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For scrapbook pages, card focals and any other paper craft, handmade sampler projects will showcase your personal style and add character to your projects. Each sampler is like a mini paper crafting project, an embellishment that you can add to all your other crafts. From paper, vellum and Magic Mesh to brads, ribbons, overlays and stamps, you can create samplers out of any of your favorite supplies to coordinate perfectly with your latest project. Read on to check out 3 of the 116 sampler projects straight out of our latest idea book: Design Elements.

Fun in the Sun
By Paris Dukes

Paris’ hot “Fun in the Sun” sampler is sure to add texture and brighten up your paper crafts, and it’s so quick and easy to make. Use these sweet citrus colors or alter the colors to coordinate with your current project!

Supplies

Instructions:

  1. Cut a 7 1/4”x3” piece of lime mesh paper and arrange it horizontally. Fold over 3/4” of the left end of the paper piece and secure in place with a glue stick.
  2. Cut out the “Fun In The Sun” word fragment and trim the word “Fun” off the end. Glue the “In The Sun” fragment vertically down the folded over paper piece. Use sponge alphabet stamps and white acrylic paint to stamp the word “fun” onto the lime mesh paper.
  3. Cut one 4” length each of aqua grosgrain, yellow sheer, lime grosgrain, pink sheer and lavender grosgrain ribbons and trim the tails of each ribbon at an angle. Fold over each ribbon length and use clear adhesive tape to secure the folded ends behind the left end of the lime mesh paper.


Red Heart
By Susan Cobb

For Valentines, anniversary cards and other love-themed projects, Susan’s adorable slide mount makes a perfect page embellishment or card focal. Here’s a bonus: A classic color scheme makes this little project versatile enough for both men and women!

Supplies

Instructions:

  1. Cover one standard slide mount with light grey linen paper and ink the edges with black. Cut a piece of black glimmer paper to fit behind the slide mount and cover it with red Magic Mesh. Punch a heart shape out of the center of the paper piece and set aside for later. Glue a piece of red glimmer paper behind the black glimmer paper. Arrange the slide mount so the window is vertical. Glue the papers to the back of the slide mount, centering the heart shape in the window. Add one black brad to the red glimmer paper in the center of the heart shape.
  2. Use a black pen to write “Love You” onto light grey linen paper, then crop to a small rectangle and ink the edges with black. Recall the punched heart shape from step 1. Glue the journaling at an angle over the heart shape.
  3. Cut a short length of red embroidery floss and fold it over to create a loop. Place the loose tails behind the top of the heart shape, then use clear adhesive tape to secure the loose tails on the back. Tie a length of black and white gingham ribbon into a shoestring bow, trimming the tails at an angle. Use a Glue Dot™ to attach both the red embroidery floss loop and the shoestring bow in the bottom right corner of the slide mount.

 

Friends Tag
By LeNae Gerig

This sweet little tag is a great accent for “best friends” layouts, “thinking of you” cards and sarabinders™ covers and inserts (think address books)! The best part: This cute accent takes just minutes to make!

Supplies

Instructions:

  1. Cut out the tag from the artwork. Cut a 3” length of black grosgrain ribbon and fold it over, then secure the loose ends behind the top of the tag. Add one dark pink brad to the top of the tag.
  2. Cut out the “friends” overlay label. Apply glue stick to the back under the word “friends” and secure at an angle over the green portion of the tag. Cut a 6” length of black grosgrain ribbon and tie it into a shoestring bow. Trim the tails at an angle, then use a Glue Dot™ to attach the bow to the top of the overlay label. Add one dark pink mini brad, one black square mini brad and one white mini brad down the left side of the tag.

Love what you see here? Want to check out tons of other great sampler projects? Introducing Design Elements, the latest big idea book from Hot Off The Press. This book is packed with tips and techniques for creating perfectly balanced, finished looking layouts in no time at all. You’ll have 150 sample layouts for reference and inspiration plus 116 sampler projects (including the 3 you just read about above) to accent all your paper crafts.