Echo Park ~ Christmas Express ~ Advent Calendar 🎅🏻

Hi everyone, it’s Anna back with you on the blog today. It’s that time of year again - it’s time for my annual advent calendar project. 

To create this project I have used Echo Park Christmas Express.

This year I’ve gone with a slightly different take on it. I always make something that can be displayed at home and then it either gets taken apart, given away or stored for another year. So this year I decided it would be nice to be able to keep it in my album like a scrapbook layout. Which got me thinking, and then I came up with this idea…

It’s an advent calendar which looks back over the year. I debated whether to use Christmas photos from over the years - but in the end decided that as it would be in my 2025 album, I would use photos from this year. So behind each door is a memory from the year. I can have it on display in December and then it can be placed into my album when I’m finished with it. 

So the calendar has been created using ‘Christmas Coundown’ as seen below. 

I kept this paper as it was, but used a craft knife to create the cuts to make the numbers into openable doors.

I adhered this on to some bazzill cardstock and then printed pictures to fit behind each door. I just trimmed them down to fit behind and tucked them underneath.

I then decorated each door with some cardstock stickers and some journalling boxes, noting down when the picture was taken during the year. 

Here are some of the advent doors…

I added some Nuvo drops to decorate the front of some of the doors. 

Thanks so much for looking! Hope this inspires you to create your own version. 

See you next month!

Anna 

@acraftylifewithanna

December Journal With A Difference

Hello! Lisa here, is it too early for Christmas?

I don't think that's a thing when you are a crafter. We need to be organised when it comes to Christmas don't we?! : )

Well this new journal of mine was an idea almost a year ago.

Documenting Christmas can feel so overwhelming. So I decided to make it easier.

I saw this title of this book and thought it would be perfect as we moved to the country 2 Christmases ago.

The plan is to document each Christmas just over a couple of pages.

You can watch my tutorial here how I turn this book into a journal.

And to decorate inside I've used the Vicki Boutin Collection - Mistletoe Memories here. 

I love adding pom pom trims and little bits and pieces that hang over.

I cut out lots of these tags for this and stapled them at the tops and along the sides.

And they look great inside too.

And I used these Doodlebug puffy stickers.

And these Rosie's Studio stickers are a perfect match.

I made a hole in each of the tags and tied string to add another texture.

 

And to finish off I've cut off bits of fabric and stapled to the tops of the pages.

I love this look.

 

I'm so happy with how this turned out.

It's going to be so fun to fill up!

I hope this inspires you today.

How do you document Christmas?

Lisa xx

Echo Park ~ Christmas Joy #1 🎅🏻

 Hello, it’s Anna back with you today. For my final post this month I’m sharing an advent calendar that I have created using Echo Park ~ Christmas Joy. 

You can find the collection {here}

I used a pre made paper advent bunting from Hobbycraft as my starting point…

I then cut 24 squares of coordinating cardstock from the matchmaker pack and adhered them on to each of the bunting pouches. 

I used the Simple Vintage Holly Jolly Number Bits to add a number to each of the bunting squares. I placed them on to start with and then gradually began embellishing each one.

 

I used stickers from the Element Stickers to embellish some of my pockets. 

I also fussy cut some florals and candy canes from patterned paper in the collection -

Festive Floral 

Popular Poinsettia 

Candy Cane Gifts

I also used Nuvo Drops to add some extra detail to some of the pockets. 

I added some chocolate coins to each of the pockets and then strung it across my mantle piece and now it’s all ready to go for the 1st of December. 

Why not have a go yourself? 

For everything you need to document and create for Christmas, Papermaze has a dedicated Christmas section on the website which you can find here. 

Thanks so much for looking! 

🎄See you next month 🎄

Anna 

@acraftylifewithanna

Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Yuletide - Seasons Greetings Tag Book

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Papermaze blog.

It's Claire here with you today, and for this blog post, I have something slightly different.

In every Simple Stories collection, there's usually a sheet of tags, and the Simple Vintage Yuletide collection is no exception.  They are exquisite!! 

I was so taken with them, that this month I wanted to make a feature of them and so decided to make a tag book.

I typically have lots of photos over the festive season, but not all of them warrant a full 12x12 scrapbook page. So, I decided to make this tag book to capture some of the smaller, more intimate moments that all help to build that wonderful Christmas spirit during the holiday season.

Selecting several tags from the Tag Elements paper, I made sure to include some blank space for journaling, and some more graphical tags, as well as some that I could add extra embellishments to. As it's a festive project, I've added gold and red eyelets from my stash to each tag.

For my front cover, I kept it fairly simple. opting for one of the sentiments from the Bits & Pieces pack, offset against some small gold Nuvo Drops to add that extra touch of festive magic and sparkle. 

On the reverse, I added a small photo and a sentiment from the Foam Stickers and a small star from the Sentiment Bits & Pieces.

Next, I added pockets to two tags, using a small piece of the 2x2/4x4 Elements Paper.

This was really easy to do, adhering each piece in place with strong red line tape along each outer edge. These pockets are great for holding little journaling notes, photos or gift messages from the big day. Again I embellished with some Foam Stickers and Bits & Pieces, adding red Nuvo Drops around the edge of each pocket to bring in an extra pop of colour.

The Joy and Ticket inserts are from the Bits & Pieces and Sentiments Bits & Pieces packs.

I was enjoying the interactive elements of these tags, so after making the pockets, I added a small flap to the next, enabling it to open like a book by adhering in place with red line tape. I created the flap with a strip of paper from the 4x6 Elements paper, embellishing with a fussy cut Santa from the 2x2/4x4 Elements paper and Yuletide Bits & Pieces.

Inside, you can slot extra photographs, held in place by the edge of the striped paper that folds around the tag.

To make sure I had space for journaling, I chose two plain tags, adding just a few Nuvo Drops to create a framed border and banners from the Bits & Pieces and Sentiment Bits & Pieces packs.

On the back of the 25 tag, I created a feature photo from the big day itself - tracing around the tag and adhering my photo to it - trimming the edge to make sure it fit exactly to the tag.

A few Foam Stickers was all that was needed to finish this tag as I wanted the photo to shine.

I hope you've enjoyed this blog post and it's given you some extra inspiration for how you may document those precious little moments and smaller stories that make up the joy of the season.

I'll be back later this month with some more projects with this stunning collection. In the meantime you can check it out in full here.

Until then, happy scrapping!

Claire x

@scrappysoulmate

Simple Stories ~ Boho Christmas

Hi all, it’s Anna back with you today! 

With the countdown to Christmas officially on, I’ve created a homemade advent calendar! 

For my Christmas posts this year, I’m working with Simple Stories Boho Christmas, which you can find in the shop here. 

I brought a paper advent calendar base from Hobbycraft.

I started by adding a piece of cardstock to each of the pockets, using various patterned papers from the collection as well as cardstock from the matchmaker pack. 

I then decorated each of the pockets with some embellishments, which included the cardstock stickers from the collection and some 2x2 elements.

I used the number die cuts to add to each pocket, showing which day of the month each pocket is for. 

To decorate the top part of the calendar, I cut some cardstock to size and added the ‘good cheer’ sticker, along with some punched starts and some Nuvo drops around the edge.

I added some mini chocolates to each pocket, ready to enjoy each day of December!

What kind of things do you make for Christmas? 

Thanks so much for looking! 

See you next time. 

Anna

x

@acraftylifewithanna