Latest posts from Merly Impressions

Today, is my last post as a member of the Merly Impressions Design Team. I am so very sad to be leaving because I have loved every minute of working alongside Chrissy and creating with all the gorgeous Kaisercraft collections but the time has come for me to step down and explore new adventures… Of course, I will still be working with lots of Kaisercraft goodies because I really do love them so much and please do come and visit me at my blog, click HERE, where you can see any future projects. I also have lots of upcoming projects using Kaisercraft products from Merly Impressions, in forthcoming issues of Making Cards Magazine, where you can see my work on a monthly basis.

So, here it is my final card as a member of the lovely Merly DT, using the gorgeous Needle & Thread collection of papers, etc and as always…I hope you like it!

To create this card, I used a kraft card blank and covered it with a piece of the Hem 12″ x 12″ paper, cut to size and matted onto Stone Weave Kaisercard. The edges are blended with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

I used a Sizzix die to die cut my mannequin, which I then painted with Kaisercolour Paints and covered with a piece of paper from the 6″ x 6″ paper pad. I added the die cut mannequin to my covered card front, together with various die cuts from the Needle and Thread Collectables pack.

Because I wanted to make this card really special and a statement piece, I decided to add a flower to the dress and I used the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die to die cut some chiffon that I had in my stash and made a fabric flower from the die cuts, which I then added with some twine to the mannequin.

I then wrapped some more twine around one of the die cuts from the Collectables pack and added two decorative pins.

Finally, I used one of the Needle & Thread rub ons from the pack and added the “Sew Simple” wording to the bottom left hand corner…

So, that really is it from me and my time at Merly Impressions. I just want to say a very big THANK YOU to Chrissy for everything and I wish her, and the team all the luck in the future!!

Thank you to everyone who has popped by over the last 18 months and left such lovely comments and I hope to see you all again soon, somewhere in the world of craft…

Emma xx

Hello everyone, it’s Emma here!! This month, I was very  lucky to be able to work with the Needle & Thread collection of papers and embellishments and I can honestly say, this is one of the most gorgeous Kaisercraft collections that I have worked with and it is so, me!! The colours, the theme, the vintage feel…it’s is stunning!

So, without further ado…here are the first of the cards that I made using this collection and as always, I really hope you like it…

For this card, I chose a card blank from my stash which I thought worked really well with the theme and I decided to go with an elegant vintage feel to my project. I chose to use the paper from the Paper Pad to cover my card blank and blended the edges with Distress Ink.

I then used a message from the Cotton 12″ x 12″ paper and added die cut flowers from the Collectables Pack of die cuts, together with one of the ladies and a die cut button. To complete the card, I blended and aged the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and finally, I added small adhesive pearls.

For my second card, I made a larger 8″ x 8″ card and covered the front of the card with another of the sheets of paper from the 6″ x 6″ paper pad, matted onto a piece of Ballet Weave Kaisercard.

I then used a further two pieces of paper from the paper pad and I cut these to size and using a pair of pinking shears, I cut the edges to give the look of material. Next, I took another of the messages from the Cotton 12″ x 12″ paper and again matted this onto Ballet Weave Kaisercard.

I attached the two pieces of paper that I’ve just cut onto my card front and then placed the message over the top of these.

I used some more of the gorgeous die cuts from the Collectables pack, including a pair of scissors that I attached to a piece of paper which again, I cut using the pinking shears to give the appearance of  material. I arranged and added all the die cuts around the message and finished the card with a seam binding bow and a safety pin.

That’s it from me for today and I hope I’ve inspired you with some ideas to make cards using this fabulous Needle & Thread collection.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I look forward to reading all your comments..

Bye for now, Emma x

Hello everybody and welcome to the third and last part of this months product focus!

As always I decided to end this trilogy with a card.

This collection really gave me a taste for doodling! I used one of the collectables as my centre piece and made my sentiment using the mini alphas from the sticker sheet. I simply got the letters to “pop” more by tracing over them with a black pen. I stamped the flower dirrectly onto a sheet from the paper pad and blinged up the heart of it with one of those gorgeous sticky gems. A few blooms in Honey and Coral alongside some extra doodles and this card is ready to be sent to someone special! I really had a lot of fun with this collection and it has surprisingly has become one of my favourites!

I hope this inspired you!

Emilie xxx

Welcome back to part two of this Product Focus dedicated the the Hopscotch collection.

In the previous instalment I was telling you how the “craziness” of the patterns made it so easy to me to come up with a layout. Well, there is more to this about this collection! Behind all this craziness there is a very cleverly designed collection all made so to help you create quick but gorgeous layouts!

I loved the Wonderous paper! It is designed so that all you need to think about is what photo to use and which title to choose! All the hard thinking is already done for you! I decided to layer some papers from the Paper Pad to add dimension behind my photograph, a few stickers from the sticker sheet to add interest and help it all merge together and finally crated my title with words found in the packet of Collectables.

I had so much fun creating this layout! It was so easy but yet I felt I was still able it make it mine.

I hope this inspired you!

Emilie  xx

I didn’t plan for this to happen but I actually fell crazy in love with the new Hopscotch collection! So much so that I decided to dedicate an entire “Product Focus” trilogy to this amazing collection! I won’t talk about a specific product but more about all those little things that really appealed to me in this brand new collection.

So part one: as usual, a layout.

As I said, I loved many things about this collection and with this layout I wanted to talk about the amazing colours and designs! It is so fresh, young and modern! I love the randomness of all the elements. It really makes designing a layout super easy because where ever you decide to place your photo, it works! I decided to play along with the general design of the FAB paper by adding all my journalling dropping down the page with doodles and by inserting my photograph with the help of the Stickers and some Collectables. This layout came together in no time at all, ideal if you need a quick crafting fix and I love the final result!

I hope this inspired you!

Emilie xx

Hello, Emma here and it’s time for me to share my second post of the month. As I mentioned in my previous post, this time I’m sharing the little boy card, that I made using the adorable Bundle of Joy collection.

…and this is the card I’ve made ~ as always, I hope you like it!

To make this card, I began by  matting and layering paper one of the decorative papers from the 6×6 pad onto a piece of Fuzzy Peach Kaisercard and a further matt of a piece of the Ivory Kaisercard, which I used a Martha Stewart Punch Around The Page punch to give a decorative edge to my cardstock.

I then stamped the image from the New Arrival stamp set onto a piece of cream card and coloured it using Tim Holtz, Distress Marker pens.

I stamped the message onto my image and then matted it onto some more of the card before attaching it to my covered card blank.

To complete my card, I then added some of the die cuts from the Collectables pack. I actually used the “girl” pack, which has die cuts to suit both boys, and girls…

So, that’s it from me for this month and as always, I hope I’ve inspired you to think of these collections as not just paper collections for scrapbooking because they are also perfect for all your cardmaking and other various projects.

See you all again very soon and thank you so much for stopping by to take a look at what I’ve created.

Bye for now…Emma x

Hi everyone!! Well, it’s another new month, which means it’s another new share and this month I was really lucky to be able to work with the gorgeous Bundle of Joy collection of papers. The minute I saw these, I just loved these papers and what’s even better is there’s a collection for a boy and for a girl. So, in my first share for this month, I’m showing you what I made with the little girl collection ~ as always, I hope you like it!

A gift box

A Card

Together with a few added bits and pieces from my stash, I made the gift box using papers from the Bundle of Joy 6×6 Paper Pad, the 12×12 Sticker Sheet, die cuts from the Girl Collectables pack, Ivory Kaisercard and lace from the White Lace Pack.

I added some die cut flowers which I made myself using the papers from the pad and a Sizzix die. In the centre of one of my flowers, I added one of the Mini Paper Blooms and popped some small buttons from my stash into the centre of the other flowers.

I tied some of the lace into a bow and added that to my cluster of flowers and the die cuts.

I lined the inside of the box, with some more of the gorgeous papers from the pad.

I then made my card, using a Kraft card blank as my base card.

Again, I used the Ivory Kaisercard for matting and layering, papers from the Paper pad and die cuts from the Collectables pack. I added a punched border strip and some more of the lace as decoration.

I added Liquid Pearls onto the die cut heart and a bow made from seam binding.

So, I really hope you like the first of my shares this month and that you’re inspired to use this fabulous collection for your own cards and projects.

Thank you for stopping by and looking forward to reading all your comments.

See you again very soon with my third project for this month…

Emma xx

We are looking for some very talented ladies (and gents) to join our expanding Design Team! Do you want a monthly goodie box filled with yummy coordinating Kaisercraft products and embellishments galore?? Do you have a love of paper crafting, challenges and sharing your talent?

So this your chance to show us what you’ve got!! 

We are looking for Scrapbookers and Card-makers based in the UK

Here’s how to be part of this new team….

Deadline: May the 15th midnight

How to Apply

Please email us at designs(at)emiliechamel.com with the following information (copy and paste into an email):

1. First, tell us about you. Give us a short bio.
2. Link to your blog and/or online gallery. We’d also love to know if you are on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and/or Twitter.
3. Send us samples…  Scan/photograph and send us: 3 Layouts if you are applying for the Scrapbooker position or 3 Cards and a layout if you are applying for the Card-making design team. Be sure to send us your strongest creations!!
4. What do you consider your specialty (favourite techniques, products,…)?
5. Tell us about the CRAFTY you…Link to your scrapbook resume if you have one? Do you teach? Have you been published? Do you or have you ever worked at a craft store?
6. What other Design Teams are you part of and when does their term end? (Note: No previous DT experience is required, we are just curious.)
7. Tell us about YOU….what do you love about scrapbooking? What do you love about Kaisercraft products and how do you think your style fits with the products we sell. Why do you want to be on our design team?

All Design Team applications must be received by May 15th midnight to be considered. If selected you will be notified via email and the new team will be announced here on our blog.

Design Team Requirements

1. You will be required to submit 3 projects per month for the Scrapbooking Team and 4 projects for the Card-making team. You will be asked to create one tutorial per month (photo or video) and to take part in the monthly challenge.
2. Team members are asked to repost their projects on two different sites minimum (those can include UKScrapper, Pinterest, your Blog and/or your Facebook) and tag or link to Merly Impressions.
3. Design Team term will be for a six month period, Jul. 2013 to Dec. 2013, renewable.

Questions, email us at designs(at)emiliechamel.com

Emilie xx

The Lulu and Roy collection is the perfect excuse for a little shabby chic, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be too shabby!

I’ve gone for a fairly basic layout, but the border sticker gives it that wow factor with a stunning focal point.

You can see on this picture that I backed the with a little gauze (from a bandage) which I have sprayed with ink first to add colour. To add more texture, I also punched out some leaves and used the collectables for more detail and interest.

A little bit of stamping helps to add some depth without any more bulk – I used Friends which is really versatile.

You can find the full collection of Lulu and Roy here.

Thanks for popping in.

Morag x

Overlays can add a luxurious feel to a layout and this 12×12 acetate overlay from the Lulu and Roy collection adds real impact to my layout.

Using overlays can feel a little scary as adhering it to the background needs a little forethought. I wanted to cluster my photo and embellishments and these areas are ideal for hiding the adhesive.

I normally have to connect my elements together, so I really had to break out of my comfort zone and create two distinctive areas on the layout. The border pieces from the 6 1/2″ paper pad forms the basis of this grouping. I added pieces from the collectables layering several altogether and mixing them in with punched leaves and stickers. I added more flags below the border and topped it off with a new Bijou  Button – Utterly Butterfly.

To give some balance to the layout, I replicated the embellishment cluster around my photo.

I hope that you’ll enjoy the Lulu and Roy collection as much as I did!

Morag x