Scrapbooking | Quick and Easy Holiday Scrapbook Layout Ideas

Today I thought I would share a few photos of some quick and easy Holiday Theme'd Scrapbook layout ideas that you all can do in less than 30 minutes per page. These layouts are for those of you who like quick, easy and non-cluttered looking type of pages that don't cost you a lot of money.
All of these holiday scrapbooking layouts cost less than $2.00 per page, take less than 30 minutes to construct and were done in the 12x12 layout size. You can find all of these supplies (simple ones like them) at your local scrapbooking supply store. I call these no-frills type of layouts that are clean and simple to look at.

Many people who scrapbook teach you how to really put a lot of time, money and effort into creating all of your scrapbook layouts but there indeed people (scrapbookers) out there who don't want to invest all of that time, money and effort but still want decent and pretty looking scrapbook pages.

These 2 simple layouts above are certainly that and can be done by any scrapbooker, including someone who is brand new to scrapbooking (a newbie). Enjoy!

Scrapbooking - A Perfect Day Beachcombing Scrapbook Layout

In June of 2012 the hubby and I headed down to Wildwood New Jersey for vacation. We go down to the condo a few times every year and this year was no exception. One of our favorite activities to do on the beach is collect seashells, beachcombing!

This scrapbooking layout was done in the 12x12 format size and on a pre-printed lime green sheet of scrapbook paper. It is very tropical looking with light blue, orange, yellow and medium lime green florals. The title of this scrapbook page is called "A Perfect Day" which is at the top center of the layout.

I used 3 photos on my layout which I cropped down, 2 are square shaped and 1 is rectangular. I then matted each one onto baby blue cardstock and orange cardstock, leaving a 3/16" edge on the blue and a 1/8" edge on the orange. I tilted the 2 square shaped photos on the layout and kept the rectangular one straight, but overlapping the bottom edges of the 2 square ones. I also inked around the orange cardstock mats with turquoise pigment ink.

I used a pre-printed title block "A Perfect Day" and attached that above the 2 square photos using 2 orange eyelets. I added 3 chipboard embellishments to the layout (the word "WAVES", a red sand dollar square and the orange sunglasses), see photo for placement.

I used word stickers and inked around their edges with turquoise pigment ink to add depth to the stickers. The "Beach Boy" sticker is underneath the photo of my hubby and the other 3 word stickers are under the chipboard sunglasses (Splish Splash, Relaxation, Vacation).

I used a coordinating journaling block to match my background paper and inked around the block's edges. I attached an orange sticker to the top and wrote the month & date on it. I did the journaling in my own handwriting using an orange glitter pen.

Way too often we all use way too much of computer printed journaling and I feel it is important to include handwritten journaling onto some of your scrapbook layouts. Future generations and friend will want to see how your original handwriting looked! Enjoy!

Scrapbooking - 6 Photo Miniature Golf Scrapbook Layout Idea

If you have been reading my craft blog for awhile now, You will have already guessed that I love to scrapbook. With that said, I don't scrap expensive and elaborate layouts. I am the type of scrapbooker who loves simple and clean scrapbook layouts, with very little clutter.

I stepped out of my usual box today and did a scrapbook layout in the 12x12 format and included 6 photos in it. For me, that is a lot of photos on one page! The layout features 6 photos that I took of my husband and I playing a round of miniature golf at the Jersey Shore back in September.

My background is a piece of "weathered" green cardstock. I cropped 2 of my photos into vertical rectangles and 2 of my photos into square shapes and one photo into a horizontal rectangle to fit into a grid pattern. Once I had these 5 photos cropped down to the perfect sizes, I matted them onto a piece of light beige cardstock, leaving an 1/8" border. I then matted them again onto medium olive green cardstock, leaving an 1/8" border. I then used a liquid glue pen to attach the entire strip of photos to my background paper. (see photo for placement)

For my 6th photo, I just cut around the outline of my body and it's a photo of me putting the golf ball. I had a 3-D embellishment of a mini golf putting hole and grouped the 2 together to make a little scene. (top right corner of the layout). I added a vellum sticker that says "Summertime" to the scene to add interest.

My journaling block is a piece of beige colored cardstock which I inked around the edges with green ink. I then matted it onto the medium green cardstock and placed it onto my page. I accented my journaling block with a lighthouse embellishment, a golf club and a golf ball. I used a vellum sticker "Summer Days" at the top of my journaling block and did my journaling in my own handwriting.

I decided that I wanted to add some more journaling so I just did that in my own handwriting along the bottom edge of the layout. I know computers are popular for doing journaling but I still prefer to see the person's own handwriting and I know other people still prefer to see it too.

Overall, I am really pleased with how this miniature golf scrapbook layout came out. The positioning of all 6 photos worked out well for me and my layout doesn't look overly busy or cluttered! Yeah!!!

Note: You can click on the photo in this blog post to enlarge it to see the details better.

Crafts - Hand Painted Snowman Terra Cotta Flower Pots

A friend of mine loves to dabble in crafts, especially hand painted crafts and last week she made me this adorable hand painted snowman terra cotta flower pot! I think it is absolutely adorable!

She took a 6" terra cotta pot and painted the outside of it with navy blue acrylic paint. Once dry, she took some white textured snow paint and painted the rim with that. That textured paint really looks like snow!

She drew her snowman design onto scrap paper first and then used acrylic paints to paint her design around the sides of the flower pot. Once it was dry, she sprayed clear coat acrylic sealer around the outside of the pot and left it dry overnight.

I am going to use my new flower pot to hold some wrapped Christmas candies and some festive candy canes! I love my new pot and she said they are really easy-to-make. You could paint several of them up in one day and give them as gifts or use them to decorate your home. You could seriously paint all kinds of festive holiday designs on these pots like: peppermint candy swirls, santa, elves, Christmas flowers, reindeer or whatever holiday design that you like! Happy Holidays!

How To Make A Scrapbooking Pen and Pencil Organizer

We are getting ready to move into our new home and one things I love about our new home is that I get my own scrapbooking and craft room! I am really looking forward to decorating it up and making it cozy. With that said, I want to get all of my scrapbooking and craft supplies organized but I don't have a lot of money to spend on buying various organizing containers and shelves.

I decided to make some organizers myself by repurposing empty containers that I normally throw away. For this project, I wanted something to hold all of my gel pens and markers that I use for scrapbooking and cardmaking, and I wanted it to look pretty enough to sit on a shelf or on my desk top. I turned an empty pretzel sticks container into the perfect pen, pencil and marker holder and here is how I did it!

Pen and Pencil Canister - Organizer

Supplies Needed:

1 Empty Plastic Pretzel Rod Container with Lid
2 Sheets of Scrapbooking Paper
1 Roll of Rick Rack Trim
Liquid Glue Pen
Ruler
Scissors

I measured my plastic container and then cut a strip of paper from textured chocolate brown scrapbooking paper to those exact measurements. I used a liquid glue pen to glue that strip of paper around my plastic canister/container. It took about 10 minutes to dry and set. From a piece of pink printed scrapbooking paper I cut another strip that was much smaller in it's height to wrap around the canister and used the liquid glue pen to glue it on top of the chocolate brown paper, centering it so that the brown peeked out on the sides. I then used my liquid glue pen to glue the yellow rick rack trim on both long edges of the pink paper strip. I left the entire thing dry overnight.

While it was drying, I traced around the round lid onto a piece of the pink scrapbooking paper. I then cut it out but cut the circle slightly smaller than what I needed as I wanted some of the black on the lid to frame out the pink circle once it was glued on. I used the liquid glue pen to glue it on and found that this worked a lot better than using a hot glue gun.

You can use these decorated canisters - containers to hold all kinds of things and I am going to make many more of them as I empty out containers from our pantry. (after we have eaten the food, of course!). Now all of my gel pens and markers have a pretty little home! The next one that I am going to make will hold all of my colored pencils! Yeah!

What a great way to save all of those plastic containers from our landfills! This is a great project that the older kids can do too! Enjoy!

Scrapbooking - The Pumpkin Patch Scrapbook Layout Idea

A few weeks ago we took our little 3 1/2 year old grand daughter to the local Pumpkin Patch to pick out some pumpkins for Halloween! We spent the afternoon at the Pumpkin Patch and when we were done, she had selected 4 beautiful pumpkins! This scrapbook layout was done in the 12x12 size and is titled "Found Four". You can click on the photo to enlarge it to see the details!!!

I used the software that came with my Nikon digital camera to print out my photos and added these cute Halloween frames around them. Their photo frames with that software are adorable! My background is a sheet of 12x12 textured solid black cardstock. To add some depth, I used some plastic magic mesh in a silver metallic and ran two strips of that across my page. I believe each strip measures 3" by 12" in length. The silver goes great with the silver in the photo frames and really pulls it together.

I made my own bottom border using a strip of orange striped scrapbooking paper and it measures 1" by 12" and I rain 1/8" bronze color strips along each long edge to finish it up. The bronze color looks nice against the orange. I used black sticker letters in a funky font and placed them onto orange squares of cardstock and then used black ink around all edges of the square. I placed them onto the layout using glue dots. (Title: Found Four).

The rest of the layout features a few Halloween cardstock 3-dimensional stickers: Pumpkin, Leaves, Black Cat, Spider and Jack-o-lantern. I did the journaling in my own handwriting right above my bottom border strip. I feel it is important to do some handwriting on your scrapbook layouts when you can. Way too often we use computer generated stuff and trust me, future generations want to SEE your handwriting!!!

Overall, I am very please with this layout! You can click on the Scrapbooking or Halloween category here in my craft blog to find additional Halloween layouts too! Happy Scrapbooking!

Scrapbooking - Halloween Pumpkin Patch Scrapbook Layout Idea

A few weeks ago we took our little 3 1/2 year old grand daughter to a local Pumpkin Patch for the first time. At first, she wasn't sure what it was all about, but once we got parked and she saw all of those glorious orange pumpkins for picking, well... She is was off and running!

I took several photos of us the family at the Pumpkin Patch and over the next week or so, I will share with all of you a few of the scrapbooking layouts that I made. You can click on the photo above to enlarge it to see details.

I used my Nikon camera software to print out the photos and I used the software to add a cute Halloween theme'd border around them. I think they turned out darling & it saved me time because I didn't have to mat and frame my photos with scrapbooking paper. The layout above features 3 of those photos which I placed onto solid black textured cardstock measuring 12x12" in size.

The bottom border is one that I made myself and simply took it from a coloring book and scanned it into my computer. I then printed it out onto white cardstock and used chalks to color it in. I then used scissors and cut it out. I glued it to the bottom of my layout and I think it turned out super nicely.

I used my Cricut to cut out my title letters of PUMPKIN PATCH and the year of 2012 from orange colored cardstock. I believe I used the 1 1/4 size setting on the Circut. I used a liquid glue pen to put them onto my background paper. I made 2 satin ribbon bows from neon green satin ribbon and glued them onto the layout using a glue pen to accent 2 of the photos. I love the "pop" of the neon green!

The other 2 small journaling blocks were made from cardstock stickers and one says "PICK ME" and the other one simply has my grand daughter's name on it. She took her good old time picking pumpkins that day!

A really simple & uncluttered layout that only took me 30 minutes to make. I love it when I can make nice looking layouts that only cost $2.00 to make! Yeah!!!