Christmas Storybook Countdown + TIPS - Pink Paislee

Hello December! Tonight is the beginning of one of our favorite traditions - the storybook countdown to Christmas. For the past few years we have enjoyed reading a Christmas-themed book every night in December leading up to Christmas Day.

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of Precocious Paper. I do receive financial compensation and products from American Crafts to develop certain blog posts, but all of the ideas and opinions are my own.

This is our first Christmas in our new home, and with the pretty gray walls, my old Christmas decor (mostly gold) wasn't going to work. Inspired by the current buffalo check trend, we are now going modern woodsy in red, black, gray, natural green elements and metallic silver. Deer and my beloved birds are a big motif, too. Anyway, since I'm taking some time to pull together all those elements, I thought a great place to make a quick, big impact with the new design was in our storybook countdown. Twenty-four wrapped books offer a lot of surface area to bring in patterns and colors, so I had fun shopping for a variety of wrapping papers and found several I loved. The sources are mentioned below each close-up.

white stripes (wedding) wrapping paper - Walmart

Yuletide metallic number, sequins, acetate tag

My silver and gold countdown numbers from last year weren't going to work, so I immediately turned to Pink Paislee's Yuletide collection. First of all, the metallic red numbers are GORGEOUS! I knew they would be the perfect centerpiece for my tags.

buffalo check wrapping paper - Target

Yuletide metallic number, envelope

plaid wrapping paper - Michaels

Yuletide metallic number, 3x4 card (patterned paper), and puffy stickers

Yuletide easily coordinates with my new color palette, and the embellishments were a ton of fun to mix and match.

modern plaid wrapping paper - Target Dollar Spot

Yuletide metallic number, gold foil label, sentiment sticker

Have you done this kind of countdown before? I've learned a few things over the years that I'm happy to share:

1. Time management. Before wrapping the books and then randomly assigning numbers, make a list of titles and estimate how long it might take to read them aloud. Look at your calendar and purposefully assign dates to books based on how much time you will have that day to read. You'll be much more successful in actually reading every day, and you won't be stressed out trying to read a long story after a busy night.

2. Borrow books from the library. If your collection is lacking, borrow books from the library. Be careful wrapping them, and pay attention to due dates. Perhaps include library books in the beginning of your countdown so they can be returned before Christmas break.

black/chevron reversible wrapping paper - Walmart

Yuletide letters, 3x4 card (patterned paper), Atlas silver Thickers

3. Include treats or quiet activities with the books. Sometimes the kids need an incentive to listen quietly, and treats do the trick ;). Sometimes the really good stories are long, and having coloring pages to quietly work on can keep hands busy while ears are open. If you're willing to put forth a little more effort, coordinate the treats/activities to the stories. For example, we read one book about a lump of coal. In that package I include chocolate candies that are wrapped in black foil to look like coal.

4. Include books for every level of reader in your home. Having the kids read is one of my favorite parts of this tradition. To make it work for everyone, include books that are the kids' levels. For example, there are a few easy readers in our countdown for my first grader.

5. Want to purchase inexpensive books for your countdown? Try Thriftbooks.com. I bought at least a dozen new stories at this site last year and was very happy with them. I'm not an affiliate, just a happy customer. Used bookstores are great, too!

silver polka dot wrapping paper - Hobby Lobby

6. Provide a crate or large basket for unwrapped books to remain throughout the season. Your family will probably want to read some of the stories again, plus the Christmas books make great decorations.

I'm excited to read tonight with my family! Which reminds me, I need to get some cozy blankets and pillows ready. Oh - and the camera! I need a photo of us reading for the December mini album I'm making. Have you seen Pink Paislee's countdown book? So cute! I'll be sharing my December pages here on the Pink Paislee blog throughout the month. Thanks for visiting and have a great day! Tessa

The Magic of Christmas Blog Hop - DCWV and SVG Attic

Welcome to the SVG Attic-DCWV The Magic of Christmas blog hop! We are so excited to have you join us today!

At each stop of the hop we hope you will be inspired by the creativity of the design teams of SVG Attic and DCWV. You are sure to find many wonderful projects that will be at the top of your Christmas crafting lists!

I'm the first designer on the hop, so if you just happened across this post, please head to the SVG Attic blog to start at the beginning.

To me, the Magic of Christmas is found in the time I spend with loved ones. The get-togethers are my favorite part of the holidays, and what better way to make some funny, magical memories than with a Christmas photo booth?

Her little elf ears look a little like piggy ears here, but Addie adored playing with the elf props!

Addie didn't want Mama to take this picture by herself ;). The SVG Winter Fun Photo Props were the perfect accessories for my photo booth set-up! I especially love the Santa, Mrs. Santa, and the elf. So cute!

I created my backdrop with DCWV's Handpainted Holiday stack and cut the photo booth props from DCWV cardstock. I embellished the photo props with DCWV's adhesive bling sheets.

Now how about some blog hop prizes??

2 Christmas paper stacks from DCWV

$20 Gift Certificate to SVG Attic

1 Christmas paper stack from DCWV

What do you need to do to be eligible for these amazing prizes?
1. Become a follower and/or email subscriber of each blog in the hop.
2. Leave some comment love at each stop. You can do so until midnight on Sunday, November 29th to be eligible for the prizes.
3. If you do both of the above, check back at the SVG Attic blog and/or the DCWV blog for the winners on Tuesday, December 1st.

We would also love it if you would stop by the SVG Attic and DCWV Facebook pages and give us a "Like"!

Here is the complete blog hop lineup:

SVG Attic blog

Tessa (you are here)

Beth (go here next)

Cyndy

Piali

Angeline

Jodi

Tanya

Karla

Lisa

Yolie

DCWV blog

I hope you have enjoyed this stop on our hop! Be sure to head on over to the other stops for more Christmas inspiration. Comment and become a follower to be eligible for the prizes!

SVG Attic currently has all of their files on SALE for Black Friday/Cyber Monday! Stop by their website at www.svgattic.com to purchase their SVG files at amazing prices.  Also, DCWV papers are on sale at Michael's and JoAnn stores right now, so stock up so you can create all of the fun things you saw today!

Christmas Inspiration Board - DCWV and May Arts

Hello, hello! If this is your first time here, welcome! If you've visited before, welcome back! I'm excited to share with you my project for the DCWV and May Arts blog hop this week :).

I played with the Merry Memories stack by DCWV, as well as oodles of luscious ribbon from May Arts. I was going to make a garland, but I decided that all of the pretty tags I was making would make a great inspiration board.

I stretched two ribbons across chicken wire, then attached my tags with bullnose clips and binder clips. To embellish the various tags (cut from patterned paper and vellum from other DCWV stacks), I simply stapled bits of my favorite ribbons. I LOVE the texture ribbon adds, especially the silky gray ribbon and the mini pom pom trims!

I plan to leave this at my gift wrap station throughout the holidays. It will be easy to pull a tag off the chicken wire and add it to a gift bag or wrapped box.

I hope you enjoyed all the DCWV & May Arts projects this week! Be sure to visit the DCWV and May Arts blogs for more inspiration :). Have a fantastic weekend! Tessa

Yarn Wreath - Chickaniddy Crafts + a Video

Hello and welcome to the fifth and final day of "Christmas Catch-up" here at Precocious Paper. I'm on my way to CHA, but I am also excited to share with you this yarn wreath embellished with Chickaniddy Crafts' Jolly Good embellishments.

I started with my usual straw wreath base, then wrapped the wreath form with yarn that I matched to the Jolly Good collection. I used several of the Jolly Good cardstock stickers to embellish the wreath, as well as handmade flowers and leaves.

Read more about the process of making this wreath on the Chickaniddy Crafts blog here. If you'd like to learn my technique for creating the large, two-toned felt roses, please enjoy my latest video tutorial:

I'm experiencing technical difficulties that I won't be able to resolve until I get back from CHA. I will update this post with the video when I get back on Monday.

Thanks for not minding that I stretched out the holidays a little farther into January. I hope you enjoyed my round-up of Christmas projects. I know I enjoyed creating them. If you missed any, be sure to check out...

*Pretty Little Studio December Mini Album Cover
*The Studio Challenges-inspired Company Holiday Party Layout
*Craftwell Gold Embossed Leaf Wreath
*Chickaniddy Crafts Jolly Good Mini Album

Be sure to leave a comment on the Craftwell wreath post if you'd like to win the Teresa Collins Woodgrain Embossing folding that I am giving away.

Enjoy your weekend! Tessa

Christmas Catch-up - Christmas Mini Album - Chickaniddy Crafts + Video

Hello! It's day four of my Christmas Catch-up and I have one of my very favorite Christmas projects to share with you today! As you may know, this past Christmas was Adlyn's first. I wanted to make something special to document this special time, so I used the adorable and whimsical Jolly Good line from Chickaniddy Crafts to create a December mini album just for Addie.

I made the album out of an old book. You can read more about that process on the Chickaniddy Crafts blog here.

The pages are all ready for photos and journaling. I just need to print, write, and add in the memorabilia I saved.

If you'd like to see the inside details of the album, check out this video walk-through:

Thanks for visiting, friends! I'll be back tomorrow with the final installment of Christmas Catch-up: more Jolly Good inspired craftiness and a video tutorial! Have a great day :). Tessa

Christmas Catch-up - Gold Leaf Wreath and a Giveaway!

Hello and welcome to day three of my Christmas Catch-up! I had the wonderful opportunity to guest design for Craftwell this past month. Using Teresa Collins' Cut-n-Boss machine and the Woodgrain Cottage embossing folder, I created this wreath:

You can read more about my process for creating the wreath on the Craftwell blog here.

Basically, I embossed cardstock, hand-cut the leaves, painted them with gold spray paint, and attached them to a wire wreath frame.I love how the gold spray paint brought out the woodgrain texture of the leaves.

GIVEAWAY: Do you have a Cut-n-boss machine (or another die-cut machine that can take 8.5x11 embossing folders)? I happen to have an extra Woodgrain Cottage embossing folder that I would love to pass on to someone who could use it. Leave a comment on this post - including a way to contact you - and I'll randomly draw a name on January 14th (one week from today). I'll update this post with the name of the winner that day.

Update: The winner is cghundley! Thanks to all who left comments :).

Thanks for visiting today! Tomorrow I'll be sharing a new video, so stay tuned :). Have a great day! Tessa

Christmas Catch-up - Holiday Party Selfie - The Studio Challenges

Hello! For day two of my Christmas Catch-up, I'm sharing a layout I created for a December challenge at The Studio Challenges. The assignment was to create a Christmas-themed page in non-traditional colors. I went with black, mint, aqua and red:

I used the Candy Cane Lane stack by DCWV. This stack is full of great holiday papers in black, white and red. Besides trimming strips of patterned paper, I also fussy-cut the red flowers from the stack.

The aqua and mint are washi tapes (as well as the black and white horizontal stripe).

To see more non-traditional color palettes that the design team came up with, visit The Studio Challenges here.

Thanks for coming by today. Tomorrow I'll be sharing a special project that I made as a guest designer for an awesome manufacturer. See you then! Tessa

Christmas Catch-up - December Mini Album Cover - Pretty Little Studio

Hello and welcome to Christmas Catch-up week! I'll be sharing all the Christmas projects I missed blogging in December (you know, when it was the crazy-busy holiday season). I've got albums, decor, layouts and even video tutorials to share, so I hope you'll join me (or pin for later, when you aren't in holiday overload mode).

Today I'm sharing the cover of my December mini album, created for Pretty Little Studio.

I started with a 6x8 binder that I purchased at Target a couple years ago. When I saw Pretty Little Studio's Holiday Cheer line, the navy blue and gold made me think of this lonely little binder and the two made a perfect pair for a mini album.

I have yet to fill the inside, but I have a plan. All December long I kept a Pottery Barn holiday shopping bag out on my counter (since it was so visible, it was kind of important that it be festive and cute). Whenever a bit of memorabilia came home from school or a party or a performance, into the bag it went. After CHA, I plan to print photos, make basic cardstock pages, then hole-punch everything and add it all to the binder. I'll embellish with Pretty Little Studio die-cuts, stickers, word flags, flair, etc. I'm certain it will be an easy afternoon project. Just my speed for a December album :). I'll do a video walk-through when I'm done and share here on the blog.

You can read more about the darling product and my process for the cover on the Pretty Little Studio blog here.

And, if you're really just over Christmas and ready for Valentine's Day, you've got to check out Pretty Little Studio's new line - You and Me. It's beyond darling and I can't wait to get my hands on it. From Valentine's Day on into Spring, this collection is full of sweet vintage charm, trendy patterns, and all the fabulous embellishments you've come to love and expect from Pretty Little Studio.

Thanks for stopping by today :). Tessa

Easy-peasy Mini Glittery Garland - Love My Tapes

At this moment, we are experiencing the worst storm we've seen in six years. Winds are supposed to reach 70 miles per hour, and right now, they are knocking over my backyard fence. We've got sand bags around the house's low spots, the trampoline is upside down, and we're bracing for several inches of water. Winter in California :).

Since the only errands I need to run today are school runs (yes, school is still in session), I'm getting ready to settle in with some wrapping and crafting. I have an easy gift wrap idea and tutorial up on the Love My Tapes blog:

Using Love My Tapes' Glitter Paper, I punched an even number of pinked circles (from the prize ribbon punch by Jenni Bowlin). The paper is adhesive backed, so I simply peeled off the backing and sandwiched the twine between two shapes. Easy-peasy:

This box is from DCWV. If you have a local JoAnn store, go check out the boxes. They have several sizes in several colors. They also have nesting boxes. I'm using them like crazy this holiday season for gifts. The quality is awesome and the price is great, too.

Thanks for stopping by today! Stay warm and dry :). Tessa