Friday, October 30, 2009

Fall Home Decor - Scrap it!


Do you have a favorite seasonal decoration? I do! It has to be this gorgeous leaf candle grouping by PartyLite. I love it so much I decided to dedicate a page to it. Today I simply want to share the journaling for this layout with you:

Fall - our favorite time of year as a family. We welcome the cooler temperatures, and snuggling under the blankets on the couch. Our home is decorated with leaves...silk leaf garlands are woven in the wooden cafe rods, real leaves adorn the now empty flower pots at our front door, and the hallway, painted and stamped with fall colored leaves, is dressed in season.
Gracing the buffet that belonged to Rita’s grandmother, a favorite collection of PartyLite leaf castings are used to cradle our favorite fall scents of cinnamon, ginger and clove spice candles. Candles are also lit in wall sconces, along the top of the piano, flanking the television, and a large pillar candle is lit in its stand of metallic leaves and beads.
In 2009 Kyle, who had just turned twelve, took the initiative to get the candles burning. He asked if he could light them, and made it a part of his late afternoon ritual before he sat down to do homework. It was so nice to see how much he enjoyed the candles as well, and he also took responsibility to ensure they were snuffed out before going to bed.
Sitting in the glow of candlelight, breathing in the aroma of fall scents...these are just a few of the reasons that make fall a favorite season... filled with warm memories.
Now, I did not mention it in my journaling, but with Kyle's eagerness to create a candlelight ambience in our home, I couldn't help but think what a romantic young man he might make some day for a lady friend. At this point in his life, however, he has NO interest in girls. (LOL)

I am so in love with these adorable little stickers from Jenni Bowlin Studio. I found them at A Cherry On Top - thankfully I bought several sets. I am reaching for them over and over - love that they are little round circles - my favorite shape! ACOT is having a Halloween sale, too!


For my title I ran out of the chocolate letter "e"s -we all run out of that one, right? Noting the blush color in the paper design, I chose pink and toned it down with tan chalk inks. I also discovered a new color I love for fall, it is called Brick Red and it is a Brilliance ink - so it has a little shimmer. I used it to distress layout and letters mimic the warm glow of the candles


Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Bazzill Kraft, The Paper Co. (dark brown)
Papers: Kitchen Spice Ginger & Nutmeg, Delilah You & Me
Sticker: Kitchen Spice Combo
Alpha chipboard: BoB Chunky Chips in Chocolate and Blush
Alphabet Stickers: Jenni Bowlin Studios
Ribbon: Bo Bunny Orange Citrus Double Dot
Inks: Brillance Brick Red by Tsukineko, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Inks in brown and tan
Other: Thread

Thanks for coming by to catch a glimpse of fall in our home. Happy creating!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Colors of Fall


Do you recognize this berry? If you do, please tell me what it is. Jesse and I hiked and birdwatched along the Wisconsin River last week. When I came upon a stand of these berries, the color screamed to be photographed. A stand is a literal description. They were not growing on a bush, but rather sticks growing up out of the ground in little clusters. A little stand here and a little stand there. No leaves remained to be used for identification.
I've heard people talk about how pretty bittersweet is, and how they pick it along the roadsides in the fall. Might this be it? I certainly don't recall seeing this in the ditches around here.
I look forward to scrapping this photo. I am trying to whip out a few more challenges for A Cherry on Top. The color challenge is to use only burnt orange and burgundy, plus neutrals, in a layout - I think this photo will do nicely, along some wonder papers from BoBunny's Gypsy or Kitchen Spice lines.
Enjoy your Thursday - the weekend is almost here!
----
ADD ON: Did some research on the PC this next night and have learned a lot about Bittersweet. I am concluding that the photo above is the American Bittersweet, native to the U.S. and becoming quite rare. It is gorgeous, too bad the invasive species are causing its demise. I feel fortunate to have found some. You can learn more about the good, the bad, and the poisonous in this article:
http://landscaping.about.com/cs/groundcovervines1/a/bittersweet.htm

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Waiting on Flutter Butter


When BoBunny introduced Flutter Butter I was giddy with excitement - I could not WAIT to get my hands on the collection. With its beautiful blues and greens, my favorite neutral - BROWN, and warm tones of buttery yellow - not to mention butterfly design elements - I felt like the collection was designed for me! As you can imagine, I was thrilled when it arrived at my door, and it is even prettier in person. Do be sure to leave a comment on BoBunny's blog for a chance to win this fab collection!

Today's layout is very dear to my heart. Recently we learned that one of our closest friends, indeed Marv may as well be in my immediate family, has cancer in his bones. Not too long ago I feared we were going to lose him very soon, but thankfully Hospice Care was brought in and it is like he has been given a new lease on life, even if it is short term. Praise God for the invention of pain patches - they are what keeps him going and has brought back Marv's desire to live.

I have been compelled to scrap photos of Marv, and his lovely wife Carol. You may have seen others, such as Together, also created with BoBunny's Flutter Butter. I want the layouts to be a testimony to his life, and although the layouts are for me, my husband, and children to remember Marv by - I have been making copies for Marv and Carol as well, with journaling printed separately so they can easily read it. These pages are touching lives, and are helping my broken heart to heal as we enjoy what time we have left together. I wanted to share a close up of the journaling blog - what can I say, I am angry at cancer for the pain it is causing Marv physically, and emotionally for all those who love him. I am sure many of you can relate, because in one way or another, it is likely that everyone reading this blog has been affected by cancer.


Note the clock face without hands, used as an embellishment. The lack of hands represent an unknown amount of time we have left to enjoy one another's company. Lumiere paints were stippled onto acrylic letters for a shimmering, opalescent effect.

Butterfly embellishments signify the flight to heaven - the Spirit leading the way to God's promise of eternal life with Him.


The jute threaded through one of the BoBunny buttons ties in well with the straw hat that is so signature Marv.


BoBunny Supplies Used:
Flutter Butter Collection/Papers: Honey, Breeze, Stripe, Flutter Butter, Cut Outs, Combo Stickers, Alora Rub-ons, Flowers and Buttons & Bling
Chunky Chip Acrylic Alphabet, Bohemian rub-ons, Sage Dot ribbon
Other:
Cardstock: The Paper Company
Sandylion Clock acrylic stamp
DMC Floss
Kaiser Crafts pearls
Ink: Staz-on by Tsukineko and Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink
Paints: Lumiere by Jacquard
Glitter Mist – Old Lace by Tattered Angels
Font: Jayne Print
Tool: Fiskars corner/border punch, shape template

I hope you have enjoyed the little details that were created in between tears of sadness and smiles in remembrances. I do hope that our WAIT is quite long. Marv is doing so much better now than he was a month ago - it is amazing to see the transition he has made. It is a joy to watch him eat again. It is an honor to sit across from him at our weekly bible study. Today I had to answer a "getting to know you" set of questions for work. One of the questions was "who do you most admire". The answer came so easily for me. As I watch Marv accept his condition, choose to for go draining and debilitating treatments so he can enjoy his last days with an ounce of energy, and watch him look forward to being with his Jesus - I am inspired by his great faith, which is a light to everyone who comes to pay him a visit through their seemingly continuous revolving door.

I strongly encourage everyone to assess their photos - is there someone you love for which you have only a few photos? Don't wait - explain how important it is to you and set up a time to take pictures. I am realizing how few photos I have of Marv, and these days I refrain from asking to take more. Create layouts of the special people in your life, and do them a favor - share them. Make a copy for them to keep - truly, it is better than a Hallmark card. God bless you all!

WAITING

I know, I know. I realize you may have hopped him from the BoB blog expecting to see more details and tips for a layout called WAITING.

Well, I am waiting. I am waiting for everything to get back up and running. Our new PC arrived this weekend after a LOOOONG wait! We're ecstatic. But the transition is not going real smooth. We needed to get some extra parts/portals for the new PC to adapt it to some of our existing equipment. And the old PC is not trying to win us any favors - continuing to lock up, which makes getting all the data over to the new a bit of a challenge. We wait, a LOT!

I am making it a priority to get my BoBunny projects transferred to the new PC - hopefully this evening. So I can share with you here. If you are waiting - please come back and visit in a few. Thanks for understanding!

Friday, October 23, 2009


What do you get when you add this, to this below?

They equal a challenging two pager! As much as I love to tell a story with 1-3 photos, sometimes you end up with a lot of photos - maybe not an event, per say, but a scrappable moment you want to preserve in the memory banks. Such is the case with the new shoes Abby received shortly after school started. Wearing flip flops through the summer, we did not realize how much her feet had grown until she complained about her shoes after a gym day. Of course, by then, Kohl's, Payless, the usual shoe shopping haunts - were all sold out of her size. We gave up and headed to Michaels for some crafty items. A Marshalls is a few doors down - and I suggested we check it out. Wasn't even sure they carried shoes. Not many, mind you, but they had Skechers for kids, and most importantly - a pair in Abby's popular size! I wasn't sure about high tops - that worried me. But at around $15 for the pair - it was worth giving them a shot. Abby loved the cat images, and the cat charm so much that she quickly accustomed to high-tops. I personally loved the color scheme. The shoes came with two pair of shoe strings, and although it looked great from a cool merchandising standpoint, 1st graders are still learning to tie shoes- much less two sets of strings at once! The photo collage shows the shoes with the double strings, and then on her feet without. I wanted to capture how cool they really are/were.


Customize your very own bling flowers. Simply use Stickles, a glitter glue "crayon", shimmer mist spray, or whatever you like to add sparkle to your flowers.
I also added green Stickles to the leaves on the BoBunny "Harmony" stamped image.


Merchandise imagery. When I took the photos I knew right away I would want to cut the cat image and the charm image out from the photograph and use as a page embellishment. Setting the cat on top the title letters made me think of a typical "I can sit anywhere I want to, I'm a cat" attitude. (LOL)


Stamping after thought? Mask your photos with paper or even product packaging sitting on your work space, and stamp over your protected photos. This alleviates having to try to pull up the photos if already adhered, and takes the stamped image to the edge of the photo.


The story. Originally the 2 page sketch, which I created, for BoBunny's challenge showed a partial circle below journaling strips. Because I had a longer than usual story to tell - I opted to print my journaling on a larger circle and skip the strips. I always run a few draft attempts on scrap paper before printing on my good cardstock, and cut the circle shape out to see where I need to adjust my text.


Charmed, I'm sure. I loved the cat charm on the Skechers. I decided to keep the chain and cut around it, cut out the centers as needed, and suspend the charm from a "chain" with the BoBunny Double Dot ribbon. It even has digital shadows - just like a digital scrapbooking element.



One of the best things about this layout is that it uses BoBunny Christmas papers!! I love the double sided versatility of BoB papers. There are not that many companies who offer such diversity in their designs.
BoBunny Supplies Used:
Tis the Season Collection: Treasure, Carol, Yuletide and Stripe papers; Combo Sticker, Flowers, Buttons and Bling, Holiday iCandy Jewels; Gypsy Combo Sticker alphabet; Harmony acrylic stamp; CB Chipboard Alpha Chocolate; Clover 3/8” ribbon
Other:
Cardstock: The Paper Company (brown mat), Bazzill (white)
Autumn Leaves Bird Stamp
Ink: Staz-On by Tsukineko, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink
Kaiser Crafts turquoise pearls
Hero Arts (tiny gem)
Stickles by Ranger in green

I hope you have enjoyed this PURRfect two page layout. Well, truth be known, it is not perfect, but that's okay. I gave up perfectionism a long time ago in scrapbooking, and it is a lot more fun to just "go with it". For those of you who scrap two pagers often - kudos!! I truly find them challenging, and am happiest playing with a one page layout. (LOL) Thanks for coming by, and HOPPY creating!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Hoppy Monday - BoBunny Scavenger Hunt!


Welcome to my blog! If you did not start out at BoBunny's blog today, just an FYI - we are having a fun blog hop and scavenger hunt! By hunting down the answers to Julia's questions, and submitting them to her, you will have a chance to win one of the three new and fabulous BoBunny releases!

When a monarch we released last September landed on blooming purple butterfly bush to feed, my first thought was "purple, orange and green - the photos will match Halloween papers!" Because BoBunny's two-sided designs are so versatile, I could use the great colors without having goblins peeking about in a layout dedicated to nature and it's beautiful winged creatures. We find it amazing that Monarch butterflies travel thousands of miles each fall to "hang out" in warm Mexico for the winter. Their wings are more durable than we are often led to believe.

Silver glitter alphabet stickers are colorized with Wild Plum alcohol ink - a tip I learned from Tim Holtz on his blog last year. I ran out and bought the remaining stock of silver glitter letters at my LSS.(LOL) Punched flowers from Boo Crew Masquerade papers were misted with Plum Glimmer Mist. Sparkle Mod Podge was used to not only glue the two butterfaly Quickutz dies together, but add sparkle as well.


I used a black glaze pen to outline the butterfly punched from Double Dot Citrus cardstock. A micro-tip marker allowed me to doodle flowers on the butterfly to tie in with design on the BoB Harmony butterfly stamp.


I love to use my 3" EK scallop circle punch as a base for journaling. I set up a template on my PC that allows me to open it anytime needed to type in journaling text to fit into a circle that can then but cut, or punched, out and adhered to the center of the circle.


Designer tips:
• Not sure why your colored pencil box has white? Use it to outline/trace die-cut shapes onto patterned paper, and then cut your own die-cut paper. For this project I left the white outline on the paper as I knew it would more readily set off the bold on bold colors used in this layout.
• Contrasting purple thread used to stitch the folded ribbon down retains the color scheme and offers something beyond a neutral thread color.

Supplies used:
BoBunny Boo Crew Collection –Papers: Goblins, Masquerade, Here’s Looking at You, Dot, Stripe, Combo Sticker, Flowers, My Eye on U iCandy Jewels; St; Harmony Acrylic Stamp, Bodacious Brads-Fright Night; 5/8” Orange Citrus Ribbon; Double Dot Cardstock - Citrus
Letter Stickers: Making Memories, Boxer Scrapbook Productions LLC
Sparkle Medium: Glimmer Mist, Stickles “Orange Peel” by Ranger
Other paper Flowers: Prima
Other Cardstock: The Paper Co.
Pearl Stickers: Prima Ltd.
Ink: Staz on by Tsukineko, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink
Die-cut: Quickutz butterfly
Punch: Fiskars butterfly, EK Success scallop circle
Pen: Signo Uniball, Sakura Glaze – Black
Adhesive: EK Success foam adhesive, ATG
Thread: Coats & Clark

Thanks for coming on by. Be sure to track down the answer to Julia's question here on my blog. You may want to start jotting down the answers as you travel to and from each BoBunny Designer (whose blog links are available in the sidebar located on your right). I am sure you will be totally inspired as you hop from here to there on this fun scavenger hunt!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Nothing Scary About BoB Boo Crew!


Two weeks to Halloween! Do your kids have costumes picked out. Are you sewing them? When I was a kid we found things around the house to make our costumes. One of my favorite memories is helping my brother make his Invisable Man costume. However, we cut up what we thought was an "old" white sheet to do it. Mother was not too happy with us!! (LOL)

We don't really do Halloween in our family. First, Kyle is anti-candy. The boy likes his apples and melon. Abby, on the other hand, loves candy, but is quite prone to caviities. She finds Halloween night too scary - and wants nothing to do with trick-or-treating. I figure that helps our dental budget. ;-) She does have a winged unicorn costume handed down by the neighbors. She's been wearing it for weeks - the girl is big time into unicorns, just like I was as a kid!

I created this fun layout for Magistical Memories October challenge, which is to incorporate a "tic tac toe" theme, and of course either chipboard or acrylic shapes. Want to participate? Upload your layout here, and you may win some fabulous Magistical Memories chipboard!

The layout "just happens" to also fit the bill for A Cherry On Top's October Supply challenge. I love working my layouts to pick up a couple of challenges on the boards here and there.

BoBunny's Boo Crew collection can definitely extend past the Halloween theme, as shown in "Head to Toe" above. Abby loves the colors - especially purple. When I asked, she wanted red and purple in this layout, so here we have it. If it works when you turn 50 and put on a new hat, it works for the girl turning 7 as well. (LOL)

Supplies used:
BoBunny Boo Crew Collection –Papers: Boo Crew, Goblins, Masquerade, Ghoul Friends, Here’s Looking at You, Dot, Stripe, Combo Sticker, My Eye on U iCandy Jewels; St. Nick Stocking; Tis the Season Combo Stickers; Sunburst Acrylic Stamp, Bodacious Brads-Licorice
Chipboard Shape: Magistical Memories Lil People
Chipboard Alpha: Making Memories, Pressed Petals, We Are Memory Keepers
Letter Stickers: Boxer Scrapbook Productions LLC
Circle Die-cut Tags: Crossed Paths
Sparkle Medium: Sparkle Mod Podge
Ink: Staz on by Tsukineko, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink
Pen: Zig Millenium, Signo Uniball
Misc: Ribbon

I am working on another non-Halloween layout using Boo Crew this weekend. Come on back Monday and hopefully I will have it for you - not to mention we are having a FAB BO BUNNY BLOG HOP!

If you LOVE Halloween then hop over to my friend Lisa's blog. She is giving away a cute set of Lil Davis Halloween stamps this weekend. As soon as 75 sign up she will be doing a random number drawing.

And don't forget, there are always great Halloween ideas using Boo Crew on the BoBunny blog. The DT has created some fantabulous projects to knock your socks off! Check it out!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

BoB Flutterby - Scrap Special Friends


Friendships make life worth living. When we spend time with friends we are in relationship, loving one another - and that is why God created us in the first place. Today I want to share a layout I created about a very special couple in our lives. The layout features products from BoBunny's Flutterby collection which is one of the most gorgeous lines ever!

For probably the past four years Jesse and I have been meeting with our close friends, Marv and Carol, for a bible study. We can probably count the number of Mondays we have missed in those 4 years on our fingers. We've made our getting together a priority in our lives. We share a meaningful study, and yes, sometimes we get off track. We've shared our fears, doubts, even our sins (and yes, we all have them). We've laughed until our sides hurt, and cried until we couldn't read the Word. And at the end of the evening we are always thankful for being together, for God's grace, and pray for those dear to us. This couple is like family to us, adopted parents and grandparents to our children.

But sometimes we lose control of life. Our routines are interupted, our daily lives consumed by thoughts that break our hearts. Cancer changes everything, and makes us realize how precious moments with special friends really is. I feel God is calling me to resurrect my former blog, titled "On My Way - Journey to Heaven", and plan to start sharing this weekend about life in the know of losing someone dear - soon.

I actually started typing about this and realized how long this could get - and hey, you are likely here to see projects and be inspired!! If you are interested in my ramblings, which friends at A Cherry On Top brilliantly suggested I call, "Mondays with Marv" - you can visit "On My Way - Journey to Heaven".

For all my creative friends, here are some other detail shots of "Together". I am so hooked on the pearl stickers that a number of manufacturers are making these days - finding uses for them in many ways! I wanted to include butterflies to symbolize the presence of the Holy Spirit and our journey as Christ-followers to the ultimate destination to which we fervently hope for in our faith.




Do you have photos of special friends that are not yet scrapped? I encourage you to get them out and create a layout soon. Do not wait for a tragedy or sad circumstance to preserve memories of treasured friendships. Create it, and share it with them, and you will all be strengthened in your relationship with one another.
Thank you so very much for hopping by. Happy creating!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

"Fall Treasures" A Story - Features BoBunny's Gypsy Collection!


Welcome!! For those of you hopping over from the BoBunny blog I will not bore you with repetition of myself here. At the end of this blog entry is a complete supply list, including products utilized by manufacturers other than BoBunny. If you came here first, please visit BoBunny's blog for the scoop on today's project.

Reusing one of Abby's old board books for a scrapbooking project has been on my "to do" list for two years. When I saw BoBunny's Gypsy collection (long before it arrived at my door) I knew that the papers and embellishments were perfect for the fall themed album I had in mind for the "Don't Eat Pete" book.

Unfortunately the shimmer of Glimmer Mist in Coffee Shop does not really show up in the photo of the acrylic letters. Trust me, the letters are gorgeous IRL. When I misted the letters, already painted, I picked them up to manipulate the liquid to create swirls, puddles where there is more concentrated color, and areas where there is none.

"Abby's favorites", a combination of rub-on letters, and BoBunny cardstock sticker cut out, is purposely lifted off the tin cover with foam adhesive squares. Should the real leaf ever crumble or need replacement, it can be taken care of quite easily. Another idea is to have your child use crayons to make a leaf rubbing. Cut out the rubbing and use their own artwork on their album!


Here are some of Abby's 2008 fall finds...although I am not sure where she put her acorns.(LOL)





Below is an image of each page, so you can read the story as you scroll down. I hope it inspires you to make up a story of your own child using a series of successive photos.










I hope you enjoyed the story! I know Abby will love it. Some of it ties in with discussions we have had about God and reinforces our teachings.

Bo Bunny Supplies Used:
Gypsy Collection – Papers: Henna, Spice, Gypsy, Saffron, Cut Outs, Combo Stickers, Fall Favorites Cardstock Stickers, Heart & Homey Cardstock Stickers, iCandy Jewels (Gypsy and Touch of Spice); Harvest Ribbon in 5/8” and 3/8”
Other:
Photo Mat Cardstock: The Paper Co.
Alpha Rub ons: Top Line Creations
Small Circle Alpha Stickers: Jenni Bowlin Studios
Leaf Stamps: Close to My Heart
Inks: Colorbox Fluid Chalk Inks
Spray Paint: Krylon Copper Brilliance
Sparkle Mediums: Glimmer Mist by Tattering Angels (Coffee Shop (used on acrylic letters as well as paper leaves), Golden Terra Cotta (used on real leaves), Brick)
Pen: brown fine point Sharpie
Thread

To Preserve Fall Leaves: the leaves used in this project were preserved in fall of 2008. Each leaf was rubbed down on both sides with pure glycerin oil and allowed to air dry. Once dry the leaves were layered between paper toweling and several large, heavy books were placed on top to flatten out any curling. This preserved the leaves wonderfully – both color and maintained flexibility. I had them stored in a baggie and was pleased to discover no mold when I went to use them for this project.

Spraying the leaves with Glimmer Mist (water based) seemed to counteract the glycerin coating, and the leaves lost their flexibility. I did not want brittle leaves in my project, as I want my daughter to be able to read her story as much as she likes. Once the Glimmer Mist was completely dry, I used a finger to dab sparkle Mod Podge on each side of the leaves, allowing to dry thoroughly between sides. This created a double sparkle, and returned some flexibility to the preserved leaf. Of course I don’t know how many years the leaves will last, but they certainly appear ready for years of decorating and embellishing use!
(Reminder: natural leaves are not acid-free. For this reason the leaves were used only on the book cover, to purposely avoid placement near photos.)

As always - happy creating! And thanks for hopping by.

Rita S.

Monday, October 12, 2009

BoBunny "Letters to Santa"


Letters to Santa Keepsake and Child’s Letterhead
First, I apologize for the delay. I really had wanted to have these instructions available first thing this morning. Thank you for returning if you looked for them earlier.

This project was inspired by my secret stash of letters that I have for each of the children - letters "mailed" to Santa, but he was kind enough to return them so I could preserve these wonderfuly childhood memories. BoBunny's St. Nick line, with its wonderful vintage Santa image, served as another source of inspiration, as did a simple #10 envelope.

BoBunny Supplies Used:
St. Nick Collection Papers: St. Nick, Holly Berry, Sleigh, Mistletoe, Toyland, Sugar Plum, Stocking, Noel
St. Nick Combo Stickers, St. Nick Cut Outs, Santa Dear Stamp, Holly Berry iCandy Jewels; Tis the Season Combo Stickers, Clover Dot cardstock, Clover Chunky Chips Alpha
Other:
Christmas stamps by Inkadinkadoo
Word stamps by
North Pole Stamp by Studio G- Hampton Art
Inks: Staz On by Tsukineko and Colorbox Fluid Chalk
Gem Stickers: Kaiser Crafts
Glitter medium: Stickles by Ranger Industries
Color mediums: Berol & General colored pencils, Krylon Gold paint marker, Memento ink markers
Thread

For this project I am trying something different in that the instructions are included directly in the images. Please let me know if this is a help or a hindrance. This project was created away from my home, in a room with no windows and one flourescent light. The quality of the photos is far from great, but I do hope it helps walk you through the process.











Below are images of the cover I created, in which there is a piece of chipboard sandwiched between BoBunny papers, and embellished with BoB combo and cardstock stickers, Chunky Chip alpa, as well as bling.


I decided to print a message to our daughter on the inside, because after all, once she receives this packet she will know all about St. Nick! I hope years will pass, and for now this is kept well hidden.


It was important for me to tie in the image of St. Nick with that of the Nativity scene, and our real reason for giving gifts at Christmas.



Once I had this project finished, I realized how cool it would be to create customized letterhead for Abby to write to Santa on. I used BoBunny's St. Nick stamp, stamped onto paper, and then set up my lines (to aid a young child in writing), box, etc. in Word. I printed out my document, and holding my stamped image sheet behind, in front of a light source, adjusted as needed. Once everything was in place I printed out my Word document and stamped the image with Staz On ink in the upper left hand corner. Using Staz On insures the image will not smear no matter what medium our child will use to color in the image, which I am certain she will do.


If you have letters to Santa sitting around in a well guarded spot, I encourage you to put them all into a keepsake such as this. One day, when your child moves away, it will make a super special gift when they celebrate Christmas the very first year they are living away from home. Thanks for joining me - happy creating!