A Ladies Christmas Planner by Meredith Hilly

Hello. I hope everyone is well. Its never to early to start planning for Christmas.

I like to write down what presents I am buying for family and friends. My daughter , my  mum and I like to plan our Christmas meals with who's coming for dinner and what will be needed.

So the project I would like to show you is a ladies Christmas planner.

Using thick card stock I cut out a book which was half a Christmas tree and half a rectangle book.

I bound the book using metal circle clips.

I strongly recommend you try a project or card with the German Scrap borders and strips. There are so many uses of German Scrap borders and strips from Megs garden.

They are so detailed with the embossing and fine cut out patterns. I used the borders through out the book. Framing or high lighting each page. This makes the layout of each page flow as one theme throughout the book.

Thanks for having a look at my latest project.

Megs garden

German Scrap gold

A Twinkling Christmas Paper

Vintage Christmas Paper

Gold embellishments

Gold and Red Ribbon

My Stash

Thick card stock

glitter glue

diamonds coloured



Vintage Victorian Christmas Card

Hi everyone, it's Patti sharing with you today.  I've created a card for you combining both of the new Christmas releases, Vintage Christmas and Victorian Christmas both available in the Meg's Garden of Papercraft Delights store in either digital download or printed paper.

 

This is a standard A7 card 5"x7" on a Kraft cardstock base.  Both of the Christmas Papercraft Packs come on 8 1/2"  x 11" paper including 3 sheets of 5.4" design blocks with an accompanying 1.5" x 5.4" strip along with 3 sheets of ephemera.  I chose the on block design of the Santa and Compass and snipped them apart.

I took accompanying strips, ephemera and snipped pieces from the block to create a collage around the focal images covering up the Kraft card base.  The video will show this whole process from start to finish so any of you who hesitate making a card like this will see first hand it's really simple and anyone can do it.  Diamond Stickles on Santa's beard and NOEL along with a black flat backed bling finish off the front of the card.

Across the bottom I laid a strip of burlap and covered with a floral cluster.  My flowers started out as white blooms from the store, small white roses and white apple blossoms which I changed up to match the designer paper.  I used a combination of Tim Holtz Distress inks in Rusty Hinge, Gathered Twigs and Fired Brick to transform the white to the correct color.  The tiny flowers were actually pink but picked up the distress inks well to alter their appearance.  I tucked a couple of Copper Paper Leaves behind to finish the cluster and completed it with a bow from distress ink dyed seam binding.

The inside sentiment is a piece of white cardstock inked with the same three Distress inks as the flowers and die cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Forty-Two.  I then added two ephemera pieces from the collection.  Both mats were inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Ground Espresso, I also used this darker ink around the outer edge of the card front to tie everything together.  The finishing touch is a raffia bow in the corner. 

I hope you'll join me on the video where I'll share the paper collections with you and do a start to finish of how to make the card.

Supplies from Meg's Garden 

Vintage Christmas Papercraft Pack

Victorian Christmas Papercraft Pack

Paper Flowers 

Copper Paper Leaves

Burlap and Raffia

A Quick & Easy Christmas Planner with Folders

Hi Bloggers

The Christmas Shop on the website is now OPEN & it reminded me that the Season is just around the corner.  Instead of having a pad with notes etc, I decided that a planning book would be ideal. 

     Somewhere to list: 

• the menus, shopping list & recipes,
• ideas for quick snacks & the supplies needed for the pantry; also some new recipes
• gifts to also include Kris Kringles
• ideas for 'Thank You' gifts for invitations
• and more

This book uses the NEW Vintage Christmas Papercraft kit - the papers are 5.4"sq so they make it easy for a 6" book.  I decided to do black cardstock since it is a planner & will be used a lot.  Highlight mats for the front & back cover were done in dark green cardstock.  I used lots of hinge clips. 

Front cover is kept simple & has no embellishing except for the green mat & a stamp.

A side view of the book shows the 3 folders with copy paper inserts.

Inside cover shows one of the patterned paper squares with its matching strip.  The strip is actually on the cover of the first working folder. All the strips were attached with foam tape so that notes, ideas, recipes etc. could be stuck in.  

Make sure that you make the spine large enough to hold all - better to be larger than smaller.  This one is 2.25" & has plenty of room for expansion.  

The cover & pages have been kept simple with little embellishments since it is a 'quick & easy' & also a working planner.

Page 2 has some paper in the hinge clip for quick notes - this paper is 3.4" & is part of the cutoffs of the paper inserts.  If you wanted to have lines on the paper, you could get a couple of the cheap exercise books at the newsagents.

There are 3 folders of paper - I chose 3 but you could easily add more.  The black cardstock is cut into 6x12", marked with a pencil at centre & then scored 0.5" from centre on each side - result is a 0.5" gutter which, when the book is finished, is then glued to the inside of the spine. The white copy papers are folded in half & then cut 5.5"sq.  I cut the outer edge last so that the papers aligned. This pic shows the inside of the first folder & its paper sheets along with a magnet to mark a place to come back to or where an idea needs to be finished.

The folded magnet

Another magnet holds some cheesy snacks pics & menu

Another magnetised clip hold more menus & the opposite strip holds tags.

On the left is the back of the first folder with space for pics, ideas, pages from a catalog or recipes.  On the right is the front of the second  black folder.  The folders hold the note paper - I used rubber bands but you could use crystal stretchy cord for jewelry or a very thin elastic cord.  You can see the rubber band down the middle.

Inside the second folder - the left side is a clip holding paper for quick notes, a 'to do' list or a shopping list.  The right side shows the inserts of the 2nd folder.

The inside back of the second folder has a large pocket with a clip

On the left is the back of the 2nd folder with a strip for a pocket.

The right shows the front of the 3rd folder

Inside the 3rd folder - note clip & papers  & paper insert.  A little bit of fussy cutting of one of the ephemera & some tags.

The inside back of this folder with another pocket & more note papers in the clip

The back of the 3rd folder with another pocket.  Inside the back cover is kept simple

The back cover & spine with some deco on the spine.

You could add a closure to this book or a band to keep everything inside.

The idea for this planner came from a YouTube video of one of my favourite paper artists - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj3BJAd9Dak

Hers was full of fussy cutting & very fancy & not simple but a great idea - she made file folders with tabs.

You could easily make a mini planner using any kind of paper.  It would also lend itself to being full of notes from guests at a special party with pics from the party, a menu, guest list...  a baby shower, wedding shower, 21st birthday - lots of occasions.

Please visit the Christmas shop for lots of ideas, papers, embellishments etc at:

The Christmas Shop