Not too Shabby...

I am so honored to have been asked to be the September guest designer over at Shabby Chic Crafts! Veronica has some of the most gorgeous tags... lots with that lovely vintage look that is becoming so sought-after in the scrapbooking community these days! I had so much fun creating with them, and would love to share some of my projects with you!

First up, a layout about Hazel's first day of school made using theWood Grain Tags (one of my absolute FAVORITES), a Vintage School Card, one of the Vintage School Circles, and lots of yummy Cosmo Cricket and Sass goodies!







Next up: my December Daily journal for this year! It feels like such an accomplishment to have it done so far in advance, and the Shabby Chic Crafts tags were the perfect addition to this colorful album! I used one of the Creative Imaginations Easel Frame Albums for this, and I love that it has the easel back that pops out so that my book can stand up, and be displayed throughout this holiday season! Plus, lots of last year's KI Memories Christmas goodies...




And my final project... a 2010 calendar (and this month's 12 Months of Christmas project)! This is a super easy gift to make for a family member, and can easily be completed in an evening or two. It uses up lots of those scraps you have lying around, and its creative possibilities are endless! (If you're my mom, and happen to be reading this, now would be a good time to avert your eyes... unless you want to spoil one of your Christmas gifts). ;0)



For my calendar, I used 2 pieces from an older Maya Road acrylic album. The pieces are thick enough that they support the calendar on their own when stood open. The covers are adorned with buttery Hambly rubs, some teensy Thickers, and a Vintage Label. For the insides, I trimmed lots of colorful Hambly scraps to fit, using a corner rounder punch to finish them off. Then, I added a photo of the kids to each calendar page. I tried to print a picture from this year (or last) that was taken during the month that it represents on the calendar.



For the calendar itself, I not only wanted a tiny little calendar, but a place for the recipient to add little notes each month. So, to accomodate that wish (and to add some extra color), I actually combine two Shabby Chic Crafts calendar tags! I used the Vintage Note Calendars for the base. Then, I trimmed the edges off of the Square Stamp Calendars, and added them on top of the calendar that was printed onto the Vintage Note Calendar tags (the calendar is the same size).



You can use tiny pearls and gems to mark special dates (i.e. birthdays, holidays, etc.) on the calendars. And, for some added decoration, you can add some tiny flowers centered with more gems. This is a great way to use up all those jars of tiny Prima flowers I'm sure you have lying around!





To bind the calendar together, I punched holes at the tops of each calendar page and reenforced them with some... wait for it...

EYELETS!

See, I told you this was a great way to use up your supplies! I'll bet you haven't played with eyelets in years, huh? To be honest, it was kind of fun to break out the hammer and setter, and pound away! To put the whole calendar together, I used some earring hoop findings. Binder rings aren't thin enough to go through the eyelets, so earring hoops it was!

It was such a fun project to make, and I hope you'll give it a go! It makes a quick check-off on your Christmas list too. ;0)

A big thanks to Veronica at Shabby Chic Crafts for having me as their guest designer this month! Please check out their blog, and leave a comment here for a chance to win some fabulous fall tags (she's leaving the contest open for a couple extra days, so there's still time)!