Artfull crafts Christmas Countdown week two - layouts

This is now week two of the Artfull Crafts Christmas countdown - the theme of which is albums/layouts or project life spreads. I love all the inspiration and hope you are having some time to join in. Today I am showing you a few Christmas layouts using various ranges.

The first was created using the bold and Geometric Simple Stories DIY Collection. This collection has an awesome selection of papers and stickers to chose from with a more traditional Christmas colour scheme paired with black and dark brown to give some added pop!

The layout has been created by layering distressed and inked papers and then adding chipboard, diecuts, flowers and stickers. The flourish is a cut up ampersand. The photo is of my oldest son which was taken around his first real Christmas when he was just over a year old.  He was a premmie and had only been home a week before Christmas so we stayed home that year.

My second layout is also using Simple Stories DIY Collection - just a bit more simply. I have only used some of two papers from the paper collection - one for the photo mat and one with the circles for the flower centres on the flowers. The base is Kraft cardstock sprinkled with mists. I have added some of the paper diecuts and chipboard from the range as well. Finished off with a cameo title and a little journalling. This is the same boy in the previous layout but eight years later! He has just turned 14 this week!

My third and final layout is using my favourite Christmas collection North Pole by Kaisercraft- so much so that I had to buy more of it after getting my design team kit!  I first sprayed the background white cardstock with my mists. The hexagon background was created using my cameo. I then just layered papers, collectables, photos of my 11 year old and flowers to create a less traditional Christmas layout. I love how it has turned out.

Have a great week and enjoy the Christmas countdown - I would love to see some layouts or albums created by you for the Christmas Countdown . Make sure to load them here for a chance to win some prizes. 

Artfull Crafts Christmas Countdown - Week One Plain and & Simple Christmas Cards

 The first week of the Artfull Crafts Countdown was to create some plain and simple Christmas cards to inspire you. Hope you are all enjoying the countdown - I can't believe Christmas is next month!  I have made four simple cards - three using the Kaisercraft North Pole Collection and another more generic one.

The first card on the far left I created by rounding the corners of the card with my corner rounder. The next step was sprinkling Heidi Swapp Colour Shine mist by removing the spray unit then gently tapping the tube part. You could use any mist or spray to create this effect.

I then cut the heart from the Silver Bells Foil Paper and layered it on some black cardstock. After attaching a loop of thin silver ribbon I stuck the heart on the card with pop dots. The flower has a bit of the ribbon on with a bling centre. Final touch was the sentiment from the North Pole Collectables set. Here is a closeup view of the card.

The card centre left is a non traditional card very feminine and easy to create.  It is also easily modified to a non Christmas card as well. I created a green mat for the card and then added the doily. Some flowers and a leaf in a bunch tied with a ribbon topped with the sentiment from the Mistletoe collection by Kaisercraft almost finish the card. I then created some dots with glossy accents to complete the card.

The card on the centre right was created using the Elves paper and cutout sentiment a card from the Peppermint Swirl Kaisercraft Captured Moments card pack. The base of the card has been punched with a Martha Stewart punch.  I have finished off the card with some bling   and a piece of snowflake ribbon.

 

The last card on the right is my favourite of the four - love the "country" look of it. The embellishment are North Pole Collectables   attached with foam dots along with a bit of bakers twine.
The Mat of the card is using the Sweater paper in the North pole collection.

I hope you enjoyed my post today - there is still lots of inspiration in the next few weeks so see you soon!

I am on the Artfull Crafts Christmas Countdown Team!

New Christmas Countdown Design Team  at Artfull crafts and Challenge Info 

I am one of the new team members at Artfull crafts for their Christmas Countdown and have just been introduced on the blog - look out over the next few days for the other new design team members who along with the current team will be inspiring you up to Christmas.

The Christmas Countdown will start this Sunday, 8th November. Each week there will be a new theme and challenge and everyday someone from the Team will inspire you with a project. AND look out for the Sunday email which will announce the new theme and the special for the week.

We do hope you will join us during this fun time!
Don't forget to head to the Artfull Christmas Store and stock up on products.

Here is my Introduction:


Today we welcome Beverley Cunnigham onto the Artfull Crafts Christmas Countdown Design Team! We asked Beverley a few questions about herself and her crafting passions. Enjoy the read!

Hi my name is Beverley Cunningham and I have been scrapbooking for nearly eight and a half years. I live in Gulf Harbour in Auckland with my husband Andrew and our three kids Brendan (14), Christopher (11) and Kaitlyn (10). We have one pet a rabbit named Molly. We live near beautiful beaches and a regional park - it feels like a holiday home in summer. I started work in an accounting office this year which is was what I was doing before kids. I have been on a few design teams and was lucky enough to work in a craft shop before it closed its doors in February.  I love the scrapbooking community and have made some wonderful inspiring friends and participated in some awesome events.

How were you introduced to scrapbooking?
Almost eight and half years ago my sister gave me a scrapbook kit from the warehouse. That was the start of an amazing journey of becoming part of an awesome community and yummy products that are hard to resist! Here is my first ever layout using that kit.

What inspires you for layouts, projects, cards?
My best inspiration are challenges especially sketch ones. There has been many a time when my mojo goes on holiday and a sketch challenge has brought it home!

What other project types do you like to work on besides scrapbook pages?
I love off the page projects including mini albums. Mixed media has become one of my favourite types of project to do.  I have a collection of "found" things from op shops just waiting to be converted.

This is a fairy house I created in 2012 as part of my submission for Prima's Design Team.

I purchased the house from a decor shop and painted it.  The green on it is Verdigris embossing powder. Then I just went mad with embellishments and paper to decorate it. This was a mothers day present for my mom. 

 

 

 
Some close ups.

What is your favourite scrapbook brand and why?
Well Prima has been my all time favourite for a long time. Just love their flowers and embellishments and have been known to go a bit crazy with them at times! Kaisercraft and Teresa Collins are fast catching up though!

What scrapbooking tools/products can you not do without?
Well where do I start there....
My Cameo which is severely neglected
My Martha Stewart Trimmer
My Prima comfort craft distress tool
My Heidi Swapp Colour Shine sprays (a new addiction)
Masks and texture pastes
Flowers and wood veneers
Better stop there...could go on forever...

What is your current favorite technique or embellishment?
Using Masks, texture paste and sprays is definitely a favourite.  I have just made some of my own masks with the cameo using designs from online. I want to have a go to design my own soon.

This is a layout I did last year that is one of my favourites. I love how it came together with lots of techniques used. I was trying to scrap a bit like Solange Marques. She blends her photo into her background with inks, paints and other mediums Its one of my favourite photos of my boys too!

 

 What do you hope to try or improve on this year?
I hope to get to get to know my cameo more so I can use it more and to get more scrapping done as 2014 has been a quiet year on that front.

What advice can you give to people just beginning to enjoy scrapbooking?
Just to enjoy their new hobby and get involved in the scrapbooking community it can be fun and supportive.  

This is one of my favourite mini albums (not so mini!). Also a submission for the Prima design team it is a Prima Canvas album - its three years old but it still reflects my style and I thoroughly enjoyed making it and documenting a bit of a family time line. I started by masking and spraying each page and printing my journalling on canvas.  Then it was the case of major decorating with a ton of gorgeous product

I am really looking forward to been part of the Artfull Crafts Christmas Team and I hope you are inspired along the way!