Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Think Outside the Scrapbook

The great part about having my craft studio unpacked and organized again is that I can see what all I have. And believe me, after being in the papercrafting industry for over 15 years, I have more than I can probably ever use in my scrapbooks! That's why, when decorating for holidays around my house, I always turn to my scrapbook supplies first. There is a gold mine of great, seasonal goodies just waiting to be used and enjoyed.

For Halloween I wanted to send a little goodie-bag to my daughter who lives out of state. Nothing fancy, just a little sweet surprise to make her feel less far away. So I repurposed a gift box I'd been saving, added some raffia and a die cut (that has long since been discontinued). I hadn't found a use for it on my scrapbook page, but once I saw it in the drawer I knew it would make the perfect tag! I simply cut it in two pieces, punched a hole in the "new" piece and created a quick, cute gift tag. Total original cost .75, being able to use things I already owned...priceless!

Since I've never been one to decorate much for Halloween, I go right into fall/Thanksgiving decorating mode. I love the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon in the air and leaves and gourds everywhere around my home.

This year I decided to add a little flair to the photographs sitting on the bar next to the dining room table. To one, I added a simple little fall die cut on the outside of the glass, while the other I replaced the white mat around the photo with fall scrapbook paper. In a matter of seconds it looks as if I bought all new frames!

Then I took advantage of two FREE photo printing offers (Walgreen's 8x10 collage print and Walmart's 5x7 photo cards - after tax, total cost = .13!) I cut out the small collage pictures and placed them around one of my favorite decor items....a circular card/note holder. With the addition of a few quote die cuts in fall colors, it is now a Thanksgiving photo wreath! The only new purchase made for the entire bar top area, were the two candles.

enjoy bringing the colors of fall into your home!
-dw.

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