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!

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

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!

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

 

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!

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 :)

Wreath Inspiration: Shabby Spring

Hi Roadies! It's Julia back with some more wreath inspiration for you today. My wreath is a shabby-style wreath that's just a little out of the box. Inspired by some wreaths I found on Pinterest, I decided to use an old picture frame as a wreath. This suited me perfectly as I love taking an old unused object and putting a new spin on it.

This wreath/frame has actually seen many different uses. First off it was a white baby frame, next it became a black frame that held a wood initial for our last name. Here's my latest take on it turned into a wreath...

 

To give the frame a shabby style, it's been misted with lots of White Out Maya Mist. I love the opacity to this mist. It's also been layered with some printed tissue paper and stamped with white acrylic paint and Maya Road Vintage Wallpaper Stamp Sheet.

 

My favorite part of any project is always adding in the embellishments. Maya Road makes it so easy to add a beautiful array of florals and trims. They've all been hot-glued on after the background is well dried. Embellishments used: Pink Felt Beaded Flowers, Vintage Pale Pink Pearl Ball Pins, Hot Pink Vintage Gauze Blossoms, Camellia Pink Velvet Double Stitched Ribbon, Pink Velvet Point Blossoms, Wood Bird Cage Embellishments, Vintage Raspberry Beads, Vintage Linen Burlap Roses, Medium Fabric Leaves & Wood Vintage Doilies

To hang up my wreath, some Linen Burlap Trim was a great addition. It's accented with a Chipboard Butterfly, an Antique Room Key and an Alterable Wood Button.

Be inspired to take something old and breathe new life into it!

How To: Be Tag

I love the warm colors of this Be tag.  The pop of blue against the fiery colors suggests both my easy going but passionate personality.   Maya Road Mists make it easy to bring colors to life.  Their embellishments are so much fun to add in layers.   Here's a quick look at how to create this tag.

1. Cover tag with book paper and seal it with matte medium.
2. Add drops of Maya Mists.  Here I used Dragon Fruit Pink, Pomegranate Pink, and Sunflower Yellow.  Using short blasts of compressed air, move the mists around the tag. Let it dry.
3. Add drops of White Out Maya Mist to the background and spray kraft butterfly with same mist.
4. Layer kraft butterfly on the kraft doily.  Add blue ruffle blossom flower and trinket heart stick pins to the butterfly.
5. Using scallop scissors, cut the vintage measuring tape trim & add to the bottom of the tag.
6. Wrap vintage hotel key with floss and add to the tag near bottom.
7. Spray "be" chipboard letters with espresso brown Maya Mist and adhere to tag.  Tie gingham brown bow to the top to finish the tag. 

Hello Italy... Click Click!

Hi there Roodies!  Hope you guys had a great weekend and Piradee here to kick start the week with a mini album inspiration using some of the new products released...

First off are these super (super) cute camera and polarid frame chipboards. Seriously these are so adorable and love how there are little bits that you play around around with. 

On the cover, I used a couple of cameras that I paint with white paint and misted some of the other little bits to create a constrast.  I then layered those chipboard pieces over the misted shipping tag chipboards for more constrast; as I opted to leave mini ablum base "raw".

For my mini album I used the 5-Ring Tab Album, where I also included some kraft cardstock pages along with a few envelopes here and there; which allows me to store all those keepsakes that I collected during the trip. 

And here's some close up and full page pictures of some of the pages. Mostly on the chipboard tab pages, I went crazy with chipboard and embellishments whereas on the kraft cardstock pages, I kept these clean and simple with pictures and captions from our trip to Italy. 

On this chipboard tab page here,  I had a fun time creating a little scenary for all those wonderful sunny days that we had on our trip and also using the new butterly clip and one of the wood embellishment from the wood measure once, cut twice set.

And on these pages here, I used the awesome camera images from the new Krafty Say Cheese Camera collection ... these come in both black and white images. 

And on my last page here, I had  fun time layering all the different pieces and elements... from the new kraft DIY butterfly sticker, to the anitque ornate frame and antique filigree butterfly vintage findings.

Thanks everyone for stopping by and hope you guys have a great creative week ahead! Also don't forget to stop by the Maya Road website for the full details on all the new products being released this season HERE.

This one's for you, Grandma

Hey Roadies! Ania here with a tiny, little confession.

I've been holding on to the photos used in this mini ever since 2006. Which is a shame really, considering my dear grandma  is closing in to three digits.

Also, my mom keep reminding me to not forget to send my grandma cards and letters, and "if I don't mind, some of my altered things" as well. Apparently they make her proud,  whenever she gets guests she's quick to bring these items to the table so others can enjoy too (I just hope the guests doesn't get too bored, haha).

And isn't that why we keep creating? Part of why? Because we want our creations to bring joy and happiness to the people we make them for, which in most cases are the same people we care for? And I care for my grandma, really. I guess that's why I've been so hesitant using these photos...I wanted to make them into a perfect little keepsake for her, I wanted them to really shine, to not be overpowered by embellishments or papers, but rather have the scrapbook-elements supplement and accent the photos.

But I digress..

The time had come for me to actually put these photos into a mini...and to send the little "just because"-gift off to grandma (unfortunately I live far away from her, causing me to see her only once or twice a year).

I knew that the Sew Cute Mini Chipboard set would be the perfect accessory to this mini. Add in a piece of the Vintage Tape Measure Trim in yellow, Vintage Wood Tiny Ruler and Organza Primrose Trim in Chocolate on a piece of file/binder chipboard from the Road Rage Signs set and you have the perfect little cluster for your cover.

Add in some Twine Cording, trinket pins and Maya Mist..

The insides were kept very clean.

I adore my grandma. And I hope she'll enjoy this little mini holding memories from the day in 2006 where she pulled out the trusty, old Singer sewing machine to fix my brand new pair of jeans (the legs are always too long for me!).

Well actually. While grandma prepared the sewing machine, it was my mom who fixed the pants.

Nevertheless. I've now finally put this memory down into something grandma also can enjoy.

Now off you go. Create something that will put a smile to someone elses day. I dare you.