Prima

A Fantastic Festive Friday Finale!

How about a few bits of news and then we will jump right in to our Grand Finale of Christmas projects!

• Don't forget to sign up for our Christmas Cheer Give-Away!
• The next "Build-a-page" sketch will be coming SOON! Keep an eye on the blog for December's sketch and November's winner!
  
• We also have our new "Prima Pick" to post next week. Be sure to check back to see the lovely products picked out this month.

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Starting out this Fab Friday is a very special layout from Jo-Anne te Raa Chater! Jo-Anne celebrates a very special song by placing the music for it on a stitched Prima paper (813253) and a glittered Felt Mattie (820725). Jo-Anne peeled the backing off of the mattie and placed the sticky side of the mattie in glass glitter. A handful of Gallery Roses (533311) add the perfect amount of color to the stunning design.

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This set of Christmas Gift Tags by Amy Parker is simply filled with lots of fun little touches. Amy used lots of paper scraps to create the fun tree and snowflakes. Just take a peek at each tag below to see how adorable each one is!

Tag 1:

Prima Paintables- just use strips around the edge and cut them with some deco scallop scissors

Prima packaging

4 Seasons Leaves #527037

Burlap sheet (cut a tree out of it) #530051

Red Pearls (use individual pearls from the centers) #530686

SIIP individual pearls off of swirl #529291

Holiday Lights Poinsettia #533861

Tag 2:

Paradise City "Sunrise" #840778

Rue 88 paper #602055

Holiday Lights Poinsettia #533854

4 Seasons Leaves #527037

Raja Center #535124

Laces #534967 and #529444

Red ribbon #519582

Tag 3:

Laces #534974 and #529444

Burlap strings #530051

Animal Bash "Tickled" paper #840860

Flirty Little Secret paper

Paintables strips

Paradise City "Sunrise" paper #840778

Prima packaging (Check out the salvaged edge from the paper!)

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This fancy Christmas Album by Joei Lau is ready for your Christmas photos! What a smart idea to give one of these as a gift. Use Art Stitched papers (812980) and a fun crystal swirl (522940) on the front for lots of texture and shine. Add a cluster of flowers (533199) and some pieces of lace to finish it off. The inside pages are filled with different Prima papers, pearls (530723) and laces for a beautiful keepsake album!

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Nic Howard has created three GORGEOUS cards for us! These would be fun to copy as they have a simple format, but are personalized with special flowers and greetings. Check out the paper cutting around the edges which adds so much depth to each design and the special touches of glitter. So classy and elegant!

Card 1:

601928 Cutie Catchers 12x12 paper

812737 Flirty Little secret - Memoirs

812720 Flirty Little Secret Meander

528782 Damsels flowers

528461 Woodstock flowers Cherry

519599 Red Velvet Ribbon

517304 Say it in Crystals clear swirl

 

Card 2:

601928 Cutie Catchers 12x12 paper

820183 Dude "My Boy" 12x12 paper

530006 Jullette Collection - peach

535506 Peach Mini Roses

Card 3:

813260 Art Stitched Paper

841034 Wink Paper "Rosalee"

531270 Clear Stamp-Joy

517304 Clear Say it in Crystals

529093 Artistry flowers

528782 Damsels flowers

532871 Homespun Bittles flowers

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Need Prima packaging ideas? Try this cute note set made by Cari Fennell for a low-cost, gift idea. Slip three or four tags in a decorated pillow box (from Windsor Roses-529932, 529925, 529918) for a ready-made container filled with cuteness.

Cari used green packaging (from any flower package-ex:533915) to make each of her adorable note cards. These could also be used as tags for gifts. Add a stamped greeting-531294, a piece of lace-534943, 534967, a poinsettia-712358, and a pearl/stud center- 531003-for instant pizazz.

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Caroline Ikeji has created some whimsical cards for the holidays! Her style lends itself very well to those who want to use up a bunch of paper scraps! Just take a look at how she effortlessly combines lots of patterns and colors.

Card 1:

papers: 840921, 840945, 840761

Holiday Lights Poinsettia: 533915

Lettering: 531119, 812133

Pearl: 530709

Card 2:

Wink Papers: 841027, 841010, 840983

Holiday Lights Bird: 533571

Lettering: 812041

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Joei Lau decorated a ready-made box with a few simple Prima products! Cut out velvety paper-812775- for a dramatic focal point on the cover...then slip Prima treasures (Juliette flower 530013, mini-roses 535506, etc) inside for a special gift for a fellow scrapper!

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This Winter Layout by Jo-Anne te Raa Chater is simple, sweet and filled with vintage touches! Jo-Anne surrounded her beautiful photo with antiqued journaling notes, a Holiday Lights glitter berry spray-533762, a cluster of soft-to-the touch Prima flowers (Moulin Rouge-532819 & 532826, Painted Ladies-532727) and a stretch of mini pom-pom lace-529437. Glitter stickers-860264 add the perfect finishing touch!

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"White Christmas" Town by Joei Lau shows how versatile Prima's product are when it comes to altered projects! Our Caboobles-528706- work wonderfully on this snowy village. Since the flowers come with the leaves already attached they make the decorating go so quickly.

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We hope you have enjoyed this whole week of FUN holiday projects! Be sure to sign up for our give-away and please share with us any projects you have made for the holidays using Prima!

Holiday Decorating Prima-Style...

Prima products are great for all of your decorating needs! Just take a look at how our design team created a few unique decorations using the Prima-touch!

I can see this kissing ball hanging gracefully in a doorway! It is not only beautiful, but has a vintage, old-time-Christmas feel to it too. (You could add some mistletoe to really liven things up.) Roses: PE-002-24P, PE-002-19P, PE-002-24P; Lace: 529468  Kissing Ball by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

You can also display one of these flower balls in a glass dish, along with some bright hydrangeas-528621- and a Holiday Lights bird-533618- for a stunning centerpiece. 

To make your own flowered kissing ball try these tips from Julie:

• Use an inexpensive paper maché Christmas ball from a craft store.

• First cover it with small flowers (Got Flowers will work-pick a coordinating color) since the roses will leave gaps.

• Next glue the roses over the small flowers.

• Added gold paint over the entire surface to match the gold hanging string, and add a little sparkle!

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To give an ornament an extra special touch try this technique by Oddbjorg Ringsby! Take a simple heart ornament (Ikea has some great selections) and hang it from a paper ball created with strips of patterned paper and two brads (the brads are at the top and bottom of the paper strips to hold them together.) Hang with Prima lace and add Prima Pearl centers to the heart for a royal touch.

Paper: 840747, Lace: 534967, Pearl Centers: 530990

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Garlands are all the rage now, and why not? They are FUN, simple to make and they use up your paper scraps! Amy Parker used a variety of Prima papers, her die-cut machine and some punches to create this festive decoration!

 

Garland Supplies:

Prima Paintables, Prima Packaging, Flirty Little Secret "Memoirs" #812737, Animal Bash "Tickled" #840860, Animal Bash "Animal Babble" #840907, Tropics "Mango Cherries" #840969, Tropics "Celery Splash" #840952, Tropics "Turtle Dove" #840921

Amy even threw some cardboard in there (with a touch of white paint.) What a great way to add a snowy feel to the garland!

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Joei Lau also created a Christmas garland with an entire different feel! Joei cut Prima papers out and strung them along with photos and other precious keepsakes to create a one-of-a-kind holiday garland. Feel free to use Paintables for a custom effect. Papers: 840785, 840792, 840778, 812539

Joei also made a coordinating December Calendar page to keep all her important events on! This is a fabulous idea for those who NEED that visual record. Just add rub-ons (or number stickers) for each day...then add Prima paper cut-outs and flowers along the top. Little journaling notes can be adhered here and there for special notes. Baroque Bloom: 533236, Windsor Rose: 529925

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Check out this amazing tip from Oddbjorg Rongsby! Take pre-purchased solid Christmas Tree bulbs and add our E-Line pearls and crystals to them for a DAZZLING effect! Our E-Line has so many colors to choose from that there is sure to be a perfect match for your ornament! E-Line: 300456

Oddbjorg even added some Sultan centers-535070- to a few longer ornaments for extra shine! How clever is that?

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Lovely Holiday Layouts!

Each Wednesday we normally have a fantastic TNT post, but since we are having our Christmas Cheer week we will be bringing the TNT project to you next week!

Today we have TONS to share with you! Let's start off with a special give-away LOADED with special Prima products perfect for making lots of holiday projects.

For a chance to win just leave a comment about your favorite holiday tradition! We will pick a winner during next week's TNT post on Wednesday, December 9th. (Open to all countries.)

Give-away includes these FAB Prima Products:

• 12 Sheets of Christmas Fancy Paper-840358, 840341, 840334, 840310, 840303
  
• Say It In Crystals Black Swirls-522964
• SIIC Holiday Crystals-522094
• Say It In Studs Sheet-525125
• SIIC Wings-523121
• Clear Believe Stamp-531218
• 4 Red Poinsettias
• One Pack Green Silk Belle Fleur flowers-524029
• One Pack E-Line Red Flowers-300418
• Three Packs E-Line Crystals and Pearls-300678, 300746, 300531
  
• Five Turquoise Packages (perfect for making gift tags or a mini-mini-album)
• Three Lengths Lace-534943, 534981, 534950
  
• Two Lengths Glitter Ribbon-silver & gold-527938, 527945
  
• One Package Aqua Leaves-532086

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Let's move along to our AMAZING assortment of Christmas and wintery layouts that, we hope, will inspire you to dig out those scrap supplies and scrap some HOLIDAY memories!

Starting off we have a beautiful layout featuring a Norwegian Christmas carol. What a wonderful way to capture a glimpse of your culture for your children! Oddbjorg Ringsby does a wonderful job choosing perfect elements for her project. A few Holiday Lights ornaments-534097, along with Baroque Blooms-533250, add color and sparkle for a festive touch.

Clean, crisp, serene. You can almost hear the snow crunching under your feet as you peek at this wintery layout by Tracie Hudson. The amazing photo is surrounded with gorgeous cream & silver accents: flowers-533861, 531799, 533878; leaves-532185; and crystals-517304 all showcased on a bold black background.

Nothing is sweeter than your very own angel! Janine Koczwara displays a favorite holiday photo of her daughter in a Peaches paper frame-880583-and surrounds it with LOTS of flowers! A white backdrop is perfect for the colorful Peaches paper, Belle Fleur flowers-527242- and a black butterfly crystal swirl-530556!

Frosty (by Christiane Muller) is perfectly cool in this icy blue and creamy white layout! Christiane cut her own snowflake out and used a pearl center-530983- as a gorgeous accent on the page. A few other pearl centers add lots of shine to this design, while the frosty title pops out of the Voila die-cut-880200! This layout is perfect for displaying any wintery photo.

 

Spreading the Cheer...

There's no better way to spread the holiday spirit than with a home-made card or tag! Today we have a great assortment of projects from our design team to inspire you.

Want a simply elegant card using packaging? This card by Janine Koczwara not only uses the packaging from Prima centers-535193, but also uses scraps of left-over papers (Angelique-810283) so effectively. Tuck in a few mini roses (sa-016-32, sa-002-1-17) behind the creamy white Alabaster flower-532055- for a gorgeous focal point.

 

Our Christmas Fancy paper line has an abundance of beautiful patterns perfect for any card! Cari Fennell chose to feature the plaid design (840334, 840303) and fancied it up with rich red velvety ribbon-519582, a large sparkling crystal star (525118) and a joy-filled greeting (531072)!

A tri-fold card is a fabulous way to spread some cheer! This gorgeous card by Tracie Hudson features our latest sparkling ornament- 534066- and a few collage flowers (529611) on the front, along with lots of luscious layers of Romantica patterned papers (601287, 601270, 601249, 601218)!

If bling is your thing then check out how to create this stunning card by Cari Fennell. Cari started by pulling off the back of the Voila felt tree (to reveal the sticky side-881191). She then pressed the sticky side in fine silver glitter. Press hard and tap off the excess. TADA! So simple and so pretty! Finish off the card with some pretty green lace.

Janine Koczwara brings us this fabulous matching card and tag set using Angelique papers. The tag features an Alabaster Rose (532055) colored with Glimmer Mist, while a Belle Fleur silk flower (524012) adorns the card. Use one of our Greeting stamps for a simple and fast sentiment-531218. TIP: Use a swirl stamp on a transparency to create an angel wing-850548.

This holiday card will surely be a hit! Cari Fennell used a simple tag shape to create a gorgeous clear card filled with lots of greens and reds. Start off with our glittered red transparency (one transparency will yield LOTS of tags!)...then add Christmas Fancy papers-840341, Prima Calypso Christmas flowers-712358- and a bright red gem! Finish off with a crisp white bow and alpha letters (812324).

These festive tags cost next to nothing when using Prima packaging as the base! Add your favorite papers, lace and flowers to finish them off with style. Sharon Laakkonen chose one of Prima's new laces (534981) and Parlor Petals in a rusty red (531447) with warm chocolate leaves (532284) to decorate her tags, while using edge punches for lots of extra style.

A Week Of Christmas Cheer!

This week is going to be absolutely FUN! We have some amazing projects, from around the world, just in time for the holidays sneaking up on us. We will be showcasing cards, tags, altered projects, layouts and gifts that you can make with your favorite Prima products.

There is nothing nicer than a touch of home-made goodness when it comes to receiving gifts and cards. Prima is here to help you create some of your BEST gifts this year!

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Let's start with this BEAUTIFUL altered Prima Mini Can container from Christiane Muller in Germany! Any clear container will work to show off the Voila die-cut strip and pearl centers around the sides. 

See how lovely each center is peeking out from the Voila?

Adorn the top with your favorite ribbon and a Holiday Lights gilded bird! Add a greeting with our newest alpha stickers and tuck in some Prima lace for a touch of sweetness. Add a few festive Christmas balls and fill with your gift! This is perfect for giving candies and fudge, but you could also fill it with a variety of other gifts. 

Supplies: Mini-Can #517618, SIIS & Crystal Centers # 531010, Voila Die Cut Art Strips # 880088, Holiday Light Birds # 533632, Artful Leaves # 523879, Alphabets # 53118

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There's nothing like a vintage touch to make this candy holder extra special. Oddbjorg Ringsby from Norway used lots of Prima products to make this a gift to remember!

Starting with a vintage music sheet topped with Prima lace...Oddbjorg then added a gorgeous Prima Baroque Bloom...rich red alphas...and a few green leaves tucked in for lots of color.

Supplies: Baroque Bloom Flower #533250, Alphas #531072, Leaves #532284, Lace #529451 ...and a vintage note sheet.

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Make sure you check back tomorrow for MORE fun Christmas projects! We will be having a Christmas give-away this week as well.

~Sharon

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the states we want to tell you how thankful we are for each one of YOU! We appreciate the patronage and support you have given to us throughout the year. May you be blessed in return!

The Mini-Album Give-Away Winner Is...

Sandi James!! Congrats to you, Sandi, from everyone at Prima.

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My favorite colors. My fingers are so crossed!

Posted by: Sandi James | November 20, 2009 at 03:10 PM

Please email within the next 7 days to claim your prize: sharon@primamarketinginc.com

TNT: Turkey 'n Trimmings?

Like many of our readers in the U.S., I'm visiting family for a long Thanksgiving weekend.

My husband and all the brothers-in-law and their sons are outside raking up the leaves in Grandma and Grandpa's yard which reminded me of this layout of the Autumn colors up in Kent Falls, CT.

So while my mind turns to the big feast tomorrow... and I realize that I don't have access to my lovely craft studio from here in Arkansas, I do have a prior craft that hasn't been shown on the blog before that I would like to share with you.

 
As you can see, once again, I am playing with flowers as something more.  this time a little Autumn Fairy.  And I keep thinking that if I had these Big Box Blooms in my hands, right now - I would be keeping my nieces and nephews busy making some turkeys.  Wouldn't they be perfect for the feathers?  But alas, the craft studio is far, far away back in Connecticut.  But perhaps you can do this craft with your guests.

 
I love the Times Alphabet Chipboard Letters.  These are a wonderful cream in color, a perfect neutral, as well as very alterable in this case using alcohol inks to mimic the lovely colors in the backdrop.  A couple of these products are just favorite, staples that I'm constantly returning to -- and all available to order.

Among the Products Used Today:

• #810054 Time Alphabet Chipboard, Small Cream
• #860011 Harmony Ribbons, brown lace
• #510275 Big Box Blooms, Petal Poetry 3

And now, to add to the fun...simply leave a comment on this blog post for your chance to win a prize, featuring products used in today's post. We will randomly choose a winner on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009. Open to North America only due to shipping costs, but approx. every 5 weeks or so we will host a worldwide drawing.

From the entries received on our last technique post, using Random.org's random integer generator -- the VERY THANKFUL winner for our previous technique post drawing is:

Shawna!

Please contact me so we can mail out your lovely prize at sallylynn@primamarketinginc.com

Best of luck to each of you!  And I look forward to chatting with you today and every week with TNT.

P.S. Do you want a Prima Endorsed Artist-Educator to teach a workshop at your store or event?  Contact Lu at 909-627-5532 and dial 2 for more information.  The full schedule of upcoming workshops is online too.

Have a great day and a lovely Thanksgiving weekend too, for all who are celebrating this week.

SL

Leave it to the Birds

Prima recently had some new visitors! 

We're thinking they just loved sitting up there watching us come and go.

(Maybe they were really hoping to get peeks of the NEW Prima flowers and papers for CHA!)

Here's hoping they come back soon to entertain us again!

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Birds are popping up on these NEW designs from our ever-so-talented Design Team too!

 

H2O Fun is a sunny layout featuring lots of crisp colors and artsy techniques. Ingvild Bolme loves to cut patterned paper apart and use those pieces as design elements (like the cute bird)...after adding those she layered on paint, packaging, Painted Ladies and Baby Lilies.

Check out all of the special touches she adds to each project! Painted Ladies:532727, Evelyn Baby Lilies: 532680 ,

Anam Stubbington uses the Life In Colors "Dance for the Birds" paper (910006) to highlight these SWEET photos of her and her hubby. A felt gate, felt stems and printed canvas sheets bring amazing textural interest to the whole layout. (felt gate: 526726, Felt Stems: 531041, canvas sheet: 920340, Journey stamp: 531201)

Fabulous Canvas Page Idea

You know our canvas refill pages are great for LOTS of projects, right?

OH YES, they are! Lets take a look at one fantastic idea using a canvas refill page on a layout.

 
Cari Fennell took an 8x8 canvas page (920463), spritzed it with Glimmer Mist and used it as a mat on her gorgeous layout! What do you do with the grommets? Well, they are perfect for adding a big ribbon bow, while lots of Prima flowers and lettering finish off the page with lots of colorful style. See how the canvas adds so much texture and depth to the page? 

Don't you love how the stitched word (920388) perfectly matches the alphas (531096)? Both add beautiful color to the design.

Peeks of Wildwood (530143) and Fleur Danseur flowers (531980) add natural touches to the layout.

Try thinking OUTSIDE the box when using our refill pages! You will be surprised at how versatile they are. There are SO many projects you can use these for.