Merry Christmas Morning

Hey, there everyone!  Here's a quick article I shared in this week's AWDML newsletter.  If you'd like to be getting these newsletters full of inspiration and prodcuts, just click HERE!

 A really popular technique to use when you would like a page to come together quickly is "blocking." Blocking is when you use blocks of color or patterned paper to balance your design. When creating a scrapbook page, the photo(s) would be included as one (or several) of the blocks. There are many, many examples of this technique available for inspiration. 

For my layout, I used a very simple, but very obvious blocking design.

 

The red block of paper is the same size as my photo in order to create balance. The journal cards are smaller than the other blocks but balance eachother in the design.

 

I used quite a few of the stickers from the collection, along with some foam tape to create dimension on the page. On this photo, you can also see the beautiful script for the title cut from Memory Box dies.

Here, you can see the "Nice List" featuring everyone in our family (including the dog) using some of the alpha stickers included with the collection.

 

 

And, finally the journaling block with the tree. I added the "merry memories" stickers for balance and dimension.

 

I definitely suggest trying out some blocking when you would like to create a fun, simple and quick page!

Products Used:

Patterned Papers and Stickers: Simple Stories December Documented

Dies: Memory Box Merry and Memory Box Christmas

Stickers: Thickers

Adhesives: Sco th Quick Dry Glue and Best Creations Foam Tape

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you enjoyed my layout and that you might consider trying this technique out!  Have a great day!!

We Wish you a Merry Kissmass....

Hey, everyone!  Thanks for stopping by today!  Here's a fun post I shared last week on the AWDML Blog as part of their 12 Days of Christmas event.

Happy Scrappy Wednesday, everyone and welcome to day 11 of our 12 Days of Christmas event! I have a fun and simple project to share today that would make a great gift for teachers, classmates, office friends, postal carriers, bus drivers and anyone else that you like to give a little "something" to every Christmas.

Start by printing the sentiment on your printer. You can use any word processing program and it should end up being about 2" by 3". The sentiment I used was "We wish you a Merry Kissmas and a Chappy New Year."

Now, cut a piece of patterned paper to 3 1/2" by 4 1/2". Using a craft knife, cut two 1 1/2" slits that are 1 1/4" from the top and bottom edge and about 1/4" from the left edge. See below. The RED represents the cuts.

 

 Once your slits are cut, simply slip your tube of chapstick in and adhere your sentiment.

 

You can leave it simple as you see above, or you can dress it up a bit more like this....

 

I hope you enjoyed today's project that you're inspired to make a few gifts!

All of the products for this project are available at A Walk Down Memory Lane!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Christmas Tree Ornament

Hey, everyone!  Just sharing my project from last week on the AWDML blog!  Enjoy!

Happy Scrappy Wednesday! Today I want to share a fun and super easy Christmas ornament that you can make for your own tree, or as a gift for someone else. These would also be great to add to a package or gift bag!
First, cut a strip of patterned paper 12″ by 3 1/2″. Since we’re making a Christmas tree, I would suggest using green. Now, measure and mark along the bottom of the strip every 2 1/2″. Along the top, measure 1 1/4″ then move your ruler over to that mark and mark every 2 1/2″ from there. Once you’ve gone all the way across, connect the marks to look like this:

 

Here’s a closeup of what the measurements should look like:

 

Now, cut carefully along the lines to make eight triangles. Place a triangle on your scoreboard and score at 1 1/4″. It should end up going right down the middle. Repeat for each triangle.

Now, fold each triangle in half with the side you want showing on the inside of the fold. Then, ad adhesive to one side of the back of the triangle and adhere it to another triangle matching the edges as much as possible.

 

Continue adding triangles until you’ve used them all (or until you are happy with the result- I would recommend at least six). Then, add a ribbon, as shown.

 

Now, adhere the two final sides together to close up the “tree”. The ribbon shold be coming out the top like this:

 

Now, you can add some additional decorations such as pearls or gemstones, or just leave it simple.

 

(You'll have to excuse the photo... we didn't have our Christmas tree up yet, so I used one of the houseplants instead!  LOL!)

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today! I hope you enjoyed the project and that you’re inspired to try on of your own!  All of the materials for this project are available at A Walk Down Memory Lane!

Come back again next week for another fun Christmas project!

SNOW CUTE Snowman Card

Here's a card that I shared on the AWDML blog last week!

Happy Scrappy Wednesday, everyone!!
Lately, I've been sharing a snowman theme with you and today I've got another SNOW CUTE Snowman Card to share with you!
I started with a blue background which I inked with Antique Linen Distress ink. Then, I cut the layers of snow and inked them, as well. I like how the Antique Linen ink adds some shading and dimension without adding too much color.
Then I created my little snowman. I cut the circles using my Nestibilities Circle dies and free hand cut the hat, scarf, carrot nose and arms with a sharp pair of scissors. I love the whimsy that is created by putting the larger "snowball" as the top of my snowman! Isn't he SNOW CUTE?!

The eyes and smile were created with my Copic Multiliner pens and the snowflakes were made with the Atyou Spica pens (also from Copic). I just LOVE these pens for adding detail and journaling to projects!
I hope you enjoyed my card today and that you're inspired to make of of our own!

All materials for this card are available at A Walk Down Memory Lane!

It's Turkey Time!

Hey, everyone!!  Here's a post I shared on the AWDML Blog last week!  Enjoy!

Happy Scrappy Wednesday, everyone!! It's Turkey Time and we're getting ready for Thanksgiving. While we are sorting out who is bringing the cranberry sauce and chocolate pie, we're also thinking of decorating and of those family members who may not be able to join us for dinner. So, today I want to share a sweet little paper crafted Turkey that could be used on a card front, napkin ring, place card or any other way you could think of! You can make him in lots of different sizes, depending on the size of the punches or dies that you use!

First, gather up the pieces you need to create you turkey: One small circle for the head, one medium circle for the body, two larger circles (scalloped if you have them) for the feathers, a square/scrap for the hat and a punched branch for the feet.

Now, adhere the small circle to the medium circle and snip off two pieces of the branch and adhere them to be back of the body as shown:

To make the feathers, find 5 scallops and fold them upward as shown:

Fold in half:

 

Unfold and find the crease that you just created. Now fold each corner up to meet that middle crease and glue in place

Now, repeat the same process with the 2nd scalloped circle. Using foam tape, stick the two "feather" sections to the back of the body.

Now, cut his hat and decorate him how ever you'd like! Isn't he cute?

Now you can add him to a card or something fun and decorative on your Thanksgiving table! Here, I added him to a super simple card!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you were inspired to create a little turkey for yourself!

All materials for this project are available at A Walk Down Memory Lane.

Enjoy!

Snowman Popcorn Gift

Hey, Everyone!  Here's my post from last week on the AWDML Blog!

Happy Scrappy Wednesday, everyone! Just popping in (hahaha!) to share a fun (and easy!) gift that would be great for teachers, office staff, neighbors or even party favors at your holiday shin-dig! A Snowman Popcorn Wrap! That's right-- I simply created a snowman that wraps around a bag of microwave popcorn!

I started with some white cardstock that was approximately 6" X 12". Depending on the brand and size of popcorn you use, yours may need to be taller or shorter. Then, I simply put the package of popcorn in the middle and folded my paper around it and ahdered it in the back to create a sleeve. Then, I slid the popcorn out while I made his face.

The scarf is simply paper with a fringe cut from scissors with some added twine and a heart. The face is made from a carrot cut from a scrap of orange cardstock, some red ink sponged on and a black pen. I stamped a simple, general sentiment on there, as well. You could add buttons instead of a sentiment, if you wanted!

Here's my little guy:

Isn't he SO cute?!?! There's lots of fun ways you could change this up and maybe even use it for something besides popcorn. I think this would make a great card front!

I hope you enjoyed my project today and that you are inspired to make one of your own! Thanks for stopping by today!

Be sure to check out A Walk Down Memory Lane for all of the products used to make this project!

Halloween Treat Boxes

Hey, everyone!!
Here's a post I shared last week on the AWDML Blog (before Halloween!).  Thanks for checking it out!

Happy Scrappy Wednesday, Everyone!

Today I have some fun (and easy!) Halloween Treat Boxes to share with you! These would be perfect for whipping up a large batch for your kidI did three different designs, but they all started the same:
First, cut a 3" by 8 1/2" strip of cardstock. I used black. Then, score it at 3", 4" and 7". Fold on all of the score lines and then you'll have this:

And the front....

 

Now, the fun part-- to decorate the front! For this one, I used my oval dies to create a little pumpkin, I hand cut the stem and the "curly Q" is just a thin strip of cardstock that's been wrapped around a pencil. Cute, eh?

Here's little Frankie! I simply hand cut the "fringe" for his hair, used a small circle punch for his eyes, and drew the rest with a black marker!

I also created a ghost at the last second, but forgot to snap a photo just of him. I started with a 3" by 3" square of white and hand cut the shape of the ghost. Then circle punched the eyes and mouth using two different sized circle punches.

Here are all of the treat boxes together. When I attached the "characters" to the fronts of the boxes, I only put adhesive on the top 1/3 so that they would stick only on the top flap of the box. So, if you lift up on the character, the box will open to reveal the Halloween treat inside!

I'm already cooking up a Christmas version of this project! Stay tuned for that! Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed the project!

Snowman Ornament

Hey there, everyone!!  Here's a project I shared on the AWDML blog last Wednesday!

I have a super easy and fun Snowman Ornament to share with you today! It would look cute on the front of a card, too!

Start with a strip of paper about 1 3/4" wide and 12" long. Punch the edge of your strip with a scallop edge punch.

Now, using your scoring board, score the strip at every "indent" in the scallop. If you don't have a scallop punch, score at every 1/4".

Accoridan fold your strip and punch a circle from a piece of scrap paper.

 

 

Now, glue the ends of your strip together, Press it down in the center to create a rosette and secure with hot glue.

 

Now, simply decorate your snowman with a hat, eyes and nose. I decorated the hat with a scrap piece of ric-rac, some punched branches and some paint to make the holly berries. Just a hint-- add the berries at the VERY end of your project. Otherwise, you may end up dragging your hair through it and then trying to fix it (in my case you may repeat the scenario THREE times!). Also, add a piece of twine, ribbon or craft wire to the back of your snowman to hang it from.

Isn't he super cute?!?! One of my favorite parts of this project is that every single piece of paper used was a scrap! The ric-rac and twine were also scraps! I love when you can create something cute with scraps!

Thanks for stopping by today! I have another cute snowman to share with you soon, so make sure you come back!

Make a Wish

Here's a project that I shared on the AWDML Blog last week!

Happy Scrappy Wednesday, everyone!! And, Happy Birthday to A Walk Down Memory Lane!!
To celebrate this fantasic milestone with AWDML, I have a fun and simple birthday layout to share with you today! To a child, there's nothing like blowing out the candles on your cake and making a wish every year! Today's layout features my son at his birthday last year. His next birthday is in just TWO days! I did a few fun things with this one... take a look!

 

In my title, I mixed up the alphas, which I LOVE to do, but I also added a candle in place of the "I". To make the candle, I simply rolled a strip of paper about 4" long into a tube with a small bit of embroidery thread inside for a wick. Then, just a bit of cardstock cut with a circle cutter for a flame! Isn't it super cute?! You can also see some of the Maya Mists paint splatters-- They remind me of confetti!

 

 

And, I also used a Project Life journaling card for my sub-title! The PL Cards are perfect for this type of use! They are so easy to alter and quick to put together!

 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by to celebrate with us! And, here's to MANY more wonderful years for AWDML! Congratulations, Lisa!

Technique Tuesday: Super Easy Oval Bows

Here's my post that I shared today on the Birds of a Feather Kit Club Blog!

First of all, I just need to tell you how amazing the October Kit is! Every kit is my favorite... until the next one comes out! The papers, the embellishments, the alphas, the extras.... everything! **sigh** It's just amazing!

A few weeks ago, I shared a card with a super easy bow and had a few people ask me to share how to make it. Well.... here it is! It's so easy! Not only are these bows great for cards, but I can see them used on layouts, gifts and even wreaths!

First cut four ovals-- two slightly smaller than the others. I used my oval die set, but you can always make a template with your word processing program, or cut them on your die cutting machine. The bigger the ovals, the bigger your bow will be.

Now, using a strong adhesive, bend (don't fold) the larger ovals in half and stick the ends together. I used some super sticky glue squares, but hot glue would also work. You could use wet glue if you're more patient than I am.

Now, cut matching notches in the ends of the two smaller ovals.

 

 

Stick your two folded ovals together and wrap a coordinating paper around them.

Next, simply add your two smaller oval to the back side of your bow and that's IT!!

You can leave it as is, or add a jewel like I did!

Now, add your bow to your project and enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial today and that you'll try it on an upcoming project! And, of course, don't forget to check out the October Kit! The word GORGEOUS doesn't even come close....

Have a great day, everyone!  Thanks for stopping by!

Mason Jar Lanterns

Hey there, peeps!  Here's a fun tutorial I shared on the AWDML Blog last week!

Happy Scrappy Wednesday, everyone! Mason Jar crafts are all the rage right now and today I want to share how to make some Mason Jar Lanterns!! This is a great project to involve the kids on, too!

Check this out!

First I started with my quart size mason jars, mod-podge and food coloring. You'll also need a plastic spoon and paper plate for each jar you plan to make.

First, put about 3/4" of Mod-Podge into the bottom of your jar.

 

Now, add your food coloring. To make Orange, we used about 6 drops of red and 6 drops of yellow.

Use a plastic spoon to stir the food coloring into the Mod-Podge. Keep stirring until it's totally blended. Any streaks left will cause streaks on your jar. The color should be a pastel version of the color you are after. The color will darken up and it will dry in the color of your food coloring since the Mod-Podge turns clear when it dries.

Now, turn your jar on its side and gently roll it back and forth to distribute the colored Mod-Podge evenly throughout the inside of the jar.

Empty out any excess and then turn your jar upside down on a paper plate. I learned that it takes a LONG time to dry this way. And, I ended up putting two chopsticks across my paper plate and setting the jar on top of them so that the air could circulate.

Here's what they look like when they are dry! Isn't that COOL?! OK, I'm not going to lie. The top of the jar is a little messed up because I tried to be impatient and turn them back upright to dry. It didn't work. But, I had a plan on how to cover that up! ;)

I decided to turn the orange jar into a jack-o-lantern by adding a pumpkin face to it using black cardstock.

 

The blue jar has a winter theme so, we added snowflakes to the outside.

I think the blue jar would be pretty with a garden/flower theme, too!

I love how these Mason Jar Lanterns came out and will be using them around our house for seasonal decorations. I can't wait to see what other designs I can come up with! We'd love to see what designs YOU can come up with! Share them on our Facebook page so we can ooh and aah over them!