Special Guest Blogger: Pam Callaghan

Hello, my name is Pam Callaghan. I am so honored to be featured today on the CK blog! I have been scrapbooking for seven years. I currently design for Anna Griffin and Pebbles, Inc, and I do freelance work for GCD Studios.

I also run my own blog called “Ideas for Scrapbookers.” You can find tons of ideas for scrapbooking, including templates, sketches, digital items, tutorials, contests, and so much more. I created many of the templates (which are free!), and you can print them out to use directly on your scrapbook pages. I also have an amazing group of ladies who contribute to my blog.

I have some fun ideas for your holiday projects, so here we go!

"Our Traditions" by Pam Callaghan. Supplies: Cardstock: Anna Griffin and Bazzill Basics Paper; Patterned paper, stickers, and die cuts: Anna Griffin; Cutting tool: Provo Craft; Font: Bangle; Adhesive: Tombow.

I’m sharing two projects with you today about getting inspiration from holiday decor! This first project, “Our Traditions,” features five of my favorite photos from last Christmas. I was inspired by the ornaments on our Christmas tree for this design. I love how ornaments hang from the tree, and I wanted to make it look like my tree page had ornaments hanging from it. To achieve this look, I used the following steps:

Step 1: Below I have included a sketch of the page I created in Adobe Photoshop Elements. Use it as a guide on how to crop your photos and type your text.

Step 2: Print out one large and four small photos to use on the page. You can use a circle cutter such as the Coluzzle from Provo Craft to cut out the circles from your photos.

Step 3: If you want this exact shape in computer text, open the sketch in a program like Adobe Photoshop Elements. Create a new layer and type in your text where I have indicated on the sketch. Delete the sketch layer and print out your new layer of text onto white paper.

Step 4: Add lots of fun holiday embellishments and a title to the page. I used the Hannah Christmas Collection by Anna Griffin.

"Christmas Wall Hanging" by Pam Callaghan. Supplies: Cardstock: Anna Griffin and Bazzill Basics Paper; Patterned paper, stickers, and die cuts: Anna Griffin; Ribbon: May Arts; Adhesive: Tombow.

This second project was made from a template by Heather Landry, who is a contributor for my blog. This shape reminds me of a beautiful cross-stitched wall hanging I saw at a friend’s house when I was young. You can make many neat projects from the template. I made a wall hanging, but you can use it on cards, layouts, and other projects! To create this project, follow these steps:

Step 1: Download the “Christmas Tree” template here. Print and cut out the design.

Step 2: Trace the outline of the template onto patterned paper.

Step 3: Print out 1–3 photos and crop them to fit into the template space. Assemble the photos onto the paper.

Step 4: Embellish as desired with stickers, title, and ribbon.

Step 5: Tape a ribbon to the back of the project so it can be easily hung on the wall.

Free Giveaway

Anna Griffin is giving away the beautiful Hannah Christmas Collection filled with a 12″ x 12″ cardstock pack, a mat pack, a journaling pack, decorative ribbon, felt borders, vellum quotes, and epoxy stickers to one lucky winner (randomly selected). To be in the running for the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this blog post by December 20.

Hannah Christmas Collection from Anna Griffin

I hope you are inspired by the ideas I posted today!

—Pam Callaghan

Free Font Friday

As part of Free Font Friday, check out two sentiment-based dingbat fonts you can use on your holiday cards and tags. You can download both fonts for free here.

Sample sentiments from the CK Card Starters font

Sample sentiments from the CK Card Starters 2 font

For more card ideas, check out the blog of CK’s sister publication, Paper Crafts, and look for their new special issue, Holiday Cards & More, Volume 4.