2019 Project Life: December Stories

I have to be honest with all of you. Every year I have intention of finishing my Christmas documenting in January, and every year when January rolls around, it's the absolute LAST thing I want to do. Once Christmas is over and all of the decorations are put away, I'm done. I don't want to think about the holidays for another ten to eleven months at least.

So it takes a lot of discipline and will power to make myself work on December projects in January...or July...or whenever I manage to get them done. Which is why so many of my December pages go unfinished year after year. But I'm trying.

Another confession: I am 100% product-driven when it comes to creativity. If I don't have product that I find inspiring, it's not going to happen. Or I will struggle until it's so not fun that I quit. So if I'm working on something out of season AND I don't have inspiring product to work with, I'm just setting myself up for failure.

That's why I knew I had to give myself something good to play with if I wanted to get any of my December Project Life pages done. The Hello Holiday collection from Push Print Studio was at the top of my list. 

Since it's a digital collection, I went through my extensive holiday stash to find things that would coordinate with it. I found a ton of things that worked, including some super old stickers from Cosmo Cricket. I LOVE that I was able to use some old stash!

Once I had the cards printed and the embellishments chosen, these three pages came together really quickly. I kept them super simple, which is the key to getting them done. And I'm still very happy with the way that they look. Simple doesn't have to be boring. 

These three pages aren't chronological in my album. I have all of my December photos printed and put into my album, so I just went through and picked out a few pages I was excited to work on...another trick for getting things done.  

Of course, I chose pictures that I knew would work with the cards from this collection, like the "cheers" card above and the "falala" card on the first page. That also makes the whole process a bit easier. 

If you want to see my process in more detail, you can view the video below. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

2019 Wish List

One of my favorite holiday traditions when I was younger was sitting down with a stack of catalogs to make my Christmas wish list. It was so much fun to imagine all the amazing things that might show up under the tree on Christmas morning! So to harken back to those days, I decided to make my own, more grown-up version of a wish list this year. I scoured the web for a few fun things I would love to see wrapped under the tree come Christmas Day. And while my younger self would certainly turn her nose up at the appalling lack of Barbie paraphernalia on this list, I think she would also see a bit of herself in some of the items listed.

*Disclaimer* I have no expectations of actually receiving any of these items. I made this list strictly for fun...and maybe to give you a few gift ideas if you happen to know someone who would enjoy them. Also, some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase that item, a small percentage of the price you pay comes back to me, at no additional cost to you. Now let's get started!

One, Two, Three, & Four  I love a good holiday PJ, and this year I'm dying to get my hands on these adorable, hilarious tees from Saturday Morning Pancakes. Pairing them with some cute lounge pants from Old Navy makes for the perfect comfy combo. 

Five I have been drooling over the bandanas from Hemlock Goods ever since I first saw them. Such gorgeous patterns! They've just released a new set, and I'm pretty sure I need them all. 

Six I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Wilson of Simple Scrapper when I was interviewed for her podcast, so when she announced that she had designed a tee celebrating books and crafts, I knew it had to be on my list!

Seven & Eight If there is anything in this world I love more than coffee, it's pups. So when I first learned about Grounds & Hounds, I was immediately smitten. They donate 20% off all their profits to organizations that help give sheltered animals a chance to be rescued, and that is a cause I can get behind. 

I have to admit that I haven't done nearly as much reading this year as I usually do, and I'm feeling a bit guilty about it. So I'm determined to do better next year, and these five books are the top on my list.

One Elise released this amazing book earlier this year, and I have yet to get my hands on a copy. It looks absolutely gorgeous, and it's full of inspirational and motivational nuggets, making it the perfect way to start the new year. 

Two I was so excited when I heard that Michelle Obama was releasing a book! I heard her speak at ALA in 2018, and I was so inspired to get a copy when it came out...and then I didn't. Like I said, I've been abysmally bad at reading lately. The good news is that there is now a guided journal to go along with Becoming, so a part of me is kinda glad I was a reading slacker, so that now I can get the two together. 

Three I read Felicia Day's first book a few year's back and loved it. I can't wait to read her newest book, Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears and Unleash Creativity. It promises to be both entertaining and informational, and what more can you ask for in a book?

Four I've been purposefully staying away from Atwood's new Handmaid's Tale sequel, because I honestly wasn't sure I was ready for what is sure to be an upsetting read. But I can't handle the suspense anymore. I need to know what happens!

Five I've loved everything I've ever read by Elizabeth Gilbert, and based on the reviews, this book isn't likely to ruin that streak. 

This would not be a wish list of mine if it didn't contain at least a few crafty items. These are the ones at the top of my "gotta have" list at the moment.

One It's not secret that I struggle with stamping, which is why so many of my wish list items are related to that art. I've been thinking of investing in a stamp platform for a while, and I think it might be time. There are lots of options out there, but this is the one I've heard to most positive praise of.

Two I've seen so many people play with the new Foil Quill Freestyle Pens, and the results are amazing! I can't wait to try them out for myself!

Three I think I have seriously underestimated the value of a good set of acrylic blocks when it comes to stamping success. This bundle from Scrapbook.com has all the sizes I need.

Four The next year's new releases are just around the corner, so I've added a Scrapbook.com gift certificate to my list in preparation.

Five There's been a lot of buzz about this book lately. It's very similar to the Flow Book for Paper Lovers, but is much easier to get stateside. I'm a big fan of Flow, but I'd be willing to give this competitor a try.

Six Pinkfresh Studio recently released a line of dye inks, and I'm pretty sure I'd be willing to throw out every other ink I own in exchange for a full set of these gorgeous, colorful cubes.

Is it weird to ask for food on your holiday wish list? No, not at all. 

One If you've been around here for any amount of time at all, then you know I love coffee. And in my book, there's nothing better than a sipping a seasonal blend on Christmas morning. I haven't tried this one yet, but it's bound to be amazing! Grounds and Hounds also has some pretty awesome gift bundles that would be perfect for the coffee drinking, puppy loving people on your list. 

Two Yes, you know I love coffee, but a lesser-known fact about myself is that I enjoy a good cup of tea regularly throughout the cold months. My favorite at the moment is this peppermint/green tea blend from Celestial Seasonings. I toured their factory several years ago, and I can still easily recall the sensation of standing in the peppermint room. If you're ever near Boulder, Colorado, I would highly recommend stopping by. 

Three If I'm not sipping coffee or tea, I likely have a cup of hot chocolate in my hand. Though I generally try to stay away from sweet drinks, hot chocolate is an indulgence I allow myself a few times throughout the winter. I'm partial to dark chocolate, personally, and nobody does dark chocolate better than Godiva. 

Four The Alternative Baking Company makes some of the most delicious gluten-free cookies I've ever tasted in my life. They're soft and chewy and full of flavor, which may seem obvious, but is actually really hard to find in a gluten-free snack. 

Five and Six Both of these snacks remind me of my time growing up in Nebraska, and since you can't get either of them here in Indiana, I can't think of a better, nostalgic gift to make my Christmas morning extra special. 

And there you have it! Everything I've been dreaming about lately all in one nice little list. Now to remain super good so Santa doesn't put me on the naughty list. ;)

What are you wishing for this year?

Merry & Bright

**This post contains sponsored products and affiliate links.**

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I don't know about you, but I am starting to feel the holiday spirit. :) I'm one of those people who tries not to start any holiday festivities before Thanksgiving, but when I saw the new Borders Cut File Bundle from Scrapbook.com, I knew I had to break out my Christmas crafting supplies a little early.

This cut file is super versatile! For each of the 7 border designs included in the bundle, you get three length options (5.5, 8, and 12 inches) which makes them perfect for cards, layouts, and pretty much any other crafting you may feel like doing.

I used the short fringe file to cut 8" strips from two green papers from my stash. Then I layered these strips on a triangle background to create a gorgeous, dimensional tree for my page!

I also used the heart file to cut a border for the top of my page from a candy cane stripe paper, then paired it with a strip of the same green paper from my tree. I added strips of both to the bottom as well to balance the page.

Once those elements were in place, all that was left to do was embellish. I used the Home for the Holidays collection from Pinkfresh Studio to add tons of adorable elements to fill in all the spaces on my page.

You can see the whole thing come together in the video below.

Now, how about you? Have you started you holiday crafting yet?

Tis the Season with Scrapbook.com

Did you know Scrapbook.com now sells cut files?

It's true! I was recently given the opportunity to play with the three new cut files now available in the Scrapbook.com shop, and I can tell you they are amazing! With the purchase of each cut file, you actually get a set of cut files. There are titles and icons in multiple sizes perfect for full-size layout, traveler's notebook pages, and even cards...all with one purchase!

There are currently three cut files in the shop: Color Me Happy, My Whole Heart, and Tis the Season. Today I'm sharing my first layout using the Tis the Season cut file.

I started by cutting the large title out of the B side of the "Counting Down" paper from the Merry Little Christmas collection by Pebbles. Then I created an offset cut for backing the file and cut it from Doodlbug Designs Sugar Coated Cardstock in Lily White.

I also created a stencil from the card background file by cutting it from a plastic binder divider sheet. I used some modeling paste with my homemade stencil to add some texture to my background paper (American Crafts White Cardstock). The white-on-white is super subtle, but it adds to the holiday/winter feel of the page.

Next, I added some layers behind my photo using some foil dot paper by Jen Hadfield for Pebbles, as well as the "Oh Christmas Tree" and "Santa On The Go" papers from Merry Little Christmas.

After that, all that was left to do was embellish! I used two tags from the "Just For You" cutapart paper from Merry Little Christmas, a few puffy stickers from the Pinkfresh Studio Home For The Holidays collection, and a few pine sprigs from the gold puffy thicker set from Pink Paislee's "Together for Christmas." Finally I added a handful of enamel dots from the Holly Jolly collection by My Mind's Eye.

You can view the entire process in the video below.



Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Crafting!!

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