stamped "thanks" directly on it. A chipboard star, painted with gesso and glossied up with glossy accents was my last and final step. Even though it's a quick one, doesn't it feel so nice when you see a hand-made tag on a present you receive? 

Sometimes we make things so much harder than they have to be. Looking at this tag still makes me happy and allows me to carve a little creative time without feeling like I have to sit down and spend hours on a layout. 

A win-win if you ask me.

Have you ever made a quick and pretty tag? Do you personalize your presents? If so, please link me up in the comments, I'd love to see them!

Lovely Linen

Hi Roadies! Julia here again with another project to share. I've always loved Maya Road mini albums but the latest ones in linen? Well, I love creating with them...the texture is awesome! Being a sewer long before I found paper crafting, I'm so excited to see fabric mini albums and embellishments.

Todays album is the Linen 4x6 Art Journaling Album and it's four pages of beautiful double thickness linen. It makes the perfect gift album, a wedding or baby album or as the name suggests, a little album for art journaling. My album is more along the art journaling line and is filled with quotes that I love and inspire me.

One thing I did with this album was to fold back the front cover about an inch or so and glue it down. This adds a little unique spot of interest and gives you a peek into the first page of the album.

As you can see, I've filled it with lots of lovely embellishments. I love how the unfinished edges add lots of texture and character to each album.

The cover is my favorite place to embellish and there are many layers of Maya Road flowers, trinkets and trims. To add a shabby chic look to the Antique Room Key, I've painted it with Gesso, making sure not to get the paint into the grooves.

The linen albums really take ink, paint and stamping well. Thoughout this album, I've stamped it with the Art Journaling Words Stamp Set and the Vintage Wallpaper Stamp Set.

Each page in the album contains a quote that is meaningful to me. They are written on White Mini Kraft Jotter Tags.

Tissue paper is easy to adhere to the linen album with a clear multi-medium type adhesive or glaze.

Fabric albums are so much fun to create with. I hope you'll be inspired to give one a try. Thanks for joining me today!

 

Additional Maya Road Supplies:

Linen Mini Tag Pieces

Cream Velvet Resin Blossoms

Vintage Paper Roses

Country Rose Flower Fabric Tape

Vintage Pearl Butterfly Trinket Pins

Vintage Wood Mini Butterflies

Natural Wood Buttons

Vintage Sequin Blossoms

Alterable Canvas Blooms

Cream Vintage Burlap Roses

Ballerina Pink Tu-Tu Tulle

Vintage Pale Pink Pearl Ball Pins

Wood Twigs

Pink Lemonade Twine Cording

 

One big, flowery cluster

Hello there!

Ania here with a layout for you this time.

When looking through the photos from this past Christmas I made a mental note to scrap these photos of my grandma and my children. Fast forward close to five months later, and I'm pleased to be able to say I've accomplished just that! =)

Right! I love the organza tea garden trim, so broad and lush, it sort of builds a comfy bed to add stuff on top of and is perfect for building a cluster around! So sad it's discontinued from Maya Road, so if you see some in your LSS, grab a couple of yards! You won't regret it, I promise! I added a strip of regular mini organza roses trim right beneath the bottom tea garden trim.

Otherwise, I layered my cluster by mixing stamping (gotta love the antique love doilies stamp set), fabric and kraft atop.

And I couldn't resist adding this satin scallop edge blossom to the layout, it's simply gorgeous!

 

Hope you enjoyed this layout inspiration :)

Paper Princess

Every princess needs a crown... and whether you believe in fariytales or not, every little girl is a princess to somebody. 

My project today is a sweet little girl's crown.  I've made a few of these in different colors for birthday girls before and I always use pretty Maya Road embellishments to fancy them up so that the little princess feels extra special.  I'm fairly sure that if I were a princess, I would want a whimsical paper crown just like this!

One of my favorite things on this crown are the Kraft Layerable Flowers.  I have to tell you that I was so afraid of those  when I first saw them and this is actually my first time using them on a project.  Now I don't know why, because I want to make more of those fun and spikey flowers!  I loved painting and glittering them up.  I just painted the front side so that the paint didn't clog up the slits that are cut in them.  After the paint was dry I formed them into the flowers and once they were shaped the way I wanted them, I added the glitter and the centers.  I think that the Velvet Resin Blossoms look so cute in the centers.

The pink organza flowers were made using the Carnation colored Afternoon Tea Trim.  To make the flower, cut one of the flowers from the trim then use a needle and thread to make a loose running stitch around the outside edges of the flower then pull the thread tightly so that flower become smaller and more bulky.  Make sure to bring the gathered edge to the backside of the flower.

When I use the Trinket Pins on my crowns, I use a wire cutter to cut the sharp end of the pin off.  I usually cut the pin off to about half its length.  Then I use hot glue to completely cover the cut end of the pin when I insert it behind the flower.  I don't want the pin to poke through the crown and hurt the child so I take some extra precautions to make it safe.  The hot glue encasing the end should work.

When I start decorating the crowns I always start in the center of the front with a Chipboard Scallop Frame.  They are such an awesome base for the childs intial of her name or the number of the birthday year.  The Scalloped Frames have always been a staple for me when I create, whether I am making a scrapbook layout or another type of paper project.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I was glad to share my project tips with you and hope that you all have a princess in your lives to make one for someday!



Other Maya Road items used in this project:
Ruffle Blossoms- Cream (sprayed purple)
Amethyst Purple Maya Mist
Velvet Pleat Flower- yellow
Antique Metal Butterfly
Natural Wood Button
Vintage Paper Posies (sprayed purple)
Velvet Point Blossoms- cream
Tulle Pleat Trim- milk
Mini Ruffle Trim- cream
Lustrous Button Jewel

Embellishing with stamps

Hey Roadies! Mandy Kay here, to talk to you, about stamps. I LOVE stamps. You can use them over and over, change the color and texture whenever you choose, and they are a great way to add something to your project without a lot of bulk. I have to admit though, that even though I love using stamps, I don't love the risk involved when adding them to a project. I am always afraid of the dreaded stamping shadow, or missing my mark just a bit. BUT I have found a way to use my stamps without fear! Come on, I'll show you!

  First, I collected my Perfect Shot Arrow Stamps, Vintage Camera Stamp, Say Cheese stamp set, my ETC. set, my inks, some embossing powders, vellum, and a couple scraps of patterned paper. I laid out my papers and photos, then I got started with my stamps...

I stamped my cameras on scraps of patterned paper, with some black ink and my ampersand in a deep orange on white cardstock. For my arrows, I stamped them on vellum with VersaMark and embossed them in matching colors. I cut or punched them all out, and added them to my layout. Since they were stamped on paper, I could move them around until I had it just the way I wanted, before gluing it all down. Here is how it looked in the end...

And a few close-ups...

I hope you enjoyed my tips and tricks today and I hope you'll be busting out those stamps on your next project! Thanks for stopping by the Maya Road Design Team blog!

Capturing those moments...forever.

Hi everyone, it's Laura here with a mini album today.

"Forever Captured" is the title of my album because I love taking pictures!  I don't know about you, but these days with my iPhone I'm always taking pictures.   I love how easy it these days to take pictures from wherever you are.  So what better mini album to showcase those photos in than a camera!   So  this mini album is dedicated to some Instagram photos I took while we were on vacation in Italy last summer.

I really love this camera album and I wanted to capture some special photos from our trip in it.  If you start following my posts, you'll probably see quite a bit of photos about Italy.  We LOVE Italy and I have even started hosting scrapbooking/mixed-media art retreats in Italy every year!  It's just so beautiful there and I enjoy capturing these moments we have together there. What I LOVE about Maya Road is that no matter where you go, what project you're working on or what color scheme you have... they have something for EVERY theme you can think of!  

Because of the little size Instagram photos are printed out as, they are perfect for mini albums.  But I didn't want to overpower the tiny photos with lots of embellishments, so I picked just one or two that would stand out on each page.

One thing I've found to unify your album project is to repeat the same elements throughout.  It brings a sense or recognition and makes the album more cohesive as a whole.  So I usually go through my stash of embellishments and look for the ones that will work through the whole album or project.  I love the Maya Road Kraft journaling cards and these with the black edging were perfect as were the kraft cameras.

Here's a look into the whole album and all the colorful pages.  You'll notice I used some paper lace doilies several times as well.  I think combining different textures in your projects add more interest to the overall design.

Here's a look at the back cover.  Don't overlook this part of the album.  If you're like me,  I'll be so detail oriented in the inside of a mini album that by the time I'm to the back cover I'm "done' with it. But it's still an important part and when it's set up on a shelf  it might be what someone sees first.  So for this back page I decided to add one of my favorite photos from the trip and end the "story" with my overall feeling for this trip:  LOVE.

I hope you enjoyed this mini album today and it inspires you to get those photos out of your phone and into some Maya Road mini albums!

 Have a GREAT day,

The Making of a Canvas

Hello Roadies! Emily here today.

I had the pleasure of making some projects for the recent Maya Road debut on HSN last week. I'm known for my layouts, so it was really fun to break out of that and play with some different mediums. I thought it might be interesting to share how I was thinking as I designed a canvas for the show. Please excuse the poor photos, I didn't think to take them with my good camera, just my cell phone. I was sending the to Caroline throughout the process. I decided to use them because I think it's cool to see how the canvas evolved.

I started out with a quote from Thackery, "A good laugh is like sunshine in a house." I knew the Vintage Wood mini rulers would make a perfect roof. Stained brown with Maya Mist in Expresso, I was ready to go. I painted the Velvet Pleated Trinket Flower in milk a bright sunny yellow and place it behind the house. I painted my background with Blue Slushie and gesso. I think added a strip of green fabric tape, available only for the HSN kit, this was going to be my grass.

I decided to with a little more of the Blue Slushie mist, I wanted a BLUE sky! I took off the fabric tape, it just didn't look good.

I messed around the the Antique Gem Tinket pin and a Kraft ticket in white, trying to make a mailbox. I decided against it. I also put the fabric tape back, this time ruffling it and adding a second layer. I was so much happier with the look this time. I thought about putting the Mini Organza Roses Trim  in the grass, but I bumped the canvas, an accident occurred, and I ended up using them in a different place.

See where they ended up? They made rather delightful fluffy clouds, don't you think? I added my vintage image of a man laughing. I knew this would be a misproportioned piece of work, so it was fun to go really big on the face inside the house. I also rubbed some of the Blue Slushie off parts of the sky to give a more cloudy feel to it. The ticket reappears. I'm wondering if I can fit the quote on it.

I decide against using the ticket, instead printing the quote off and cutting it up. Figuring out placement was my next challenge. You'll notice it's not this way in the final image. I added some flowers in the form of the Antique Gem pins and some Mixed Chipboard Shapes. I also used the chipboard to house my quote source. This gave me a nice balance of three yellow spots on the canvas. I tied off each flower with some Wheatgrass Twine Cording for leaves. The twine cording also became the walls of the house.

I used gel medium to seal everything off and stitched the chipboard down and that was how I went from a blank canvas to this:

Once I got rolling, I had a blast. It was fun to try a different platform, and I think it earned me the assignment of a few more (which I'm OK with).

Anchors Away!

Hi, Roadies! Leah checking in with a fun summer wreath idea today!

Anchors are definitely an up and coming trend right now, and this wreath is a fun way to bring one to your home! I chose to cut a simple anchor shape out of cardstock to add just a touch of trend to the classy Maya Road goods!

I started with an 8" styrofoam wreath from the craft store, and wrapped it with the barn red gingham fabric tape. Be sure you have at least two rolls on hand.

Once I had my anchor piece cut, it's was mostly just a lot of fun layering of red white and teal. 

I did use a bit of paint on one of the chipboard tags and letters to add a monogram to the very front. Here's a list of the things that I used, in case you're interested in making one for yourself!

stain scallop blooms in teal, afternoon tea blossoms in milk, velvet pleats in cream and red, tu-tu tulle flowers in cherry red, wood measure once cut twice, paper twine in apple, antique treasure key, mixed shapes mini chipboard, lisa lowercase alphabet, vintage button stick pins, velvet resin blossoms, mini gingham trim in licorice, twine cording in shine gold

Happy May Day!

Tags

Hi Roadies Angella here!

today I wanted to show some tags I made a little bit back, tags are becoming very popular here in aussie land. Tags are a great way to use up all your left overs and anything does go with creating them.

Magical - I do love creating whimsical, this one I covered the tag with pattern paper, then I used some of my favorite Kraft enveopes and Kraft times fly peices . Decorate  with Vintage tape measure trim and tulle trim

Beautiful - Created using Kraft peices times fly , Mini Kraft jotters, Kraft trinket pins , Vintage tape measure trim, trinket season ribbon ,  tulle trim and linen burlap trim

So Roadies next time you have left overs hanging around create a tag for a friend or just because.

Happy Creating Roadies

have a great day

Twine for Texture

Hi everyone!

This is Karen and I am here to share a little tag with you today. If you're like me and have been hoarding twine and pins, this one will appeal to you:

 

The first thing I did for this tag was to cover the background with lots and lots of glue and lay down strips of twine. I didn't even cut the ends first and just went back and forth until the whole thing was finished. Then I cut the edges and painted all around with a bright green acrylic paint.

I then adhered my little envelope and filled it with all the pins that make me happy. For the canvas butterfly, I sprayed some Maya Mist on a baby wipe and just blotched it all over my butterfly (beautiful system for people like me who are deathly afraid of the spray itself.)

Then I grabbed two chipboard words "love" and "you" and painted them with the same acrylic green I'd used on the edges of the tag. I decided I wasn't loving the finish so I covered the whole thing with glossy accents and voila! it looked much shinier.

 

A few colorful strips of paper twine cording (one of my favorite products ever!) and my little tag was done. A lovely addition to any present!

Have you ever covered your tag with twine? If not, I definitely recommend it, it's a fast and lovely way to introduce some texture. If so, please link me up in the comments, I'd love to see them!

Announcing Our 2013 Guest Designers

We wanted to thank everyone who applied to be a Maya Road Guest Designer. After many hours of review of all entries, we are excited to announce the ones we have chosen. Be sure to stay tuned as they will be featured here on the Design Team Blog!

 

Find Joy Mini Canvas

Hi Roadies! Julia here again with another Maya Road creation.

I love creating things just for the joy of it. Lately much of that joy in creativity is coming from the mixed media trend that is so popular right now. Combining a myriad of supplies and layers together to make something entirely new can be so exciting. And that's really what Maya Road is all about...the creative journey and the ability of the products to be used in so many creative ways.

My joy mini canvas started off as a 5x5 canvas  I picked up at a local arts & crafts store. It's layered with tissue paper adhered to the surface and the edges coated with black acrylic paint. To add some beautiful color to the project I misted it with Blue Agave, White Out and Green Apple Maya Mists.

Almost all of Maya Road's products are alterable. I love the gorgeous Vintage Edge Mums and this one is misted with White Out and Blue Agave Mists. It's paired up with some stamped leaves and lots of other gorgeous embellishments.

My all-time favorite Maya Road stamp set is the Art Journaling Words set. It's perfect for multi-media projects as well as cards and scrapbook layouts.

Also adding a sentiment to this mini canvas is the Lisa Uppercase Chipboard letters that spell out JOY. They are misted, then covered with a clear glaze and glass glitter to give them a beautiful shine.

Grab a canvas and some Maya Road supplies and see where your creativity takes you!

Maya Road Products Used:

Vintage Edge Mum

Blue Agave Metallic Mist

Green Apple Mist

White Out Mist

Leaf Trinket Pins

Turquoise Star Pins

Lisa Uppercase Alphabet

Decorative Scrolls Chipboard Set

Antique Button Jewels

Ornate Botanicals Stamp Sheet

Art Journaling Words Stamp Sheet

Vintage Raspberry Beads

Fabric Leaves

Natural Wood Buttons

 

Fabric Tape Fun!

Hey there, Roadies! Mandy Kay here, to share a few simple, graphic cards that you could create using some Maya Road fabric tape!

I know that you couldn't have possibly missed the washi tape trend going on out there in the crafting world, its everywhere! But I have to tell you that I am a bit partial to the fabric tape. It has a texture that you don't get with the washi, it sticks like you wouldn't believe, and its easy as pie to stamp on!

For this first card, I started with some of the Saltwater Taffy tape. I added two strips of it, diagonally in the lower right corner of the card. Then, I stamped my sentiment following the lines of the tape, using the Card Sentiment Words clear stamps. Finally, to balance out my design, as well as add a bit of whimsy and texture, I stapled some of the Apple Paper Twine Cording, and added a bow.

For this next card, I started by adding about 2 inches of the Barn Red and the Licorice Strips tapes, overlapping them a bit, just above the mid-line of the card. I stamped my "hello" on a DIY Speech Bubble sticker, using the Picture Perfect Cameras clear stamp set and adhered it to the card, using some foam tape to pop it up.

And for this last card, I simply added a few pieces of the Licorice Strips tape (cut in half, lengthwise) to the center of the card, hand cut some "flames" from a scrap piece of yellow patterned paper, and stamped "birthday wishes" below my candles using the Card Sentiment Words clear stamp set. You can't get much simpler than that! Its a cute card, it didn't take you too long to make(perfect for when you need a card in a pinch) and you can change the candle colors to suit the recipient.

Honestly, I can't wait to have the full Maya Road fabric tape line up in my stash! I love how versatile it is! You can use it to bind a mini book, cover a piece of chipboard, dress up a gift, or you could even make mini banners with it!

I hope you have been inspired to try out the fabric tapes(or use up some of that stash), today. Thanks for stopping by the Maya Road Design Team blog!!

It's a Chipboard Addiction

Hi there Roodies.

Hope you guys had a great weekend and are all set for some crafting fun.  Today I want to share some projects that I recently created focusing on chipboard and more chipboards and of course chipboards. I dont think you can ever have to many to these. 

My first project is this mini ablum using the super cute Home Tweet Home Chipboard Album, Home Tweet Home mini chipboard set (for some of the little birds and branches; selection of chipboard birds are also provided along with the mini album), Love mini chipboard set (for those hearts) and Christmas Words mini chipboard set (for LOVE).  

I had a lot of fun creating this little mini, especially the cover page. I really like how the album had the house frame layer and also the circle cut out (only for cover page). This gave me the idea of having one of the birds peeking out from behind. Also there were seperate chipboard pieces that you could use to create the window still for the birds.  On some of the chipboard pieces I added some glossy accent to give it alternative look and feel (love textures, as you can see from the ribbons there too). 

And for my second project, having more fun with chipboards and mist. This time using chipboard pieces from the following sets: Decorative Buttons, Ornate Tags and Butterfly along with some of the new paper twine cording, wooden button, pins and kraft typography number. 

Here I wanted to play around with the mist abit and on the button piece (pink), instead of evenly spraying the mist onto the chipboard, I applied it in droplets.  I used the pink ginger maya mist which gives a nice metallic shine and as I found out by applying it this way, I could create a marbled look. 

Hopefully I've inspired you guys to get out those chipboard pieces (I know you have them)! Thanks for stopping by everyone and hope you guys have a great week ahead!

No Ordinary Moments Gift

Hello!  Today I made a a fun little gift box using a page from the Maya Road "Home Sweet Home" Mixed Media Album.  I loved that album from the minute I saw it and I knew that there were many more possiblilities than just an album.

I cut chipboard to add to the back of the chipboard house shape from the album set to form the box and the bottom then adhered old book pages and patterned paper to the all sides of the house box.  I used 25 gauge wire for the handle and one of the large Vintage Spools.  The spool is wrapped in yellow Vintage Measuring Tape Trim.  I lightly sanded the tape trim to give it a time worn look and to soften the color to match the soft colors in the rest of my project.

The little pom poms were made from the Twine Cording in "Shine Gold".  Can you see the little slivers of sparkle in the poms?  I love that.  I also used some of the new "Champagne" Vintage Butterfly Trinket Pins that I stuffed into that bouquet of the Vintage Paper Posies.

My thoughts on gifting this box is that it would make a great gift for a crafter or scrapbooker.  They can use some of the things in their projects like the bouquet of mini posies, the pom poms, or even the metal heart tin.  You could also make the house box for somebody special on May Day and fill it with a few sweet treats.

I filled the inside of the box with some shredded brown paper bag then added a 4 1/2" pinwheel to serve as a backdrop for all of the other things.  The pinwheel is topped with a chipboard Scallop Frame and a Velvet Pleats flower.  The metal Heart Tart is painted, distressed and the center is filled with patterned paper, an old family photo, and some buttons and the Pearl Chain Trim.

The little pink eggs were stamped with the words from the Art Journaling Clear Stamp Set.  The Antique Room Key was glittered up and hung along with the pom poms on the handle.  Metals are so fun!

The house front was decorated with a chipboard "Doorways" piece that was painted, distressed and glittered.  Some Ruffle Egde trim and big ric rac trim were used along the roof then I piled on the wood alterable buttons.  Have you seen the new wood Shaped Buttons?  Those are so cute! Included are hearts, flowers and stars.

I also used Vintage Paper Roses, more Pearl Chain trim, a Ruffle Blossom flower, a Velvet Resin Blossom and of course more Trinket Pins.  I'm in love with the new Vintage Pale Pink Pearl pin.... love, love, love!!  Maya Road knows how to make me all giddy inside :-)

See !!  So perfect... so vintagey perfect.

One last thing to mention is the Mini Organze Roses trim along the bottom of the house...  so soft and pretty for just about everything.  So, then that's it!  If you have a chance and want to make something unique,  get yourself some of the  so, so awesome Chipboard Albums from Maya Road.  You'll find they have some secret power to inspire you to be extra creative.  Go ahead I dare you to give it a try... you won't be disappointed :-)

Thanks for stopping by.  Best wishes for a super happy day ahead!

The Box Previously Known As A Perfume Box

Hello there Roadies!

Ania here with yet another box for ya (it's no secret that I love boxes...).
I'm not sure what it is, but when I get my hands on a sturdy, nicely sized cardboard box, like a perfume-box, it just feels wrong to throw it away (even though it'd go to the recycle/paper bin).

Take this box, previously holding  3.4 oz of lovely Eau De Parfum (She Wood..one of my faves along with Flowerbomb...but I digress).... I figured I'd put this box to good 2nd use, finding some matching patterned paper for the solid pink-peachy color of the cardboard, and a few Maya Road-embellishments to go...

Like creating a small but effective cluster next to a big heart covering almost the whole box. And oh, you can never go wrong with heart shaped linen! In this case a little bit of color was added by spraying some Maya Mist (dragonfruit pink & sunflower yellow washed out w/buttermilk cream).

The cluster started with a tucked in kraft snowflake behind the new Afternoon Tea blossoms in carnation... which in turn was embellished with a scrap of Scallop Chiffon & Tulle Trim and Antique Jeweled Pearl Pendant and a piece of celery green Twine Cording.

On the other side: The lucky number seven (which's this years big birthday number) labeled with the help of some trim adorning a bottle cap and a starburst of different slices of patterned papers...

You see...the kids keep coming home with messages like: "oh by the way, I think I'm attending a birthdayparty in....20 minutes". It happens more often than I like (sigh), which's why I have a bag full of backup-pressies (well ok, only 2 left atm) and well, I also try to keep the handmade cards stocked up so all I need to do is either to add the correct number or the kids name onto the card...

This box will go to the backup-bag, it's like a card and a pressie in one...I just need to figure out what items to fit inside this box :)

From Twigs to Antlers

I have a friend named Jody who really loves antlers. While Maya Road was at Scrapfest last September, I posted a photo of the wood twigs we were using for one of the make and takes. Jody commented that they looked a lot like antlers. And I couldn't not make this tag after that, and the transformation was easy.

This is Emily with an antler tag for you. I am not a huge fan of hanging antlers in my house, but I do like the whimsical and playful look of some of them. This one is meant to be just that. I started with a tag, painting the background with some Fig Magenta Maya Mist, straight out of the bottle. It gives a slightly verigated look that I love!

Next I stamped and embossed one of our You've Been Framed stamps with a bright ocean blue. I used one of the Mini Kraft Jotter Tags in White as the plaque for the antlers. 

To turn the twigs into antlers, I inked them generously with some walnut ink, then attached with a very sticky adhesive to the jotter tag. I cover up the base with one of our adorable Felt Pearl Posies in Cream, I can't get enough of those!

I made a fun banner with our new paper twine and some scraps of paper to sit just behind the antlers, the embossed the word love from our Love Words Mini Chipboard set, misting a heart in Summer Sun Yellow Maya Mist and put them just under the antler plaque.

It needed something more, so I stratigically cut a Die Cut Kraft Doily to anchor the tag as well. Still, it wasn't quite done. I had fallen in love with the Pearl Bead in the 6mm so I added a few strands to each twig with the Saffron Twine Cording.

I finished it off with a strip of the Mini Gingham Trim in Coffee Brown. And voila, a sweet little tag with a nod to the very popular antler trend!

Wreath Inspirations

Hi Roadies! It's the new girl on the block here, Laura, with the LAST wreath in our Inspiring Wreath series.  I'm SO excited to be a part of this Design Team and I hope to create many things that will inspire some Maya Road creativity in you too!

I created this wreath literally 2 days before I even heard we were doing this wreath series.  I had just made the design team and wanted to play around with all my Maya Road goodies, so I took some burlap and Maya Road's floral trims and went to town.  So when I heard the news about everyone making a wreath,  I knew it was meant to be because we were all thinking on the same wavelength!   

Here's a picture of my wreath hanging on my front door:

Both the foam wreath base and the extra large burlap trim were purchased at my local discount store.  I have been in love with burlap for a while and have seen so many things made with burlap on Pinterest lately.  So I wanted to give it some Maya Road LOVE and see how it turned out!

For this wreath, I used a box of  Green Leaf Trinket Pins,  Organza Primrose Trim and the Butterfly Chipboard Set.  To start, I took the roll of extra large burlap and attached one end to the foam wreath with a trinket pin.  Then I simply doubled over the burlap and pinned it again to the foam wreath and repeated this until the whole wreath was covered with the burlap.  I didn't try to make it look perfect or exact, I wanted it to look a bit "shabby".  Once that was complete, I then took the Organza Primrose Trim and went through the same process and pinned the trim down with the green trinket pins.  I tried to keep the Organza Primrose Trim in the middle of the burlap as I went around and some times I even took the trinket pin out of the wreath (where it was holding down the burlap) and placed it in over BOTH the burlap and the organza primrose trim.  This just saved a little on cost so I didn't have to use up so many pins. Lastly, I took two chipboard butterflies and covered them with some pretty packaging from an embellishment I bought a while back.  I simply traced and cut out the shape of the butterflies and glued them down onto the chipboard and then glued them down onto the wreath.  The whole thing didn't even take me 30 minutes to make!

 

So now it's on my front door and making my house look a little bit happier!  And now I think I'll go pin my wreath on Pinterest too... 

I hope you've enjoyed these last couple weeks of Wreath Inspiration!  I know we've all had fun sharing them and I can't wait to see what's to come next.  

Thank you for welcoming me into the Maya Road family as well and I'm excited to get to know all of you Roadies!

Have a GREAT day,

 

 

Wreath Inspirations

Hi Roadies, Angella here with more inspiration with our wreath fun!

My inspiration just had to be  Easter, love Easter ! not just for the chocolate and easter buns but for the true meaning ...  chocolate is that added bonus ..

Easter is Autumn here, still quiet warm but the turning of the season! beautiful time of the year.

 

I choose to use the Organza roses ribbon, the colour was a beautiful strong colour so I sprayed the trim with spray gesso just to shabby it down ... loved how the trim turned out!

then I made my flower cluster with a bouquet of Trinket blossoms

I never really thought about it much till I was going through all the beautiful Maya Road blossom
to form my cluster, I wonder how many there is ?

I hope you enjoyed my inspiration and pondering Roadies...

have a wonderful safe holiday

till next time, have a great day