Belle Papier {pretty paper}

in love with linen

Julia Stainton — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:44:56 +0000

I’ve long had a fascination with fabric. Since I was a child really. My one grandmother was a seamstress, a mother of five who raised them single-handedly in post-war Britain. My other grandmother was a farm-wife with seven children who sewed and quilted, canned and gardened and never let the smallest thing go to waste.

I grew up watching these dear and talented ladies work magic with fabric, pins and thread and I was inspired to learn. Lately I’ve been enjoying marrying fabric and paper crafting together with canvas and linen mini albums. What could be better?

Today I’m sharing this linen mini album on the Maya Road DT blog. It’s full of my favourite quotes, lots of stamping and pretty embellishments. I hope you’ll join me!

To all my Canadian friends, wishing you a safe and wonderful Victoria Day weekend!

Transparencies & Overlays

Julia Stainton — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:19:37 +0000

Lately I’ve been enjoying some new overlays in my craft room. I’m ecstatic to see more of these back on the market. There’s just something so cool about them that I love designing with them.

Today I’m back in the CLASSroom sharing three transparency/overlay card designs with different ways to attach them to your projects. I hope you’ll join me here!

Have a wonderful weekend!

just believe

Julia Stainton — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:00:27 +0000

Have you ever tried a mini canvas project?
They are fast becoming one of my favorite creative projects right now. I like to create them in the 4×4″ or 6×6″ sizes which makes them card-size or a little larger. It’s the perfect place to experiment with different techniques and I adore adding on the layers to create them.

Today’s canvas is 6×6 in size and was a super fun project to create. I used the Yellow Embellishment Kit that was recently featured on HSN along with a few other papers etc.

A few design notes…

Layer on papers to create the background and then layer over a Printed Coffee Filter sheet
Tear up the coffee filter sheet in places to add extra dimension and visual interest
Adhere the papers and filter with Matte Multi-Medium
The Saffron Yellow Twine cording wraps around the canvas to visually help tie it all together.
Chipboard flowers and letters are colored with Copic markers for a quick and easy color-change. I love how it dries immediately compared to paint…and no mess!
Edges of the canvas are wrapped with Coal Black Gingham Fabric Tape

And here’s a screen-shot of the project on HSN. Can you believe I’d never watched HSN before? It was so fun to see my projects there.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Baker’s Twine Bliss

Julia Stainton — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:13:24 +0000

Baker’s Twine is just one of those simple crafting products that just makes me happy. The bright colors make it fun and there is just so many things you can do with it. Brown paper packages especially look darling tied up with it.

My favorite Baker’s Twine hands-down has got to be Maya Road. Their twine cording is sturdy and doesn’t drop. I hate droopy bows. It’s three-ply so you can get a great triple color combo too.

The other day I really wanted to try out doing a twine background with it and I loved the results. It’s really easy to do with a few simple steps.

Baker’s Twine Background Steps

Adhere double sided adhesive sheet to the area you wish to cover.
Remove protective backing.
Adhere lengths of twine across panel and press securely into place. I liked to leave 1-2″ looped at each side and just make a few passes with each color.
When background is covered, trim off excess loops from edges of card base.

The little wooden spools also look darling wrapped with coordinating twine cording.

Have a creative day!

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

a spring wreath

Julia Stainton — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:54:28 +0000

Now that the gorgeous weather is here, it finally feels like spring. My perennials are growing like mad and this week I have plans to do lots of gardening. I wanted to bring some spring inside my house as well and thought I’d create a little home dec project to do that.

Paper crafting supplies can be used it so many ways. I love getting them off the page and trying out different ideas. Lately I’ve been enjoying creating wreaths with them and I’ve created one to share in the CLASSroom with you. Join me here for the tutorial and lots of photos.

Have a beautiful day!

a daisy hi & shopping on HSN

Julia Stainton — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:18:36 +0000

Last week was a busy creative week here for me. I’m so excited that Maya Road is going to be on HSN and I was thrilled to design a few projects for it. Having some projects shown on TV is a first for me and being on HSN is a first for Maya Road. This daisy card is one that will feature one of the four kits from Maya Road offered by HSN.

As you know, I’ve been a huge Maya Road fan for years now. The quality and flexibility of their products are second to none. If you’re never tried Maya Road, these kits are the perfect time to try a great sampling of crafting goodies. If you’re a fan like me…you don’t want to miss the awesome deal.

I wish I was able to watch the shows but I don’t have access to HSN. BUT… I have seen some of the projects and I know it’s going to be chock full of crafting inspiration.

Here’s the details…

Happy shopping!

finding joy

Julia Stainton — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:52:20 +0000

You’re here, visiting my blog today and I’m going to make an assumption. Like me, you most likely find joy in the creative journey. At times the journey can be slow going. Sometimes we love what we create, sometimes we don’t. Sometimes creativity can be frustrating and we need to take a break from the creative journey.

But we always come back to it.

Because it gives us joy.

Today’s mini canvas project reminds me of the joy of creating and also the importance of looking for the little joys of life. My life is full of joy. Some days I get my eyes off the source of that joy and I need a little reminder of what I have been blessed with in my life and the source of my eternal hope.

I hope you enjoy today’s mini canvas project. It’s 5″ square and now sits on my computer desk. I’m sharing it today on the Maya Road Design Team blog along with more photos, a supply list and how I created it. Please join me!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Imagine Paris Chalkboard Tag

Julia Stainton — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:56:44 +0000

I’m a big fan of the chalkboard trend. It’s been around awhile now. I first noticed it three years ago on the home decor and DIY blogs. I made my out chalkboard for our kitchen with some paint and an old frame I had in the basement. It still hangs there and I smile thinking about all the messages, menus and love notes that have graced its surface.

I’m seeing chalkboard more and more these days in advertising and it has finally hit the paper crafting circles.

Today I have a tag version of chalkboard style paper crafting. It has a yummy vintage Paris flavour and I hope you’ll join me today in the CLASSroom for more photos and all the details.

Have a fabulous weekend!

my etsy shop

Julia Stainton — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:53:36 +0000

Etsy is a wonderful place to shop. It’s full of crafting supplies and better yet, handmade creations that will inspire you and be amazed at all the creativity these artisans and crafters have.
Some of you may know that I have an Etsy store. Because the last few years have been a little crazy, I put it on hold for almost two years. In the meantime, I’ve created quite a stash of handmade cards and projects. So many that I could never use them all up myself.

Now seems like the perfect time to jump back in and get Belle Etsy up and running again. I’ve been busy listing and here’s a peek at a few of the designs you can find there. I’d love for you to pop by and have a peak!

If you’re interested in my creations, stop back regularly as I have a ton of cards still to list. An easy link is at the top of my right sidebar and you can like the etsy shop on Facebook here.

Thanks so much for your support!

Card Kitchen Wrap Up

Julia Stainton — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:11:17 +0000

It’s Friday, the end of the week, and the perfect day for wrapping up my designs for the Card Kitchen.

Most of my projects are heavy on the embellishments but this kit and all it’s fun paper elements, made me look at paper and stickers in a new way. For the above card, I created my own floral embellishments by handcutting some rolled paper roses to accent some sweet diecut windows.

My second card has a finished inside panel as well. The sentiment starts on the front and continues inside the card. It was created by cutting up a journaling card.

Check out the full cards here. Thanks so much to Card Kitchen for asking me to guest design for them. I had a blast and the kit was fabulous!

Have a fabulous weekend!