Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!! I'll be back in a few days with some more fun stuff to share...just taking a break to spend some time with my family.

Challenge: Making a List and Checking it Twice

If you are anything like me, you like to make lists to keep everything organized. With Christmas coming up next week, I've been checking my list several times a day so I don't forget anything that needs to be done.

My challenge for you this week is to create a customized gift for someone on your list. It can be store bought and decorated with a card to match, or you can do a hybrid gift...partly store-bought, partly homemade. Just remember to keep it easy so you have more time to mark off other things on your to-do list! :)

One of the items on my list was to put together some teacher gifts. Between both of my kids, I have 13 teacher gifts to prepare. That could quickly get pretty pricey, so I came up with a fun idea that also helps to easily cross the teacher gifts off my list!

 I am giving the teachers a decorated brown gift bag filled with a dinner that is quick and easy to fix: spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce, green beans and a package of brownie mix. All they need to do is add bread and meat to the sauce and they will have an instant meal ready for their family. Because, let's face it, our schedules get busy during this season, and who doesn't like an easy meal you didn't have to plan out? :)

Here's a quick how-to for this gift set:

I included a card that explains the purpose behind the gift:
"This time of the year is always so busy,
and we wanted to bless you with a dinner that’s easy
so you can spend more time with your family.
Thanks for all you do and enjoy!" 

To create your custom printed cards, type your text in a word document, using text boxes, and then print it out onto plain printer paper. Cut your card stock or patterned paper to fit in the text box areas. Use removable adhesive and attach your pretty paper to the printer paper and run it back through your printer. Then you can embellish the card front. The script words were stamps that I heat embossed on the card stock, and I added ink to the edges and rounded the corners.

I followed the same basic steps for the brownie mix directions.

I backed the brownie mix card stock with a piece of chipboard, then punched holes in the sides to thread my ribbon through so I could tie it around the packet, and a glue dot placed on the back of the card stock helped hold the paper in place on the brownie mix packet. 

For the jar, noodles and can, I just tied matching ribbons around them to help them coordinate with the gift bag.

Supplies Used:

Bo Bunny Midnight Frost Papers

White Card stock

WRMK Corner Chomper

Ranger Distress Inkpad: Chipped Sapphire

CTMH: Silver Brads
Fiskars Border Punch: Scalloped Sentiment

CTMH: Christmas Sentiment Stamps

Stampendous: Black Embossing Powder

Tsukineko: Versamark Inkpad

Hobby Lobby: Large Kraft Gift Bag

Michaels: Blue Ribbon

Surprise sighting...

A friend let me know that Jillibean Soup posted several of my layouts and cards I created from last month's Memorable Seasons kit on their blog...I was excited to see my projects on the manufacturer's blog!  Link to their blog post here.

Sketch Share: The Place Where You Were Born

This month over at Memorable Seasons, we had another fabulous sketch by Liz Chidester.

And here's my layout based on this sketch:

I used the new Sassafras Lass paper line called Indie Girl because I loved the colors and patterns on the papers. Instead of putting my photos next to each other, I placed one on top of the other and left space in the center for my title.

I also used one of the banner stickers to create two smaller banners and added red gemstones to them. My title consists of some navy velvet alphabet stickers and some strips of white cardstock that I distressed with a light cream inkpad before writing the rest of my title by hand. The colored circle pattern started out as a plain blue printed circle and I used colored pencils to customize it for my layout so that the colors were brought into the title area.

My journaling was added on a spiral notebook page. I loved how this page had the same blues, but a subtle houndstooth pattern. To finish off the layout, I added some sponged navy ink around the edge of the page.

Supplies Used:
Sassafras Lass: Indie Girl collection
-Pocahontas and Me
-Free Spirit
-Indie Flag Banners
-Cardstock Stickers
Making Memories: Boho Chic Navy Velvet alpha stickers
Making Memories: Paperie Poolside spiral journaling page
The Paper Studio: Red gemstones
Colored Pencils: Red, green, yellow
Ranger Distress Inkpad: Antique Linen
CTMH Inkpad: Outdoor Denim
White Cardstock
Zig Black Pen
WRMK Corner Chomper
November Sketch by Liz Chidester

Tuesday Challenge: Create a grid on your layout

It's Tuesday and time for another weekly DT challenge over at Memorable Seasons! 

This week was my turn...

Sometimes I just like to create a layout with lots of photos and one of the quickest ways to do that is to create a grid on your layout base, then add your page elements in the spaces of the grid.

Here's my layout:

I created a grid with the Tim Holtz Tissue Tape, to give some structure to my layout. The grid on this page reminds me of a present, so I added a red ribbon with a button center.

 The other areas that were left on my page were the bottom for my title and the top is where I added some tags with journaling and another photo I wanted to add, but since it was a little blurry, I decided to hide it in the pocket. To create the pocket, I simply added adhesive to the sides and bottom of the photo and the tags slid in nicely behind the photo. I did stamp some borders along the tops of the tags to customize them more.

My challenge for you this week is to create a grid on your layout--you can use pen lines, ribbon, paper, etc. Just use your imagination and see what you can come up with!

Card Share: Christmas Chestnut Collection

These were the cards I created with some of my scraps from the Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut collection.

For the first card, I created a background on the white cardstock with a definition stamp and ink, then softened the edges with a foam sponge and the same ink color.

I hand cut the presents from the pattern paper, then added them to the card with a couple strips of patterns underneath. The green polka dot strip was punched with a scallop border. I punched the same design on the bottom of the white cardstock before adhering it to the card base. Then my sentiment was stamped in that blank area just under the kraft pattern paper.

 I added some stickles glitter to the bows on the presents and glued some stitched buttons in the centers.

Supplies Used:
*Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Collection:
*-Sprig of Parsley
*-White Macaroni
*-Olive Sugar
*-White Sugar
Green and white cardstock

Hero Arts Cling Stamp: Friend Definition

Studio G Stamp: Merry Christmas to You
Ranger Distress Ink pads: Brushed Corduroy, Walnut Stain
Ranger Stickles: Diamond
Fiskars Border Punch: Scalloped Sentiment
Buttons: Brown, Red, White
White Crochet Thread

* Products received as Design Team member. All other products were purchased personally by me.

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For this next card, I used one of the circle die-cuts as the main focal point.

The background was created with some 1 inch strips of three papers from this collection that were glued down to some green cardstock. I tied the green gingham ribbon around the papers, then used the sticker from the collection for my sentiment, and attached my die cut circle with foam tape. Really quick card!

Supplies Used:
*Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Collection
*-White Sugar
*-Sweet Chestnuts
*-Whole Cloves
*-Journaling Sprouts
*-Cardstock Stickers
*Jillibean Soup Bean Stalks: Green/Brown (green gingham ribbon)
Brown and green cardstock
Foam Squares

*Products received as Design Team member. All other products purchased personally by me.

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For this last card, I created the background with the same definition stamp on white cardstock.

 Then I layered on some of the papers--the mittens paper first, then the green and red patterns. The red pattern was punched with a scallop punch. The center circle was a plain white circle with the words "celebrate" around the circle, but I wanted it to have some scallops around it. I traced the plain circle onto the printed kraft paper background with a pencil, then used the scallop sticker border and curled the scallops around the circle. Then I glued down the white circle in the center of the scallops and added a poinsettia with a button in the center. The button was tied on with some of the brown twine from my kit.

Supplies Used:
*Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Collection:
*-Turkish Bay Leaf
*-Olive Sugar
*-Red Sugar
*-Cardstock Stickers
*Jillibean Soup Journaling Sprouts: Christmas Chestnut
Hero Arts Cling Stamp: Friend Definition
Ranger Distress Ink pad: Brushed Corduroy
Making Memories: Poinsettia flower
Autumn Leaves: Red Button
*Jillibean Soup Bean Stalks: Green/Brown (brown twine)
Fiskars Border Punch: Scalloped Sentiments
CTMH: White cardstock

*Products received as Design Team member. All other products purchased personally by me.

Layout Share: Naughty or Nice

This was the last layout I created for the Memorable Seasons design team reveal this month. Tomorrow I will be sharing the cards I created with this kit sponsored by Jillibean Soup.

This layout came together quickly with blocks of colors and patterns. I matted the two main photos onto the green paper, then bordered it with the red polka dots that I punched with a scallop punch. The other two photos were bordered with thin strips of the red polka dot and I broke up all the red color with the green gingham ribbon in the center.

The two main photos were highlighted with two of the cardstock stickers--naughty and nice. The circle stickers were matted with white punched cardstock circles. I also added some buttons to tie it all together.

For my title and journaling, I used a die cut page from a journaling notebook. I stamped the words "naughty" and "nice" onto the kraft paper strip and bordered it with the same red polka dot patterns. The December 25 sticker was matted with a white punched cardstock circle.

Supplies Used:
*Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Papers:
*-Olive Sugar
*-Red Sugar
*-White Macaroni
*Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Cardstock Stickers
Autumn Leaves Buttons
Fiskars Border Punch: Scalloped Sentiment
EK Success 1.5 inch circle punch
Making Memories: 5th Avenue Spiral Journal Notebook page
White Cardstock, Kraft Cardstock
Black Pen

*Products received as Design Team Member. All other products were purchased personally by me.

Layout Share: Shiny and Bright

Today's layout is a two-pager that features the Christmas Chestnut products from Jillibean Soup.

I basically lined up my photos on white cardstock, then added strips of the red papers around the photos. The striped paper was punched with a scallop border punch. I cut out several presents from one of the papers, then placed them onto a die cut circle. I added some glitter glue to the presents to help them pop on the layout. My title was added with some pretty chipboard glitter stickers.

I also carried the green color through the layout with the holly leaves and red gems:

The die cut circles only had one that featured a present, so I cut out another gift and popped it up on top of this circle that had a printed mitten set on it. You can hardly see the mittens below unless you look from the side, but I love how I was able to use that circle and alter it to fit my layout.

 This photo shows another present that I cut out from the pattern paper, then I added red stickles glitter to the polka dots and clear glitter glue to the bow. This was also another one of the circles from the kit.

Supplies Used:
*Jillibean Christmas Chestnut Collection:
*-White Sugar
*-Sweet Chestnuts
*-Sprig of Parsley (presents cut out)
*-Journaling Sprouts
American Crafts Thickers: White Sprinkles Alphabet
Ranger Stickles: Candy Cane, Diamond
Making Memories: Holly Leaves
The Paper Studio: Red Gems, Blue Cardstock
CTMH: White cardstock
Fiskars Border Punch: Threading Water

* Products received as Design Team Member. All other products purchased personally by me.

Layout Share: Sweet Faces of Pure Joy

Wanted to share another layout I created this month using the Jillibean Soup papers.

I picked two of my favorite photos from Christmas several of years ago that showed my kids' facial expressions. I added my title with these coordinating cardstock stickers and the small red alphabet stickers from the same sheet. I used a permanent marker to add the other words in the title. The green strip of paper was accented with the printed scallop sticker. I also added some buttons and red twine for some more pops of color.

My journaling was added on the die cut circle and I used the larger letter stickers to add the date. you can also see the red poinsettias with white pearls that I added to the centers. LOVE these flowers! :)

Supplies Used:
*Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Collection:
*-Heavy Cream
*-Olive Sugar
*-Journaling Sprouts

*-Cardstock Stickers
*-Glazed Green Alphabeans Letter Stickers
*Jillibean Soup Bean Stalks: Snowflakes (red twine)
Ranger Distress Ink Pad: Shabby Shutters
7 Gypsies Mini Label Stickers: Naked Color
Making Memories: Poinsettia Flowers
The Paper Studio: White Pearls
Autumn Leaves: Buttons
White Crochet Thread
Black Pen

* Products received as Design Team Member. All other products purchased personally by me.

Layout Share: Tree Trimming

This is another layout created from the Jillibean Soup products we received in our Design Team kits this month.

I used some really old photos of my kiddos on this layout and it was fun looking back and remembering just how little they were. :)

I started by layering some of the papers along the bottom of the layout. I hand cut the scallops along the top of the kraft paper, following the paper's printed design. Once my papers were all adhered down, I added some of the coordinating trims (red and green) and added my journaling with the die cut circles that were included in our kit.

I added clusters of buttons in three places on the layout for emphasis:

Then I added my title at the top of the page with the larger green stickers in the kit. I also added a pop of color with the die cut circle behind the title. And to finish off the layout, I used my white gel pen to add stitching lines.

Supplies Used:

*Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Collection
*-Red Sugar
*-White Macaroni
*-Sprig of Parsley
*Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Journaling Sprouts
*Jillibean Soup Bean Stalks: Snowflakes (red twine), Green/Brown (green ric rac)
*Jillibean Soup Alphabeans: Green Glaze
Autumn Leaves Buttons: Brown, Green, Red
Black Cardstock
Ranger Inkssentials White Pen, Glossy Accents
7 Gypsies Mini Label Stickers: Naked Color
Date Stamp, Black Ink pad, Black Pen

* Products received as a Design Team Member. All other products were purchased personally by me.

Layout Share: Our Songs

For the month of November, the design team over at Memorable Seasons was sponsored by Jillibean Soup. We each received a packet of the new Christmas Chestnut line of papers along with the coordinating Journaling Sprouts, Cardstock stickers, Alphabet stickers and some Ribbon and Twine packs. Lots of fun stuff to use and I had a great time getting into the Christmas spirit. I also used a bunch of our older Christmas photos on these layouts...it felt good to catch up a bit in my albums too! :)

I love how these papers have a kraft background for the patterns and I wanted to play up the colors this photo with the neutral browns and pops of red and green. I started by stamping the music images along the right side of the layout and heat embossed them with clear embossing powder to give a subtle look to the page.

I also cut some small strips from different pattern papers in this collection and glued them down to the white cardstock. The green gingham sections are ribbons from Jillibean Soup.

To add some green color to the red and white striped paper, I used a green marker and a ruler and just randomly added some green stripes. The green cardstock at the bottom was cut with a trim punch, then I cut that design in half to create the border. I also added my journaling on one of the Journaling Sprouts from the Christmas collection and popped it off the page with some foam tape. My title "Our Songs" was added onto vellum and I used the small red stickers from the collection along with the larger green stickers we were sent. I did outline the green stickers to help them stand out a bit more and added a small label sticker with the date just beneath the title.

I tied a bow in the green gingham ribbon along the top of the layout before adhering it down and then securing it with some brads. I also added some red paper poinsettias with button centers.

Supplies Used:

*Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Collection:
*-Turkish Bay Leaf
*-White Sugar
*-Whole Cloves
*-Red Sugar
*-Journaling Sprouts
*Jillibean soup Alphabeans Letter Stickers: Glazed Green
*Jillibean Soup Bean Stalks: Green/Brown (green gingham ribbon)
CTMH: Vellum, Sweet Leaf Marker
EK Success Border Punch: Medallion Chain
Fiskars Border Punch: Scalloped Sentiments
Stampabilities: Composer's Dream Background Stamp
Versamark Ink pad, Clear Embossing Powder
Making Memories: Poinsettia flowers, Antique Copper Brads
White Buttons, White Crochet Thread
White, brown and green cardstock
Brown Marker, Black Pen

* Products I received as a Design Team Member. All other products used were purchased personally by me.

Layout Share: Still Thankful...

I can't believe it's already November! I thought I'd kick this month off with a layout I made about being thankful despite your circumstances. 

I created this layout with a challenge to scrapbook what you are thankful for and combined it with a challenge to use at least 2 punches on a layout.

For my title, I punched the ticket shapes out and used a stamp to accentuate the larger one, then added my sub-titles with a black pen. The main part of the title was added with some vinyl stickers directly onto an old photo negative. I added the negative to the layout with some foam tape. Here's another shot of the title section so you can see how everything is layered:

I added my journaling inside the library card pocket and journaled directly onto a library card. I carried the orange punched trim onto the pocket and added some ribbon to the top with a tiny stapler so it would be easy to pull the card out to read the journaling. I used a cut-out from the Mama-Razzi line to cover the library pocket so it fit in with the rest of the layout.

For the punches, I punched the tickets on the title area, the orange cardstock sections were punched with a decorative trim punch, and the top of this blue paper was punched too with a binding punch system. It reminded me of the edges of a photo negative, so I wanted to carry the theme through the layout as much as possible.

Supplies Used:

Bo Bunny Mama-Razzi Papers:
-Film, Dot, Aperture, Cut Outs
Library Card and Pocket
anger Distress Ink pad: Vintage Photo
AC Thickers: Vera Vinyl Alphabet
CTMH Stamp: Rectangle
Fiskars Border Punch: Upper Crest
Carla Craft Binding Punch
Martha Stewart Border Punch:Infinite Loops Trim
EK Success Punch: Photo Label
Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher
Foam Tape, photo negative
Orange and white cardstock
Prima Flower

Layout Share: Daddy's Boots

Here is another layout I created from those older pictures I found of my son. I had originally planned on doing something different with these when I grouped them together with a poem several years back, but they never got finished, so I changed my approach and I love how they turned out. This layout was created with scraps that I had left over from some papers I used earlier this year.

I cut out the strip along the bottom from a larger sheet of paper when I originally used this collection and instead of leaving it as a straight border, I trimmed around the orange circles at the bottom and added a punched white border of stars below.

I added the title and dates with tiny alphabet stickers. I love how the yellow letters just popped off the page and tied in the colors in my son's sweater.

 The title was placed on a journal card that was left over from the same collection. I just backed it with white cardstock and trimmed it so it had a thin white border, then added the silver brads.

The journaling was written on a scrap piece of vellum that I attached to the layout just under the border and the title block.

Supplies Used:
Fancy Pants Like Father Like Son Collection (all scraps) -Strips, Be Strong, Cards
My Little Shoebox Mini Alpha Stickers: Pearl
Martha Stewart Classic Stars Edge Punch
White Cardstock, scrap vellum
CTMH Silver Brads
MS Black Permanent Marker: Ebony

All products from personal stash.