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WELCOME TO SCRAPPYDOO’s 2009 HOLIDAY BLOG SERIES: THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS (Nov. 25)

Beginning  Friday Nov. 27th I will present 12 fun gift ideas, over 12 days, that you can make for your loved ones and friends for just $12 ($1 ea)!  Featuring great holiday bargains and dollar store finds and showcasing the techniques taught in a handful of online classes available at Get It Scrapped, all these gifts will allow you to utilize the things you have on hand with the addition of one item and a whole lot of creativity!  Join me each day for a new gift idea and a chance to win $30.00 towards a Get It Scrapped class of your choice!  Just leave a comment in each day’s thread to be entered to win!  The winner will be announced Dec. 10th!  Have a Happy Thanksgiving and I’ll see you Friday!

First Day of  Christmas (Nov. 27)

Advent Calendar  
Supply List 

Package of Magnetic Sheets (4 sheets) (1.00)
Non-Stick Mini Muffin Tin (24 count)
Ribbon to Hang (2 ft)
Bulldog Clips (2)
Acrylic Paint & Paint Brush
Patterned Paper
Misc. Embellishments
Misc. Ribbon for Pull Tabs (if needed)

This fun and simple  Advent Calendar allows you to use what you have to make the perfect holiday gift for someone special.   Simply cut  24 circles out of  your magnetic sheets measuring roughly 1/8 of an inch larger than the opening of the muffin cup.  Cover the circles with patterned paper, number them 1-24 and decorate as you see fit!  You may want to create ribbon pull tabs for your circles so that they may be easily pulled off to reveal your treats.  If you like the crackled paint effect featured in the photo above, then make sure you have a non-stick pan and  paint over it with the acrylic paint color of your choice.  You will notice shortly after coating it, that the paint will redistribute because of the non-stick coating…this is OK!  Be careful not to brush against it and wait for it to dry.  You will then want to coat the tin with a sealant so that the acrylic paint does not brush off (Note: make sure to use only wrapped treats inside your advent calendar if the sealant you have chosen is not food safe!)  Hook your bull dog clips to the top, thread your ribbon through and its ready to fill with treats and hang! 

Looking to learn more about utilizing your stash to put the perfect finishing touches on all of your projects and layouts, then check out one of Doris Sander’s [Product Pizzazz classes],  at Get It Scrapped! Trust me, once you’ve started her first one, you’ll want to take all three!

Second Day of  Christmas (Nov 28)

Christmas Headband 

Supply List

Headband (3 for 1.00)
Fabric, Felt and Lace Scraps, Silk Flowers, and die cuts
--OR--
Bought Embellishments
Buttons
Needle and Thread
Hot Glue

Looking to dress your little princess for less this Holiday season…using your scrapbook embellishments (handmade or bought) you can do just that.  And why stop at headbands, dress up their socks, necklaces and even handbags!  Simply layer your embellishments, preferably fabric (as they hold up to the elements a little better) and sew or glue them together.  Then hot glue (to plastics or metals, etc) or sew them to your article.  
Ta-da! Easy as that!

If you’d like to learn to make your own [Beautifully Handmade Embellishments] for all of your layouts and projects, then join Tania Willis in learning to make yoyos, rosettes, posies and more--only at Get It Scrapped!  Her class is available in self-paced format until the beginning of next year  or join her early next year when her new and improved class goes live!    

Third Day of Christmas (Nov. 29)

Wall Art 

Supply List

Canvas (1.00)
Spray Mist
Stamps
Clear/White Embossing Powder and Heat Gun 
--OR--
White Stickers
Patterned Paper 
White Paint or Gesso and Paint Brush
Decoupage

Make a personalized piece of wall art for a family member or friend this holiday season to show how much you truly care.  Once you have your canvas , you’ll want to select your color scheme.  Choose a patterned paper,  or piece together several for a “blocked look.” Then choose paints, and mists that will compliment this scheme. Cover your canvas with a generous layer of decoupage and place (or piece) your paper over the canvas, taking care to smooth out any bubbles or wrinkles, then apply a generous layer over the top of the paper as well.  After the decoupage has dried, use your white paint or gesso to blend the edges of the paper into the blank canvas edges.  Then give your art some dimension by dry brushing over  the paper with light strokes of a complimenting color--this gives it a somewhat distressed look and takes away some of the gloss from the decoupage.  Next use your stamp(s) and embossing pad to stamp an image onto your canvas (try placing something under the canvas to give yourself a hard even surface to work with).  Apply clear (or white if your paper is extremely dark)) embossing powder to the stamped image and use your heat tool to complete the embossing on your canvas(Note: be careful not to get too close…you don’t want to melt the canvas!) . Then use your misting spray, to spray over top of the canvas for an “ink resist” effect.   Give the ink a minute to seep in and then blot it.  And now you have a  wonderful piece of art that you will be proud to sign your name in the corner of and give to that special someone!  

If you don’t have embossing tools…no worries Dina Wakely has a fabulous alternative for you, which will achieve this very same effect!  Find [her tutorial] and more at Get It Scrapped!,  where there are tons of tutorials, project ideas, sketches and more…and best of all they’re FREE…all you have to do is [register]! 

Fourth Day of Christmas (Nov. 30)

Decorative Plate

Supply List

Plate (1.00)
Regular Copy Paper 
Photo Editing Software
--OR--
8x10 Matte Photo and protractor
Decoupage
Paints, Inks, Misc. Embellishments
Circle Cutter or Scissors 

There is truly no better gift for the holidays than the never-ending memories that are captured in a photo.  Besides what better way to replace that outdated picture of you on your parents end table  with the poofy hair and the acne that you are forced to remember every time you visit (I was talking about me…I am certain no one else here had poofy hair or acne at age 15)!  I’ll be honest though…sometimes I feel a bit vein giving someone a framed photo of myself as a gift (and a bit lazy as well)…but if you consider the person you’re giving it to and take your photo a step further  by presenting it in a way that compliments their home or their hobby then it becomes a well put-together and thoughtful gift!  Let say for instance my grandfather--he keeps my late grandmothers Avon collectible plates displayed  in his front room, so I’ve taken this photo of my son, done some editing to give it an aged and somewhat transparent look and cropped it in the perfect size to fit inside of my plate (that I got for a 1.00 mind you…never underestimate the dollar stores ladies!). Now if you are printing off your own picture I suggested copy paper instead of photo paper because the printed image will saturate the paper instead of sitting on top this makes the image and ink less transferable--however, you must wait for the photo to dry COMPLETELY before applying the decoupage…otherwise you will simply be smearing your printer ink around on a plate!   Apply a thin layer of decoupage to the surface area of the plate and starting in the center, begin laying down your photo. Flatten the image onto the  plate working the bubbles and wrinkles from the middle out to the edges. Once your photo is flat you can begin applying a top coat of decoupage taking care to make nice even strokes for the best finish possible.  Once the decoupage has dried completely you can add details to the rim of your plate if you choose to further compliment your giftee’s style.  My plate already had a very subtle design and since my grandfather is a very subtle guy I chose to let the image on the plate speak for itself…but don’t let this stop you…embellish away!

So long story short…a photo is the perfect gift to give on Christmas Day…your family loves you and enjoys seeing your sparkling smile on their end table…or your beautiful son staring back at them from a plate hanging on their wall, or even the beautiful photos of their favorite mountain scenery printed on canvas…the possibility of photo gifts are endless.  Check back later in the week for many more photo gift ideas!  And if you’re thinking of brushing up on your photography skills-- well [Katrina Kennedy] is waiting to help you do just that!  Beginning next year join her for her NEW! online photography class at Get It Scrapped! Where she’ll be discussing the principles of Composition…trust me DON’T MISS THIS CLASS!   

Fifth Day of Christmas (Dec 1)

Supply List (for one card)

Solid Cardstock
Coordinating Patterned Papers/ Solids
Black cardstock
Corner Rounder (or scissors work too!)
White  and Black Sharpie or Gel Pen
Coordinating Alphas (1.00)
Ribbon
Paper Trimmer or Scissors
Adhesive

Still haven’t got those cards made yet…that’s ok…plenty of time…especially if you pick a simple design and use bold colors/patterns and some fun alpha stickers to really punch it up!  Visit your local dollar store and you’ll be surprised of the variety of alpha stickers in stock!  Now my card measures 5.5” by 7” but make it whatever size you like…just make sure it will fit in a standard sized card envelope for mailing.  So after you’ve cut your card to size use a paper folder or even an unsharpened pencil to crease your card.  If you’ve chosen to use a textured cardstock for your  card make sure you place the fold so that the texture is on the outside , then find the front of your card and trim 1.5” off  the edge and round your corners.  Now measure the front of your card and take away a half inch from the height and a fourth of an inch from the width and this is the size you will cut from your patterned paper. Mount the patterned paper on the front of your card, using adhesive, so that there is a fourth of an inch of your solid cardstock showing on three sides and the paper is flush with the crease of your card..  Now mat the inside of your card with a third coordinating paper, by measuring the right side of the inside of the card and taking away a half of an inch off both the width and height.  Mount using adhesive.  Now its time to decorate your card.  I chose to run a ribbon across the card, approximately an inch from the top of the card, repeat on the inside on the card making sure that the ribbon lengths match up.  Get out you alpha stickers and construct your sentiment .  Now you can choose to spread the words over both planes of your card as I have done or you may decide you only want them on the front of your card and not overlapping onto your inside tab.  Then choose a simple shape…such as a tree or a heart or a star, cut it out of your black card stock and then cut in half (if you are using both planes of your card).  Adhere the shape down in the bottom right hand corner of your card making sure the images line up when the card comes together.  Now take your Sharpies and do some outlining to create some unity and make your elements pop!

Sixth Day of Christmas (Dec. 2)

Photo Rubik’s Cube

Supply List

Rubik’s Cube
Adhesive Backed Paper
Computer Editing software
Paper Trimmer/Scissors
Ruler

Kids and adults alike, will love this new twist to an old game!  Choose six photos of the person you are gifting, their family or even some of their favorite things. And using your photo editing software, resize your images so that they correspond to the measurements of your Rubik’s cube (they do vary in size!).  I chose to recolor my images as well, for fun and to make it a little less challenging for my 8 year old nephew, but this is optional.  Then print your photos on adhesive backed paper or even name badge stickers will work (depending on there size and the size of your cube) .  If you don’t have adhesive backed paper or are unable to find it you can apply your own adhesive to the individual pieces in the next step.  Then measure your squares on the cube and cut your photo into equal number and sized squares (so that the cube is still a functioning game).  Then remove the backing from your adhesive paper and apply each of the pieces onto the cube revealing your picture.  If you have chosen not to use adhesive backed paper apply your adhesive now (paying close attention to the corners and edges of each individual piece) Repeat with each of the six photos and you will have a fully functional photo Rubik’s cube!  If you don’t have photo editing software then you have two options you can download a free 30 day trial of Photoshop [here] or you can simply crop down your 4x6 photos and follow the directions above and Either way you’ve got yourself a personalized photo glove that is sure to be a hit!

Would you like to learn more about resizing and re-coloring your photos, you can learn these techniques and so many more from Lynn Weber at Get It Scrapped.  She’ll have you using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements to [edit your photos] to perfection in no time at all!

Seventh Day of Christmas (Dec 3)

Supply List

Frame (1.00)
Coordinating Patterned Papers and Scraps
Misc. Elements
Misc Alphas
Decoupage

Photo Frames are another way to make giving the gift of a photo special to the person you are gifting.  It is also an excellent way to use up your scraps and left over embellishments and alphas.  In this frame I have used my nieces monogram EC, as well as using cutouts from various paper scraps to create the elements on the frame.  But I am getting a head of myself…First you need to select a frame…unfinished wood frames are in abundance at your local dollar stores, but are also available at your craft stores (I.e Michaels, Joann’s for roughly the same price).  Now I like to approach my frames much like a scrapbook lo and do a brief sketch before beginning…this may or may not help you…but give it a shot.  Once you’re set on a design begin by treating the edges of frame (inside and out).  You can use ink, paint , wood burning or leave them unfinished…its up to you.  But you’ll be happy you completed this step first after you get your frame all put together..  Now because some of the frame will be coated in Decoupage and other parts like your elements and ribbon will not need to be sealed, consider working in order as far as your layers are concerned.  So our first layer will involve covering your frame with your coordinating papers and paper scraps by first applying a thin coat of decoupage directly to the frame.  To cover your frame you can use a collage technique or a block design, or you can use a simple layered design like the one I’ve used here .  After you’ve covered your frame with your paper then apply a generous layer of decoupage over the top, paying close attention to your corners and edges and making sure to smooth out any bubbles along the way.  After the decoupage is dried you can continue with your other layers.  Next use adhesive to apply your ribbon, flowers, embellishments, and alphas. And finally if you are using paper element that you are concerned about their durability (like my butterflies), then coat them in decoupage as well and let them dry before applying them to the frame.  Often Wood Frames do not come with glass in them but you can use glass from an old out-of use frame and it will likely it the opening.  Now you are ready to give it as a gift or to place a photo in!

My favorite part of this frame is my niece’s monogram in the upper right hand corner. I love the way that a pair of mismatched letters can really accent a collaged or layered effect!  But I might never have used these alphas for that purpose if I had not read Debbie Hodge’s ebook [Embellishing With Alphas] .  Not only does this book contain great ideas about using up your extra alphas, but it also teaches several important design principles that can not only be implemented with alphas, but with any type of embellishments!  Get this amazing read today at Designer Digitals!