Creativity: the album.

Here is an album that I made using K&Company's Urban Rhapsody line of patterned paper.  The album base is multi-shaped chipboard with an awesome acrylic cover.

To start with, I used Staz-On ink in a shade of brown to muck up the acrylic cover.  It takes about 5 minutes to dry completely, but after that it's permanent.  Tim Holtz alcohol inks also work well on acrylic surfaces.

The album pages were covered front and back, trimmed out with a craft knife and the edges were then sanded for that shabby look that I love.  :)

I used a Making Memories distresser tool on all the photo mats (see the wrinkly edges?) before I machine stitched them.

This album is PACKED with embellishments!  I used the coordinating K&Co chipboard shapes, rub-ons and those cool circle things.  What the heck are they called???  I guess I don't even know the name of them, but they are round and spin and are just plain cool.

I also punched flowers with two nesting flower punches.  I inked the edges of each flower, then crumpled it and smoothed it back out.  It gives an awesome worn look to the flowers that was perfect for this album.

The other embellishments I used a lot of were buttons.  I hand stitched many of them to add to the hand-crafted look of the album.  It's very rustic and chic and I just love how it turned out.

The back cover was crafted just as carefully - everyone flips an album over when they hold it!  A couple yards of ribbon and trims tied to the jumbo binder rings provided the finishing touch.

This album has already been sold, but remember that I take a limited number of custom orders continuously.  Each piece is meticulously hand crafted and 100% unique!  I never duplicate my art work, but am happy to use the same paper line or similar colors or embellishments.  Simply contact me at cherishpaperart@hotmail.com to find out how to get your own album or scrapbook pages!

April - Paper Collection of the Month

It's the last day of the month, and I remembered to post my projects.  I think I deserve a round of applause, dontcha think?  ;)

This month, I chose another DCWV Stack.  They are incredibly convenient, super duper cute and easy to find.  These projects are all part of the "La Creme" Collection, a sophisticated black and cream palette.

I chose a LOVE word book by Bo Bunny for this Wedding album:

A combination of silk, prima and fabric flowers combined with black rhinestones and a package of wedding-themed 3d embellishments and turned this blank chipboard album into something classy and elegant.

I also made this 6x6 acrylic album:

And finally, I added a few red Valentine-theme papers to this collection and made the following album, which spells out I {HEART} YOU.  I left out any paper that had the cream color and went more for strict black and white.  Adding a few sheets of inexpensive red papers created an entirely new look!

I'm always happy to answer your questions or hear your comments - so don't be shy!

Thanks for looking and I hope you get some inspiration for your own albums. 
-Erica  :)

Who Wrote the Book of Love?

I don't know who wrote the book of love, but this month I'm the one who made the book!  Here is a look at 3 love-themed albums I created this month.

This first one is an 8x8 paper bag album.  Chock full of pull-out tags, these albums are super fun to make because they are so interactive.  I think my favorite part is filling the pockets!

I also made this 6x6 tabbed acrylic album.  I just adore how this album came out.  The colors are so fun and it's somewhere in between elegant and funky!  This album is currently for sale in my etsy store.

And finally, I created this chipboard album.  The album base is by Bo Bunny and it spells out "I {HEART} YOU in cascading chipboard panels.  This is also currently for sale in my etsy store.

Thanks for checking out my love albums!  I'll be posting my February Paper Collection of the Month projects soon so be sure to check back for some great crafting ideas!

WISTERIA by Basic Grey: January Paper Collection of the Month

Here are FOUR projects I made using Basic Grey's Wisteria line of paper.  The lilacs and the soft green are just stunning together, and every time I used this paper I had to stop myself from drooling!

You can see how easy it can be to make unique projects, even using the same paper line.  In this case, to give each album it's own look, I varied the album base.  This first album is made of 7 chipboard panels (each measuring 7"x5") that I hand cut from 12x12 chipboard sheets.

It gives a nice work surface if you are new to albums, since each page is the same size. 

If you want more of a challenge, and a completely distinct look, I recommend using this multi-shaped album base by Basic Grey.  It consists of a variety of shaped panels and you can rearrange them to completely customize your album.  Here I added TONS of primas and leaves, along with a stunning beaded butterfly to give the album cover a wow factor.  Do you see the butterfly charm dangling from the top binder ring?

Finally, my fourth project to share is a tabbed acrylic album.  Acrylics are FUN!  I hesitated to try one for so long, but now I can't stop making them!  Half the fun is planning how each page is going to look... you can leave spaces on each page if you want to see the next one through the acrylic.

I have uploaded detailed photos of each project to a Picasa Web Album.  And I do mean DETAILD photos... I think there are 108 photos of these four projects, LOL! Simply click here to be taken to the web album.  Remember that I'm happy to provide you with inspiration and tips, and you may scraplift for your personal use, but please don't copy my work for resale. 

Before you go, be sure to become one of my Followers.  Next month I'll be sharing my projects using Wild Saffron by K&Company, which is another drool-worthy paper line.

Thanks for reading,

Erica  :)

Life Unscripted

Sometimes things aren't planned.  Sometimes we are just living our lives.  Those simple, joyful moments deserve to be preserved just as much as the special events and holidays that we experience.

That's why I created this album.  Titled "Life Unscripted", it's a perfect way to display photos of everyday moments.

Made from 7 scalloped acrylic panels, it's filled with the warm tones of autumn - maybe more like Indian Summer - with papers by GinX and Scenic Route.

The clear panels give a lighter feel to the album, making it feel more whimsical perhaps?  :)

I've used a variety of rub on phrases and designs in a contrasting black.  Clear rhinestone accents and subtle white inking around the page edges lend additional texture. It's hard to capture the inked edges on camera, but they are there!

If you decide to include ribbon on your own photo mats, always remember to position them toward the very edges of the photo mats.  That way, you don't risk covering someone's face with a big ol' bow.

And never forget to add journaling spots.  A picture might tell a thousand words, but a generation from now those words might be lost.  I've tucked 2 journal tags and an additional photo mat into a pocket on the last page of this album.  Cut from a printed transparency, it is stitched to the background paper.  I love how you can see through it into the pocket.

I have several more albums that I'll be sharing soon, including another stunning acrylic album.  Thanks for looking!

Be all that you DREAM to be

Simply Stunning! After my successful first acrylic album, I immediately had to get to work on #2. Again, I added shaped chipboard panels between the acrylic to give it more pages and more visual interest. I was inspired by some MME paper & embellishments that I had, but I only had 2 sheets of the MME paper. What's a girl to do?!? So I dove into my paper stash and found 2 patterns of Classic K & Co. plus one sheet of Basic Grey that coordinated and complemented the sparkly, pretty MME papers. Add two colors of Bazzill cardstock and VIOLA! All the makings of a pretty, shabby-chic-type album. And as much as I will hate to see this album go {WAAAHHH!!!} I listed it for auction on eBay. You can find my current listings by clicking on the link on the right side of this blog page. After all was said and done, I had some paper scraps left over so I'm using them to make an altered board book - even the scraps were just too darn pretty to throw out! Look for the photos of the board book in the next few days. :)

Acrylic Debut!

I finally got brave enough to try my hand at an acrylic album... Technically this is both acrylic and chipboard, since I added chipboard pages between the acrylic pages to give it more OOMPH! :) I used K & Co. paper and loads of prima flowers. I just love how it turned out and it was not as intimidating as I thought it was going to be. I'll definitely be making more in the near future! Here are a few pictures... If you would like to see all the pages, plus close-up details, click here to go to my eBay auction. This album is currently for sale there, with an auction closing date of August 13th. Thanks for looking!