My Scraps and More Sketch 95

My creative sketches november

Card Created for Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

Thank you to Beth McAlexander for the inspiration for this card.

Starting Points for my album for my Daily December pictures and journalling

I have started preparing the album pages to be used with my December Daily project.  It was so quick and easy using Project Life.  The focus will definitely be on the pictures and journalling this year.

I used the following products for this project.
(1) Project Life photo pocket pages by Stampin'Up
(2) Hello December Project Life Card Collection by Stampin'Up
(3) Hello December Project Life Accessory Pack by Stampin'Up (I still have most of this pack left for when my photos go into the pages)
(4)Candlelight Christmas pages by Stampin'Up
(5) Six 12x12 pages from my stash and a few other odds and ends from my stash.

I plan to post the finished pages in January.  I am very excited because all of December will be fit into less than 8 page protectors…Way better than last year.  I got carried away with fun products and sketches and ended up with 20+ page protectors for 2013!

You could use any scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, old Christmas Cards, ribbon…you name it you can use it.  Just cut a variety of 4x6, 3x4, and 4x4 pieces of papers.  I like to save the off cuts of paper to use as little embellishments throughout the album.   Hope you are inspired to start your own Christmas Memory Album!

How to Emboss with Dye Ink…Love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-fgn1fvDRU&list=UU_pR1d2QM9MlashFgTbJQlw

I love all of the tutorials on this site.  She also goes over how to make your own re-inker for your VersaMark ink pad.  Yeah!!!

Tea Light Card

Isn't this card just the cutest card.  I cased this idea from stampinwithtami.com.  Check her site for a great video.   The dimensions of my card are slightly different, but both work.

You can make this card if you have:
(1) One 4.25"x12" piece of card stock
(2) A cute stamp/die set.  I love my reindeer set I think it is from Sizzix.
(3) Cardstock Vellum (mine is from Stamping'Up because I love the look of this vellum when used with the Stampin'Up Decorative Dots embossing folder).
(4) A punch or die set to create a cut out in the card.

To make this card just take you 4.25"x12" card stock and score at 5.5 inches and 8.75.  Place your die on the last section of the card and run through your Sizzix machine.  Tape a 4.25x3" piece of embossed vellum card stock behind the opening.  Now all you have to do is decorate the card as desired.  Once the card is folded up, you can place a battery operated tea light behind it.  Here is another photo…

Just add Corn Starch to Simply Clay from Stampin'UP

    Do you have love the idea of making your own buttons using the Simply Clay from Stampin'UP.  The following is a great tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol7M8AX0nS4

Now I live in a humid environment.  As a result, the clay sticks to the "button mold" and it is nearly impossible to achieve a nice button using the clay as it is.  All the information I found suggested working with the mold to improve the problem.    What I found might work for you (even though it did not work for me):

(1)  "spraying" the clay mold with oil, or 

(2) dusting it with the embossing button or glitter (which impacts your button look), or 

(3) to put the mold and clay in the freezer (which takes too much time for my liking).  

If you live in a humid environment try adding "CORN STARCH" to the clay until the clay no longer feels "sticky".  I just rolled the clay in the cornstarch and worked the corn starch into the clay.  You have to play around with the amount of corn starch until you determine what the clay should feel like for it to work.  After you add the corn starch to the clay you can add ink to colour.  Works great for me and does not change the look of the clay.  

Hope this helps!

My take on Creative Scrappers Sketch 281

This is the way I used Sketch 281 from creative Scrappers.  Check out the other artists on the site…I am sure you will find something to inspire you.  Once I print off my pictures I will be adding a 3x3" photo over the white mat.

Creative+Scrappers+281.jpg

December Daily Activity List

(1) Decorate the Tree
(2) Take Family Selfies
(3) Write something that you are really proud of
(4) Make an Ornament
(5) If you were granted three wishes what would they be? Why?
(6) If you could be invisible where would you go? Why?
(7)Share one thing you appreciate about each member in your family?
(8)If you could have any magical power what would it be? How would you use it?
(9)Sing your favourite christmas carol.
(10)Family Skate Night
(11) Decorate Gingerbread house
(12)Bake Cookies
(13)Write what brings you joy while drinking hot chocolate.
(14)Watch a movie? What is the message you took from the movie?
(15) Eat dinner by candle light
(16) Read the Christmas Story
(17) Take Pictures around the house
(18) Make a snowmand
(19) What would the perfect Winter Wonderland look like for you?
(20) Write a letter to Santa
(21) Write 3 reasons you are happy to be alive? Take food to the homeless shelter.
(22) What is your favourite book?  Why?
(23) Family Game Night
(24) What makes your family special?

Box of Memories -- December Daily Project

I finally finished my December Daily project.  The project list is included below.

For this project you will need:
(1) 2 sheets of card stock for the box.  I used "Soft Suede" from Stampin'Up.
(2) The Nordic Noel paper pack from Stampin'Up to decorate the box and inserts
(3) 5 sheets of card stock for the inserts.
(4) The Hello December Project Life Card Collection from Stampin'Up.
(5) The Buttons and Blossoms Simply Pressed Clay mold and clay from Stampin'Up.
(6) The Four Feathers Stamp Set and Feathers Framelits Die from Stampin'Up.

The box was create from one full 12"x12" piece of paper.  See below for a template.  I scored at 4.25" and 7.75" and rotated the paper and scored at 4.25" and 7.75".  This gives a box 3.5"x3.5"x4.25" (bxwxh).  Then cut along four of the scored lines as shown below.  Fold up the paper and tape.  I then cut a row of houses from the Nordic Noel paper pack and taped it around the box.  The perimeter of the box is greater than 12", therefore I cut a banner from another piece of Nordic Noel paper and taped the top of the banner.  I decorated the banner by cutting houses from the Nordic Noel paper.

The top of the box was made using a 6"x6" piece of paper.  I scored at 1.125" and 4.75".  Rotated the paper and scored at 1.125" and 4.75".  I trimmed the edges so the base of the top is 3.625"  and the sides were 1.125".  Once I assembled the top I wrapped ribbon around it and tied a bow.  I taped a 3.5"x3.5" piece of paper on the inside of the top to strengthen the top.

 This is what is inside the box when the top is pulled off.  I have 24 inserts that will hold tags with activities for each day.

 The insert is made from a 3"x9" piece of paper scored at 4.5" and 7.5".  Once folder I punch holes and tied twine the hold the insert together.  I embossed the numbers on each insert and decorated using feathers embossed with gold embossing powder.  I also embossed each flower (made with Stampin'Up clay) with red embossing powder from my stash.

 These tags were punched out of "Soft Suede" card stock using a tag punch from my stash.  Any tag punch smaller than 3" wide would work.  I added white card stock folder in help and taped it to the tag.  I wrote our daily activity on the white card stock.

I have also included 24 of the project life cards in the box.  This way I can write down what we did, any cute comments people made and so on.  I will take a picture each day.  In January I will print off 24 pictures and have all the memories written down.   We do this each year.

 Cutting template box

Cutting template top