Maya Road Design Team

Maya Road + Paper Crafter's Library Blog Swap Day 2

Welcome to day two of the Maya Road + Paper Crafter's Library Blog Swap! It's Julia here today with three cards to share with you featuring the same products that you'll be seeing all week. I always find it so inspiring to see how many different designers use the exact same product for such unique results.

The challenge was to use 10 assigned Maya Road products (check out the list by scrolling down to the previous couple posts) and the rules...

1. You must use all 10 Maya Road products
2. You can make a layout, 3 cards, or a minibook
3. You cannot use any other Maya Road products

Doesn't sound too tricky does it? It's actually a little easier said than done. I have a crazy addiction for Maya Road and it was so hard to restrain myself from adding in extras.

Here's what I created...

I've used each product at least once in the card trio and you'll find that I've used many of them in more than one card design. My favorite  was the Butterfly Stamp set and you'll find that I've used it on each of the designs. Why? Well...I love stamping and with the myriad of techniques that you can stamp with, a stamp set is one of the best crafting investments I can think of. Think almost endless possibilities.

This first card uses the smallest of the butterfly stamps on a little kraft tag. Maya Road has a variety of sweet little tags that make a great place to stamp an accent or a sentiment.

Chipboard is another one of those staple products that I just can't get enough of. An easy way to add color and texture to plain chipboard is to cover it with a crackle paint finish.

The Zipper Trims can be used to add texture and interest to a design. They can be stapled on, stitched  or adhered with a strong adhesive.

My second card design uses the larger butterfly images stamped onto a manila tag in different colors of ink. Sometimes simple stamping is all you need.

The tag on this card is also stamped. Stamping on canvas is as simple as stamping on paper. I like to test my ink on a scrap of canvas first to make sure I'll get a crisp and clean impression.

To get a more soft and shabby look to the beautiful Apple Mums, they were inked with a white ink stain. The zipper trim makes some abstract leaves by folding the trim in half and then stapling.

For my final design, I've used another simple stamping technique. Heat embossing is easy and adds dimension and shine to your stamping. If you emboss clear embossing powder over a clear embossing or watermark ink you end up with a beautiful tone on tone effect. As you can see the kraft looks beautiful embossed and the stamping will be a lovely warm brown.

Since I first saw the sweet little Metal Vintage Trinket Love Hangers, I've been dying to hang tags from them. The stamped and embossed tags are each tied with twine.

The Paper Crafts Library team has been busy creating for this blog swap as well. Visit the Paper Crafter's Library girls to see their take on this challenge!

 

Don't forget that you still have a chance to win our giveaway! Make sure to go read the details on this post.

 

To the confirmand

Hello there!

This is Ania with a little altered tin for you! May and spring is here, which means season for confirmation here in Norway.

Now, I find creating cards and such for boys, especially young adults, pretty difficult. I mean - it's not supposed to be too cutesy, preferrably no flowers unless it's really funky ones, and so on...and let's face it, there's not a whole lot of possibilities in the premade embellishment-department compared as the possibilities and variety there is for girls. Very well.

If ever in doubt. Roadsigns are cool. Period.
Oh, especially when placed on top of an altered mini tin.

Not to mention kraft journaling tags (scroll ones, like the one used here, or the the deco ones),  or chipboard-men (from the same box of roadsign chipboard). Very cool.

And what better than room for money for the young adult, here held in place by a strip of transparent mini tickets in black? (I know...money... - how materialistic, shallow and boring :p But that's how it is! Besides, we also got him a Diablo III mousepad in addition. I want one for myself now too! Mothers Day gift, anyone?? =))

Until next time, enjoy!

Less is more!

Hello there!

This is Ania with a card-special for you!

You see, I'll freely admit...when you're on a design team, and you get access to a lot of amazing embellishments, it's way too tempting to want to use everything on your projects...to want to add more and more....I adore the clean and simple style, but have a hard time sticking to it myself when I want to add a little variation to my style (at least that's how I myself see it).

So.

I challenged myself to just stick to three main embellishments for my cards. I like to do that - issue myself random challenges every now and then.

Here's the first card I made; as you can see there's three main components on this card: The yellow zipper trim adding a splash of color and life, the kraft journaling tag, and the oversized numbers.

Very simple, yet I daresay it's sort of striking. Oh, and it's for a male, and I always have a hard time creating masculine cards. I think the colorscheme and the zippers really does it for the card!

The next card is for a girl. Just dress up the lovely Coffee or Tea Mini Chipboard set w/a piece of cute patterned paper, add iridescent glitter to the surface, and if you have the time - seal the whole thing with glossy accent for more glossiness...add to a piece of background (here: Scallop frames chipboard set), top off with a name banner and you're all set! Again; three main components - the teapot-chipboard (made more interesting by adding glitter and glossiness), a solid yet fun background and finally, the banner with the name of the recipient across..

 

See? You don't really have to have "everything" (although that's quite nice I admit, haha) to create something nice. Hope you liked the projects, thanks for watching!

Maya Road + Authentique Paper Blog Swap Day 5

Happy Friday Roadies! Emily here with some more projects featuring Maya Road and Authentique. Hasn't it been fun to see the huge variety that both teams have created this week? I am so happy I got to work with paper from the Free Bird Endless and Fair-Weather 6x6 Nest. I love how rich and intense the colors are, and how well they work with Maya Road products! I also really love the B sides, nice solid colors that look all scratched up with a different color, Authentique has definitely won my heart with this look! 

I made three cards because I couldn't stop at just one.

The Expressions in the Gathering line had so many sweet little phrases for cards and layouts, so I paired one that says, "You make me happy when skies are grey" with chipboard from the Maya Road When Skies are Grey (how could I resist?).

Cover the umbrella with paper and Twine Cording in Blackberry, and top it off with a red Trinket Heart Pin. Mist some raindrops with Blue Hawaiian Maya Mist, then add the sentiment above a strip of Sunshine Yellow Zipper trim and more Twine Cording, shaped into a heart along the way. 

 

My second card nods to my chevron love. Cut a bunch of arrows out of paper strips, attach them in rows and finish off with a oval shape that sports the greeting. I used letter stickers from the Gathering line for my sentiment.

My greeting sits on a oval from the Mixed Shapes Mini set that has been inked with the Charcoal Metallic 1" ink pad. I am constantly amazed with how well the ink covers the chipboard. I finished it off with a Krafty Owl in White and a Gingham Point Blossom in Beige, then anchored it all with a couple of lengths of the Twine Cording in Blackberry.

 

And my final project is a birthday card. Doesn't that paper just scream BIRTHDAY CARD?!?!?! It has a turquoise asterisk printed in exactly the same spot as my chipboard, and I was so happy to see how well the shape from the Mixed Shapes Mini set matched. Sprayed with Dark Cornflower Blue Maya Mist, I was able to match the color exactly and as a bonus, it also matches the Tulle Trim in Slushie Blue perfectly.

One of the banners from Wavy Layerable Chipboard Banners covered with some paper, add some more Twine Cording in Blackberry and I've got an adorable birthday card, heading to my sister-in-law as you read this.

Thanks for joining me for today's blog swap!

Want more inspiration? Now go and visit Authentique Paper's blog and see what they have in store for you! Don't forget that you still have a chance to win our giveaway! Make sure to go read the details on this post.

 

Maya Road + Authentique Paper Blog Swap Day 3!

Hi! It's Julia here with another day of Maya Road + Authentique Paper fun. Today I'm sharing a few projects I've created with the beautiful Gathering line. Its beautiful colors and nature images make it perfect for pairing up with some of my favorite Maya Road embellishments.

For this card I've color blocked the background using the beautiful Authentique Gathering papers. These prints are the scaled down mini papers from the 6x6" pad. They are the pefect size for cards. The Maya Road Rectangular Kraft Envelope makes a great place to cluster the sweet Authentique die cuts with Maya Road embellishments. Soar is the sentiment that is stamped onto the envelope using the Art Journaling Words Clear Stamp Set.

Clustered together you'll also find Canvas Button Pieces,   Cream Ruffle Blossoms, Leaf Trinket Pins, a White Time Flies Kraft Clock,  Sand Trinkets Ribbon and Orange Velvet Point Blossoms.

For my second card I decided to go with a square card design. This time the Wood Die Cut Doily makes a wonderful place to gather the details together.

I've combined the Authentique die cut accents with some Maya Road Buttons Mini Chipboard Set that look darling covered with coordinating Gathering papers. By cutting the Pumpkin Organza Mum Trim into individual flowers you get lovely floral accents. Also in this grouping are Black Large Kraft Ticket Strips, Crystal Trinket Pins, Alterable Wood Buttons and a Black Krafty Owl.

Want more inspiration? Now go and visit Authentique Paper's blog and see what they have in store for you! Don't forget that you still have a chance to win our giveaway! Make sure to go read the details on his post.

Happy Creating!

Maya Road + Authentique Paper Blog Swap Day 2!

Oy!

Ania here, to continue on the inspiring Blog Swap between Maya Road and Authentique Paper!

To my delight I saw I got to play with the Delightful collection...hm..no pun intended!

Here's what I made, using the 6x6 inch paper pad (they even made these double sided, adding solid colors to the B sides...well, solid-ish, in the way I love solid patterned papers :) ) and one of the die cut cards as well.

See the punched border? Or the chipboard-bird (from the Home Tweet Home Mini chipboard set)? Pretty, solid-ish paper :) All the sheets also got this grey polkadot-border, I liked it so decided to keep it for this layout. Gives the sheets a bit of continuity, hm?

Lots of little bits and pieces added to this cluster. Like the Daisies Vintage Lace Trim in Mauve, it's really growing on me....I wouldn't really have used it on its own, it's not really "me", but as a backing for the other flowers (here: Velvet Pleats in grey) it looks amazing methinks. Oh, and see the pearl butterfly? Cute! (One of the new things from CHA-W - looks darling alongside the Crystal trinket pins). See the "plate" the title (from the Love Words Mini Chipboard set) is adhered to?

It's made by covering the Love Chipboard Banner w/patterned paper then adhering them together upside down to a strip of scrap paper.

The Scroll Corners is covered in crackle paint, softened up w/slight dabbing of ink and backed w/Tulle Pleat Trim in Earl Grey (such a versatile color :) ) and a piece of Mums Vintage Lace Trim in Silver.

Supply list:
Chipboard: Scroll Corners chipboard set, Love Chipboard banner, Love Words Mini chipboard set, Home Tweet Home mini chipboard set, green thumb mini chipboard set
Ribbon: Mums Vintage Lace Trim (silver), Tulle Pleat Trim (Earl Grey), Daisies Vintage Lace Trim (Mauve), Ruffle Edge trim - yellow
Trinkets: Pearl Butterfly trinket pin, Crystal trinket pin, Trinket Love Hangers, Alterable Buttons, Mini tickets transparent - black, Velvet pleats (grey and yellow)
Authentique Paper: Delightful 6x6" bundle paper pad, baby girl "icons"

Made an additional card w/the things I got...using one of the die cut cards from Authentique Paper, along with some of the patterned papers.

The tag is from the Baby girl "headlines" card..I just added patterned paper over the middle where it said "Baby girl"...so the card can be used for whatever occasion.

MR Supplies used:
Tulle Pleat Trim in Earl grey, Felt beaded trinket flower (light/dark pink) and butterfly chipboard set.
Authentique Paper: Delightful 6x6 bundle paper pad, baby girl "headlines"

Thanks much for watching - and by all means, do come back tomorrow - we're not done showcasing the blog swap-projects! :)

Want more inspiration? Now go and visit Authentique Paper's blog and see what they have in store for you! And don't forget that you still have a chance to win our giveaway! Make sure to go read the details on this post.

Maya Road + Authentique Paper Blog Swap Day 1

Hello Roadies, Lisa Pace here. Today, I'm sharing with you a card I created using the Authentique Delightful 6 x 6 Bundle Collection and Authentique Delightful Details Stickers. This sweet line goes perfectly with the Maya Road Laundry Day Mini Chipboard Set. To me there is nothing cuter than seeing childrens clothes hanging on a clothes line on a hot sunny day.

The cloud is from the How's The Weather Mini Chipboad Set. I stamped the sentiment onto the cloud using a Maya Road True Black 1" Ink Pad then applied Diamond Glaze on top, while wet I sprinkled a little bit of Maya Road Iridescent Glitter on top of the Diamond Glaze. I did the same techinque to the clothes hanging on the clothes line. This gives the clothes just the right amount of pop to separate them from the background of the card.

To create the clothes line I cut a piece of Latte Brown Twine Cording the width of my card then using a strong liquid adhesive attached the mini chipboard pieces along the Twine Cording and let them dry. I created a bow from the Twine Cording for each end of the clothes line and attached them to the card using a strong liquid adhesive.

Want more inspiration? Now go and visit Authentique Paper's blog and see what they have in store for you! And don't forget that you still have a chance to win our giveaway! Make sure to go read the details on his post.

Hugs!

 

Making Cards with Maya Road

Hi everyone!  Happy St. Patrick's day (if you celebrate!)  Today I wanted to share a couple of cards I created using Maya Road embellishments (my favorite) and Maya Road stamps (my other favorite.)  Did you know that Maya Road makes high quality clear stamps??  Check it out!

This is from one of my most favorite stamp sets, Cute as a Button.  I stamped the base for a button card and created some texture using the new Houndstooth Singleton stamp for a background.  You get lots of great images in this set and it stamps beautifully!

Cute, right?!  It has a lot of great elements that you can add...and for only $13, I think it's a real steal!  Finally, I had to make sure and use some of my favorite embellishments... new Lemon Yellow Mini Gingham trim, Antique Gem Trinket Pins, Cream Heart Trinket Pins, Yellow Medallion Flower, and finally, Ecru Crochet Trim.  I packed a lot on one card, I know, but it's not bulky at all and it still looks relatively simple!

And finally a card using chipboard as a focal point, but I still stamped my sentiment and hearts from the Cameo Stamp Set.

Soooo pretty!  Another one of my favorite sets for sure...just a timeless set!  So I took one of the large outline butterflies from the Butterfly Chipboard Set and distressed and sugared it up and then embellished her all up with some Vintage Paper Posies, new Cream Velvet ribbon,  and some, also new, Twine Cording in Tomato Red.  Wrapped it up with some quick and simple stamping and called it done!  This one's my definite favorite. :)

Hope you enjoyed!

Melissa

 

3x Non-Christmassy Cards!

It's soon Christmas, and with that - time to wrap up those Christmas-cards!
Here's two not-too-Christmassy-cards for your inspiration...(at least I tried to make them not too Christmassy - did it work?).

I'll freely admit - I'm totally in love with the Crystal Star trinket pins...I seriously need at least two more boxes of these! It's especially perfect for cards & tags...I also love the Let It Snow Stamp Sheet & the vintage wood snowflakes..wish I found some of the Snowflake Transparencies - White - it'd be perfect here, tucked in between the doily & the tag and banner...ahwell!

Maya Road suppplies:
Trinket Pin - Crystal Star
Let It Snow Stamp Sheet
Vintage Wood Snowflakes
Wood Bingo Numbers - red

The chipboard snowflake seen here is actually from an older version - I recall ordering a whole bag of these for me and the kids to paint white, add glitter & ribbon/twine so we could use them as Christmas Tree decorations..nevertheless..the chipboard snowflakes are now available in a newer and updated design found here. But - nothing's better than using up all the older bits and pieces you have lying at home, no? Makes you feel more ok about getting newer stuff...=)

Maya Road Supplies:
(vintage =) ) Chipboard Snowflakes
Vintage Paper Posies
Love Banner Stamp Sheet (for the stamped letters & star)

Also - you've seen the Early Winter Release 2012, right? :)

Using the Scallop Frames Chipboard Set , white crackle paint and Popsicle Blue Maya Mist I made this funky looking frame...frames stuff pretty nicely, doesn't? And I love the new large Kraft Ticket Strips..such a handy size and a great addition to the regular, small ones..

Maya Road supplies:
Scallop Frames Chipboard set
Maya Mist - blue popsicle
Kraft Large Ticket Strips

Hope these cards gave you some inspiration! And as an added bonus, here's a little Christmas-gift dressed up ever so slightly!

What you'll need: Kraft paper as wrapping paper, a small doily, Kraft journaling tag, Let it snow stamp sheet, bakers twine, letterstickers, watermark-stamp & white embossing powder (get a fine detail one if you can).

1. Stamp snowflake-motif on the tag
2. Heat emboss so it stands out.
3. Attach letters (God jul means Merry Christmas in Norwegian ;) )
4. Attach the tag with 3d-foam upon the doilywrapped gift.

- have a nice, relaxed weekend! :)

-Ania

Things that go bump in the night!

Hello Roadies!

I don't know about you, but next week has one of my most FAVORITE holidays of the year!  In exactly 6 days from now, I will be shoveling candy into my mouth like there's no tomorrow.  Oh who am I kidding?  I pretty much started doing that the second they put the Halloween candy on the shelves! 

Anyway!  When I saw that Maya Road had come out with the most adorable set of fall-inspired chipboard, I couldn't wait to play.   Be sure to check out the Autumn Mini Chipboard set and you will see exactly what I mean!  Plenty of cute chipboard images to use...I need to get crackin' on the pumpkins!

So I made a spooooky Halloween card to celebrate, and I'll actually be giving this away as a birthday card.  Goodness!  Wouldn't you love to have your birthday near Halloween?  More candy please!

Do you use chipboard on your cards much?  I really love adding all that extra dimension...and don't be afraid to layer chipboard on chipboard, like I did here!  Here I used the cat from the Autumn Mini Chipboard over the window frame from the Windows Chipboard set.... all on top of the perfect accent piece, a Kraft Journaling Tag!  I also pulled out one of the new colors of Zipper Trim in Pumpkin Orange....perfect for my card and the fall season!  And you would think with all of these dimensions and layers, this would require a special envelope to mail, but it doesn't!  It's still a very thin card and can be mailed by regular post.  So don't forget to give your cards some Maya Road treatment!

Thanks for vising!

Melissa Sauls