Day 9; 12 Days of Christmas Tags Series

Day 9 of my 12 Days of Christmas Tags Series was a little bit of a struggle. I was determined to make these honeycomb balls because they look so simple...ok, maybe???  Actually, once I worked out the kinks, it really was simple to make.

I ended using thinner paper (color copier paper) and 16 circles for each ball. This made a huge difference when opening it up to form the ball.

I added a wooden bead to the top and tied on a small tag with red string. The tag serves two purposes...one, it's super cute and most importantly; two, this is where you put who's it To/From.

Be sure to leave a comment on this post and any of the previous eight posts for this series for a chance to win a set of one of each 12 tags made this year.

You can watch the YouTube process video to see me fumble my way through it.  

Day 8; 12 Days of Christmas Tags

I'm back to using my Cricut for these cute Mickey Mouse ornament tags. Who doesn't love a little Disney for Christmas? I know I do! I made the majority in classic black but decided to make a couple in green & red. This cut file is from Vect Place and a very simple three piece image.

I did create a quick YT process video so you can see how I dressed up the tags and how I created the hand drawn holly leaves. Sure, I could have used a stamp (I know I have one somewhere), but these leaves are so easy to draw so I just went for it!

Be sure to leave a comment for an entry in the end of the series giveaway. Each comment is an entry and I'm giving away one set of one each of the 12 tags made during this year's series.

If you're interested in seeing what I've done in the past years, click on the 12 Days of Christmas Tags label to the bottom right of this post.

AND since this is Friday, I'm posting my TGIF; Thankful Friday post. This week I'm thankful for all the joy this holiday brings even though I am crying through most of it. It's a rough one with two less stockings hung over the fireplace, but we'll get through it together. 

The other day while decorating the tree, my middle granddaughter was helping my daughter and when she found the ornament from Tony's first Christmas photo, she said he needed to be up high by the star. It broke my heart when I heard this but also, she gets it. 

 

Day 7; 12 Days of Christmas Tags Series

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Today is Day Seven of my 12 Days of Christmas Tags Series. I created something a little different for today and I love how they look! Be sure to check out the YouTube process video to see how easy these were to put together!

I used toilet tissue rolls for these ones! White marker, jingle bells and some fun twine make these super cute.

Be sure to leave a comment here, YT or on IG for an entry into the 12 tag giveaway at the end of the series. 

Notes:

I purchased the white marker at The Dollar Tree

The red twine was purchased years ago at a thrift store. I have had this roll forever and it seems to be never ending! Thrift stores are great places to look for craft supplies. People are always clearing out their craft rooms, start projects that never get finished or just no longer need. 

 

Day 6; 12 Days of Christmas Tags Series

Day six of the 12 Days of Christmas Tags series. I love this series because I use scrap papers and as many Christmas items as I can. This is when all those great Christmas clearance buys come out!

I also like to try different techniques and styles. I have a lot of fun coming up with tag ideas. Be sure to leave comments on each post, YouTube and IG because each comment is an entry into a drawing that I have at the end of the series and that person will win a set of each of the tags made this year.

I used buttons that I had in my stash for years! How cute are these???  Very simple and very doable!

Check the process video to see how easy they are:

The series is half over. Stick around and see the rest!  Tag sets will also be available for purchase at the end of the series.

CutCardStock; Here Comes the Bride

As you know, I've working on a wedding album for my nephew and his bride.  I have gathered all the colored cardstock from CutCardStock and patterned papers that coordinate with their wedding color scheme and placed them in a container as well as all the washi, bling, stickers, ribbon, etc., that I feel will be used for this album.

This is a great timesaver when working on these layouts and a great tip if you are working on a one subject/occasion scrapbook album!

Some of the titles and embellishments that were made for this two page spread:

I used my Cricut to cut these out and also a couple of handheld punches.  The floral swag is from Miss  Kate Cuttables and I made a couple for this one and future layouts. Gosh, I just love this color scheme! 

I used Navy, Wedding Cake White, Peach, Burgundy, Tangy Orange, Olive Green, Granny Smith Apple Green and Gold Glitter. I absolutely love the glitter cardstock from CutCardStock. It doesn't leave a trail of glitter behind and is so easy to cut using the Cricut & the handheld punches.

And both of them together:

Check out the CutCardStock Blog HERE to see more regarding these layouts and the embellishments and click HERE to read about Base Pages and how I started these layouts - another time saver!

Day 5; 12 Days of Christmas Tags Series

 It’s day five of my 12 Days of Christmas Tags series and I’m loving every one. For the past few years I’ve done this series and it’s a great way to use up scraps and items from your Christmas stash (hello all those clearance items)!

Be sure to comment here, YouTube and Instagram for a chance to win one set of each of this year’s tags.

This tag base was cut with my Cricut and then I embellished. There is watercoloring, generational and regular stamping, line edging and ribbon additions.

I bought these fun puffy stickers on after Christmas clearance!

Check out the video and be sure to leave comments!

Day 4; 12 Days of Christmas Tags Series

Day Four. Have you seen the first three tags of the series? If not, click on the 12 Days of Christmas Tags Series label below.

These tags were cut using the Cricut. I love the snowflake on the left and thought these scrap trees would be perfect right in front of them. See how I created the trees and finished the tags on YouTube.

Be sure to comment here, YouTube or IG for a chance to win a set of the 12 tags!

TomKat Layout Companion Page; Challenges

Hey there, I posted a YouTube process video showing  how I created THIS layout, and of course I created a companion page for it. So this one page layout sketch became a two page spread.

There is a total of 16 - yes, I said SIXTEEN photos of this spread. I love that! Here's the finished layout and right side of the two page spread:

The two horizontal strips are 1.5x12", teal patterned paper is 7x11" and the white square is 8.5". I got the sketch for the original layout on Scrapping With AnnMarie. There is a free and paid membership on this site.

Be sure to check out the process video:

Thanks for watching!

Info about the TomKat Strut Virtual Marathon:

During the Covid closures/quarantine, we lost my nephew due to a tragic accident. But because of the shut down, there wasn't a service for him. The following year, my family decided to start a virtual marathon in his honor and to support feeding the homeless.

This is our third year doing the Strut and there are four generations that participate. We host challenges, post photos, leave encouraging comments (and some competitive ones) but mostly creating new memories between the generations, remembering the ones we lost and staying a little active as well.

If you're thinking about doing something like this, we use the Map My Walk by Under Armour app and once all the members are in, you can create your own challenge. There are plenty of these type of apps but this one worked best for us and it's free!

12 Days of Christmas Tags Series; Day Three

It's Day Three of my 12 Days of Christmas Tags Series for 2023. If you missed the first two, use the 12 Days of Christmas Tags label to see them as well as other tags made over previous years.

Day Three tags were made using a snowflake stamp and die set that I've had for years. I actually won it but never used it because for the longest time, I didn't have a die cutter.

I decided to do some basic coloring/scribbling using alcohol markers on a sheet of white cardstock. I also used some white mixed media spray by Dina Wakely (love this stuff!!) before using the die.

Although this comes with a stamp for the die, I decided not to use it but instead used the smaller stamps in silver metallic ink to cover the base sheet for variation.

I love how pretty these look and they were so simple to make!

Be sure to leave a comment here, YouTube and my IG account for a chance to win a set of the 12 tags.

At the end of the series, I enter every person who comments into a raffle (for each comment). The person will win a set of the 12 tags completed this year. So be sure to leave a comment every day. You can go back if you miss a day since I gather the names at the end of the series.

As always, I also have sets available for purchase too.

 

12 Days of Christmas Tags Series; Day Two

It's that time of year and this year, I'm getting an early start. If you're new to my blog, I do a 12 Days of Christmas Tags Series each year. This is Day Two!

I made these gift tags specifically for gifts I'm giving to my coworkers. I needed something long & thin and these nutcrackers were perfect. I cut all the pieces with my Cricut and added their names with a black marker.

To see how they were made and for some tips when making changes to the image, check out the YouTube process video.

Be sure to leave a comment here, YouTube and my IG account for a chance to win a set of the 12 tags.

At the end of the series, I enter every person who comments into a raffle (for each comment). The person will win a set of the 12 tags completed this year. So be sure to leave a comment every day. You can go back if you miss a day since I gather the names at the end of the series.

As always, I also have sets available for purchase too.

TGIF; Thankful Friday #295

Happy Friday and happy December. Can you believe it? I hope 2024 is good to us!

This week I’m thankful for good customer service. I had to contact Cricut because of product I ordered arrived a little damaged and the rep was so friendly and helpful and best of all sent me a &25 voucher to spend. The item wasn’t that much!

That was cool!

Enjoy your week and I’ll check in with you next Friday!

12 Days of Christmas Tags Series; Day One

It's that time of year and this year, I'm getting an early start. If you're new to my blog, I do a 12 Days of Christmas Tags Series each year. 

At the end of the series, I enter every person who comments into a raffle (for each comment). The person will win a set of the 12 tags completed this year. So be sure to leave a comment every day. You can go back if you miss a day since I gather the names at the end of the series.

As always, I also have sets available for purchase too.

For Tag #1, I decided to use the Christmas Florals Stencil set that was purchased from Close To My Heart (CTMH). It's a three part stencil and it's card size - which means I used it four times to cover a standard 8.5x11 piece of paper.

Originally I was going to stencil on plain white paper but then I dug through my "junk papers" and found this sheet of Christmas words. OMG! Game changer! I'm sure you'll agree that it was a great decision to use this instead.

Check out the YouTube process video to see how it was done. Be sure to leave a comment there as well as my blog or IG account. 

Each of my gift tags will be different using different types of techniques and materials. I hope you join me and check out all 12 gift tags!

TomKat Strut Layout

I've mentioned my friend Ann Marie's website before, but I'm going to do it again! If you haven't checked out Scrapbooking With AnnMarie (Scrapbooking The Day Away), I strongly recommend it. She hosts many challenges, inspirations, sketches, and all things scrapbooking. There is something for everyone!

I am using one of her sketches for this layout. I love using multiple photos on a layout and this one had room for four. It's almost a grid-like sketch, but so much more!

Here's the sketch:

And here's my layout:

You can see the process by checking out my YouTube process video:

The yellow & red horizontal strips are cut at 1.5x12"; teal patterned paper at 5x11; white cardstock is 8.5" square. All the paper embellishments were cut out previously using the Cricut.

I have a container of cut letters that for whatever reason didn't make it on a project. I grabbed the letters for "week" to create this title. You'll notice that they are different fonts and I love the quirkiness of it. I did add some white pen outlines to create more interest.

I love having multiple photos on a layout and this one did not disappoint! 

Printable Cuttable Creatables Blog Hop!

The holidays are here and what better way to celebrate than with a Blog Hop?! Printable Cuttable Creatables is hosting one today and there are lots of projects to inspire you. Be sure to check it out because there are lots of prizes and discounts to take advantage of! Here’s the link to the main post - click HERE.

I decided to create a Christmas Cookie Baking Layout using the Christmas Baking SVG Bundle WTS008. I used not so traditional Christmas colors to complete the title since the patterned paper was more of a pastel color scheme. I love the cut files from PCC. First of all, all the pieces are in one file and she includes multiple choices for each image. For example, I used the Baking Spirits Bright title and it came with and without the offset.

Take a look at the YouTube process video:

I don't usually share cutting measurements when using a CTMH sketch, but this one was free on their website and you can get all the information HERE. 

You'll notice on the video that I had to cut two pieces 2x12". The patterned paper that I chose has horizontal text so I give a great tip on how to handle this. Check it out!

Be sure to HOP ALONG to all the other Design Team members! There will be lots of prizes and discounts available at the Printable Cuttable Creatables website.

Main Hop Page: Here

Hoppers:

👇

Ellen:  https://craftyellenh.blogspot.com/2023/11/pcc-design-team-blog-hop.html 

Dorlene: YOU ARE HERE https://craftsinthecommandcenter.blogspot.com/2023/11/printable-cuttable-creatables-blog-hop.html

Morena: https://www.morenascorner.com/

Shalon: https://youtu.be/z7dvC7RAv6E and https://www.instagram.com/cutpunchpress/

Linh:: https://youtu.be/KbXMDDf6B2I 

Monica: https://youtu.be/-6anA8TW1Tk?feature=shared 

Christi (Guest post!): https://scrappingfortranquility.blogspot.com/2023/11/guest-designer-for-printable-cuttable.html

Products Used:

Close To My Heart (CTMH) paper pack, sticker sheet and enamel embellishments

CutCardStock for all the cardstock with the exception of the brown for the rolling pin. That was in my scrap bin.

Don't forget to use 3SONS15 for 15% off your order at Printable Cuttable Creatables!

Pocket Page Insert; Hot Ones Challenge

Hey there, I used a pocket page insert to add all the remaining photos from the Hot Ones Challenge my family did in November, 2021. I took so many photos so I printed them all in wallet size. In order to do that, I used the collage print in 4x6. If you add two photos, they print out approximately 3x4 (they are a little smaller because a border is included).

This saved me so much space when creating these layouts. I made a 12x12 layouts that this insert is sandwiched between. To check out the layouts, click HERE and HERE.

Both the layouts and the insert are pretty simple as far as design, but it works. They showcase photos, tell a story and have some fun embellishments.

Check out the YouTube video to see how quickly I put this insert together. I hope you can tell that this insert has three 6x4 pockets but inside of the photos being that size, I was able to get two photos in each pocket!

TGIF; Thankful Friday #294

Can you believe it's Black Friday and the last Friday in November? Happy Friday and happy Thankful Friday. The holidays are here and it gets harder and harder to get through the days. But I am thankful for family gatherings and the fact that I know that I am not alone.

Sometimes something as simple as that can make things seem better.