Category: Camp Scrap 2012 Holiday

I saw this wreath I wanted in a store, but it was $85. I thought “my gosh. That’s just balls stuck to a wreath with some tinsel. I could do that!” And so, I have.

I didn’t look for tutorials or anything on the internet, I just grabbed a hard (styrofoam?) wreath, and one of those strands of garland that is tinsel-y.

I wrapped it around the wreath, tie it off, then just went to town adding glass ornament balls (while making all kinds of ‘playing with balls’ jokes of course) all around the 16″ wreath.

What I discovered:

First off, there’s a reason these are expensive. It takes a LOT of balls to make one. Secondly, you’ll want to make some way to hang the darn thing BEFORE you do all your adding of ornaments. Finally, I strongly suggest picking a color scheme before you start and then just cutting loose. I love the touch that the garland adds peeking out.

Bottom line? I loved making this project!! It is something ANYONE could do (just beware hot glue burns!) and now that I’ve made one I want to make more in different sizes, colors, and play with bringing in vintage ornaments and treasures too.

I hope you’ve had fun with my Camp Scrap: Holiday Edition series! Don’t worry – I’m not going to stop posting! I’ve got prizes, and hopefully some videos (if only I can get some sunlight!) and more creative fun coming all the time.

Speaking of fun – thanks again to my friends at Simon Says Stamp for sponsoring Camp Scrap: Holiday Edition . For just a few more days Simon Says Stamp is offering 10% off your entire purchase. Use code CSCRAP2 when you check out. Please note that the code is case sensitive and it will expire at 11:59 PM on 12/11/12 eastern standard time.

I like to bake a whole lot, but I hate it when I don’t have the ingredients on hand to make exactly what I want. What’s a girl to do? I took a classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve got and I changed it and added to it and tweaked it and generally just had fun with it. December creativity at it’s best! Today I’ll share with you a photo of the cookies (that disappeared nearly instantly both at the party we took them to and the leftovers here at home!) as well as the how-to:

 

in a mixer cream:

1/2 cup butter room temp

3/4c packed brown sugar

3/4c granulated sugar

then mix in:

2 eggs

1tsp vanilla

1/2c cocoa powder

mix (in bowl separately)

1 3/4c flour

2tsp cinnamon

1 1/2tsp baking soda

pinch nutmeg

Mix together with wet ingredients until combined, then mix in:

2c oats

2-3cups (your choice!) chocolate chips

1cup pecans (optional)

make your cookie balls and put them onto your cooking sheet of choice (use a spoon or whaever measurement you want – I went small as these were for a party and everyone was bringing goodies to share).

bake @350 for 8-10min until ready. Dough stores well in fridge overnight if needed, or this would probably work to bake a bar cookie in 8×8 pan as well.

These came out sooooo very good! It was a good reminder that kitchen experiments can be fun! Also, that I should print this blog post out and stick it in my December binder so I remember the recipe next year!

That is seriously the entire idea for today. Stamp something. Then color it. Embrace the fun of coloring something. I should have used watercolor or specialty stamping paper (better blending/coloring) but that’s ok. I had a BLAST with these furry cuties and just took a few minutes to color + glitter-ize this card.

Supplies Used:

Don’t forget my friends at Simon Says Stamp are sponsoring Camp Scrap: Holiday Edition and have a special discount code to share! Simon Says Stamp is offering 10% off your entire purchase. Use code CSCRAP2 when you check out. Please note that the code is case sensitive and it will expire at 11:59 PM on 12/11/12 eastern standard time.

Colored a stamp lately? Be sure to add your project here so we can all see!

I don’t do December Daily, nor do I do *exactly* anything like the popular Christmas scrapbooking series out there. I call what I do December Daily inspired, because Ali Edwards was my initial inspiration and I love her concept and how she captures stories and bits of magic every year.

What I absolutely don’t love, is the idea that I must ‘keep up’, make it daily, or stick to any kind of rules. So, last year the Christmas binder was born.

I walked in delusional. I thought I’d do like 20 pages. I ended up doing 9. THAT IS OK! I just changed the cover to incorporate this year, and on December 26th I tucked the album away with the rest of the holiday stuff. I figure I’ll keep adding years to it until I manage to fill it. I am GRATEFUL that I did the few pages that I managed because things like a new recipe and our holiday card and the Santa 2011 photo are all captured. [here’s my original post about it + link to youtube video I made showing my how-to…]

Here’s the beauty of my book: it is a 8 1/2 x 11 binder. It isn’t a traditional “May” scrapbook. It’s a binder. In my mind, I’ve separated it. It hold stories and photos and some cute stuff too. But there are NO rules. and absolutely NO pressure or expectation of the kind of quality the pages have artistically. Some are straight text. Just typed stories. Others are recipes printed off the internet and glued onto cardstock. COOL! The point here is just capturing bits and pieces quickly as I can so that it actually happens.

This is the only book where I encourage myself to sit down and type a page in Word and print it and call it a scrapbook page. (though I am a fan of topping with Washi tape for a cute accent…) Normally I’m a handwritten kind of girl, but these are often LONG stories, and I’m in a hurry you know? So, typed is encouraged and due to the size I can type, print, then just stick it in a page protector so easy.

Does this album replace my normal Christmas scrapbooking? No, not really. I still like Christmas scrapbook pages in my “yearly” albums. This is something else, closer to a Christmas journal. This is more about capturing words than photos, and (generally) has very little embellishing or creative play. This is December specific, and this blends everything from past, present, and future hopes. One page might have kid doodles the next might have a recipe the next I’m telling a story from my past… who knows.

For my first entry of the season I used an old photo of my grandparents that was sent to me recently, and I talked about their role in my Christmas experience as a child. What I remember, what I loved, what is so cool about having a grandpa that everyone calls Santa. I wrote a full page actually, which was nice because it let me just do a bit of creative play on another page so that this is now a full spread in my book. (Normally I don’t plan quite that way I’m doing single pages…)

The creative page features items found in my Christmas bucket (Pink Paislee paper, October Afternoon brads, Elle’s Studio tag, Tim Holtz ribbon + poinsettia die) – so it came together quickly though I fiddled with my options longer than I should have really.

But that’s ok. Because sometimes pausing to linger, taking a bit of extra time to write out your feelings and a story that is special is worth it. Now my grandparents have their own spot in this Christmas binder, and while I have no doubt they’ll get talked about more in the future there, they’ve got a special spot kicking off my 2012 binder contributions with a special tribute in loving memory.

It isn’t always easy to talk about those who are no longer with us, but talking about something great they brought to our lives, or something that you’ll always remember them for can be a great way to cherish and pay tribute to those we love. I found writing and creating these pages really was a great theraputic session for me, and I wanted to share.

Remembering people no longer with us is one idea – there are hundreds if not thousands of possible things to document from swatches of this year’s wrapping paper to pics with Santa to new recipes that are awesome (or fail). Instead of focusing on what I don’t manage to get done, the trick is really to appreciate what I *do* accomplish and also to enjoy the pages and stories I am able to contribute to my binder. Just remember it isn’t all or nothing – capturing memories and stories of the holidays can be done in many different ways – and it is all good.

Happy Crafting!

Want to share? Add your link here to my blog!

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My friends at Simon Says Stamp are sponsoring Camp Scrap: Holiday Edition and have a special discount code to share! Simon Says Stamp is offering 10% off your entire purchase. Use code CSCRAP2 when you check out. Please note that the code is case sensitive and it will expire at 11:59 PM on 12/11/12 eastern standard time.

I love to take frames that are either plain or have some kind of molded/carved shape to them and customize them. When I found a bunch of ornate (but plain white) frames on clearance months ago, I grabbed them right up. This is a fun way to make more of a photo gift, or just to use for yourself. The trick is this:

re-color or accent the frame just a little.

Oh, you can take and completely re-make a frame! I’ve done it many times. But the trick for this quick project is to find one you already like, and just (as my mom loves to say) “gussy it up a bit”. Use supplies such as paint, alcohol ink, permanent inks, mists, glitter, and other materials that will add color. You could also try things like foil tape or metallic leafing pens that could add more of a metallic look. If it is a flat frame, you could stamp with archival or staz-on ink.

For today, I chose green alcohol ink to start, then PPA + crystal glitter

With alcohol ink on the applicator tool, I just went around lightly dabbing the raised areas. This gave those beautiful flourishes and swirls some contrast – and no I didn’t worry about every single spot being covered or where the color ended. I just did one pass, and let whatever landed be what I got. Once I did that, the alcohol ink dried almost instantly and I was ready for phase two. That was to take PPA in glossy finish and use a paint brush to apply it to the flat surface of the frame. I didn’t worry about perfect – since I’m applying crystal clear glitter it would be fine and not really noticeable if something was less than perfect. I applied glitter to half the frame once done, then the other half.

Grand total (because yes, once I decided what I was going to do I timed it out of curiosity) was 7min 33seconds. NOT TOO SHABBY! This was originally intended for a gift but now I have fallen so in love with my frame that I’m going to put a holiday photo in it and keep it for myself.

What could you add a bit of color or sparkle to this holiday season and fall in love with? It’s a great way to use your stash and have a bit of creative fun (as well as potentially saving money!) – I hope you’re inspired to try something for yourself. Looking for some new supplies? Don’t forget to visit Camp Scrap sponsor Simon Says Stamp for a great selection!

 

There is even a special discount code just for my blog readers in celebration of Camp Scrap! Simon Says Stamp is offering 10% off your entire purchase. Use code CSCRAP2 when you check out. Please note that the code is case sensitive and it will expire at 11:59 PM on 12/11/12 eastern standard time.