Welcome to day seven of our 12 Days of Holiday Giving Event! If you’ve ever wondered how our team members create such gorgeous projects over and over again, Anya Lunchenko is going to let you in on a little secret today: breaking projects down into easy steps! Let’s take a look at a frosty layout that Anya created and get her pro-tips! Plus, don’t forget to read all of the way through the post to find out how to win today’s two fantastic prizes!

…………………………………..

Hello scrapbooking friends! It’s Anya here today, and I am so happy to share with you a new winter layout along with some time-saving tips! What could be more valuable during the holidays than time, right? Everyone knows that it’s really hard to find time for scrapbooking at this busy time of year, but I have discovered that if you break your creative process into smaller chunks, a miracle can happen!

Supplies | Cardstock, enamel dots: Carta Bella; Patterned paper, stickers, ephemera: Photoplay Paper Frostival collection

Interesting that our brain can process the same problem totally differently, depending on the approach we take to solve it. Have you ever noticed that if you tell your kids to clean their room, you may need to repeat that a few more times before they actually start cleaning? But, if you tell your child to put his books back on the shelf or pick up the toys, he may actually start doing it right away, because that command was a lot easier to process! 

If I asked you whether you have time to create a layout in December, you would probably say “no”. But what if I asked you if you can find time to add a white border to 2-3 photos? Anyone can do that! It only takes a minute, right? So, here’s your CHALLENGE: do only ONE of these steps at a time:

  1. Pick a few photos from one event and a collection you would like to play with; put them on the table and step aside. No sitting down is required for this step! Your brain will start working on it, while you are doing something else.
  2. Take a sheet of white cardstock, trim a quarter inch on all sides and adhere it to one of the patterned papers from the collection that you chose (tone-on-tone designs work best in this case), to create the base for your layout. Add stitching all around if desired, then step away to do something else!
  3. Next time you are on the road, think about the story you would like to tell with those photos. When you get home, type your journaling and print it on a piece of 8.5” x 11” white cardstock, leaving enough space at the top and bottom. Don’t trim it.

  1. Need to sit down for a minute after work? Pick two more coordinating papers from the collection, trim them into blocks that measure about 10” x 10” when placed together. Adhere them to the center of your layout.
  2. Got a few minutes after the kids go to bed? Take the base of your layout, photos, and printed journaling and play around to find the best place for them on the page. Trim the journaling according to the layout that you chose. Adhere everything down. Add a few stickers, chipboard, or other decorative elements you like. Congratulations, you just finished a new layout!

I hope you will find this tip of breaking down your creative process into several steps helpful during the holiday season and will give this creative process a try sometime soon! I’ve got to go pick another set of photos to put on my table by the paper collection that I would like to play with next!

Thank you for stopping by and come back again soon for more inspiration!

Find more of Anya’s work here: Instagram | Blog | Facebook

………………………………

What great tips from Anya for creating this season, and isn’t that Frostival collection beautiful!? How would you like to win it for yourself from our friends at Photoplay Paper?

It’s time to bust out the mittens and bundle up! Flurries of colors surround our Frostival collection in cool hues of blue and teal, with pops of bright accent colors. Frostival is the perfect collection for all your winter memories!

We also love that Gina K. Designs is joining in on the fun with this amazing giveaway:

Choose your own prize with a $100 gift card from Gina K. Designs. Stock up on your favorite card stock, ink, glue and more, or treat yourself to something new like our high-quality stamps, dies, stencils and blending brushes! Find it all at www.ginakdesigns.com!

To enter to win both of today’s prizes, leave a comment on this post below by December 21st at noon ET. A winner will be selected at random and announced here on the blog on December 22nd!

Follow today’s partner sponsors and at the links below for more ideas, inspiration, and new product announcements!

Photoplay Paper: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube 

Gina K Designs: Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook Group

Missed out on any of our 12 Days of Holiday Giving posts? We’ll add the previous day’s links to the end of each new post! See you tomorrow for more fun and inspiration!

 

Day 01 : 12 Days of Holiday Giving: Kicking Off the Merriment with Susan R. Opel

Day 02 : 12 Days of Holiday Giving: A FREE Cut File + Inspiration from Paige Evans

Day 03 : 12 Days of Holiday Giving: Sweet Treats with Mindy Eggen 

Day 04 : 12 Days of Holiday Giving: Festive Moments in Pockets with Meghann Andrew

Day 05 : 12 Days of Holiday Giving: Merry & Mini with Erica Thompson 

Day 06 : 12 Days of Holiday Giving: Crafting Christmas Cards with Wendy Sue Anderson 

Day 07 : 12 Days of Holiday Giving: Winter Inspiration + Time Saving Tips with Anya Lunchenko <<< you are here!