25 Christmas Scrapbook Pages

25 Christmas Scrapbook Pages

Free Paper Designs

Free Paper Designs

see blog page for more Christmas card creations

Time's getting so close and I have way too many more people that I usually send cards to for Christmas. Tomorrow it looks like I'll be away from the computer and crafting tables in order to pay respects to the widow & 2 kids of one of my high school classmates. Like me, he was 48. Had a heart attack in his sleep Saturday night. So tragic. We also grew up about a 2 blocks apart. There were only 35 in our class.

Take a look on the blog page and see some of the cards I've made.

Christmas card creations

I'm trying to make each one unique or close to it. In order to save assembling time when working with materials, I'll maybe cut 2 or 3 instead of the 1 required for the particular of making. Then that puts me one step ahead for the next card. Right now, I have 2 partially completed cards waiting on my craft table.

These Christmas cards are acts of love made in response to the greatest love act of all recorded in John 3:16.

By the way, my new favorite song is by a gospel group called "Down Here" about 'how many kings would step down from their thrones'...'how many lords'...'how many fathers would give up their sons for me'...

look at new non-seasonal ATCs

In just a few minutes I will post some non-seasonal ATCs that I created yesterday. My intent is to include them in hand-made Christmas cards for some of our loved ones who are having some serious health issues.

still creating for Christmas cards and publication deadlines

Due to publishers not wanting items posted on blogs or message boards, I can't post photos of my most recent work.

Will have some items ready in a day or two to show.

Taking time to submit for publication

Paper Crafts magazine has a Dec 14 deadline for several features to appear in a issue towards the end of next year!! It's amazing how far in advance they have to prepare things. (I thought college registration for classes was getting bad. Most high school seniors don't realize that they need to be having their financial aid and registration for next fall 2011 ready to go by about February....)

Anyway, I've been taking time the past few days working on some items and have 4 items submitted so far and another almost ready. I've also submitted 2 items for one of their blog challenges and would like to submit maybe 1 or 2 more if I can get in gear. Like all of you, I've started receiving Christmas cards and am trying to create all of mine this year or maybe at least 2/3 with 1/3 embellishing of store-bought boxed cards.

Hope my blog readers are enjoying their Christmas cards giving and receiving time!

Creating a non-traditional type birthday card

To do something special and unusual for my youngest nephew, I created a birthday 'card' book for him. Since he turned 6, the book has 6 cardboard (you can use heavy cardstock) pages covered front and back. I did lots of repetition with words, colors, and symbols of his 2 favorite types of toys.

I started with a 12" x 12" piece of cardboard and measured off for 6 equal sections. For the decorative cardstock or patterned paper, I started with approx 4" x 5" sections and did decorative scissoring around 3 edges. For the text, I chose Verdana font in either 24 or 26 pt. I wanted something bolder but still crisp and clean than Times New Roman. Other than that, including a variety of stickers, using a hole punch, and tying together with about 8 inches of ribbon in one of his fav colors, the book was completed.

Try this project for a little one in your life. (I'm not posting all 6 photos, but I'll include 2 photos on the blog.)

Detailing the delights of December

As promised, starting today, I will show how I have started my December dailies album. Remember, I wanted to do this as easy and fun, so that's why I'm using a standard 3-ring binder with sheet protector pages. In early November, I got the "guts" created which leaves me adding the details of the particular day and if there is space left over, I will add seasonal touches.

Check the blog page to see Dec 1 and 2 pages. May your December be filled with delights!

option for December dailies album

Recently I put together the 'guts' for a mini-album. It was for the Nov paper craft swap for Paper Wishes message board. The swap organizer asked that we do something non-flat. I got permission to do a mini-album. On Dec 25's page there is a fold-out section. The recipient can decide if she wants to post photos, snips of gift-wrap, record favorite Christmas carols' title and/or lyrics, etc.

Look on the blog page for some scanned photos I took of the album.

P.S. Hope you a blessed day of giving thanks!

Inventory for upcoming craft show event

I thought I would share some of the inventory I will try to sell Tuesday night at "Holiday Speed Shopping".

More quick cards

Oh! This week was busier than I thought it would be! Trying to carve out time for crafting has been hard. As a result, I've got 2 more quick cards to show.

Hope you think they are too cute--2 cute!!!

Quick cards

In the midst of getting updated flyers out to various locations for the crafter/vendor event next Tuesday, I've had needs to get cards (get well/thinking of you/b-i-l bday) mailed out to some relatives on both my side and my husband's side as well as monthly swaps signed up for and my 2010 resolution to mail monthly birthday and anniversary postcards for family.

So for me quick cards usually consist of color blocking sections of cardstock with an embellishment or pattern paper with ribbon and/or embellishment (stickers, rhinestones, ....).

Look at several posted today. (captions=quick & easy)

Holiday Speed Shopping Nov 16 in Dana

Another reminder and update: Within 24 hours, the crafter/vendor event I've been organizing will be on the Minonk Talk website's events calendar!! The Holiday Speed Shopping event will hopefully give people in our rural area an opportunity to buy and order gifts from local individuals and groups.

As of this morning Nov 5, this is the list:
a. Tupperware and Party-Lite w/ Gina L of Minonk
b. Scentsy candles w/ Becky M of Dana
c. Cookie Lee jewelry w/ Lana S of Minonk
d. Thirty-One (purses, totes,...)w/ Amanda W of Minonk
e. Granny's Goodies (quilts, towels, ...)w/ Fay L of Rutland
f. Fieldcrest H.S. Knights Marching Band fundraiser & raffle drawing w/ 2 or 3 members
g. beccasheartland papercrafting (cards, tags, ...) w/ me/Becca S of Dana
h. free cookies to shoppers to munch on offered by Gold Dust Diner

Holiday Speed Shopping will be Tuesday, Nov 16, 2010 from 5:30-7:30pm at the Gold Dust Diner in Dana, IL.

adding doodling, outlining to creative works

I thought I'd reflect a moment or so about being encouraged in one of the November swaps for PWMB to get back to "doodling". My interpretations are to highlight outlines of cut-outs or shapes and to add detailing doodles to stenciling. See recent leaf/thanks card and love/anniv card photos.

Reminder to read yesterday's post & see latest creations

I really like the idea of the December dailies album. Once it gets closer, I'll start showing photos of some of my pages.

Until then, more cards and stuff!

challenge for followers to create Dec daily album

Hi! In recent issue of Scrapbooks Etc they showed a woman's December dailies album. Even though I don't have children, I thought since I'm really pushing my crafting skills and abilities, I would try this.

In the magazine issue, the Dec dailies creator encouraged that the 'guts' of the album be made ahead of time and I thought that would be the key for me if I wanted to succeed at this project. So over the past 3 days, I've spent maybe 3-4 hours getting mine created.

To make the cost easy on my wallet, I used a regular green notebook binder and 31 sheet protector pages. I've put a foil star in the bottom R corner of each. I've alternated construction paper colors (off-white, green, red, brown, black) to be background papers for each day. Before putting into the sheet protector pages, I've done the following: date stamped each page twice (opposite corners), used decorative hole punches--star and reindeer (I've varied the locations and # of times punched), and added a white shape cut-out to be a small journal area (varied and alternated the shapes--stocking, Chr tree, star, snowman, & mitten).

So far, I've not spent much money as time and effort. My date stamper doesn't show up on the black construction paper, but I'll reinforce the date on the journal area, so I'm not concerned with this. I'm planning on recording any special Christmas events we attend, when Christmas cards arrive, when gifts are received, etc. Later, I will insert the rec'd cards into the album after I've displayed them for about a month. Every year I try to buy at least one new ornament, so I want to record that on one of the days in December.

Check out the magazine issue to see how the example was made and I hope many blog followers will do this for themselves and their families.

There's no limit on the range or the variety of types of 'dailies' that could be created. Ideas: you could try to bake a different cookie every day and show photos/share recipe; you could try a different appetizer every day...; you could create and/or give a little gift to someone every day (make a list to include neighbors, co-workers, elderly relatives, etc); you could do a family activity every day and record it w/ photos, memo response strips from each member (could be simple ideas like making hot chocolate, popping and stringing popcorn, putting out birdseed/corn cobs for birds & squirrels, taking a walk around the block to look at neighbor's decoration,.....)

Experimenting with styles, techniques, and influences

The 'love' card and the 'journey' patchwork card are the results I created for the PWMB October swaps challenge of "Like it, Love it, or Gotta Have it". We were challenged to take stripes to a different level--whether it was using striped paper or creating stripes with a technique (weaving, quilting effect, etc).

By being involved in this particular challenge, it really made me look at my supplies I purchased thus far through Paper Wishes (PW)/Hot Off the Press. It made me think about sizing, especially regarding focal elements (balance and proportion).

I also used stripes for my background papers with the October card swap. With that, some of the papers were metallics, so the sheen added a very nice element to a card that could have been 'okay'.

I challenge you, the reader, to see what you can do differently with striped paper or creating stripes.

getting ready for 2 craft shows and PWMB monthly swaps

October has still been a very busy crafting month. The month started with the blog-hopping day through Paper Wishes Message Board followers/sign-up. They challenged us to send our created cards to Operation Write Home so that our military overseas can have beautiful cards to send back home to their friends and relatives.

In mid-September I had signed up for 4 different challenges/swaps through PWMB for October. In the past, I've normally only participated in 2, but I decided I wanted to challenge myself in trying different techniques and/or types of papercrafts. Then I committed to be part of a early holiday craft/vendor bazaar set for tomorrow. Then I decided it would be good to do a small version of this event in my town, so now I've got a few flyers distributed and few crafters and vendors signed-up. I've got to work on this more in the coming week! (my event will be Nov 16)

Look on the site for photo corners and note holder inserts for some of my other recent papercrafting.

Public thank you

One of my earliest supporters of my papercrafting in the past 1 1/2 years has been my childhood best friend, Susie. Her encouraging comments have given me strength to continue. Thanks, dear friend!

My family and extended relatives have supported and appreciated my efforts,too. In the past 30 years, I've sent lots of cards and letters, but 2010 has been about creating my own cards for special occasions and postcards for birthdays and anniversaries for family members of my husband and I. God blessed me with gifts of caring, helping, and teaching with talents in the fine and practical arts and I wanted to use these to minister to others.

sharing another part of the PWMB Blog Hop day

A card challenged was issued to create a card using PW products plus at least 1 of 2 popular phrases used by owner, Paulette ('make a wish' or 'unwrap the magic').

On each side of this blog entry, please notice the purple and silver happy birthday card that I made in the wee hours of this morning in order to get included before the time deadline.

I'm thrilled with all the details I was able to include in the hour that it took me to create this from start to finish!

PWMB Blog Hop challenge and cause

www.operationwritehome.org

Crafters are desired to create general occasion cards (leave a blank liner or area for writing)to be sent overseas to US military. They will have a chance to select a desired card to use to send back home to a loved one. The website explains what to avoid in making the card, how to prepare it specifically for the military and also how to get cards to the volunteer shippers.

Today I started making a few to send and with the first 2 I used mostly Paper Wishes products. Here's a quick tutorial:

Paper Wishes products: white cards and envelopes, card fronts & inside punched circles papers (HOTP's girlfriend gifts Journal Kits), vine punch (Tonic Studios), scalloped circle punch, and friendship sentiment (HOTP's 1,000 Card Quote CD)

Other products: adhesive stickies, papers & word processing (own supplies for "hello", "hope your day is brighter", "missing our times together" sentiments & "from:" signing strips, 4 different decorative edged scissors plus a straight edge pair (or paper cutter), white liner papers, blue and purple ink stamp pads

Steps for card fronts:
1. Cut purple patterned paper to cover background (approx. 5" x 6 1/2") and adhere to card front (I used a horizontal layout.)
2. Cut 3 strips each from a different paper that coordinates with background; used a different dec-edge scissor for each paper strip and just on the long horizontal sides in order to make it easier/quicker to line up and adhere; before adhering--use vine punch or similar one and evenly space punches (I used the width of the punch as my spacer); decide what order to arrange paper strips and then adhere.
3. One card has "hello!" added to the front and the other has a friendship quote. (adhere well--esp for military so nothing gets caught under edges of add-ons)

Steps for card inside layouts:
1. Apply blue and purple ink from stamp pads in random arrangement around the inside edges of cardstock. Let dry before adhering anything.
2. Before applying white liner paper, use decorative edge scissors around edges to give an added creative touch.
3. I usually like to have a signing strip or shape of plain paper or cardstock when selling or giving cards to someone else to use.
4. Since my card form was white and my liner paper was white, that's why I used the blue and purple stamped ink as well as added the punched circles and sentiment strips. It still leaves plenty of white space for the military service man/woman to write a personal message. This step is optional.

On back: OWH's guidelines ask that you label the back with their name. I've added a date stamp for when I created the card and also my blog address rather than giving my personal name or address. You can choose just to give the OWH label.

See photos of how I used identical papers to create 2 different cards.

Paper Wishes Blog Hop Card Making Day

Come Join Paper Wishes for World Card Making Day and you can WIN! Starting October 1 at 8 AM EST and ending October 3 at 8 AM EST you will have a chance to win some great prizes worth more than $50 -

There will be three total winners, so you have three ways to win:

1. Hop to each blog listed below
• Leave a comment at each one
• Become a Follower at each blog
• Write down the Paper Wishes product featured on the blogs
• Send a Private message to Swaps Albums on the Paperwishes Forum: http://forum.paperwishes.com/member.php?u=2271 (If you have questions, email angela@sewmanycards.com for help) telling us all of the products being featured.

2. Hop to each blog listed below
• Leave a comment at each blog
• Become a Follower at each blog
• One random winner will be chosen from the comments


3. Hop to each blog listed below
• Leave a comment at each one
• Become a Follower at each blog
• Make a project using mostly Paper Wishes products
• Send a Private message to Swaps Albums on the Paper Wishes Forum: http://forum.paperwishes.com/member.php?u=2271 (If you have questions, email angela@sewmanycards.com for help) with a link to your project of a picture.

Here is information for my project that you can get at Paper Wishes:

Happy Card Collection

Price: $35.49

Never Try to Teach a Pig to Sing: http://unteachablepig.blogspot.com/
Cher-ing Paper Memories: http://cheringpapermemories.blogspot.com/
Montserrat Native: http://montserratnative.blogspot.com/
Becca's Heart for Creativity : http://www.beccasheartland.blogspot.com/
Crafty Imaginings by Jen: http://craftyimaginingsbyjen.blogspot.com/
Nancy's Creative Space: http://www.nancyscreativespace.blogspot.com/
Precious Thoughts, : http://www.preciousthoughtscards.blogspot.com/
Penny's Page: http://www.pennydouph.blogspot.com/
Crafty Patti' s Card Crafts: http://pattiscards.blogspot.com/
Sew Many Challenges: http://sewmanychallenges.com/

Craft lesson=Anniversary card

The blue, black, and silver striped anniversary card might be used for the October card swap on Paper Wishes Message Board. The swap organizer has designated the theme of using colors blue, black, and white. As you can tell, I have very little white but lots of silver. Products purchased from Paper Wishes (catalog & website) include basic white card and envelope, all papers (3 center stripes are metallics, 2 outer black stripes & pocket (in lo), and the inside blue floral & plain lt blue are from HOTP journal kit), all silver dazzles, journey sentiment (from HOTP 1,000 Card Quote CD), and the stencil tracings on the black pocket (Pebbles stencils accent set). Oh, there are foam adhesive squares under the flower & sentiment to lift 'em out some (Scrapbook Adhesives).

That leaves the silver metallic paint pen, blue pastel chalk pencil,  glue adhesive sticky tabs, anniv & best wishes label stickers, and blue flower/brad from other suppliers or companies.

Most of the tools used were: scissors, decorative-edge scissors, pencil, ink pen (to date and sign on back cover), and ruler.

I won't do a complete step by step but here's a cover summary: (1) cut 5 one-inch wide x 6 1/2 inch high strips from assorted papers and arrange in a pleasing layout; (2) assemble flower; (3) glue strips to card cover and mount flower; (3) finish with other embellishments (stickers=labels and dazzles). For inside layout summary: (1) cut background paper and glue to inside card; (2) decorative cut sentiment (metallic pen outlining and chalking was done previously) and its backdrop papers and use tape or glue between layers and then apply foam stickies to back before laying on card; (3) draw, measure, cut, and glue black paper pocket; (4) stencil and then metallic pen outline flourishes on pocket and then sticky onto card; and (5) decorative cut small blue paper shape to be a signature spot, add metallic outline and a short sentiment if desired--only sign here if you are giving this as gift; leave open if you are selling card.

If I think I've done a fairly good to great job with planning and creating, I will scan the cover and usually also the inside layout to save the images in my computer.

Queen of your life

I guess if seen from the world's viewpoint I had more power or control in my life then I certainly would feel like a queen.

Spiritually, with God as my King and being an adopted daughter of His, I technically would be a Princess. With God's power, I will take a more pro-active involvement in the life I want. I've settled for mediocrity for too long. I've been passive. No more.

With different outlets for my creativity recently (playing piano for church, singing in church choir, creating cards and other papercrafts, getting this creativity blog started, writing weekly for The Bugle), they've awaken a dormant part of life. I've used my talents God's blessed me with throughout my life but I've been feeling like a bystander in life. No more.

Whether I am Queen Becca or Princess Becca, I will pursue more of my earthly dreams with the time God is giving me.

Queen for the Day

Yesterday, I heard this title for a new released book and I thought I liked that. Every girl wants to feel like a queen for at least one day in her life. Getting this blog started makes me feel like today is a 4th 'queenly' day in my life.

Getting a GlamourShot makeover & photo session done on my wedding rehearsal day along with my wedding about 14 1/2 years ago rank as 2 of my 'queenly' days.

The 3rd day came in 2003 when I received my masters degree. More of my immediate family were able to be present for this occasion than when I got my bachelors. Plus being older and having conquered some struggles with getting up-to-date using computers and technology, made that a major milestone accomplishment for me.

So as a queen might say to Cinderella, "It's time to get your own crown"! What do you want to achieve in your life that will make you feel like a queen?