Hello and welcome to our little Christmas in July blog hop! If you're following along, you've just come from Jen's blog. If you're just dropping in, you can catch the beginning of the hop at Ruth's blog. In either case, I've got lots to show you, so stick around!

Like most people, I take tons of photos in December, especially on Christmas Day. Now that my sons are older, I don't feel as overwhelming a need to scrapbook every. single. one. Still, even paring down leaves me with a dozen or more photos to work with.

I had tons of BoBunny Blitzen papers and embellishments left over from a class I taught last year, so I employed it in creating these layouts:

I found that I still had tons of Christmas morning photos even after I made these layouts, so I switched to pocket pages to store and display the rest of them. I recently bought several sheets of cream-colored notebook paper at Hobby Lobby, and I immediately came home and sliced them all up into 4x6 and 6x4 blocks for creating journaling blocks for just such pages. A few embellishments and some handwriting, and voila!

(front)

 (back)

 (front)

(back)

I hope I've given you some inspiration for getting lots of Christmas photos scrapped, as well as using up any older Christmas stash you might have lying around. And to help get you into the Christmas mood, I'm giving away a couple of little stocking stuffers from my Etsy shop: A yard each of Maraschino and Peapod baker's twine, and a foot each of red polka dot and green gingham ribbon tape. To win them, simply become a follower of my blog. If you are already following, just leave a comment letting me know, and you'll be entered
to win too!

Now onto the next stop: Margaret's blog

{ippity} Christmas in October Blog Hop

Welcome to the {ippity} Christmas in October Blog Hop.  

If you are coming from Kim's Blog you’re on the right track. If you want to start from the beginning go to Heather’s blog.  I also have a list of the participating blogs at the end of this post. 

Simple, cute, and fun. That's what I think of when I start creating my Christmas cards each year. I started with the Blitzen line from BoBunny and played with some Smooch spritz and {ippity}'s Season of Joy stamp set. This set has it all - from sentiments to titles to labels to embellishments. Well, see for yourself!

See what I mean? So many possibilities. Here are just 3 of the cards I created using this set (I also made layouts - come back to see those in a few days!):

On the first card, I "Smooched" the white cardstock with Vanilla, then added the Blitzen cut-out. Stamped "Merry Christmas" onto a circle I had inked, then added the Blitzen chipboard and baker's twine. It's difficult to see in the photo, but the Smooch really gives it a pretty shimmer. The second card also uses a stamped circle and Blitzen paper and cut-outs. On the third card, I stamped the oval label in a soft green and "Happy Holidays" in holiday red, cut it out, and mounted it with foam tape. The decorative ornament strip was a cut-out. I made a bunch more cards using this set - I love how simple and fun it is!

To purchase this set, visit my {ippity} blog and order using the $24 Stamp Sets - Holidays and Occasions drop-down menu.

Your next stop on the hop will be Susan B. But wait! Before you go, leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win the fabulous Thoughts From the Past stamp. Become a new follower and be entered a second time to win! Good luck, and happy hopping!

Heather

http://iheartippity.com/

Noelle

http://noellescrapsalot.blogspot.com/

Sabrina

http://ippityonline.blogspot.com/

Barbara

http://www.ippitydoda.blogspot.com/

Angie

http://stampingsoftheshug.blogspot.com/

Crystal

http://crystalscraftcorner.blogspot.com/

Jen

http://jenscupofcreations.blogspot.com/

Sarah

http://thejoysofcreating.blogspot.com/

Patricia

http://mycraftycreationspatricia.blogspot.com/

Maria

http://riacreations.blogspot.com/

Andrea

http://ippitystamps.com/

Sherri

http://www.sherrithompson.blogspot.com/

JenMarie

http://taylormadebyjenmarie.blogspot.com/

Lisa

http://schnauzscraps.blogspot.com/p/hot-ippity-dawg.html

Rona

http://scraprona.blogspot.com/

Lisa H.

http://mykreativepursuits.blogspot.com/ <~~~~~~~You are HERE

Susan B.

http://paperandjoy.blogspot.com/

Jennie

http://www.jenniekader.blogspot.com/

Jennifer

http://jenmitten.blogspot.com/

Nancy

http://jeansinkyhugs.blogspot.com/

Life's Celebrations Blog Hop

Welcome, welcome to the MemoryWorks TeamWorks members' Life's Celebrations Blog Hop!

(Try saying THAT five times fast - I dare ya!) Our hop is sponsored by Simple Stories, and throughout the hop, you'll see all kinds of projects showcasing the NEWEST Simple Stories lines. Be sure to comment on ALL the lovely projects, as Simple Stories will be giving away a prize to ONE lucky commenter from all the blogs. So the more comments you post, the better your odds of WINNING!

Blog Hop List
1. MemoryWorks (http://memoryworksblog.blogspot.com)
2. Christy (http://christymusack.blogspot.com/)
3. Danielle (http://ecoscrapbook.blogspot.com/)
4. Jade (http://www.thescrapyardrose.com)
5. Kelly H (http://kellyrholbrook.blogspot.com/)
6. Lacey Igo (www.laceybugcreations.com/blog)
7. Lisa H (http://mykreativepursuits.blogspot.com ) <~~~~~~you are HERE
8. Sandy (http://creatinginreallife.blogspot.com)
9. Sarah J (www.snippetsofme.net)
10. Sharon (http://ascrappersmemoir.blogspot.com)
11. Sheri (http://www.thedesperatescrapper.blogspot.com)
12. Shirelle (http://aaaclub-memorymaker.blogspot.com/)
13. Susan (http://susan-nichols.blogspot.com/)
14. Simple Stories (www.mysimplestories.com)

Now, onto my projects...

I used the Happy Day line to create my projects. When I first saw the elements in this kit, I couldn't wait to play. Everything is so bright and fun, and makes me want to party! LOL

Since the theme of the hop is Life's Celebrations, I decided to go with some gift-y items. Don't most celebrations include gifts? Yeah...

First up is the gift bag. This is a plain bag I had left over from Christmas. The color went great with the Happy Day line, so I just layered a few pieces together, tied on a bow, and voila! Instant gift bag!

Next up is a treat bag that can be used as a party favor. Just a strip of fun patterned paper, a strip of stickers, and a couple staples.

And last, but not least, a gift card holder. This is actually made from three of the trading-card size cards that I had not yet cut apart. I folded them into a tri-fold and glued one side down, forming a pocket (would be great for putting money or even another gift card into), then made a quick photo corner to hold the gift card in place.

If these projects seem simple, that's because they ARE! The Simple Stories lines have such strong, solid designs that you can do a lot with them without a lot of effort. I did bling it up a little with some Stickles, but even that wasn't necessary. Try it for yourself!

Oh, and before you go, I'm offering up a little blog candy myself! I love these coordinating stamps from Unity, and MemoryWorks has loads of them to offer. I especially love this little banner set that goes so well with the Happy Day line, so it's what I'm giving away.

To be entered to win become a follower of my blog. Already a follower? That's great! Any comments left on this post will count as entries too! Deadline for all entries is Sunday, October 9th at 8:00 pm CST. I'll draw for the winner the following morning.

Once you're done here, hop on over to Sandy's blog!