Jenifer's Christmas Spirit Post



This weeks topic is
The Christmas Spirit

and what it means to you.

I would definitely have to say as most of us would that Christmas is much different as an adult than it was a child for sure. Now instead of spending the whole month of December in a euphoric trance waiting for Santa and wondering what will be in sack for you, you spend the whole month of December trying create this same  feeling you experienced as a child for your own children. We go through great lengths to keep the integrity of Santa, Elves, his Reindeer and the whole myth alive for our children. But I cannot say I mind at all I love watching how happy it makes them and seeing my own face in theirs as that joyful much anticipated day draws closer.

We start our Christmas traditions the weekend before Thanksgiving actually. We like to transform the house into Santa land, lol. This is a huge job, lol I think it took us 8 hours this year, lol. We pack away everything in the living room and dinning room and put  out our many Holiday items instead. We even put up 2 trees. The one in the dinning room is reserved to look more elegant and the one in the living room is for all of our modge podge of ornaments we've collected over the years along with all the treasured items the kids have made us over the years in school. We leave the tree in the living room empty with only lights on it and on Thanksgiving day when the whole family is here, we let the kids decorate it.  The kids really enjoy this and the grandparents really appreciate being a part of the kids holiday traditions as they don't get to do this with own children anymore. The kids love all their pretty holiday things out for the month. I love to walk into the living room and see one of them fiddling some of the decor. Never fails whether it be a snow globe they are shaking vigorously or changing the numbers on the how many days til Christmas countdowns we have.

On Christmas Eve the kids and I spend the day cooking and baking away, we make platters and platters of holiday cookies. Oh I can just smell gingerbread men just talking about it. Anyway we put the cookies and milk out for Santa as most people do and the kids wake up the next morning and usually find Santa's ball off the end of his hat lying near the platter of cookies....lol. We always try to think of little details like that to keep the spirit alive.

I hope one day they will have the opportunity to make these kind of memories with their own children and pass down stories of their own favorite holidays and traditions from when they were small. It's not about material things or how many gifts you get but about the lasting memories you make.

This is my take on this week's challenge. It's a layout of me stringing lights on the tree.

I used Riddersholm's I Believe and The Day Before Collections for this page. I misted the doily behind the photo and cut out the center. The sentiment is from Bo Bunny's Father Christmas collection and the flowers are Prima. I used some filler I found from my local craft store, in the holiday section behind the flowers to make them look more dramatic. The cherub is actually just a cheapie Christmas decoration that I was dying to add on a page, lol and this one happened to be perfect!

Don't forget to link your take on this weeks challenge for your opportunity to win Sarinda's handmade necklace she so generously donated as this week's RAK!

Christmas Spirit Challenge by Nanette

Christmas is being together with family and friends and to enjoy yourself. This is not always easy because there is always a lot of pressure. There should be great food and great company and no sad faces.....
This layout shows that we really have fun at Christmas time.

This layout is made with a photo I took a few years ago of my hubby, eldest daughter and my mum. They were doing silly with the reindeer hats. I copied the photo once in a seperate layoer and converted the photo to black and white. Then I erased the reindeer parts again on the top layer (the black and white one), so that the red emerged again on the photo. That's all. I used photoshop elements for this trick.

I used green and christmas test paper of We R Memorykeepers (Merry and bright Scrapbooking Pad), Websters Pages Vellum & Diecut kit sheet and a journalling card from Webster's 'Waiting for Santa', Joycraft Diecut Design Paper Christmas, Maya road snowflake, smooth ink red and silver, Websterers Plorettes Princess Petals, glitter flowers from my local store, Glitz Red Pompons.

Thanks for stopping by!
And don't forget to enter our challenge in order to win the great RAK!!!!

Christmas Spirit Challenge.

Welcome to our new challenge for this December month: 

Christmas Spirit Challenge

What does Christmas mean to you? Do you like to shop for the perfect gift, do you study weeks to make perfect Christmas food, is it about gathering with your friends or family or is it the spiritual side of Christmas? Scrap it and share it with our on Scrap Yourself.

This challenge will run for 3 weeks. The best entry will win a fabulous prize, sponsored by our own DT member Sarinda. 


Wear glass jewelry to make a statement at a party, or for a quiet evening of elegant dining. Pendants are kiln formed glass, fired in a kiln, hand beveled and polished on a 16" ball chain. Each piece is one of a kind.

The winner will get both pendants! One for you and one to give. 

The true Christmas Spirit

This pendant is handmade by Sarinda. She is a glas artist. This pendant is great on a necklace, but you could also use it on a scrapbook project! The choice is yours.

If you want to see more of here great work, check out Reflective Art Studio.


We will show you our 'Christmas Spirit' layouts the next few days. So please return for  more inspiration! Enter your creations by using Mr Linky on the right.


Happy Scrapping!!!

Kim layout

How would I change the world?

Hey guys sorry I'm so late posting.

This was a very difficult topic for me. I say that because I feel so passionately about a lot of things I would like to change in the world. There is the homeless problem, good affordable healthcare, pay for school teachers.....my list goes on and on.

All that said, my answer to How would I change the world? By making it more beautiful. Here is my layout expressing that. It is full of florals, flourishes, butterflies and soft colors. I think there is great beauty all around us, we just need to really just open our eyes and look for it.

As for my layout, here is what the journaling says:

If I could change the world.

What would I do if I could change the world? There are a lot
of things in the world that I think need changing, but one of the
things I would do is make the world more beautiful.

Yes, there are other things, which in the grand scheme of life
that may seem more important. However, think about how you feel when you
are surrounded by the beauty of nature.

It would be my hopes that in making the world more beautiful, the
good feelings would permeate all through mankind. It may sound kind of
simple, but I think it would be hard to be unkind to one another when surrounded
by Great Beauty.

For my layout I used paper from Pink Paislee and G45
Flowers by Kaisercraft and Prima
Wooden butterfly by Kaisercraft
Flourish by Zva
Chicken wire by Dusty attic

Thanks for looking. Remember the challenge goes through next week. Let's see how you would change the world.

Kim

New Challenge: So Thankful

Can you believe that another week has come and gone already. Time flies this time of the year. So busy with the holidays coming!
But there is always some time for scrapbooking!!! Therefore a new challenge.

SO THANKFUL

Our DT-team will post an example layout every day this week to give you some inspiration.

But off course, we would like to see your work too!!!!
This challenge will run until next sunday, November 27.

The winner will be awarded with our new Scrap Challenge Award.
You can enter your layout on the Mr. Linky on the right.
Can't waite so see your entries!

Positiv Self-Talk by Nanette

When I thought about this post I had to think hard. Most of the time I'm not positiv at all about myself. I could make a list about myself that I don't like at all in no time. But positiv stuff.....I really had to think that one through.
One thing that came up again and again was about being a 'home maker'. I love improving the house and making it nice and cosy so that there is a true home for our family to come home to. It could be painting for days or just baking some cupcakes. This make me feel at home, but also for my kids, hubby and family or friends that come over at our place.


So my positiv self-talk is:

I'm a good 'Home Maker'

This layout shows an example of me and my eldest daughter working together on a new painting on the wall of her bedroom. I don't say that my painting skills are great, but the feeling it gave making it together was great!
This digi layout was made with the digital kit 'The Dwelling Place' from Everyday Moms Ideas. 


Now I can't wait to see your projects!!!! Show them to us using Mr. Linky and win our scrapbook challenge award! You wil find the Mr. Linky HERE

If you want to know more about me, check me out at scrap-4-kids.blogspot.com.


Thanks for stopping by,
Nanette

Obsessed by books : Nanette

The theme of this week is OBSESSION.

I could have choosen scrapbooking. LOL! But that is a bit too obvious isn't it? 

So I decided it was books! I even took a photo especially for this challenge with piles of books.....But then I found this picture of me, made last week in Germany in our camper (mobil home) during our vacation. This photo shows it all. 

How much I do love books. 

Nothing can stop me from reading. Not even a glass of rosé! Or a baby on my lap!

For the interested: It's a book of Hannah Kristen. I just recently found out about her books and I love them ALL!

I used a few things out of my pile of Webster's Pages and added lots of ink and 2 book embellishments (who were in my stash for many years - aha thought so I should never throw anything out!). Still fighting with the bloomers though. They are so big on a layout, so I used some ink on them too, to give them some shading. I added the word 'books' many times too give extra attention to my obsession.


Now it is your turn! Scrap your obsession and show it to us!
Thanks for stopping by,

Womanhood: I will survive by Nanette

Hi, this is my first post at Scrap Yourself. So glad to be here!
This weeks challenge is about womanhood. That was a hard one for me. Never felt like a real woman all my life. When I was young I even wanted to be a boy. I actually looked like a boy and I didn't care about that until I was about 15.
Growing up, going to university, work, marriage, kids. I still wasn't really thinking about being a woman, or life in general. Until that black day 3 years ago in October. I woke up and thought my life was over. I thought I was dying, having a heart attack and it was time to say goodbye. It turned out my heart was fine, but for the next months I hardly could get out of my bed, walk, talk, breath. I was burned out, had chronical hyperventilation and even panic attacks. It took me two years to get back on my feet again and to look back. I found out I lived the life I was supposed to live, as many women do.
I took care of everyone and everything and that I had just done to much before something snapped.....now I'm back. I realised that I'm a person, a woman, someone who should take better care of herself! I started to start with atletics, something I loved doing when I was younger, became a coach too, bought myself a dog to take long walks to enjoy the outdoors, and cut back the work (and the money and found out that I dind't even care!). And as my health improved I got the ultimate present to celebrate womanhood. I got pregnant of my third child!


The layout that I made shows me with my dog in the period I was still ver tired. Should print this blogpost on it as a journal. But somehow it is still to painful to journal it.....