Have you been collecting your bits from Christmas?

Well Christmas day has been and gone... how was yours? Mine was good and I have collected a few bits and pieces from wrapping and the like, mostly ribbons I have to say and not the wrapping paper itself as most of it is usually too acid to use for scrapbooking.

Worth keeping if you have plans to make some Christmas cards for next year mind!

However, don't forget the labels on any new clothes you or your children may have received... some clothes labels nowadays are quite "arty".

Then there is the little irritating loops of ribbon in new clothes that have to be cut off anyway, because they keep sticking out of your clothes at the shoulders... they are quite useful for layouts and all for free!

Cords from gift bags... I keep any halfway decent gift boxes for placing things like brag books inside... which reminds me that I must make up a brag book for my hubby. I ran out of time before Christmas.

Anyway... here is the altered notebook I made as a gift for a team mate in my team on UK Scrappers. It was actually inspired by a digital instant page, and when I have the time to remind myself who the designer was I will let you know! Papers from the Scarlet's letter series from Basic Grey.

Christmas Photos and Scrapbooking

Well I'm back after the festivities of the season!!

Here is a layout-in-progress - it is basically finished, and actually I created it whilst showing my family (sister and mum) what digital scrapbooking was all about!

Most of the page apart from the two flowers and the ribbon, is actually a "Beauty Quickpage" by Cinzia Loosemore. I just placed the photograph behind and the flowers and ribbon on top and voila!

I should really put on some information about who it is and when it was... and may be I will shortly... now then... where did I put those chocolates!!!

And a Merry Christmas to you ALL

I have to say that I am not a religious person... however, I am a "live and let live" person (as long as others are not harming anyone.

But I celebrate Christmas as I was brought up with it all, but that was mainly the Father Christmas stuff, etc. Something which I now do with my daughter (hubby not too sure about the whole thing as he didn't have it all as a child, so I take control... no change there then!!!)

But one day I do like to pay special attention to is 21st December - the Winter Solstice... the shortest day. Means we are now on the upturn and the days are getting longer again! Woo hoo. Of course there is no immediate change but it does have a psychological effect on me anyway.

However, this year I am trying to appreciate everything that I already have around me, even down to the smallest little thing, like having hot and cold running water on demand for instance. Stuff we take for granted. Believe me, when you have lived on a motorhome for a year (as I did) you really appreciate a normal flushing toilet and having an unending supply of water at the flick of a wrist! I think everyone should have to do the same, cos it makes you appreciate all that we have... even those on the bread line.

When we appreciate things, especially those around us, we attract more things to appreciate, in other words, more things that we want.

And this time of year is a great time to highlight such things. So take a moment, in between breaths (whilst arguing with the family again! LOL) to appreciate that you HAVE a family... and if you don't... maybe appreciate that!!!

I think my favourite thing about the festive season... is that I love to give presents. I wish I could buy lots more for everyone, and one day I will be able to. But I love to give.

Now then... the picture above is the 12x12 page layout I am giving to my mum as a Christmas gift... I think I am fairly safe in that I don't think she will have time to check out my blog before the big day, so I thought I would share it with you.

And the little picture... well that's little ole me and my homage to tinsel time!!!

So Merry Christmas or just Happy Solstice or May you Live long and Prosper !!! whatever your persuasion I wish you ALL health and happiness.

Settling in

Well I think our puppy, Inde, has basically settled into his new home... don't you think? These some recent pictures taken of him with our other 2 dogs, Toffee the Jack Russell and Harley the old (11 yrs) Labrador. We are now at the stage of taking his cage down, something I plan to do this weekend.

As we have a dog flap, his house training has been very easy really. The odd few accidents, but he just takes himself outside as and when he needs to!

Strangely I haven't made any scrapbook pages about the new arrival yet! But then frankly I have not really had the time! Whatever scrapping I have done has either been for a crop demo or presents or trying to just catch up with all those past events that should have been done by now!

I have just reminded myself of all the pages I have to do, because I have been trawling through the last 2 years of digital photos copying relevant ones onto a disc to put in a digital picture frame. I can feel some digital pages coming on!

Time to squeeze loads of photos onto one page! I do admire the stylish layouts which only have one picture, but at the end of the day, I want to "cram 'em in" to get the event scrapped and available for viewing. And of course with Christmas coming... my digi photo album is getting fat - I don't know about the geese! LOL

Christmas Circle Journal

You can tell it's Christmas time... normal things get shoved aside in the necessity to write cards, wrap presents, put up decorations... all stuff you wouldn't do every day because... you just don't have the time!! But do these things we must!

I have a chocolaty sort of theme going on... gold and brown with bronze on some of the wrapping paper and the tree, don't think my 4 year old daughter is that keen!! Kids always like lots of colours.

Anyway, I thought I would post a couple of pages of a circle journal I did with my Scrapbuddies group back in January. The whole book is posted on the Scrapbuddies website.

The idea for showing you this now..? Prepare for the Christmas layouts... think a little bit in advance (when standing in that looooong checkout queue at the supermarket with a trolley stuffed with food - LOL) about the pictures you could take that are a little bit different from the norm... like different angles, looking down on people, or sitting on the floor looking up at them for instance.

Then there are all the "bits" you can collect, such as little pieces (!) of wrapping paper and cracker bits, wrapping ribbons, product labels (Christmas pud labels/cooking instructions) to use on your backgrounds. Or even make up a background paper by colour photocopying a collage of all these things.

The theme for the Circle Journal was "Likes and Dislikes about Christmas". Quite interesting what people come up with!

Latest Layout

Well here is it... my latest layout. This is the gift for my sister which I am about to frame, and then wrap... although I think I'll actually wrap it tomorrow.

Oh and don't worry about her seeing it... the chances of her visiting my blog are fairly remote!

I have to say that I wouldn't have ordinarily put a coral/orange colour with these blues and greens, but as they were in the photographs, I has to put a touch of it in the layout. I ended up having to recolour a diecut pink flower with some ink pads to match in nearer the colour.

Still I think it's not done too badly!

I have to thank Lucy for lending me the templates for "Me" and "&" - it was nice to have you over to scrap for a while together!

The "my girls" chipboard letters are from Papermania, which I have also recoloured with inks to match in with the rest of the layout.

Christmas Scrapbooking Pages

Ok, it's traditional versus contemporary... most people like one or the other - you know... a bit like marmite... love it of hate it!

Well, a couple of years ago I was making 8x8 albums for the female members of the family and for my mum and sister I decided to make an 8x8 layout about Christmas. So the traditional one was for my mum (as she likes grean!) and the more contemporary (alternative) layout of blues was for my sister.

Both Layouts use the same pictures, but it is surprising how different they can look isn't it!?

So which do you prefer, traditional greens, reds and golds or something different?

The year I made these layouts (Christmas 2005) I made the albums too, and the idea was that the one for my mum... well she scraps (a little bit) so she could fill it with her own pages, but the one for my sister -who isn't "arty" as she puts it - would be filled with page from me occasionally. Not done too well on that score.

However, the album I made for my mother-in-law, I have actually made a number of pages for that album. I made a small one for her... 6x8. That size works rather well, and I give her the odd layout of her granddaughter (mostly) periodically throughout the year.

So buy (or make) an empty album for someone and then Christmas and birthdays... presents are sorted! LOL Well you could try?!

Scrapbooking gifts for Christmas

It's a race against time now isn't it?! Is every Scrapbooker going mad rushing to make Scrapbooking gifts for friends and family... or is it just me?

I know you're all at it!

I've had some 12x12 frames made up especially so I HAVE to do mine - I've got 3 to do. Well actually I have finished one this evening.

Can you see it...? well unforunately no, just in case the recipient is taking a look at this blog! So that will be another item I will be posting a picture of in January LOL!

I am planning on making one for my sister and I will post that one here because the chances of my sister taking a look at my blog are very remote, so I think I'm pretty safe!

As for Christmas cards... good grief no, I haven't even started making or writing any! The picture here is of some I made a couple of years ago... I was trying to use up "stuff" so it was a real mix of styles... still they were liked!

Scrapbooking Pirates - me hearties!

It was my daughter's birthday today... she's now 4! And her party was at an Adventure Island Play Park which has a theme of Pirates. It's an indoor play area. Anyway, my daughter Honey loves it! So I made an iron-on transfer for a T-shirt with Captain Honey on it and ordered Captain Sparrows accessories kit and hey presto - A pirate was born!

Then I made a Pirate Galleon Birthday Cake and she has a good day with her friends and loads of pressies!

Of course, now I have to scrap the photos!! The question is... do I do the "Pirate Themed" papers and embellishments... or do I just keep it tasteful.. ha ha!

A natty way to Store your Ribbons

This is an article I found on the Families.com website. I reproduce it here ... just love the idea!!

How a Kitchen Product Can Become Ribbon Storage
by Nicole Humphrey More from this Blogger
If you know me, then you know there is nothing I love more than figuring out how I can reuse items in new and different ways. I am constantly writing articles for the frugal blog on finding new uses for everyday items. Well, I have found a new use for a standard kitchen item that very quickly can be turned into ribbon storage.
When we became a blended family, we wound up with two of a lot of things. Those are the items I tend to play around with first. Well, we wound up with two colanders for our kitchen.

Even if we had not had two in our possession, you can typically find a kitchen colander that will work great at a discount department store for under $4. So regardless it is a very inexpensive storage alternative. You have plenty of options as well. They come in steel and plastic and you could even paint or alter them in some way to decorate them and make them coordinate. I have not done this yet.

So how does a colander become a scrapbooking storage or organization tool for ribbon? Simple.

Take your strands of ribbon and poke them through the holes in your colander. You can place them by colors or patterns or brands or however you want. I sort of did a cluster of various colors and brands to give you a general idea of what I am talking about.

The best part of this storage idea, or organizational method, is that colander's come with handles. You can tie pretty ribbon or even use chain to hang the colander from the ceiling of your scrap area to utilize that vertical space. You could also just place it on a counter top, table top or bookshelf.

Nicole Humphrey writes articles for the Scrapbooking Blog, for the Frugal Blog, and for the Photography Blog all on Families.com. She also guest blogs on a variety of topics. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

Digi scrapbooking - lots of pictures

My latest offering - some of this is created using freebies and some items I have purchased.

The template is for an 8x8 page which, unfortunately for here has a white background, so I doctored the jpg for this post by drawing a black line around the edge to define the edges!

I used a layout - SimplySarah_LayeredTemplate16 from simplysarahdesigns.blogspot.com(freebie)

Paper - When I can remember I will note it!! LOL

Buttons - Shabby Princess Festival kit (freebie)

Fonts - IKHIOOGLA (free) Gloucester MT Ext and Arial Narrow

Flower - Cinzia Loosemore "Always" collection (I've recoloured it)

Didn't take long once I got the hang of placing "clipping" and "merging" all the different layers with their photos!

Still got 7 pctures on this little layout... another event covered!

Freebie Scrapbooking

Here are some sites that do a lot of hard work. The authors spend their time searching lots of sites and posting links to all those that have a freebie that day.

Now obviously I am talking about digital freebies, but you can download these and print out a lot of the stuff, ie, some embellishments.

Some digital items can also be taken into programs like "Word" so that you can print them with/on/around or over your photographs.

For instance you can place a frame over a photograph in Word, print it and then cut out the whole lot and place that on your layout!!

Anyway... Well done to these ladies for all their hard work!

Ikea Goddess

Amy W's Scrap-A-Lot

And here is a blog giving away free Christmassy stuff! Digitreats