A Quick Scrapbook

Today I have a REALLY quick scrapbook to show you.  I really wanted this scrapbook ready for Christmas this year because it marks 30 years since we first started an important family tradition.  I didn't have a lot of time, so could DEFINITELY have decorated the pages more - especially as I moved farther into it and ran out of decorative bits I had on hand.  I decided I could always come back and add more to the pages as I have time.  At least I have SOMETHING to show the family.  The papers are a variety from my stash.  The ones that I speak of as "pre-designed" or "pre-made" are from a DCWV stack (but I don't remember the name of it.  Other papers are from a HOTP Christmas Sweets paper pack.  Still others are from my stash and I have no idea where I got them.

Page #1 (above): Much of this page was pre-designed.  I simply cut around the corner of the calendar & journaling block so the picture could slip behind it.  I then added a matted title spelling out the year, and a label under the picture.  The snowflakes were ones I had on hand - made with Spellbinder's cut fold tuck snowflake dies.  The candy cane was something I found in my stash, as was the holly piece.  I think they may have been part of a freebie download from HOTP.

Pages 2 & 3:

This dual page layout was made using papers I found in my stash.  The letters that I used for the titles were all from a HOTP set.  Here you can see them a little closer:

 

Pages 4 & 5:

Because I was in a hurry, all journaling was done by hand.  I'm sure it would have looked better if it had been done on the computer.  I used a large circle stencil to cut out the large circular shapes - would have looked better if both sides had been the same dark brownish red paper - but I didn't have two the same.

And close up:

 

Pages 6 & 7:

This page looks REALLY empty.  At some point I'll figure out more to add to it.  I cut the patterned paper on the diagonal & added to two sheets of cream colored card stock.  The green border is a ribbon. The "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is from a Debbi Moore freebie.

Close Up:

Pages 8 & 9:

The titles here were die cut using no brand alphabet dies.

Close Ups:

Page 10:

Once again I used a patterned card stock that basically gave me a "pre-made" page.  It, too, could benefit from added decoration when I have time to figure something out.

That's it!  10 simple and quick pages to help us celebrate this milestone Christmas in our family.

A Couple Quick Cards

I needed some quick Thank You cards, so went to my stash of pictures to upcycle and my stash of prepared background papers and created these two cards.

Card #1 (above): Here, a background created with a marbling technique (alcohol ink dripped into a container of water - then "kiss" the white card stock to the water to pick up color).  I believe this one may also have a bit of spray ink added to it.  At any rate, the colors were perfect for this focal that was cut from a calendar page.  The "Thank You" was cut from a freebie Debbi Moore download.

Card #2:

This time the background was a piece of black card stock covered with Golden Glow Opal Polish. The focal was recycled from a greeting card I received, and the greeting was hand written on coordinating paper & then matted with more of the Opal Polish covered card stock.

Since everything was already in my stash, these were very quick cards indeed.

Little Birdies ACK - Part 3

Today I finished up the Little Birdies Artful Card Kit (HOTP).  I got a total of 15 cards from the partial kit I had left when I started this a week or two ago. 

Card #11 (above): For this card I took some red foil tape I had and put it across the top & bottom of the card front.  Then I embossed it with the Damask embossing folder (Darice).  Next I added narrow washi tape top and bottom of the red.  Finally, I added my die cuts from the kit.

Inside:

Inside I made the border in the same way as the front - except for the embossing.  Then I added a die cut flower from the kit to complete the inside.

Card #12:

Here I took the green paper from the kit for the background, bordered it with narrow washi tape, and then added die cuts from the kit.

Inside:

Inside I just melded several die cuts (and the scrap of border die cut left over from the card front) into a grouping in the lower right corner.

Card #13:

I found some pink vellum from my stash to back the leftover piece of patterned paper I had, then added die cuts.  The bird is raised slightly above the frame using foam tape.  I didn't get a picture of the inside.  It was just a strip of the vellum with a small flower die cut.

Card #14:

For this one I started with the green paper & washi tape.  Then I backed the focal die cut with an embossed circle from my stash that I hit with a bit of gold ink.  The smaller flowers form a bit of a border between strips of washi tape and washi tape also forms a bit of a hanger for the circle.

Inside:

Inside is just more of the same.

Card #15:

This last card again uses the green paper from the kit - along with narrow washi tape & die cuts from the kit.

Inside:

After creating border strips with the same green & washi tape, I added the die cut flower and called it done.

That's it!  NOTHING left over.  Every die cut & scrap of paper from the kit has been used!  YAY!

Using Up my Xmas Stash

I've been using up my stash for quite awhile, and have quite a long way to go yet, but I'm starting to see that at some point I WILL use up these materials so I can move on to more current designs!  

Card #1 (above):  As you can probably tell from the picture, I embossed a chevron pattern (Darice embossing folder) onto a strip that runs across the middle of the card front.  The border was actually a wide piece that I cut in two so it would fit both top and bottom.  Other than that embossed strip from my stash, everything else was fussy cut from the set.  I used a fine-line marker & ruler to add a black border along the candy-stripe border strips.  

Card #2:

Next up is a Santa suit card.  Everything is from the kit EXCEPT: the white part of the border was from my stash - as was little bits of white card stock used to mat the greeting.

Inside:

I got a kick out of putting these two tags together on the inside.  The message on the first seemed a bit odd, but paired with the 2nd, really puts a twist on a common Christmas greeting!  Everything on the inside is from the set.

Card #3:

The patterned paper was pretty, but it was a bit challenging trying to figure out how to bring the different elements together.  All are HOTP products, but the greeting is a transparency that didn't come in the set.

Inside:

Both pieces with words were from the transparency book rather than the set, but once again everything is from HOTP.

Card #4:

I had some real trouble with this card.  Sometimes cards come together easily, sometimes not.  This one took me awhile to get it so I was happy with it.  Here you see the first attempt.  The black is card stock from my stash - the rest is from the set.  The green came separately & was fussy cut & layered on top of the original tag.  It's a bit hard to tell from the picture, but the lower edge is cut-away so the inside of the card shows through.

Inside:

The border strip was leftover from the card front, and the tag used here was also from the set.

2nd Attempt:

I knew I didn't like the tag seemingly hanging from nowhere, so found some bias tape & added a border strip from which it could hang.

3rd Attempt:

I decided some Dazzle stickers would help, so added these white ones to the borders - with small bits on the round red dots.

Inside:

I added more stickers on the inside.  The card looks much better now. 

Thanksgiving 2020

 

Yesterday morning I finished the page for LAST YEAR's Thanksgiving.  

As you can see, I used part of the paper napkin from that dinner in my layout - using double-sided adhesive to adhere it (after I separated the layers and removed all but the top layer).  

The layout is sort of the mirror image of the facing page (Thanksgiving 2019).  

The Title & Journaling were printed on a sheet of cream colored paper.

Little Birdies ACK - Part 2

Today I have more from the Little Birdies ACK (HOTP).  Like I mentioned last time, several die cuts and papers were missing, so I clearly had started working on this set some time before, but I can't find any sign of those cards on my blog.  I probably needed some quick card(s) and didn't get pictures taken.  At any rate, because of what had been used already, I was left with die cuts that don't go with any of the papers & papers that don't have any die cuts to go with them!  This obviously makes creating cards more challenging.  Since I showed 4 cards in "Part 1", I'll start numbering today's cards with #5.

Card #5 (above):  This is the ONLY card I made today where the die cuts and papers seemed to coordinate with each other!  As you can see, I added quite a few of the die cuts.  

Inside:

On the inside, I added more of the paper & die cuts - everything was from the kit.

Card #6:

The original color of the background paper for this card was a coral/peach for the mini-flowers.  Obviously, that wouldn't go with the pinks in the die cuts!  So, after layering everything the way I wanted it, including a small brown border strip from my stash & more of the brown for a tag/mat for the cut out sentiment, I took a marker & colored the flowers to make them more pink.

Inside:

Another piece of the brown, plus a couple more of the die cuts for the border on the inside of this card.

Card #7:

I still had more of that patterned paper, but truly nothing I had left in the kit looked good with it.  SO, I paired it with some artwork from a Debbi Moore download.

Inside:

Inside is more of the same - along with a scrap of turquoise from my stash & a stamped message (from JustRite's Friends Antique Labels One).

Card #8:

I still had more of that paper, so looked to see what else I could put with it.  I found this peach colored note card in my stash & a card board ornament.  I added the ornament with removable tape so the recipient can hang it on their tree if they like.  The sentiment (HOTP bulk Christmas Stamp Set) was stamped on a scrap from my stash.

Card #9:

I had a couple of die cuts left that didn't really go with any of the papers I had left.  I paired them with some black card stock from my stash to make a little note card.  Here, the black background was die cut using a Fun Stampers Journey die called Asian Lattice.

Inside:

Inside was very simple - a button die cut (from the kit) was sewn with thread and added to a strip of black card stock.

Card #10:

For this last note card, I wanted to use up some of the remaining blue patterned paper and a cut out - both from the kit.  I paired them with a piece of aqua card stock from my stash & a pink card base which I embossed with an M-Bossibilities folder called Valor.  I finished the card by die cutting a sentiment using one of my new sentiments dies - Thinking of You by Creative Expressions.

Little Birdies ACK - Part 1

This really SHOULDN'T be part 1 of the Little Birdies ACK (Artful Card Kit) because I clearly had used quite a bit of it already - but I don't find any other posts, so I must not have actually posted my makes.  So, I'll start numbering this with number "1", but my total will probably be only 1/2 of what I actually made from this kit!

Card #1 (above):  I clearly used all the best papers already, and what was left really didn't go with some of these toppers.  The die cuts were so pretty that I didn't want to sacrifice them by putting them with "iffy" papers, so the first two cards are made using papers from my stash.  The only other thing that I added to this card front was a small strip of black/gold washi tape.

Inside:

The washi tape & paper make another appearance on the inside - along with the rest of the border & other die cuts from the kit.

Card #2:

There was nothing remotely supportive of the colors in this focal (since I had already used up the pinks from the kit) - so I found some lavender papers in my stash.  I also added gold poster board, black/gold washi tape, & a couple of Hunkydory Sentiments.

Inside:

More of the same - with another die cut from the kit.  The gold was cut with a stitched die from Fun Stampers Journey (Rectangles Long).

Card #3:

The main background paper for this card & the next one, DID come from the kit.  However, I could not find paper in the dark pink color in my stash (and had already used what came in the kit).  Since I REALLY wanted it matting & border, I used 3 layers of inks on plain white card stock to get as close to the color as I could.  Most of the rest of the elements are from the kit, but the peach colored tag was a Hunkydory Sentiment.

Inside:

Inside I inked some more & added a piece of paper & a die cut from the kit.

Card #4:

Much of this card came from the kit.  I did add gold poster board from my stash, and a couple of Dazzles border stickers.

Inside:

By this time I was running out of materials - AND ideas - so the inside is pretty simple.