Peek-a-Boo Snowmen Christmas Cards / Journal Cards

I've been having a lot of fun joining in various papercraft challenges, and particularly enjoy combining several different challenges in a single project. I'm particularly enjoying Double Trouble, because they give a main challenge and then add a couple of optional twists.

The latest challenge from Double Trouble includes the following three elements:

• Peek-a-Boo, I See You
• Use Twine or any Type of ribbon, string, cord, or Tape on your project
• Use the sketch from Try Stampin' - Or Not - On Tuesday and enter your project in their challenge

The Design Team had created some awesome projects, but I was particularly inspired by Donna Scholz's side-fold card. It's been a while since I created a card with this type of side fold and it's perfect to go with this sketch!

I'm currently working on items for my Christmas-themed junk journals so I picked out some Crafters Companion "The Snowman" printed card blanks plus some Kanban snowman toppers. The card blanks are 5" x 7" and are printed on the front and back, so I picked out two of the cards, and was able to make two of the side-fold cards sized 5" x 3.5" and one sized 7" x 5".  

For the two smaller designs I used two different dies to create the windows for the snowmen to peek through. I used sentiments from the same Kanban collection, then added gemstones and baker's twine to one card and buttons and a fluffy yarn to the other. 

For the larger card I used some silver card-stock for the front of the card and layered on the second patterned card-stock, which allowed me to layer two dies for the window. I first used the larger die on the top (dotty) layer then positioned this on to the silver layer so that I could tape the smaller die in to correct place before cutting that layer. For this card I used a different sentiment and some silver thread / cord. 

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

1. Double Trouble - Challenge # 97b Peek-a-Boo, I See You
2. Try Stampin on Tuesday - Challenge #533 
3. Dragonfly Dreams Challenge - November Challenge - Christmas / Winter
4. Alphabet Challenge Blog - P is for Patterned Paper
5. Crazy Hazlenut's Christmas Challenge - Challenge #268

Bookmarks for Christmas Junk Journals

I'm currently working on items to go in the Christmas Junk Journals that I've been putting together, so I decided to make some bookmarks, with a slight twist. Rather than a traditional bookmark, I wanted to create folded bookmarks which are held in place with magnets.

For my first bookmark, I used partial die-cutting with a Tonic tag shaped die to create a card base. I layered a  smaller die cut tag to each side with a magnet underneath. I decorated one side of the bookmark with a sentiment from the same die set, and the other side with a snowman and snowflakes. The inside is blank for journaling space. 

The first bookmark works for most pages in my larger junk journal, but the magnets aren't very strong and won't hold on some of the heavier pages, particularly the coffee-dyed cardstock which is a bit wrinkly. I'll probably use this bookmark in one of my smaller junk journals which don't have the thick wrinkly paper. 

I decided to create a second bookmark where the magnet is not covered, to see whether this would work well on thicker pages in my junk journal. The second bookmark was quick and easy, using a couple of offcuts of card and paper along with some die-cut elements from the Papermania "At Christmas" collection by Lucy Cromwell. I attached the magnets on the inside, and tested it on my junk journal. This bookmark holds well even on the thicker and crinklier pages, so I'll be making more bookmarks with the magnets uncovered to use in my other junk journals.

I'd like to enter this project in the following challenges:

1. The Paper Shelter Challenge Blog - Challenge #491 Bookmark
2. C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Challenge #617 Christmas
3. Craft Rocket Challenges - Challenge 87 - Winter / Snow
4. Allsorts Challenge - Week 650 - Christmas
5. Dare 2B Artzy - November Challenge: Tags / Bookmarks

Tall Journal Cards Using the Geometric Mocha collection

This month's challenge on the Die Cut Diva's Challenge Blog is to create mini slimline and slimline cards, whilst the current challenge on the Double Trouble blog is a Tall Card with Thin Dies. I wanted to create some taller journal cards to tuck in to the pockets of my Geometric Mocha junk journals, so these challenges seemed like a great starting point. I'm going to create a few sets of cards using different sketches, and decided to start with challenge #530 from Try Stampin' - or not - on Tuesday:

For these cards I layered some scraps (left over from making the journal pages) on to pearlescent card-stock. For the first card I added a die-cut tag and circle from the collection, and for the second card I used a die-cut label and tag from the collection along with some circles that I die cut using Spellbinders thin circle dies. The base card and the card and paper used to cut the circles are also used elsewhere throughout the journal.

I'm entering these cards in to the following challenges:

1. Die Cut Divas - November is a Time for Mini Slimline and Slimline Cards
2. Double Trouble Papercrafting with Thing 1 and / or Thing 2 - Challenge #96 - Tall Card with Thin Cut partnering with Ellibelle's Crafty Challenge (including Tags, Triangles and Teardrops for Thing 3 challenge)
3. Ellibelle's Corner - November Challenge - Die Cuts and Punches - Partnering with Double Trouble
4. Try Stampin' - or Not - on Tuesday - Challenge #530

Mini Christmas Junk Journal

One of my goals for October was to start working on a journal using one of my Bigz Dies. The aim for this month was to make the cover and one signature for the journal. I decided to create a mini Christmas junk journal using the Pocket Notebook die by Eileen Hull. 

I've had some rolls of double-sided adhesive sheets in my stash for a long time, but never actually used them because I was worried about 'wasting' materials. I always tried to be frugal using my materials, but I've realised that I have so much stuff, and I should just use it! Using these sheets to attach my card to the mountboard before die-cutting was much easier than trying to line up the cover and card after cutting them.

The journal cover is created by joining the spines of the 2 pieces together. The spine for this journal has 3 scored sections. Initially I joined the two covers together by overlapping one section of the spines and attaching them with red-line tape but I wasn't very happy with the results, so I cut off the joined section and tried again! The second time around I overlapped the remaining two sections of spine and again joined it using red-line tape. The result seemed much sturdier. 

I wanted to create two signatures for my journal which are similar in style but not identical. I started by cutting pages for the journal from Christmas papers and plain cardstock. For the first signature I created a pocket page using plain card-stock and a window page using some snowman vellum. For the second signature I used a pearlescent card blank to create a page with side pockets and patterned paper to create a page with a diagonal pocket. Each signature has a pearlescent envelope to create a central pocket page, and a cover made from foiled and embossed cardstock.

I created 3 different journal cards to go with the journal:

1. A simple card using the aperture die-cut from the vellum page, decorated with peel-offs
2. A card featuring a tree and snow-flakes made by layering two die-cuts together, then decorated with some stickers and peel-offs
3. A card with a vellum window and the word 'winter'. To make this card , I folded a piece of white card and placed the fold just inside the edge of the die. This meant that the two die cuts were joined along one edge, so I could add some vellum in between and the two layers lined up perfectly.

This journal is a handy size and pretty quick to make, so my goals for next month will include a second Christmas journal using this die, along with some more items to go in both journals. 

I'm entering this journal in the following challenges:

1. ABC Christmas Challenge - V is for Vocabulary (on the journal cover and journal card)
2. Tic Tac Toe Challenge - TTTC #137 (Dies, Snow and Tree)
3. bastel-traum Challenge Blog - Christmas
4. Christmas Crafts All Year Round - October Challenge - Something that starts S or T (Snow, Snowmen and Trees)
5. CraftyHazlenut's Patterned Paper Challenge - October 2021 Patterned Paper Challenge
6. CraftyHazlenut's Christmas Challenge - CHNC Challenge #566
7. A Bit More Time To Craft Challenge - Challenge #146 October / November Anything Goes

A Mini-Book for my Mum's 70th Birthday

It was my mum's 70th Birthday this week, so I wanted to make something special for her. 

I decided to make a mini-book using Tonic Memory Book dies, layering plain and patterned paper from the DoCrafts Papermania Capsule Collection in Lavender, including two flip-out pages. I assembled die-cut decoupage from the DoCrafts Forever Friends and Tatty Teddy ranges, printed quotes and die-cut them, then added these to the book with a couple of notelets from the same collection as the flowers and some layered paper flowers. 

I wanted to add a special finishing touch, so I decided to create a beaded dangle. I don't have much in the way of beads so I bought a couple of bags of broken jewellery from eBay. It was actually really fun sorting through the bags! I started by creating a tassel using various threads, yarn and ribbon from my stash then added some beads recovered from the broken jewellery. I finished off the beaded dangle by adding some charms to the glittery ribbon. 

Creating this project was really fun, but more importantly my mum really loved it!

I'm entering my mini-book in to the following challenges:

1. The Sisterhood of Crafters - Happy Birthday
2. The Paper Funday Challenges -  Challenge #34 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist: Halloween or Use Color Purple
3. Craft Catz Challenge - Challenge #569 Anything Goes with optional twist 'Add Some Layers'
4. Incy Wincy Designs - Kindness/Fondness and/or add lace
5. Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper - October 2021 challenge
6. Creative Crafting Uncles - #22 - Males go feminin
7. Happy Little Stampers - October Anything Goes With Dies
8. Creative Fingers Challenge Blog - Challenge #217 Always Anything Goes
9. Crafty Creations Challenges - October Challenge (#426) - Anything Goes

Geometric Mocha Double Flip Out Journal Spots

When I saw the sketch for Week #680 on the Sketch Saturday challenge, I knew that it would be perfect for the Geometric Mocha journals which I'm working on this month:

I decided to combine this with the "Back to School" challenge on the Cut It Up Challenge Blog, where the challenge is to follow a tutorial. I decided to follow a tutorial by Camelia Crafts Designs to make Easy Double Flip Out Journaling Spots. These journal spots are simple to make - basically an accordion folded inner with card-stock covers. 

I created the covers for my journal spots by layering 2 die-cut journaling cards on top of each other. The top layer has a cut away design so that the underneath layer showed through. The front cover has a spotty design, which I decorated with more die cuts using the sketch above, whereas the back cover has an overlapping circle design. I used coffee-died graph paper to make the internal pages:

I made 3 journal spots, which will be clipped to pages in the junk journals:

I'm entering these journal spots in the following challenges:

1. Beyond the Blue - BB35 Layered Die Cuts
2. Allsorts Challenge - Week 644 I Love - I really love die-cutting! 
3. Sketch Saturday - #680
4. Cut It Up Challenge Blog - Challenge 235 Back to School - Follow a Tutorial
5. The Creative Crafters - Challenge 44 Anything Goes