Christmas (cupcake) tradition, PLUS a bonus sketch!!

Lots of good stuff for you today on the AllyScraps blog. First of all, Michelle Lanning is back, with this adorable layout titled "a cupcake tradition"! Isn't this cute? I just love the way she used the border punch, and the fun layering of papers. Super cute title too!






Michelle used this beautiful patterned paper for her layout. Melissa Frances Home for the Holidays mini paper pad. Love all the great details. Check out Michelle's blog for even more Christmasy inspiration.

Here is a November BONUS sketch just for you from our friend Debbie Gaydos. Hope you'll have a little scrappy time this weekend, and put it to good use. Thanks Debbie.



Oh, and speaking of sketches... tune in this weekend, when we'll announce the winner of our November sketch contest. Lots of awesome entries to choose from, can't wait to show your the winner.

Best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving from AllyScraps to you. ~ Dana

Wrap it up!

First, let me say that if I got a gift wrapped up like this... I couldn't bear to open it. (Heaven forbid I tear the wrappings!!!) Roree Rumph has done it again, with this beautiful gift bag and gift box combination. A perfect way to give a very special gift, with very special wrappings!!




Bow
1. Cut eleven 4 x 3/4" strips from the pink polka dot patterned paper. Distress the edges with a file.
2. With one of the strips, hold the each end of the strip with thumb and forefinger with the striped side facing towards you. Bend the strip down and toward you, keeping the ends stripe side up. Adhere the ends of the paper strip together. Make nine more of these looped paper strips. For the last strip, make a circular loop, and adhere the ends together.
3. On a 1 1/2" square scrap piece of paper, adhere five of the looped paper strips in a star-shaped pattern. Adhere the next five looped strips in a star-shaped pattern offsetting them just a bit from the bottom layer. Lastly, adhere circle strip to the center of the bow to finish.



Gift Bag (bag size: 5 1/4" (9" with handles) x 4" x 2", purchased at Target)
1. Cut the blue polka dot patterned paper to 3 x 3 1/2" and the stripe patterned paper to 1 3/4 x 3 1/2". Adhere the panels to the Kraft bag.
2. Cut out a 1 1/4 x 3 1/2" peppermint candy strip from the border strips patterned paper. Attach a white brad to the center of each peppermint candy, and adhere the paper strip to the bag where the two previous panels meet.
3. Cut two 3 1/2" long strips from the scalloped border sticker, and adhere the stickers to the top and bottom of the blue polka dot patterned paper panel.
4. Apply the rub-on sentiment, letter stickers, and threaded button for the greeting.
5. Attach the finished chipboard mitten tag to the gift bag.
6. After adding the gift and crinkle shreds/tissue paper to the bag, tie a bow to hold the bag handles together with green ribbon.





Gift Box (box size: 2 1/2" square, made using Cricut Expression and Tags, Bags, Boxes and More cartridge)
1. Cut six 2 1/4" square panels from the blue polka dot patterned paper. Distress the edges with a file, and adhere the panels to each side of the Kraft box.
2. Adhere the pink polka dot bow to the top of the box. Hang the Santa's Hat tag from the top of the box.




Mitten Tag
1. Cover the mitten chipboard with multi-color patterned paper for the mitten and graph patterned paper for the cuff. Distress the edges with a file.
2. Attach the cardstock label sticker to the chipboard mitten.
3. Cut out a snowflake from the snowflake patterned paper. Attach the snowflake to the mitten chipboard with a white brad.
4. Punch a hole at the corner with a hole punch to thread with baker's twine.

Santa's Hat Tag
1. Cover the Santa's hat chipboard with peppermint candy patterned paper for the hat and graph patterned paper for the brim and ball. Distress the edges with a file.
2. Attach the cardstock label sticker to the hat's brim.
3. Cut out a holly leaves from the holly garland patterned paper. Adhere the leaves to the chipboard, and attach red brad of varying sizes to the hat for the holly berries.
4. Punch a hole at the top with a hole punch to thread with baker's twine.

Supplies
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Snowman
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Garland
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Bright Stripes
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Wrapping Paper
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Borders
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Journaling Cards
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Element Stickers
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Alpha Stickers
October Afternoon Fly A Kite Collection, Lemonade
Maya Road, Chipboard Keychain, Christmas Shapes
Maya Road Scallop Dot Ribbon, Green
Melissa Frances Home For The Holidays Collection Christmas Traditions Transfers
Jillibean Collection Bakers Twine, Red/Brown
Other supplies
Gift bag, Kraft cardstock, green button, red thread, white and red brads

Aren't Roree's instructions the BEST!! I know I could make these with such clear and easy to follow directions. :) Thanks Roree.

Hey, how about a little prize for our lovely blog followers. We really appreciate your comments and we'd like to show you a little love back. Our latest winner is Char!! We can't wait to send you a little scrappy prize! So, send your contact information to allyscraps@gmail.com and we get a little treat in the mail to you.

Thanks for stopping by, another beautiful layout from Michelle Lanning coming up soon. Dana

November sketch contest reminder!

I almost forgot about the sketch contest for November!! It's so busy here, it's easy to let the date slip by you, so here is your official November sketch reminder. :) Here is the sketch.



Here are the awesome prizes.





And, here are the rules!

As usual, there are just a few rules for our sketch contest. Make a layout using Debbie's awesome sketch as inspiration. You can flip it, turn it, mirror image it... just use the sketch to inspire your layout. Finish your project and e-mail the image (less than 500 kb please)to us by Sunday, November 21st at midnight Eastern time. We will choose a winner soon after. Send it to allyscraps@gmail.com. Have fun and good luck.

~ Dana

A big AllyScraps welcome to Michelle Lanning!

We are SO pleased to welcome Michelle Lanning to our AllyScraps family of guest designers. We've been eyeing her gorgeous layouts for quite a while, and are so happy that she agreed to join us! Here is Michelle....



Hello there! My name is Michelle Lanning and I am so excited to be here guesting at Ally Scraps! I am a full time mom, teacher and have been lucky enough to call scrapbooking one of my hobby-turned job. I love taking photographs and getting those memories down on pretty paper and scrapbooking them! Really what better way to share stories than through the art of scrapbooking? I love it! I am so excited to spend the month sharing and creating here at Ally Scraps. Thanks so much for this opportunity.



I told you all that we were celebrating all scrapbooking that is Christmasy this month, and Michelle's layout is no exception. Love these fun pictures, super paper choices and beautiful design. (And WOW, that is one good Santa. :)) Take a look at all of the details.





Supplies
Echo Park Merry Christmas Collection
Jolly Stripe, Christmas Carol, Border Strips, Home for the Holidays, Element Stickers

Thanks so much Michelle! I'm lucky enough to already have Michelle's next blog project, and boy is it pretty, can't wait for you to see it!! See you soon, Dana

PS Keep those comments coming! I'll choose a winner this week from those who comment for a fun scrappy prize!

Magic of the Season

Hey, guess who's back this month at AllyScraps?? It's Roree Rumph, and boy are we excited. She's promised tons of Christmasy inspiration,and since we're focusing on Christmas this month, it's perfect timing! :)




Roree's created two sweet and festive cards to share with us this weed.




Happiness and Joy
1. Make a 3 3/4 x 5 1/4" card from off-white cardstock.
2. Cut the graph patterned paper to 2 3/4 x 5 1/4". Distress the edges with a file, and adhere the panel to the top of the card.
3. Cut the blue patterned paper to 1 x 5 1/4". Distress the edges with a file, and adhere the panel to the bottom of the card.
4. Cut a 1/2 x 5 1/4" strip from the green patterned paper, and use decorative scissors to scallop one edge. Distress the edges with a file, and adhere the strip where the graph patterned paper panel and blue patterned paper panel meet.
5. Cut a tree branch shape from a 1 1/2 x 4 1/2" panel of brown cardstock. Adhere the shape to the card, leaving the center where the ornaments will hang adhesive-free. Adhere the bird sticker just above the tree branch shape.
6. Adhere some baker's twine to the back of the ornament stickers, adhere the stickers in place, thread the twine under the tree branch shape, and tie bows for each. Trim the ends.
7. Apply the rub-on sentiment to the bottom right corner of the graph patterned paper panel.
8. Cut out 4 snowflakes fro the blue snowflake patterned paper. Cut one of the snowflakes in half. Distress the edges with a file, and adhere the snowflakes to the card.




Magic of the Season
1. Make a 5 1/4 x 3 3/4" card from off-white cardstock.
2. Cut the multi-dot patterned paper to 3/4 x 3 3/4". Distress the edges with a file, and adhere the panel to the top of the card.
3. Cut the blue patterned paper to 3 x 3 3/4". Distress the edges with a file, and adhere the panel just below the multi-dot paper panel.
4. Cut two panels from the graph patterned paper: one at 2 1/2 x 3 3/4" and one at 1 3/4 x 3 3/4". Cut a wavy edge along the top of both panels, distress the edges with a file, and layer and adhere the panels to the bottom of the card.
5. Cut two 1/2 x 3 3/4" strips from the green patterned paper, and use decorative scissors to scallop one edge of each. Distress the edges with a file, and adhere the strips along the top of the blue patterned paper panel and along the bottom edge of the card.
6. Apply the rub-on sentiment to the top corner of the blue patterned paper panel.
7. Attach brown brads to the snowman cardstock stickers, and layer and adhere the snowmen to the card, tucking the them just under the edge of the top graph patterned paper panel.
8. Cut out 3 snowflakes fro the blue snowflake patterned paper. Distress the edges with a file, and adhere the snowflakes to the card.



Supplies
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Snowman
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Christmas Bells
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Wrapping Paper
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Borders
Echo Park Paper Everybody Loves Christmas Collection, Element Stickers
October Afternoon Fly A Kite Collection, Lemonade
Melissa Frances Home For The Holidays Collection, Christmas Traditions Transfers
Jillibean Collection, Bakers Twine, Red/Brown

I guess this means that it's time to start making some Christmas cards!! Thanks Roree, can't wait to see your next project. Dana

PS There is some great new stuff in the store. Pink Paislee, Webster's Pages and WeRMemory Keepers! Cute.