Color Me Happy

Christmas layouts without Christmas paper, no problem!

It seems this time of year I always get a little nostalgic and dig through the photos of our kids from when they were younger. I ran across a couple photos I love of my son from over 10 years ago that I haven’t scrapped yet. I don’t have a lot of patterned Christmas paper in my stash so I drew from the colors and themes of the photos to come up with something that worked for each one.

The first one was of Wyatt with his Tickle Me Elmo, the hottest toy of the season. I used the colors of the photo and the subject matter as the inspiration for my paper choices. The playful Sassafras paper and stickers were perfect to highlight the memory.

This next layout I used the star that Wyatt is holding and his blue plaid shirt for my inspiration. For my patterned paper I selected My Mind’s Eye, Teresa Collins and October Afternoon, and then embellished with October Afternoon, Jenni Bowlin and American Crafts stickers. Would you have ever thought that the October Afternoon Seaside collection would work for a Christmas layout? Me neither, but you know, it does!

Neither one of the layouts have a single product on them that was made specifically for the holidays, but I love how both of them turned out. When you sit down to scrap the 100's of photos that you'll take over the holidays, think about the non-themed papers you already have on hand that may work for your layouts. I challenge you to use non-themed papers for your holiday photos. Come on, I know you can do it!

 

43 Things

Last month, as I approached my 43^rd Birthday I decided to make a list of 43 things I would like to do while 43. I realize this is not a new idea, however, it is something I’ve wanted to do since I turned 40. The items on the list vary from crafty projects, home decor, family trips, entertainment and things that I’ve been procrastinating on and are in desperate need of attention.

I made a layout about all my lofty aspirations and used an old typewriter that I acquired a couple months ago. It is my second typewriter and it is a beast and an eye sore but I can now type on a piece of 12 x 12 patterned paper so I had to have it!

I set off typing my long list of 43 items “chicken pecking” style so I wouldn’t mess up, since I don’t have any correction tape for the darn thing. Even if I did, it wouldn’t do me any good unless I was typing on white paper.

Did you know that you can remove typewriter ink from paper using a piece of scotch tape?

Ummm, not that I know anything about this! However, if you happen to find yourself in this situation, all you have to do is take a piece of tape, stick it to your hand a couple times to make it so it isn’t quite so tacky, place the tape on the ink you want to remove, and rub it with a blunt object (like a pen cap), then lift the tape off the paper. Repeat the process using a clean section of the tape until all the ink is lifted off the paper. Works like a charm, not that I would know!

I used the “On the Easel” kit from Studio Calico. The Studio Calico exclusive paper was perfect for my list. I decided to keep the embellishments to a minimum and instead used the graphic design of the paper to highlight my patterned paper and photo with hand stitching. I have always loved sewing on my paper, but for a bolder look, hand stitching is the way to go.

Another thing I like about hand stitching is that I get to use my over abundant and neglected stash of DMC floss from my cross stitching days. I can also do the stitching while watching TV with my family, which I love.

I used a hand stitching technique that I learned from a tutorial created by Kinsey Wilson. On her blog, she shows several techniques and stitches to create a variety of looks. I used the paper application technique on my layout with 3 strands of floss to create the thickness I needed.

It will be fun to look back on this layout next October and see the things I have actually done on my list. I think I'll use my chalks to highlight the ones that I accomplish.

Ok, two things for you…

One of the items on my list is to make a quilt (item #1). Although I own a sewing machine, I am by no means a seamstress. I need some recommendations for quick and easy quilts, without a bunch of technical terms in the instructions that I won’t understand. Maybe I’m being too ambitious, but I would like to be able to make it in a weekend, or two, if that is even possible. So, if you know of any easy patterns, I’m all ears.

The second thing, go check out Kinsey’s stitching tutorials, then dig out your old DMC floss that is probably hidden away in a closet, long forgotten, and make a layout with hand stitching on it. Come back here and link me up, I would love to see what you do.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones. If you dare to brave the crowds on Black Friday, I hope you get everything you are after.

I’ll be back on Saturday with the bookbinding tutorial that I used to for my 12 Days of Christmas mini album.