So I was excited to find the decorative Martha Stewart Chalkboard labels by Avery at Staples to try out for some highly visible label locations in my office and studio. I need to label the fronts of my Ikea Alex drawers because I can never remember what is in which drawer because they all look so much the same. The labels will also be a help to my husband trying to find stuff in the new office and studio arrangements when he comes home soon. But I didn’t want to ruin the look of the drawers with my ugly functional labelmaker labels.

The chalkboard labels are available in a half dozen different sizes and designs. I bought the flourish ones that are sized 2.5″ x 3.75″ and sold in packs of 12 labels, two to a sheet, for $5.99. You can buy four packs of chalk separately.

The labels have a removable adhesive on them that will adhere to smooth surfaces and then peel back off with no residue. They stick down easily to a surface like the Ikea Alex units.

The surface of the labels is somewhat textured. Despite the fact that there are no instructions calling for it, I found that priming the labels with a layer of chalk before writing on them made for clearer writing. My first attempt at priming, done with the tip of the chalk, was too coarse. The lines were hard to rub out and ended up somewhat visible on the label afterwards.

My second attempt at priming the label, done with the side of the piece of chalk, was much more successful. It resulted in more indistinct appearing clouds of chalk that rubbed easily into a nice base layer on the label with my thumb. (I tried using a cloth but it didn’t work nearly as well.)

The end result was a nicely primed label that I was able to get nice bold text on with the chalk.

After completing all the labels for my office Alex unit, I was left with this brilliantly organized unit! And the best part is that if I rearrange or move or add things to drawers, all I need to do is rub off the current text and write a new label!

I can’t wait to get all my studio drawers labeled with these labels, and I may label a few other things too!

Martha Stewart for Avery products are available only at Staples, and the Chalkboard labels retail for between $5.99 and $6.99 a package, depending on the size and quantity of labels.

Card Annex designer Annette Allen is here today to show off the latest release from Lawn Fawn! The Blue Skies stamp set is part of Lawn Fawn’s May mid-release.

Blue Skies is a very trend-forward set, including hot air balloons in two sizes, along with clouds, Project Life-friendly arrows & stars, and some sentiments.

In addition to the stamp set, Lawn Fawn is also releasing a matching die set to make it easy to cut out the balloons, cloud, and a few other elements.

Look for it soon at your favorite scrapbook retailer!

Supplies | Cardstock: Neenah (white). Stamps: Lawn Fawn (Blue Skies). Ink: Memento (tuxedo black). Patterned Paper: American Crafts (Dear Lizzy 5th & Frolic), My Mind’s Eye (Follow Your Heart “Be Amazing” Soulful), Echo Park (Dots & Stripes Teal Large Dot), Doodlebug Design (Flower Box). Adhesive: American Crafts (foam), 3M Scotch (Advanced Tape Glider). Scissors: EK Success (Cutter-bee Snips).

Designer: Annette Allen

Annette started card making in 1997, when a neighbor invited her to a Stampin’ Up! party while she was living in Germany. She has since started a blog and taken part in many design teams. Annette has been published in Paper Crafts Magazine, Designed To Color, Whimsy Stamps Inspirations Magazine and Papercraft Inspirations. To learn more about Annette, visit her blog, My Clever Creations.

Want to get your news story in Update? Email me at nancy@nallystudios.com!

You have until May 27th to post your entries into the Open Audition for the Paper Crafts Gallery Idol contest! The theme is birthday cards for kids and teens, and you can enter up to three cards in the open round of entries. The top 20 who will move on to compete for the Gallery Idol title will be announced on May 31st.

In case you’ve been living under a rock (or don’t own a calendar), May is the month that Becky Higgins’ Project Life is shipping to retailers for the first time, through its new distribution network at American Crafts. The kits are already on the shelves at Hobby Lobby stores (or rather were – many stores are apparently sold out already). According to the store locator on the Project Life website, the kits will also shortly be on the shelves at Michaels, Meijers, Archivers, Hobby Craft, Craft Warehouse, and a host of local scrapbook stores and online retailers (including A Cherry On Top, Two Peas In A Bucket, and Scrapbook.com).

If you plan on getting Project Life – or already have it – you should check out this digital template set by Tracey Larsen. “The Simply White Collection” is a group of PSD templates that make it quick and easy to create clean and simple photo collages on 4×6 photo paper for inserting directly in your album.

For $4 for 15 templates, this collection could be a great shortcut for working on Project Life albums.

And a third and final Project Life link…if you need help organizing your photos for Project Life, the Two Peas In A Bucket blog has an article up describing a workflow using Adobe Lightroom to organize photos for Project Life. I use it myself and it works really well!

Julie Moran will be appearing on Lifetime Network’s morning show, The Balancing Act, tomorrow morning (Tuesday, May 21st) to showcase the latest generation of the Sizzix Big Shot machine. The Balancing Act airs at 7am ET/PT.

Creating Keepsakes has announced that effective June 15th, they are shutting down the Club CK message boards.

We at Creating Keepsakes are grateful for the readers that are part of Club CK; for the creativity you share, the enthusiasm you have for the hobby, and your dedication to preserving your memories and improving the craft. As we move our focus towards online initiatives, we are evaluating all aspects of our business.

In looking at Club CK and the areas it offers our readers we feel the focus should be on creativity and idea sharing, which is evident by the number of layouts shared daily in the galleries. To make better use of our resources and provide the best online and print offerings we can, we are opting to discontinue the forum portion of Club CK as of June 15, 2013.

The announcement goes on to suggest that forum users in search of a new online “home” visit communities such as Two Peas In A Bucket, Scrapbook.com, ScrapJazz and SplitCoastStampers.

Several years ago, Creating Keepsakes shut down its original message board to replace it with the Club CK community that they are now retiring.

Typewriters have been hip in the scrapbook community for quite awhile as a convenient and funky way to create text for projects. Now it seems that the rest of the world is catching on to this trend. Check out this NBC news report about how trendy typewriters are becoming for various applications. (Take that, Huffington Post…we’re not just cool but trendsetters!)

This week I got a couple uninterrupted hours to get creative in my craft room. I set out to create one “friendship” card for my post today, but, that turned in to a run away session of cutting, gluing and making a huge mess. I was in love with the super cute – just my style – papers from Bella Blvd that were sent to me last week. I love when all the creative planets align and designing projects I love becomes so easy!

While the Bella Blvd “Love and Marriage” line was meant to be for weddings, I think it’s also well suited for all girly occasions.

For this little 4×4 card, I layered up several layers of patterned paper and topped it off with a Thinlit die from Sizzix, called “For the Record 2 – Documented” from the new Echo Park collection. The sticker letters are so tiny and adorable, I love well designed products like these.

I was especially excited to have a chance to design with the American Crafts card bases. Chevrons continue to be a hot trend in the industry, and I love this well sized gray version. I matted the paper with complimentary colored cardstock, and another Sizzix Thinlit (another Echo Park design called For the Record 2 Documented) acts as an anchor for the sentiment. Another design element I’ve been loving is multiple sentiments on one card, so I added a small sentiment from the “Love and Marriage” sticker sheet.

And finally here’s the “friendship” card I set out to create! Again here’s the chevron pattern from the Love and Marriage Line, this time in a multi-colored scheme. I created a little nature scene using a tree cut from the Sizzix eclips, cloud patterned paper, and some tiny little flowers from American Crafts by Dear Lizzy. If you’re interested in creating the woodgrain I’ve shown here, you can download my PDF tutorial HERE. I  finished up this card with a couple of sentiments.

Want to know one of my best time saving ideas? I made all these projects using die cuts I had on hand… create a die-cut or punch stash for yourself. Don’t throw away those pieces that didn’t make the project… just collect them and turn to your stash for some quick creating. Here’s a sneak peek at my stash!

I hope you enjoy a creative weekend ahead!

Smiles, Deena

Supplies | Cardstock: Bazzill. Patterned Paper: Bella Blvd (Love and Marriage). Die cuts: Sizzix (For the Record 2 – Tailored, For the Record 2 Documented). Stickers: Bella Blvd (Love and Marriage). Flag Sentiments: Pebbles. Card Base: Pebbles (Basics). Flowers: American Crafts “Dear Lizzy”. Twine: Divine Twine. Pearls: Martha Stewart.

To see a page listing all of these published calls, visit the Design Team Calls category of Scrapbook Update.

Have you ever thought that it would be fun to be a Prima Ribbonista?  Would you like to have May Arts Ribbon’s entire online catalog, available for you to use on your projects?  Would you also like to play with lots of craft goodies generously sent by our Partners in Craft?  If so, this Design Team Call is for you!

I am currently looking for a variety of designers to create either written or video tutorials for our ribbon blog.   There are no restrictions for this call – everyone is welcome to enter!

As a Prima Ribbonista, you will:

• Receive a regular supply of May Arts Ribbon to work with.
• Prima Ribbonistas will also receive product from our Partners in Craft.
• Have your name, bio, headshot and link to your personal blog on our site.
• Be compensated for all work posted for the M/A Blog.
• Be compensated for any published work where May Arts is credited, courtesy of our Publication Appreciation Program.
• Receive exposure through the M/A blog & our other social media sites.
• Receive a discount off our wholesale prices for all your purchases.

In return, you will be expected to:

• Use May Arts Ribbon in your projects and link whenever possible.
• Actively promote May Arts Ribbon.  This includes social media participation.
• Prima Ribbonistas are to have regular posts, as well as participate in cross promotions whenever possible.
• Using product from our Partners in Craft is appreciated.

This call will have two rounds, so please read carefully.  Details for both are listed below:

Round 1:

• Post a minimum of 3 projects on your own blog, one of which should be in tutorial form.   Please choose projects that best exemplify your style & talent.  You are expected to use ribbon in all your projects.   While it is appreciated if M/A ribbon is used, it is not required for the first round.

Email me the following no later than June 10^th 2013 at Bethney@mayarts.com:

• Subject line: May Arts Ribbon DT Call
• Contact information: name, address, email address & all blog/website addresses
• Which position you are applying for: written or video.
• Your resume.  If you don’t have one, please list the past & present Design Teams you have been a member of.  (Being on another Design Team is not a prerequisite.)
• A brief description of yourself, including your design strengths and why you want to be a Prima Ribbonista.
• A link to your submission post.  (If you do not have a blog, you will be permitted to email me your projects instead)

All finalists will be announced on the blog on June 14th, 2012.

Round 2:

• For the final round May Arts will provide the finalists with their choice of ribbon to work with to create a final project.
• All finalists are required to create a minimum of either one tutorial or one video, whichever applicable.  Again, please choose a project that best exemplifies your style & talent.
• Email me at Bethney@mayarts.com with your ribbon request.  There are no yardage restrictions, but please note all requests must first be approved before we ship.
• When you have completed your project, email me the following.  For Video Submissions:  Post your video tutorial on your own blog.  Then forward me the YouTube link to your video, plus photos of the completed project.  Please also include a brief written introduction to the video.  For Written Submissions:  Post the tutorial on your own blog.  Then forward me the link to your post, along with photos of the completed project.  Please also include a brief written introduction to the tutorial.
• All photos should be sent as an attachment and in jpeg form.
• Deadline: July 12th, 2013.  All submissions will be posted the week of July 15^th 2013.

Our new Design Team will be announced July 29th, 2013.

To learn more about this call visit the May Arts blog.

Please don’t forget to fill out our reader survey if you haven’t already!