In this post I'm sharing a review of some specialty papers (specifically vellum & canvas) that I use for printing digital designs for my crafting & memory keeping projects.  

I'm honored to be a brand ambassador for Ali Edwards Design Inc.  And in this post I'll be using the digital files of these super cute die cut trees that sold out like hotcakes on December Daily release day.  This set of 5 die cut trees were printed with gold foil accents on transparent plastic.  I was lucky enough to get a set to create with for my Product Play lesson (here's a sneak peek of my page idea coming on Nov. 18th) where I create the most magical wintery page with these trees.  

But I also wanted to find a way that you could recreate this foundation page using the digital version of the trees.  Hence, this blog post!  ​

In the video below I share a quick tutorial to show how I set up a page design with the digital trees using Canva.  (Don't stress, Canva is free & easy to use design software for everyone)

I share more tips & videos like this one in the Scrapbook with Canva community.   This is your invitation to come join us! 

In this next video, I share my printed page reviews. 

I printed each letter sized page on my home printer; an HP Envy Photo 7155 that I've had for a few years now.   I don't believe it's still available, but this one looks like it might be the newest version.   I have also cut down these papers and printed digital designs with my Epson PM-400 photo printer with great results! 

Once my pages were all printed, I wanted to recreate the gold foil accents that were on the plastic die cut trees.   A crafty friend of mine, Jessica, highly recommended these paint markers from Hobby Lobby and I have to totally agree with her on this.  They are fantastic! 

​

In this next video I test out the gold paint marker on my pages. 

And in this video below I share my thought on how the gold looks on each type of paper. 

And as promised here's the information for the specialty papers I used in the video. 

In the end, I chose paper No.3 to use for my next project; a handmade beaded ornament.  It's giving me all the Anthropologie vibes.  

It's easy to embellish these canvas paper trees to make them your own; just a heads up that it will take you a bit of time to string the beads.  I used metallic gold embroidery floss and a mix of tiny seed beads and sequins I had on hand in my craft supplies.  I found it relaxing and a change of page from paper crafting.   The stitches are secured on the backside with washi tape to hold the ends in place.  Then I covered the backside with a card stock pattern paper and adhered them together with this adhesive.   Once it was dry, I fussy cut out the tree shape outline.  Then punched a small hole in the top of the star, making sure it wasn't too close to the top, and attached gold embroidery thread for hanging.  ​

  

You can discover more December Daily inspiration & ideas on IG #decemberdaily or follow me here. 

According to scrapbook.com May 7th is National Scrapbook Day 2022 (or International Scrapbook Day to include crafters from all over the world).  It began in 1994 and is now celebrated by crafters everywhere!  This year I'm honored to be participating in the Indie Designers iNSD 2022 blog hop along with some amazing independent digital designers!  We have collectively put together some fabulous freebies for you today.  
​

If this is your first stop welcome!  If you've arrived here via the link on Kelly's blog at Pixels to Pages, then this is your next stop.  If  you've been blog hopping along, then I'm glad to see you made it here!  Some of you may know me from the Create with Canva class I taught for Ali Edwards Design Inc.  But some of you may be new to this blog, so let me share a little bit with you. 

​I'm a hybrid memory keeper, I like using smaller pocket page albums, and I love using Canva to scrapbook!   I started this blog in 2020 to share my love of Canva, and help others learn how to create better scrapbooks with less effort.  There's lots of great info here and it's my hope that you'll take a peek around my site. You can also find me posting regularly on Instagram.  And I'd love to invite you to join FB our community Scrapbook with Canva if you'd like to explore more about using Canva for scrapbooking. ​​
​

The kit includes five 3x4 pocket-style journal cards which can be download to print, or use digitally.  I've also included two fun digital stamp designs.   But I think the best part is you'll also get a link to three pocket card templates so you can try out Canva right now, on any device; desktop, tablet or phone (iOS or Android) and see how easy it is to use for yourself. 
Canva will also work with any of the .png papers, elements & overlays you have collected from the blog hop today.  How cool is that! 

Watch the video tutorial below as I show you step by step how to use this mini kit in Canva.   

If you don't have a Canva login yet, please use this link above to sign up for your free account.  Note: you do not need to upgrade your account to use this kit.​

Next, head on over to visit Jessica at the Curio Pantry to collect your next digital kit.  It's fresh picked and perfect for summer! 

I knew the second I saw these pocket cards released in the Rainbow Scrapbook Kit by Ali Edwards that I had to try making them with some of those amazing digital papers included in the kit.   In this post I'm sharing how I created these pockets using Canva, however the first part of this tutorial would most likely work in any program that you can use .png files in such as word, google docs and others.   I've also included a video tutorial for Canva at the end of this post.​
​

Let's get started!   
The first thing I did was create a new page design in Canva at 11" x 8.5" (letter sized) because I wanted to make sure the pocket template included in the kit would fit as the actual size on the page.   Then inserted the digital pocket template and centered it on the page.  I did not resize it.

Next I downloaded this design as a .pdf for the highest quality print, then printed it on my HP Envy 7155 Photo Printer.  Then I cut out the pocket design, and scored it along the fold lines. (as shown with instructions in the digital kit).  This was essentially my "test run" and good practice to see how it would fold & go together.   But my mind was still spinning with ideas, and I wanted to do more with this pocket design.  So I created another design in Canva this time sized smaller at 5" x 8.5" knowing that the pocket template would still fit.  But the advantage of this size is that it will fit to print on my Epson PM-400 photo printer which I actually hands down prefer to use for everything related to memory keeping when ever I can because it produces the most vibrant colors for the things I print. 
​

This time I downloaded my design as a .jpg as it's a smaller file size and still produces great quality on my PM-400 printer.  Also as an added tip, a .png and .pdf will print with a default setting of a white boarder around your design, and I have not found anyway to change this.  So .jpg it is.  Remember this! 
​

Note: For this to work, you have to customize your page size settings before printing to tell your printer you have a longer page length. 
​You have to do both steps below:
1. Click on manage custom sizes to add a custom page size to your printer settings
​

2. Change the paper size setting on your Epson PM-400 to match

Now that you have completed these steps, you're all set to print.   I've added this photo of the pocket card printed on both printers so you can see the difference.  The top card is most definitely brighter and printed on the PM-400. 
​

How Customize in Canva
​In this next section I'll show you how I customized this pocket card with a digital paper that's in the rainbow kit.  If you're familiar with using "grids" in Canva these photos should help you see how I did it.   Watch the video below to see how I do this with more explanation. ​

When you're happy with how it looks, download and print the file as per instructions I outline above.  Or on a printer of your choice.   I also cut the letter sized paper down to 5"x8.5" to fit my PM-400 printer. 
​

I traced one of the printed templates on the back of the rainbow page and then used a combination of my paper trimmer and scissors to cut it out.   I also created & printed a separate page with the lined pocket inserts.  To assemble the pocket card, I scored & folded per the template, inserted the lined pocket card and secured with adhesive. 
​

I had so much fun playing with the designs of these pocket cards.  Here's one pocket three different ways.  The first pocket card is the file included in the kit, embellished with a little navy chipboard heart.   For the second pocket card I changed the paper design and cut out the entire half circle & replaced the window flip with vellum.  I embellished this one with a denim die cut butterfly and a custom canvas sentiment. And for the last pocket card, I printed the original design on vellum. (on my HP printer, because PM-400 doesn't recognize vellum paper well)  I cut off the top flap, to make it a pocket then punched a hole and added some navy rick rack to the insert so it can slide in from the top. 
​

The finished size of these window pocket cards measure approx. 3.75" x 3.75" but now that you know the process, I'm sure you could resize them smaller or larger to fit your project.  I think these turned out super cute and are really fun to make & embellish.  And using Canva to customize with digital papers opens up tons of possibilities for these pretty little pocket cards.   

Links mentioned in this post for your connivence:
Canva free design software
Rainbow Scrapbook Kit (digital)
Epson PM-400 Photo Printer 
Epson Premium Presentation Paper - Matte Double Sided 
Grafix Inkjet Printable Vellum 30#
​