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

Very Merry - Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Believe Collection

Hi everyone, it’s Rebecca with you today. I can’t believe it’s December already—where has this year gone?! It felt only right to use a Christmas collection this month, so I’ve chosen to create with the wonderful Simple Vintage Believe collection by Simple Stories. I love a more traditional Christmas aesthetic, and out of the four Christmas lines Simple Stories released this year, this one appealed to me the most. You can find the collection in the shop here.

I started with the Journal Elements patterned paper and cut out several of the larger pieces. After distressing the edges, I arranged them in the centre of a sheet of Premium White Cardstock, adding foam between the layers to create dimension. I also tucked in a few pieces from the Ephemera pack for extra depth.

On top of these layers, I placed my photo, framing it with a piece from an older 49 and Market collection. On either side of the photo, I added icons from the Floral Bits & Pieces and Ephemera packs. To build up these clusters even more, I incorporated some Cardstock Stickers.

I felt the background needed a touch of mixed media, but because my design was quite “blocky,” I didn’t want to use coloured ink—it just doesn’t always suit this kind of structure! Instead, I decided on stamping. I pulled out a selection of stamps from my stash, including some by Arden Creative and 49 and Market, and stamped all around the edges of my design.

I loved the effect but felt the layout needed a darker paper to pull everything together. I considered framing the entire page with the All the Trimmings paper, but it didn’t look quite right. Instead, I tore two strips of the same patterned paper and added them above and below my layered design. This felt like the perfect finishing touch.

Thanks so much for reading. I hope you’re all enjoying the countdown to Christmas and finding some time to scrap your December memories. I’m hoping to be back with one final layout before the year is out—so until then, take care.

Rebecca xx

@preciouspagespapercraft

Photoplay - Christmas Junque - Merry Christmas

Hello, Karen here, sharing a layout featuring Photoplay's Christmas Junque Collection. Sadly, this beautiful collection was one of Photoplays last releases before they ceased trading. It captures a wonderfully nostalgic, rustic, and cosy Christmas feel, with a classic colour palette of reds, greens, creams, and kraft. The collection features vintage images of Santa, snowmen, old ornaments, sleighs, sheet music, trees, poinsettias and more.

For my layout, I paired this collection with a cute photo of my daughter writing her letter to Santa many years ago. I even included the words of her original letter as my journaling.

I started by matting a slightly trimmed down sheet of white cardstock onto a sheet of green Bazzill ‘Rain Forest’ cardstock, leaving a narrow border.

In the centre of the layout, I layered pieces of the Christmas Time, December and Mrs. Claus Bakery papers. Each piece was matted with gold mirror card to add to the festive feel of the layout, before being arranged in the centre. My 6x4 photo was also matted with the gold card and placed on top of the layered papers.

The ‘Merry Christmas’ title was cut from the Collage Cut Out Sheets and positioned beneath the photo.

I used cut-out baubles and word strips from the Collage sheet, cascading them down the right side of the photo.

I typed up a copy of my daughter's letter to Santa, printed it, cut it into strips, and glued these to the layout as journaling.

I threaded gold twine through one of the paper layers along the top, giving it a tag-like appearance.

Red felt stars from my stash were added for texture.

To complete the layout, I added soft, watered-down green ink around the layered papers to define the edges and dotted tiny stars -punched from the gold card - around the layout for a final sparkle.

Thank you for stopping by to see how I documented this Christmas memory.

Until next time, take care, Karen x  x

Winter | Rebecca Bee | Simple Stories | Simple Vintage Flannel Season

Hi everyone! Rebecca Bee here again to share another layout I made inspired by the colder weather we have been having- has anyone been lucky enough to have a flurry of snow yet? None here yet! But I have been documenting some older snow day photos using the Simple Vintage Flannel Season collection. 

For this layout I have created a snowy landscape using the Frosted Fun paper cut into snowy hills and layered to create this hilltop snow scene. 

I have added a white hand stitched frame around the scene on Bazzill cardstock to help differentiate the scene from the white background cardstock. I also added some distressing to the edges of the hills as this helped to add to the texture of snow

Finally I have added some of the tag elements cut apart paper as matting layers under my two photos and I had to add these beautiful deers from the elements stickers in the foreground of my snowy scene. 

Hope you keep yourselves warm as the temperature drops and you manage some cosy time at home with some scrapbooking! 

Rebecca Bee 

XOXO

November Papermaze Kit - Part 2

Hi - Lynn here today, with the second pair of layouts I have made for the design team, using this month's Papermaze kit . the kit is packed with the a beautiful selection of autumn-coloured papers and embellishments. I loved working with the November kit and have created these two  layouts for my second post - I made a halloween and a heritage layout this time.

Before looking at how the layouts were made, here is what you will find in the kit.

Patterned Papers:
Carta Bella - Honeybee Collection - Bees and Flowers & Honeycomb Clusters
Carta Bella - It's Autumn collection - Fall Flowers
Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Autumn Breeze collection - Welcome Fall & Falling Leaves
Photoplay - Autumn Junque collection - Harvest

Embellishments:
Pretty Little Studio gingersnap die-cut leaves
Pretty Little Studio gingersnap cozy weather banners
Pretty Little Studio gingersnap I heart fall stickers
Little birdie flower
Pinkfresh Studio garden bouquet enamel dots
49 and Market Vicki Boutin Curiosities in Willow Grove chipboard bits 
1m hemptique yarn.

Bazzill Basics Cardstock - Yukon Gold, Pinecone (included in kit), Twill, Ruby Slipper, Aspen & Pumpkin Patch.

Picking Pumpkins - My great nieces went to Tulley's Pumpkin Festival with their family and friends this autumn.

For the background I used the sheet of Twill Bazzill, and flicked some watered-down Distress Ink in Carved Pumpkin, Rusty Hinge and Ground Espresso. I set this aside to dry while I did some die cutting.

I cut a pile of leaves using the Pumpkin Patch Bazzill using the Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits Skeleton Leaves die set. This is a very versatile die set, which I have used many times for cards and layouts.

I arranged these leaves over the left side of the Twill Bazzill. I saved a few for embellishing later.
With a Circles die set, I cut photos from the outing in various sizes. I also cut one circle in white card for journalling, and another slightly larger as a mount for the journalling spot (I used a scrap of Falling Leaves paper).

The photos were arranged down the centre of the layout, together with the journalling spot. I added my journalling and a title to the white card circle. The word 'Picking' was created with Tangerine Doodlebug Designs Alphabet Soup letter stickers. For the word 'Pumpkins' I did some more die cutting, this time I used Spellbinders - Simple Stories - Say Cheese - Classic Pooh alphabet and numbers set, along with Yukon Gold & Pinecone Bazzill.

I tied the remains of the hemptique yarn into a bow and glued it under the title. The spare die cut leaves were arranged , tucked under the photos and white card. Finally, I scattered the Pretty Little Studio gingersnap I heart fall stickers, over the right side of the layout.

Charles and Aditha - A heritage layout using the Carta Bella papers from the kit. 

To start this layout, I worked out the size I wanted my finished hexagon to be, and cut the first one with 4.5" sides from the honeycomb side of the Honeycomb Clusters paper. I used the cells of the honeycomb print to work out the angles for cutting my shape. I distressed and inked the edges of this piece with Wild Honey Distress Ink. I attached this hexagon the black side of the Fall Flowers paper, and trimmed around the edges about 0.25" all round to make a border. The edges of this larger hexagon were treated in the same way as before.

I selected a sheet of cream cardstock from my stash and set about creating a multimedia backdrop For the large hexagon. Using the hexagon to work out where I wanted my stencilling etc. to show, I set about iusing a Vicki Boutin stencil and some Wild Honey Distress Oxide Ink, to create the honeycomb effect. I spritzed this with a little water and allowed the ink to oxidize and spread a little. This was left to dry, then I stamped some Distress Stain splodges in two colours - Walnut Stain and Forest Moss. Then the whole page was left to dry. 

The Large matted hexagon was applied to the centre of the cardstock. My photo was mounted onto a piece of the green side of Bees and Flowers paper, and set left of centre. 

The title was cut from my Tonic Studio Windsor Alphabet dies, and more of the Bees and Flowers paper. This was arranged to the right of the photo. 

I fussy cut some of the large flowers from the Bees and Flowers paper and some small flowers from the Fall Flowers paper, these were arranged in two clusters, some were glued down, others raised up with 3D foam pads (top right and bottom left of the hexagon). I added plenty of leaves from the Bees and Flowers paper. I added a touch of sparkle with a little Nuvo Glitter drops to the bee wings.

Finally, I embellished the page with the Pinkfresh Studio garden bouquet enamel dots from the kit.

That's all for the November kit, I'll be back with the December kit and some Christmas layouts soon.
Thank you for looking.
Lynn x