Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Christmas Scrapping with Large Photos

A very Happy December and Season's Greetings to you!
It's Lisa-Jane with you today!

I absolutely love this time of year!  I can't wait to start scrapbooking my memories of this Christmas, especially because so much happens that it is easy to forget all the little details.  This is what happened with these photos.  They were taken last year when the children went to visit Warwick Castle with Daddy and Grandma.  While I was scrapping these, I had a real "pang" because I couldn't share the day with them, yet I couldn't remember why I couldn't be there.  Eventually I worked out that I was at a crafting retreat which felt like it was more than just a year ago and I realised that it was so important to get things recorded while they are fresh in your mind.  


I am using Crate Paper's Bundled Up collection for this year's Christmas memory keeping (I'll share more about that with you next week!) and I wanted a double page right near the start of my album to symbolise what Christmas is all about for me .... My two children!


I was recently inspired by this Pin and remembered that I had these two large pictures,  featuring my daughter in one and my son in the other alongside a jolly Santa. I thought the photos would be ideal for a striking entry early in my Christmas journal.


With larger pictures, especially ones so busy and orangey as these are, they needed a calm background with very little reds and pinks so I used a sheet of Noel 12 x 12 Paper from the Bundled Up Collection. The polka dot woodgrain was perfect for my base and I mounted the photos and the Christmas Trees paper onto cream puff bazill cardstock.  Then I brought out the pinks and reds in the embellishment clusters.


 The Season's Greetings label, the tree, ticket and pink snowflake in the picture above are all from the Bundled Up Ephemera pack, as are the tickets and the aqua snowflake in the photo below.  Little packs of co ordinating embellishments make it very easy to build up little groupings for interest and added spots of colour.


With large photographs, you can really let your photo do the talking by keeping the rest of the layout quite minimal, which of course makes for a pretty quick page too - all important at this crazy busy time of year!
Let the photos take centre stage!!

Have you started any festive craft projects yet?  Link up in the comments or tell us about it - we'd love to come and take a look.

Bye for now
Lisa-Jane
xx

Lisa-Jane is Mum to two small children and adores December and all things Christmas .... she blogs regularly at "Inside My Head"

Wednesday 6 November 2013

November's Six Cards on the 6th!

Hello and welcome to November's Six Card's on the 6th! Are you feeling festive yet? I'm starting to dream of decking the halls and roasting a turkey... ooh I love the anticipation!

This series is all about inspiring you to get those Christmas cards made in time. You can link up your own cards at any time throughout the month, and at the end of the series one link-up from all the posts will win a pizza box stuffed full with scrapbook stash!

Today we have cards by me (Jennifer) and Jenny to make you feel festive! We encourage you to think of how you can make the six cards quickly, and before you know it you'll have a set of cards ready to go!

I'm up first...

Jennifer:

I pulled together a kit for my cards:


It includes the Crate Paper Bundled Up 6x6" Pad and Ephemera, 6x6" Square Kraft Blanks, sequins, a white pearl pen, a sentment stamp, a stack of pigment inks, and some Studio Calico Tiny Stars Wood Veneers. After I took this photo I also pulled out some cream card, wide ledger print washi tape, white glitter tape, and clear embossing powder (plus tools and adhesives!).

Here's the six cards I created:







You can see I followed the same format for all the cards, even though the varied colours and ephemera makes them look a bit different!

Now for Jenny's set of cards...

Jenny:

I've gone for a red and silver theme this month! I've used a background stamp with versa mark ink and silver embossing powder to create a background and then inked over it with Festive Berries distress ink.


Aren't Jenny's cards jolly? I love the ones with jingle bells on - I know my kids would keep shaking them to hear the bells ring!

Have we inspired you to get crafting? If you join in with the series we'd love you to copy this button into your post or sidebar! Just select all the text in the box below the image, and copy that either into a html gadget (or text widget) in your sidebar, or into the html on a blog post. Then the button will appear and will be linked back to the series - your button won't have a box underneath!


 photo Sixon6thbutton200pix_zps673fb713.jpg



Link up your cards below for a chance to win the pizza box full of stash (prize will go out in early January). Have fun and be merry! 

Jennifer x

Friday 25 October 2013

A Christmas Notebook!

Hello - Jenny here today!

With just over 8 weeks to go (I know - scary how fast time goes!) it really is time to turn out thoughts to our Christmas crafting!

Every year at Christmas time I have a little notebook in which I keep a record of all the presents I have bought so I don't forget anyone or more likely buy another present when I've already got one squirrelled away for them!




This year I thought I would make myself a pretty one so I set about altering this notebook.



It was a pretty bog standard spiral bound notebook, which cost me less than a £1 when I bought it. I started off by levering the spiral open to remove the covers.



 I used a promarker to do this so I didn't bend the spiral out of shape.

  

I have covered the front and the back with kraft card and then added a panel to the front using papers from Teresa Collins Santa's List 6 x 6 pad. I've cut an aperture in the paper and put my image behind the hole. I used a cute penguin image coloured with my promarkers. I have heat embossed the silver on his hat and scarf and given him some stickles snow to stand on. For the finishing touches I  added some red twine and punched snowflakes with red gems added to the centre and tied a variety of ribbons to the spiral bound once it was back in place to pretty it up.
  


On the inside of the back cover I have added a pocket cut out of kraft card so that I can add any receipts I wish to keep. I created the pretty shape on the top edge of the pocket using one of my nestabilities dies.

I hope this might inspire you to make your own festive notebook - you could keep your "To do" list or your menu ideas in it as well as present ideas!

Don't forget you still have a few days to enter the Six Cards Challenge - we are loving visiting your blogs to see your cards and don't forget each time you link up six cards you gain an entry into the Big Draw to win a box of stash!!

Thanks for visiting today!

Jenny is a busy Mum with three children and regularly blogs her cards and crafts at Dragonllews Spot


Sunday 6 October 2013

October's Six Cards on the 6th!

Hello and welcome to October's Six Card's on the 6th! Do you know it's only 80 days until Christmas?! Sorry to scare you, but it's time to get crafting for the festive season!

This series is all about inspiring you to get those Christmas cards made in time. You can link up your own cards at any time throughout the month, and at the end of the series one link-up from all the posts will win a pizza box stuffed full with scrapbook stash!

If you join in with the series we'd love you to copy this button into your post or sidebar! Just select all the text in the box below the image, and copy that either into a html gadget (or text widget) in your sidebar, or into the html on a blog post. Then the button will appear and will be linked back to the series - your button won't have a box underneath!

 photo Sixon6thbutton200pix_zps673fb713.jpg


Today we have cards by Lisa-Jane and Sarah to make you feel festive!

First up is Lisa-Jane:

I was working with some supplies from the fun new Simple Stories "December Documented" collection:


  This pack included some transparent overlays, which gave me the idea to make some shaker cards! I used the cut apart sheets and stickers to make different backgrounds and foregrounds for my glittery creations. For some finishing touches I added sparkly ribbons and trims and a few snowflake brads from my stash:








Next up is Sarah:

I opted for a red and grey colour scheme this month, using Echo Park's "Reflections Christmas" and Glitz "Hello December" papers. I also added a paper doily to four of the cards - they all have a nice vintage feel: 


Didn't Lisa-Jane and Sarah make some gorgeous cards? It's really not hard to make six cards if you use a common idea for the set. If you are struggling to come up with a 'kit' to make six cards you can always think of a theme like 'vintage' or 'sparkly' to work out what items to pull together!

Now it's your turn! Link up your cards below for a chance to win the pizza box full of stash (prize will go out in early January). We can't wait to see what you create!

Jennifer x

Thursday 3 October 2013

Chalk Studio Part Two - Timeless Chalkboard!

Hello, Jennifer here with more projects using My Mind's Eye's Chalk Studio collection! Today I want to show you how timeless these chalkboard embellishments are. You can use them for any season, just by changing the papers and other embellishments you put with them! 

The below projects are all cards, but the same techniques can be applied to layouts and other projects.

First up is a card for Halloween. I've been taking my daughter Trick-or-Treating for the last couple of years with a group of mums and kids. One of the other mums (who loves Halloween), is due to have a baby that week, so she won't be coming this year. I'm going to send her this card to make her feel part of it!

Admit One To Spooky Town:


I don't have any Halloween supplies, so I used some orange patterned paper, black and white cardstock, a twirly corner stamp, and the awesome Chalk Studio embellishments to create the spooky feel - the lines surrounding 'Admit One' look almost like bones! 

The word 'spooky' is heat embossed with white embossing powder to give it a ghostly sheen, which is a great texture difference to the chalky label. I finished the card off with a few black pearls and doodled lines around them so they became spiders!

Next is a traditional-looking Christmas card...

Be Good:


The 'Be Good' sentiment on here really stands out with a Chalk Studio Label Sticker backing it. I love the Chipboard Elements banner along the bottom like a ribbon, it looks like the reindeer is jumping across some snowy ground at night-time! I also added a couple of pieces at the top left to resemble icicles. The black chalkboard elements really help the traditional reds and greens to pop from the page!

Finally, here's a card for Valentines Day, though you could use it to send a little love at any time of year...

True Love 4 EVA:


For this card I teamed the Chalk Studio items up with the Glitz Wild & Free 6x6 Pad and Giant Rhinestones. All the hearts were perfect! I amped up the chalkboard on here by layering a Decorative Frame on top of a Label Sticker. The glittery number 4 and the yellow dots made with a pearl pen stop it looking too dark. The 'Well Hello' sentiment adds a cheeky touch that makes me smile!

I'm really loving the chalkboard trend and I know I'm going to be using the embellishments up completely! 

Don't forget these ideas from my two Chalk Studio posts for how to use the embellishments:

  • Frame small photos (you could adhere one with foam dots)
  • Journal onto the Labels using a white gel pen
  • Push some chalkboard items right up to the edge
  • Add colour to the chalkboard
  • Layer a sentiment piece onto another embellishment
  • Heat emboss onto a Label
  • Use a chipboard border like a ribbon
  • Put chalkboard on top of chalkboard!

And if these cards have given you some ideas, you can still join in with our Six Cards on the 6th series to be in with a chance of winning a pizza box filled with stash! There's a couple of days left on the current linky, and a new one will be here on the 6th of October!

Jennifer x

Check out more of Jennifer's layouts and cards at her blog Jennifer Grace Creates.

Friday 6 September 2013

September's Six Cards on the 6th! Prize added!

Hello and welcome to the September edition of 'Six Cards on the 6th'! This series encourages you (and us!) to get some Christmas cards made in advance of the festive season - this year we will be prepared!

On the 6th of each month from now until December, there will be a post filled with Christmas card inspiration for you. You will be able to link up your own cards at any time throughout the month, and at the end of the series one link up from all the posts will win a prize (more details on that at the end of this post)! 

If you join in with the series at any time, or if you just want to help us spread the word, it would be fantastic if you can copy this button into your post or sidebar! You just need to select all the text in the box below the image, and copy that either into a html gadget (or text widget) in your sidebar, or into the html on a blog post. Then the button will appear and will be linked back to the series - your button won't have a box underneath!

 photo Sixon6thbutton200pix_zps673fb713.jpg


Today we have cards by Jenny and Louise to inspire you to get started!

First up is Jenny:

 Last month it was mentioned that making up a kit might speed up the creative process. I'll admit starting off a cardmaking session with a kit is not something I would normally do, so I decided to just pull out some basics to start me off! My kit consisted of a MME 6x6 Mistletoe Magic paper pad, some sheets of cardstock and some Christmas stamps.
As I got stuck in to my creative session I also used diamond, gold & silver stickles, scalloped lace border punch, zig zag border punch, tag punch, gems, ribbon, Memento black ink pad , promarkers , various spellbinder dies and six scalloped 6 x 6 square card blanks.



Here's the six cards I made:















Jenny x


Next is Louise:


 Jennifer and Sarah shared photos of the Christmas kits they pulled together last month. Taking the lead from them I did the same, and then discovered the Teresa Collins 6x6 Santas List paper pad had all the elements I needed to make my cards! The only touches I ended up adding were the snowflakes and twine:



Louise x

Didn't they both do a great job? I love how the cards in each set all go together, but each have their own distinctive charm too! 

So what are you waiting for? Jenny and Louise have both shown you can just grab a 6x6 pad and a few extra details and get stuck in... and you have the added incentive that joining in with the series could win you a prize:

One person who links up to the Six Cards on the 6th series will receive a prize - a Christmas present with a mix of old and new scrapbooking goodies for you to unwrap and enjoy! It will be a pizza box nicely stuffed with goodies. Each time you link up a set of six cards you'll earn an extra entry into the draw, so join in each month for more chances to win! Last month's entries will be included in the draw too. (NB: the prize will go out in early January to the lucky winner, to allow for late December link-ups).


I hope to see your cards soon! Jennifer x

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Jenny - Inspired By Winter


In the last part of our "Inspired By Winter" series I'd like you to get to know our 4th design team member, Jenny!
In case you missed the other posts here's the links to the other DT members: 

***    ***    ***

Hi I'm Jenny and I live in Bournemouth with my husband and three children. I work mornings in a shop doing admin work and spend my spare time crafting, mainly making cards.
 
 
I've always been crafty and have dabbled at many different crafts including cross stitch, sewing (I made my own wedding dress and the bridesmaids dresses), and candle making. I started card making in November 2008 and haven't looked back since. I have been on several Design teams over the years and really enjoy the challenge they give me and allow me out of my comfort zone with some of the challenges.
  
 S J Crafts owner, Sarah asked us all a few craft related questions and these are my answers:

  • What was your last crafty purchase? Gosh I can't think I have been really good this year and not really bought any christmas stash and I was determined to use up the box full I had here. I think the last thing I bought was the Sizzix Stamp & die set I've used in my cards below.
  • Who is your favourite Craft Manufacturer? and why? I love MME paper pads as the colours really seem to suit my crafting at the moment and Lili of the Valley and Wee Stamps for images for my cards as they are just so cute.
  • What is your favourite technique? This ones easy for me. It's just got to be colouring with my promarkers. I could spend hours colouring. I find it so relaxing.
I'm going to finish up by showing you a couple of quick Winter inspired Christmas cards I made


Both designs are fairly simple with some white embossed card, a piece of torn card to look like a snowy hill, stickles glitter along the torn edge and then I added a die cut tree or snowman from this set.

 
 

 Have you finshed all your Christmas cards? 
If my cards have inspired you to make some last minute quick cards, don't forget to leave a comment. We would love to see them.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and have a read. 
Jenny x

You can check out Jenny's blog at: Dragonllew's Spot

Saturday 24 November 2012

Louise Brooks - Inspired By Winter


My apologies this is a few days late - it should have been posted last Wednesday. 
Lots going on here at the moment!
If you missed the first "Inspired By Winter" post you can find that right here!
This week it's the turn of SJ Crafts DT Member, Louise!

***   ***   ***

Hello, I'm Louise and I live smack bang in the middle of the country with my husband and three boys. 


I work part-time and when I get a few minutes spare from family life you'll find me cutting and sticking. Unless it's a Sunday then I spend the best part of the day watching, cheering, shouting (words of encouragement) on the sidelines between three rugby pitches.

I've been scrapbooking for over 13 years now. It's been so long that it's now a way of life. It all started when my eldest son was born.......although if I think back it may have all started with my childhood when I became (a Duranie!) infatuated with Duran Duran. Remember this was in the day, pre world wide web! A scrapbook wasn't big enough so I kept everything in an arch lever file. Newspaper/Magazine cuttings, photos, posters (ones that weren't on my bedroom walls), lyrics, concert memorabilia .....I'm sure some of you must have kept something similar!  Please say you did!?
  
The world of scrapbooking has advanced here in the UK since I created my very first layout, there is so much more on offer now. Sarah (SJ Crafts lovely owner) asked me a fescrapbook related questions and this is what I had to say:
  • What was your last crafty purchase?  Papers are my thing. I would rather buy a pack pack than a set of alphas or embellishments. Hence, my last purchase consisted of two paper packs, the gorgeous Echo Park This & That Christmas collection kit and the stylish Classic 3 kit from Studio Calico.
  • Who is your favourite Craft Manufacturer? and why? I imagine we all have our favourites. There are times when one manufacturer releases a new line and for a while they are my favourite. I do have my all time favourites though, they are Lily Bee, My Minds Eye and American Crafts. This year my favourite manufacturer has to be Echo Park. Their collection kits are super value, come with plenty of papers and alpha's and stickers (which is a bonus). When you predominantly scrap with boys, it can be a challenge finding suitable papers...so these kits work perfectly for me.
  • What is your favourite technique? Hmmm this is a hard one. Many techniques come and go... at the moment for me it's stitching on layouts. Next month it will no doubt will be something different. 
I couldn't finish this post without sharing something pretty with you. Christmas is approaching all too fast and Winter is now upon us. Winter is the best excuse to stay inside, to sit in front of the telly, to create. I spent an evening with a tray full of patterned stars, some seed beads and a score board. 

These 3D stars turned out well and made a lovely contributions to the tall dried tree decoration that standin the corner of my living room. It now lookvery christmassy indeed!


These 3D stars can be made to any size. 
I used a sizzix die, but you can cut them out by hand.


Papers are  from the wonderful Carte Bella Merry & Bright range.

















All you need to do is score from each star point across to the other side and  gently fold the peaks and valleys.

          Tfinish off I added a few seed beads to some cotton to thread through the stars for hanging. 


 Are you planning on making any Christmas decorations this year?  
Have you been inspired today to have a go?
 We really would love to see if you have.... so do leave us a link so we can come and see!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by today!
Louise x

Don't forget to visit Louise's blog at Boys, Bugs and ... Beautiful Buttons