erin terrell clarkson [etc]

Christmas Decor

I wanted to show a VERY easy idea for Christmas decorating. I know you have photo frames around the house, right? I have them in every room, but I've mentioned before that I like to swap the photos out to represent the season - particularly Christmas.

Here is what I did with two frames to add some holiday spirit to the house:

Both frames are from Pottery Barn. I removed the glass from the frames so I could add bulkier embellishments. I'll store the glass someplace safe (under a bed is always good) until the holidays are over.

For the "JOY" frame, I filled each 4x6 photo opening with lime green snowflake paper. I then added large turquoise letters to each opening to spell out the word "JOY". I lightly sanded the edges of the letters so they would stand out against the green background. Next, I added cardstock and patterned paper to decorate a white chipboard Christmas tree and stars. I adhered all of the chipboard items with dimensional adhesive.

The chipboard shapes are made by Little Yellow Bicycle and you can find them HERE at Scrapbook.com or HERE at 2Peas. The sparkly cardstock is Gemstone cardstock by Core'dinations.

To create the Santa frame, I backed the 5x7 opening with turquoise paper. I trimmed Santa from a sheet of cut-outs, then used dimensional adhesive to adhere him in the opening. I added ribbon and a cotton ball to finish off his hat.

The Santa Christmas cut-out is made by Little Yellow Bicycle and you can purchase it HERE at Scrapook.com or HERE at 2Peas.

I can't stress how easy these projects are. You can select patterned papers to coordinate the decor of any room. The samples shown here are playful, but keep reading and I'll show a very simple way to create a more traditional look. 

Photo Gift deals...

I wish I had checked my email earlier today so I wouldn't be posting this deal so late, but I'm still posting it so someone can hopefully benefit from it. 

If you use Groupon (or even if you don't - you should) click on the Groupon link over there on the right side of my blog [the fourth and fifth blinkies down under the "for the holidays" link section] --------->

You can order a 16x20 canvas print for only $45. THAT is an amazingly good deal for that size on wrapped canvas. There are only 3 1/2 hours left to get the deal, though. That even includes shipping and handling! Or you can get a gift card worth $126.95 (the regular price for a 16x20 print). It's one of the daily deals for San Antonio, but it's an online website, so you don't have to live in San Antonio to cash in on it. 

Same thing if you want to order a photo book. One of the daily deals for Chicago today is $10 for a 40 page 8x8 soft cover book from A&I Books. That's an online site, so you can order the deal no matter where you live. 

I happen to love giving photo books for Christmas. I have one I recently made for this awesome lady, and I can't wait to give it to her. It's full of photos from a recent trip to the Bahamas. Here's a little peek (a tiny photo because I have no idea if she looks at this little website of mine):

Also, did I mention that I received my Christmas card order from Tiny Prints? (that link is also under the "for the holidays" section) So pretty... I highly recommend that website for Christmas cards. I'm hooked on them, 100%. They have amazing customer service.

OK, I'm off to watch bridalplasty. Daisy and I are hooked on it - it's like watching a train wreck. Check back tomorrow because I'm going to show an easy idea for Christmas decor!

*edited to add... if the groupon link doesn't work, try this one: groupon link

Catching Up

I wanted to mention a fun event happening this weekend. If you're in or near the San Antonio area, stop by North Central Baptist Hospital this Saturday (December 11th, 2010) from 10-3 for the Stone Oak Winter Festival. It's a huge FREE event for the community with parades, games, and tons of prizes. Santa is flown in on the airllife helicopter and real snow is brought in for the kids to play with (My friend Kathleen is probably laughing at the fact that we actually pay someone to bring snow to San Antonio, right Kathleen? She lives in Colorado and is always trying to escape the snow!). Here is a link with more information about the event and here is a link with a map to the hospital. I'll be volunteering there, so be sure to say hi if you bring the kids out to play!

Ho Ho Ho!! Did you know there are only 16 days left until Christmas?

I've posted a photo collage I created from our trip to Gruene this past weekend (mentioned in my last post). It's such a fun little town, and it looks beautiful now that it's all lit up for Christmas. Now I just need to make a trip down to the San Antonio Riverwalk to see how pretty it is for the holidays. The lights reflecting on the river always look amazing. It's listed as the number one southern city for viewing Christmas lights according to Southern Living magazine, so it's a sight to see if you've never been before.

Gruene, TX:

Hope you're all having a great December so far!

Help Me Decide On Christmas Cards

This weekend Daisy and I had our Christmas card photo shoot with this fantastic lady. Jana is amazing and I highly recommend her if you are anywhere near the San Antonio area and want to have photos done.

Here are a few sneak peeks she sent me:

(My fave, bc I told her "you made me look skinny!". Hee hee...)

This one I love bc it looks like the perfect Texas setting, right? I'll taunt all of my friends up north and say "Warm Winter Wishes" or something like that. ;o)

I always send a photo of Daisy by herself in my Christmas cards so family can frame it or add it to the fridge or whatever. This is her favorite and the one I'll send out for her:

While the rest are being edited, I figured I'd put my Christmas cards up to a vote. I'm not making a single Christmas card this year. That probably amounts to something like blasphemy for someone who works in the crafting industry, but I don't care. I want a stress-free Christmas, so that means I'm ordering cards. 

Help me out by picking your favorites from the ones below. I'm probably going to do one of the tri-fold type cards for family, so they will get more pictures, and one of the simpler ones for everyone else on the list (to save $$$).

Love/Peace/Joy Tri-Fold card from Tiny Prints

Holiday Hat Tri-Fold card from Tiny Prints

Merry Christmas Ornament card from Tiny Prints (genius! a card your recipient can hang on the tree!)

Joyous Wishes Square card from Tiny Prints

Inspirational Square card from Tiny Prints

Joy/Peace/Love Ornate Snowflakes card from Tiny Prints

Merry Modern Collage card from Shutterfly 

Peppermint Pink card from Shutterfly

OK, that's enough. I could go on picking out various card styles forever. Help me narrow it down -- what should I pick? Thanks!

A Few Links to Share

I don't have too much to share today, because I have an extra long to do list staring me down. However, I do adore this idea seen on the 2Peas newsletter. How clever! That is perfect for anyone with last-minute teacher gifts to hand out.

Also, Hilary Kanwischer has some really cute Christmas cards on her blog. I love the candy cane card, in particular.

My pal Laura has a beautiful gift idea and she was nice enough to include instructions if you want to give it a try.

Finally, this shot from Mary MacAskill is my favorite type of holiday photo to capture. Truly priceless!

Hope you're enjoying the holidays.~erin

Environmentally Friendly Paper

Before I go to bed each night, it's always nice to reflect back on my day and ask if I could have done anything differently. Mistakes? Wasted time? Not enough smiles? :o) No matter how small the issue, it's good to be aware of it and try to improve on things the next day. It's a change I've made in my life recently, and I find a positive attitude is truly one of the best assets you can have in life.

On that note, I wanted to highlight a company who is doing their part to make scrapbooking a more environmentally friendly activity: Wausau Paper

Normally, I don't think of paper (or scrapbooking, for that matter!) as eco-friendly. However, I recently received a press release from Wausau Paper regarding their Creative Collection. I was happy to read it is created with 30% recycled post-consumer fiber content and is sourced from a forest certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Why is that important? Because it means I can still use beautiful papers in my scrapbooks. And at the end of the day, I can rest easier knowing some office paper was recycled in order to preserve my photos and memories.

Here are a few tips on recycling during the holidays:

• Trim the fronts from holiday cards you've received during past years and use them to create gift tags for presents you're sending this year.
• Donate paper scraps or unused sheets of paper to a local school so kids can be crafty.
• Send a few handmade cards to close friends (using paper scraps, of course), then consider e-cards so you can spread even more holiday cheer!
• Speaking of kids, get them in the holiday spirit by having them create ornaments or garlands using paper scraps. A bonus -- it will keep the kids occupied for a while so busy moms can get things done!
• Check out this idea where I used a Christmas card as the starting point for one of my holiday layouts.
• Finally, because I feel the need to include a photo on my post, don't forget to check your mail to see if there are any catalogs you can recycle. I am going to use the cute bird on this catalog to create a gift tag:

 

If you have any great recycling tips for holiday items, I'd love to hear about them.

Decorating: Christmas Photos

Today I'm sharing a quick tip for holiday decorating.

I just replaced two scenic beach prints in the living room with some of my favorite Christmas shots of Daisy. It's a simple way to add an extra touch of the holidays around the house.

If you already have frames on the wall, all you have to do is print extras photos. Add one to the frame and keep the original photo tucked safely behind it. Swap them out again whenever you take down your holiday decorations. 

 

What's your favorite easy tip for holiday decorating?

Inexpensive Christmas Cards, Take 2 (or 3...or 4)

I wanted to share one last Christmas card idea, before I move on to the next project:

These use the same idea as the others, only they're smaller. I used really tiny scraps and figured I could tuck these in with some of my neighbor gifts (also great for teacher gifts).

Step one:

Trim strips of patterned paper and cardstock. Trim white cardstock into a triangular shape to form the tree:

Step two:

Layer the tree form with strips of alternating colors of paper and cardstock. Adhere firmly in place.

Step three:

Flip the tree over, use a ruler and a craft knife to trim away excess paper, then adhere tree to card front.

Step four:

Add tree base using green cardstock. Place a star as the tree topper and embellish with sequins, glitter, or a gem. Add rub-on sentiment to yellow cardstock, trim and place on card using dimensional adhesive. Finish off the top two corners using a corner rounder punch. 

Supply List: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper (pink, green, yellow, blue). Patterned Paper: Making Memories Winter (stripe and polka dot), Rub-ons: Making Memories Simply Stated "Believe", Punches: Fiskars Corner Rounder. Adhesive: Pop Dots

Inexpensive Christmas Card Ideas

The November/December 2009 issue of Scrapbooks etc. featured an article about creating budget-friendly holiday cards. The challenge? Create 20 cards for under $10.

Here is a link to additional quick and easy cards on their website: Quick & Easy Christmas Cards

I wanted to share one of my ideas, if you're in need of a little holiday inspiration.

To create the card:

• Trim 12x12 blue cardstock into [2] 6x12 strips, fold and trim to create a 6x4" card front
• Trim Santa from patterned paper, leaving a slight border around each one
• Punch circles of green patterned paper using a 3" circle punch, lightly sand edges
• Trim strips of patterned paper for card border, lightly sand top edge
• In a photo editing program (I used Photoshop), create "Ho Ho Ho" by layering text (Bebas font) in various sizes. Fill the background with a burgundy color and merge layers. Copy and paste 20 of these onto one sheet of 8.5 x 11 cardstock, and then print. (*Edited to add: I saved the PS file, so if you need it you can send an email request. Click "email me" under my profile photo.)
• Punch out the "Ho Ho Ho" sentiment using a 1" circle punch, lightly sand edges, and place all elements on card as shown
• [TIP: I like using a corner rounder punch on all corners of the card to create a nice finish.] 

Supplies necessary to create 20 cards:

• Bazzill Basics Paper, turquoise blue (10 sheets)
• Imaginisce Polar Expressions "Pine and Peppermint" patterned paper (1 sheet)
• Imaginisce Polar Expressions "Warm Woolen Mittens" patterned paper (2 sheets)
• K&Company "12x12 Brenda Walton Peppermint Twist Ol'Saint Nick" flat paper (1 sheet)

Optional supplies: The corner rounder punch, 3" inch circle punch, 1" circle punch, dimensional adhesive, and sandpaper.

[TIP: Use a circle trimmer or trace something round if you don't own circle punches.]

You can create quite a few in a very short period of time:

Christmas Card Details

Recycling is always worth the extra effort, and this card demonstrates an easy way to utilize paper scraps  to create a colorful holiday tree:

These cards are so simple to make, it's almost easier than going to the store to purchase them.

Trim various lengths of pink and and striped paper, each one a bit shorter than the last. Adhere them to the card to form a tree shape. A small rectangle of green cardstock works well as the tree base, and a yellow covered chipboard star is the perfect tree-topper. I added a rub-on sentiment to the front of each card, and my hand-written message will go on the back.

This card shows a similar idea, alternating a striped and patterned paper. I added the rub-on words "Peace on Earth" to the lower portion of the tree:

Finally, the card below is the easiest of the group. Trim a tree shape from a scrap of colorful patterned paper. Add a green base and the star tree topper, then complete the look with a rub-on sentiment to one side of the tree.