Handmade Holidays Blog Hop 2012

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Handmade Holidays Blog Hop!!!

Calling all crafters! We’ve gathered designers from some of our favorite manufacturers to show you ways to create something from the heart this holiday season. This 3 day Hop includes over 60 stops with inspiration brimming from every corner. Explore all of the thoughtful and frugal handmade gifts you could create for the holidays, all in one place, during our second annual Handmade Holidays Blog Hop!

If you are following along the 2012 Handmade Holiday Hop, you should have come from Jennifer Priest. If you want to start from the beginning, begin at Clearsnap. 

The Details:

To sweeten the Hop, we’re offering a gift for you! For every comment you leave on the blogs in the Hop, you’ll be entered to win a prize pack from one of the participating manufacturer sponsors! Authentique is giving away four 6x6 pads of their latest collections: Festive, Peaceful, Original and Lovely!

Visit the list of blogs below and leave a comment on each by Nov 27, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST. Each day we will be sharing a brand new list of blogs with brand new projects for you to explore, be inspired by, and create from!

The Blog List:

Clearsnap – http://clearsnap.blogspot.com

Hampton Art - http://blog.hamptonart.com

Graphic45 – http://g45papers.typepad.com

Fiskateers - www.fiskateers.com/blog

Donna Salazar Designs – http://donnasalazar.typepad.com

Tombow USA – http://blog.tombowusa.com

Authentique Paper http://authentiquepaper.blogspot.com

The Twinery - http://www.thetwineryblog.com/

Eileen Hull for Sizzix - http://eileenhull.blogspot.com/

Globecraft Memories – http://globecraftmemories.blogspot.com

Kristin Wilson – Graphic 45 - http://www.kristinwilsonhandmade.com

Jennie Garcia - Tombow - http://earthyscrap.blogspot.com

Gini Williams Cagle - Hampton Art - http://ginicagle.blogspot.com

Sabrina Alery – Clearsnap – http://Sabrinaalery.blogspot.com

DeeDee Catron - Globecraft Memories - http://umwowstudio.blogspot.com

Michelle Grant – Donna Salazar Designs - http://michellejbg.blogspot.com

Emily Lanham – Authentique Paper - http://www.createserendipity.net

Emma Jeffery – Fiskateers - http://hellobeautifulblog.blogspot.com

Natalie Clause – The Twinery - http://www.southernbellescharm.com

Alberto L Juarez – Graphic 45 http://vintageodyssey.blogspot.com

Vivian Keh - Hampton Art - http://contadinak.wordpress.com/tag/vivian-keh

Jennifer Priest – Clearsnap – http://hydrangeahippo.blogspot.com

You are HERE ---->Heather Conklin – Authentique Paper - http://goldiecar.blogspot.com

The Project:

For this year's Handmade Holidays Blog Hop, I made a "Year in Authentique". Every year I make scrapbook calendars for my mother, mother-in-law and both grandmas. I normally make them out of whatever random papers I have in my stash. This year I decided to make an Authentique specific calendar using a different line for each month. For each of the twelve months, I chose a collection that would make sense for the entire month. I loved revisiting older lines and playing with them again, as well as breaking into the newest line (Lovely) for the first time.

Here is each month in chronological order. After the calendar, I will give you some tips and tricks on making your own calendar, as well as show you my process.

January- "Peaceful"

February- "Lovely"

March- "Carefee"

April- "Delightful"

May- "Splendid"

 

June- "Celebrate"

July- "Glory"

August- "Lively"

September- "Curiosity"

October- "Gathering"

November- "Thankful"

December- "Festive" 

While it looks daunting, 12 layouts is actually quite easy when you use a collection of papers as nice as those from Authentique. Everything coordinates, so putting each layout together is a breeze. There are a few things that I have realized from my many incarnations of calendar making (I think this is year 4 or 5).

1. Use sketches. Find a good sketch artist and modify their sketches to suit what you may use for pictures. For each of these, I used sketches from ScrapbookSteal's Mid-Week Mojo's, all created by Kristy Lee, the former Mojo Mama. She's pretty fantastic.

2. Don't have photos in mind. It's backwards, I know. But if you are making mulitiple calendars, it just goes quicker. 

3. Make mats for each photo. Since I didn't put photos onto each layout yet, the photo mats create a sense of where photos will go, and will display them nicely.

4. Create interest with die-cuts. I love my Silhouette and used it extensively throughout the process. But paper punches such as those from Fiskars will work just as well! (Or better yet, cardstock stickers like those from Authentique!) Shaped paper also works well in this case.

5. Minimize dimension. Thicker layouts are great, but when there are twelve of them, and you have to write on the backs, it just doesn't work. I did use some dimensional adhesive in places, but used it sparingly. 

6. Add flat interest with inking (I used Imagine Crafts' Memento inks, Distress Ink and Clearsnap's Colorbox Chalk Inks throughout this project), pens (Signo white gel) and fabric tape or washi (Love My Tapes).

7. Get a pre-made calendar base, or create your own using quality cardstock. I used the Kraft Core Nostalgic collection by Core'dinations. This way, I was able to use a color for the month page, and the kraft backing to write on. I chose all of my colors to match collections, and then ordered them by month.

8. If you want to bind your work, you don't have to have a binding system. I make a ton of mini albums, so having a Bind-it-All makes sense for me. If you don't want to invest in a binding system, take your cardstock to a store like Office Depot. For just a few dollars, they can bind your project for you. I suggest doing this BEFORE you create your pages so that the cardstock will lie flat.

9. Use the manufacturer's information part of the cardstock to bind. When you want to put your layouts into your scrapbook, you won't have holes in the layout. Make sure that the paper isn't perforated though. That never goes well.  

   

I hope that this inspires you to make your own presents this year. Especially those that will last all year. Cheers to creating gifts from the heart this holiday season! Since you are at the last stop on the Handmade Holidays Blog Hop, I will wish you a happy season. Make sure that you check out Clearsnap's blog tomorrow for more fun!

Happy Hopping!