December Daily.....WTF????

Anyone who knows anything about the scrapbooking world has heard of the December Daily album, an idea created by the scrapbook maven, Ali Edwards. The whole idea has always intimidated me, and I have studiously (and smartly) avoided doing one for a few years now.

My resolve began to cave when some friends of mine at Absolutely Alter It message board decided they were doing one. I thought maybe, just maybe I could pull it off.

I ordered a gorgeous kit from Paper Lovelies, which has a very fun and unusual Christmas line by Prima (North Country). I thought this might be a great jumping off place for the doing a December Daily book.
I began with a simple 6 X 6 spiral bound album which has about 20 page protectors already bound inside the album. I thought I'd take it really easy, since I am working 34 hours a week now, and I shouldn't be too hard on myself. Sounds good, right? Well, by the first day of December I was already feeling pressured to take photos, and prepare the pages for this thing!!! The photos I took the first day were a pile of dirty dishes in the sink that were threatening to reach the ceiling, and some flowers my daughter received from a boy she likes after her choir performance. They seemed really lame, and not very festive.

I have a crippling secret, and maybe some of you can relate. Creatively, I struggle from performance anxiety. Sometimes the urge to make something really beautiful and special can hinder my actual process. Maybe I should just make the stupid album, and let it turn out however it turns out. Who am I going to offend, anyway?

I do find that doing photos every day is very stifling for me. I thought it would be easier to just photograph the things I think are important to me during the holidays, and put them in the book in any order I please. So, maybe I don't have to stick to a DAILY album, and can just make it anyway I please! I know I sound like a brat! I'll keep you updated in my progress, or lack thereof...

One little layout....

I feel so out of it lately, but I was able to complete one layout with my Halloween counterfeit kit. I used some photos of my two youngest sons from this Halloween. Both of them dressed up as zombies, and I had them pose in front of the tombstones we had decorating the yard.


The sketch came from Pagemaps 2, and I really stuck closely to it, as I was not feeling that creative. At least I accomplished one layout!

I'm late to the party!

I wanted to make a counterfeit kit for Halloween, although October has come and gone. October's inspiration kit came from Little Red Scrapbook (September, 2010), and included a Halloween themed kit. I liked the kit, but wanted to make mine a little creepier, and less cutesy because my kids are getting older and are definitely into the spookiness of Halloween.

Inspiration kit:

My version:


I recently bought last year's Hocus Pocus line by Pink Paislee on clearance, and used that as a base for my kit. I added a few sheets of other Halloween paper I had laying around, one new sheet of Pink Paislee and a bunch of embellishments to top it off. Maybe I'll get a chance to do a few layouts from this Halloween with the kit.

A Little Something to get you in the Halloween Spirit!

It's been forever since I updated my blog. Now that I'm working, and I dropped all my dt commitments, I don't feel any pressure to create. In an effort to keep up with my blog, I feel the need to post SOMETHING.

I was browsing the internet recently and found a few really creepy vintage Halloween photos that I wanted to post. I don't know why old photos of children in costume are so much creepier than modern ones. Maybe it's because of the crude homemade masks, poor photo quality, or that the kid's faces are covered up. I love how weird they are! Enjoy!

September Masters of Forgery Blog Hop!!

Welcome to the Masters of Forgery blog hop! You should have gotten here via Lisa's blog. My last month on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge DT has been fun and a little bittersweet! Since I'm not an expert stamper, I really had to push myself to use my stamps creatively.

For the blog hop challenge, we were supposed to use our stamps in a "special" way on a layout or project. I was a little stumped on what to do. So, I decided to use my stamps in a couple of different ways, that are not the typical ways you might think of to use stamps.


First, I decided to use an old Halloween foam stamp for my Willy Wonka page. I liked the hat on the stamp, but did not want to use the rest of it. So, I masked off the part I did not want, and just stamped the hat part onto a piece of grungeboard. I then cut it out, and used it on my page. As you can see, I was a little sloppy with my masking, because my stamp ended up with a five o'clock shadow! I love stamping images, then cutting out to use on my projects. It's so much less intimidating than stamping directly onto the project!


Next, I stamped some twill ribbon to create the flower for my page. I love the way stamped ribbon looks, but hardly ever use it. I also stamped my journaling spot.

Pardon the terrible photos! I had my first day back at work today, and when I got home to take photos, my camera batteries were dead. I'll try taking better pics in the morning.

I hope you were able to come up with some creative ways to use stamps on your project! Thanks for stopping by! Your next stop on this hop is Meridy's blog. I'm sure she has something gorgeous to show you!

Stamp an embellishment!

This month at Counterfeit Kit Challenge we are having a ton of fun with stamps! Our third challenge is to stamp an embellishment to use on a layout or project. I admit, I'm not a huge stamper. Every time I work with them, it's really a matter of trial and error. I enjoyed trying some new things with my stamps this month.

I love the idea of tags! Tags are awesome because they can stand alone as a lovely project, which you can collect, or give away like cards. Or, they can be used on a scrapbook page!


I got the inspiration for my tag after seeing a photo of an ornate Victorian ceiling, which was covered by square panels. Inside each square was a cherubic (although creepy) face surrounded by wings. It was very cool, and I thought it would be fun to do something similar for this project. I have a beautiful set of wing stamps by Stampers Anonymous, which was given to me by my sister. For the face, I used a stamp I just got from Big Lots, which had a little vintage looking child's face. It's sort of creepy, like the faces on the ceiling. I stamped the face onto paper, punched it out with my 1" punch, then glued to a Tim Holtz grungeboard circle, which are miraculously the exact same size. That fit perfectly inside one of the bottle caps from my kit. I covered the surface of my image with Textured Effects. I stamped and embossed the wings onto yellow cardstock, then I went over them with some acrylic paint to make it even more gilded looking. I kept thinking of the words "Angels in the architecture..." from that old Paul Simon song, but that title was too long. Instead I used the nickname of Los Angeles, which is near the town where I grew up as a child.

I can't wait to see the amazing embellishments everyone made with stamps!

1000 sheets of paper????

Check out this giveaway!

Challenge #1 Stamp a background!

It's all about stamping this month at Counterfeit Kit Challenge! Our fabulous sponsor is none other than our own Master Forger, Sherri! She is giving away a stamp set from her etsy shop, which is a very cool and generous prize!

Our first challenge this month is to use stamps to create a background for a layout or card. Because of my bold paper choices this month, I struggled a bit with this one. I wanted a background that would not get lost with the strong patterns of my other papers. I also needed to make a card for my middle son, Joey, who turned 12 this weekend. I had a fun photo of him riding a unicycle, and decided to silhouette cut around his figure. I used a starburst stamp, and intended to create a mat to place behind the photo using the stars radiating out from the center. At first, I used a gold ink pad, and the image was too faint. So, I went with gold acrylic paint, which is not the most precise medium, but at least it showed well on my dark cardstock. After I got my stamped image down, I did not like the way it looked. So, since I was already feeling scissor happy, I cut out around all the stars, leaving a space intact in the center. I glued the center down to my card, but popped the ends up, so the appear to come right up off the front of the card. I also popped the image of Joey up. I cut out one of the fun images from the Graphic 45 paper, as well, to create this card. My son absolutely loved it, and all his friends were impressed, as well.


While I was on a roll, I made this page, using one of the stunning sheets of paper from my kit (Le Cirque). It begged to be cut into a frame, which I've seen done before, but I wanted to try something a little different. I was lucky enough to check out the free class a few weeks back put on by Miss Arts Papercrafting School, which was one of our former sponsors. It was called "The Secret Garden", and one of the examples was a gorgeous layout, which was cut in a similar manner, and popped up off the page. The designer, Stacy Cohen, used paper to create the ruffle around the edge of her cut out, but I used crepe paper, which seemed to go more with my circus theme. I found the perfect photo of my youngest son, Anton, last year at a local parade. His soccer team dressed up like clowns for the parade, but he wanted his face painted like a "sad clown". It was really cute, and I was lucky to get this shot of him with his face made up. Most of the items used were from my kit, except the crepe paper and Jillibean Soup alphas.


I am having a blast with my kit this month! It may be one of my favorite all time counterfeit kits! I hope you are enjoying yours, and can't wait to see your projects!

My last kit as a Master of Forgery :(

Sadly, this will be my last month as a Master of Forgery for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge! It's time for me to get a real job after sixteen years as a stay at home mom. I will definitely still participate in the challenges, if time permits!

This month's inspiration kits were by The Sweet Peach Crop Shop (September, 2010). I loved the soft blues of the main kit, but unfortunately don't have anything like it in my stash. I thought briefly about ordering some Sassafras Lass Indie Girl, but that's not really the point of this challenge. I was inspired by the Juicy Themed kit, which had a more bold vintage feeling to it.


I recently bought the Le Cirque line by Graphic 45. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to use it. The paper is stunning, with beautiful vintage circus images and a dramatic color scheme. I thought I could do a lot with it because my kids are very active, and always seem to be doing something acrobatic. I combined some embellishments I thought would work with this themed kit. I have a ton of ideas floating around in my head, and can't wait to get working on it!

Patterned Papers: Graphic 45 - Le Cirque "Le Cirque", "Bohemian Floral", "Borders", "Wizards of Wonder", "Greatest Show on Earth", "Extravaganza", "Under the Big Top", "Flying High", "Magnifique", "Circus Parade", and "Dazzle and Delight".

Embellishments: kraft corrugated alphas - Jillibean Soup, Thickers "Bewitched", Cosmo Cricket tiny type, little paper bags & Basic Grey pearls (rak from Crysal), Le Cirque tags, wild cards - October Afternoon "Thrift Shop", ephemera Daisy D's, black velvet ribbon -Maya Road, bottle caps, chipboard buttons & vintage buttons - Jenni Bowlin.

August Masters of Forgery Blog Hop!!

Welcome to the Masters of Forgery blog hop! I hope you got here via Lisa's blog. Our fabulous sponsor this month, Allison Davis of Sketch support, created a sketch especially for us this month! For the blog hop, we are challenged to use this sketch to create a project with our Counterfeit kits.

See the sketch here.

This was a challenge for me because I don't often do two page layouts! It's such a fun sketch, though. I was inspired to scrap some older pics of my kids that were taken by my cousin's husband Isaac Hernandez. The kids were wearing his old hat, and he just snapped these shots in our back yard. They are some of my favorites! I only had enough photos to fill up some of the spots for photos, so I used pieces of the glittered paper from my kit in the other spaces.


The layout was different for me, also, because I don't usually do this type of monochromatic color scheme. I think it's growing on me!

Next stop on the hop is Meridy's blog. I'm sure she has something amazing to show you! Thanks for playing along this month. I hope to see you here again next month!

Challenge #3 Turn it on it's ear!

I can't believe August is almost over! Summer seemed to fly by this year, and my kids start school tomorrow. With vacation and two kids' birthdays this month, I missed out on the challenge #1. I hope to complete it before the month is out, however.

All of our challenges at Counterfeit Kit Challenge this month come from, Sketch Support. Allison Davis, the creator of Sketch Support and our fabulous sponsor this month is offering an awesome free gift to one of our blog hop participants! Please be sure and check out the blog hop on the 28th!

Challenge #3 is called "Turn it on it's ear"! Pick any of the sketches from Sketch Support and rotate it before you use it on a card or layout.

I used one page sketch #10 as a starting point for my layout, which I rotated 90 degrees. I also misted the big heart shaped doily from my kit, and placed it behind my photo and other elements for a very feminine feel.

I can't wait to see how everyone else interpreted this challenge!

August Counterfeit Kit!

It's hard to believe that the Counterfeit Kit Challenge is in its eighth month! Our gorgeous inspiration this month comes from My Creative Scrapbook at http://www.mycreativescrapbook.com/pkits.htm. You have to scroll down to September 2010 to see the photos of the kit(s) for this month. There are 4 kits to choose from, the Main Kit, the Album Kit, the Mini/Creative Kit, and the Limited Edition kit. I did one kit this month, as August is extremely busy for our family with vacation, family birthdays, and back to school. I took inspiration from the Main Kit and the Limited Edition Kits.

Patterned Paper: Seven Gypsies - Avignon "Orchestra Music Notes" (partial sheet), Fancy Pants - Lilac House "Heirloom", The Girl's Paperie - Paper Girl, My Mind's Eye Lost and Found - Portabello Road Family "First Class" and "Brocade", Party "Celebration" and "Looking Glass" , Crate Paper - Emma's Shoppe "Fabric", "Dresses", "Quilts", and "Books", Fancy Pants - Wishful Thinking "Memories", and Deja Views "Lovely".

Embellishments: Die-Cut cardstock - K & Co. (Brenda Walton), chipboard teacup mini album (Studio 18), lace floral border - Recollections, cardstock stickers - Crate "Emmas Shoppe", chipboard alpha stickers - Making Memories "Passport", black epoxy foil alphas - Making Memories "Vintage Findings", buttons - My Mind's Eye - Portabello Road "You and Me", Prima Say it with Crystals, flowers (Prima), stamps (Life Preservers Feb. 2010), large heart shaped doily (thrift shop find), and misc. ribbon.

We are pleased to announce that August's sponser is Allison Davis! Allison will be sending the winner of our August drawing her two newest sketchbooks, Sketches for Scrapbooking Volume 8 and Sketches for Scrapbooking One Page Layouts Volume 1. In order to be entered in the drawing you can either join the blog hop or comment on the blog hop...it's that easy!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!!!

I took all the names of people who left comments on my blog during the blog hop, and put them in a jar. My youngest son drew the winner!

EMILY will receive my travel mini kit! Please e-mail me your address at gabriellec1962@sbcglobal.net, so I can get it out to you.

Thanks to all of you who participated in the July blog hops!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog Hop and & More Giveaways!!

Welcome to the last stop on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog hop! I'm filling in on the regular hop today because Bethany had a family emergency. You should have gotten here via Glinda's blog. If not, you can go back to the challenge blog to find your way.

The challenge for this blog hop is all about Flower Power!

"Find a creative way to use flowers on your project! If you need some fun new flower ideas, Miss Arts has a great new class on making flowers...you should check it out!"

What a perfect challenge for those of us who tend to "collect" products such as flowers! I admitted yesterday to having more than my fair share of Prima's "Got Flowers", and promised to give you another fun idea for using up some of these babies that are collecting dust in your stash!

I found this fantastic idea on a scrap blog awhile back, which I thought was a brilliant way to create something a little more fancy looking out of these simple paper blossoms. I decided to make a few of these to show you, and use them on a quick card with items from my kit. I hope you get a chance to give it a try!
The top right flower is what I started out with, and the top left is the flower I cut to make my "leaves". I used four or five layers to make my flowers very full. These "Got Flowers" are a natural creme color, unlike the green ones in my kit, but otherwise they are the same flowers. After gluing the layers together, I misted my flower with red Maya mist for a completely different look.
I hope you've had a chance to check out our awesome sponsor this month! One lucky winner will win a two month membership to May Arts Papercrafting school! I've heard their classes are excellent.


We have another exciting giveaway this month! Polkadot Whimsy, the kit club that created our fabulous inspiration kits, has graciously offered the Liberty Sparks add-on kit as a prize this month! See all the details on this post at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog to enter.

Speaking of prizes, I am also giving away my vacation mini kit! All you have to do is post on this thread or yesterday's DT blog hop thread for a chance to win. I will choose one random winner next week! Good luck!


Thank you for joining us this month for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog hop! I hope you got some great ideas on using flowers in your scrappy projects, and had fun in the process! I hope to see you next month.

July Masters of Forgery Blog Hop & Giveaway!!

Welcome to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge DT blog hop!! I'm hoping you got here via Susanne's blog. If not, you can go back to the challenge blog to get your bearings.

Flower Power!! That is what our blog hop challenge is all about this month! If you are anything like me you have flowers. Many, many flowers! I am a complete sucker for those big jars of tiny little Primas "Got Flowers" that you can sometimes find on sale for $2 or $3 at the local crafts store. I buy them just because they are sooo cute! The problem is, I have several bottles of them now, and each bottle holds almost 200 flowers. Even if I used one on every layout I ever make, it's going to be years before they are all used up!

Here is one solution! Use a whole bunch of these little guys on a fun altered frame for summer! I started out with one of those $1 frames you can get at Michael's or similar store. This particular frame came in a pack from Ikea years ago, but you can find something similar anywhere. You can even use a chipboard frame, if that's what you have on hand.

I sanded the frame lightly to smooth any splinters, and then painted the edges with acrylic in a warm yellow color that matched my paper. I then covered the front of the frame with one of the papers from my kit. I managed to spill a bunch of matte medium on my cutting mat in the process, but we won't go into that! You can see in my photos that my mat is well used! Any liquid glue works for this. I cut around the edges with my exacto knife, and then sanded the edges for a smooth finish.

At this point, I went to town, with a bunch of flowers from my kit/stash! I also used a few stickers to go with my theme. I would suggest placing everything on your frame before gluing down. The bonus is I also used a bunch of brads from my stash! This is another item that will never seems to get used up.


The great thing about a frame like this is that you can change the photo if you want! And, since they are so inexpensive to make you can give it away to an admirer, or recycle (or donate) it when you are tired of it!

I am also doing a giveaway this month! I will choose one blog hop participant by random drawing to win my travel mini kit! All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post.

Tomorrow, I'll post another idea on how to use those little paper flowers in your stash! The next stop on the DT blog hop is Meridy's. blog. Enjoy the hop, and don't forget to leave a comment!

Gallery Stand Out Challenge!

One of my favorite pastimes is to look through online scrapbook galleries for inspiration! The latest challenge at Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog was the perfect opportunity!

"Mini Challenge #3: Gallery Standout Challenge Go forth and find a gallery for inspiration and use it to create a project. Be sure to post a link to your inspiration as well as a photo of your project so we can appreciate YOU!"

I got my inspiration from this layout on Scrapbook.com. I loved the ink splats, line of circular embellishments, and mixture of patterns on this page!

Here is my version:

I can't wait to see where you get your inspiration!

MIni Challenge #1 - Emboss your heart out!

First of all, I wanted to mention our fabulous July sponsor!! One lucky winner will receive a two month subscription to Miss Arts Paper Crafting School, which holds online classes for all kinds of interesting techniques and projects! Make sure to take part in our blog hop for a chance to win!

Mini Challenge #1:

The first challenge this month at Counterfeit Kit Challenge was to use embossing on a project.

"Challenge #1: Embossing Challenge! Find some creative ways to emboss on your project! I don't care if you use embossing powders....embossing folders or even a stylus. Emboss your heart out for this challenge! "

I don't think I'm alone in that I own all the tools I need to for embossing, but don't always take advantage of them. At first, I was a little stumped about what to do for this, but then I remembered the cool embossed titles I've seen and admired. I used some pre-cut cardstock sticker letters from my stash, and adhered them to an old sticker backing sheet. This allowed me to run them through my Cuttlebug, and not have them stick to my embossing folder (Tim Holtz). I used an additional technique where I painted the inside of the embossing folder (right side) with black paint before running through the Cuttlebug, to add even more depth and texture to the impression. It worked very well, except in some places, where the embossing was particularly deep, and tore the letters. I just made sure to glue them down in their original shape. I also embellished the journaling spot with a heat embossed flourish, and a placed a few little stamped and embossed stars around the page.

For this page, I used a few photos of my oldest son and his best friend, who just moved away to another town. I've heard the expression for my title, and thought it fit their relationship. My son's friend spent many hours at our home, and felt like part of the family.

I used my "Liberty Shores" knock off kit for this page, because the colors were just right for the photos.

I'm excited to see what everyone else comes up with! It's always fun to learn something new.

Here is another page I did for a crop last weekend at Absolutely Alter It message board, using my July kit and a sketch from the July Pagemaps sketches.

July Counterfeit Kit and more!!

Summer is such an exciting time for scrapbooking! There are so many opportunities to capture aweseome photos this time of year, with 4th of July celebrations, vacations, outdoor activities, and family reunions. This month at the Counterfeit Kit challenge blog, there are several ways for you to create a kit that's perfect for your scrapping your summer occasions.

Our July inspiration kit come from a club called Polka Dot Whimsy. There are two add-ons, as well, which are each very different in style. I was very excited about the main kit, because I happened to have a few of the items that were featured. I thought it would be easy as pie putting my version together. It ended up being one of my most challenging kits ever, mostly because I kept changing my mind about what papers I wanted to use. Since I did not have any patterned paper with banners, airplanes, or little shirts/flip flops, I had to make a few substitutions. I finally settled on the suitcase paper, which I included in my kit a few months ago, but had not used. I also used a bold sheet of pennant paper by Sassafras Lass and car paper by American Crafts. We always go camping in summer, and I embraced that by including a few items from Cosmo Cricket "Mr. Campy", as well. I'm still not about my final kit, but it will be interesting to see how it goes when I start working with it.

Papers: Coordinating cardstock (Bazzill), Cosmo Cricket (Early Bird "Farmer's Market"), Paper Trunk (Socialite "Posh"), Sassafras Lass (Amplify "Intensity"), Jenni Bowlin Homespun "A Cherry on Top" &(Play Date "Die Cut Label Paper", Cosmo Cricket (Mr. Campy "Skipping Stones" & "Happy Trails", American Crafts (Road Trip "Rest Stop"), Crate Paper (Emma's Shoppe "Dolls"), Pink Paislee (Hometown Summer "Summer Fun"), October Afternoon (Thrift Shop "Great Find"), and Deja Views (Pack Your Bags "Baggage Claim").

Embellishments: Cosmo Cricket - Mr. Campy journaling cards & rub-ons, Jenni Bowlin red trim cardstock alpha stickers & Homespun banner alphabet stickers, October Afternoon Fly a Kite word stickers, 7 Gypsies Top Ten stickers, Bazzill library pockets & yellow banner border, kraft journaling spots (Jillibean Soup), travel transparencies (Little Yellow Bicycle), summer bingo cards (Pink Paislee "Hometown Summer"), flowers (Prima), and other misc. items from stash (ribbon, tickets, journaling spots)

I also put together a vintage inspired "Liberty Shores" add on, which was much easier to. I included some very old (out of business) Rusty Pickle "Mayflower" line from way back in 2007! I'm very excited about scrapping with this kit, because I got some good shots of fireworks this 4th of July, which this kit will coordinate with perfectly!

Add-on contents: Jenni Bowlin papers (Bullseye, Naptime, Cherry Pie, and Snack Time), Rusty Pickle papers (Mayflower "Pricilla Mullins", "Miles Standish", "Stephen Hopkins", and quote cut-outs, Tim Holtz Season Paper (4th of July block words & vintage fireworks), Cosmo Cricket "Halfway Cafe" journaling cards, Jillibean Soup celebration alpha stickers, American Crafts Thickers black "Bumble", Pressed Petals metal squares, Jenni Bowlin buttons, flowers (Prima), and ribbon/trim from my stash.

This month, I also made a vacation mini page kit, which you can see by scrolling down to the previous blog post. I'm excited to get working with my kits, and I can't wait to see what the rest of you have put together!

July Travel Mini page kit!

At the Counterfeit Kit Challenge, we are trying something new. Each month, one of the Masters of Forgery makes a mini page kit of their own, including a sketch. I was lucky enough to be able to make a travel/vacation mini kit this month! Our family's big vacation each year is a camping trip to one of the gorgeous parks we have within a few hour's drive of our home in California.

I recently purchased My Mind's Eye Abbey Road "Round and Round" collection, which I failed to get two years ago when it was released. I love the colors and texture of this paper, which I thought would be perfect for this kit and the page I had in mind! My kit included some of the papers and cardstock embellishments from that paper line, as well as dimensional vacation stickers by K & Co., mini alphas my Making Memories, a fun vacation stamp set, and buttons.

This is Pencillines sketch #228, which is simple, yet just right because of the shaped cardstock included in my kit.

My layout features photos from our "stay-cation" camping trip last summer.

I have another fun idea for saving all of the memorabilia you've collected on your summer travels! Why not make a cool travel souvenir case?!! I've included a simple tutorial, which you can see by scrolling down to the prior blog post.

Travel Souvenir Case Tutorial

I order lots of photo prints from my local Walgreens. Each time, the photos come to me in these sturdy card weight envelopes. I usually recycle them, but I started thinking that there must be something to make with them. Here is my solution! Make a cool vacation travel souvenir case for all of your post cards, brochures, and even 3-D momentos you've collected this summer! All of the items used on this project are things you probably already have around the house! Items needed for this project are: photo envelope, old map (National Geographic works well) or other paper, adhesive of choice (you can use liquid or dry, as long as it's strong and permanent), scissors or exacto knife, some kind of closure for your envelope (I used a circle punch, eyelets, and string to make a library envelope style closure), alphas and travel themed embellies for decoration, and ink for edges (optional).


Start off with your photo envelope.

Carefully tear open you envelope at the sides, where it has been adhered. Lay flat you your work space.

Apply adhesive to the printed (up) side of the envelope. You should have a line of adhesive along all of the edges (get as close to the edge as possible), along any of the fold lines, and a bit in the middles for good measure. Next, lay your envelope up side down on the WRONG side of your map. It's a good idea to look at the map first to figure out what part you want to have show up on your project. Smooth your envelope out with your hands to make sure it is well adhered.

Next, use your scissor or exacto knife to cut around all of the edges.


At this point, you should fold along all of your fold lines, making sure to accordion fold the sides and bottom folds. Next, apply adhesive to the map side of your side flaps, and fold the front panel up and over your side flaps. The edges should be square. Press gently to make sure the adhesive is firmly in place.

Use some type of closure system for the top flap. I used two circles cut from thin cardstock with a circle punch, eyelets, and my Crop-a-dile to fasten a library-type closure to my case. Measure the centers and hold the circles up to the case first to make sure they will fit. Wrap and tie string around the top circle, and leave enough to wrap around them a few times.

Now, you can fill your envelope with all of the goodies from your vacation, and enjoy!! This would easily fit in your car's glove compartment during your trip, and you could also fit a small photo album or mini book of your trip inside! Imagine the possibilities!!