Project #6 Holiday organizer

Sorry I've been MIA for  a few days...and I was on such a roll!  lol     This is the Holiday organizer I made last year for myself and  my daughters, all of my sisters, my mom, and a friend.  They were a big hit and they actually USED them! The supplies are simple- just a regular manilla file folder, with each side scored in half. The middle score is already there. Fold on the score lines accordion style, so you will actually fold the score lines you made toward the center fold.  You then score along the whole folder 3 3/4" from the bottom and fold this up.  this will form your pockets.  On the inner front cover I decorated and then stapled in a pile of shopping list sheets with lines that you can tear off and take with you.  The gift list pages have 4 names per page, and include spots for Name, Size, Ideas, and a box to check when that person is completed. Under these sheets is a pocket for coupons, made by the folded up bottom of the file.  Next page is the Christmas card list, and the last page is a pocket for receipts. you can keep your receipts in one place to keep track of spending. I again used pretty paper and stickers to decorate. I put adhesive between the back folds (along the "spine" to keep it from flopping all the way open.) I also ran ribbon from about an inch in under the front and back covers so i could tie the folders shut.  This is an inexpensive project and makes a nice gift for yourself or friends and family. I handed mine out last year at Thanksgiving dinner, but you could tuck one in a gift for the recipient to use next year. Have fun with these (no pilfering office supplies- that wouldn't be right) Merry Christmas!

Day #5 in the Twelve Days of Christmas projects!

Here are the recipe books I made for my family last year. I started by collecting recipes from everyone in the family- you know the things they are known for. My mom's dinner rolls and fried chicken, Marilyn's texas sheet cake, Barb's pea salad  LOL The things you expect to see at family dinners. Then I printed the recipes out on cardstock, and layered them according to length.  I decorated plain office file folders with some pretty paper, used a two hole punch and some prongs to secure them into my folders, and oila! They are done  : )     I tried to coordinate the paper to each persons kitchens and /or taste.                            

So the idea with these recipe books is that you get a bunch of friends together and each do a recipe page for however many people are particpipating. Then one person collects them, makes front and back covers, and takes them to Staples (or whatever is local) and has them bound. I think we each paid $3 to cover the cost of laminating the covers and binding the books.  I love this idea. The recipes are generally really good and the book is just adorable. The blue book on the left is one that i received at convention, where we e-mailed recipes to a coordinator ahead of time and then we decorated our own covers when we got to Salt lake City. The red book on the right is one I did with friends on Vancouver Island, my friend Susan organized this swap (and several others).

This is my recipe that I stamped and swapped for the book.  it was perfected by myself and Gary after we had it in a restaurant and got addicted to it, so we decided to try and make it at home. Gary makes this exceptionally well, and this is one of the things I always request for him to make for me.  : )  I think this is a really erpsonal gift and it is so fun to receive new recipes. Its quite inexpensive to do in bulk- just a pack of folders and some paper, plus the prongs...or the cost of paper to print and the binding, depending on which style you choose to do. I hope you and your friends and family have have fun with these ideas! Merry Christmas!

Day 3 of the Twelve Days of Christmas

Here is the cute paper bag album I have been making for about 5 years now...I first made it in a class at Scrapbookin' Adventures in Parksville on Vancouver Island, taught by my friend Jennifer.  I fell in love with these cute, fun little albums and have been making them ever since.  Take 4-6 paper lunch sacks...not Kiwi size, just regular  : )  and turn them so they are all facing different directions and turn some over. Now you should have flaps and openings scattered throughout.  Use a regular sewing machine to sew a seam down the middle of all the bags neatly stacked one on top of the other. See the left image in the picture here.  Now fold it in half and just start decorating!  You can do these for Mother's day, Birthdays, friends etc...I did a western themed album with paisley and cowboy embellishments for my friend Christine.  Just use paper that co-ordinates and go for it. It is all about having fun. 

This picture shows an inside page and a pocket...the opening made by the top of the lunch bag...I made inserts with tabs to go inside, to hold either a picture or journaling.  This cute paper is all by Basic Grey and is their Fruit Cake line that was out about 3 years ago. I hoarded it...I literally went to Hobby Lobby and bought every package they had at the end of the season.

This is the inside showing one of the flaps of the bag decorated. I stamped it and made a journaling spot, but you can also put trimmed pics here. I usually put a small tab on the flaps so people know to open them. 

I hope you enjoy making your own albums, and Merry Christmas!

Easy idea for co-workers, friends, etc....

These are super easy post-it note holders you can make from coasters from your local resaurant, as I did. I spoke to the manager and asked if I could have a few extra, she pressed for a number so i asked "Is 25 too many?" She checked her stock, came back with a stack of 75 and told me she had about 5,000 more in the back room!  So- bonus!  I covered the coaster with designer paper on both sides, and then you can just add your post it note pad.  You can dress it up with a decorated clip, buy these at a business supply store (Staples, or Office Max in the US)  and cover them with paper, and add a little bit of ribbon. If you'd like to add a ribbon loop pen holder, just glue the loop in place before you add the designer paper to the coaster. The little pens are from Staples. You can add magnets to the back if you want to go on the fridge, or leave them plain for use in teh car or your purse. The jumbo clip in the back left of the picture my friend Laura made for a swap when went to the Stampin' Up convention in Salt Lake City last summer. These can hold a photo on your desktop, or a recipe in your kitchen. Cute teacher gifts!  I hope you've enjoyed todays ideas...check back each day for more posts.  I have a list of 15 I intend to share, some will be quick projects, some will take a little longer.  Enjoy the season, and remember who we celebrate! Merry CHRISTmas!

This is just a wider shot of the game board. I used colored paper to cut the squares...actually, Ashley cut these. She is making this one for her little sister Sage, with my assistance. but- Don't tell sage! It's a surprise! Luckily, she doesn't read my blog. lol

Twelve Days of Christmas (projects)

So- my Kiwi craft sister Vera asked for some ideas for Christmas gifts...so I will do my best to accomodate her wishes.  To start off- heres an idea for children OR adults.... I took an old Trivial Pursuit game board (Goodwill for $2-$3) and covered it in pretty paper and stickers and made it a Disney princess Trivia Game. This one takes a bit of time- but its really fun. I found DP trivia questions on-line and also made up some of my own, and included an answer sheet with the directions for the game. You could adapt this to a sport, a team, a country, church history...be creative!  My local school district office has a laminating machine they let me use for $.50 per foot. Its 3 feet wide so it doesn't take much to laminate all the question/trivia cards as well as the typed up directions and answer sheets. I made two of these last year and had a request to make another this year. I am happy to oblige!