AUTHENTIQUE PAPER

March Sketch Challenge

2012-03-03T05:00:00.008-08:00

Welcome to the sketch challenge here on the Authentique Paper blog!

The Sketch Challenge will be posted on the first Saturday of each month. There will be two sketches posted {one card sketch and one layout sketch} for you to use as inspiration.

We would love for you to play along!
Just use the challenge inspiration to create as many projects as you'd like.
A winner will be randomly selected from all the qualified entries to receive an Authentique Paper prize pack!
{The more projects you create, the better your chances are of winning!}

{Sketches}

{Layout}

{Card}

{Details}
- You will have until Wednesday, April 4th at midnight {PST} to enter.
- You will need to create a separate entry/blog post for each submission. {You can submit as many projects as you want!}
- Use the Linky Tool at the bottom of this post to link directly to your blog post.
- You must provide a link somewhere in your blog post back here to the Authentique Paper blog.
- Anyone can play along, but you must use products from Authentique Paper on your project if you would like to be able to win.
- You must provide a supply list of Authentique Paper products used on your blog post.
- Winner must have a US or Canada mailing address only...sorry!

{Projects from the Authentique Paper Design Team}

{Emily Lanham}

{Misty Buck}

{Jeannie DeGruccio}

{Natalie Dever}

{Heather Conklin}

{Brenda Smith}

{Cristine Redmond}

{Heather Conklin}

{Janeen Shember}

{February Sketch Challenge Winner}

Stephanie U

Congratulations!

Please send an e-mail with the subject "February Sketch Challenge Winner" and include your US or Canada mailing address to info@authentiquepaper.com to claim your Authentique Paper prize pack!

{Linky Tool}

A Splendid Wreath

2012-03-02T05:00:00.006-08:00

Happy Friday, everyone! Today I am bringing you a project that I'm proud to say is another one of my "firsts." I've always admired decorated wreaths, but I never knew that decorating them would be SO easy!

To get started, here are the supplies you'll need:

I cut a few of the papers into strips and decided to give Jeannie's tutorial from September a try. {Click here to take a look.} She showed us how amazing the quality of Authentique's papers are by separating the designs on one sheet of paper. In her tutorial, Jeannie used a paper crimper, which I don't have. I had to improvise, so I used the edge of the folding doors (yes, I scrap in a closet).

You have to make sure you distress/bend the whole strip evenly or else the two sides won't separate evenly and could tear. If you did it right, it should start by looking like this:

Once I got all of my sheets separated, I decided to make some rosettes with them. To start, I folded one strip in half, then put an end down on a Gluber.

I twisted the paper and turned the Gluber until the strip reached the end of the adhesive circle.

I left the long end there until I was ready to take the rosette off of the paper, then I cut some of the excess off and tucked the end onto the back of the adhesive. I decided to add some different textures to the flowers I was putting on the wreath, so I made some accordion flowers and even some rosettes made with burlap. I used a hot glue gun to adhere all of my embellishments to the wreath.

Here is the final product!

For being my first try, I think this turned out pretty cool! I dressed up the paper rosettes and accordion flowers with some cool vintage-looking buttons and some brads.

I added some burlap twine to one of the buttons and tied on a wide burlap ribbon for the hanger. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of addicted to burlap right now. I love the texture and the way it makes projects look.

I hope you enjoyed this project and I hope it inspires you to take on a crafty project that intimidates you!

~ Cristine

Supplies:

Authentique:
Patterned paper - Splendid collection {Brilliance, Delight - back, Majesty - back}

Other:
Brads- Paper Studio
Buttons - Tim Holtz
Glubers {Cosmo Cricket}
Burlap
Burlap twine
Burlap ribbon

Eleven with Celebrate!

2012-02-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

My oldest child turned 11 in January. I don't know how this happened. It's so true what they say though...you blink and they've grown. I remember wondering each day if that day would be the day he rolled over, sat on his own, slept through the night or walked and now he's so independent and only 5 years away from DRIVING!!!! He is a joy and a pain all at once ;).
I punched out and cut out stars for a garland and backed it with a contrasting paper.

Jakob has a special friend who he begs me to hang out with ALL the time (especially on snow days). Too bad Bobby's school is in the city and they don't usually have as many snow days as we do out here in the country. They have a blast when they get together. From gaming to bowling, jumping on the trampoline to building snowmen it's never a dull moment with these two.

Bobby's mom is one of my dearest friends and she took Jakob and Bobby out to eat where Jakob got a sweet FREE dessert for his birthday and then they were off to Nickle City where they played arcade games. Jakob sure is spoiled, but he makes me proud to call him my son too ;).
I used bit of paper from the Genuine Collection for behind the stars and my journaling block.

These dudes have a rockin' time together!!! I'm so glad that Bobby enjoys Jakob's company just as much as Jakob does his.

The element stickers have the greatest sentiments!
Supplies:
Celebrate Collection
laughter paper
happy paper
rejoice paper
element stickers
detail stickers
Genuine Collection
true paper
washi tape from washi washi
star punches
i-rock

Faux Soldering With Diction Stickers

2012-02-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

A happy hello from Auth-orized Educator Jennifer Priest!

I am so excited to share a fun trio of canvases I created with assorted Authentique Paper collections. I totally love love LOVE the "Elements" & "Diction" stickers from each of the Authentique Paper collections, especially the new sets that include alphabet stickers, such as the "Elements" 12x12 Stickers from the Celebrate Collection. The words are fabulous for cards, layouts, and more but the size, colors, and fonts also lend themselves beautifully to altered and vintage style projects, like these canvases I created:

I created a series of videos to walk you through the process by which I created the canvases and the "faux soldered" accents on each one. The "Elements" and "Diction" word stickers are the finishing touch!

I recently learned how to create soldered jewelry for the very first time and Ilove the look but I don't have all the supplies at home to create pieces formyself. I knew the Epiphany Crafts Round 25 tools would be perfect for me tocreate my own faux soldered "glass" charms and it would be mucheasier than working with real glass. With real glass, adhesive has to belimited because the intense heat from the soldering iron will make it bubbleand burn, damaging the image under the glass. The Authentique Paper "Elements" and "Diction" stickers I love so much would be a no-go for use with soldered glass pieces, however, they work beautifully with the Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio.

Additionally, I chose paper from Authentique Paper's Free Bird Series because the smaller scale of the patterns is perfect for working on small, detailed projects, such as the 4x4 gallery stretched canvases I created, as well as working with tools like the Round 25 Shape Studio by Epiphany Crafts.

With the Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio I found that I could add stickers and small bits of ephemera, like a tiny dictionarypaper diecut, to my epoxy without fear of them burning. I layered the Authentique Paper "Elements" and "Diction" stickers onto paper from the Blissful and Free Bird Series while the paper was in the "view-finder" area of the Epiphany CraftsShape Studio, placing the Bubble Cap on top to create the epoxy shapes.

Then I rolled the edges of the Round 25 shapes in ColorBox Pigment Ink and then dipped them in Clearsnap embossing powder. I set them with a heat tool, holding the Round 25shape with a pair of pliers to avoid burning my fingers. The result is verymuch like a soldered glass jewelry piece!! The stickers are magnified by the Bubble Cap, adding the effect of more depth between the stickers and the paper.

I added the faux soldered elements to the canvases I haddecoupaged with dictionary paper to create a totally custom accent for the wallin my master bedroom. Who knew that we could "solder" with Authentique Paper Collections, Elements Stickers, and some basic scrapbooking supplies?

Supplies:
Blissful Collection, Free Bird Series Patterned Paper by Authentique Paper
"Elements" Stickers from the Celebrate and Journey Collections by Authentique Paper
Round 25 Shape Studio and Bubble Caps - Epiphany Crafts
Dictionary - Merriam-Webster
Smooch Spritz, Embossing Powder, ColorBox Pigment Inks - Clearsnap
Heat Gun - Marvy Uchida
Glue Gun - Ad-Tech
Leaves, Beaded Sprays, Trims - hydrangeahippo.etsy.com
Diecut - Silhouette
Paint - Delta, Folk Art
Collage Pauge Decoupage Medium - ilovetocreate.com
Canvases - Art-Alternatives

Thank you for joining us today! Wishing you happy creating,

Jennifer Priest
hydrangeahippo.blogspot.com

Tutorial in Loyal

2012-02-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hi there!!! Misty here with a sweet little tutorial using Authentique Paper's newest collection LOYAL. Coming soon to a scrapbook store near you. Super yummy prints and it can be cute, manly or anything in between. Enjoy!!!

EDITED TO ADD THE FRINGED FLOWER CENTER DIRECTIONS

12" length of paper

rolled and glued at the end

smashed

Have a great day!

The Sense of Smell

2012-02-21T09:28:00.023-08:00

WARNING: This is Bret... I was asked to write today's blog. This is not full of frill and projects. Just a little something from my heart about the importance of quality...

Of the five well-know senses, I would not say the sense of smell is my most keen. Oddly, this business has renewed my sense of smell and the way quality can not only be seen and touched, but smelled.

I grew up in a small town where the sweet aroma of orchards and gardens were overshadowed by the stench of pollution from one of the largest steel mills in America. My grandfather and two uncles worked at the mill. It was strange attending the family's outdoor-summer-dinners, harmonizing the sweet smells of my grandmother's home cooking with the gross smell on the skin and clothes of the men that spent their days at the steel mill.

To top it off, my father was a chemist for a refinery plant that sold pitch to makers of aluminum. I probably took years off my life playing with liquid mercury and running up and down the railroad tracks near his plant inhaling who knows what?

My dad would come home every night smelling like creosote oil and coal tar. I think I probably worked more on "not smelling" things, than I did "enjoying smells" when I was young.

One of my best friends had a father who owned a mink ranch. As a very young boy, I would help on the ranch and even make a little money on odd chores. As a teenager, I split summer work between the mink ranch and a local chicken farm. The smells emitted from these two animal plants were, at times, unbearable.

There was one very good thing that came out of my time at the mink ranch... the free mink oil they would allow me to have. I would use the mink oil on my baseball glove, often spending hours working it into my "mitt." I would place a baseball in the palm of my glove, wrap it to "break-it-in," and sleep next to it.

At about the age of 10, baseball was becoming my passion. The smell of mink oil, mixed with leather, was the first smell I associated with success. It became an obsession - a superstition. I believed the time I put into caring for my glove made me better.

I became an all-star, played in three little league world series', watched my brother win a World Series title as a pitcher, went on to play college baseball and tossed in a year of professional ball, where I quickly learned baseball was meant to teach me more about life.

When I was asked to get behind the formation of Authentique Paper and we started building the business and printing papers, I quickly remembered how much I missed the smell of paper. I love going to the printings of our papers and soaking in the unmistakable smell of the print-shop we use. The smells have been there for over 100 years. The sons and grandsons who run this business grew up around printing and understand this smell. Our paper mill has also been at it for over a hundred years. Their papers are amazing and have the smell of quality as they are loaded into the presses.

I have heard that some of the papers released into the industry actually stink (the smell... not the designs... okay, maybe a little bit of both). I didn't hear of this during my first stretch in the paper-crafting industry. Now, at a time when others are cutting back on quality, we have emerged with custom paper textures and finishes. As a result, many people have reached out to us thanking us for our quality. They even tell us they love how our papers smell. The first time I heard this, I was a bit surprised, but I have come to discover what they mean. The combination of poor paper quality and ink just doesn't work. We don't do things that way.

I find it amazing how smells can instantly create emotion and link our minds to memories. If I were open a bottle of mink oil today, it would transport me back a few decades to the baseball field where I learned to chase my dreams and stabilize my fears.

So, while I've had a love-hate-relationship with smells since childhood, and don't rely on smell as my sense-of-choice, I certainly don't want to create papers that stink (in any sense of the word). I don't like the smell of cheap things and neither do you.

Bret Cornell

President

Authentique Paper

Sweet Baby Boy

2012-02-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday everyone! It's Emily here today with a fun little project that I made over the weekend.

My neighbor recently asked if I could make a mini album to store photos of her sweet baby boy. As soon as she asked me to make it the only thing in my head was MIRACLE! I just love this sweet collection, and since I am always scrapping photos of my daughter, this was a nice change to get to make a little boy album.

The inside is full of tags and journaling spots that have all been stitched in. I just love all of the colors in this collection and that I was able to bring them all together with all of the fun ribbons on the side.

This was a different type of project for me, I usually try to make more "chic" projects with my Authentique paper, but I wanted this one to be cutesy since it was for a baby. Needless to say, my neighbor LOVED it :-)

Thanks for stopping by today!

♥ Emily

Products Used:
Authentique Paper- Miracle: Baby Boy Collection
Sweet Stamp Shop- Sweet Alpha Doodles, Furry Friends Forever
Really Reasonable Ribbon- Brown Wrinkled Ribbon, Satin w/Scalloped Edge Parrot Green, Satin w/Scalloped Edge Ivory, 3/8" Tornado Blue Satin, Curly Sparkling Trim White, Bliss Pearls
Copic Markers- 0, B00, G24, E25, E33

Tickled Pink

2012-02-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hi there!
It's Tifany from Ink Blots by TRD and today I wanted to share with you a mini album I created using Authentique Paper's Uncommon collection.

Even though in person I am not a "girly" girl...in paper crafting I love fun pinks (grounded with neutrals, of course) and beautiful florals.

The Uncommon collection is beautiful for scrapping anything - from weddings to heritage pages to ladies-only events - but it is also perfect for those sweet little ones that just leave you "Tickled Pink".
{The cover was created easily by using some of the Icons and Tabloids die cuts.}

I created this mini album to show off pictures of my "little" girl (now 8 years old) in the first year of her life.
{The interior pages were created from one 12x12 sheet of paper using a meander-type method. I adapted the meandering a bit to suit my needs.}

Each page has a slot for a tag where I can add another picture or just some journaling about that precious first year.

But I couldn't just stop with a mini album...

I created this card from the Uncommon collection (the papers used on the card are from the 6x6 Bundle).

I love the combination of the various pinks with that beautiful cream and grey.

And I love how the die cuts (from the Icons) work so seamlessly with the collection and allow for a quick but special sentiment on a card.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill (French Vanilla);
Patterned Paper: Authentique Paper (Uncommon - 6x6 Bundle);
Die Cuts: Authentique Paper (Uncommon - Icons, Tabloids);
Twine: The Twinery (Blossom);
Trims: (Various ribbons, twill, and lace);
Pins: Maya Road;
Other: (Chipboard);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

AUTHENTIQUE PAPER: A Genuine Snow Day

2012-02-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Authentique fans! Heather here, with a layout incorporating both the Genuine Collection, and some of my favorite Free Bird Collection "B" sides.

A few weeks ago, the Northwest had a pretty large scale snow and ice storm. Overnight, seven inches of snow fell. Probably not a lot for most places in the US, but in our neck of the woods, the snow and ice pretty much shut down cities. The beginning however, did make for some pretty cute photos of my little girl.

I knew when I saw the Genuine Collection, I wanted to incorporate some of the papers with these photos. I loved how the Friendship paper had snowflake-like stitching.

I backed all of the photos with Natural from the Genuine Collection. I also added a phrase from the Genuine Elements, as well as some of the Genuine Tiny Type (also on the Elements sheet).

The Free Bird papers helped to make the perfect snowflakes. I looked through the whole collection, and settled on solids from Fair-Weather, Endless, and Comfort. And one large background snowflake using Genuine's True.

Adding a little bling helped to make the snowflakes stand out against the background paper.

And one final Genuine Details sticker to set off one of the miniature photos.

While I do love paper collections by themselves, don't be afraid to mix and match! And if you need some fantastic color additions, check out the various solids that all grace the back of those Free Bird papers! They really are fun to add to your favorite Authentique collections.

Supplies Used:

Genuine Collection: Friendship, Natural, True, Elements, Details

Free Bird Nest Collections: Fair-Weather FBS120, Endless FBS115, Comfort FBS107

Additional Supplies: American Crafts Thickers, Teresa Collins Bling, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink

Celebrate with the Ultimate Card

2012-02-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

I am excited to share a tutorial with you today. I made a card like this on my blog last week and had a lot of positive feedback, so I thought today I'd share with you how you can make your own.

I have named this card "The Never Ending Card."

The original pattern for this came out of a book called Very Mary Stationary.

To start you will need 4 pieces of paper.

3 pieces all cut from the same paper will form the base. The dimensions of those papers are:

4 1/2" x 10 1/2"

1 1/4" x 1 3/8"

1 1/4" x 3 1/2"

The other paper you will cut from Decorative Paper and the dimensions are:

4" x 4"

Take the longest piece and from the left short edge score lines at

1) 1"

2) 1 3/8"

3) 5 7/8"

6 1/4"

Fold along the score lines and you are creating a box. Put adhesive on the outer edge of the 1st scored section create the box shape.(see next picture)

Here is what it looks like, I like to decorate the front before assembling, I find it easiest to do it in this order.

For the tabs you will take the shorter pieces of paper and score them at these increments.

The 3 3/8 paper, score from the left at the 1 1/2" mark and the 1 7/8" mark. Fold on the score lines and adhere to the card middle left. This just acts a barrier so the inside card does not fall out.

For the 3 1/2" paper score from the left at the 1" mark and the 1 3/8 mark. Fold on the lines and adhere the longer end to the inside center right. To make the tab open or close, either use adhesive Velcro or some sort of reusable adhesive.

For the card enclosure you will need on piece of paper that is 4" x 10 3/4". Score this paper at the 2 1/2" and 6 1/2" marks. Fold the shorter panel up to create an pocket and then fold the other score line to create the card. Embellish as desired.

Here is the completed card front. You can see that I used a Card Candi for my tab and underneath I used the Tack it Over and Over glue.

Here is a close up of the card front. Don't you love the Celebrate Papers?

Here is the card enclosure.

The card enclosure opens up to reveal a pocket inside..

...inside the pocket is a matching gift card holder.

Here is a close up of the gift card holder. I just love the floral print on the enjoyment paper.

Here are the different pieces side by side.

Isn't this a great card?

It really is easy to make, if you have any questions regarding how to make this..feel free to ask me.

I have been enjoying working with the Celebrate line and I hope you enjoyed my card today.

This has been Jeannie from The Polka Cabana with today's post.

Supplies used:

Authentique Papers - Celebrate

Craft Work Cards - Card Candi

Sizzix Die

Grafix Arts - Shrink Film

A DELIGHTfUL paper doll!

2012-02-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

hello authentique friends and welcome back to our blog. i am very excited to share my new little friend with you today. she's only 8" tall, and crafted with our new "delightful" collection. and she is delightful!

her bodice is covered in tiny hand-spun roses tipped with walnut distress ink. her skirt is created with layers of hand-washed papers - yep! i got the paper that i go completely wet, then crumpled it into balls, then uncrumpled and let dry until damp but not completely dry. the result is a fabric to mold and shape, tear and scrunch.

be sure to keep visiting - there'll be lots of beautiful and inspiring projects to see! and don't forget to stop by the caravan too! i love visits!

A Different Kind of Miracle

2012-02-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning, everyone! Today I wanted to show you all how versatile the Miracle boy line is. I decided to scrap some pictures that a friend and her family had taken last summer. The papers in this collection worked so well with all of the colors in the pictures!

The blues, greens, pinks and splashes of yellow are exactly what I needed to make these pictures really shine. (Side note: I used this weeks sketch from scrapbooksteals.com to create this layout. To see the sketch, click {here} to go to my blog and see the sketch.)

I love this paper that I used on the banner and pennants. It's so whimsical, which is fitting for the pictures of my friend's sweet little girl. And the little icon with the squirrel on it seemed appropriate for this outdoor-themed layout.

I used the element stickers to create the title for this page. I love the little circle letters. :)

I had fun making rosettes with the papers in this collection. They add another little touch of whimsey to go with the papers I used for the banner and pennants.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how the Miracle collection could be used for something other than baby-themed projects!

~ Cristine

Supplies:

Authentique:
Patterned paper, Element Stickers, Icon - Miracle collection

Other:
Buttons and Brads- Basic Grey
Floss - DMC
Ink - Colorbox Chalk Ink in Chestnut Roan
Twine - My Mind's Eye

Something Delightful

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday everyone! It's Emily here with a very "delightful" project to share with you today!

Some of you that were at CHA might have seen this project in the Authentique Booth, I made this set of altered wooden drawers for my daughter, Reagan, using the BEAUTIFUL *brand new* "Delightful" collection.

I added a banner to the bottom and easily stuck Reagan's name on there with the matching "elements" stickers. I also used the "details" stickers for quotes ans shapes.

I tried to make this as girly as possible, my daughter is a girly girl, so I added lace, flowers, sparkly buttons, and sweet little matching butterflies.

I even decorated the back... just in case :-)

Now Reagan has a sweet little set of drawers that she can use to store her trinkets in.

Thanks for stopping by today! ♥

Products used:
Authentique- Delightful: 12x12 paper- Lovely, Beautiful, Sweet; Stickers: Details, Elements
Wooden Drawers
Prima- Flowers & Butterflies

February Sketch Challenge

2012-02-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the sketch challenge here on the Authentique Paper blog!

The Sketch Challenge will be posted on the first Saturday of each month. There will be two sketches posted {one card sketch and one layout sketch} for you to use as inspiration.

We would love for you to play along!
Just use the challenge inspiration to create as many projects as you'd like.
A winner will be randomly selected from all the qualified entries to receive an Authentique Paper prize pack!
{The more projects you create, the better your chances are of winning!}

{Sketches}

{Layout}

{Card}

{Details}
- You will have until Wednesday, February 29th at midnight {PST} to enter.
- You will need to create a separate entry/blog post for each submission. {You can submit as many projects as you want!}
- Use the Linky Tool at the bottom of this post to link directly to your blog post.
- You must provide a link somewhere in your blog post back here to the Authentique Paper blog.
- Anyone can play along, but you must use products from Authentique Paper on your project if you would like to be able to win.
- You must provide a supply list of Authentique Paper products used on your blog post.
- Winner must have a US or Canada mailing address only...sorry!

{Projects from the Authentique Paper Design Team}

{Tifany DeGough}

{Natalie Dever}

{Misty Buck}

{Heather Conklin}

{Emily Lanham}

{Cristine Redmond}

{January Sketch Challenge Winner}

Stephanie Muzzulin

Congratulations!

Please send an e-mail with the subject "January Sketch Challenge Winner" and include your US or Canada mailing address to info@authentiquepaper.com to claim your Authentique Paper prize pack!

{Linky Tool}

Delightful Nursery Decor

2012-02-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello again! Brenda Smith here. I am so excited to share today's project with you for a couple reasons. First, it's a rare foray into altered art. I am generally a layout, card, and mini album kind of gal but I had so much fun making this. Second, I got to work the new line, Delightful. It is SO gorgeous in person and just so happens to match my one year old daughter's nursery decor. Third, it's one of the projects that I sent to CHA and I'm happy to get to show everyone else the finished product.

After seeing this double-sided 12x12 wood shadow box at Michaels, I knew I had to do something with it. I started by covering it with the yellow polka dotted paper from Delightful. Then I used my Silhouette to cut hexagons out of various Delightful patterned papers and a tree trunk from a paper from the new Loyal line.

I then machine-stitched around the outer edges of all the hexagons and the tree trunk. When placing the hexagons atop the tree trunk, I popped some up with dimensional adhesive. I added a few flower and button embellishments to give it a little extra oomph.

I covered all four edges with the lovely orange patterned paper.

On the back side, I wanted to create a little vignette that would be as if you were peering into the hexagon tree. I added some rose trim on the top and the bottom and strung a banner with my daughter's name.

Peeking behind the banner, you can see a few punched clouds.

I covered the inside edges with this lovely lime green music note paper. It is one of my favorite papers in the collection, especially when juxtaposed to bright pinks.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Supplies Used:
Paper- Authentique Delightful, Loyal, Gathering (Foundations), and Uncommon
Alphas and Floral Trim- American Crafts
Flowers- Sassafras

Wednesday's Contest winner is.....

2012-02-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for participating in our Blog and Facebook profile/badge contest! We have had a great week searching around to see who is spreading the Authentique Paper love and wearing one of our BRAND NEW badges proudly!

ALICE PACE is Wednesday's WINNER!!! Congratulations Alice! Please send an email to contests@authentiquepaper.com with your mailing address and we'll ship you some BRAND new Authentique Paper goodies!

Just in case you missed out on the contest, below are the beautiful new badges/profile pictures.

You never know, we love to come across an Authentique Paper fan, and if we do, you may just be a RANDOM, lucky winner!

Loyal...

2012-02-02T11:59:00.001-08:00

Boys are taught to be many things: hard-working, courageous, kind and strong. A hidden quality with which we are impressed, is loyalty. Loyalty is the driving force behind friendship and we wanted to build a collection around it. The Loyal Collection pairs vintage design with the modern boy. Words like buddies, pals and forever sum up this theme. Boys inspire us and give us hope, so we created some papers and accents to highlight the majesty of boys.

Enjoy a sneak peek of our "Loyal" Collection - arriving in a store near you MARCH 1st...more detailed images are coming soon to our website...{we are almost finished with the new and improved, simplified site!}

This classic vintage boy Collection includes 6 double sided papers, a 12x12 matte adhesive cardstock "Details" sheet, a 12x8 matte adhesive cardstock "Elements" sheet, a 6x6 double sided (reduced pattern on one side and a coordinating solid on the back) "Bundle," and a convenient Collection Kit.

{12x8 Elements}

{12x12 Details}

{6x6 Bundle}

{Collection Kit}

In addition to the above items in the Loyal Collection, we are also pleased to announce we have created some beautiful coordinating baby boy paper die cuts, from our Miracle baby line, in a similar format to our previously offered al-a-arte items. This Miracle "add on" merged with the Loyal Collection papers adds further value and makes this theme even more versatile! We have printed the paper die cuts on the same heavy weight textured cardstock as our paper, giving them a soft feel, perfect for capturing the essence of a sweet baby boy!

{4x6 Headlines}

{6x8 Tabloids}

{6x8 Icons}

{4x6 Excerpts}

{4x6 Noteables}

{4x6 Expressions}

We also have offer a Collection Kit for those of you who prefer to get it all at once!

We have thoroughly enjoyed designing this collection and hope you have even more fun creating projects with it!

~Team Authentique

Happy Wed. my Authentique friends!!

2012-02-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

TUESDAY'S winner is...Denise Parcells! Denise was a tough one to win over, but she definitely has the Authentique Paper spirit!!!!

It's Natalie here, with a fun and easy tutorial for you!

I don't know if you saw these or not in the CHA booth, but they are altered playing cards I made using the new Celebrate collection.

I added some goodies directly to the playing cards and then decided I needed a box to put them in so I made a playing card box, and am going to show you how!

I first measured my box and found I needed a piece of paper that measured 4 3/4 X 7

I scored the cardstock the long way at 1/2 inch on both sides,

edited to add, When I finished the box I realized I needed a larger flap for closing the box so score the top at 1/2 and 1. Score bottom at 1/2

{You will see what I mean when you get to the last photo!}

Next, turn paper and score at

1/2, 1, 3/34, and 4 1/4

I then trimmed off the two small panels, and the piece that will be the top FRONT of the box, on the end flap. (this is your glue flap) as shown below.

Add your favorite adhesive to the one of the bottom large flaps, and the side flap...

and fold into place.

When I was finished I decided I needed a large flap for closing the box, so I adjusted the measurements.

I would definitely practice with one first, but once you get it right, they are easy. You could fill them with Valentine goodies, love coupons, gift cards..so many possibilities!

I'd love to see your finished project if you decide to try one!

~Natalie

Announcing a few WINNERS!!!

2012-01-31T10:25:00.000-08:00

We are having a GREAT time at the trade show in Anaheim, CA...it's almost impossible to find a minute to sit down! We enjoying meeting so many NEW friends and retailers from all over the world! The support and encouragement we are receiving is overwhelming and we are so thankful to our fans and supporters! This is our very first CHA Winter trade show but with the warm welcome and compliments, we sure aren't feeling like the new kids in town!

So, a little late, which I feel like I've been saying a lot lately, but we've had eyes out there looking around Facebook and blogs, and we'd like to announce Sunday and Monday's CONTEST WINNERS...

Peggy Snodgrass

AND

Courtney V (Scraps & Chachki blog)

Please email your mailing address to contests@authentiquepaper.com and we'll get you a prize pack sent out as soon as we get home! We are going to choose TWO more winners - one later today and another tomorrow - so grab a badge (from the blog post announcing the contest) and wear it proudly!

Have a wonderful day and stay tuned for TWO more amazing Collection sneak peeks!

~Team Authentique

Be My Valentine: Celebrate Collection

2012-01-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

How about another card set? The Celebrate collection is perfect for all types of celebrations or none at all if you prefer.

Sweet little red cupcakes, a tinsel heart and some twine all working their magic to bring joy to the receiver

Owls make everything just a little bit sweeter.These cards were so simple to put together that you could easily make a classes worth of them in no time :)

Hoo hoo hoo doesn't love this woodgrain paper?

A sweet trio of Valentine's for some sweet people on my list. With this versatile collection you'll be able to make invites, pages or packages that pack a whole lotta punch. Have a sweet day!

As promised...an Authentique Paper contest!

2012-01-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, we promised a contest last night on Facebook, so we HAVE to 'make good' and keep our promises... Are you looking for a way to participate in all of the Authentique Paper CHA excitement?

Below we've provided you with 5 BRAND NEW badges/blinkies you can post to your website, blogs, and Facebook profile...

Let's make this extra special, and while we are at the show, don't think we aren't thinking about our awesome fans not in attendance...

How about a contest where we check YOU out on Facebook? To participate in this contest, simply download one of our brand new badges. Next, switch out your current Facebook profile picture with one of our new images. We'll be watching on Facebook!!

Each day from Sunday through the last day of the tradeshow (Wednesday, Feb 1st) we'll choose a winner to receive an Authentique Paper prize pack, filled with BRAND NEW goodies!

Winners will be posted each day on our Facebook page (starting Sunday).

Watch our Facebook page closely to see if you've won! And be sure to come and visit us at our booth (#2632), if you happen to be at the show.

Thanks for participating!

~Team Authentique

Authentique Mixed Media Album CHA Workshop with Jennifer Priest

2012-01-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

I am so so soooo thrilled to be teaching this Workshop at the Winter CHA Show on Sunday January 29th! Authentique Paper's new Celebrate line is perfectly cheerful, with pops of red-orange and lovely teal. The textured matte finish of the paper and stickers are accented by a touch of sparkle from embellishments and spray inks that we'll be using in class.

Authentique Mixed Media Album

CHA Workshop

January 29, 2011

6:30pm-8:30pm

CHA Trade Show, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA

Room: 212

Difficulty: Intermediate

Supplies: Scissors or paper trimmer and liquid adhesive

Create a handmade mixed media scrapbook using the the Zutter Bind It All machine and the latest releases from Authentique Paper. We'll experiment with various ink products from Clearsnap, including Smooch Spritz, to create depth, shine, and pattern on the album pages in conjunction with Authentique Paper's richly textured paper lines. Inspire your customers with unique techniques and money saving ideas.

Instructor(s): Jennifer Priest

Sponsor(s): Authentique Paper LLC, Zutter, Xyron, Clearsnap, Want2Scrap, ilovetocreate.com, hydrangeahippo.etsy.com

The Workshop is sold out so we thought it would be fun to share a few sneak peeks of the inner pages with you here on our blog--this is the only place you can see this book!! Here we go...

The 12x12 stickers for this collection are awesome!!! There is something for any occasion you might have to celebrate, and then some.

One of my favorite things about the collection, which we will discuss in class, is that the "red" can vary between red and coral, depending on the embellishments chosen. We use both red and coral in the class for a really festive look.

This paper also "plays well" with vintage elements, like doilies and dictionary paper. The pops of black and grey play off the colors for a masculine effect.

And finally, the Collection lends itself nicely to the addition of a little navy, which we'll add with spray ink and unique trims in the class.

I hope you enjoyed the peek into the book we'll be creating at the show this weekend. If you were unable to join us, be sure to stop by the booth to say "hello" and follow us on Facebook!

Jennifer Priest

http://hydrangeahippo.blogspot.com

Plant Kindness & Gather Love

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

What a great saying to live by, right? It's Emily here today to share one of my favorite projects that I've done this far with Authentique's lovely papers. This was one of my big projects that I sent off to CHA, but since CHA is right around the corner, I thought I would give you all a peek at what I have been working on.

How about a bouquet full of beautiful flowers with the "Gathering" collection? Yes, this collection came out around Thanksgiving, but it is a great one for all seasons. I thought that these flowers would help me to remember that Spring is just around the corner. Though it's been snowy/rainy here, I now have a beautiful bouquet sitting on my table that will never die!

All of Authentique's collections are absolutely stunning, but I think that Gathering is still my favorite thus far. The colors in this collection are so rich and also delicate and can be used for almost any project!

Want to learn to make your own beautiful bouquet? Well, you're in for a treat! I've got a step-by-step tutorial prepared for you! Beware though, these flowers are time consuming and addicting to make! I didn't count, but I think it took me 30-40 flowers to fill this bouquet (and a lot of paper)... each one took about 20 minutes to make.

First you will need to cut your paper. For the small flowers I used 3x3 pieces (the 6x6 pads come in handy for this!) for the larger pieces I used the 12x12 sheets and cut them into 4x4 pieces. You will need 5 pieces of wither 3x3 or 4x4 to make one flower.

Fold paper in half to make a triangle. Make sure that the pattern side that you want your flower to be is the side showing.

Fold the two end pieces up to make a diamond shape, make sure all of you creases are firm. You may need to use a bone folder for this part.

Take the two top pieces and fold them back to meet the sides (I can't really think of how to explain to do this... so I will show another picture below)

This is what you should have now.

Now take and flatten out the top two pieces so they look like this.

Fold the little flaps back and crease, then tuck them inside.

Fold the two outside pieces on the crease that already exists and bring the two sides to meet, you will have a sort of cone shape that looks like this.

Glue the inside pieces together using hot glue (I used a high heat setting) then clamp them for a few minutes so the glue can get a firm bond.

Repeat these steps until you have all five petals.

Now glue the petals together, again using hot glue, make sure you hold each piece for a few minutes until the glue has set or the flower will fall apart and you will have glue gunk everywhere.

Before you add the last piece, if you are making a bouquet, I would suggest bamboo skewers. I added one in right before adding the last petal to the flower. Then I topped it off with a matching button.

Just a side note... when making these flowers, BE CAREFUL! Hot glue is very hot and it hurts really bad when you get burnt with it! Also, be prepared to go through A LOT of paper, I went through almost 2 full 6x6 pads and several sheets of 12x12, but the end product was all worth it :-)

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed my project and tutorial! ♥

Products used:
Authentique: Gathering Collection- 6x6 bundle, 12x12 sheets, Headlines
Really Reasonable Ribbon: Sheer Iridescent Peach, Copper Glitz Ribbon
Assorted Buttons
Bamboo Skewers
Styrofoam Ball

2012-01-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

Trisha Ladouceur - {Auth-orized Educator} Trisha has been an avid scrapbooker officially for 13 years and has taught for more than 11 years at stores and conventions-big and small. She has been married to her best friend, Drew for 18 years and has 2 wild, but devilishly handsome boys, Logan and Carter, who are more often than not the source of her inspiration. She resides in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where the long, cold winters provide plenty of time to scrapbook! Trisha's teaching abilities have taken her on numerous travel adventures and there will be plenty more in the coming months. She has taught scrapbooking and paper crafting classes coast to coast in both Canada and the United States as well as in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Norway and the Netherlands. She will return to Europe later this year and will head down under to Australia as well. She has had the good fortune to teach aboard three different cruises to date and looks forward to seeing where she will get to explore next in this wonderful journey called life. Trisha feels so very fortunate to combine her love of travel with her passion for teaching. Being able to share her scrapbooking addiction with paper crafters everywhere is a match made in heaven! To Trisha's credit, she is not only an AUTH-orized Educator for Authentique Paper, but also an Endorsed Educator for many other leading manufacturers in the scrapbooking industry. Trisha has had numerous projects and articles published in various magazines and is currently a Contributing Writer for Canadian Scrapooker Magazine. Trisha loves to create projects that are very detail oriented and incorporates texture and dimension wherever possible. You will not find a "flat" project anywhere in her portfolio! The best part of it all is that she shows her students that they too CAN create a work of art that they will be proud of. When the steps are broken down and simplified, any task can be accomplished by any level of scrapbooker. http://trishaladouceur.com

Jennifer Priest - {Auth-orized Educator} Jennifer has been involved in the papercrafting community for over 12 years. She lives in the High Desert of California with her supportive {and sometimes scrappy} husband, two kids, and two dogs. For the past 9 years, Jennifer has been teaching papercrafting classes at events, charity crops, and local retailers as well as online through My Creative Classroom. She is also an AUTH-orized teacher for Authentique Paper. A love of sharing, a passion for teaching, and a happy, whimsical design style drive Jennifer's creative endeavors and characterize her work. A potpourri of styles from across the spectrum, Jennifer's work always includes a bit of humor and fantasy, a touch of the unexpected. Jennifer mixes her passion to try new things, push the envelope, and experiment with her affinity for techniques that are quick, affordable, and accessible by others. Her outlook on crafting is that it is a continual learning process, with every crafter at a different place in their crafty journey, each of us learning from one another. She loves the community that naturally develops when crafters share with one another and is excited to be a part of that connection. Being able to share her passion about papercrafting with others is Jennifer's dream job and she is thankful for every moment she's been able to spend "working" at it. Jennifer has represented multiple manufacturers as an educator and design team member as well as social media consultant and coordinator for several brands. She's been fortunate enough to have had her work published in top publications and books and is a Designer Member of the Craft & Hobby Association. When she's not papercrafting, Jennifer enjoys gardening, visiting local crafts fairs, watching reality shows on Bravo, and taking touristy day trips around California with her family. Jennifer is also an Army veteran and volunteer for local charities. http://hydrangeahippo.com

Misty Buck - I have been an avid scrapper since before there were even aisles dedicated to scrapbooking in the stores (Yeah, that long, 1995-ish). Back then my books stored artifacts of my life, the deflated prom balloon, the first table card I had as a waitress. Today, I still try to incorporate those kinds of things into my layouts, but I never want to lose the meaning behind why I scrap - to RECORD life. I graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in Architectural Design. The next week I married the love of my life. Together, we are raising four wonderful, challenging, beautiful children who fill our lives to overjoyed perfection. One of my greatest joys is seeing the smile that giving a handmade gift can give another person. Creativity is meant to be shared and that's why I love scrapbooking. www.mistylynnwhat.blogspot.com

Heather Conklin - I am so excited to be a member of Authentique Paper's team! I have been an artist and creator my entire life, and spent much of my childhood drawing, painting and making jewelry. After marrying my college sweetheart, I sought for a way to preserve the memories of that day. A friend introduced me to scrapbooking, and an obsession was born. A few years later, with the birth of our daughter, I started making cards. I love preserving the memories of our family. I am also a high school visual arts teacher, and have even shared with my students my love for papercrafting. A lot of how I view crafting comes from my arts background, and what I learned through my many arts courses. I enjoy making tutorials, mini-albums, and sharing my creations with other people. http://goldiecar.blogspot.com/

Natalie Dever - I have been paper crafting for over 17 years and I love it now more than ever. I have been fortunate enough to have my work published in Paper Crafts, Cards and Scrapbook Trends. I am an avid rubber stamper, pattern paper lover and I am so excited to be working with Authentique Paper. The funky, vintage style and beautiful color combinations are exactly what I love! My favorite color is green, I am a reality TV junkie {I almost NEVER miss an episode of Survivor}, addicted to diet coke, taco pizza and I am always ready to read a good vampire love story. http://www.dougnat.blogspot.com

Jeannie DeGruccio - I am a native California girl, a wife of 22 years and a mom of 7 kids. I have been Scrapbooking/Stamping /Paper Crafting for at least half of my life. I started crafting as a young mom to decorate my home on a very tight budget. From there, I got into scrapbooking and card making and moved onto various forms of art and crafting as the trends changed. I am a down to earth person, the things I make are for real people, not meant to be on display shelf in a museum or too thick to put in a scrapbook. If I had to describe my style I would say I am a whimsical scrapper/crafter. My projects tend to be bright and cheery and I love to think outside the box.I hope to inspire, entertain & show you how to create some realistic items in your own fashion! www.polkacabana.wordpress.com

Emily Lanham - I am a stay at home mommy and wife and I reside in southern Ohio. I have been scrapbooking for as long as I can remember, but I really got into the hobby (and collecting paper) about 6 years ago. I am always up for a challenge and I enjoy creating with objects that I can find around my house. A somewhat new love of mine is stamping. With paper crafting, the possibilities are endless, every day I find a new reason to love what I do, and that's how I know that I've found my niche in life. http://www.createserendipity.net

Cristine Redmond - I am so excited to be a part of the Authentique Design Team! I live in the Kansas City area with my husband of 9 years and our two red head daughters (5 and 2.5). I feel truly blessed to be a stay-at-home mom and to have a husband that supports my hobby. I started scrapbooking about 5 years ago when I made a simple and very plain scrapbook for our then soon-to-be-born nephew. A couple years later, my love for paper crafting began to really blossom and now taking the time to craft calms me after chasing around my two girls all day. I've come to realize that there is no greater satisfaction than handing someone a personalized, handmade card or even just creating a special layout that showcases a picture more than any plain photo album ever could. http://www.onescrappynovice.blogspot.com

Brenda Smith - I am a Southern California native, a wife to my husband and a mom to my beautiful one year old daughter, Harper. I'm relatively new to the scrapbooking world and scrapped my first layout about a year ago. Crafting has always been a love of mine and I tried many different varieties until I was encouraged by the birth of my daughter to try scrapbooking. I can't imagine any other craft that fits my personality so well. I am so honored to be chosen by Authentique Paper as a Design Team Member, and look forward to the experiences that lie ahead. http://theimperfectscrapper.blogspot.com

Janeen Shember - I have been scrapbooking for more than a decade, and I started by taking artist's sketchbooks and turning them into scrapbooks of my trips to Italy and India. A graphic designer by profession, I have freelanced for many high-tech companies as well as start-ups and non-profits. I recently started my creative blog, and I'm excited to be branching out into new areas like altered objects, mini-books and mixed media illustration. Follow me on my blog: http://www.suburbNgypsy.blogspot.com

winter wonder

2012-01-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

hello gypsies! the holidays are over but winter is not so i wanted to celebrate with a very special cabinet.

whites and blues

snow and ice

glitter and sparkle

i hope you are as inspired by winter as i am.

my next adventure is starting - the gypsy is going to CHA to see authentique at its very first show!

be sure to keep checking the authentique blog for CHAdventures!

visit suburbngypsy for CHA reports, critiques and random elements!

materials - "journey" collection papers

tissue tape - tim holtz

random elements and miscellaneous winterness

AUTHENTIQUE TUTORIAL: Free Bird Coasters

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Authentique fans! Heather here with a simple tutorial for making some pretty cute coasters using Authentique Free Bird.

To start, you are going to need your tiles (I chose 4" untreated stone tiles just from my local hardware store), ModPodge or other crafting medium, spray shellac, a spongey applicator or brush, felt, contact or rubber cement and your papers (I chose to use the Blush and Delight Nest FBN001). You'll also need some basic papercrafting tools.

To start, I cut my papers down to 3 3/4". I know that my tiles were 4", but they sloped down a bit on the edges, and this just made the most sense, as the paper wouldn't peel off the edges if it was slightly smaller.

Also, because of the tiles that I chose, and the fact that I didn't want the edges to peel or pull up, used my corner rounder on all of the squares.

A nice covering of ModPodge on the tiles themselves. Untreated stone sucks some of the glue up, so you may find that you need more than you think.

And placing all of the lovely papers on top of the stone tiles. Another generous helping of ModPodge finishes them all off for the time being. It helps to work on these one at a time, otherwise the ModPodge dries too fast and you may get air bubbles.

If you want to embellish them at all, after the first coat is dry, use some paper elements to add some interest, and ModPodge those to the coaster.

While the glue is drying, I just used scissors to cut out my felt pieces. They are slightly smaller than the 4", and I rounded the corners slightly (FYI: corner edgers don't help with felt). Again this is to prevent the edges from pulling up. I used contact cement for this, but you could probably use most glues or epoxies that aren't water based.

Here is the bottom of the finished tile!! Now it won't scratch the furniture. If you wanted to not deal with felt, you could also use those felt squares or circles that they have at hardware stores instead.

When the layers of ModPodge had dried, I used the spray shellac on them to protect the paper. I probably will put a few layers of this on. I don't suggest using these right away... Give them a week or two to properly dry. If you choose to only ModPodge them, I suggest waiting a few weeks, just to make sure that you don't ruin all of your hard work.

And the finalized tiles with all of the lovely Blush Free Bird. I purposefully chose to have two patterns and two solids, but did use all four of the papers (FBS101, FBS 102, FBS103, FBS104). I really love how lovely these all ended up, and cannot wait to give these away as a cute Valentine's gift.

In fact, I even wrapped them up with some parchment paper and twine, so that one of the butterflies peeked through. And created a cute little tag out of the scraps with another butterfly to reflect the ones in the package.

Of course I hate crafting alone, so my wonderful and most dear friend Venetia created her own tiles using the same Nest as I did, although choosing to use the Delight Series instead (FBS110, FBS111). Hers ended up being just as lovely, though very different.

I hope this inspires you to find new ways to use Free Bird and your other favorite Authentique lines!!

Supplies Used:

Free Bird Nest Collections: Blush FBS101, FBS 102, FBS103, FBS104 & Delight 110, 111

Additional Supplies Coasters: stone tiles, ModPodge, spray Shellac, contact cement, felt, butterfly punch
Additional Supplies Tag: butterfly punch, AC glitter and rose ribbon, brad, Office Depot paperclip, Twinery Twine, parchment paper

Little Miracles

2012-01-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Authentique Paper and Helmar are teaming up this week to bring you tons of inspiration using Authentique Paper products and Helmar adhesives!

Before we see Emily's fabulous project for today, let's spread a little joy...shall we?

***********************************The winner of the Authentique Paper Prize Pack from the giveaway is:

Linda Harris

Congratulations!
Linda, please send an e-mail with the subject "Authentique Paper/Helmar Week Giveaway Winner" and include your US or Canada mailing address to info@authentiquepaper.com to claim your Authentique Paper prize pack!

To find out the winner of the Helmar giveaways, please visit the Helmar blog.
***********************************
And now...here is Emily with today's project:

I decided that I also wanted to play with the new "Miracle" collection. It's beautiful, right? While I was walking around the craft store I found the most adorable little wooden frames for $1 and I had to get them! They screamed "MIRACLE" to me!

When altering wooden frames, it's a plus to have the perfect glue for the job. I've tried several glues and a lot of them will warp your paper. For this frame I used Helmar's Professional Acid Free Glue and it worked GREAT! All I had to do was spread it on my frame with a little foam brush and my paper stuck right to it! This glue dries fast though so not enough room to wiggle if you need to re-position your paper!

I also used Helmar's Zap Dots to pop up the titles on these frames. LOOOOVE these little dots! And they come in different shapes and sizes as well as in black and white!

Thanks for stopping by today!
I hope you enjoyed all of the fabulous Helmar/Authentique projects this week - please be sure to head on over to the Helmar blog to find out what the talented members of their Design Team have created!

♥ Emily

Products Used:
Helmar Acid Free Glue, Zap Dots
Authentique Miracle Collection
Wood photo frames
Timeless Twine Strawberry Truffle & Aqua Delight

Authentique & Helmar

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Authentique Paper and Helmar are teaming up this week to bring you tons of inspiration using Authentique Paper products and Helmar adhesives!

After you check out Jeannie's post (below), be sure to head on over to the Helmar blog to find out what the talented members of their Design Team have created.

Here is Jeannie with today's project:

I have this wonderful sewing book called One Yard Wonders! It has some fabulous ideas and they are all for fabric. But, I had an idea awhile ago that I wanted to try and take a pattern, shrink it and make it with paper. I decided to try this with an apron pattern from this book.

Here I have all my pattern pieces cut out and ready to go.

Using Helmar's Premium Craft Glue I tapped my seam allowances down. The Premium Craft Glue was perfect since 1, it dries very quickly and 2, after it is dried I can sew on small amounts of it without gumming up my sewing needle. HOORAY!!

For attaching the ruffle I used Helmar's Quick Fix Permanent Adhesive Runner.

I just slid the runner across the top of my piece..

..and scrunched my paper up to make the ruffle.

The Quick Fix Runner kept the ruffle right in place.

Here you can see that I have added the bodice/bib and waist band.

I then added a paper bias to the sides.

Here is the finished apron, now I need to add the pockets.

Because I wanted the pockets to stand-out a little, I used some 1/4" Zap Dots on the top of the pocket and then some Professional Acid Free Glue on the bottom of the pocket. This made the pockets look slightly puffy, which is what I wanted.

To curl the apron strings, I wound them around something and them lightly coated them with a dab of the

Professional Acid Free Glue.

All done, can you see how the Professional Acid Free Glue made the curl stay in the paper?

Fabulous stuff!

For my card base, since I was using my machine, I used just a dab of glue from my Helmar's Quick Fix Permanent Adhesive Runner. You would NOT want this adhesive to come in contact with your sewing machine needle, it is very sticky and would cause major problems.

I only used the adhesive to tack down the middles of all my background papers to secure them as I did the sewing.

For the card sentiment, I just used scraps that I had. Even the leftovers from my ICONS, make perfect borders for small things like tags.

To adhere my items to the card front, I used the 1/2" Zap Dots on the backs of the apron and tag.

Here is the final product!

My mini apron card.

This would make a perfect Mother's day card, don't you think?

Here is a close up of the apron.

I am so happy my idea worked! Now I will be scouring through my patterns to see what else would be fun to make out or paper!

Thanks for visiting today. I am very grateful to Helmar for the use of their awesome adhesives. The Helmar products really made this project do-able!

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial.

This has been Jeannie from The Polka Cabana with today's post.
Supplies:
Authentique Paper - Uncommon
Cheery Lynn Designs French Pastry Doily Die
Helmar's, Professional Acid Free Glue, Premium Craft Glue, Quick Fix Adhesive Runner and Zap Dots
Sewing Machine & Thread
Brads - Making Memories

A Miracle

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Authentique Paper and Helmar are teaming up this week to bring you tons of inspiration using Authentique Paper products and Helmar adhesives!

After you check out Cristine's post (below), be sure to head on over to the Helmar blog to find out what the talented members of their Design Team have created.

Here is Cristine with today's project:

Today I decided to create a layout for my good friend, who is expecting her first baby, a boy, very soon. Authentique must have known that I was in need of a good baby line when they created their new Miracle collection. It worked perfectly for this layout:

I love the softness of the designs and colors on these papers. They all go perfectly together! Here is a close-up of some of the details on my layout:

I used Helmar's Premium Craft Glue to make the accordian flower and Helmar's Zapdots behind the tag. Those products are so easy to use! I used Helmar's Quick-fix Permanent Adhesive Runner for everything else. I have to say, I love this runner! There are some good ones and some bad ones out there...and this is definitely one of the good ones! It is really sticky, so I never have to worry that the papers might move or even fall off with time. That's really important to me as this is a gift and I want it to last a lifetime. :)

Hope you enjoyed my layout. I also hope you've been enjoying the amazing things our design team has been creating with Authentique and Helmar products!

~ Cristine

Authentique Paper + Helmar = GIVEAWAYS!

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

We are having a great week this week pairing up beautiful products from Authentique Paper and adhesives from Helmar - and we'd like to keep spreading the love...with a GIVEAWAY!

We will be giving an Authentique Paper Prize Pack to one lucky winner!

In order to enter yourself in the giveaway you can do one of the following three things:
- Head over to the Authentique Paper Facebook fan page and tell us how you feel about the projects you've seen so far this week (make sure you've hit "Like" to become a fan).
- "Like" and leave a comment on Helmar's Facebook fan page and tell them Authentique Paper sent you.
- Leave a comment (just one will do!) on this post.

Do all three to enter yourself into the drawing three times!

Winner must have a US/Canada mailing address.
Winner will be posted on Friday.

Please be sure to come back here every day this week to see more inspiration - and don't forget to check out Natalie and Tifany's projects that have already been posted.

{Looking for more ways to win? Check out this post on the Helmar blog.}

Special Delivery!

2012-01-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Authentique Paper and Helmar are teaming up this week to bring you tons of inspiration using Authentique Paper products and Helmar adhesives!

After you check out Natalie's post (below), be sure to head on over to the Helmar blog to find out what the talented members of their Design Team have created.

Here is Natalie with today's project:

Remember these mailboxes from Target's $1.00 spot?! I happen to have several in my stash and thought altering one of these for my "Special Delivery" project today!

I used the adorable new Miracle Baby Girl collection.

I used Helmar's tape runner to adhere the paper to the mailbox.

This stuff is so easy to use plus it's as sticky as can be so it holds great to the mailbox.

I used the 3-d dots for my alphabet letters to the front of the box.

and how about a baby card to go with the gift :)

I hope you have enjoyed my project today! and thanks for visiting the Authentique Blog!

Celebrate Everyday

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Authentique Paper and Helmar are teaming up this week to bring you tons of inspiration using Authentique Paper products and Helmar adhesives!

After you check out Tifany's post (below), be sure to head on over to the Helmar blog to find out what the talented members of the Helmar Design Team have created.

Here is Tifany with today's project featuring our new Celebrate collection:

Today I wanted to share a project with you that I created using Authentique Paper's new Celebrate collection and Helmar adhesives.

I found a shopping list at a craft store for a dollar and thought it would be fun to spice it up a little. Sometimes I get caught up in life so much that I forget to have fun with the "boring" details of life...and Celebrate is the perfect collection to put a little spunk back - even in my grocery shopping.

I started by removing the magnet that was adhered to the back of the notepad and set it aside for later. I then cut a piece of chipboard a bit bigger than the notepad.

Using Helmar's Premium Craft Glue I adhered a piece of "Happy" paper the front of the new chipboard backer and then adhered the back of the original notepad on top.

I took the cardstock sticker from the "Details" sheet that says:
Celebrate Life.
Everyday.
Everywhere!
...and I stuck it in place using black Zapdots.
I thought this was the perfect sentiment to remind me that even in things like grocery shopping...there is a reason to celebrate!

I finished it all of with a few additional embellishments and adhered the magnet to the new chipboard backer - and now this is ready to stick to the fridge!

Now, since I just got the new Celebrate & Genuine collections in my hands, I have been so inspired to create! Since I already had Celebrate out - I decided to create a very quick layout.
{I haven't done THAT in awhile!}

This picture was taken when my husband and I had a little time away with my husband's brothers and their wives...a truly special time since we don't live near each other.

I used a Helmar Quick-Fix Permanent Adhesive Runner to adhere all the papers and some Zapdots to add dimension to the photo.

I had a hard time deciding which papers from the collection to use on this layout, but the flowers from "Enjoyment" were just screaming to be fussy cut and I couldn't keep away from the fun diamond pattern on "Laughter".
The layout is very simple and came together fairly quickly, but for a girl who rarely puts a picture on a page anymore, it was a big accomplishment.
You could even call it a reason to CELEBRATE! :o)

Be sure to stop by the Authentique Paper and Helmar blogs every day this week!
{And don't forget to become a fan on Facebook if you aren't already - there just might be something you don't want to miss!}

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Authentique Paper (Celebrate collection - Happy, Enjoyment, Laughter);
Stickers: Authentique Paper (Celebrate collection - Details, Elements);
Adhesives: Helmar (Premium Craft Glue, Zapdots - Black, Quick-Fix Permanent Adhesive Runner);
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black); Ranger (Distress Stain - Wild Honey);
Twine: The Twinery (Caribbean, Maraschino, Stone);
Other: HugSnug (Seam Binding - White); Dritz (Pins); Chipboard;
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors);

Two BRAND NEW Collections!!!

2012-01-13T11:51:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year when everyone in the paper craft world is filled with anticipation and excitement, waiting to see new product releases and then waiting even longer for their LSS to have the product land on the sales floor.

We like to do things a little different around here...every product we produce is made in the USA and we support our local community. We are thrilled to be able to release product AND ship it to our amazing retail partners almost immediately. We have received all of the new products in our warehouse; we are scurrying around filling sample boxes (better "late" than never, eh!), shipping orders (yes, we are ready to ship!!) and even trying to squeeze in a little time of our own to create some fun new projects (We'll see if that actually happens this weekend, cross your fingers)!

We have listened and learned quite a bit in the past six months, so we have made a few tweaks to our product line up, and we think you will be thrilled with the updates!

Six beautifully designed papers continue to be the hallmark of each collection (we think 12 is too many). Don't worry, the new papers are still printed on our well-known textured cardstock... not to mention the colors are simply amazing!

We have condensed our die-cuts into the unveiling of our NEW 12x12 Details and 12x8 Elements; printed on uncoated, adhesive-cardstock. The layout, value, and quality of these two new items are incredible... and just wait until you see them displayed with the papers! These new items also clarify the theme for each collection and the matte-finish on the adhesive cardstock shows the depth and richness of color in each collection.

Our 6x6 Bundles are still available as a staple for many card-makers, altered artists, and paper hoarders alike, and they are now printed with a coordinating solid on the back of each design. Oh, and you may want to check out the *bonus* tag on the back of the bundle...and lastly, don't forget about the Collection Kits either - it's a great way to get a little bit of everything all at once!

Moving right along...

We are pleased to present two BRAND NEW Collections, "Celebrate" and "Genuine"...

There’s always time for a party and being able to “celebrate” is one of life’s simple pleasures. Instead of theming a collection solely around ‘Happy Birthday’, the Authentique Paper approach allows the emotion of an event to speak louder than the event itself. Watching a child grow and celebtrating their life, for instance, means more than the birthday party itself (make no mistake, we love birthday parties), hence the phrases and icons we use, remind us of what matters most. Our "Celebrate" Collection creates the feeling of excitement, while the playful patterns and designs are perfect for any moment you choose to celebrate!

NEW 12x12 "Details" sticker (All of your favorite icons, quotes, & borders, combined with some "fussy" cut designs too! This sheet is awesome, and dare we say, the BEST value for the number of items we squeezed onto this sheet!

NEW 12x8 "Elements" sticker (The Diction mini-word stickers - we added some super cool sentence strips, are now combined onto one amazingly affordable sheet with two Petite Type alphabets.)

****

Like your favorite pair of blue jeans, our "denim-inspired" Genuine collection feels like your reliable 'tried-and-true's.' Denim and friendship go hand in hand, so we have combined this comfortable and stylish collection with words and expressions centered around friendship. Best friends are hard to find, and so is the perfect pair of jeans. Once we've found the comfort and familiarity (in jeans or friends) we all long for, we never want to let it go. We are certain this collection will quickly become a staple in your paper stash, and that's okay...we all need friends close by!

12x12 "Details" sticker

12x8 "Elements" sticker

For a more detailed view of the Collections, please visit our website www.authentiquepaper.com and look under the "Products" tab...we are in the process of cleaning up and re-organizing the website...we recognize not everything is perfect, but hey, at least we're committed to constantly improving!

Off to your LSS or favorite online retailer - if they don't have these new collections yet, please ask them to give us a call! We'd love to help you get your hands on this "Authentique goodness"!

~Team Authentique

Quilting with Free Bird

2012-01-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello all and happy Friday to you! It is my turn to share a tutorial with you. As I was considering my options, I thought of many things but finally settled upon the idea of making a paper-quilted card. It seems as though paper craft projects inspired by quilting have been showing up all over so this is my take on that trend.

First, you'll need a few different sheets of your favorite patterned 6x6 papers. I chose the Free Bird Endless range. Cut these papers up into 1.5" square pieces (approximately 24 are needed, depending on the size of quilted area).

After cutting the squares, you will then cut a piece of cardstock that is slightly smaller than the card base. My card base was 4.5" x 6.5" so I went 4.25" by 6.25".

Take one of the squares you cut and place it near the top left on the diagonal.

Then build around it placing your other squares in a line. When placing adhesive on the squares, use a very minimal amount. I did a strip of adhesive with my tape runner down the middle of each square. This is in anticipation of machine stitching and wanting to avoid gummying up the needle.

Keep doing this until the entire paper is covered. This will involve placing some papers over the edge of your cardstock.

Now, you will trim the cardstock and the patterned paper squares down to their original size (again, mine is 4.25" x 6.25").

Trim all edges of the paper until it is back to its original size. When you are finished, you will have a paper-quilted background.

Now, use your sewing machine (or hand-stitch) to complete the quilted look. I sewed on the diagonal lines of the squares.

Sew all the diagonal lines using a zig zag stitch from left top to right bottom. The key to keeping such straight zig zag lines is to let the machine guide the paper for the most part. Barely touch the paper as it stitches.

Once that is finished, sew on the diagonal lines from top right to left bottom.

Once your card is finished, adhere the cardstock to a pre-scored card base.

Finish off the card as you please. I wanted to keep mine really simple since I wanted to let the quilted background shine.

There you have it! Thanks so much for stopping by today. Until next time!

Supplies used:

Paper: Authentique Freebird (Endless)

Alphas: American Crafts

Cardstock: Recollections

A Splendid-ly Different Mini

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello lovely Authentique fans, Heather here. I am bringing to you today a variation on the "mini book" idea. This is actually a manilla folder (turquoise) that has simply been folded. I took the bottom of an open manilla folder, and folded it up four inches. Then decorated!

I really loved how the Splendid Foundations paper was long enough to cover the entire folder in one piece. It made for the perfect background to all of the mini pages and photos.

Each section has a slot for a photograph that is mounted onto a 4x7" piece of Splendid, and has a space for decoration on the front of the pocket. The edges are also stitched with floss, so that the pockets are "closed".

The Headlines made for the perfect heading for a cute photo of Baby Isla and Daddy.

And the bingo card style of Richness lent itself to another great title.

Using the Petite Type made for a nice little heading. And a few details of the fronts of the pockets...

Here is the folder without all of the photos. See how the Foundations paper cover the folder so well!

And all of the photos mounted on the various papers. You could even swap out the photos if you used temporary glue!

I hope you enjoyed seeing another variation on the mini-book idea. I know that I am going to enjoy displaying this "mini", and remember the baby my toddler once was.

Supplies Used:

Authentique Splendid Collection: Foundations, Brilliance, Majesty, Richness, Delight, Renown, Magnificence, Tabloids, Headlines (back), Petite Type (circle and square)

Additional Supplies: AC This to That, AC floral ribbon, DMC floss, Office Depot turquoise manilla folder, butterfly punch

Happy Monday AP friends!

2012-01-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

Hi!

Natalie here, with a gift idea to share!

You see, I have the most amazing Aunt ever.

She is my mom's little sister.

When my mom passed away 3 years ago...

this wonderful aunt 'adopted' my brothers and I as one of her own.

She has been so supportive in many ways so I thought I would make something special for her.

She likes to send cards to everyone so a handmade box of cards was the perfect gift.

I used the beautiful papers and accessories from the Gathering Collection.

I made the box using instructions found HERE.

(Splitcoast Stampers has so many amazing resourses! )

I hope I've inspired you to make some thing fun today!

and don't forget about the Sketch Challenge!

January Sketch Challenge

2012-01-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

{Layout}

{Card}

{Details}
- You will have until Wednesday, February 1st at midnight {PST} to enter.
- You will need to create a separate entry/blog post for each submission. {You can submit as many projects as you want!}
- Use the Linky Tool at the bottom of this post to link directly to your blog post.
- You must provide a link somewhere in your blog post back here to the Authentique Paper blog.
- Anyone can play along, but you must use products from Authentique Paper on your project if you would like to be able to win.
- You must provide a supply list of Authentique Paper products used on your blog post.
- Winner must have a US or Canada mailing address only...sorry!

{Projects from the Authentique Paper Design Team}

{Brenda Smith}

{Cristine Redmond}

{Emily Lanham}

{Heather Conklin}

{Janeen Shember}

{Jeannie DeGruccio}

{Misty Buck}

{Natalie Dever}

{Tifany DeGough}

{December Sketch Challenge Winner}

Amanda {from Popper & Mimi Paper Crafts}

Congratulations!

Please send an e-mail with the subject "December Sketch Challenge Winner" and include your US or Canada mailing address to info@authentiquepaper.com to claim your Authentique Paper prize pack!

{Linky Tool}

Matchbook Calendar: Uncommon

2012-01-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Misty here and, well, it's great to be here in the new year. A new year means that you'll need a new calendar :) right? So I got to work and created this little pocket/desk calendar with the Uncommon collection. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The high quality and weight of Authentique Paper makes projects like this doable. They're perfect for boxes and other paper projects that need to keep their shape.

I cut a rectangle of paper and then scored it.

Next I embellished the front and the flap. The button is there to help keep the flap closed

As each month goes by just tear it off and you're on to the next. This caledar reminds me of the ones my grandpa always had stuck to the visor in his truck.

There ya go...the perfect little pocket calendar with room at the bottom for a tiny pencil :) Have a wonderful day and don't forget to make some time to create.

Supplies
Paper: Uncommon
Button: MOD

Punch: Martha Stewart
Scor-Pal
1/16' Hole Punch
DMC Floss
Corduroy Distress Ink

A Spendid Photo Display

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! For my project today, I decided to decorate a naked picture frame I picked up at my local big box store. I'm usually pretty shy about decorating things like this, but this is my year of trying new things, so there is no better time than the present to tackle it, right? This is what the frame looked like before I started:

I started by cutting a piece of Splendid's Renown paper down to size, then using rubber cement to cover the back side of the paper and the front side of the frame.

After adhering the paper to the frame and letting it sit for a while, I was left with some rough edges due to the paper not being cut exactly to size.

I sanded the edges down to get rid of the excess paper and then used an ink pad to ink the inside and outside edges of the frame, as well as the edges of the paper on the front of the frame.

I decided to make a rosette flower to embellish the frame, so I used my Scor-Pal and scored every 1/2 inch along the 1.5 x 12 inch piece of paper.

I attached the ends, flattened the rosette, then decorated it with a circle of Delight paper and a button with floss.

Here is a close-up of the embellishments I added to the finished frame:

And here is the final product:

I love how this frame turned out and I think it would make a great present for a newly expanded family or for a Mother's Day gift. I hope I've inspired you to get out of your comfort zone and try doing something crafty that you've never done before!

~ Cristine

Supplies:

Authentique:
Patterned Paper: Splendid - Magnificence, Delight, Renown, Foundations
Die Cuts: Splendid - Icons and Tabloids

Other:
Buttons - Basic Grey
Floss - DMC
Ink - Colorbox Chalk Ink in Chestnut Roan

A Gathering Self-Portrait

2012-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Brenda Smith here today. I have something a little different (for me) to show you today. I can count on one hand the amount of layouts I've made about myself. In fact, the ones that I have made have still related back to my daughter somehow. When I was rifling through my photos to choose one for this layout, I saw this picture of myself and decided it would be a nice change of pace to scrap about me. And with the color of my dress in this photo, Gathering was a natural paper choice.

I started with an 8.5" x 11" piece of kraft cardstock. I then took my circle punch and punched 4 differently-patterned paper circles. I then cut each of those in quarters and assembled them to form a circle with a quilted look.

I love the Diction stickers because they remind me so much of magnetic poetry. I simply grabbed a few words that I thought were fitting and applied them to the circles.

I love how versatile this line is. You can use it for anything from girly photos to autumn or even winter-themed photos.

Well, that's all for today. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Supplies:

Paper- Authentique Gathering and Journey

Diecut- Authentique Gathering Icons

Stickers- Authentique Uncommon and Journey Diction and American Crafts (alphas)

Two Splendid Cards

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello!

It's Tifany from Ink Blots by TRD.
As soon as I saw this layout from Brenda Smith here on the Authentique Paper blog, I knew I wanted to do something similar.
I love the random bits around the edge of her page...and the stitching! Ah! So cute!

I took the basic idea from Brenda's layout and applied it to these two cards:

I used a few scraps I had left over from the Splendid collection 6x6 bundle and punched them out with various squeeze punches.

I put a little bit of adhesive around the edge of the card front to keep them in place while I used my sewing machine to add some stitching.
{Tip: Keep the adhesive away from the area where you will be stitching. Gummy sewing needles are not fun.}

Each card uses a die cut from the Splendid collection Excerpts - perfect for a quick sentiment!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Old Friend Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill (French Vanilla);
Patterned Paper: Authentique Paper (Splendid collection - 6x6);
Die Cuts: Authentique Paper (Splendid collection - Excerpts);
Stitching: Machine;
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Round N Round Squeeze Punches); Martha Stewart/EK Success (Scoring Board);

Family Masterpiece Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill (Snow);
Patterned Paper: Authentique Paper (Splendid collection - 6x6);
Die Cuts: Authentique Paper (Splendid collection - Excerpts);
Stitching: Machine;
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Leaf Squeeze Punches); Martha Stewart/EK Success (Scoring Board);

What a MIRACLE

2011-12-29T14:17:00.000-08:00

Hello Authentique Paper blog followers! We hope you had a wonderful, safe, memorable, restful and peaceful Christmas...the new year is almost here! We previewed our newest Collection, "Miracle" on Facebook and we wanted to make sure all of our loyal friends and followers were able to see the Collection. We know and respect that some of you do not frequent or utilize Facebook, so we are going to try to make sure to post everything here to the blog as well!

We don't think babies are just babies, we think they are an absolute MIRACLE! We are pleased to introduce the newest member of the Authentique Paper family, a sweet and sophisticated - and not just for babies - collection, titled "Miracle"...

This Collection was set for release in January, which we know is only a few days away, but we are proud to say it is shipping NOW! If you are a consumer, please let your LSS know and if you are a retailer, we'd love to give you more information!

"There are two ways to live: Although nothing is a miracle, or as though everything is." -Einstein

Luminaria Tutorial for Any Occasion

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Score a sheet of 8.5'x11" at
2.5",5",7.5", 10" and 10.25"
Turn it and score it at 2.5" all the way across.
Stamp your image

Cut out the windows

Stamp your image and emboss on the vellum

Color your image and then assemble the box.

The vellum warped a bit on mine when I colored it. I'll be sure to use a different method next time, but I still think it's beautiful.

Add a flameless tea light and you have a perfect Christmas decoration.
Here's another couple of designs that I made. These would be great for weddings, party favors or in groups at a dinner party

I hope you have a great day...don't forget to make some time to create!

Materials used:

Authentique Paper: Gathering, Uncommon and Wonder

Stamps: Unity and Stampin' Up

Punches: Fiskars, Martha Stewart and EK Success

Die: Spellbinders

Scor-pal scor board, clear and gold embossing powder, vellum, Stampin' Up inks

alterered jeans

2011-12-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

hello everyone, suburbngypsy here. i hope you've had an awesome holiday season!

today's project started out with a little pair of jeans i couldn't get rid of. they were my daughter's, and they were just too cute to part with. but i didn't know what i wanted to actually do with them. and then i thought "ALBUM COVER" and so gypsies, here we go!

i used a combination of paper collections for this albumn - "uncommon", "gathering", "journey", "blissful", and "splendid" as well as some pieces from our "freebird" papers. i also used some cardboard from a xmas box for the inside covers, and miscellaneous buttons, flowers, and sparkly bits. i left the pockets intact and the make great extra little tag and keepsake pockets.

Splendid Things

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! It's Emily here to share a quick little project that I whipped up this week! I was about to say that it is a non-Christmas post, but I guess it could be used for Christmas too!

I hear that the Wonder collection has been sold out pretty much everywhere, well, I understand why! It's a FABULOUS collection! If you haven't been able to find it to make your Christmas gifts with, have no fear! You can use some of the other amazing Authentique collections as well!

For my project today, I used my new Cameo... if you haven't heard about this little machine yet, you should really research it! I LOVE mine with a passion!!! I have had trouble in the past with other machines cutting thick quality paper (ie: Authentique paper), but this little machine cuts it like cake! :-) Ok, enough about my new found love with the Cameo, here's my project:

I made these darling little treat boxes using just 3 - 12x12 sheets of paper from the Splendid collection! Little boxes like these sell for a lot more than that in stores! Plus, these are really easy and quick to make! did I mention that the .svg file for these little boxes is free? If you want to make your very own boxes and you have a cutting machine that cuts svg files, you can get the file for free by clicking HERE.

These little boxes are great all year round! They would even be great to give sweet treats away in for Valentine's Day!

Here's a close-up of each little box:

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year too! ♥

Products Used:
Authentique: Splendid: Delight, Richness, Renown papers; Headlines, Icons, Tabloids
SVG Cuts: One-Piece Boxes SVG Kit

A Very Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T13:24:00.000-08:00

Hi all! This is Jessica, I am the fearless book keeper here at Authentique Paper. I have to say, it is truly inspiring for this non-crafter (me) to be around all of the creativity in the office!

When Sam asked me about my favorite holiday memory, the first thing I remembered was my grandmother’s absolutely amazing tree. When I was little, we would visit her home during the Christmas season. This was the only time we were allowed in the special room where the Christmas tree was displayed; must have been a generational thing?!?! The room was decorated with large blue wing-back chairs and a beautifully upholstered sofa. The blues, creams and golds used in the decor of her home were nothing like you would see these days. The Christmas tree was stunning, it was 6ft tall, (large for those days) and fully flocked. The amazing gold lights had plastic flower covers (I used to think they were real and try to smell them.) No luck on the smell, but I think I burned my nose once or twice! The tree was decorated with giant (at least they seemed giant to me) glass balls in an array of pinks, blues, greens and creams. They came in an assortment of sizes and all of the colors seemed to dance within the branches of the tree. It was truly magical.

I often tour flower shops and tree festivals during this season to look for the same feeling I had when I would step into the magical room at my Grandmother’s house. From time to time I see trees decorated similarly, but not close enough. I wish I had just one box of those ornaments hung on that huge, flocked tree. This year I tried the next best thing. I hope you enjoy these projects made by our FABulous DT members using a variety of our collectons. Yes, they did step in and help me out...maybe next year I'll get the courage to share a few projects of my own creation, but for now, their projects are much more beautiful than my own!!! Merry Christmas to you all!

~Jessica

Happy Wednesday Authentique Friends!

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

Before we see Natalie's fabulous project for today, let's make some folks happy...shall we?

***********************************

The winner of the Authentique Paper Prize Pack from the Authentique Paper & Scor-Pal Blog Hop is:

Annette

Congratulations!

Annette, please send an e-mail with the subject "Authentique Paper/Scor-Pal Blog Hop Winner" and include your US or Canada mailing address to info@authentiquepaper.com to claim your Authentique Paper prize pack!

To find out the winner of the Scor-Buddy, please visit the Scor-Pal blog.

***********************************

Congrats ladies!!can you believe it's only a few days until Christmas and I have still not finished up my cards! I guess I work better under pressure ;)Today I one of my cards to share with you,using Wonder papers, Excerpts, and tabloids...

Thanks for stopping by the Authentique Blog today!

2011-12-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

The time has come to post the winners of our "On Target" contest. First of all, thank you to all who participated and referred your friends. We appreciate all of the support and look forward to the future.

I thought of dragging this on like one of those reality contest shows, but that will just make everyone crazy so...

The grand prize winner for the $100.00 Target Gift Card is...Allie Gower!

Thank you, Allie, for all the referrals, we could tell you were working very hard to spread the word! Just behind Allie was Cheryl Hutcherson. It really was a photo finish!

The$50.00 Target gift card winners are:

Cheryl Hutcherson

Elizabeth DeHart

Charlotte Ball Kirby

Leif Erickson

Finally the winners of the $25.00 Target gift cards are:

Shawna Webster

Jenna Pearson

Now, for all of you winners, make sure to send your mailing address to contests@authentiquepaper.com OR if you would prefer, we can send you an e-gift card so you can receive it instantly and enjoy the benefit right away, please specify which method you would prefer when you send us an email! We MUST receive these addresses by Thursday to get your gift cards sent out.

Thank you all so very much. We love our fans and look forward to getting to know our new friends.

Happy Holidays!

~Team Authentique

"lo, how a rose"

2011-12-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

welcome back authentique fans!suburbngypsy here with inspiration for the holiday season and beyond.

it's been an amazingly creative month. so many company challenges, so many incredible blog hops. and what would the season be without tim's "12 tags of christmas". after totally immersing myself in craftiness, i started to try putting everything i'd seen and learned into some sort of order. and i found myself wondering what would happen when i took two inspiring techniques and put them together. the result? tiny crystal roses!

these delicate little beauties are made with our "wonder" collection, but any of our papers would do. the heavier the paper the better the results, and the more white on the paper the more translucent your flower.

these first steps are inspired by one of tim holtz's "12 tags of christmas" techniques

the first thing you need is some very clear packing tape - yep! packing tape. and some paper - for these i used pieces from our "wonder" collection..

adhere the tape to your paper, burnish it down, then cut it out.

next dip the strip in very warm water. the warmer the water, the easier the next step is.

once the strip is completely wet, take it out and turn it over so the paper side is facing up. then rub rub rub away the paper. keep rubbing until no paper is left on the tape - you'll have an imprint left from the ink though, that creates a translucent strip.

pat the strip dry with a paper towel - don't use a heat gun! once dry, take a second piece of packing tape and tape the backside of the strip, creating a two-sided glossy strip of translucent paper.

now we're ready to make the roses. this is inspired by christina colon at the twisted muse.

next, cut 2" squares, then cut each square down to a circle. you can use a punch, but hand cutting will give your rose a more organic look. take your circles and cut them into spirals, leaving a round circle in the center.

now use tweezers, and starting at the end, twirl the paper around the tweezer tip. you'll see the paper curl into a cone shape, and once you've reached that little circle you left in the center, stop and pull the paper cone off the tweezers. keeping a good hold on the cone, let it open up and relax a little so you can see the "petals" start to form. use the tweezers and your fingers to loosen or tighten the layers. once you're close to a shape your like, dab a little hot glue on the circle you left at the end of your spiral, and press the flower gently onto it. you can continue to shape the petals while the glue sets.

once the hot glue has set, the final touch comes by applying a little bit of glossy accent along the edges of the petals, and dipping the flower in diamond dust.

by creating your own transparent "paper", the roses become luminous in a way paper can't match. you can vary the roses - buds to full blooms - by playing with how tightly you wrap the spirals. you can also play with the size of the petals by how thickly you cut your spiral - the wider the spiral the bigger the petals.

i hope you enjoyed today's technique tutorial. the tag i created to highlight the crystal roses is a compilation of lots of techniques - too many for one blog! so be sure to visit the caravan for more!

materials used
"wonder" - authentique papers
glossy accents
diamond dust
special thanks to tim holtz and christina colon for their inspiring work.

Authentique Paper & Scor-Pal Blog Hop

2011-12-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Introduction:
We here at Authentique Paper are so excited to be teaming up with Scor-Pal today!

If you aren't already a follower here on the Authentique Paper blog, please sign up as a follower. We have constant inspiration coming to you through daily posts as well as a challenge every month.

And if you aren't already a fan of Authentique Paper on Facebook, please head on over and "like" us. Our Facebook page is full of beautiful projects from fans all over the world (we want to see yours, too!) - and there are even fun giveaways and exclusive peeks into the Authentique Paper world.

Here's the full hop order for today:
Authentique Paper <--- You are here!
Tifany DeGough
Steph Ackerman
Emily Lanham
Gini Cagle
Misty Buck
Lisa Andrews
Brenda Smith
Katie Tate
Cristine Redmond
Kittie Franken
Scor-Pal

The Prizes:
Authentique Paper is giving away a fabulous prize pack ($20 retail value)

Scor-Pal is giving away a Scor-Buddy ($20 retail value)

The Details:
Leave a comment on each blog along the hop. The winners will be chosen randomly from all comments on the manufacturer blogs AND the designer blogs.
{Winners must have a US/Canada address.}

Blog comments close on Monday, December 19th at 11:59pm (Pacific) and the winners will be announced Wednesday, December 21st on the Authentique Paper blog and the Scor-Pal blog.

The Project:
In just a moment you'll be headed to our DT Coordinator's blog to take a peek at some handmade gift card holders - but first we wanted to share here a double pocket card created using a Scor-Pal and our Blissful collection.

This double pocket card can be created in just a few minutes and is perfectly sized to hold one (or two) gift cards for a lucky recipient.
{It can also be used to hold movie tickets or tags.}

It opens up like a regular greeting card so you can include a special message with the little treats that you've tucked inside the pockets.

Enjoy the hop!

The Next Stop:
Our DT Coordinator - Tifany DeGough

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Authentique Paper (Blissful Collection);
Die Cuts: Authentique Paper (Blissful Collection - Noteables);
String: May Arts (Black, Cream);
Twill: LittleRedCottage - etsy (Measuring Tape Twill);
Adhesive: Scor-Pal (Scor-Tape - 1/4");
Tools: Scor-Pal (Scoring Board); We R Memory Keepers (Corner Chomper - 1/4" and 1/2" Round); Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Round N Round Squeeze Punch); Tim Holtz (Tiny Attacher);

A Wonderful Time of Year

2011-12-16T07:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! For today's project, I decided to tackle something I've never done before...decorating naked wood. The whole idea has always sounded so daunting to me, but now that I've done it I realize what I've been missing out on!

I found a Noel wood block set at my local big box store. I thought this would make a great gift for a friend.

I traced the letters onto the paper then cut them out. After adhering them to the wooden letters with my Xyron sticker maker, I inked the edges with a brown cat's eye ink pad. Then I cut out the papers for the wooden blocks and used my sticker maker to adhere those as well.

It's hard to see from the picture, but once I was done with the blocks, I sanded the edges to get rid of the overlapping paper on the corners. It adds a more worn look to the blocks, which I liked.

I inked the edges of the blocks, added the letters and embellishments and the project was complete! Super easy and SUPER cute!!

Like I said, these would make great gifts for the homemade decor lover. I was going to give them to a friend but decided to keep them for myself. Is that wrong? :)

I hope this inspires you to take on a project that you've never tackled before. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

~ Cristine

Supplies:

Authentique:
Patterned Paper: Wonder - Anticipation, Expectation and Yearning

Other:
Adhesive - Xyron
Buttons - Basic Grey
Ink - Colorbox Chalk Ink in Chestnut Roan
Twine - The Twinery

Back to Basics

2011-12-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I'm David. I am dedicated to the sales department, and I have the opportunity to work with all of the amazing ladies at Local Scrapbook Stores on a daily basis! Hopefully you've been able to find Authentique Paper products at your LSS, but if not, please send them our way! {It's in my blood, I had to throw in the sales pitch!} Anyway, I am sure you know why I'm writing today's blog post - Sam recently asked us all to take a turn and share some of our favorite Christmas memories on the blog. I tried to think of the most elaborate Christmas, the best trip, or the year that I got the entire GI JOE collection, but none of those are as memorable as the one I want to share with you today...

Like me, my dad was a salesman. Some years were great and others not so much. In my youth I never knew about the 'ups and downs' of a sales career. Now that I am older, raise kids of my own, and reflect back to my childhood, I have had some great talks with my dad about how hard he worked to provide for our family. There is no doubt that the Christmas season can be a very stressful time of year for many families. It is easy to justify stretching the budget when your littlest one looks up with that face on Christmas morning that unspoken, but loud as can be, "I can’t believe Santa knew how much I wanted this gift." To me, this season is about having fun with the kids and remembering what Christmas is all about. Santa is just the icing on the cake!

Okay, back to my memory, I think I got a little side track setting the stage, I hope my intro wasn't too dramatic....

It was one of those years Dad didn't do as well as he had in the past - he was actually in between jobs during the holidays. We lived in the Northwest part of the country and my Dad took a job installing cable TV to try and make a little extra money. As a kid I just thought it was cool that I had a COX cable van parked in front of the house. My dad worked very hard to keep the family in a warm house and to put food on the table, but there wasn't much left for Christmas.

When I look back, I refer to this Christmas as our "Montana Christmas". My grandparents had a humble little cabin in Whitefish, Montana. It seemed to take all day to drive to the cabin, and needless to say, my two brothers, sister and I were not cheerful children by the time we arrived. The cabin was a one bedroom, with a little loft above the garage where the kids would sleep. (We would all run from one side of the loft to the other, at the same time, and we could actually feel the garage lean from side to side. I can only imagine what would have happened to our back-sides if Grandpa would have seen us in action.)

This one year in particular, my parents did a great job of taking our less than ideal financial situation and telling us we were going to have a “Back to Basics” Christmas. As kids, we complained about how boring it was going to be...you know, boring stuff like cutting down our own tree to decorate, building a fire each day to keep the cabin warm! We were told to make of the gifts we wanted to give to each other. Some of us drew pictures, others made things out of paper, and we tried to whittle things out of wood. There was only one rule: It all had to be handmade, by yourself. (I am sure the "Montana Christmas" is where I began my love for this industry and realized a handmade gift means so much more than a store bought one.)

So, for my blog post today, I thought these little handmade gifts I created for my Mom and Dad with the Free Bird Series, were a good reminder that you can never go wrong with a “Back to Basics” Christmas. I think these would be nice to fill with candy or popcorn and hang on your neighbors door. They are simple and easy to make, but show that you took the time to create a gift for your friend or loved one.

I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, and I hope you will find a little extra time to "make" a gift or card for the few special people in your lives. Maybe, it will be the Christmas they remember more than any other Christmas.... Thanks Mom and Dad for all the efforts you put into the Holidays every year!

12 Joyful Tags {Tutorial}

2011-12-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hi there!

It's Tifany from Ink Blots by TRD and today I'm coming to you with a tutorial on how to use this "Surprise" sheet of Authentique Paper's Wonder collection:

And easily turn it into 12 great Christmas tags:

First we will need to create the rosettes (or medallions) for the tags.
{And may I just say in advance that I am fully aware now of why companies use hand models. And no...I don't ever have the hope of becoming one.}

Start by scoring a "Curiosity" sheet of paper every 1/4".
{Tip: I scored the whole 12"x12" sheet at once and then cut it into 12 strips to make my 12 medallions. Much easier than trying to score 12 strips!}

Once your sheet is scored, cut it into 12 1" wide strips and begin to accordion fold each strip.

Use a secure adhesive to adhere the folded strip into a circle.
{Tip: Trim off one section from one end of each strip so that only one section is overlapping to form the circle. This will create less bulk at the overlapping area.}

Using the Foundations paper, punch 12 scalloped circles. Stamp each circle with your sentiment and heat emboss. Then, using some of your Authentique Paper scraps, punch a circle for the back of each medallion.

Use a strong adhesive and place it on the scalloped circle (back piece). Place your accordion folded circle around the back piece and squeeze just at the tops and press down to create the medallion.
{Tip: Use both hands for this process. I used both hands for the actual creation of each rosette, but had to use one hand here to take the picture.}

{Tip: You can adjust the size of your rosette by the amount by how much you squeeze the accordion folded circle in toward the center. You can adjust the final size of a rosette that started with a 1" wide strip (like we have done) from anywhere between 2 1/4" to about 3".}

After your adhesive is secure, add the scalloped circle with your sentiment to the front of your medallion.

{Tip: I use a couple large acrylic blocks to give a little bit of weight to hold my pieces in place while the adhesive is drying.}

While your adhesive is setting up, separate each of the numbered cards from the "Surprise" paper with your paper trimmer. When the adhesive is dry, adhere one medallion on each card.

{Tip: I used the number on each card as a reference for where I would place each rosette. The varied placement on each card gives every tag an individualized look.}

Add some string or twine to each card, punch a hole and thread with ribbon or seam binding...and you've now got 12 beautiful tags perfect for the holiday season!
{Tip: You can use these tags for gifts, but don't stop there - they would also make great embellishments for holiday themed scrapbook pages, tree ornaments, and would even look great strung together as a garland!}

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Authentique Paper (Wonder Collection - Surprise, Curiosity, Foundations);
Stamps: Market Street Stamps (Simple Joys);
Ink: VersaMark (Watermark);
Embossing Powder: American Crafts (Zing - Black);
Other: May Arts (Burlap String); Hug Snug (Seam Binding - Chalk White);
Adhesive: Ranger (Matte Accents);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Seal of Approval Squeeze Punch); Martha Stewart/EK Success (Scoring Board);

Authentique is "on TARGET"

2011-12-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

We have had a wonderful year building the Authentique Paper brand during 2011. Since we are "on Target,” we wanted to reward you, our loyal fans, for helping us grow!

Extra money is great this time of year, so we are providing you & your friends an opportunity to win a Target gift card...compliments of Authentique Paper!

There are 3 ways to win:

1. As a current fan of our Facebook page, if you recruit 10 new friends to our page and they “Like” the Authentique Paper page, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Target gift card. (5 available)

*** To make it even better…all of your recruits {our new friends} will also be entered into a separate drawing for a $25 Target gift card. (5 available)

2. For those of you who are really go-getters, if you recruit 20 friends and they “Like” the Authentique Paper page, you will be entered into a drawing for a $50 Target gift card. (5 available)

*** Also…all of your recruits {our new friends} will also be entered into the drawing for the $50 Target gift card.

3. Finally, we better stop before we give away the farm, but, we’ll top this all off and reward the fan who recruits the most “likes” and they will win a bonus $100 Target gift card.

Note - if a new friend of Authentique Paper then recruits at least 10 or more of their friends, they will be entered into both drawings.

Here’s how you enter:

Let all of your friends know about Authentique Paper, have them "Like" our page and post to our wall saying you sent them. In order to qualify, they must be a new fan of Authentique Paper. Once you have recruited at least 10 or 20 friends, you must send us an email (contests@authentiquepaper.com) with your name and the names of your recruits.

Contest runs between now and Monday, December 19th at 9:00am MST.

Contest is open to U.S. residents only (sorry, there aren't Target stores in other countries yet)

Winners will be announced on our Blog and Facebook Page on Tuesday, December 20th.

For all of our non-US based fans, we are taking suggestions on our Facebook page for a non-US based contest prize - we love and appreciate ALL of our fans, and we don't want anyone to feel left out, so please help us out with some ideas! Are there any online based stores you'd like to receive gift cards from???

Good luck!!!

Tiny altered canvases

2011-12-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

If you need a really last minute gift, how about shrinking your expectations and use a smaller item.

Mini canvases are perfect for this. You can get them done quickly and they are really a treasure to the recipient.

Here are a couple I have done using Authentique Papers.

Using small scale things really is not that hard.

You just need to scale your normal skills a little smaller.

Personally, I love tiny stuff.

You could also use these decorated mini's as gift tags...

...or even Christmas ornaments.

Just use your imagination, there is never a right or wrong with gift making.

Products used:

Authentique Paper - Free Bird Series - DELIGHT

Authentique Paper - Uncommon

This has been Jeannie from The Polka Cabana with today's post.

A Gathering Mini Album

2011-12-09T05:07:00.001-08:00

Hello Authentique Fans, Heather here! I have a great little mini book for you today. I love mini's! They make the best little presents, especially for family that we don't get to see on a more regular basis. Plus, you can use up all those doubles of photos that you normally don't scrap with.
Instead of going with a Christmas theme, I decided to use my Gathering Collection. The 6x6 pad made the perfect backgrounds for the mini pages, as all of the great Authentique patterns are miniscule.

I love how I was able to mix and match all the great pieces from the Gathering Collection to create this: various papers, Diction, Noteables, Icons, Tabloids, Petite Type (Orange & Aqua), Classic Type and Expressions.

The quotes in the Tabloids and Noteables make perfect mini-titles.

And I love how all the colors are just great for photos!

I even added some ribbon to help finalize the look.

Here are a few closeups. The quotes are just precious for family photos.

I already know who is getting this mini, but I'm inspired to possibly make a few more over the weekend! I hope that you have fun with your Authentique this weekend too!!

Supplies Used:

Authentique Gathering Collection: 6x6 Paper Bundle, Icons, Tabloids, Noteables, Expressions, Petite Type (Orange & Aqua), Classic Type

Additional Supplies: AC This to That, May Arts ribbon (blue), floral ribbon (coral), Bind-it-All system and binding

"Fish"ing you a Merry Christmas

2011-12-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Ryan here…one of the newest members of Team Authentique. I joined the sales department in October, and I am a transplant from the great state of Minnesota. I am actually looking forward to some warmth during the winter here in Utah. Compared to winters in Minnesota, so far it has been like a tropical vacation.

When I look at our Free Bird Series, my thoughts go back to Christmas Eve at my grandparents’ lake house. The rustic colors remind me of the days of ice fishing out on the lake. Each Christmas Eve day we would all trudge out on the lake to try our hand at catching some fish. We would spend the whole day outside; we didn’t even notice the cold.

A little after dark we would head back into the warm house for dinner. Now, you would think that would be a welcome break from the cold of the lake, but alas...it was not. There was tradition in my family to have Lutefisk as our Christmas dinner. Lutefisk is a traditional dish from the Nordic Countries. It is made from aged whitefish, then dried and salted. It is gelatinous in texture, and has an extremely strong, pungent odor. Some of my family would eat this dish each year, but I tried it once and never had it again.

After dinner we would gather in the living room and take turns opening presents. We went from youngest to oldest opening them one at a time. Being the oldest, I had to wait until my sister opened her presents. We would stay up late and hang out by the fire. The cold of the day on the lake and the crazy, traditional Christmas Dinner would fade away as we were able to just spend time as a family.

As I look forward to going back home for Christmas, Melodee helped me make some cards for my family using the Free Bird Series {the 6x6 open stock papers} and I thought I'd share one with you today. Hopefully these will help my family remember those great times at the Lake.

I wish you all a great holiday season and I hope you are able to create some memories - my recommendation? No Lutefisk.

~Ryan

A Christmas Break

2011-12-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello all! I sure have been enjoying seeing so many Christmas-themed projects pop up everywhere as they have been giving me so much inspiration. I still have yet to scrap last year's Christmas photos so inspiration is just what I need. But I thought I would offer you all a break from Christmas projects and show you a layout I made using Uncommon and Blissful.

I was inspired by this adorable photo of my daughter. I just love how well the different Authentique collections go together.

I fussy cut a flower from the Blissful Happiness paper and used it as the main embellishment on this page.

I love this die cut from the Uncommon Icons that says, "You are my favorite." Paired with an H from the Uncommon Classic Type, I think it made for the perfect finishing touch to this layout.

That's all I have for you today, folks. Thank you so much for looking.

Supplies used:

Paper: Authentique Uncommon and Blissful

Stickers: Authentique Uncommon Classic and Blissful Petite Type Circle; Sassafras Alphas

Embellishments: Authentique Uncommon Icons; My Mind's Eye brad; Sassafras flower

It's a Blue, Blue Christmas

2011-12-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. It's Melodee here. Sam had the "great" idea of having all of us share a Chritmas memory and I volunteered to be the guniea pig...so, off on my "Journey" we go!

When I was a child, we had two Christmas trees. For the one we kept downstairs, we made popcorn strings and paper stars. We hung funky glass balls and those C7 multi-colored lights. The whole family gathered to decorate it. It was the kid tree.

Upstairs in the “front” room, that one room where children can’t touch anything, where it is always quiet and a little dusty, my parents set up the other Christmas tree. The room had this amazingly soft light blue carpet. At times, not Christmas, I used to steal away to this room. My sister and I could draw pictures in the carpet because though it was old, people rarely walked on it; the pictures would last for days.

This room has an amazing picture window in the center of the largest wall and the north west corner with a window on each side. In that corner window, the perfect tree would rest throughout December. It was white aluminum. Perhaps it was imitating a frosted tree. The white of the tree mimicked the white walls. I grew up in the 70s, so we had that velvet wallpaper in many rooms of the house. In this room, the wallpaper was white with white velvet.

They only used blue glass balls on the tree. I think I once got to hang a couple, but the placement was too precise for my haphazard ways. My dad usually moved the ones I put up, to make it more even. I think he only noticed on the day they set up the tree because, of course, my sister and I would sneak into the room and rearrange the balls, the precious nativity, and anything else that would move without breaking.

The tree was too beautiful for the ordinary C7 lights; they had not invented the delicate white lights yet, so my parents used a floodlight to set off this tree. The light cast a blue hue on the corner, and the tree had a mechanism to rotate round.

We lived at the top of one side of a gully. I remember driving home after dark many nights back then. Going down one side of that gully, I would look toward the house, waiting. The car made its way to the top of the other side, and suddenly I could see the blue glow from that corner window. The spinning balls only increased the glitter. Somehow that blue glow always held a different meaning of Christmas for me. We opened the child-wrapped, home-made presents downstairs. Christmas upstairs was always quiet and lovely, perfect.

As I was looking at the Journey Collection, this flood of memories of my childhood "Perfect Christmas Room" came rushing back. It was then that I decided on the 'Perfect' present for my Mother. I created this album with some of her old photos. I hope when she opens it, she will also remember that Perfect Blue Christmas Room. The perfect white tree, the perfectly placed blue glass balls, and that flood light. Merry Christmas, Mom.