"December" Celebrations

Good Monday Morning.
My name is Mireille and I will be your host for this week.

Can you believe it will be December tomorrow??
I look at November and December as "celebration" months. All over the world there are so many celebrations based on culture, religion and location. There are celebrations such as Saint Martin, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Sinterklaas, Hannukkah and I think Christmas would be the most well-known worldwide. There are enough celebrations to scrap about and that's exactly my challenge for this week!

Since I live in the Netherlands I cannot tell you much about Halloween or Thanksgiving for example but we do celebrate "Sinterklaas" and I thought it would be fun to scrap about that.

Sinterklaas is a celebration for children. Sinterklaas = Saint Nicholas was a saint that was well known for his generosity. Saint Nicholas arrives on his steamboat from Spain halfway through November. He brings his horse, Amerigo, and a lot of helpers, "Black Petes" (that are black from their work in the chimneys). They stay here for about 3 weeks. In these times you can see them everywhere. In the evening before they go to bed children get to put their shoes close to the fireplace, sing special Sinterklaas songs and if they have been "good" they will get a little candy or a small present in their shoe. On December 5th we celebrate "Saint Nicholas Eve." This evening Saint Nicholas or Black Pete drops presents by. Sinterklaas is celebrated mainly in Europe.

Mireille Divjak- {Sinterklaas}

Pictures of my son on Zwarte Piet's lap on Saint Nicholas eve. He was a little scared but after a while he really liked it. I used the cute houses stickers from the Downtown collection because Zwarte Piet works on the roof of houses all night- bringing candy and gifts through the chimney!

Liz Qualman - From our Family

Liz made this layout with the Pebbles Season's Greetings collection. I've been seeing a lot of trees out there and love the way it decorates a page.
Liz even provided us - and you - with a sketch to use. Isn't that awesome??

Mimi Leinbach - Christmas Jar

Mimi decorated this jar to a beautiful christmas decoration. Wouldn't you love to have this on your scrap table?! (And of course the chocolate inside too...)

Deanna Kroll - Joy

Made this beautiful layout using the Skipping Along, So Tweet and Linnie Bell collection.
Deanna covered the edges of the paper with Pebbles Metallic Chalks to give a "snowy" effect. She added embossing ink to the page and then covered with the chalk. Notice the "ornaments" she made out of the circle chipboard shapes.

Samantha Sibbet- Joy Christmas tree decoration
And look at the beautiful Christmas Tree decoration Samantha made.

Here is a close up so you get a more detailed look:


Ginnifer Maloney - Christmas Eve PJ's

I love Ginnifer's layout and the atmosphere this breathes. A warm family atmosphere on Christmas Eve when the family sits together and opens up their presents. Notice the wrinkled paper ribbon at the bottom.

Friday Tip : mixing Patterns

TGIF !! It's Friday !!
To end off the week, we shall wrap up with mixing patterns !

I remember when i started scrapbooking, i was introduced to the gallon-pint-ounce approach. This general rule of thumb helps to guide the amount of color you use on your page.

The gallon is your dominant color which translate to your background dominant color.
The pint is your secondary choice color . Lastly, the ounce color could simply be the color of your embellishments.

Pebbles Inc papers offer a wide range of pattern prints are Very versatile and the colors are always incredibly enticing. Here're some simple tips when playing and mixing pattern papers:

1) Neutral background
I used a neutral background to neutralise the busy prints. This makes the card look more finished. example :brown, grey, black, white, cream etc.

2) Use Monochromatic Scheme
This would mean choosing a color and varying its shade.

3) if possible Limit your patterns to three
proportion these patterns according to the gallon|ounce|pint rule of thumb and it should work well . (Of course there is no right or wrong ; the proportions are really up to you ! :) )

4)Select a very different pattern that's half the scale or size of the first pattern. If your first pattern is a large floral, the second pattern could be a plaid or geometric shape that has some of the same colors.

By no means is this list fixed. These are purely my sharing and experiment. Do let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you too !

Our wonderful ladies from the design team came up with a few layouts to share too :

Here is Akiko's colorful page.
The use of cardstocks on the layout and as a frame around the photo is so clever!
It gives the eye a space to "rest" and make the layout less busy.



Susan Dupre created a fabulous layout. I Love her playful mix of papers to create the patels ! What a great idea to use a less busy graphic pattern as her background too !


Gaelle's super adorable layout features a creative banner where she doodled. How fun a mix of patterns and elements !



Lastly, i created a card using the gallon - pint- ounce approach.
I used graphic floral print in gallon quantity; dots in pint quantity
and stripes in ounce quantity.


A Big thank you to ALL the fabulous ladies who played along with me this week !
Thank you for your inspirations !
Hope you'll have a Happy Start to a Great Weekend !! and Happy Thanks Giving !

Wednesday Inspirations

There are plenty of inspirations online and one of my favorite color inspirations are food related and some ideas come from fabrics. Here are a few which i love to share with you :


Heather Bailey's fabrics are so rich in color and so inspiring. Each time i look at her yummy colored designs, my creative cells starts to run amok...take a look at this piece , the color combination - isn't it inspiring ?


photo credit : Heather Bailey Flickr photos
here are a few other fabric color inspiration i came across...

(note how the colors are complimentary and analogous)

and another

(photo credit : Hawthorne Threads)

and here's somemore to tantalise your color senses !


(photo credit : bazerella.com)
the color schemes are so vivid and interesting!

So, why are colors important in your scrapbooking projects ?
Colors set the mood of what you want to portray in your creations and evoke emotions.
Color can be made to harmonize and blend with the rest of the scrapbook elements.
Really, you don’t even need to know the difference between primary and secondary colors to create a page that complements your photographs. All you need to find color inspiration for your layouts is a watchful eye during your everyday life. Color palettes are all around us.

So there, some colors to brighten up your week.
Have fun exploring colors and ... Happy Mid-week!

Favorite Color Combinations

Good Monday everyone ! Welcome to a brand new week !
My name is Emeline and i am your blog host for this week.

The challenge this week : show us your favorite color combination.
Color is somehow scientific and it plays a huge role in the overall look of our scrapbook pages. I LOVE colors and i love to mix them. The ingenious color wheel is an invaluable tool for you to have fun with colors. Try using the color wheel to design well-coordinated eye-pleasing pages that really shine !



here are some basic (among many others) color schemes in using the color wheel:
1) monochromatic
let us pick the color green. Since every color comes in many saturations and hue, choose two or three additional values of the green color you want to use. The result will be calming and cohesive. Your page should turn out to be pleasing to the eye and stylish.

2) analogous
Choose two or three adjoining (side by side) colors.These combinations tend to be either warm (from the red side of the color wheel) or cool (from the blue side of the color wheel)

3) complimentary
Choosing colors across the wheel from each other creates contrast and is a good way to make the items on your page stand out.

Let us see some examples :

Lisa Warren used a gorgeous combination to create a boyish layout.




Cherie Nymeyer used a soothing color palette on her page.
*Congratulations Cherie!*




and here's another by Mimi
with a beautiful mix of colors :



Liz Qualman created an adorable card using the fabulous color combination. Look how she utilised Pebbles Inc Linnie Bell sticker ! How cute !





and Gaelle created a lovely page using earthly colors. Love the hand drawings ! :)





and lastly, i used complimentary yellow and pink (together with neutral colors grey and white).


*sorry ... the photo did not capture the fushia well *


we would love to hear from you too ! What is your current favourite combinations ?! I know mine changes all the time :)

Friday Tip: Layering Punches!

Wahooo, it is Friday!! Today's Friday tip, is all about layering punches! You have an assortment of punches, now the question is, "What can you do with them?"

I would like to share with you, my favorite project for the holidays! I took a basic Christmas Cookie Jar, and decorated the outside, with just a few punches!

"Christmas Cookie Jar" by Suzanne Sergi

Here is a short tutorial, explaining the quick process of covering the jar! (Thanks to my best friend, Jeannette, for helping me with my first video attempt! LOL)

As you can see I used two different size circle punches, in three different patterns to begin layering around the jar. I did emboss one of the circles to give it some texture. I used one craft glue dot on the back of each circle. I failed to mention that I added a border punch strip to the bottom of the jar. Border punches are not just for pages!

Detail of the Christmas Tree Cookie Jar:

These jars make such a great gift for the holidays!! I am making a few of them, and adding my favorite cookie inside. These will be fantastic gifts, for teachers, neighbors, friends, etc. You can add another special touch, by including a copy of the recipe! Who does not like homemade cookies? You could make one, and set it on display in your kitchen for the holidays! This project was super easy with a few punches, and fun to decorate!

I would love to share with you, other projects made by the design team! Seriously, more eye candy to inspire you for the weekend!

"I am happy" by Susan Dupre

Susan, used border punches around her scrapbook page. The double borders, framed her pictures perfectly! Your eye is immediately drawn to the gorgeous pictures!

"Happy Birthday Card" by Sophia Allison

Sophia, used cupcakes as the focal point in her card. She added extra details to them, by using a punch to give the appearance of icing! A very "sweet" card!

Detail of her cupcakes:

"Disneyland" by Samantha Sibbet

Samantha finished her layout by embellishing with a butterfly punch, and layering two butterflies together. The design is clean lined, but makes such a big statement!

"love" by Cherie Nymeyer

Cherie layered two circle punches, and adhered them on top of the scallop punch. This simple added embellishment, simply gives this layout a heartwarming feel! An absolute adorable page!

And the final page of inspiration:

"best good friend" by Christa Paustenbaugh

Christa, used border punches in a great design. She used two different border punches, and wrote her journaling between them! Clever use of leaving space between! She also layered a butterfly punch, and included this element in her title! The entire design is fabulous!

One last detail of the borders:

Wow! Thanks to the design team members for playing along!! What a great way to end the week! Today, is my last post on the blog, and I had such a fabulous time! Thank you for allowing me to share some of my favorite things!

Come back on Monday, because another inspirational challenge will begin!

Happy Friday, and enjoy the weekend!

Simple Inspiration

Hi!!! Thanks for joining me for Inspiration Wednesday!! I would like to share with you, what inspires me! We all know that inspiration is around us. The internet, magazines, photo galleries, and other scrapbookers, may play a role, in how we draw our inspiration. However, for me, most of the time, it is quite simple.

I tend to draw inspiration for my pages or projects, through my children, my photographs, new scrapbooking product, and my scrapbooking studio. Of course, I love looking at magazines, surfing the web for new ideas, and finding new color combos! However, I tend to draw my inspiration from the reason I began this hobby. I wanted to be able to document my family's memories. I love this hobby! Not only do I get the opportunity to scrapbook my photographs, I get to play with all the beautiful paper!

These special little people are the reasons why I scrapbook:

My daughter, Gabriela

My daughter, Macie, and

My son, Roman!

New product, also can inspire me to create a project. Yes, I will admit, that sometimes, new product will be the first thing I choose!

Sometimes the beautiful paper, and embellishments will help me convey the memory I want to document. And, you know what, that is okay! LOL

Finally, it is simply my scrapbooking studio. I love to surround myself with little splashes of color throughout my room. I like to utilize small glass jars for two reasons. One is that they are pretty, and second, I am able to see the beautiful product. For instance, across my desk I see this:

Who would not be inspired by all this color goodness?? Well, it makes me happy to see it, every time I look up!

I also have this tray on my desk, that I call, "My inspiration tray." Sometimes it is full of small piles of fun product that I want to use. Sometimes, it is things that I hope will inspire me to complete a project. It is simply a tray of my happy things!

Another favorite corner of my room, sits on my desk, too! I love wood stamps, and have my favorite word stamps in one large jar. I love dumping the contents, and sifting through all of them! At times, a word or phrase will become the starting point for a project. I have a couple of favorite loose stamps on here too. Of course, sometimes I need some music to help me get going. My little, pink Ipod shuffle, is never far away!

So finally, it is my photographs, new product, and all the bits of color, in my scrapbooking studio, that I draw my inspiration. Even the colors of my wall, make me happy! I am very thankful to have a space of my own. However, what if you do not, have your own scrapbooking haven? It is still, quite simple! For an entire year, I shared my kitchen with my scrapbooking supplies! It was not perfect, but I made it work. Again, apply the same principles of adding color, in pretty jars or containers. Surround yourself with the things that make you the happiest! I promise, it will inspire you!

I would love to know what inspires you! Thanks for letting me share, and have a Happy Wednesday!!

Pebbles DT "Punch It Out Challenge"

Wahooo, it is Monday, and it is time for another DT Challenge! My name is Suzanne Sergi, and I am your blog hostess this week! How many of you love punches? I know I do, and I have been collecting them since I started scrapbooking! I challenged the DT members to "dust" off their punches, and to simply, "Punch it Out!"

In my own craftmaking, I know, I utilize a punch each time I create! They are so versatile! Punches sometimes can add that extra "little something" to the page. With a few added techniques, any punched element can quickly add dimension, texture, and movement to your project!

If you are new to scrapbooking, you really only need a few punches to begin! I recommend purchasing basic shape punches!

For example, a size selection of circles, squares, stars is a great start. If you can, scallop punches, and one or two border punches, will make a great addition to your punch inventory. Soon you will be using a mixture of different punches on your projects!

In the following layout, I used five different punches. It added so much dimension, and really made the design process easy!

"the most wonderful time of the year" by Suzanne Sergi

A circle, scallop, a photo corner, and two different border punches were used on the above layout. Here is detail to show a couple of the elements:

By incorporating different punches, you can easily design fun embellishments. I used a large scallop punch, and layered it with a circle punched element. I punched a few holes around the scallop, embossed my title, and finished the embellishment with Pebbles Chips. It became such a great way to include my title for the page.

The last bit of detail is using two different border punches, to create the border strip below.

Now, I want to share how my fellow design team members used punches onto their pages! Be prepared for some eye candy!

"enjoy fall" by Akiko Kuroki

Akiko, used a "heart" punch to create the flowers. What a fantastic idea! She punched small flowers, and used them to embellish the inside of the frame! This page is absolutely gorgeous, and full of detail!

"Give Thanks" by Liz Qualman

Liz used a border punch to create the border along the mat of the card. It simply makes the card pop! She also used a leaf punch to add more detail to the flower. The color combo, and the added dimension, makes this card complete.

"Blue Eyes" by Pam Callghan

Pam punched out her flowers, and used circle punches to create centers for them. They add so much movement to this adorable page. The design is so fun, too!

"i heart you" by Sophia Allison

You can see that this page is full of small details. She used several border punches to create a border, and around the photo mat. She punched out butterflies, and finished them by giving them a 3D effect. Simply fabulous!

Everyone did an amazing job! Thanks for playing along! We would love to see how you add "punch" to your projects. If you do, send us a link, we would love to see your creations!

Have a Happy Monday!!