christmas cards scrapbook page layout

I am so delighted with my christmas-card collage layout, another idea borrowed from Ali Edwards. After much thought, I decided to go out on a limb and buy a square punch. Like Ali and many other scrappers, the story is the most important thing to me about scrapbooking and sometimes you need more than one photo for that. And photos on a page take up lots of room...So I am happy to be able to recommend the EK Success 2" square punch.

After being warned about the dangers of using these type of punches (the cheaper and less reliable brands are almost impossible to use without standing on them!) I was nervous. But this one works really well on photos and cardstock, no problem. I was looking for the Marvy Uchida at Camelot but couldn't find it, so happily this one is just as good. Hooray!

My DH is very nervous now that he will come into the Tardis one day and find squares punched through all his stuff.

What can I see - the square punch is. VERY. addictive!

I also bought a Fiskars scallop punch and love the lacy effect.

Scrapbooking withdrawals

Yep, I'm having scrapbooking withdrawals. It's not that I've lost my mojo or anything serious, but we have a big trip to melbourne coming up this weekend...one packed car, a Mum, a Dad, a one-year-old and a two-year-old and a fair bit of rain forecast in the days ahead. Lots of snot, pooey nappies, occasional tantrumic outbursts expected. Two weary parents on high alert. Oh how we love the holidays! so have been too busy for scrapbooking *sigh*.


The main purpose of this trip is Dad's memorial service at the end of month, which we're having for all his family who live in melbourne. The ashes will be interred in Bairnsdale on the 1st December, his birthday, and I'm so looking forward to discovering his childhood town (since I spent a year scrapbooking an album about it!).


So the last few nights have been spent finishing the slideshow, making copies, getting christmas cards ready, and just other bits and pieces that add up to make a very busy week! I was grateful as always to have our mother's group here today, because the reward is a lovely neat and tidy house afterwards! Well, relatively anyway. You should have seen the house this morning...eeeuch. That would make a funny before-and-after pic!


Anyway, I'm so glad I do have a few little creative projects I can take with me... the chipboard wall art for the nursery that need to be decoratively painted, a mini mobile-phone-picture album, collating notes about the babies for their journal, (for next year's scrapbook albums!) oh yes and the christmas cards, which will just need to have some baubles glued on, the letter added in, and a bit of embellishment here and there with the glitter pens. I figure we'll be away for two weeks, so might as well take something with me to do. I usually overestimate what I will be able to do, but you never know your luck in a big city. That's melbourne, not adelaide.


My sweet little lovely came to give me a cuddle before bedtime tonight, and said "I weally love you a lot, and daddy, and mother's group too." It makes it all seem bearable when she says things like that! Which is why i need to get the journal up to date so I can write things in it AS they say them! Instead of on scraps of paper.

Christmas cards - never too early to start

I was treated to Ruth Cameron's cardmaking class today and came away with four Christmas cards. There should have been five but we chatted a bit! I've decided to try and get my cards done in November this year as it's always done at the last minute and there's always a panic about getting them to people in time for Christmas. I usually come up with one master card then copy it 50 times... I can't imagine making individual cards for everyone. I am definitely inspired by the card at the top, with the three baubles - green and red by the way, but the scan didn't really pick up the red very well. I'll probably incorporate a family pic as well I think.

I used some new products and techniques too -

1. Several of the cards used Kindyglitz or Ice Iccles and I was loved the effect, which was actually quite subtle. Some sequins were used too, on the baubles.

2. There's corrugated metallic card too - I have a little machine on order at Seriously Scrapbooking that crinkles paper for you but you can apparently buy the card like this.

3. I also really love the simple scalloped edging achieved with scissors. I was thinking about buying a scallop punch but I think scissors would have more uses - you could do straight and curved lines, or circles, I think.

4. The Christmas tree was cut from scrapbooking paper and I've seen similar papers in the shops, and the little reindeer was purchased from a pack of gift tags. I love the creative thought that went into those!

5. And finally embossing powder melted with a heat tool - the white powder shines like thick lovely snow. Will have to think about adding some to my stash...maybe next year.

The Christmas letter will be different from usual... we normally do a boring old text only letter but I want to include fewer words and some pics this time. There must be 1000 to choose from so that will be easier said than done.

Isn't it crazy though, to see Christmas stuff in the shops already?