What's Up Wednesday

Did you take note of what Amber mentioned in our last post?

Holiday paper does not always need to be used for holidays.

Here's my example!

First off, my holiday paper:
(Who doesn't love a little Fourth of July with Christmas?)

Then, the FLIP SIDE of my holiday paper:
(Looks like it would work for a project for a Coug fan, huh?)

I was creating an extra special project for a fantastic family here in Pullman who are big Coug fans. Dad was going in for a major surgery and this banner was created to cheer him with a "visit" from his kids while he was recovering.

I used holiday paper, ribbon, WSU stickers, Bazzill Borders, and some fun flowers... all items from Paper Pals!

Their greeting: We love you. Get well soon!

A shout out to Team Davis-- we hope the hardest part of your battle is done!

Come up with a fun project that you could do for someone else... and use your holiday paper in a new way!

Holly Jolly Christmas Collection by Echo Park

I had a great time playing with the Holly Jolly Christmas line by Echo Park. The colors are so vivid and playful, plus the patterns aren't all Christmas so while you can use them for Holiday projects and layouts you can also use them for other projects not related to Christmas.

On this layout I used the Sew Easy large paper piercer and fancy floss to stitch the fun swirly border then cut out the stockings and attached them with dimensional dots.

For the Christmas tree card I used an EK Success border punch then curled the paper up using the shaft of a pen to give it more dimension.  For the reindeer card I cut out the scalloped circle using Nestabilities dies. I love those things!  I added a jewel to the reindeer's nose and colored it using a Copic marker.

This card is pretty simple. I used my border punch again then raised the two pieces of paper with dimensional dots. I also added a little stickles to the snowman for some bling.

The last project I did was to make some fun ornaments. On the back of each ornament I attached a small B&W photo.

As always, these samples can be seen in person at Paper Pals. I hope you have as much fun with this line as I did!

Whats up Wednesday!

I am primarily a Scrapbooker and so I usually wait until after Halloween to scrapbook Halloween pictures and so I hope it does not feel unexpected to see Halloween ideas after Halloween has already past! I am so in love with the "My Minds Eye" Halloween paper "Mischievous"! It is my favorite of all Halloween paper EVER! I love that it has orange, black and white combinations and a pale ghostly blue. The patterns are awesome and workable for any pictures with any color scheme. It is two sided and the patterns are varied and scrumptious. My kids this year could not stop picking up the accordion album I made in 2009 and just looking at all their costumes. I made another book in 2010 they also liked, but the Accordion Album really stood out as part of our Halloween decorations, so I decided to do another for 2011. I was surprised how excited my kids were for me to finish( apparently they like my scrap book projects better than my cooking!) It was easy and fun, I slapped it together with a minimal of embellishment and just a few light touches. My family loves it and it is so easy to pack away in it's little case for next year! Enjoy!

What's Up Wednesday - DIY Christmas Ideas

I don't know about you, but this year has gone way too fast!  I can't believe it's already November, which means, it's time to seriously start thinking about handmade Christmas gifts and other Christmas-type ideas. 

Sometimes it's hard to come up with something new, unique, and memorable so I go looking for inspiration online. Here are a few great ideas I've found so far.

I've wanted to make one of these scrappy photo collage stars for a few years now and finally found a tutorial! Yay!

I'm in love with this personalized monogrammed tote bag. Elegant, easy, and best of all, inexpensive.

Check out this goodie box! Filled with cookies or other yummy treats, it would be perfect for coworkers, neighbors, church members, etc. It's made out of a single sheet of 12x12 paper. So simple and adorable. Check out the tutorial here.  Paper Pals has so much cute double-sided Christmas paper to choose from.

SPECIAL NOTE: Speaking of cute boxes and packaging for Christmas, Paper Pals has got a class coming up called Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More! where Karen will teach you how to make unique and fun Christmas packaging.

Here's a great project for the kids in your life - page corner bookmarks.  They would have fun making these for their classmates or maybe even a teacher.

Here's another project to get kids involved.  They can make their own bows! Give them a sheet of white paper, have them go crazy drawing and/or stamping on it and use that for the bows. What could be simpler? You could also use scrapbook paper that coordinates with custom tags!

I love these glass candle holders! These glasses can be found at any thrift store or dollar store.  Take rubber bands and stretch them around the glass at different angles, then take a can of spray paint to it. Wait for it to dry, then remove the rubber bands. Easy peasy!

This may be the most brilliant idea I've come across and I WILL be doing it! Transfer a photo onto a block of wood. AWESOME!  Here's a great little video tutorial. I had no idea it was so simple!

Now before you go thinking 'I don't knit,' this scarf is super easy and doesn't require any knitting. Isn't it adorable?!  I'm thinking this might be a good gift for the nieces this year.

These ornaments are absolutely adorable and what better way to use all that fun Christmas scrapbooking paper you have?

I absolutely LOVE these little guys too! Clear, glass ornaments decoupaged with vintage papers, sprinkled with glass glitter and tied with a "Noel" stamped tag. The Lost & Found Christmas collection by My Mind's Eye that is currently at Paper Pals would be PERFECT to make these.

I thought this was a cute idea for the envelopes for Christmas cards this year.

Mix up the tree decorating with this fun and easy twisted felt garland. What a cute idea!

I came across so many great ideas. There's no way I could share them all, but hopefully these few I chose will inspire you.