Holiday Blog Hop Stop # 4

Welcome to our Holiday Blog Hop featuring Creative Memories' wonderful new holiday products (and maybe a few old favorites!) If you arrived here from Lisa's page and the other Content Contributors' blogs, aren't the ideas wonderful so far? If you are starting here with mine, be sure and check out all the other blog posts (listed at the bottom with links) because they are INCREDIBLE.

 I just received my shipment of the new papers, slide in packs and stickers and they are absolutely gorgeous - I am already counting the days until my 14th annual Holiday Open House so I can show them off!

Creative Memories' 2015 Holiday Papers, Stickers, Slide-In Pack and the Evergreen Cartridge for the Border Maker System

Nothing highlights beautiful papers like fresh ideas so I have come up with some quick and easy ones to share with you today. I hope you enjoy them and find some inspiration to knock out some pages of your own!

 1.) Split your stickers in half!

Have you ever wanted to fit more pictures on your page but worried that some of your larger embellishments might take up too much room? Have you ever tried splitting them in two? This is a trick I love to use to make easy and fun borders with 12X12 paper.

Select two coordinating sheets of Creative Memories double sided paper or cardstock. Start by cutting one strip slightly wider than another, then adhere one to the other, centered. Layer some of your stickers down the middle.

 Using a straight cut, slice the border in half.

Adhere these two new borders to the edges of your page and use the rest of your double-sided paper to make mats and journaling strips!

A page layout featuring the "split the sticker' border technique

Maintain the integrity of your larger stickers by splitting them into two borders on a double page spread

 2.) Square Frames

I take a LOT of pictures so simple pages are my thing, combined with a desire to get as many pictures on a page as possible! How would you like to see a two page layout that is beautiful, yet can still accommodate 12 photos? Coming up right up!

You will just need two different sheets of 12X12 double sided paper. Start by using the Shape Maker System with the Square punch (comes with the system)  to punch out four frames. Save the squares and repeat on a different design of  paper.

Using your straight trimmer slice the strips of frames into borders, then adhere each border to the sides of your layout. Arrange your squares in a decorative fashion on your pages, and create mats out of the rest of your paper.

Your frames will not go to waste! You can use the Square cartridge of the shape maker system to punch out faces and decorations from your favorite holiday photos and they will fit right into the squares! In this way, you can actually feature 6 photos on each page of this double sided layout. Isn't that fun?

 3.) A Simple Christmas Tree Using Circles and a Square!

I love our new Evergreen cartridge! The Border Maker System is exciting because Creative Memories keeps coming out with fun new additions to use with it. I also like our Shape Maker System (available under "Warehouse Finds" so get it while you can) because of the large Circle and Square shapes that come with it. I used each on this simple layout to make the trunk and the "branches" of the Christmas tree, and I topped it off with a large start using our Star Place 'n Punch tool (also available under "Warehouse Finds".)  Using our Shades of Red cardstock and black ABC letters I was able to beautifully record the night the entire family went to the ballet last year. A fun, easy page that is easy to recreate with the right tools.

Use the Evergreen cartridge with the Creative Memories Border Maker System and the Circle and Square cartridges with the Shape Maker System to make this fun and easy page

I hope you have enjoyed these ideas and that you will be able to use them easily incorporate them into your pages! The next stop on this blog hop is Sarah Fitzgerald with some wonderful holiday page layouts. If you started here on CelebratingYourBeautifulLife but you would like to see all of the CM Content Contributors' ideas, here is the full list of blogs (and as always don't forget to check out the CM Blog for fabulous ideas - it has been a stellar week for them!)

Have fun, happy holidays and keep scrappin'! Fran

Stop #1  Diana Brinsley's Memory Keeping Blog

Stop #2 Stefani Jones at CropwithStef
Stop #3 Lisa Graham at Lisa's Workshop
Stop #4 Fran Smitherman at Celebratingyourbeautifullife - you are here!
Stop #5 Sarah Fitzgerald at Click Write Share
Stop #6 Candace Bouldin at Scrappin'Jpegs
Stop #7 Julie Tambrini at Julie's Creative Memories Blog