Posts from — September 2009

Introducing Ngaire Bartlam!!

A little bit about Ngaire: Ngaire has been scrapbooking/art making for 10 years now, and has written two books, teaching for 7 years and has had many layouts published. Her style is “overloaded eclectic” and she  specialises in encouraging her students to follow their hearts and create from their souls.

See more of Ngaire’s AMAZING work at her blog, Scrap blog me baby!

Ok, so here’s the gorgeous ‘Tree of Life’ Ngaire designed for us!!

Using the Family Tree (Q1 release, SB2059), Loire Valley embroidered badge, Pennyroyale rubons, an assortment of rhinestones and Q1 papers, Ngaire has created a masterpiece!!

Well, we think so anyway!!

Gorgeous Ngaire!! We love it, and we adore you too!!

Tonight we’ve got a special sketch to share!

Tanya create this first layout in the Duchess collection, and said, “For this sketch I have flipped it 90 degrees to better fit my photo and title”.

Pam Thorburn has also created this fantastic layout using Spirograph patterned paper.

Welcome to the KC Collections Blog Party!!

Watch this post for the fun giveaways!!

Every 15 minutes we’ll be asking a new question and giving away a Q2 Magazine & Q2 sample pack!

So all you have to do is leave a comment for a chance to win!

So for our first 15mins…What is your favourite Q2 collection and why?? Just comment on THIS post for your chance to win!!

Winner Question 1: What is your favourite Q2 collection and why??

Sandra { 09.30.09 at 8:30 pm }  I love the Rewind-collection! I have a 11 year old son…not wanting to pose for my camera!…and these papers are perfect for him!

Please email me at alison<dot>w@kaisercraft<dot>com<dot>au with your contact details sandra to claim your prize!!

Post your answer before 8.45pm, Question 2: What was one of your favourite Christmas decorations from your childhood?

kerri g { 09.30.09 at 8:45 pm } My mum use to have coloured metal ornaments in the shape of santa, his sleigh and Christmas stockings. They’re hard to describe… flat, but moulded??? I can see them in my mind lol. Anyways I think she still has them… I wonder if she still wants them???

My mum had these same ornaments Kerri!! Love those!! Please email me with your contact details Kerri, to claim your prize!!

Post your answer before 9.05pm, Question 3: What is your favourite travel destination that you have been to (or want to visit)?

Skye { 09.30.09 at 8:52 pm } Thailand! Love the sun, the people, the food, the culture, the shopping ALL OF IT!

Wouldn’t we all love to be on an island soaking up the sun Skye!??? I know I would! Please email me with your contact details Skye, to claim your prize!!

Post your answer before 9.20 pm, Question 4: If you could ‘rewind’ to your favourite childhood memory what would it be?

Louise White { 09.30.09 at 9:15 pm }  My favourite childhood memory – wow that’s hard to pin point but I remember travelling to England when I was 10 to meet my paternal grandparents – at one point on the trip my sister and myself went to get the take away Indian with our father for dinner – Of course it was prawn vindaloo and my sister was wearing a bright pink long sleeved jumpsuit as you did in the eighties!! Well she go it all over her and being bright pink herself – ended up being renamed the ” PINK PRAWN” by our grandmother…. She still has not lived it down to this day….. Sorry about the length Alison…

Isn’t that always the way Louise? We end up with embarrassing family stories passed on from family member to family member! Please email me with your contact details Louise, to claim your prize!!

Post your answer before 9.40 pm, Question 5: If you were going to a scrapbooking crop on an island, what three scrapbooking products (other than tools, cutters, glue etc), what would you take?

Glenda Jones { 09.30.09 at 9:32 pm }  Q5 – 3 things I would want to take to scrapbook on an island – so hard, i never know what i want until i start the page, but my brads would be first in the basket, then my Offshore Collection and finallythe kaiser glass varnish to add a bit of depth to the page with the beautiful golden sand collected from the island.

Clever Glenda! We love your idea of using the sand on a layout – and with Offshore, it’s the perfect combination!! Please email me with your contact details, to claim your prize!!

One last question, post your answer before 10 pm, Question 6: What is your favourite Christmas time food/recipe??

It was close this last question.. Janette – do you know how much I love ‘Choc Ripple cake’ MMMMMM! But an alltime Xmas fav is Christmas pudding (my great grandma’s recipe and brandy custard!! So the winner of the last question goes to…..

Samantha { 09.30.09 at 9:55 pm } Nanna’s Christmas pudding!! with the ice cream and Brandy icing!!! must have….mmmmm it’s so yummy cold and you get a little tipsy as well…mmmmm

Samantha, Please email me at alison<dot>w@kaisercraft<dot>com<dot>au with your contact details, to claim your prize!!

Thanks to all who visited tonight, this was the last giveaway. I hope you all had FUN! I know I did!

Would you like to win a Q2 Magazine and a sample pack of Q2 products?

We’ve got two fun challenges just for tonight!!

You all have till 6am tomorrow 1st October (AEST) to submit your entry into Kaisercrafts ‘Blog Contests & Challenges user gallery‘ with ‘Card Challenge’ as the heading- to give you overseas readers a ‘fair go also’.

The first challenge….

Challenge 1 – Card Challenge

Using the following ‘ingredients’ make a card (Christmas, Birthday, whatever you feel like!!).

- Dash rhinestones.

- 2 different Kaisercraft patterned papers.

- A sprinkling of Chipboard (any manufacturer).

- 1 extra embellishment.

Along with a greeting of your choice.

Good luck!!

Any questions, just ask here in the comments.

Challenge 2 – Paper craft Challenge

Have you seen the papercrafts section of the Kaisercraft website??

No, well get over there and check it out….pretty please!!

Because you have another chance to win a Q2 Magazine and Q2 sample pack!!

Give a papercraft a bash, it can be one of the easier ones like a Christmas card, or more complex like the Globe balls… it’s your choice…. Just give it a go and upload your creation to the ‘Blog Contests/Challenges gallery‘ with ‘Challenge 2′ as your heading’ before 6am (AEST) tomorrow (1st October) for your chance to win!!

Any questions/comments, just ask below!!

Good luck!

*Hi guys. the live chat function appears to be struggling, as we’ve got comment moderation on, and I have to individually approve every comment and chat comment, so it might take a while for things to go through. Sorry about this guys. Please bear with me!!*

So, you’re probably wondering the face behind the Kaisercraft blog right? Before we party on tonight, if you don’t know me, I’m Alison. I work at Kaisercraft and look after our advertising, website, blog and lots of ‘publicity’ type stuff. I’ve been at Kaisercraft now for a year!! I love scrapping too – I’ve been scrapbooking for around 7 years and love it!!

So, Welcome to the Kaisercraft Q2 Collection Blog Party! We hope you’ve got your crafting (not dancing) shoes on to get creative tonight!!

We’ve got some never before seen projects in our Q2 collection (not featured in the Q2 magazine), tutorials, Christmas projects to get you warmed up for the silly season, a special edition of our regular ‘Saturday Sketches’, a special Guest Designer, Ngaire Bartlam, a live chat function to chat with me and our Design Team (to the left, you’ll need to login) as well as fun challenges!!

We’ve also got all the inside goss from our talented graphic designers who designed our Q2 ranges and the lowdown on our NEW papers and embellishments from Richelle, the lovely lady who looks after all our new products!

Also – DON’T FORGET – we are giving out prizes during the evening so be sure to check in and try to win! Yay for GIVEAWAYS!

Make sure you enter our…………

Major Sweepstakes contest!!

Be one the first to own ALL SIX of Kaisercraft’s NEW Q2 Collections,  Belle, Christmas Carnival, Dear Santa, Rewind, Lilac Avenue and Pack Your Bags, plus coordinating embellishments including ribbon, flowers, pearls and rhinestones.

We hope you’ve been reading all our blogs between the 1st September and today. A  30 word-sentence was spelled out in individual (bolded, colour) words.

To win just email the complete 30-word sentence to competitions@kaisercraft.com.au, with KC Major sweepstakes in the subject line, before 1 October 2009 at 5.ooam (AEST). Head here for full terms and conditions. Good luck!!

…………………………………..

Make sure you check back here through the night to check out all the fun stuff!

First up, let’s check out the NEW Q2 Collections in detail and what their designers had to say about each collection!!

Designed by Laine Fraser.

The idea behind creating the Belle Collection was to provide a range that was both traditional in style, theme and colours, but one that was fairly modern and intricate in its design. Inspired by earthy forest greens and deep, festive maroons; I wanted to create a collection that was festively floral and ornate, yet still quite traditional.

I was inspired by the original Christmas flower the Poinsettia, and drew up a combination of poinsettias, flourishes and swirls for my main page (Clara).

(P412 Clara)

Iused a combination of fabric textures reminiscent of the fabrics that mum used to sew my Christmas stockings out of! The addition of fabric textures created depth within my pages and hence added to the earthy, traditional feel I was aiming to create.

The numbers page (Eve) was inspired by the old school ‘Countdown till Christmas’ that goes on in just about every household for the length of December, and I absolutely love the end result – a funky, colourful page that really captures the essence of Christmas.

(P413 Eve)

I designed the ribbon stripes page (Angel) wanting to capture the look of the trimmings on a Christmas tree – snippets of colourful, fun, vibrant and exciting patterns. The endless patterns, stripes and polka dots were all carefully designed and constructed to allow for fun & easy Christmas scrapping!

Designed by Mikala Robinson-Koss

My ideas for Christmas Carnival came mainly from wanting to scrap photos of kids at Christmas time, and not being able to find a paper that suited! I really wanted to use bright, fun colours that still had a cheery Christmas feel, and steer away from traditional dark and moody tones and imagery. I feel that the colours we chose in the end, really opened up the possibilities for Christmas scrapping, great for any photo, plus also perfect for an Aussie Summer Christmas’!

I made sure there was a lot of cut outs, so that it was easy for card making and simple embellishments, while P405 Bells, is designed to fit exactly onto SB2050 Mini Ticket Albums beyond the page! And even if you don’t want to use the album, it creates a gorgeous little paper album when stapled, or bound down the side!

(P405 Bells)

(SB2050 Mini Ticket Albums)

The embellishments are all created with easy and fun scrapping and card making in mind, with the exciting new Printed buttons and Epoxy stickers (in the embellishment pack), adding some great depth to any artwork. I decided to have these products in the pack as I felt they would stand out and add to the individuality of the range.

(Em901) Christmas Carnival embellishment pack

Designed by Clare Miller.

A vintage theme was the first idea that popped into my head after seeing the colours that were delegated for Christmas Q2. With the current trends of vintage, recycling and heritage, I thought it would be perfect, and something people were after.I started researching old story book images as I remember reading “ The night before Christmas” with my mum and dad when I was little. That the exact theme I wanted to recreate.

The main paper idea came later to me when I was researching old couch covers. I wanted to have a bold feature page but didn’t know how to go about it. Once I had looked at vintage materials it them came quicker than I’d thought.

(P406 Train Set)

The stamps were an idea that started as a page with only one stamp, I liked it so much, I went and did a whole page.

(P408 Hula Hoop)

I love packaging, old letters, stamps, air mail, butchers twine and old paper bags, so I wanted to design a paper that would suit all those elements. I really wanted to capture the memory and idea of sending wish-lists to Santa, story books read to you on Christmas eve, and sending love ones cards and mail over the Christmas season.

(P411 Billy Cart)

When I think of Christmas and the lead up to, I think back to my childhood of writing Santa a 50 page letter, visiting my grandma and pa and hanging out to unwrap the presents. Dear Santa collection incorporates all those memories and takes you back to those childhood days. xo Clare.

Designed by Nicole Wingert.

Lilac Avenue started with a dandelion image and the thought of “how hot would that be with glitter all over it!!??”

Above: Lilac Avenue paper pad, top L -R: Glitter, flocked. Bottom L-R:  Metalic, Flocked.

When we decided it should be purple and pretty, and it simply  grew from there… adding some whimsy patterns and more flowers to the collection.

Even though it screams little girls, I think Lilac can be used for any age, and even generic themes, like birthday or thank you cards.
And I love the ribbons & embroidered brads that go with this range – so cute.

Designed by Nicole Wingert.

You see a lot of “little boy” papers out there so with Rewind I wanted to create something a little more “grown up” and fun & funky, something for the teens… However I still wanted them to be versatile so they could be adapted for younger boys projects too.

Most of the elements, especially in the “Remote” page, were all inspired by boy activities – movies, music, computer games, tv… keeping in mind that not all boys are the outdoor type. The colours I were quite muted (greys, blacks and white) but then wanted to inject some colour so along came vibrant blue, orange and yellow.

(P342 Remote)

Designed by Nicole Wingert.

When you’re lucky enough to go on a holiday, you are going to want to scrap the memories. When I was creating this range, I wanted something that could be used for all types of holidays – overseas, road-trips, camping, tours etc. Therefore I tried to use a colour palette that was fairly neutral with a little bit of fun (blue and yellow) There is also a HEAP of journaling space in this range ( from the paper, to acetate journal tags, die cuts) because even though a picture says a thousand words, you need to be able to remember where that picture is from…! And they make great embellishments to layouts.

(P247 Itinerary)

To start off we’ve the evening, get a friend of yours to come along to the blog party, get them to comment on this post with your name and what they love about Kaisercraft before 10pm and YOU and THEM get 1 pack of Epoxy Brads for FREE!!

Throughout this evening, we’ll be adding more inspiration, more NEW stuff and more ideas here!!

Stay tuned at 8.15pm for a special sketch!!

Oh, I almost forgot!! Don’t forget to enter our LAST day of our 30 Days of Creative Contests – a Pennyroyale collection is up for grabs.

Head to the blog post to see how YOU can win it!

Never before seen Q2 projects!!

Can you believe you are one of the first scrappers in the world to see exclusive photos of projects and products in our NEW Q2 collections (in store from 1st October – TOMORROW!)??

Well here they are!!

Above: Cheap photo frames made into works of art. Materials: Lilac Avenue patterned paper (p422 & P419) & Clear Stamp (CS729)

Above: ‘DAD’ display. What a great idea for fathers day, or to show your Dad just how much you love him!  Materials: Pack your bags patterned paper (P425, P426, P428)

*NOT SHOWN IN THE KC MAGAZINE! Above: Display your family photos this Christmas!  Materials: SB2062 Triple Frame set, SB800 Festive wood flourishes, Rhinestones & Pearls, Christmas Carnivale patterned paper (P400, P401, P403)

*NOT SHOWN IN THE KC MAGAZINE! Document your holiday in this clever BTP, which can be an album or photoframe!! How cool is that?? Materials: Pack your bags patterned paper (P424, P429), Die cut elements (DC305), Acetate shapes (EM905), Rub ons (RB834), Alpha stickers (AS205).

Create a cute decoration for your home! Punch out flowers, add some brads and stick to a styrofoam ball! Easy!! Materials: KC Brads, Lilac Avenue patterned paper (P418, P422, P420, P421)

*NOT SHOWN IN THE KC MAGAZINE! Grunge up your boy themed projects and layout with metal washers and screws found from your hubbys workshop – and why not add metal tags found in the Rewind embellishment pack? Materials: Rewind embellishment pack (EM906)

To see more of the Q2 collections be sure to check out the full product range on the KC website.

Be sure to check back here very soon for more tutorials, an interview with Product Development Manager here at Kaisercraft, Richelle for an indepth look into the Q2 collections AND MORE!!

**Christmas Bon-Bon Tutorial**

Are you having Christmas at your place this year?

Stuck for decorations?

Why not decorate some Kaiser placemats and coasters, decorate your table and add some HOMEMADE Bon-Bons to your table setting. Make sure you check out the Q2 Kaisercraft Magazine for more inspiration…

But tonight we’re giving you a FREE step-by-step tutorial how to make your own Bon-Bons!

Check out the tutorial here!

Sneak Peek of the Q2 Kaisercraft Magazine.

6 new collections.

36 new double-sided papers.

Over 60 NEW embellishments (Alpha stickers, paper pads, ink, brads, flowers, rub ons, clear stamps and more!)

New digital collections!

163 pages of inspiration.

18 sketches.

18 layouts.

Gift ideas for Christmas.

Home Decorating ideas.

Competitons!! (Yes we love comps here at Kaiser)

Gift wrapping ideas for Christmas.

A reader gallery.

8 double sided pages of FREE paper to rip/cut/tear out and keep!

and MUCH MUCH MORE!!

Make sure you drop into your LSS and pick up your copy for only $5.99 (AUS) today (well from tomorrow)…

Ok so now you know the gist of the magazine…. but do you want to see MORE??

Here you go!!

We did mention layouts, plus instructions, plus quotes, plus sketches for you to re-create at home…didn’t we??!!

And Step-by-Step Beyond the Page instructions on how to create your own albums and home decor projects for around the home?

And more competitions than you can poke a stick at??

A product catalogue….so you can add more items to your Kaisercraft wishlist!! Ever found it hard to coordinate items….think no more – your solution is in here!

Oh and we mentioned freebies right? That’s 8 double-sided papers to cut out and keep and add to your layouts and projects…oh and there’s Christmas tags for all your Christmas gifts to cut out too!!

So you want one?? Make sure you try out for our challenges tonight!! We’ve got giveaways too!!

If not, head to your LSS to snap one up, at $5.99 they’re a bargain!!

Interview with Kaiser’s Product Development Manager Richelle…

…The girl who knows the lowdown on all the Q2 products!….

1) How are the Q2 collections different to Q1?

We have a few different products that have been introduced into Q2. Embellishment packs, Ink pads, Paper Pads…

2) Can you tell me more about Q2 embellishment packs in particular the NEW embellishments like acetate shapes, metal tags and tickets?

We wanted to make the embellishment packs a bit of fun and try and bring in some product that is unique and maybe not as often thought of to use on a layout or BTP.

Metal ‘dog tags’ from Rewind embellishment pack.

Acetate shapes from Pack your Bags embellishment pack

Tickets from Pack your Bags embellishment pack

3) What makes Kaisercraft’s 6x6inch paper pads special?

The paper pads are special because they not only have awesome designs, some of the designs have been made with flocking in parts of the design for some added texture and touch. We have also used a laminate which makes parts of the design shiny, glitter which makes the paper sparkle. The designers have done an awesome job choosing what speciality medium to use and on which design to give each paper the best effect.

Each Paper pad has 10 specialty papers – 2 flocking, 2 spot varnish, 2 foil,4 die cuts!

4) Tell me a bit about the Q2 magazine?

I love it! It was much fun to be a part of. We (design team) had a day of scrapping. We set up some tables and all of our bits and pieces and set our minds to fun projects to be included in this edition. We got through a lot of projects on the day and were very proud of what we had all achieved by the days end. My favourite thing to make was the bird house that I converted into a card holder, and also the hand stitched Christmas stocking. There is so many things you can do, lots of versions its only your imagination that holds you back! Oh, and you have to make the popcorn!!

See pictures of our scrap day on our facebook page!!

5) What is involved in your day to day work in product development?

There is a lot of back and forth to China to get a heap of samples to get the product to how we want to present it to you. Sometimes it can take a couple of months before we actually get something that we are all happy with and agree on. When the designers have produced a few ideas we will send the files off to get samples made. We all get very excited when we see a Fedex van out the front knowing we are receiving another box of cool stuff to analyse and start to use.

6) What’s the favourite thing about your job?

I think when people get really excited about new products. Some of the feedback that gets passed onto me is lovely!

7) What is your favourite Q2 product?

The paper pads. They are just cool with the flocking, glitter and laminate. I love them!!

Kaisercraft Digital

Did u know Kaisercraft have gone digi?

You don’t have to use digital products just digitally, you can print them out and use them on your traditional layouts and projects too! They’re cheap because you can use them again and again also!!

Check out the digi store today!

The gorgeous “Apple Tree” Collection:

The cute “Daydreams and Doodles”:

Introducing… “Friday Night Jive”…. This collection is onsale at the moment!! So why not snap up a bargain!!

The Christmasy “Jingles”…. and

….one of our newest collections….. Party Time!!

So be sure to check out the digi store. There’s brushes, transparencies, papers, elements, FREE stuff and MORE!!

This is the last blog post for tonight ladies. Please keep chatting, join in the challenges and find some inspiration! We hope you’ve enjoyed tonight and love our Q2 collections.

Happy Scrappin & goodnight from ALL the KC team! XO