I would like to wish you all a Very Happy New Year!   I have lots of wonderful things coming in 2016 and I can’t wait to share them with you.  My Goal for this year is a blog post every day, projects, sketches, and specials. So come on back when the sun comes up and see what I have for you.

What is your busiest week of the year?  Do you find the Christmas holiday stressful? You are not alone. So many things to check, did I remember everyone I wanted to? Do I have all the food for Christmas Dinner?  Wrapping last minute Christmas Gifts should not be an extra stressor, so I wanted to share with you a simple little wrapping that will help with that chore: Some of the products are no longer available, but you will get the idea.

Small Holiday gift bag

Every year I need to give a gift card or two. To me gift cards don’t give that personal feeling of giving a special gift. So my way of sharing that special feeling is to create a special gift bag. This small bag is perfect for a gift card.

Supplies

• X7146B Wonderland My Reflections® paper packet
• C1469 December 25^th My Acrylix® Stamp Set
• Z2160 Twilight Exclusives Ink® Pad
• Z1104 Sparkles® Clear
• Z1686 Art of Philosophy Cricut Cartridge
• Z1468 Top Coats® Icing Overlays
• Z1360 Designer Brads Rhinestone
• Z1081 Colonial White Waxy Flax®
• Z1397 Edge Distresser
• Z1772 Memory Glue Dots
• 1512 Bonding Memories® Glue
• Piercing tool

 

Step 1

Using Twilight cardstock cut your box using (fit to page) Font layer <square1>.Fold and adhere side and bottom.  Cut out Snowflake <snowflake2> at 2” in white daisy cardstock. Cut tag <Tag1> in white daisy 1 ¾ “.Hint:  The size is marked on the stamp set carrier sheet.

 

Step 2

.Cut your patterned paper to decorate gift bag. Use the Edge Distresser to rough edges. This will give it the look of snow. Adhere the patterned paper to bag.

Step 3

Adhere an icing snowflake over the white daisy snowflake.  When using the top coats there is a protective coating on them, you need to remove coating from both sides. Use the piercing tool to pierce the center of the snowflakes and adhere the Designer Rhinestone brad. Use a glue dot to adhere snowflake to the bag.

Step 4

Stamp gift tag and adhere sparkles, Attach to the tag to handle with white waxy flax and enjoy.

 

If you need some help picking current products to make your bag, or help choosing thing

Creatively, Carol

This is a great picture of how I feel this morning. I have a list a mile long and I know when the rest of the house wakes up, the time to accomplish what I want to do will be cut in half. Do you ever feel like that?  I know part of it is the time of year, but sadly, most of the stuff on my list isn’t Christmas related, not directly.

I would like to be able to post some relative content that will feed your creative side, provide answers to your questions and offer you some video to make things a bit simplier to do but I need your help.  What are you struggling with? Is it time to do your projects? a place to make them? Perhaps you need a layout to kickstart your mojo.  I want to be there to help however it would be more productive if I knew what everyone wanted to know or what they needed.

Your assignment for today is to leave a comment below and tell me how I can help you achieve what you desire. Do you have a question that needs answering? A technique you want to learn, or need a video on just how to do it?  Leave me a comment below so I can make sure to answer your questions and make this blog more relevant to your needs.

Now I better get started on my list, Have a wonderfully creative day!!

Creatively, Carol

 

 

I keeping with our Sangria Theme this month, I wanted to share the layout as it is on Studio J. I also used the left side of this layout in a Facebook post with a darling little girl.   I love how the focal picture on the left  could be an explanation for the pictures on the right side. We have been doing Sangria in our Sketches this month, how are you feeling about the color theme? do you like the layouts?  Have you tried them??

Leave a message and let me know!

 

I hope your Monday is starting out well.  Last week I showed you the first layout in the Studio J Express Collection of Sangria.  Today I have the 2nd layout for you. Please remember, if you want to do these layouts in Studio J, our digital scrapbook program, you only have 2 months they are available and then they are gone forever.  I love Studio J for ideas, then you can add your own twist to make it your own.

This is such a sweet color set for a family of girls, but what do you think if you have a family of boys?  Leave a comment below and let me know!

 

Our mailboxes don’t usually come with nice surprises. If you are like me, you set your bills and such up online so you don’t have to deal with them in the mailbox, and let’s face it… it is easier. But wouldn’t it be nice if when we did make the trip to the mailbox there was a beautiful card waiting to be opened with YOUR name on it ! I think we forget about snail mail sometimes, but just think of the smile on that person’s face when they see it. It is time to take back sending cards and making people smile. Every Thursday I will post a card sketch that is pretty easy to put together even if you are a beginner.  I hear you.. “That’s easy for you to say!”. But what if I can guarentee you that you can make a beautiful card?  Would you give it a try?  That is my challenge to all of you. Here is a sketch to start you off with. When your card is completed, send me a copy via text @ 801-597-4896 or e-mail and be entered into the monthly drawing for a Oldie but Goodie Stamp Set.

If you need help in how to get started, let me know. I am happy to create a set of tutorials taking you from the very  beginning!

Start with a piece of cardstock of your choice and cut to 5 1/2 ” x 8 1/2″ and fold it in half.  Next is a rectangle  3″ x 4 1/2″  use a punch for the bottom and go from there. What’s that I hear?  You don’t have any tools to even get this far?  Click on the links and take a look.  Yes, some you can get at a local craft store with a coupon, but will they get online and help you out?   I can always jump on Skype and show you what you need! Call me if you need help!!  801-597-4896

 

Memory keeping is about celebrating relationships. Whether you do it by just taking the pictures or by scrapbooking you are recording those great memories for your world to see. Family is important, whether it be your immediate family or your extended family. You might not think that recording those every day family moments are important to record but let me tell you a little story about a young man who was fascinated with bees. When he saw a picture of our great grandmother.

Here is a short video about celebrating relationships.

Leave me a comment below and tell me your thoughts on the subject of memory keeping.

It’s Motivational Monday so are you ready for some motivation for your scrapbooks? Today’s sketch is taken from the Studio J files. Do you do any digital scrapbooking?  I know there are a lot of people that don’t have the time to scrapbook all their photos, but still want the ability to display their photos in a nice album. Studio J is just the ticket for those times. It is important to remember that Studio J is a limited time product and will be going away for good. If you have a project you want to do, you will want to get started soon because you only have until April to get things all finished.  If you need to be more hands on, and feel and cut your way to a scrapbook page, studio J can also help with layout planning. Take a created layout like the one I have here and then duplicate it in paper. I will talk more about Studio J later this week, but if you want to check it out a bit, I do have a couple videos you might like to watch

• Step by Step Basics of Studio J
• Studio J  Photo Editing Tool

Now, what you come to Creatively Carol for on a Monday Morning… Motivational Monday Sketch!

I look forward to seeing what you do with this sketch for yourself! Don’t forget to enter for a free stamp set by SEND ME THOSE PAGES! or text them to 801-597-4896. I hope this Motivational Monday scrapbook is a template you can use in your own scrapbook layouts.

I am excited about today’s sketch. and look forward to creating it with you this week. I have always loved the fanned out pattern you often find in quilting. It is interesting that the two crafts often overlap in design.  I will try to do a video on this technique later in the week for those of you who have never done this type of thing before. It is a great use of your scraps too since only a small strip in needed.

Do you know we have a contest each month for a free stamp set? All you need to do is complete the sketch , snap a picture of your finished layout and either text it to 801-597-4896 or e-mail it to Carol@CreativelyCarol.com and you will be entered into the drawing. I draw the last day of the month and will post the winner in my monthly newsletter. So if you are not on my mailing list, you will not know you won!  I will post all the entries here in the blog when I receive them.

Now, you have your scrapbook inspiration for the week. Go and Create!!

 

School pictures have just come home, First thing to do, in pencil or a photo safe pen like Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen write the full name of the person in the picture. Yes, I realize that YOU know who is in the picture and so does the recipient that receives it, but this is something you do so when people get old, or have memory issues, they can still know who someone is.  I can’t begin to tell you how many photographs of my grandmothers that we have to guess at who someone might be… give your posterity a break, label your pictures. Jumping off the soapbox now…

This layout if perfect for the annual record of your child in the grade they are in. You could choose colors to match their clothes, or use their favorite colors in your background papers.  You have enough room on this layout  from Easy Scrapbook Sketches© to add the child’s name, grade and favorite things about school.  It also might be fun to a matching layout perhaps flipped that you can list their favorites at the end of the year… have they changed?  Maybe a couple of sports pictures or something else that was important to them during the year.   Of course if this is a young man, perhaps the flowers need to be changed for cars or whatever the current rage is…

I wish I had begun something like this when my kids were just starting school, but I know what I am going to do with all the pictures stacked up in the frame on the wall while I can still remember things the kids like.

What about you? Will you give the layout a try?  When you complete the layout, send me a copy of the completed page to either Contests@CreativelyCarol.com or via text to 801-597-4896. I will be giving away a special Stamp of the Month from a time in the past at the end of the month from all the entries.     I look forward to seeing your work!