My FAVORITE things with Elizabeth

Hello friends.  I LOVE Christmas.  The reason for the season; family traditions; decorations; twinkle lights; gatherings; music; giving and MUCH, MUCH more.

When Trina asked me if I'd like to work with the Christmas Daily Kit, my response was, "ABSOLUTELY."  My mind began IMMEDIATELY swirling.  I kept thinking of the song from the Sound of Music.  "These are a few of my FAVORITE things."  That's IT.

I lost my dad 5 years ago.  He also LOVED Christmas.  As many of you know, when you lose someone, your PERSPECTIVE changes.  I became MORE sentimental.  Childhood ornaments that I used to hide at the back of the tree were NOW given PRIME real estate.  In this album, I will use WORDS and PHOTOS to share some of the things that are SPECIAL to me.

Today, I'd like to share the beginning of my album, including the inside cover AND reason why.

For my inside cover, I created a BASIC template of a house.  After cutting apart the puffy stickers, I began placing die-cuts and stickers INSIDE the house.  I usually start LARGE then progress SMALLER and SMALLER.

When I was HAPPY with my template, I drew a LIGHT pencil outline and started moving pieces into my album.  I used a scallop punch to create my roof, and added a window and door to BUILD my home.  I also used foam tape to add dimension to the die-cuts.

I'm a bit OBSESSED with tags.  MOST of my albums include tags of ALL shapes and sizes.  To open my album, I cut a tag out of kraft card stock.  I found a few stamps in my stash to create a subtle musical note background.  After, I created a title using a combination of script and the FUN, striped puffy stickers in the kit.  I finished with ribbon and a few stickers and die-cuts.

On the back of the tag, I cut and adhered some of the VINTAGE paper from the kit.  I used foam tape to add a couple of stickers for color and interest.

Next, I used one of the 3x8 journal cards to write my "reason why."  I shared a lot about my dad.  To me, WORDS mean much.

On the back, I included a 3x8 photo of the nativity from my childhood.  To embellish, I attached a die-cut and a couple of stamp phrases.

Stay tuned.  Next month, I'll share my foundation pages.  For me, a SIMPLE design formula = SUCCESS.