Simple Stories ~ Hearth and Holiday 🎄

Happy New Year! It’s Anna here with you today,  I’m still in the festive spirit so I’m sharing a layout using the hearth and holiday collection by Simple Stories. You can find it in the shop here. 

For my first project with the collection, I created a ‘12 days of Christmas’ advent calendar. If you would like to have a read, you can find my previous blog post here. But this time I’m back to a scrapbook layout…

To create this layout I used the Merry Christmas to all patterned paper as my base. I then cut a circle in the middle of the paper and adhered a square of Mistletoe Magic to the reverse, filling in the gap.

I used my silhouette cameo to cut a Christmas trees cutfile by Paige Evans. I cut it using Bazzill white and backed each tree and star with vellum. I then cut out each tree individually as they were originally joined in a row together. I couldn’t quite make that work on my page, so I decided to separate them instead.

 

I backed my photo with spreading cheer and cut out a selection of florals from the Mistletoe Magic paper. I adhered the florals around the other elements of my page, joining it all together.

I distressed the edges of the circle, before adhering everything down. 

I have also added a tag from the Tags paper and will use it for my journaling.

 I love these tags sheets by simple stories, they provided journaling options on one side and coordinating patterns and images on the other. You can find various examples from different collections here. 

I selected various stickers from the combo sticker sheet to embellish my page, adding lots of extra little details. 

Thanks so much for looking! 

See you in 2023!

Anna

X

 

The Magic of Christmas - Echo Park Paper - The Magic of Christmas Collection

Hello, it’s Rebecca with you today. I hope you’ve all had a lovely Christmas and that Santa delivered you some new scrappy goodies! I’m still scrapping Christmas 2021 but took a break to scrap a photo from earlier this month using ‘The Magic of Christmas’ by Echo Park Paper. There’s still plenty of the collection available in the store here. 

I started with some of my favourite papers - sticking to the more traditional reds and greens. I cut the papers into strips of different widths and lengths and cut a fishtail in one end to create banners. I then arranged these diagonally across my page and stitched through the tops with my sewing machine. I’ve created a layout similar to this before and really love how it looks on a crisp white background. 

It took me a while to decide whether I should go with a 3x4 photo to match the rectangular banners or not, but in the end settled with a square photo and I’m glad I did as I feel it stands out a bit more being a different shape. 

You may remember from my last blog and layout that I’d fussy cut the ‘Poinsettias and Pines’ patterned paper. I still have loads of it left to and I’ve used some of the florals and foliage here to embellish around my photo. 

I’ve also added a few of the Element Stickers in - using a larger one for my title. 

As you may know, I’m a lover of distressed edges, but I’d decided not to distress the edges of my banners - which left me with a niggling feeling of them being ‘unfinished’. In order to rectify this, I’ve used a white uni-ball gel pen and doodled some faux stitching around the edges. I love how bright this white pen stands out compared to the machine stitching along the tops! 

I then finished the layout off with some gold splatters. For this, I’ve used a metallic gold acrylic paint which I’ve watered down slightly. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this layout. I still have lots of Christmas photos to scrap so it won’t be the last you see of this collection! If you’d like to watch it come together, there’s a video up on my YouTube channel, which you can find here.

I’d like to quickly take the opportunity to say thank you for all the support during 2022 and  to wish you all a fantastic New Year. 

Take care

Rebecca x

@preciouspagespapercraft

Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Christmas Lodge - Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone,

Claire here and today I have the honour of sharing my last post of the year, and the last post before Christmas!

This month, I'm using the Simple Vintage Christmas Lodge collection from Simple Stories. You can find it in the store here. 

It's full of traditional festive colours with the added rustic tones of woodgrain and gingham - it's really beautiful.

As it's so close to the big day, I'm using one of the patterned papers as my background. These papers are beautifully designed and do most of the work for you, so this was a layout that came together really quickly - perfect for such a busy time of year.

Using the 'Tis the Season paper as my base, I took my craft knife and cut around some of the florals in the bottom cluster so that I could slide my cut aparts and photo underneath.

I took a piece of the red Bazzill cardstock and mounted my photo, cutting another piece the same size as my photo to act as a layer for a secondary cluster, and punched along the top with a notebook punch.

I cut one of the squares from the 3x4 Elements paper and laid it on top of the red mat, positioning my photo next to it. I distressed all the edges for that extra touch of texture.

Once these pieces were in place, it really only needed embellishing. I used the Bits & Pieces Pack to add the snowflake and small tree to the bottom cluster. 

I complemented this with some leaves and greenery from the Woodland Bits & Pieces Pack (they're my favourite - so pretty!)

Next, for my title, and of course it had to be 'Merry Christmas' from the Bits & Pieces Pack. I raised this on foam to give extra definition, and positioned it on the top right cluster.

To finish the layout off, I scattered some foam hearts from the Foam Stickers. I love the extra detail these bring and feel like they join the two main clusters across the page.

As a final touch, I added a banner and some small pieces from the Woodland Bits & Pieces pack to the photo corner, to provide a small subtitle and add extra interest.

Once this was in place, I really didn't think the page needed anymore - I wanted to let the paper shine with just a few subtle embellishments.

What do you think? I love how effortless the patterned paper background made this layout. It was super easy to pull together and took only 30 minutes to create - I'm so glad it allowed me to scrap this photo without getting too bogged down in creative thought.

I hope you'll try out these papers and share your results. I'd love to see!

Until next year, I'd like to say a huge thank you to Papermaze and to all of you for your support, and hope my layouts have given you some inspiration to get your own stories told.

Have a great holiday period and a Happy Christmas!

See you in the New Year!!

Claire xxx

@scrappysoulmate

Our Snow Babies..... Mintay Merry Little Christmas

 

Hello, it's Anita here today.

I have made this wreath based layout using papers from the gorgeous Mintay Merry Little Christmas Collection and combined it with a black and white photo of our girls and dear little Grandson, taken when we visited Father Christmas at our local animal park earlier this month.

The layout is based on a sheet of Hibiscus cardstock and I have splattered it liberally with some white acrylic paint. I used 2 identical sheets ( 04) for the wreath so that I could fussy cut the whole wreath out and then also cut out elements from the 2nd sheet to layer up on the wreath

I cut several little items from the 2nd sheet and then layered them up on little foam pads to add some dimension to the page, without making it too lumpy.

The little deer was cut from the sheet (09) and i popped it down to the bottom right hand corner.

In my kit I also had some Sprinkled with Cheer stickers from Rosie's Studio. These are lovely and come in a variety of collections. They are puffy and easy to peel off and use, so I picked the ones I wanted for the title and added a few others randomly around the wreath with sayings on.

I love a bit of sparkle on most things and this page was no different, so I let loose with a tube of Icicle Stickes and added sparkle to most of the wreath. I love how this particular colour catches the light and can really glow

So that's my page....I have to say this collection is absolutely beautiful and has such gorgeous details on it. There are lots of collections from Mintay if you pop over to the shop and have a look about.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Warmest wishes

Anita x

Simple Stories Baking Spirits Bright - The Joy of Christmas Shopping

Hello. Karen here again with another layout using Simple Stories Baking Spirits Bright collection. This collection is a baking inspired Christmas collection but can equally be used for non-baking themed Christmas layouts. As well as traditional Christmas colours in the collection it also has some non-tradition colours - pink, lime green and pale blue. My layout today uses some of those non traditional Christmas colours and is about Christmas Shopping.

In the summer I'd created a mixed media background using some pale green watercolour paint. I'd smooshed, painted and added some splatters to a sheet of white cardstock. I had intended using it for a nature themed layout but ended up not liking it so had put it to one side.  When planning the layout I'm sharing today, I decided the prepared background would be perfect for this layout so I trimmed a quarter of an inch from each edge of the cardstock and layered this on top of a gutted sheet of the pink Homemade Holidays. Using white thread I also machine stitched round the edges of the cardstock.

I then layered a 6"x 10" strip of the green Season to Sparkle paper across the middle of the layout and machine stitched round the edges too. Using my finger nails I lifted the edges slightly to add some extra dimension.

My 6x4 photo was matted with the red Sweet Holiday Wishes paper and added to the right side of the layout. 3D foam was placed underneath three sides of the photo to create a pocket so that a journalling tag could be tucked underneath later. Using one of the title stickers from the Foam Sticker sheet and some small pale pink American Crafts Thickers from my stash, I created a title next to the photo.

Underneath the photo I machine stitched with white thread several wonky lines and on top of these I created a scene using houses, cars and a Christmas tree fussy cut from the Merry & Bright paper.  

On the left side of the layout I placed two tags form the Tags sheet. 

On one tag I added some journalling printed on the computer and this was tucked into the pocket behind my photo.

The journalling tag was attached to another tag using green twine and that tag was glued to the bottom left corner of the layout. I stuck the twine down in a few places using a wet glue.

Finally I added the date to the bottom of the layout using more of the Thickers and sprinkled some sequins from the Picket Fence Studio 'Metropolis' Sequin Mix around the layout.

I hope you like this layout and that I've inspired you to try scrapbooking your Christmas memories using non-traditional colours.

I'll be back again soon with another layout but until then I'd like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Good New Year.

Take Care, Karen x x

Home for Christmas - Echo Park - The Magic of Christmas

Hello, Rebecca with you today and it’s finally time for me to be sharing a festive layout with you! I know a lot of the Christmas lines get released over the summer but I like to scrap with the seasons and can’t scrap Christmas until late November/December! This month I’m working with the fabulous ‘The Magic of Christmas’ collection from Echo Park, which you can find in the shop here. 

I love the traditional Christmas colours in this collection and selected some of the red and green patterned papers from the collection to use. I love that these papers are patterned, but not too heavily, so they aren’t busy and read more as a solid. I cut the papers into strips of different widths, tearing the ends and then distressing the other edges. I love to tear papers on Christmas layouts as it reminds me of tearing wrapping paper off of gifts! I arranged the papers onto my background, slightly overlapping each other and got them stuck into place. 

I love adding subtle detailing to my background using stencils, so I reached for an older Echo Park stencil and some Distress Oxides. Using a blending brush, I applied the colour onto my background in two areas. The shades of ink used were Rustic Wilderness and Festive Berries. 

Next, I placed my photo on top of the strips of patterned paper so that it sat almost in the centre of the page, and didn’t cover too much of any one patterned paper. 

I had picked out an Element Sticker to use for my title, but I felt like the layout needed something bigger, so I replaced it with a white Bramble Fox perspextive which reads ‘Home for Christmas’. I placed the acrylic title to the right of my photo, and I love how the white stands out against the darker patterned papers. 

I was then ready to embellish my layout. I had spent the previous evening sat in front of the TV fussy cutting the foliage from the Poinsettias and Pine  patterned paper and placed several of them on the layout, focusing on building a cluster either side of my photo. To these clusters, I also added some of the Element Stickers, raised up on foam pads for dimension. I like to stick stickers to white cardstock first, and then trim around them to make them a bit more sturdy and so that they don’t completely stick to the layout once in an album. 

I finished my layout off with a hint of gold. If I’m creating with traditional reds and greens for Christmas, I always love to add some gold! Inspired by the circular collars on our matching PJ’s, I added some gold Nuvo Crystal Drops around the edges of my photo and then completed the layout with the addition of some gold paint splatters. 

I love how this layout turned out - it’s a very clean looking layout with lots of white space, which I think really makes the colours pop in the centre of the page. 

If you’d like to watch this layout come together, there is a process video over on my YouTube channel, which you can find here . 

I’ll be back later in the month with another Christmas layout- it’s December after all, so it would be rude not to! 

Wishing you all a VERY merry Christmas and hoping Santa brings you all lots (and lots!) of craft supplies! And if Santa is stuck for ideas - you may wish to remind him that Papermaze do gift vouchers ;)

Take care and stay safe. 

Rebecca x

December Papermaze Kit - Part 1

Hello, Lynn here, I can't quite believe it's time for the December Papermaze kit already, this year has gone by so fast. A lovely selection of papers, cardstock and embellishments with a red and pink colour scheme.

Here are my first two layouts. The first with my children at the age of two, Christmas 1994  and the second featuring Christmas Lego. Both were created with the use of Tim Holtz - Sizzix Thinlits die sets (also available from Papermaze). 

Patterned papers:
American Crafts - Vicki Boutin - Evergreen & Holly collection - Making Spirits Bright & Holiday Cheer
Mintay Papers - Merry Little Christmas collection - #04 & #05
Crate Paper - Mittens & Mistletoe - Dear Santa
Prima Marketing - Candy Cane Lane collection - Sparkling Christmas
Bazzill Basics cardstock - Bazzill White & Lagoon

 

Reverse side of papers

Embellishments
4" x 12" Prima Candy Cane Lane Poinsettia Vellum, 3 sparkly buttons, 3 Vicki Boutin chipboard stickers, 3 Rosie's Studio chipboard frames, 50cm Holiday Divine Twine, Prima poinsettia, strip red pearls, Crate Paper epoxy charm, 8 printed label phrases

Extra Bazzill Pack
Cherry Splash, Pink Cloud, Coastal & Toasted Nut


Merry Christmas 1994 - My three children when they were two years old, all dressed up for Christmas Day.

First of all, I gutted the 'Making Spirits Bright' paper to make a border of 4cm deep. Next, I trimmed the 'Holiday Cheer' paper to measure 26cm x 26cm. This was spritzed with Distress Mica Spray Stain (Holiday) and the edges inked with Lumberjack Plaid Distress Oxide Ink. The paper was mounted over the frame paper at an angle.

I mounted my photos onto three spare pieces from the 'Making Spirits Bright' paper. These were inked and attached across the middle of the page. 

With the Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits Colourize Bowtie set, I cut the bow from three shades of red Bazzill cardstock. I also cut a ribbon from the same card to stretch across the page, just below the photos. The ribbon was applied to the page and then the bow (raised up on 3D foam tape).

From the Candy Cane Lane Vellum, I cut five poinsettia flowers and four baubles. I placed the baubles under the ribbon and drew in strings to make them hang down. The flowers were arranged at the top of the photos. 

I cut two sprigs of fir using Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits Holiday Greens die set and the Lagoon Bazzill. These were added to the bow. 

My title was created with some Thickers Cecily Glitter letter stickers and Rosie's Studio, Hearth & Home puffy letter stickers.

Finally, I added some sparkle to the fir and flowers with Stickles glitter glue.

Santa Lego - Part of our growing collection of Christmas Lego.

I started this layout with the White Bazzill, and some Lumberjack Plaid Distress Oxide Ink. The ink was slightly diluted on the craft mat before applying to the card. I also flicked some of this ink over the page.

I tore strips from the sides of  'Sparkling Christmas' paper and attached to the very top and bottom of the Bazzill. I tore the scrap of  'Holiday Cheer' paper into two strips and ticked these just under the 'Sparkling Christmas' paper strips.

I mounted my photo onto scraps of 'Making Spirits Bright' paper, using both sides. With the photo in place on the page, but not stuck down, I placed two of the chipboard frame stickers under two opposite corners of the layout, again without sticking down.

Using the Holiday Divine Twine, I wound the ends around the frames and trailed the rest over the page, under the photo, making a few loops. The photo, frames and twine were then glued in place. 

From the remains of 'Sparkling Christmas' paper, I fussy cut seven stockings and an additional seven bows, to match. I inked the edges of bows and stockings, the with 3D foam pads I applied the bows to the stockings. The stockings were then hung from the twine with more 3D foam pads.

I made my title and date with Pinkfresh Studio Some Days - Mini Puffy Alpha Stickers.
I used some of the phrase stickers from the kit, to add detail inside the frames. Finally, I scattered the read pearls to the Bazzill. 

That's all for today, I will be back with more from this kit after Christmas. Have fun celebrating!!
Thanks for looking.
Lynn x