Documenting December with Carta Bella – Part 2

Merry Christmas Magpies, I hope you are all having an amazing Christmas. In this post I will be sharing the second part of my December album. I have been creating this month using the Carta Bella Christmas Market collection. Also adding in some elements from the Echo Park Warm & Cozy collection. These two collections work really well together and are perfect if you are looking for a traditional Christmas palette. You can find days 1 to 9 of my album here. Along with details of how I prepared for this project pre December.

 

Days 10 – 11

Day 10 documents Christmas music and the playlist I have been listening to. I went traditional with the colours on this page. Selecting a red and green pattern from the Christmas Market 6×6 paper pad. I took screenshots of the playlist on my phone to add to the page. Using a number of music note stickers from the collection, also cutting down one of the border strips into a banner. I finished the page with the fab Candy Stripe Thickers from Heidi Swapp. 

I used just one photo for Day 11, with some scraps of paper from both of the 6×6 paper pads. Cutting the snowflake paper into a banner. To embellish the page, I used some stickers from the 12×12 “ sticker sheet and one of the puffy stickers. Adding my title using the Glitter and Black Thickers from Amy Tangerine’s Slice of Life collection. I then added the elements I have been repeating on each page. The date circle, using the Ink Road Stamps – Full Circle Vol. 2 stamp set and the Elle’s Studio – Jane Alphabet Stamp Set, the journaling lines and the Nuvo drops.

Day 12

Day 12 documents our Christmas Tree. I knew I would have lots of photos to include, therefore I chose to make it a double page spread. I printed three photos at 2×3” and then one larger one at 3×4. Matting all four photos onto white card as with my other pages. I used a strip of the B-side of the Border Strips paper on the right hand page, behind my photos. Cutting a smaller piece into a banner to go above the larger photo on the left. This gave me the perfect place to add my date circle and Nuvo drops. I finished the page by adding my title with Pink Paislee Cedar Foam Alphabet Thickers. Along with one of the fussy cut gift tags and a poinsettia sticker.

Day 13

I used a double page spread again for Day 13, as we had a festive evening out. For this one, I used another one of the 12×12” papers. Cutting a strip of the Holiday Floral Paper to run horizontally across the two pages. I matted my three photos and also two of the gift tags onto white card and arranged them in a row above the paper strip. Leaving space for my title. I picked up a business card in the restaurant, which I also included on the page.

Day 14

Day 14 was another day, that I had a lot of photos for. Printing out six to run straight across the page. I ran the lovely snowflake pattern across the two pages as a base for my photos. Adding a smaller strip of green to the top and bottom. I loved the tree sticker included on the 12×12” sheet and this was the perfect page for it. Keeping the embellishment simple by just adding one of the gift tags and then the date circle. I placed my title on the left hand page, using some little tile stickers and some Elle’s Studio Puffy Alphabet Stickers. Finishing off the page with a chipboard phrase and the Nuvo dots. I have also added a leaflet from the house we visited into the page protector behind the page.

Days 15 – 16

For Days 15 and 16 I went back to single pages. Choosing to leave a lot of white space on Day 15. I have used a lot of banners throughout this album and added another one in green on top of a red and white check piece from the paper pad. I didn’t feel this page needed a lot of embellishment once the journaling and date had been added. Choosing to add a few wood veneer stars to the page.

The next page documents the Christmas cards we’ve sent. I decided to include a stamp on the page as an embellishment. As the stamp is blue, I turned to the Warm & Cozy 6×6″ paper pad for this page as it has some lovely blue and woodgrain designs. I used some of the Studio Calico Colour Theory Alphabet Stickers for my title and more of the wood veneer stars. Finishing the page with blue Nuvo Drops.

Days 17 – 18

For Day 17, I used another of the stencils from Vicki Boutin’s Colour Kaleidoscope collection. Adding some metallic gold paint through the stencil. I love the look this gives to the background, without making the page seem too busy. I didn’t need much more on this page. Adding two more banners with some scraps from the paper pad and some more of the fab Candy Stripe stickers.

Day 18 documents my homemade tree decorations. I loved the tree paper in this collection and cut a piece just slightly smaller than my page to add to the background. So that my photos didn’t get lost against the busy background I matted them onto a black patterned paper. Then I cut a plain red piece big enough to hold my photos and the title. Stamping my journaling lines on to a separate piece of white card. 

Days 19 – 20

The next page is about the big Christmas food shop. I thought the paper with the houses and cars worked well with this subject. Choosing to place it across the bottom half of the page. Adding a strip of green to the top. I used the Ephemera pack to embellish this page. Matting one of the die cuts onto the same green paper, which I then added to the bottom right corner. Also adding one of the banner die cuts to the top left as a base for my date circle.

Day 20 is another page which has a lot of photos. I also have last year’s 6×6 paper pad from the Carta Bella Christmas collection, which coordinates perfectly with the Christmas Market collection. So I picked a green print from that pad to use as a base for my photos. Adding a thin red strip to the top. I finished the page with the beautiful black Thickers from the Crate Paper Snowflake collection and an older sticker from stash.

Days 21 – 22

Day 21 is another page that uses one of the 12×12” papers. I cut a strip of the B-side of the Wreaths Paper, to run vertically on the page. Then added a scrap of the Border Strips paper and some banner strips to ground my photo. I added my title with the Puffy Stickers from the Just A Little Lovely collection. Then created a cluster in the bottom left corner for my date, using one of the gift tags and a puffy sticker.

My final page today uses the Warm & Cozy collection again and two more banners as the base for my photos. The gift tags from the 12×12” paper, turned out to be too big for this page, so I cut out one from the 6×6” paper pad instead, which is really cute. Finishing this page with some wood veneer snowflakes from my stash and some Pinkfresh Studio Puffy Stickers and Pink Paislee Thickers 

I have really enjoyed working on this project and documenting December in real time. I think choosing to work in a 6×8” album and keeping my pages very simply has allowed me to just spend a small amount of time each evening to complete my page for that day. Also choosing to repeat a number of elements on each page has really helped with getting each page completed.  I am really looking forward to completing this December album over the next week or so. 

That’s all from me today. Merry Christmas and I look forward to sharing more projects with you in the New Year.