Maya Road Design Team

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!

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

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!!

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!

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

Charm and Elegance...

Hello,  I'm glad that you stopped by!  I have a fun little project to share today that can recreated by anyone using a few Maya Road goodies and a couple of  basic craft supplies.

I love topiaries... love them.   Did you know that topiaries have been  a symbol of "Charm and Elegance" for centuries?  There are so many different varieties now-- from the real or living evergreens to artificial ones.  You can find them everywhere as they have been very trendy for a good while now.  I guess those ancient Romans really knew how to decorate if we are still using some of their creative ideas today!

Here is one of my versions of a topiary.....


I made this charming little topiary with some of my very favorite Maya Road supplies.  I love that it's pink instead of the traditional green color, as it will be uplifting decor for anyone that is feeling a need for Spring.  I know that late winter in Minnesota can  bring on the "cabin fever" and makes me yearn for some pretty spring colors.


To make this I used a 3.5" Styrofoam ball for the topiary shape and the  wood pedestal base is an antique spinning spool and a metal Flower Bottle Cap.   The Styrofoam ball is covered  with Maya Road's Small Organza Roses Trim in Light Pink.  I did not prep the ball with anything-- I just hot glued the trim to the ball and made a flat spot about 1" in circumference that would be the "bottom" of the topiary ball when adhered to the base.  I tried to make sure that the outer edges of the trim (the netting that runs along either side of the roses) was not tucked under so that it helped to hide the white of the ball.

Once the entire ball was covered with the trim I wrapped some of the new Paper Twine Cording in the "Earth" color around the ball.  To me it brings in the look of nature and reminds me of a vine that has wrapped itself around the topiary.  It is glued in place in a few spots with some Vintage Paper Roses and a cluster of  flowers and Trinket Pins. 


Trinket Pins include the Hot Pink Flowers, Vintage Round Pearl (that has a Vintage Raspberry Bead slid onto it), Vintage Leaf Pin in Cream, and the new Pale Pink Pearl Balls.  The cluster of flowers includes a pink Country Gingham Posie, a Vintage Lace Silver Fox Mum, and some of the Organza Mum Trim in Forest green.

Once the ball was decorated I adhered some natural green moss that you can find in the floral section of any craft supply store,  to the bottom of the metal Flower Bottle Cap.   To prepare the Bottle Cap, I pushed the flower petals inward so that when it was turned upside down it looked like scalloped trim.  It was then painted white  and when dry I lightly sanded it to give it a distressed look.

I think that Maya Road products made this  project both charming and elegant... just as a topiary should be.  Thanks so much for visiting!

 

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays Roadies, Angella here!

It's that magical time of the year, and I do love Christmas time! but true to my word I have stuck to a more handmade christmas this year. I avoided alot of the commerical hype and didn't purchase one decoration... not even Christmas wrapping - all the presents are wrapped in butchers paper, burlap twine and holly. ( I surprise myself)

here is a couple of decorations I made for the holiday season, some very quick and simple :

4 Qty vintage memory boxes  , lisa Uppercase Alphabets, and Maya Road ink pads

I sprayed the boxes first with white paint, gave a light  sand;

I ink the letters,  then adhere  the letters onto the boxes ... ( make any word ; peace, joy or merry christmas)

Perfect as  a table decorations or gift giving! you can

Stack them

 

 

Fill them for gift giving

stunning as a table centrepeice

then I made using the same technique using the Vintage Chunky Wood spools

this little cute reindeer I covered in the twine cording

So sometimes roadies it don't take much to create with love, the simplest things in life are often the best. I think this could be the start of a new christmas tradition for me..

Wishing you all a Very blessed Safe Happy Holiday! and I look forward to creating with  you in 2013..

Merry Christmas Everyone:

Giveaway Recipient

Hi everyone!

Thank you so much for playing along with us all week. I hope you enjoyed the beautiful creations by the Tombow and Maya Road teams as much as I have. As promised, here's the recipient of the wonderful giveaway:

What a great prize package. That right there would make my Christmas complete.

Posted by: Shari Klyn | December 10, 2012 at 06:00 PM

Shari please contact us with your address so we can get your present in the mail!  

Maya Road + Tombow Week Day 2

Hello Roadies!

Emily on deck again this fine day with a layout that just makes me happy. It's not my style at all, but it was really fun to just play with the Tombow and Maya Road products and create. I went a little crazy with the products, mixing things I normally wouldn't think went together, but since my layout was about an Ugly Sweater party, I felt I had license to go a little tacky myself.

I was sent the Dual Brush Pens, Mono Vellum Adhesive, and the Stamp Runner Permanent Adhesive  from the Tombow swap we did this week. Here was my thought process:

1. Use the Dual Brush Pens and try to blend them.

I don't normally use artsy products like markers on my pages, so I knew I had to start with the hardest thing first. I wanted to try the blender pen that's included in the set, so I stamped the entire background of my cardstock with the smaller stamp from the Vintage Wallpaper Set, using a waterproof ink so it wouldn't blend with the pens too. I wasn't too exact, I think it adds to the charm.

Next, I colored in random  parts of the stamp and used the blender pen to bleed the colors into the surrounding areas. I loved how it makes it look like an old stained glass window. 

2. Use the Mono Vellum Adhesive. 

This required vellum. I knew I had at least a couple of sheets of it. Finding it would be easy since I'd just cleaned and organized my studio. But alas, try as I might, I could find no vellum. In desperation, I pulled out my white cardstock and at the bottom of the filebox, there was one crumpled up sheet. It's all I had. So I made it work.

Inspired by a tutorial on ILS about putting together a layout, I started designing my layout by folding my crumpled up vellum in half, then in half again. I stapled it together in the center, then cut the folded edges so I four pieces of vellum. I went for messy because of how the vellum was already wrinkled up. I punched snowflakes from one layer of the vellum and attached them randomly to my background.

I was so impressed that the Mono Vellum Adhesive actually didn't show. I've bought vellum adhesive before and you could always see the adhesive, no matter how the company said you couldn't. But this product by Tombow is amazing! It actually works. You can't see the adhesive. Love that.

3. Add some playful Maya Road products. 

Of course, this was easy. The topic I scrapped was an Ugly Sweater party that my daughter and her friend had been invited to last winter. Ugly sweaters, night time, and winter don't make for great photos, so I just decided to be playful and mix colors and textures, not worrying about matching the colors in the photo. I blinged up both the Large Chipboard  and Vintage Wooden snowflake with some metallic and glittery embossing powders. Add a couple of the Vintage Pearl Trinket Pins in green, and another snowflake punched of patterned paper, and I had a playful little cluster. 

4. Use the Stamp Runner.

Totally cool product. You can use it like a regular adhesive runner, or you can just stamp a square of adhesive right where you need it. And it works really well with different types of product. The Maya Road Vintage Tape Measure Trim in Yellow was no problem at all for the Stamp Runner. A stamp of adhesive and the tape was attached to the vellum. Running a strip of the same adhesive to the background held my very soft and fluffy Soft Vintage Scallop Lace Trim in Cream perfectly. This trim always reminds me of an angora sweater, fitting nicely with my theme, don't you think?

5. Finish with a bit more tacky.

Not saying the finishing touches are tacky, but I don't often mix glitter glass (OK, I rarely even use glitter, but have felt a need lately to buy it and use it. It's kind of addicting!) with Twine Cording in Tomato, but I think I really works here. At least it was fun for me :) I added my title, journaling and some white die cut leaves and I was done. 

It was so much fun to let the product dictate the process, I loved how freeing it was to just play.

Thanks for joining us today for our blog swap! Don't forget that you still have a chance to win our giveaway! Make sure to go read the details on this post.

 

31 days till Christmas

Hi Roadies, I know only 31 days till Christmas!

It is sneaking up on us fast .... way too fast, but i must confess I do love that magical time of the year.

And I do love a handmade christmas especially with Maya Road trimmings, Today I am going to show you my   christmas wreathe I have made and it is really easy to do!

 

All you have to do;  to create  your very  own wreathe;  is grab yourself  a foam ring; then tear strips of calico fabric;  wrap around the foam ring till fully covered. Then of course all the trimmings :

 Vintage edge mums

Vintage kraft flags

Christmas Words Mini Chipboard

Decorative Scrolls Chipboard sets

Doorway Chipboard Set

Vintage Raspberry Beads

Vintage Pearl Pins

Vintage Pearl Butterfly Pins

Alterable buttons

Canvas Pendant Banner Album

Roadies i do hope i have inspired you for a handmade Christmas, As I am off to make another for my dear favorite Aunt who dearly would like one for her door!

Have a great day Roadies, and some a Happy thanksgiving