Memories Deserve More Than A Shoebox ^TM

Finding Layout Ideas in Your Christmas Cards

by Wendy Bird

December is a GREAT month! Free Scrapbook ideas are delivered to your mailbox all month long! How? By way of Christmas Cards, of course!! Since I am one who believes that everything around us is inspiration for a scrapbook page, it just seems so natural to take Card ideas and turn them into layouts. That is why it took me by surprise when I recently showed a customer in our store some of the wonderful Card books on the market today. She said, "I'm not really into cards, I just do scrapbooking." Even though I explained to her that Card books were wonderful inspiration for making scrapbook pages, she just wasn't interested. "How could this BE?!" I wondered. Then I asked several other scrapbookers where they got their inspiration, and was surprised to find there were many people who felt the same as my "Anti-Card" customer did.

Well, December is just too JOYOUS a time of year for scrapbook inspiration, and would hate for anyone to miss out on it. As a general rule, transferring ideas from cards is simple, if you don't try to replicate the cards too closely. The focus is to take just one or two IDEAS from the card that can help in your layout design. Here are 4 ways I found to be the most successful in turning "Card Ideas" into Layouts.

1. Think Borders! Most elements from a card can be easily transferred into a border of some sort onto your page. Often, one design element from the card can be repeated over and over along the side or bottom of your page for a nice border. Borders are perhaps the easiest way to take a card idea and transfer it to a layout page, especially when the card is a border itself!

2. Think Journaling Blocks! Adding a design from a card to the top or bottom of a journaling block is very simple. Just re-create the design, or your version of the design to the bottom or top of your journaling. 

3. Think Photo Frame! Many times, cards can inspire how to mat your focus photo on your page. You know the one I mean... the photo that gets double... triple... or quadruple matted... because its your very favorite and you just have to draw attention to it? 

4. Think Sayings! Every card comes with a title or caption of some kind. Some are religious, some are "formal," some are funny. No matter what the card, though - the captions can be used on a layout. You could use the caption as your title, include it as part of your journaling, or if you are creating a "Color blocking" page, use it for one of the blocks on your page. You don't have to copy the saying exactly, you can vary it to suit your own needs, but it can be just the right "spark" for your page, or to get your creative juices flowing. 

Cards are truly a wonderful source of inspiration this holiday season! Don't pass up the opportunity to stop by your local Hallmark Store... I guarantee you will find tons of ideas!
So this month when you open your mail, think of all the wonderful layout ideas that are coming your way. It's just one more reason to celebrate this holiday season!