Papercraft Haven and More

      If you have followed me for a while, you will know I am all about saving money and doing things cheap...but I can't stand things to "look cheap"...  My husband was taken out of work over 8 years ago, at the time, I lived in Utah - scrapbooking heaven!  I couldn't shop much, I had to do things as cheap as I could...  One gift idea for you to get started on is an altered composition notebook!        If you look at your gift list, you will find a few people that you could make an altered notebook for.  They are great for younger girls to start a journal, or even just for an adult who might be going through a trying time; add a book to it, and a handmade bookmark and you are done.  If you look at the school supply sales right now, you can pick a notebook up for about $.50 each, customize them to each person you are giving the gift to.  For teens, add a gift card to their favorite store hidden in one of the pages! ...

       When it comes to Christmas - do you painstakingly take time in each and every small detail, from the parties, to the gifts, to the cards you send out each year?  I know I don't...and each year, the gifts either aren't finished in time, or they don't get sent, or I just didn't get along with my family enough to be able to send them much of anything - you get what you give or so they say!  This year - I am spending time THIS MONTH in making some of the things I need for that fun event...and planning the cards I want to do, the mini album projects, and the gifts for people...all to make this years Christmas a funner one than last years was!   From a fun framed page that is customized for everyone, to the cards I send out... each item is being made with love, detail and attention!          In this layout, I used darker colors of red and green, with bits of gold for the accent color, and a bit of ivory to make it all pop....

       With Christmas here in less than 6 months - this month will be spent sharing with you card ideas, a few layout ideas, ways you can give gifts, as well as gift ideas you can give to your friends and family.  Times are hard right now for everyone, spending the time making a one of a kind gift for someone not only helps the pocket book, but also helps when you have a lot of things you can use already - just stashed away!  Plus when you make a present for someone, it is truly a gift from the heart made specifically for that person!        Through out this month I will be giving you reminder posts - to start to look at what you need to purchase, parties you need to plan for, baking you need to do, or even gifts you need to make.  That way - you are not caught at the beginning of December having to figure out what you need or want to make, but not having enough time to do it all!  I am sure some of you already do a bit of thi...

Christmas is 5 months from today...it doesn't seem possible!  This is why the big thing about Christmas this month...  Not only do you have Christmas around the corner, you also have other events each month...August and September start to be really busy around our family...with October and December a close one after that!  So, I need a way to start planning out the events in my life that I need to pay attention to!  Some events are just not as important as others, and my time is precious right now...as everyones is!  It seems you have to spend more time on the roads, more time working, more time doing this, more time doing that...Where do you have time to "create"?  That is where I come in, I force you to "make" time to do it!  Each month on the 25th, you will get a reminder blog post reminding you to not only look at Christmas...but also to look at the next months events as well.  This way, you will be able to create EVERYTHING you need...just ...

Now that you have a handle on the "gift" part of things, researching what you want to make for everyone, today.....is all about the containers that you put them in!   I am all about recycling, taking my coffee cans and altering them with paper and embellishments to create a one of a kind item for each gift recipient.  This type of thing can also be done with any type of holiday, or birthday...adding your present in it with tissue paper and a card to finish up the look!  The recipient can keep it, bringing it out on other birthdays as a decoration!   This example is a Halloween set of cans I made...but you get the basic idea!  Directions:  Step one:  Take any size of can such as a coffee can, or other type of can that is easy to clean out.  Make sure it is clean and dry.  Step two:  Take 2 sheets of of paper to cover the outside of the can, overlapping the paper to cover the entire can.  Tuck in the edges in the can...

 With Christmas gifts, you do not need to spend a lot of money on gifts for each and every person.  One gift I was able to see was a digital scrapbook album made into a book, in which everyone who was included in the book received a copy of it as a present.  I am sure she spent a lot of time and money on this present, but...I feel it would be a one of a kind album, made with a lot of love ! If you are on a budget, make sure you check out my product reviews or the web site for the San Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist 2 software or their free software and kits you can download from their site.  I have a few great layouts made with their software, and have fallen in love with their software!   For people you don't see a lot, friends or family members alike...cards made and put into packs of cards make a great gift!  If you happen to have a lot of people you make birthday cards for, or the recipient sends cards out to everyone...make...

With talk about a second recession, this years Christmas should be planned early on, to allow for enough time to make the things you want to do.  Every year I plan and make a ton of things for my family, but...by the end of it all, nothing gets mailed out, instead I have a ton of things I have made, but nothing being done about it.  This year is going to be different...I have started to make my plans, and looked at who I want to make things for, and who will get a simple card and gift card instead.  The people I make things for are people who enjoy what I do, and want something I have made.  Challenge #1:  Look at your Christmas card list and start to get ideas as to what you can do for cards.  Find sketches or cards online that you like and want to recreate.  Challenge #2:  Find a pack of paper that you can use for multiple projects, such as the packs you can get from DCWV. Look at each individual person that is on your list, look at...

This month is all about Christmas in July, where we will have challenges and ideas all month long!  It will be all about planning....and starting to make things for your friends and family for that wonderful event that happens every year!   If you are like me, the intentions are there...but I never get around to actually finishing up the projects I want to make.   This month, will be all about getting that process started, and each month after that a reminder blog about getting your stuff done!  Everyone is in the same boat this year, we are all watching our money...the recession has hit everyone really hard.  However, I have been in this "current economy" since my husband was taken out of work 7 years ago, so you are all just in my shoes now!  I learned a few things along the way, and am so excited to teach you what I learned...especially about creating beautiful...one of a kind gifts!  Today I am starting with a few chall...