Merry Christmas from Gloria!

Merry Christmas Readers! I hope that you are blessed today with peace and joy, and friends and family. I am featuring a Christmas Card today, on this most special of days!

I love using chipboard layers with other embellishments. I find you can really load up a card this way! I love the beautiful, vintage vibe of this card. I makes me smile! I am digging into the NEW Graphic 45 Children's Hour paper, and my, it's beautiful! 

I used the Brick Wall 2 background for my card. I inked the brick wall sheet with red ink and then sponged on a bit of white. I wanted the card to convey the feeling of stockings hung by the chimney with care!

I also used one of the shapes from the Delicate Frames and Ornaments Shape Set (inked with gold ink), two large snowflakes from the Snowflake Shape Set (sprayed with white paint mist), and a bookplate from the Miniature Bookplates Shape Set (inked with gold ink) for embellishment. I tucked a doily from the Cardstock Doily Set - Intricates around the edges. I cut the doily in half and used both parts on the card.

As always, I decorated the inside of the card!

I had an extra snowflake, so I added it to the inside and then embellished it with part of a calendar image. I cut the image with a circle punch to make a "button" for the snowflake!

I hope you enjoyed this last Christmas card of the year! 

~ Gloria Stengel: Scraps of Life

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Products:

Brick Wall 2

Delicate Frames and Ornaments Shape Set 

Snowflake Shape Set 

Miniature Bookplates Shape Set 

Cardstock Doily Set - Intricates

Other Products:

Paper: Graphic 45 Children's Hour (December Montage, December Collective, February Montage, November Collective)

Cardstock: WorldWin Black, Natural

Ink: Memento Rhubarb Stalk, Colorbox Sweet Tooth, Delicata Golden Glitz

Spray mist: Lindy's Stamp Gang Frozen Jack Frost, Deco Art Media Shimmer Mister White

Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts, Prima

Bells: Art Minds

Brads: Creative Impressions

Trims: Really Reasonable Ribbon Cindy White Crochet Lace, Moss Green gingham ribbon 

Punch: Stampin' Up 1 1/4" circle

Adhesive: Scotch 3M ATG tape, Ranger Glossy Accents, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L 3D foam squares, hot glue

Christmas Memory Album - Part 1 by Gloria

Hello everyone! I have three more weeks of my guest designer spot to finish out, so I hope you enjoy Part I of this project, with Part 2 coming next week!

Every few years I make a "December Daily" and then I never use it. {I know, I know}. This year, I decided to make a Christmas mini album rather than tie myself to a daily-type album. {In hopes that I will actually put photos in it this year!}

For the tutorial today, I am going to share how to create a mini album and decorate the covers. Next week, I will share all the pages for inside the album! I chose a traditional color scheme with gold accents. So festive! The album is 7 1/2" x 5 1/2" x 2 1/2".

I used some wonderful chipboard elements from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts, plus some handmade flowers and the beautiful Graphic 45 Christmas papers from my stash!

Let's get to the tutorial. You don't need any fancy tools for this project. As long as you have a hole punch that can punch chipboard, and a hot glue gun, you are ready to rock!

I started out with the Art Journal, which has two covers, four tabbed dividers, two tab top page markers, four chipboard pages, and four corrugated pages. We are going to construct a mini album out of the parts, rather than use the album as intended. I find that when I think outside the box, I tend to use my product rather than hoard it!  

Grab the two covers and set the rest of the pages aside until next week. {grin}

Cut a piece of 0.050 chipboard (the same thickness as the journal covers) to 7 1/2" x 2". This is the spine of the album. You also need a Tim Holtz large ring binder, two brads, and some washi tape. If you don't have washi tape, you can use book binding tape or even masking tape.

Position the two covers and the spine piece you just cut as shown, with a 1/4" gap between each piece. Do NOT worry about the holes in the chipboard covers. We are going to cover those with paper.

Wrap the washi tape over the covers and the spine, making sure to keep that 1/4" gap between the pieces of chipboard. The tape will act as a flexible hinge. Wrap the washi tape all the way around the album, creating a few layers. Burnish it to make sure it sticks well.

Cut a piece of decorative paper to 7 1/2" x 2" and cover the spine. Use an anywhere hole punch (or similar) to punch holes for the ring binder. I measured and marked the location of the holes with a pencil before punching them.

Put a little Glossy Accents onto the back of the ring binder and attach it to the spine, lining up the holes. Once the binder is in place, attach it securely with brads. I used two screw brads I found in my stash.

Crease the washi tape to bend the covers along the "hinges." Note that the inside "spine" measures 7 1/2" x 2", while the outside spine measures 7 1/2" x 2 1/2", taking into account the 1/4" gaps!

Since we are making a Christmas album, dig into your stash and find all your Christmas papers and do-dads! I am using Graphic 45 for my book, but any papers will do. I have some of EVERY Christmas collection they've ever released, so I had some fun digging through it. I wanted to use A Christmas Carol, but I don't have a ton of it, so I also pulled papers from the other collections that had the same color scheme.

Next, we will "colorize" and customize our chipboard for the album covers. I took the snowflakes from the Winter Shape Set and sponged them with white pigment ink. Once the ink had dried (I hurried it along with a heat tool), I painted each snowflake with clear Wink of Stella glitter. 

I wanted to use the wreath from the Scribble Frame Birds, but I did not want the birdie. I hacked him off with a craft knife and then smoothed the area with a sanding block.

I also used the Art Deco Corner Set and the Words and Phrases 1 for the rest of my cover decorations. I colored the snowflakes as described above. I used metallic inks to color the rest of the elements. A sponge dauber came in mighty handy! While the chipboard is drying, we can work on the rest of the cover set.

Let's work on the inside covers first. I always do it this way and save the front cover for last. That way I don't wreck the pretty cover! You only have to drag your cover through your black ink pad ONCE to learn your lesson!

For the covers, trim two pieces of holly paper to 7 1/2" x 5 1/2" and attach. I also covered the space where the washi tape was showing with 7 1/2" x 1/4" strips of the same paper.

Each inside cover has a pocket tag for journaling spots and smaller tags. Use a Graphic 45 Regular Ivory Tag for the large pocket. Add the plaid paper to the top of the tag, and then create a pocket for the lower part of the tag from the red print paper. To give the pockets a look that resembles stocking toppers, add a scallop trim to the top edge of the pocket. 

Glue two of the snowflakes to the pocket as shown and decorate the center of the pocket with some embellishments to match the paper.

Create journaling blocks and tags to go into the pocket.

Use a second Graphic 45 Regular Ivory Tag for the large pocket. (The tags come six to a  pack, so you will have some left for the inside of the mini.) Use coordinating paper on this pocket, and add a stacked snowflake to the bottom right corner. 

Again, create some tags and journaling spots for the pocket.

The inside of the album is ready for the pages! Tune in next week to see those!

Turn the album over so that the back and front covers are face up, with the back cover on the left side. Trim striped paper to 7 1/2" x 12" and scoring at 5 1/2" and 8". Fold on the score lines and attach the paper to the cover, starting with the front cover (the right edge shown here) and wrapping over the spine to the back cover. Make sure your score lines match up with the edges of the spine.

Trim coordinating print paper to 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" and attach it to the spine.

Finish off the back cover by trimming another strip of the red text paper to 7 1/2" x 2" and attaching to the "naked" part of the back cover where the striped paper was too short. Cover the seam with a decorative border strip cut to 7 1/2" long.

Glue the Art Deco corners to the four corners of the cover.

Use a Graphic 45 Ephemera card to decorate the front cover. Trim scrap chipboard to fit the back of the decorative panel and glue the panel to the album cover.

Glue the phrase, the wreath, the berries, and the snowflakes to the cover as shown. (The berries are from the Winter Shape Set.)

Create handmade flowers, cut from coordinating paper, and glue them to the wreath. You can substitute pre-made flowers, if you wish. Accent the flowers with small bells and the birds from the Scribble Frame Birds set.

Accent with some small postage images, cut from decorative paper.

Decorate the spine with some of the snowflakes and some dangling keys.

I love the vintage feel of this mini album, with traditional colors and pops of gold and other metals.

The 7 1/2" x 5 1/2" x 2 1/2" size of this mini is such a nice, chunky size for a December Daily or other memory book!

I cannot wait to show you the inside! Come back on December 18th!

Here is a sneaky peek of some of what to expect next week!

~ Gloria: Scraps of Life

Supplies:
Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Products:
Art Journal
Winter Shape Set
Scribble Frame Birds
Art Deco Corner Set
Words and Phrases 1

Other Products:
Paper: Graphic 45 A Christmas Carol (Bah Humbug, Scrooge and Marley, Figgy Pudding, Yuletide Greetings, 6x6 pad, ephemera pack), Twelve Days of Christmas (Drummers Drumming, Swans a Swimming), Christmas Emporium (Special Delivery), Christmas Past (Let it Snow)
Tags: stash

Cardstock: WorldWin Natural
Ink: Clearsnap Colorbox Pigment (Sweet Tooth, Burnt Copper, Pheasant Gold, Ruby); Delicata (Silvery Shimmer, Golden Glitz)
Glitter pen: Wink of Stella clear
Washi tape: Tim Holtz Sketchbook Tissue Tape
Binding rings: Tim Holtx Large  Ring Binder
Brads: Eyelet Outlet screw brads, Creative Impressions colored brads
Keys: Graphic 45 Ornate Metal Keys
Twine: Really Reasonable Ribbon red burlap string, iridescent white metallic string
Bells: craft supply
Punches: Crop-a-Dile, Fiskars border punch, Fiskars Anywhere Hole Punch
Dies: Spellbinders Bitty Blossoms, Rose Creations
Adhesive: Scotch 3M ATG tape, Ranger Glossy Accents, hot glue

Christmas Composition Box by Gloria

Good morning! It's Gloria with you today! I am sharing my FIRST EVER configuration/composition box! I have created trays and shadow boxes before, but this is my first compo box!

I used the Composition Box - 25, which is 9 1/4" x 6 3/4". The kit comes with three smaller boxes which fit inside the main box, plus a key and the number "25." I created a Christmas scene with lots of bits and bobs from my stash!

As you can see, the box pieces are all notched for easy assembly! I started out by wiping each piece with a baby wipe to remove any dust. I then painted the edges with white acrylic paint.

I painted the "25" and the key with Ranger Gold ink to give the pieces an aged appearance. I painted the metal feet with white paint and then dabbed them with the gold ink. (Please forgive my messy craft mat! I was in a hurry and forgot to use a white background!)

I labeled each box piece with the size of paper I needed, just to save time with measuring. I sponged all the paper edges with Frayed Burlap Distress  Ink.

All the paper is attached to the box with a multi medium. I simply "painted" the paper with the medium and attached it to the box pieces BEFORE assembly. 

I used Ranger Glossy Accents to assemble the boxes, and to attach the small boxes, the metal feet, and the tree to the large box. The boxes are very sturdy and fit together beautifully. Those of you who know me, understand that I do not care for 3-D projects because they are often a pain to put together. I am here to tell you, that THIS project went together so quickly and easily! I was stunned! 

I made sure to cover the back of the box as well. I had thought to use washi tape to cover the edges, but decided I liked the white box showing through, almost as if it was an old crate! 

I covered the sides of the box with contrasting paper. Each small box is covered with coordinating paper as well. 

Once I had the boxes assembled, it was time to decorate! I used some snowflakes from the Snowflake Shape Set to add accents to the top corners of the large box. I sprayed the large snowflakes with gold mist and the smaller snowflakes with silver. I added a gem for extra sparkle!

I went through my holiday hoard, looking for fun embellishments to use for my project. This was a great way to use leftover bits of this and that! Each item is glued to the box with either Glossy Accents or hot glue. I filled some glass bottles with glitter and tiny bells to give some Christmas glitz to the box!

I sprayed the tree with mist and then added some splatters of white paint prior to adding the gems. I sprayed "Joy" from the Words and Phrases I Set with mist and glued it to the tree. 

 I created lots of little vignettes to give the boxes interest and texture. I tried to make everything gold, silver, or white, along with the traditional Christmas colors of red and green.

I hope that you enjoyed my project today! I cannot wait to display this on a table in my living room! 



~ Gloria Stengel: Scraps of Life

Gina's Designs Laser Cut Chipboard:

Composition Box - 25

Snowflake Shape Set

Words and Phrases I Set 

Other Products:

Paint:Plaid Folk Art Wicker White, Ranger Adirondack Mixatives Gold 

Ink: Ranger Distress Frayed Burlap

Multi medium: Liquitex

Glimmer mist: Tattered Angels Gold, Tattered Angels Chalkboard Chalk, Deco Art Shimmer White, Lindy's Stamp Gang Cape Cod Coral, Twinkling Tinsel, Frozen Jack Frost

Paper: Graphic 45 A Christmas Carol, Twelve Days of Christmas, Nutcracker Sweet, Christmas Past

Metal feet, charm, star, large tree, glass bottles, flash card: Tim Holtz

Small tree: hobby shop

Metal hook, mini clothes pin: Canvas Corp

Floral: Petaloo, Wild Orchid Crafts, misc. floral sprays

Gems, bells, ornaments, clips, dove: stash

Glitter: German Glass Glitter

Adhesive: Ranger Glossy Accents, hot glue