Jillibean Soup - Christmas Chestnut Soup

I had never worked with any Jillibean Soup papers before, but when I was asked to choose some papers to work with in December I was instantly attracted to this gorgeous range. Based around the Kraft background shade, the papers use whimsical but clean designs which are seasonal without being overly twee. I particularly loved the paper with all the presents on - perfect for cutting up for embellishments.

I constructed my page by layering up squares of two of the papers along with a piece of old book paper. By offsetting one of the papers at an angle, you stop the layout from looking too measured. The title was stamped using Distress Ink in Walnut Stain and some Autumn Leaves alphabet stamps. I've used a lot of stamps in my scrapbooking and I still think that Autumn Leaves are some of the best - they always give a clear impression, even with Distress Inks. I underlined the title with some text stickers.

The embellishments were made using some cut out designs from one of the papers as mentioned before, mounted on foam pads for dimension, and a chipboard holly sprig which I jazzed up with some red Stickles glitter glue. I didn't need much journalling for this layout, which simply commemorates a treasured photo, so I mounted some text strips on foam pads to record a few details.

The papers were great for this layout - festive, but not overwhelmingly so, and in warm and flattering colours which bring out the tones of the photograph perfectly.