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Friday, December 27, 2013

December Daily Days 20 - 23 by Tonya Gibbs

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Hi everyone I hope you guys had an amazing Christmas.  Today is my Birthday and my hubby swept me away to the Smoky Mountains around 4 p.m. on Christmas Day.  So my post this week will be a bit light.   I only have days 20 - 23 to share.  I will post 24 - 27 early next week when I return. In addition to the Photo shares I've also prepared a few prompts for you on days when you need a little inspiration. 


Day 20
 
Cooper hung out with me that day while his Mom & Dad were out of town, and he made this card for his momma.  So sweet! 
 
 
 
 
Day 21
Prompt:  Highlight a favorite recipe that you prepare during the holidays. 

 
The journaling for this page was done on the back of the recipe card.
 
 
Day 22
Prompt 2:  Just journal!   I did nothing on day 22 nothing zip nada.  I barely got out of  bed.  I was so tired from having Cooper, Bella, and Trey over that I decided to use a photo from the day before and just journal about the day!

 
Day 23
Prompt 3:  Do Selfies on shopping excursions.  


Brittany and I went shopping on the 23 to finish up our holiday shopping.  Then later that evening we got this cute little puppy.  She hasn't been named yet, but I thought she deserved a page all to herself!

 
 
Here is a video walk through of the pages.

 
  If you are just starting to follow us on this journey, you can catch up with the other days by clicking the links below:



Thank you guys for stopping in today.  I hope you had a fantastic Christmas and I will be back with days 24 - 27  on Tuesday! 


Merry Christmas,

Tonya Gibbs
http://www.psychomomscrapbooks.blogspot.com


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Saturday, December 21, 2013

Stocking Gift Card Holder by Tonya Gibbs

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Hi everyone, just a few more days until Christmas, and time for me to start my wrapping.   Today, I  wanted to share with you a little gift card holder I made using Marion Smith's Nirvana and Mad Tea Party collection.
 
 
For the stocking I used the Bliss page from the Nirvana Collection.
 
 
Then I used the Tim Holtz Poinsettia die and cut the b-side of the Alice Paper to make the flower.  I have a tutorial on my YouTube channel that shows how to make the flower.
 
 

 
 
 I used the Typograph stamp to personalize the gift tag.  

 
 
 
The flower actually holds the flap down when the stocking is closed.
 
 
I love how elegant this gift card holder looks.  I think it would also be super cute for a baby shower.   The stocking shape is a cut file in the Silhouette store by Lori Whitlock
 
 
Thanks for stopping in today.  I hope you guys have a super awesome Christmas and a Happy New Year! 
 
Tonya Gibbs
 
 

 



 

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Friday, December 20, 2013

December Daily Days 13 - 19 by Tonya Gibbs

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I'm back with updates on my December Daily.   I have prepared days 13 -19 for you guys for today's post.  In addition to the Photo shares I've also prepared a few prompts for you on days when you need a little inspiration. 

Day 13:

Prompt 1:  Use store decorations as inspiration for page embellishments. 



I wanted to leave this page background white so it wouldn't compete with the dramatic photo.  But the page was very blank on the right margin.   I was in Target doing some Christmas Shopping and noticed their entry way decoration was a HUGE display of different sized balls in a "swag" so I decided to duplicate that look with circle punches. For a little sparkle, I scattered sequins in different sizes.

Day 14
Prompt 2: Use past photos to tell your store for the day.  




My Friend and I went on a road trip to the My Favorite Things Store for their Christmas celebration.  I had forgotten to take a photo of the two of us so I  used photos that I had taken earlier in the year.  I think this is fine, as long as they don't "change" the story of the day.


Day  15
Prompt 3: Use your scraps - even if they don't have a "Holiday" theme.

 


I used the Nirvana "Family" title that was sitting on my desk.  I also used scraps from other pages in this book to create the background of this page.  The tape in the right margin was Holiday package tape from Target.


Day 16



The look on his face was so precious that I wanted it to be the only thing on the page!

Day 17  & Day 18
Prompt 4:  Slow day,  use library pockets that are beautifully decorations, and just journal on tags inside the pocket.
Prompt 5:  Document the Weather  if you have nothing else to "say" about the day!   We often forget to document this detail.

 

  


Not much of a story to tell, so I used library pocket and placed my content on tags and tucked them into the pocket. 


Day 19:

Prompt 6:  Use a Christmas card that you have received and document what that person means to you. 




Here is a video walk through of these days. 



Can't believe this month is almost over.  Next week is going to be "crazy" busy so I may have a "late" post to share with you guys or an "on location" post.

It isn't too late to jump in on the fun.  If you are just starting to follow us on this journey, you can catch up with the other days by clicking the links below:
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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

December Daily Days 10 - 12 by Tonya Gibbs

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Hi you guys just wanted to give you an update on my December Daily.   I have prepared days 10 -12 for you guys as promised.  I will be back on Friday with the rest of the days. 

In my video for Day 6 I indicated that I wasn't happy with the way the lettering turned out on the Christmas Tree transparency.  So I modified it slightly.  Here is an updated picture.


I used Prima small canvas letters instead with my new Wink of Stella Clear glitter pen from Zig.  I really think this looks cleaner than the handwritten title.

I had a few extra scraps on my desk so I decided to use a Jenny Bowlin punch to add to the pearl trim. I love how these little banners just added a little life to the accent. Small things can make a big difference. 

Day 10:
Prompt today:
  Use your phone apps to make your photos more interesting.


We took a trip to Disney World and most of the day was spent at work in the morning, then a road trip that afternoon.  So there really wasn't much to tell.  I decided to use one of the Journaling cards from the kit, and share a photo of a snowman ornament that I found at Downtown Disney. I also purchased the Rhonna Designs App for the Droid that day, so I played a little with the Snowman image in that app.  Oh btw - best photo editor app EVER!

 

Day 11
Prompt:  For days with extra photos make pocket pages, and fold outs.

 
 
Today, we went to the Magic Kingdom (LOVE me some Magic Kingdom)  Our trips are not all out races to get to rides, instead we float around and pay attention to the "details"  this page.  I wanted to document more than one photo, but I wanted the photos to be larger.  So I used two sheets of the patterned papers, and made a fold up.  On my card stock I used a Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Ornate On the Edge Die to create a pocket for additional photos.
 
Day 12:
Prompt:  Collect memorabilia or print facts from the Internet about interesting vacation sites.
 
 
This is a 16 foot Gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa at Walt Disney World.  AMAZING artistry and details galore.   I grabbed a brochure and used it to document some of the facts from this amazing structure. 

 
Here is a video walk through of these pages...

 

Well, I'm half way through the month, and I'm really enjoying this project. It is a lot of work, but I think it will be worth  the time investment.  It isn't too late to jump in on the fun.   If you are just starting to follow us on this journey, you can catch up with the other days by clicking the links below:
Don't forget to share your December Journey with me on Facebook.  Please make sure you tag me in the post.
 
 
Thanks for stopping in today.
 
Tonya Gibbs
 
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Friday, December 13, 2013

December Daily Days 6-9 by Tonya Gibbs

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Our December Daily journey continues today with Days 6 - 9. (I was on vacation and didn't have time to create the pages for days 10 -12, so I will post them during the weekend!)  I'm using 25th and Pine from Basic Grey as my paper collection.

Each week I plan to share with you my progress. Hopefully this will encourage you to work along with me, and give you some ideas for your own journals.  I'm documenting my journey, here, and on YouTube.  For your convenience I've created a Play list on YouTube with tutorials and project shares  that may help kick start your own Daily Journals. 

I'm also including a few prompts below that will help you on days that stump you.

Day 6
I had several stories to tell on Day 6, from picking out my tree, to decorating, and  then the finished tree.   I decided this day needed to expand several pages.

Prompt 1. Use photo sleeves.   Use photo sleeves to add extra pages to your book. Photo sleeves are also a perfect way to tell that day's story without a lot of  overwhelming decorating so keep them in mind if you want to expand on the day, or keep the day simple. 


 
I started with the library pocket that we created in the December Ustream.   My journaling for all of the pages are on the tag that is inserted into the pocket.   On the back is the photo of  Kelly the Garden center manager at Ace Hardware where I buy my tree.  For the past 25 years Kelly has helped me find the perfect tree.  

 
 
This year I took Brighton with me to help us get the perfect one.   Then later that evening Brittany stuck around to help me decorate.   We were being super silly and I really enjoyed the time we spent together! These two photos were simply put into a photo sleeve.  No fuss!  


And here is the last page for day 6.  The decorated tree!
 
 
  

Day 7

Prompt 2. Collage print several photos on 1 4x6.
Day 7 we went to the Christmas Parade, and I took a lot of photos. I took these photos with my little point and shoot camera. The lighting was low and lots of fast moving objects, the pictures were not the best quality.  So I decided to collage print them onto 1 4x6.  You can use photo apps on your phone to make this simple.  Also online print services have a great options for this too.


 



Day 8
Prompt 3:  Look for interesting decorations when shopping.   My Mom and Dad and I went shopping today, and we found the Snowman Christmas tree in a restaurant.  I thought it was so clever that I wanted to document it as my day 8.  I included one of the small library pockets that we made in a YouTube video and tucked a small tag inside.  I added a clothespin with a snowflake on it for a pull element.


 
Day 9


 
Just started following us on this journey?  You can catch up with the other days by clicking the links below:  
Don't forget to share your December Journey with me on Facebook.  Please make sure you tag me in the post.
 
 
Thanks for stopping in today.
 
Tonya Gibbs
 
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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Curiosities Layout by Tonya Gibbs

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When I first saw Nirvana I knew it was going to be one of my all time favorite collections.  I love the neutral design. This collection is on its way to becoming a CLASSIC in my scrappy world!   Today I'm going to share with you a Christmas layout with some of the scraps from my previous projects.
 
My photo was taken with my phone and ran through an Instagram filter.  Yes, I had just gotten the ap and did this with every photo (haaaaaa).  While the quality of the photo isn't perfect, it is trendy and fun with the high pass faded colors and lens blurs.  I loved how I captured that one moment of curiosity in her face - pure bliss and so precious.  This photo had to be scrapped!
 
curiosities layout using Marion Smith Designs Nirvana and Mad Tea Party Line. Layout designed by Tonya Gibbs.
 
To mimic the softness in the photo, I decided to watercolor my background.  I used Gelatos from Faber Castle Design Memory Craft on white watercolor paper.  For texture I made a ruffle out of crape paper streamers.  The ruffle reminds me of  a tree skirt.  
 
 
    
 
 
For the Christmas tree. I decided to keep the tree simple, and free of ornaments. It was already so full that I didn't want it to compete anymore with my small photo.  The Gold Color Shine gave the sparkle but kept the simplicity.
 
 
To create the tree, I punched scraps of the following  Nirvana designs with the Martha Stewart Medium Branch Punch. 
 
 
 
Most of the tree was punched from the B side of this paper. I love the look of the ledgers when punched.    The Curiosities title on the A side was perfect for my layout title.
 
Both sides of this paper were perfect. 

 
I used the A side of this paper.
 
 
 
 
I started at the top, then formed a triangle overlapping the branches for a dense look. Apply glue only to the base of  the leaf, so that the tips can be elevated.  I made sure all my branches where pointed upward except the ones on the sides, they were tilted to a slight angle.   To give a spruce look, I focused on the brown tones towards the bottom, and the bluish green punched pieces on the top layers.   This variation in color gives depth to your tree.  The text and patterns on the paper give interest. 
 
 
For the stack of presents under the tree I used the Tim Holtz Collection Sizzix Bigz Die - Packages & Bows with scraps of these papers from Marion's Nirvana and Mad Tea Party Lines.
 
 
 


 
 
 
I think this layout is going down as one of my all time favorites.  I love the softness, and sheer elegance of the design.   I know I hit a home run when my teenage boy walked in and said "hey that tree is cool!"  
 
 
Thanks for stopping in today.
 
Tonya A. Gibbs
 
 
 
 
 

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Friday, December 6, 2013

December Daily Days 1 - 5 by Tonya Gibbs

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Our December Daily journey continues today with Days 1 - 5.

Each week I plan to share with you my progress. Hopefully this will encourage you to work along with me, and give you some ideas for your own journals.  I'm documenting my journey, here, and on YouTube.  For your convenience I've created a Playlist on YouTube with tutorials and project shares  that may help kick start your own Daily Journals. 

Honestly, the biggest reason I never seem to finish my DD is because I get too busy, and there are just days when I simply don't have a thing in the world to write about. My life is just not that interesting (LOL).   I can't be alone!  So my solution to the problem is to provide you with a few prompts each week for those uneventful days.

This week's prompts.  

1. Focus on a Community Iconic Decoration.
We often take for granted those houses that go OVER the top decorating, or perhaps a small thing that happens every year that we take for granted.  Like my post on Day 5. 

2.  Highlight a current event.  

This week Nelson Mandela died and it got me thinking that a few years from now, it might be nice to have some "current events" documented in our dailies. Not necessarily bad news, but maybe something that will jar your memory as being significant. 

3.  Document a loved one. 

Focus on someone you rarely feature in your scrapbooking projects.  I often see people documenting their kids and husband, but rarely their own parents, aunts, uncles, or cousins. Take this opportunity to show their influence in your own life.  Like I did in Day 1 & Day 4. 


So here are my daily photos 1 - 5



 
One other thing I wanted to point out.  My Polaroid frames are 3.5 inches square. For some reason my printer was set to "reduce" 80% when printing. Instead of tossing the photos and the ink being wasted I decided to go with it.   I just used pop dots to elevate the photos above the frames.   I encourage you to do the same with mistakes.  Remember to keep this fun, don't agonize over small things.

 
Helpful tip:   Many of my photos were taken with my phone.  An easy way to get them from your phone to your printer is to Email them to yourself!

 
Yes the mess was necessary to document, because the holidays are about ciaos.



 
 
 
Here is a quick video explaining these pages....


 
 
Missed the first post about this on going series?  Check it out here.
YouTube Play List with tutorials and project shares can be found here.

Order a Kit for $29.99 from http://www.flamingoscraps.com
 
 
Don't forget to share your December Journey with me on Facebook.  Please make sure you tag me in the post.
 
 
Thanks for stopping in today.
 
Tonya Gibbs
 
 
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http://www.teresacollinsdesignteam.blogspot.com/2013/10/family-stories-layout-and-video-by.html#comment-form   http://canvascorp.com/2013/03/21/easter-treat-baskets/


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