Thanksgiving Layout

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of Taylor Stamped. I do receive financial compensation and material product from American Crafts and  A Walk Down Memory Lane to develop my craft posts, but all ideas and opinions are my own. Some links are affiliate links.

Okay, so I know Thanksgiving is over, but I couldn't wait to scrap some Thanksgiving photos. After 14 Thanksgivings in a row at my in-laws, we had no plans for Thanksgiving this year (my in-laws traveled to Florida to visit my sister-in-law). I love to cook, so we decided to do it up big at home and have a Thanksgiving feast in our PJ's. A Thanksgiving like that deserves to be scrapped right away. Here's my Thanksgiving layout.

Almost everything in this layout is from Imaginisce's Give Thanks collection. It's got the beautiful deep, rich colors of a traditional fall collection, but I love that it weaves in a lot of Thanksgiving and family gathering themes, not just fall themes.

This adorable turkey is about the only element not from the Give Thanks collection. It's a doodle-pop sticker from Doodlebug. I took one look at that sticker and knew I had to use it on a layout. Good thing it fit so well!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving (and really long break, as we had snow days Monday and Tuesday!) and now I have the layout to prove it. Since our Thanksgiving is usually so rooted in tradition, it's fun to have a layout reminding us about that one time it was different. What are your Thanksgiving traditions?

Togwotee Snowmobiling Travel Layout

My husband is a snowmobiler, I'm a scrapbooker.  This year he got to snowmobile in Togwotee, WY for the first time, and he kindly sent me some amazing pictures so I could scrap them.  We may have different hobbies, but we certainly can find a way to make them work together. Here's my Togwotee Snowmobiling Travel Layout:

I grabbed Imaginisce's new Perfect vacation collection to scrap this photo.  The tone of the colors seemed to be just right to really make the photo pop.  There's also a really nice gender neutral feel to this collection, and a season neutral feel.  What I mean is you won't be finding any palm trees or sandy beaches in this vacation collection.

These Studio Calico wood veneer pieces are some of my favorite go to embellishments. They come in lots of different shapes, are easy to color (though, I often leave them just plain), and work great on both layouts and cards.

I also mixed in some word stickers and alphas from Simple Stories Urban Traveler Collection.

Do you (or a loved one) have a winter hobby you like to scrap? I'd love to hear all about it, or better yet see it!

Party Cracker Gift Boxes

I needed a few small gift boxes for some hand made presents my boys made for a few of our family members.  I didn't have any small boxes, so I decided to make my own using some leftover papers from the Gift Card Envelopes that I made and my We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board.  Here are my Party Cracker Gift Boxes.

The box design is not my own. Just Google "We R Memory Keeper's Party Crackers Envelope Punch" and you'll get lots of different instructions on how to make these.  I tweeked the measurements a bit to make the small enough for my needs.  These are actually small enough that you could get 4 boxes from 1 sheet of paper. 

I used a mixture of papers and embellishments from Imaginice's Colors of Christmas collection and Crate Paper's  Bundled Up. 

To be honest, I really don't like wrapping gifts - but making custom packaging for gifts? I can totally get on board with that!

Gift Card Envelopes

This time of year, I seem to need oodles and oodles of gift card envelopes.  Sure, I could just used the ones they come in, but what would be the fun in that?  Here's a few I came up with this weekend using the We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board.

I used a smattering of different papers and embellishments (scroll to the bottom for the list), but kept the design pretty simple.
The smaller envelopes are the right size to hold a gift card with a backing (I have target gift cards in some of them, and I left them on the little card that they come on so I could write on there how much is on the gift card). 

The larger envelopes are big enough to slip an embellished tag (and attached gift card) in. For the envelope below, I cut off the top flap and opted for an open pocket instead.

Or, large enough to put an i-tunes gift card into. 

 For this holder, instead of adding glue to hold the top flap down, I made a little envelope wrap to tuck the flap under.

 Just a simple way to add a little extra fun to gift card giving!

Supplies:
American Crafts Peppermint Express
Imaginisce Colors of Christmas
Simple Stories December Documented
We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board

 Thanks for stopping by!

Dirt Bike Fun

Today I have a layout of my oldest riding his dirt bike. He's gotten really good at it this summer, so I thought it would make a fun layout. 

I had one piece of paper I knew I wanted to use for this layout. That piece with the dirt bikes on it (it's from Imaginisce's Outdoor Adventure) called out to me from the shelves at AWDML.  From there I just started pulling random papers and embellishments from my shelves that seemed to work.  Washi tape? Yes, please! Simple Stories 24/7? Perfect!  Even a bit of adhesive backed cork worked its way into the layout as a photo mat.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a beautiful weekend!

Happy Campers and Outdoor Adventures

It's definitely the time of year for scrapping lots of outdoor/woodsy/camping photos.  Okay, I don't actually camp, but we go to my parent's lake house, which has a nice woodsy feel, and we make s'mores and do woodsy things.  Close enough, right? Imaginisce has a collection called Outdoor Adventure. I love it's s'mores paper (and the dirt bike/ATV paper, but that's a post for another day).

 I layered up a few of the other outdoor adventure papers on top of the s'mores one. I sneaked in a chipboard sticker from We R Memory Keepers, and some washi tape from them as well (because, can you ever really have enough washi tape?).  It still needed a little something so I added these fun stick pins from Little Yellow Bicycle.

Being wood, you can stain these pins any color you want, but the natural color fit my layout perfectly. 

Now I have one less vacation memory to scrap, and one more to enjoy when I'm paging through my albums. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Geek is Chic

Last week I picked up some Geek is Chic by Imaginisce at A Walk Down Memory Lane. I still have some photos from my oldest's first year of school last year, and Geek is Chic is a great line for school photos. However, the colors and patterns in this line are so fun, I didn't want to limit myself to just school photos, so I also made this layout:


The layout is based off Imaginisce's sketch for their August sketch challenge.

I just rotated the sketch 90 degrees. Most of the paper is from Geek is Chic, however I did cut my fish and fish hooks with my Silhouette from paper from Imaginisce's Happy Camper, and the circle under the arrow is from Imaginisce's Animal Cracker line.


In case you were wondering, here's the classic school layout with Geek is Chic:



My husband and think this is just the funniest preschool picture. Our son looks utterly perplexed as to why someone would be taking his picture like this. Everything on the layout is trimmed from Geek is Chic paper or card stock stickers except for the "my name is:" piece. That was actually on his desk at school. I always think it's fun to preserve a memento or two on a layout.


Thanks for stopping by!

What I Worked on This Weekend

Lately it feels like every Friday I start a project with plans to have that project and 2 or 3 more done by the end of the weekend. However, when Monday rolls around, I'm still working on that first project. Case in point, this layout:


I started it Friday and was going to have it and 2 cards done by the end of Sunday, however today I found myself finishing the layout. And the 2 cards? I still need to start those. Oh well, summer weekends are for making memories like the ones above. I can always get my "work" done later.

I grabbed Happy Camper from Imaginisce especially for these photos. I knew with those great chipboard stickers, it would be perfect. If you spend a lot of time in the great outdoors over the summer, you'll want to check this line out. It's full of trees, canoes, campfires, marshmallows, and woodland creatures. Here's hoping I get a little more done this week than I did over the weekend!

Simple Stories Layout #2

I wanted to chat a bit about Simple Stories today since I've been working with their 100 Days of Summer line quite a bit. There are a lot of scrapbook companies out there, but Simple Stories does scrapping a bit differently. Simple Stories is a system that contains pre-designed element pices (journaling tags, photo mats, quote blocks, and titles) that are printed on double-sided 12 x 12 sheets of paper. All you have to do is cut them apart to create a custom page. You can use the pices as you normally would on a layout, or you can slip them into specially sectioned page protectors (check out We R Memory Keepers 12" x 12" divided page protectors). You're pages go together really quickly!

Journal and a Sneak

Life has been so crazy fun these past few weeks (except for the strep that 3 of us got). First up, I need to mention that if you live in the Northwest Iowa area you don't want to miss the CHA preview happening this Tuesday and Wednesday (February 15 and16) at A Walk Down Memory Lane. Not only will you get to see the new papers and accessories that Lisa ordered for the store when she was at CHA, but some of the new lines will even be available for purchase for the first time at the party. AWDML’s in store design team has been hard at work coming up with layouts, cards, and projects to inspire you using the new products. At last count I've completed 9 layouts, 1 mini album, 1 project, and I'm not done yet. I'm also not the only one creating. There's going to loads and loads of inspiration! Here's a little sneak:


Now on to the journal. Here's a fun project I made from a Fiskars journal. The cover was plastic, and there is lined paper inside. I decided to make a book to track all the funny, sweet, and crazy things my kids (2 yrs and 4yrs) say this year. When they say something notebook worthy I just grab the book, write the date, which kid said it, and what he said. There's also a little pencil case attached to the book. I made month tabs, and am slipping them into the book as needed.

The Things They Say Journal
Paper: Imaginisce Black Tie Optional (Raindrop Reflections), Jillibean Soup Pasta Fagioli (Clove Fresh Garlic)
Accessories: Maya Road Trinkets Medallion Flowers (Black), Maya Road Pleated Satin Ribbon (Red), Basic Grey Alphas
Tools: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper, Fiskars Apron Lace Border Punch
Extra Bits: Journal with lined paper

February's Featured Manufacturers

Hello, and happy February! I thought I'd let you all know that A Walk Down Memory Lane's Featured Manufacturers for the month are Imaginisce and Magnolia. That means all Imaginisce and Magnolia goodies are 25% off all month long. Here's a fun Birthday layout I made with B-day Bash:
This is one of those layouts that's so much better in person. The title (Happy Birthday Happy) is popped up with foam dimensional adhesive, and I painted the letters with Glossy Accents to make it shine. The balloons and presents also have a lot of dimension and texture to them.
Just a side note, we are a family of Disney-a-holics, so when my youngest decided he wanted a Mickey B-day party, it was no surprise. The problem was making it different than the Mickey B-day party his older brother had when he turned 2. I'm not so great when it comes to making cakes, but I insist on doing it anyways for my kids for the sake of tradition, so I had to find something easy. I decided to make 3 ice cream cakes and set them up in the classic Mickey shape. Let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS!

Winter Projects with Glue Dots®

I made this banner on Friday. It started snowing on Sunday and hasn't stopped yet. My oldest even had a snow day today. Perhaps my banner should have read, "let it snow... a little".


Here are some directions if you want to make your own banner (supply list are at the end of this post):1. Cut 9 snowflakes from patterned paper (Bo Bunny Midnight Frost).
2. Outline all snowflakes with glitter (Stickles).
3. Use Poster Glue Dots® to attach 1 letter to each snowflake (spell out "let it snow"). If you're unsure where you want your letters to go, use Removable Glue Dots® to hold letters in place until you decide.
4. Use Micro Glue Dots® and Pop Up Glue Dots® to attach embellishments to snowflakes.
5. String "let it" on 1 yard of ribbon. String "snow" on the second yard of ribbon.
6. Hang.

I happened to have enough left over paper and embellishments to create this layout.


Santa brought my boys snow shovels for Christmas. They couldn't wait to get outside and shovel snow. Remember when that was fun instead of a chore?And, yes, I do realize I'm scrapping the future. I was just trying so hard to get used to putting 2011 on things, that I got ahead of myself. I did change the date, but didn't take new photos :-)

"Let It Snow" Banner Supplies:
Paper: Bo Bunny Midnight Frost
Accessories: Jillibean Soup Corrugated Alphas (White and Kraft), Stickles (Star Dust, Waterfall), Bo Bunny Midnight Frost Brads, Bo Bunny Midnight Frost Jewels, Imaginisce I-rock Jewels, Ribbon
Adhesive: Glue Dots® Poster Dot n Go, Glue Dots® Micro, Glue Dots® Pop Up, Glue Dots® Removable (optional)

Snow Fort Layout Supplies:
Paper: Bo Bunny Midnight Frost
Accessories: Bo Bunny Olive Zipper Trim, Bo Bunny Midnight Frost Brads and Jewels, Echo Park Wintertime Alpha Stickers, Echo Park Wintertime Element Stickers
Adhesive: Glue Dots® Poster Dot 'n Go, Micro Glue Dots®

I wrote this blog post while participating on the Glue Dots® design team.

To Love and Cheris

I've been playing around with Imaginisce's To Love & Cherish line. It's a beautiful, bold line for scrapping weddings and creating wedding cards, which is exactly what I did with it.

All of the paper is from To Love & Cherish, as well as the stamp and ribbon. I used my I-top to create not only the center of the flower and the I-top punches to create the flower itself. The rhinestones were added using the I-rock. The scalloped pleats were created by cutting 8 - 1 inch strips of paper, punching them out with Fiskars scalloped edge punch, and layering them from the bottom up.
Again, all of the papers except for the blue card stock are from To Love & Cherish, as are the rhinestone brads, stamps, ribbon, and flowers. The pearls and rhinestones were set using the I-rock. The frame for the photo and the bracket accents were cut using the Silhouette.

Don't miss it

Most of you know that I'm on the in store design team, do the social media for, and teach classes at A Walk Down Memory Lane. I wanted to let you know that right now AWDML is having a great 12 Days of Christmas Sale. You can find all of the info for it here on the blog. Each day a new item is added to the sale, so by December 12, you'll have 12 great sales. Additionally, the paper I used to create the fun layout above is from The Girls' Paperie. They just happen to be one of this month's featured manufacturers (the other one is Just Rite Stamps). You can get them at 25% off all month long. Just thought I'd pass it along, since I LOVE a good deal.

Merry Layout Supply List
Paper: The Girls’ Paperie Tinsel & Twig (Christmas Carol Stripe, Deck the Halls, Festive Brocade, Snowfall)
Accessories: The Girls’ Paperie Tinsel & Twig Sticker Market, The Girls’ Paperie Tinsel & Twig Flower Market, Imaginisce I-rock crystals
Tools: Imaginisce I-rock, Fiskars Upper Crest Punch, EK Success Edger Punch Bracket

Glue Dots® + Weddings = Happily Ever After

I have to admit I was pretty excited when Glue Dots® challenged us to make something wedding themed for one of our projects this month. I love paper crafts, I love weddings, I love making gifts...does it get any better that that!?! What I came up with could really have 3 different uses. It can be part of a gift for the bride and groom, it can be a gift from the bride and groom to guests, or (with a little extra work) it can be a table decoration. Here's the wedding gift version:This is the front and back view of a personalized and decorated wine bottle. Added to a wine themed gift basket, it makes a beautiful gift. Set at the tables, it makes a lovely, personalized party favor. Making the labels is simple.
~First pick out a bottle of wine. Remove any price tags, stickers, etc. from it. Also remove the foil from around the neck and cork area of the bottle. Leave the labels on the wine bottle. It's much easier to cover them up than to remove them!
~ Next measure both the front and back labels, often they are different sizes. Add about 1/4" to the measurements to give yourself enough overlap. For example, if your label is 3" x 3 1/2", your new personalized label should measure about 3 1/4" x 3 3/4".
~Now you get to choose your paper. I chose paper from Imaginisce's To Love & Cherish line.
~Now design a front and back label. The front of my bottle has the couple's monogram on it, and the back has a wedding Bible verse. I designed both labels in my Silhouette software, and printed it out on my printer at home, but any word or print shop type software will do. Just use what you are most comfortable with. Print out your labels on patterned paper. *Just a note, the proper way to do wedding monograms is the bride's first initial on the left (when looking at the monogram), the groom's first initial on the right, and the last initial in the center.
~ Once printed, cut your labels to the proper size. Add Glue Dots® Glue Lines or Glue Dots® Memory Book Dots to the back of the printed label and layer over the label on the wine bottle.
~ Next use a punch or die cut machine (I used my Silhouette again) to cut about 8-10 flowers out of paper that matches the paper you used for your label. Add embellishments to the center of your flowers (I used I-rock Gems and Pearls). Curl the petals of your flowers forwards a bit to give the flowers more dimension. Attach a Glue Dots® Memory Book Dot to the back of the flower and attach to bottle.

If you're using this idea for a gift, you can stop here. If you're using this as a table decoration, you will want to continue with the additional steps to create this:
~ At this point, you'll want a cork-less, empty wine bottle instead of a full one. I've added 6 paper flowers to the wine bottle. There are lots of ways out there to make paper flowers, and you can choose your favorite, and the flower that best suits the theme of your wedding, but here are a few tips to make life easier.
~Make the paper part of your flower using a origami, die, or punch of your choosing (I again used my Silhouette).
~Grab some floral wire and some pliers to make a stem. Twist the wire around the pliers to make a flat spiral on one end.
~Thread the straight end down through the top of the flower.
~ You will now have a nice flat surface to work with in the center of your flower. Put a Glue Dot® Mini Dot on the underside of your wire spiral to keep the flower from moving around on the wire. You can add an embellishment (like a pretty rhinestone) to the top side of the wire to glam it up a bit.
~Finally, to keep your flower from moving around in the bottle, create a second wire spiral on the bottom of the wire. Add a large Glue Dot® (like a Craft Dot, Memory Dot, or Pop Dot) and place into the bottle. The Glue Dot® will stick to the bottom of the bottle keeping your flower in place.

I wrote this blog post while participating on the Glue Dots® design team.