Santa Photo 2006 - Ruby Rock-It Creative Team

When organising my photos to send them to my daughter's house I found the very first Santa photo with my youngest, he is so tiny in this photo; I just had to keep it out and scrap it and Crafters Choice Festive Pop by Ruby Rock-It was the perfect range for scrapping this photo as it has those gorgeous summer colours and I can see by how sweaty the kids are it was a hot day.

Unfortunately I had kept the photo in the little cardboard folder the photographer put it in and it had damaged the corners.

If you have any photos stored in those folders I recommend getting them out asap.

I started by selecting some papers from the Crafters Choice Festive Pop 6x6 Paper Pad to go with my photo, I based my choices on the colours of my kids clothes as I wanted to draw attention to them.

I also pulled out some cardstock from my stash in colours similar to their clothes, starting with the pale blue of my baby boy's summer onesey.  Then pulling in a pink and a green.

The cardstock I chose works so well with the papers and between them it really helps show the layout is about the kids.












Next I started playing with the way my layers would sit on my page.

Once my layering decisions were made I selectively cut my papers so save some for later as I love these ones.  Adhering down with Helmar Acid Free Glue as I cut each layer.

Then I adhered my layers down without gluing all the way to the edge in case I wanted to tuck anything in.

One of the Santa die cuts from the Crafters Choice Festive Pop Die Cuts pack inspired me to build a scene as my embellishment cluster, the present paper in the 6x6 paper pad had appropriately sized presents for this so I fussy cut a few from it.

For the Tree I pulled out a Christmas Tree Charms Creations embellishment I got last year to help build the scene.

And when I saw this dog die cut I just add to add it as it looks just like the dog we had back then.  So it feels like Miffy is part of the story even though she couldn't be in the photo.

Given how hot and sweaty the kids look I thought this chipboard piece I had in my stash was perfect for this layout. 
I base coated it in White Gesso and then coloured it with Distress Inks in Spun Sugar on the heart, Brushed Cordoroy for the Kangaroo and a mix of Weathered Wood and Salty Ocean on the words.
I used a watercolour brush and applied multiple layers of the blue and pink, drying with my heat gun between coats so as to get a more effective look.

I adhered the chipboard down with Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots to give it the lift it needed. 










I added a small piece of Santa Surfing ribbon under the chipboard. 
Later I added 2 heart stickers from my stash to this cluster.

I added some paper strips to the top left and bottom right corners and added a doodley border.

I loved my page and should have stopped here but I just had to add some journaling.

Unfortunately my journaling just didn't sit right so I had to add more papers to cover it and I just couldn't get them to look right, so I added more and then added a bigger title with some old pink alphas I had.
I didn't notice things were crooked until everything was fully dried but I am embracing the wonkyness, it can represent how we were melting in the heat.  ;)

Adding a photo to a finished layout in my Childhood Christmas Memories Album - Ruby RockIt Creative Team

In addition to finding the Santa photo in my previous Ruby Rock-It Project I found this treasure that I didn't know existed.  I remember posing for it but I thought it had been among photos lost during our first house flood.  I can't tell you how happy I am to have found this.  I just had to get it into my Childhood Christmas Memories Album but slight hiccup, the perfect spot for it is finish so what to do? I decided I would create a 6x6 layout with the Crafters Choice Nostalgic Treasures range that I can stick to the back of my tip in that is for something that occurred this Christmas.
I am sure this photo is from the year that St Nick came to me for the first time, and that is a important memory as it highlights just how close my family and my childhood best friend's family had become, we had started to adopt some of their Christmas traditions and it was wonderful.

I selected a paper from the 6x6 paper pad as my background paper and a matte for my photo and paper for my journalling tag. 

I matted my photo onto white cardstock and that red Christmas sparkles paper (as I like to call it) and added my Advent Candle die cut (I do love a embellishment that helps tell the story of my photo and this one did just that as part of the Schumm's Christmas was a Advent Candle Wreath).
I didn't adhere any of this down to my 6x6 background page yet.  I adhered them to each other but not the page as I needed to make a pocket for my journalling tag.

I created my journalling tag and then set about creating my pocket for my journalling.
Note to self:  Don't Journal Tired, you make too many mistakes you have to fix later.  ;)

To create my pocket I used Stickmaster Heat Resistant Tape as in my climate all other tapes used on pockets and minis have given way.
I worked out how I wanted my tag to poke out as it would form part of my layers and embellishments and I added my tape to accommodate this.

I adhered my cluster down to my page.
When I created my tag I added this poinsettia as a pull for the tag and positioned it to act as a additional embellishment to the layout.

When I went to add the layout into my album I realised it was going to have overhang so I added a 2 inch piece of the poinsettia paper to the back ensuring it went past the die cut and then I trimmed it off, so when it is stuck down you won't see white from the top page.














The front page has holly on it so adding a Holly die cut from the Nostalgic Treasures die cut over where the Poinsettia die cut back is was a perfect was to blend the 2 page edges together to make it feel finished.















You can find a flip through of my completed album here.

Santa - Childhood Christmas Memories Album - Ruby RockIt Creative Team

 

Those of you who were following me in 2017 may remember my Childhood Christmas Memories Altered Album and that I couldn't find the only photo of me taken with Santa so I had saved the front page for when I did find it.  I found it.  I am so excited.  Plus I found another Christmas photo of me that I thought had been lost/destroyed years ago, but that photo is for another post.
Those of you who weren't here for this project you can find out all about it by checking out my YouTube Playlist for it and/or my blog posts for the pages I created in 2017. 
Basically as I had no photos of Christmas as a child I Google Image searched the tree we had, decorations we had, places we visited and I obtained a Little Golden Book that I think I had as a kid and altered it into a mini album about my Childhood Christmas Memories.  It is one of my absolute all time favourite and most treasured projects.
When I found my Santa photo I felt Crafter's Choice Nostalgic Treasures was the perfect choice for scrapping it into my altered book.

As the photo is red and white I wanted to use a red paper as my background page, I loved the opulent cushion feel of this paper.
As the pages of my Little Golden Book are 6x8 I needed to use a paper from the 12x12 paper pad to ensure I could get a piece big enough.  I simply cut the 12x12 down to 6x8 and glued it in with Helmar Acid Free Glue.

After matting my photo on white cardstock and gluing it down to my page I decided it needed another layer so I cut a 1/2 strip of this paper that reminds me of a sparkly Christmas night from the 6x6 paper pad and trimmed the top and bottom off to get a shorter piece from the middle.  I glued it down so it look like it was under my photo matte.

When going through the die cuts pack this sleigh with white horses stood out as I had given Santa a white horse like this on this day.
I absolutely love it when a embellishment helps me tell the story of a photo so I knew this was the perfect die cut for my layout and I felt it was all I needed.
The story is the year before some of my teenage cousins wanted to take me to Santa for the first time and 2.5 year old me did not cope and I screamed and kicked the poor Santa.  So I really wanted to give him a gift to say sorry.  The Santa didn't want to take it so Mum had to explain out of earshot of me why it was important he take it.

I added some journalling in my usual black pen and then after adding my title, date and some snowflakes in white I decided to make it white.

I decided my page needed some snow so using one of the gorgeous snowflake stamps from the Crafters Choice Nostalgic Treasures Icons stamp set.
As I didn't have a white ink pad I just coloured the stamp with my white gel pen and hoped for the best, I actually really like how it turned out, it feels more snow like to me.
I then added my title with some ancient alphas from my stash and the year the photo was taken in the top corner.  I may be off by a year but I think I am correct.

I will do a new flip through video of my completed project at the end of December so you can see how it has all come together to be a gorgeous memento of my childhood Christmas.

Preparing for December Daily in my Journal - Ruby Rock-It Creative Team

This is the time of year when I am starting my preparations for December, in my last Ruby Rock-It Creative Team post I shared with you my setting up a Pocket sized TN as my wallet with a Christmas feel using Crafter's Choice Nostalgic Traditions and Today I wanted to share with you the other important part of my December that needs preparing.  My December Daily Journal, like my October Daily I combine December Daily with my journal keeping as I have found it is the only way I can get it completed.
With doing December Daily each year I struggle with needing Summer feeling Christmas supplies that suit it as apart from maybe 3 or 4 traditional coloured spreads my layouts tend to be needed Summer feeling supplies as it is so hot here at that time of year, so when I saw Crafters Choice Festive Pop I felt it was perfect for my DD Journal this year.  I am combining it with some items from Nostalgic Traditions but I think I will mostly use Festive Pop as it is so fun and perfect for hot weather Christmas memory keeping.
I selected the Festive Pop 6x6 paper pad, Sticker Booklet and Die Cuts for setting up my DD Journal, they coordinate so well with the gold striped notebook I am going to use for my journal.

 

I knew I wanted a pocket inside the front cover to hold the various numbered items, memorabilia I collect, etc while awaiting my weekly sit down and stick in my memories session so I selected a paper from the Festive Pop 6x6 paper pad to form my pocket.

At the end of December when I am finished with the supplies I keep in the pocket I will use it to hold mementos that don't fit on any of my layouts, thereby keeping my memories from December together and easy to find.

I measured the inside of my cover and added a inch to the  measurement and a half inch to the  measurement.  I cut my paper to this size and then scored a half inch on 2 sides and the bottom.
I snipped out the corners and folded my scored sections over, burnishing for a crisp fold.
I added Stickmast Heat Resistant tape to my folded edges. 
Note I use heat resistant tape when I can't use liquid glue as the climate in my home all other adhesive other than my preferred Helmar Glue and the Heat Resistant Tape gives way during Summer.

I adhered my pocket down to the inside of my cover, being careful to line it up with the edges.
How perfect is this paper for the inside of this cover?














Next I went through the paper pad and pulled out one of each of the papers that had numbers on them.

I partially cut them up to put in my pocket, ready for on the go memory keeping.

Aren't they just perfect for a Summer DD?













Now I could move onto my front cover.

I went through the Festive Pop Sticker Booklet and decided to spell out December 2019 using 2 of the alphas in the booklet.

I added 2 stars from the Festive Pop Die Cuts to the top corner, gluing them down with some Helmar Acid Free Glue.

Next I built a cluster down the bottom with trees and presents from the Festive Pop Die Cuts and Festive Pop Sticker Booklet.

I needed a tiny present under the green tree and next to the pink and silver tree so I cut the present this cute dog was carrying from the sticker and layered the badly cut edge under the tree, I then neatened up the dog and added him to my cluster as he is so cute.







Finally I decided the inside of my cover needed a bit more so I selected this awesome spotty paper from the Festive Pop 6x6 paper pad and cut it just a shade narrower than my pocket.  I adhered it with Helmar Acid Free Glue, tucking it into the pocket.

I held the pocket slightly open for a few minutes to ensure it wouldn't stick closed.  I accidentally tore the top of my pocket so I selected this blue sticker strip from the Festive Pop Sticker Booklet and stuck it down along the top.  To pull the blue further into the layout I added a blue tree sticker to my pocket.

As my star on the front was poking up I added 2 stars from the Festive Pop Die Cuts to the inside of my cover, lining them up with the bits that were poking up.

While I had the  out I cut out the number stickers from it and added them to my selection in my pocket.  Now I have plenty of choice when I am documenting my December memories.



I really love how Summery my journal feels.