DIY Scrapbook Calendars & Christmas Design Bundle Giveaway!

Winner Update! Congrats to Linda who won the Christmas Bundle from DesignBundles.net & FontBundles.net! You can still grab the Christmas bundle on sale for $34 and still have time to make something awesome with it!

If you are my mother do not read any further OR watch today’s video:)

Hi friends! Today I am going to share my most requested gift, a DIY Scrapbook calendar! I started making these 15 years ago when my son was born. I saw a “scrapbook calendar” for sale when I went to pick up my photos at Wal-Mart one day and decided to make one for my mom, it was a simple project, you basically just glued your photos in the rectangles on the calendar pages. My mom LOVED it and requested another one. The next year the blank calendars were nowhere to be found! I had to come up with one from scratch or ruin Christmas! OK, Maybe I am being a bit dramatic, anyway, over the past 14 years I have got this process down to a science.

Break the project into manageable chunks starting with printing the calendar, photos and any other digital supplies I want to use. I usually make a couple of digital scrapbook pages too (at one time I was making 4 calendars at Christmas and for those years I made 12 digital layout and printed 4 copies, easy peasy!) Then I bind the book and adhere the photos and finally I embellish the pages. You can work a page at a time if you prefer but if you are one of those 4-hour-page people you might want to relax your standards a bit. When it’s done you will feel so proud!

Not sure what is going on in this photo, I thought hot rollers were a good idea today. You may question my hairstyle choices but I assure you my taste in gift giving is “on fleek” today! Watch the video to see exactly how to make this!

Video!

The Digital supplies I used came from the Christmas Design Bundle from DesignBundles.net and Fontbundles.net You can get this package of over 900 design elements (individually priced at $557) for $34 ! I am also giving away one bundle to a lucky reader! This contest is open worldwide, leave a comment for a chance to win!

Here are the techniques you will learn today!

*How to format and print a calendar for free
*How to print digital scrapbook paper to use in craft projects
*How to create a digital scrapbook page you can print
*Ways yo use digital products in traditional scrapbooks
*How to bind the calendar
* How I create quick traditional pages (using up old stash)
*Tips for mass production scrapbooking
*Tips for using lots of photos

Feel free to pop ahead, pause or re-watch different parts of the video until you understand a technique. Have fun and enjoy the look on your recipients face when they open up their custom photo calendar. Also make sure you allow plenty of time to complete this project (ie don’t start this on Christmas eve after a couple of egg-nogs.)

Supplies:

• Cardstock
• Photo paper (for printing photos and digital scrapbook pages)
• Printer
• Image editing software (I use Paint Shop Pro but Photoshop or GIMP will work the same)
• If you want a free easy online software to print and collage your photos try ipiccy, image editing software and be tricky if you are not used to it. You can also use any scrapbooking software you may have.
• Calendar to print, I use the free calendar generator PDF Calendar.
• Digital papers & artwork, I used the Christmas Design Bundle.
• Paper trimmer
• Tan inkpad (optional)
• Stickers and other light weight embellishments
• Adhesive (wet and dry)
• Binder clip & ribbon scraps
• Binding machine and comb *if you do not have a binding machine I have a tutorial here for doing this with a crop-a-dial or a copy center will bind it for you inexpensively.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments! I would also love to know if you have ever made a scrapbook gift for anyone. I think the thing I love most about this is that it is a gift for someone who has everything and it will be used everyday and not clutter up a house or collect dust. It is the perfect gift I think, and my mom agrees and she is the smartest woman I know so there you go:) Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win The Christmas Design Bundle, I will pick a winner on Friday December 16th 2016. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting.