Wednesday, 24 December 2025

Oh What Fun! Crafty Christmas Layout

Lynn here today, with a little extra post for Christmas. I purchased a selection of Doodlebug Designs - Oh What Fun! papers and embellishments when I attended the Papermaze Christmas crop last week. I wanted to capture some of Florence's Christmas adventures this season.


The layout shows an afternoon with Florence, making Christmas cards, we cut her a star and a tree from a sweet potato - we didn't have a potato handy! With poster paint, glue, pom-poms and stickers, she had a lovely time with a little help from Mummy and Nana!

I decided to use a double page layout sketch from Pagemaps (June 2024).


I used:
Doodlebug Designs Inc. - Oh What Fun! - Deck The Halls, Merry Magic & Festive Flannel 
Doodlebug Designs Inc. - Oh What Fun! - This & That Cardstock Stickers 
Doodlebug Designs Inc. - Cute & Crafty - Chit Chat
Doodlebug Designs Inc. Alphabet Soup - Bubblegum, Bumblebee & Blue Jean 
Distress Inks - 
Candied Apple, Mowed Lawn & Mustard Seed
Smooth white Bazzill 
Gold enamel dots





With the two sheets of cardstock and the Distress Inks, I splattered watered down ink over the cardstock. I inked all my papers with more of the Candied Apple Distress Ink.


I cut the Deck The Halls paper into two pieces 6" x 12", these were placed 3" down from the top of the cardstock on both sheets of cardstock.



From the top of the
 Festive Flannel paper (avoiding the 24 icons), I cut two strips 10" x 1". These were placed above the previous papers. Then I topped this with one of the scalloped 12" stickers (cut in two), from the This and That sticker sheet. I cut a smaller scalloped sticker and placed it beneath the paper. 



I cut the 'Christmas Memories' piece from the 
Merry Magic paper, and placed it vertically on the left page. 



My photos were mounted onto some white card and arranged in place. I added details to my journalling spot and the date at the bottom with the Alphabet Soup stickers. 



I selected more stickers from the sticker sheet adding hearts, stars, a few phrases and the large 'Merry Christmas' sticker to the layout. 



From a pack of Chit Chat, I selected two words to use as a title and sub title. Then I embellished with gold enamel dots from my stash. 

Thanks for looking
Merry Christmas
Lynn x

Monday, 22 December 2025

Wonder - Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Believe Collection

 Hi everyone, it’s Rebecca here, sharing my final layout and blog post of 2025!

As we gear up for Christmas in our house, one of our favourite traditions is taking part in the school PTA photoshoot. That means I have some lovely family photos to scrapbook this month — and none of them are selfies, which is always a bonus!

For this layout, I’ve been working with the Simple Vintage Believe collection from Simple Stories. You can find the full collection in the shop here.


For the page design, I selected two landscape photos. This immediately reminded me of a layout I created some time ago that I absolutely loved. Once that idea popped into my head, I couldn’t let it go, so I decided to scraplift my own work. I do this often when I’m in the mood to create but unsure where to start — revisiting past layouts is a great way to spark inspiration.

I began by cutting a couple of strips from patterned papers to act as an anchor for the page. These were adhered vertically down the centre of a sheet of Premium White Cardstock, with the photos positioned centrally on either side of the strips. From there, I added cascading die-cut stars in varying sizes from top to bottom. Using metal dies to create shapes is a great way to showcase some of the busier papers in a collection. I mixed both patterned and more solid designs to keep the stars visually balanced.


Next came the embellishing — the fun part! (Although, let’s be honest, it’s all fun.) I especially love this stage, as adding those tiny details really brings the page together. I reached for the Floral Bits and Pieces and Element Stickers, arranging them into two main clusters in the centre of the page. A sweet little fawn takes pride of place in the centre, surrounded by florals and leaves that fill the natural gaps left by the photos.


For the title, I used another Element Sticker, placing it over the leafy sprigs and popping it up on foam pads to add a little dimension.


To finish the layout, I added some simple stamping. I used the Pine Holidays Stamps and Die set by 49 and Market, choosing one of the pine leaf designs and my favourite Jet Black StazOn Ink Pad. This helped subtly extend the floral and leafy clusters and added just a touch more detail.


Thank you so much for reading — this is me signing off for 2025.


Thank you for following along and supporting my creative journey for another year. I hope you all have a wonderful and restful Christmas, and I’ll see you for more scrappy adventures in 2026!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,


Rebecca xx
@preciouspagespapercraft

Wednesday, 17 December 2025

Photoplay - Christmas Junque - Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time

Hello, Karen here. Are you ready for Christmas, or are you like me - frantically dashing about trying to get those last-minute things done?

Despite the chaos of the season, I have managed to squeeze in some scrapping time and today I have another layout to share with you, using the gorgeous Christmas Junque collection from Photoplay.

I began the layout with a sheet of the Unwrap the Magic paper (B side). I trimmed the paper down slightly, rounded the corners and then matted it onto a sheet of red Bazzill cardstock from the Matchmaker Pack, making sure to leave a narrow border around the edges. Before gluing the patterned paper down, I gutted the middle of the red cardstock so I still had the rest of the sheet available to use.

Using the remaining red cardstock, I cut a bauble shape using my Silhouette machine. I combined two different cut files from the Silhouette Store, 'bauble flourish drop corner' and 'bauble frame' but manipulated and welded the two files together before cutting them. I then backed the cut file with patterned papers from the collection and two photos.

I also used some gold mirror card to back the tops of the baubles. The backed cut file was glued flat to the layout.

Thin green ribbon bows were used to embellish the baubles and add some texture. 

Some phrase strips and small images were cut from the Collage Cut Out Sheets and added.

On the left side of the layout there was a convenient space to add a word plaque from the Collage Sheets.

I positioned the title at the bottom of the layout, which I cut using the Silhouette from more gold mirror card. I always like to add a touch of gold to my Christmas project. I think it really gives a layout that perfect festive sparkle!

Finally, I added the date in the bottom left corner and a scattering of green sequins at the top.

I hope you have a lovely Christmas and that you take lots of photos to capture those special memories and I'll be back again in the New Year with more scrappy inspiration to share.

Take Care

Karen x x

Monday, 15 December 2025

Carta Bella - Christmas in the City - Merry & Bright

Hello everyone!

The festivities are getting nearer and I've taken the opportunity to spend some time at my crafty desk scrapping memories of a Christmas shopping trip.


For this layout I'm using the Christmas in the City collection by Carta Bella. One of the icons is a red snow globe with a cityscape inside and it inspired me to create my own. 

I cut the snowglobe on my cricut using the red coordinating cardstock from the matchmaker pack. Once it was cut, I used it as a template to cut around the stunning Christmas City Scene paper. 

Before sticking anything together, I added a layer of acetate to the snowglobe and backed the edge with thick foam tape being careful not to leave any gaps. I added sequins, glittery bits and mini foam balls and then added the background paper to create a giant shaker!


I mounted my photos using the blue side of the Merry Snowflake Sky paper and adhered these to the bottom left of the globe. 


To embellish I chose a variety of stickers from the Element Stickers. I arranged them around my photograph to bring the scene to life. 

This included a big bold sticker 'Merry & Bright' which I used as my title. 


I also added a small cluster of snowflake stickers opposite the photos on the top of the globe to help balance the design. 


This was a really fun one to make that came together really quickly. It's such an inspiring collection, do drop by and check it out here, but be quick, it's proving popular! 

I hope you find some creative time this holiday and enjoy the festivities! 

Claire x

@scrappysoulmate 


Friday, 12 December 2025

Merry | Rebecca Bee | Echo Park Santa's Christmas Delivery

 

Hello everyone, Rebecca Bee here! Is anyone else starting to feel a little festive? I most certainly am and so I couldn't resist creating using Echo Park's Santa's Christmas Delivery this month to document some festive memories.. 




To create this layout I cut out some of the square cards in the 2x2 Journaling Cards paper, distressed their edges and created some rolled tabs to add some interest and texture above the central photo panel of this layout. My three 2x3" photos are matted into a panel of the Happy Santa paper.



To add some pretty detail to the cardstock background, I have added some star shaped sequins and a small amount of texture paste through a stencil from my stash- similar item here


A scattering of stickers from the Element Stickers sheet and some journaling finishes off the layout. I adore using soft pink with traditional Christmas reds and greens, it makes them feel fresher and softer. This soft pink Bazzil cardstock comes from the coordinating Bazzil Matchmaker pack for this collection and suits the collection perfectly 


I finished the layout off by adding some journaling and some tiny doodled stars using my white journaling pen. I'll be back later in the month with another layout using this charming Christmas collection. Until then, have a wonderful Christmas friends!

Rebecca Bee 
XOXO






Wednesday, 10 December 2025

December Papermaze Kit - Part 1

Hello - Lynn here today with the first of my Christmas layouts for this year. The December kit is now available in the shop, with its traditional colour pallet. The kit contains beautiful papers from Mintay, Simple Stories and Graphic 45.  Here are my first two layouts:


 
Before we look at how the layouts were made, here is what you will find in the kit:


Patterned Papers:
Mintay Papers - Holly Jolly collection - #02 & #04
Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Believe collection - Holiday Traditions & Tag Elements
Simple Stories - All Wrapped Up collection - Magical Season
Graphic 45 - Deck the Halls collection - A Little Sparkle

The photo below shows both sides of the papers:



 

Embellishments:
Simple Stories - Vintage Believe - Foam Stickers & Floral Bits and Pieces
Mintay Chippies - Xmas Wreath
Rosie's Studio - Oh Joyful Day - Button
Pretty Little Studio - Comfort and Joy - Holly Jolly Word Titles 
Divine Twine - Green Apple
Doodlebug Designs - Doilies Ladybug
Gold enamel dots


Bazzill Basics - Aspen, Grenadine (included in kit), Cinnamon Stick, Coconut Swirl, Cinder and Parakeet.

Victorian Day - This layout is about my son dressed for Victorian Day at his primary school. He decided to dress up as John Callcott Horsley, who designed the first Christmas card in 1843. 


For this layout I selected the Coconut Swirl Bazzill, and set about creating a multimedia background, before sticking down some patterned papers. I used a mix of two green Distress Oxide Inks and water - I dragged a TH Layering Stencil (Ornate THS076) through the mixture on my media mat. Then I dabbed the stencil onto the cardstock creating an area at the top right for the page. Then I flicked some of this mix over the area. With Distress Mica Spray Stain (Harvest Moon), I sprayed lightly onto the page. With Tart Cranberry I dripped some larger drops onto the layout.


Once the page was dry, I stamped Christmas phrases randomly, using Stampers Anonymous Cosy Christmas set CMS444 and a Versafine Black Ink Pad.



The left side of the page was decorated with a piece of 
Mintay Papers - Holly Jolly collection - #02, B side, cut to 12" x 3.25" and stuck to the right, followed by a 12" x 0.5" strip of Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Believe collection - Holiday Traditions. I found a 12" long, red and white, scalloped sticker in my stash, and added this next to the papers. 



I mounted my large photo to some white card and distressed the edges. With both 

Grenadine and Parakeet Bazzill, I cut two more mats and mounted all three over the join in papers on the layout. The smaller photo was also mounted onto white card and placed at the base of the larger photo. 


I chose a title from a pack of foam stickers, from Simple Vintage Christmas Lodge set. The remains of the #02 paper was flipped over to the A side, and I fussy-cut the wreath, poinsettia, and bough with bauble and lantern. I inked the edges of these pieces, then added them to the page with 3D foam pads. 


To add some greenery to all the elements - I used Aspen and Parakeet Bazzill with The Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits 'Holiday Greens' die set.

Finally, I placed three chipboard phrases from a pack of 49 and Market - Evergreen Season Chipboard Words. 


Christmas Elf - For this layout I have used several photos of my granddaughter under the Christmas tree, in her red and white Christmas outfit, last Christmas. 


The Mintay Papers - Holly Jolly collection - #04, has all these little red frames ready to pop photos into, so it needs very little work to create a layout. 


I printed four photos, and trimmed them to fit the printed frames I wanted to use, leaving two frames free. With a craft knife, I cut around the images overlapping the frames, that I wanted to keep. Once this was done, the photos were slipped into the spaces and glued down.



Using the remains of 
Mintay Papers - Holly Jolly collection - #02 paper, I fussy cut the elf, and the snowman with star and flower. I mounted the images with 3D foam pads - the elf to the right of the top photo, and the snowman over the bottom right frame.


For the title 'Christmas Elf' I used chipboard words from pack of 49 and Market - Evergreen Season Chipboard Words. 


I added baubles and the 'December 25' label from the Simple Stories - Vintage Believe - Foam Stickers included in the kit.


I added a phrase to each photograph, these were also from my pack of 49 and Market - Evergreen Season Chipboard Words. 


From last year's December kit, I used the P13 Christmas Treats, Alpha Stickers for the year at the bottom of the layouts. 


Finally, I added the gold enamel dots from the kit. 

That's all for today, I'll be back with more from this kit soon.
Thanks for looking.
Lynn x