JOT MAGAZINE ISSUE 12

Jot Issue 12 2015

A LOVELY PAPER CRAFTING MAGAZINE FOR THE MODERN DAY MEMORY KEEPER.

DOCUMENTING LIFE | TELLING STORIES | TAKING PICTURES | PAPER CRAFTING

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A lovely DIY handmade Christmas gift ideas e-book.

JOTMAGAZINE.COM

THE LOVELY CHRISTMAS GIFT BOOK New from Kim Archer and the Jot Girls, our gorgeous new e-book is filled with lovely ideas for gift giving.

FIND OUT MORE OR GRAB YOUR COPY HERE>> Jot Magazine 2

Hello..

I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS! IT’S TRULY A MAGICAL CREATING TIME FOR CREATIVE TYPES TO PULL OUT THE BIG GUNS AND MAKE LOADS OF STUFF! There are opportunities everywhere for us to get busy in the studio. From handmade gifts, cards, tags, mini books and Christmas decorating to beautifully wrapped presents and creative Christmas cooking. PLUS if you’re looking for more ideas check out our first ever ebook! It’s gorgeous and you can get your copy right here.

We’ve got you covered for a few of those creative things - you must check out our holiday gift wrapping gallery. So many gorgeous ideas to ensure your gifts are the best wrapped under the tree this festive season. Check it out on page 34.

We get to work with some really cool companies and it was a tad exciting to collaborate with Stampin’ Up and receive a parcel of Project Life Stampin’ Up goodies in the mail. We made a TON of stuff. Too much to include here in our gallery on page 58 so keep an eye on our blog as we will be uploading more projects there as we head into December.

Shari is back with another instalment of Dear Diary. She’s entertaining a brand new puppy, pondering how her family will cope when they change their several decades old family traditional dinner to a new location and wondering just how disappointed 5 year old Gina will be when Santa doesn’t bring that inground pool or real life unicorn she’s been wishing for. Read Dear Diary here on page 192.

Happy holiday season to my wonderful Jot readers. 2015 has been marvellous and we feel the love here at Jot as you continue to support and embrace us and our lovely magazine and blog. Wishing you and your family a safe and happy Christmas and New Year. Make sure you take photos!

KIM ARCHER Publisher/Owner

© Copyright. Kim Archer | Jot Magazine 2015. All projects in this magazine are for recreational purposes only and are not to be reproduced, distributed or sold without the publisher’s permission. PUBLISHED by Jot Magazine, Newcastle Australia. ABN 88649297554 Jot Magazine 3

Connect with us.

Publisher Kim Archer Writers Kim Archer Shari Brewer Lisa Pate Amanda Hall Contact Us e: hello@jotmagazine.com

Grab a

cuppa &

head to our blog for more Jot stories and inspiration. or follow us on social media.

Published by Kim Archer ABN: 88 649 297 554

Website:

www.jotmagazine.com

2105 Jot Girls Team

Interested in submitting to Jot Magazine? We accept submissions of creative project tutorials or written articles that are in line with our paper crafting/ modern memory keeping theme. We also put out certain gallery calls from time to time (check our site).

Yvette Adams Leanne Allinson Meghann Andrew Anna Allan Raquel Bowman Petra Corcoran Loredana Bucaria Aimee Dow Natalie Elphinstone Sheree Forcier Lauren Hender Kim Jeffress Beshka Kueser Sharmaine Kruijver Jamie Pate Lisa Pate Mardi Winen Jodie York

Email submissions to: hello@jotmagazine.com

Meet our Jot team here on the website>>

SUBMISSIONS

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IN THIS ISSUE. 03 06 08 12 34 44 58 96 104 113 137 154 162

EDITOR’S LETTER QUICK LAYOUT Jodie York CONFETTI with Lisa Pate GALLERY Ampersands Let’s Get Wrapped GIFT WRAPPING - JOT GIRLS STAMPIN’ UP Feature JOT SPOTTING COCOA VANILLA Interview CHRISTMAS GALLERY STORY TELLING When I Grow Up HOLIDAY SCRAPS Amanda Hall LOREDANA BUCARIA Interview

STAMPIN’ UP The Jot Girls Team were recently sent an awesome package of Stampin’ Up Project Life products. And we’ve been busy! Check out the BUMPER gallery of Stampin’ Up projects on Page 58

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170 CHRISTMAS JOURNALING CARDS 177 POCKET GALLERY

192 DEAR DIARY - Shari Brewer

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By Jodie York

QUICK & EASY

At the end of each month I have a little pile of excess photos left over from creating my Project Life weeks. I hate to waste things, especially photographs, so I put the photos together randomly in a grid format on a plain ol’ white 12x12 inch cardstock.

Then I choose a word that best describes each photo.

Just one word for each photo. Working from left to right. Each photo contributes to “This Thing Called Life”. I’m a little obsessed about dating my work so I date stamp the months in which the photos were taken.

Before you know it, excess photos are used up and my layout is done. It’s as quick and easy as that.

Your photos don’t need to match or coordinate or be from the one event or moment -- random photos look awesome grouped together to represent your month.

SUPPLIES | White cardstock; Artline black felt tip pen 0.4; alpha stickers by Amy Tangerine; excess photos and a busy life to capture.

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YOUR CHALLENGE: Your challenge is to use up left over photos you have from your month of photo taking and create a simple grid like layout with a list of words - one word describing each of your photos..

Share your work on our facebook page here.

Choose ONE word to describe each photo and list them to the side of your layout.

Use your own handwriting for quick and easy journaling.

Don’t forget to include the dates your photos are from.

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CONFETTI Little bits + pieces from around the web. Curated by Lisa Pate OUR THEME// AMPERSANDS

AMPERSAND NECKLACE

Who doesn’t love a little bit of pretty?? Tiny ampersand necklaces from MiaandMac perfect for everyday wear. SHOP HERE>>

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POSTCARDS

SEAL IT WITH WAX

Wax Seal from Back to Zero can be used with wax and a regular ink pad letting you add either a traditional seal or a stamped image to your next project. Shop here>>

Send a little handwritten hello with these beautiful postcards from Meticulousink. Just the right size for a little happy mail sending.

SHOP HERE>>

PRINT & FRAME

Instant download print? Yes please!! Simply purchase, print and frame. From Roxana’s designs here>>

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CORK COASTERS Tea? Coffee? Or perhaps hot chocolate? Protect your coffee table with these cork coasters from The Path Less Traveled. We love the simple design and neutral colour.

Shop here>>

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CONFETTI

& PINS

Pin it! These darling pins from Tradington’s are perfect for adding a little extra. They look fantastic grouped together on your clothing or bag. SHOP HERE>>

Lisa Pate lives with her family by the lake on the central coast of NSW. She loves lots of colour, getting messy with paint, creating mixed media art, scrapbooking and thrift shopping .

Find Lisa’s work here at Lisa Pate Collections.

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AMPERSANDS

G A L L E R Y AMPERSANDS ARE EVERYWHERE AT THE MOMENT. Spot them on patterned paper, embellishments, stencils and die-cut shapes.

The Jot Girls show us a plethora of ways to add an ampersand or two to your next papery project. Plus make sure you check out the great Ampersand Reader’s Gallery too.

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MY GIRL

Amanda Hall - The Jot Team

I love a good ampersand and it’s easy to layer them up so that they become a feature... As well as part of the journaling!

SUPPLIES | Patterned papers: October Afternoon, Heidi Swapp. Cardstock : American Craft. Embellishments: Elle’s Studio tags, October Afternoon stickers, American Craft puffy stickers, Heidi Swapp tab. Other: Labeller - Dymo, sewing machine, twine, glitter.

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WE LOVE: LEANNE’S DIE CUT AMPERSAND BACKGROUND WITH HAND STITCHED OUTLINE FOR ADDED IMPACT.

WISH

Leanne Allinson - The Jot Team

Ampersands make the best embellishments and on this layout I really wanted to make mine a feature!

I cut a shape directly from my cardstock back ground with my silhouette portrait and backed the negative space with ampersand patterned paper. To then highlight the cut even more, I’ve hand stitched around the outside edge with a complementary coloured thread.

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: American Crafts. Patterned Paper: Dear Lizzy - Documentary, Maggie Holmes - Shine. Embellishments: Teresa Collins wood dots, Dear Lizzy die cut cardstock shapes, sequins. Other: black paint, typewriter, silhouette portrait, embroidery thread, foam dots.

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&

Mardi Winen - The Jot Team

I had this idea floating in my head for quite some time... So as soon as I saw the ampersand gallery I knew it would work perfectly. I then went on the search for a variety of ampersands and bits and pieces to tell the story.

SUPPLIES | Canson Watercolour paper. Patterned paper: Crate Paper, American Crafts. Alphabets: Studio Calico, Basic Grey.

Embellishments: American Crafts, Crate Paper, Heidi Swapp Minc label. Other: watercolour paint, sewing machine, wooden peg, washi tape.

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KNOW THIS

Sheree Forcier - The Jot Team

Ampersands come in all shapes, colours and sizes so I’ve created a fun little ampersand cluster as a feature on my page. They’re such a handy little element to have in your stash.

SUPPLIES | Patterned paper: Crate Paper, Pink Paislee. Embellishments: Crate Paper, American Crafts, Cocoa Vanilla. Other: date stamp, black ink, sewing machine, thread, watercolour paints.

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LUCKY

Kim Jeffress - The Jot Team

For subtle texture I have combined a Heidi Swapp wood veneer glitter word with the Pink Paislee ampersand die cuts. I love the fresh combo of citrus, teal and pink on my layout, it really adds to the fun and crazy theme of my photo.

SUPPLIES | Patterned paper - Pink Paislee. Embellishments - Pink Paislee die cuts, ephemera, glitter stickers, Heidi Swapp wood veneer glitter word, puffy stickers, bows, Color Shine.

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LOVE AND BE LOVED Sharmaine Kruijver - The Jot Team

To me, ampersands “speak” family. So pairing a group of ampersands with a family photo and adding a wonderful quote all seemed perfectly perfect.

SUPPLIES | Patterned paper: Chickaniddy Crafts & Cocoa Daisy. Alpha Stickers: American Crafts. Stencil: Studio Calico.

Embellishments: Cocoa Daisy DITL card, Flutterby Designs flair and wood shape, My Mind’s Eye enamel dots, Heidi Swapp clip.

Other: Typewriter, paint.

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ALWAYS & FOREVER Raquel Bowman - The Jot Team

As soon as I saw this theme I knew I wanted to document this story. I say ‘I love you always and forever’ to my kiddies all the time and my eldest child, who is three has started saying it also It is a special little story that needs to be told.

To tie in the ampersand theme I used a Silhouette cut file ‘ampersand’ shape and cut it out quite large as I wanted that to be a main focus as it made up part of the title. I also added smaller ampersands within the embellishing.

SUPPLIES | American Crafts Dear Lizzy collection. Other: Silhouette Cameo, Silhouette cut file, typewriter.

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PHOTO CREDIT - Living Moment Photography

SUPPLIES |Cardstock. Patterned paper: embossed cream (source unknown) Embellishments: - Studio Calico, Amy Tangerine/Studio Calico/Cocoa Daisy, MAMBI, Pink Paislee, D-lish Scraps. Other: Journaling pen, Heidi Swapp Color Shine, date stamp and ink pads Jot Magazine 24

ALWAYS & FOREVER Anna Allan - The Jot Team

When I saw this gallery, I knew exactly what I was going to do - photo, background, text...I had it covered! And surprisingly, the result was pretty much bang on how I had envisioned it! Doesn’t always happen that way, but in this case - IT DID! So, here is a wedding shot of my sister and her hubster last year when the two became one, as they say. Mr & Mrs! You can see why the ampersand theme suited this moment perfectly hey!?!

To create my background, I simply stamped a variety of different ampersand designs onto my white cardstock. I added some wood veneer ampersands to create some more dimension. I wanted the background to stand out so took a more minimalist approach when adding the photo and embellishments. Sometimes less is more :-)

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‘TIS THE SEASON Kim Archer - The Jot Team

I do love an ampersand in my projects! For this layout, I’ve used some Heidi gold Colorshine plus a jumbo Studio Calico ampersand mask to create my background. I’ve also added in machine stitching, lots of Stampin’ Up Christmas products + some embossed vellum.

SUPPLIES | Patterned Paper: House of 3, Stampin’ Up. Embellishments: Stampin’ Up. Other: Heidi Swapp ColorShine in gold, machine stitching and embossed vellum.

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FOREVER

Sheena’s Blog

Sheena Rowlands | England

I’m a huge fan of die cutting both electronically and with thin metal dies. When I saw the ampersand set I knew they would make a perfect background for my page, Forever & Ever, to document our relationship of 26 years.

SUPPLIES | Die-Namics die - ampersand set. Dear Lizzy papers and embellishments. Heidi Swapp Gold Colour shine, gesso, watercolour paint.

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PRETTY MAYA

Tarrah’s Blog

Tarrah McLean | Central Coast, NSW

My friend Ebony gave me this photo of her beautiful daughter Maya to scrap and I knew straight away I wanted to create a bright, layered layout to showcase such a pretty girl.

SUPPLIES | Heidi Swapp Favorite Things collection, Words or Whatever Chipboard, D-lish Scraps Embellishments.

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YOU & ME

Kat’s Blog

Kat Benjamin | Tampa, Florida.

When I think of ampersands I always think of “you & me” so of course I had to make a layout about my wedding day. I included ampersand patterned paper and sprinkled some ampersands into my design.

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Studio Calico (Ampersand), Bella Blvd (all others); Stickers, Alphabets, Enamel Hearts: Bella Blvd

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YOU ARE FUNNY AND AWESOME & AMAZING Leigh Ann Odynski | Nevada, USA

This layout is celebrating how awesome I think my teen daughter is, and I love to encourage and celebrate the young lady she is right now!

SUPPLIES | All supplies are from the Studio Calico Project Life kit and Kellie Stamps digital stamps.

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Leigh’s blog

WHICH ONE

Julia’s Blog

Julia Posta | Hungary, Europe

My son is called Igor and this layout is about his passion for his toys and for the mess he can make with them.

SUPPLIES |Patterned papers: October Afternoon. NĹ‘iCsizma Design chipboards, wire elements, broken frame, Studio Calico enamel dots, tags, stamp, ampersand.

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AMPERSAND MARQUEE LIGHT Amanda Sammut | Sydney, Australia

I’ve painted and embellished this Heidi Swapp Marquee light which sits on my TV cabinet as part of my home decor.

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curated

exclusive.

Paper crafting embellishment kits delivered to your door.

creativeretreatkits.com

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By Beshka Kueser | The Jot Team

LET’S GET WRAPPED

Hey there, Beshka here and today I want to share with you some easy ways to make your own wrapping paper. We will use stamps, markers, and acrylic paint. We’ll start with the easiest technique and work our way up to slightly more involved techniques.

Let’s get started!

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BESHKA KUESER

TIP//Make sure whatever paper you use as your base isn’t too heavy duty/thick or it will be difficult when it comes to wrapping gifts.

I’ll be giving you some suggestions along the way for alternative supplies so that you can hopefully use materials you already have on hand.

WHAT YOU NEED Ink pads | stamps - holiday ones or just choose your faves | wide nib paint markers | wedge tool or used gift cards |paint | heavy weight paper (I used this paper here. I cut A3 (13”x19”) sheets off the roll. Kraft paper would also work well or any other 60lb paper.

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1. Stamps + ink.

Stamps make easy work of making your own wrap. All you need is a few favorite stamps and some ink. Once you have a stamp and ink chosen, you simply stamp your paper over and over, creating a repeating pattern. Easy peasy.

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BESHKA KUESER

TIP// There are a lot of options when creating wrapping paper with stamps. Switching out your ink colors or changing the direction of your stamped image can give you a whole new design. The best part is how quick and easy it is.

STEP BY STEP ONE// Gather your supplies: you will need paper, stamps, & ink pads in whatever color you wish to work with.

TWO// Spread your paper onto your work surface. Select your stamp and ink colour.

THREE// Decide on your inking direction. Do you want to stamp randomly, in rows, at a diagonal?

FOUR// Stamp until you fill your page. Don’t worry about being perfect - just fill your page.

FIVE// And your stamped paper is now ready to start wrapping gifts!

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2. Markers Next up is mark making, doodles and print. To create these papers all you will need is some paper and some markers in your favorite colors.

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BESHKA KUESER

TIP//Don’t want to use markers or paint? Use little torn off pieces of washi tape all over your paper if you prefer.

Other fun ways to create holiday wrap with markers is to write & repeat holiday words or create swirly doodles across your paper.

I am using paint markers with a wide nib, about 15mm.

You can use a marker with a smaller nib you will just need to make more marks in order to fill your paper. You can also use acrylic paints and a paint brush to create the same effect or even watercolors.

This is such a simple way to make pretty patterned paper. Select a marker, set your marker tip onto your paper, drag and lift up to create your mark. Repeat all over your page until your paper is full.

When I do this I go at a pretty steady pace so I don’t over think it. I do try to keep my marks all roughly the same size, but I don’t fret about it either. I just keep moving. I want creating paper to be quick but also fun. Worrying about my marks...not so fun.

I am using paint markers with a wide nib, about 15 mm. You can use a marker with a smaller nib you will just need to make more marks in order to fill your paper. You can also use acrylic paints and a paint brush to create the same effect or even watercolors.

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3. Acrylic Paint Last up I am sharing some wrap that I created using acrylic paint. This one was so much fun and is just one of the many ways you can use acrylics to create your own wrap.

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BESHKA KUESER

For this wrapping paper piece I used some heavy body acrylics because it’s what I had on hand. I actually recommend using cheaper acrylics, but any type will work. I also used a wedge for dragging paint but prefer using used up gift cards.

They are flexible and seem to spread the paint better.

TIP//Old unused credit cards or gift cards make perfect scraping tools for applying your paint.

STEP BY STEP ONE// Grab some paper, two paint colors, and a tool for dragging paint (a wedge or used gift card).

TWO// Prep your area and squeeze out some paint (I like to squeeze out a strip of color so it’s easy to quickly dip my wedge or card in).

THREE// Dip your wedge or card into your paint and then drag the color across your paper. Create horizontal + vertical lines all over until you like what you have - don’t try to create neat straight lines, the messiness of this one is what makes it so great.

FOUR// Once your first color is dry, repeat the steps with your second color. I used gold for my second color and did shorter strokes when I dragged it across.

FIVE// Once you have all the marks you want, let dry and then your paper is ready to use!

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CHRISTMAS G I F TWRA P

There’s nothing quite so lovely as a beautifully wrapped gift!

Our Jot Girls share some fun and festive ways for making sure your gifts are the best wrapped under the Christmas tree this holiday season.

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PHOTO GIFT TAGS

By Meghann Andrew | The Jot Team

Photos evoke such special memories, so it just made sense to me to use photos on my gift tags this year instead of writing out the name of each recipient. When paired with stamped and embossed wrapping paper and a simple bow, the result is a clean, graphic way to show someone how much you care! Plus, those photo memories can be a great talking-point with family around the Christmas tree.

SUPPLIES | Paper: Craft paper roll from office supply store. Stamps, ink, gold thread: Stampin’ Up! Chipboard star and washi tape: Studio Calico. Stickers: Jenni Bowlin. Other: ribbon, enamel dots.

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SCRIPT WRAPPING PAPER

By Jodie York | The Jot Team

I LOVE making my own wrapping paper. The belief of Santa is still magically alive in our little home so I don’t wrap every gift in my homemade wrapping paper but I do for those gifts for family and friends.

My go-to base is good ol’ brown paper which I then either splatter some red, green or gold stars or I script festive themed words such as these. For this lot, I rolled out a really long length of brown paper down our hallway. I picked up the brown paper at Office Works. Starting at one end I loaded up my brush with black acrylic paint and painted Christmas themed words randomly all the way to the end. I included words from Christmas carols, sayings and family and love related words. I also threw in a few little hand painted stars and holly to fill in some gaps.

SUPPLIES | brown wrapping paper | black acrylic paint| paint brushes | string and tags .

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TIP// Choose string and an office tag to complete the organic, raw look!

So simple!

“The belief of Santa is still very much alive in our little home.� ~Jodie York

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MARQUEE CHRISTMAS GIFT BOX

By Kim Jeffress | The Jot Team

I love a challenge and love coming up with something a little different. I wanted to share how I could use one of the new Heidi Swapp Christmas Marquee light kits as a way to use as a gift giving idea.

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“When I give my gift to my loved one I will be sure to have the lights turned on for a fun surprise.� ~Kim Jeffress

I wanted to share how you could use one of the new Heidi Swapp Christmas Marquee light kits as a gift giving idea. I started by decorating the Marquee Light present shape with patterned paper on the inside and glitter tape around the edge. I added the coloured bulbs and my wrapped gift. I then added some of the Heidi Swapp patterned cellophane over the top to enclose the gift. I added some ribbon and a tag to complete my gift packaging!

SUPPLIES | Heidi Swapp Marquee Light gift kit. Patterned paper - Heidi Swapp. Embellishments: glitter tape, cellophane paper, layered tag, coloured bulbs from Heidi Swapp. Other - ribbon, jingle bells.

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MINC FOILED GIFT CARDS

By Anna Allan | The Jot Team

I wanted to create some simple tags yet do something different. I was really excited to get a hold of the Heidi Swapp toner ink pen!

I decided that I would use my own handwriting to write Christmas sentiments on some tags and MINC them. I used some lightweight cardstock and cut out a triangle, circle and tag shape. Then I wrote on the words with the special ink pen designed to work with the Heidi Swapp foil in the MINC machine. I chose gold, green and red foil to use on my tags. After foiling the tags, I added a wood veneer shape to each one and tied on some twine. And they were DONE!

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NOTE: The foil application to the pen ink is not as solid as on a printed design via a toner printer.

This could just be that it was the first time using the pen and the ink wasn’t fully released into the pen tip. Or it could be that I used too much or not enough pressure when I wrote with it.

Regardless, I am still happy with the look and how my tags turned out! The MINC products are absolutely amazing and an absolute credit to the Heidi Swapp brand. I’m keen to keep playing around with the pen and making pretty stuff with this awesome machine!

SUPPLIES | White card, Heidi Swapp toner ink pen, MINC machine, MINC reactive foil, wood veneer, twine.

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CHRISTMAS CARDS

By Raquel Bowman | The Jot Team

I decided to keep these cards simple in design, but pleasing to the eye. The Pink Paislee ‘Yuletide’ collection made this super easy with the patterned papers and variety of embellishments within the collection. The only extra supplies I have used are white cardstock and string.

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SEQUIN SHAKER GIFT TAG

By Sheree Forcier | The Jot Team

I can’t go past red and white striped ribbon for Christmas Wrapping -- It’s my favourite! I also made a fun little sequin shaker pocket for my gift tag then added a pretty die cut word and some star stickers. So easy!

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TIP// for the kraft bag I have used: Bazzill kraft cardstock; Sizzix bag die; Sizzix Big Shot Pro; white Alphabet; Silhouette Cameo for the mom to be die.

FELT STOCKING

By Loredana Bucaria | The Jot Team

I adore Christmas, literally! The magic in the air, the lights, the atmosphere is what I love most! I think is really the most wonderful time of the year!

And of course, I love creating homemade gifts for family and friends! I have chosen a stocking as a different way of packaging up a gift or as a holder for a special card or tag or letter. I have put it together in a little kraft bag made for a mom to be, I think this is a perfect combination. I love to work with fabric and felt because they are so soft and they give me the idea of the warmth of Christmas.

SUPPLIES | Red felt and white trim. Sizzix Christmas stocking die, Sizzix Big shot, a candy cane, a Christmas bell, white tag and gold tag, Christmas stamps from Kellie Winnell, gold and white twine and red knot plus a sewing machine.

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TIP// A sweet hand stitched felt stocking makes the perfect gift wrap for a lovely little gift for someone special.

“I adore Christmas. I think it really is the most wonderful time of the year.� ~Loredana Bucaria Jot Magazine 53

UPCYCLED GIFT BOXES

By Natalie Elphinstone | The Jot Team

After finally assimilating my Studio Calico Project Life kits into the rest of my stash I had quite a collection of the boxes left over. Too good to throw away I thought they might make good gift boxes for Christmas.

I decorated each box in a single bright colour, tying them up with leftover streamers from a birthday party which I sewed into a ruffled ribbon. Ultimately this became quite the exercise in recycling and stash-busting as I layered on embellishments from Christmases past!

SUPPLIES | Crepe paper streamers, assorted Project Life cards, Hambly transparency, May Arts ribbon, Maya Road and Scenic Route chipboard, Jenni Bowlin stencil, October Afternoon embellishments.

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TIP// Breathe new life into old packages by using them as your base and adding fun festive trim and embellishments.

“I used left over streamers from a birthday party which I sewed into a ruffled ribbon.� ~Natalie Elphinstone

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UPCYCLED GIFT BOXES

By Yvette Adams | The Jot Team

One Christmas I wrapped all my gifts up like little parcels, inspired by something similar I saw on Pinterest. I recycled postage stamps that came in the mail (we don’t get much mail so I had to plan ahead) and printed some Christmassy and postage type labels from the internet.

They looked so cute all together under the tree! Like little packages just waiting to be posted.

SUPPLIES |Stampin Up! stickers, ink and rubber stamps. Other: brown paper, twine, labels from a newsagent.

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STAMPIN’ UP G A L L E R Y

We were so fortunate to work with the gorgeous Christmas collection from Stampin’ Up and Project Life.

Our Jot Girls share some beautiful papery projects showcasing this delicious festive range of Project Life cards, papers, stamps, dies and embellishments from Stampin’ Up.

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MERRY RED TRIKE

Meghann Andrew - The Jot Team

My layouts always come together so quickly when I create a grid design with 3” x 4” cards! The Stampin’ Up kit was also perfect for creating my own custom embellishments with the adorable stamps and stickers!

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“The kit was also perfect for creating my own custom embellishments with the adorable stamps and stickers.� ~Meghann Andrew

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MINI COLOURING IN GIFT

By Lauren Hender | The Jot Team

Coming up with a unique idea for Christmas wrapping can be at times challenging but this fun interactive gift tag will surely be a talking point during your gift giving time. With mindfulness colouring in books and journals all the rage I used this fabulous Stampin’ Up Christmas stamp set to make a mini colouring in project.

TIP//What a brilliant idea! Lauren has used Stampin’ Up stamps and black Stazon ink to create a “mindfulness” inspired mini card just waiting to be coloured in!

SUPPLIES |Stamping Up, Staz On, and Prima.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS Sharmaine Kruijver - The Jot Team

One of the things I love about Project Life cards is that you can cut them up and use pieces behind photos or create unique embellishments. I did both on this page!

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“I had high hopes for the sequins and gold thread but alas I’m not a sewer and sequins hate me! So after altering my plan MANY times this is how I used them, to add some movement to my page” ~Sharmaine Kruijver

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CARD TRIO

By Meghann Andrew | The Jot Team

The Stampin’ Up kit was perfect for creating beautifully layered cards in minutes! I loved how the kit elements worked together so seamlessly.

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TIP// The Stampin’ Up kit comes with sequins in a gorgeous gold, crimson and aqua colour palette.

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MERRY LITTLE MINI BOOK Jodie York - The Jot Team

Nothing like getting stuck into a Christmas themed project to get you excited and in the mood for the festive season.

My six year old Henry had to stand up in his little kindergarten class last week and chat about his favourite Christmas memories. Henry chose the photos that he wanted to talk about and I put this very simple little mini flip book together using goodies from the Stampin’ Up Christmas kit.

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Two plastic overlays act as a front and back protective cover.

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I used the gold thread from the kit to tie my mini book pages together.

Using this Stampin’ Up kit made for a wonderfully simple and quick project done and one very chuffed little six year old school boy.

I used the plastic flip pockets from the kit which I put the sequins into, adhering them to the 3x4 cards with a line of machine stitching to make shaker cards.

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OH WHAT JOY

Kim Jeffress - The Jot Team

To make my reindeer card, I trimmed the reindeer from the edges of the 3x4 card so he stood alone without a border. Then mounted him on foam tape and layered him over the 3x4 card which to me represented the moon! He looks great there flying past the moon!

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DECEMBER CHEER PROJECT LIFE Anna Allan - The Jot Team

I wanted to create a page that will start off December in our family Project Life album documenting what the girls love about Christmas time.

I gave my girls a 3x4� journal card each to document the answers to the sign they were each holding up in their photos. They loved decorating the cards with their words and drawings.

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In the kit, Stampin Up included 3x4 clear pockets - I used one of these filled with the sequins from the kit to make a shaker card and positioned one of the glitter diecut cards over the top of that and slipped it into the remaining pocket on the page.

I used one of the page designs in the pack we received.

I decorated two of the 4x6” journal cards as decorative elements for the page. The title card was created using some Stampin Up vellum from my already existing Stampin’ Up stash, and I used the 4x6” die to cut it.

“I enjoy seeing the kid’s contributions to the page - such a special piece of memory keeping!” ~Anna Allan

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THIS MOMENT

Raquel Bowman - The Jot Team

I loved the opportunity to work with these stunning products by Stampin’ Up. Putting together this page fell together beautifully through using all the items in the Hello December kits.

It was fun to layer the acetate and glitter die cuts and I even added an enamel dot and turned the reindeer into Rudolf!

Part of the journaling is cut from the 3x4 cards, which are so versatile and fun to cut out and use as embellishments.

SUPPLIES | Stampin’ Up Other: White card stock, vellum, doily, glittered peg.

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MAGICAL

Mardi Winen - The Jot Team

Gosh what a beautiful and generous package from Stampin-Up. I loved the quality of the cards and stamps which coordinated beautifully with the added embellishment pack. I thought the colours worked perfectly with this photo from Christmas and to tie it together I created a colour washed background using the ink pad and some water.

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MAGICAL DECEMBER PROJECT LIFE Kim Jeffress - The Jot Team

I loved the blues and pale aquas in this collection and it suited the clothing my boys were wearing in my photos perfectly.

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I ran the Dear Santa 3x4 card through my vintage typewriter for my journaling such a quick and easy way to get it done! I also splashed some gold Colorshine onto some of the 3x4 cards for that touch of Christmas glitz and glamour.

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CHRISTMAS CARD SET Yvette Adams - The Jot Team

I really love the red, white and duck egg blue colour scheme in the Stampin Up Christmas range. And you can’t have Christmas without some gold and bling!

I’VE MADE A SELECTION OF CHRISTMAS JOURNALING CARDS USING THE STAMPIN’ UP KIT. And my thirteen year old daughter Tassy created the December 25 card to the left.

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A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER Mardi Winen - The Jot Team

I created a little ‘Project Life’ inspired mini album for some special photos from Christmas 2014.

I used two 12 x 12 page protectors carefully cut into 6 x 4 pages. Some of the pages had the plastic binder edge but for those that didn’t I created an edge using washi tape and some machine stitching. It was then a fun process of filling each page with the beautiful coordinating cards, glitter pieces plus shaker pockets and photos.

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Project Life page protectors make great mini albums -- simply cut them into smaller 4x6� pages and fill with photos, cards and embellishments.

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We peek inside Lory’s beautiful December Daily 2014 album.

PROJECT LIFE

Lory Bucaria - The Jot Team

I loved this kit. Thank you so much Stampin’ Up for your generosity!

I loved to work with this kit and I am in love with the glitter gold die cuts, the white transparencies and the transparent plastic pockets. I thought that this kit would be perfect to catch up with my December Daily for 2014. Wonderful!

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I have used just few details and some embellishments to tell stories. The glitter words are beautiful and perfect to add accents to my photos.

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“For the third spread I made this card using white cardstock and layering the transparency over the top and adding the gold twine with just a little label sticker.� ~Loredana Bucaria

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MERRY CHRISTMAS CARDS Sheree Forcier - The Jot Team

When I first opened this gorgeous kit from Stampin’ Up I immediately loved the pretty colour palette with glittery gold thrown into the mix!

I used both sizes of Project Life cards and some embellishments to create these two Christmas Cards. Everything in the kit works so perfectly together which made them so easy to create.

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Project Life filler cards from Sheree Forcer

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CHRISTMAS PROJECT LIFE CARDS Sheree Forcier - The Jot Team

With the beautifully co-ordinated stickers and embellishments in this Stampin’ Up kit it’s so easy to add some pretty extras to the Project Life cards. I’m planning on using these ones in my December Daily album this Christmas.

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Sheree has plans for using her decorated cards in her Daily December album this year.

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Stampin’ Up makes it so easy to create filler cards for your Project Life spreads.

PROJECT LIFE FILLER CARDS Leanne Allinson - The Jot Team

The Stampin’ Up Project Life cards make great filler cards for your pocket scrapbooking. With a few simple steps and a handful of embellishments, you will soon have some beautiful cards for your projects.

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STEP BY STEP | This weekly title card was created in a few simple steps using a pre-made card and embellished with small details.

STEP BY STEP | Choose a Project Life card with a lot of blank space at the bottom of the card. Add the heart plus circle sticker to the bottom right corner.

Layer a thin gold foil banner strip, overlapping the heart and circle sticker.

Finish embellishing the Project Life card with two sequins.

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Leanne has created a pocket journaling card using the Project Life cards plus clear acetate card.

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STEP ONE// Select two complementary Project Life filler cards – one patterned card and one journaling card. STEP TWO// Trim the journaling card to allow a ¼” border to show from the patterned filler card when it is layered beneath. STEP THREE// Create a diagonal cut with your trimmer, a third of the way on the clear acetate Project Life card. STEP FOUR// Carefully align the clear acetate card with the patterned 3x4 Project Life card. Secure the two pieces together with some washi tape. Using a sewing machine, stitch around the outside edge of the two cards. Once complete, remove the washi tape. Leave the top of the clear acetate open. This will create a pocket for your journaling card. STEP FIVE// Add a small sticker tab to the top left corner of the journaling card. This will help to slot the card inside of the pocket we’ve just created. TO FINISH// Add two enamel dots.

Leanne Allinson - The Jot Team

STEP BY STEP STEP ONE// Select the Project Life card with “December” written across the top and with the wreath below the text. Punch a hole inside the wreath circle and carefully trim around the inner edge to cut out a circle shape. STEP TWO// Carefully align a 3x4 clear acetate card on top of the Project Life card you’ve just altered. Using a gold foil banner sticker, layer directly on to the clear acetate card. With the sticker banner in place, use it at as a guide to apply a strong wet adhesive on the reverse side of the acetate card. This will hide any mess and secure the acetate card to the first Project Life card. STEP THREE// Select a second Project Life card to provide a back drop to the first card. STEP FOUR// Line up all cards together.

[Acetate+Cutout Project Life cards with the Back Drop card behind]. Add a date sticker to the bottom card, allowing it to peek through the cutout in the first card. STEP FIVE// Add foam dots between the two cards to create a shadow effect.

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CHRISTMAS CARDS

Natalie Elphinstone - The Jot Team

It was the transparent acetate cards that gave me the idea to turn them into the front panel of a shaker card. I popped them up on a layer of foam tape all around the edges, sealing the sequins inside. To hide the tape, I then adhered the glitter card over the top. I did a similar thing with the reindeer card, but instead of adding sequins I stuck down the enamel trees. The multiple layers give it such a depth and dimension and creates almost a diorama effect. So fun!!

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Project Life cards make sensational tags for dressing up Christmas gifts!

GIFT TAGS

Natalie Elphinstone - The Jot Team

I love that the Project Life cards have so many other uses as well. Here I’ve turned them into a set of gift tags. I’ve purposely left enough space on each tag to be able to write in the recipient’s name later (you know... once I’m organised enough to have wrapped the presents!)

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Jot

SPOTTING

What have the Jot Girls been sharing on social media?

In our regular feature, we get to know the Jot Girls a little better by taking a peek into their daily lives as they share some of their recent Instagram photos with us.

Lauren Hender I love our country. Here is my beautiful boy feeding kangaroos. Australia is amazing! #onlyinaustralia @lauren_hender

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Lisa Pate Adventures in extreme knitting.

Leanne Allinson

@lisa.pate @leanne_allinson

Sheree Forcier

A bundle of felt brooches that I made recently. They’re fun to make and I love seeing how colourful they are when they’re all together! @shereeforcier

Our September school holidays started with a trip to the local library! I love that all my children get excited about reading.

Amanda Hall

Taking a break with these lovelies at the beach at the escape2create mini retreat - Meredith Treloar, Lauren Boase, Sue Parsons and Mardi Winen. @apolkadotheart

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Natalie Elphinstone If I love crafting then the only thing better is crafting with my kids! @natalieelph

Mardi Winen

“I fix it... fix it like Dad� .. apparently you need to be lying down in an awkward position for fixing. @mardi_jane

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Jamie Pate

Autumn in the Rockies has fallen. It really is a most beautiful time of year.

Thankful for a Sunday afternoon to capture it. @jamiepate

Raquel Bowman

Jodie York My first ever scripting on location experience. Excited and nervous. But mainly excited.

@raquelp

@jodie.york

Sharmaine Kruijver

Kim Jeffress

@kimjeffress

We had a wildlife show at school and I bravely ( well I was kinda scared) asked to hold the carpet python, my students thought it was rather cool that I got to hold it!

Introducing Lola, the latest addition to our little family. She is settling in well and we are in love already!

This one was entitled “Guess who split their pants?� Seems we like the sunshine a little too much! @4squirts

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@meghannandrew

World Prematurity Day was recognized on November 17th, and we celebrated the life of our beautiful 2 year-old, who was born prematurely at 25 weeks gestation, and who has fought so much to be where she is today!

@annamayde

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Anna Allan

Yvette Adams

Crepes would have to be one of my most fave things to have for breakfast! I love piling them up with Greek yoghurt, banana, berries, nuts and goji berries (in this case, choc-coated ones!) I hadn’t had crepes for yonks so hubby cooked up a batch especially for my birthday. And they were scrummy!

We recently went to New Zealand for our first overseas family holiday.

It’s such a beautiful place! @eeveeadams

Kim Archer Almost time to drag these guys out again for the holiday season. @jotmagazine

Petra Corcoran Yippee ! Just in time my @december_daily album has arrived ! #decemberdaily

@petracorcoran

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Loredana Bucaria I already feel the magic in the air! Christmas is coming and I’m catching up with My Daily December 2014. Oh yes! I am in love with this time of the year and I am in love with pictures of details about my home for Christmas.

@loredanabucaria

Beshka Kueser

Aimee Dow

Playing catch up - trying to get current before the end of the year gets here!

Slowly coming to accept that Christmas is just around the corner. Embracing the fact that we will probably have a new little human in the house by the time Christmas Day arrives. Getting my holiday scrap on even though the weather sucks and falling more in love with our Christmas colors I let hubby pick this year.

@bckueser @aimee_dow

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COCOA VANILLA S T U D I O

...A FRESH NEW BRAND HAS ARRIVED IN THE AUSTRALIAN SCRAPBOOKING INDUSTRY. We meet Zoe Pearn the designer behind the gorgeous Aussie scrapbooking brand -- Cocoa Vanilla Studio.

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WHAT IF?

“

Life can change in an instant and I decided I wanted to live without any regrets.

SOMETIMES A LIFE CHANGING EVENT CAN TOTALLY FLIP OUR PERSPECTIVE AND INSPIRE US TO TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH INTO THE UNKNOWN, DESPITE ALL THE WHAT IFS AND FEAR THAT MAY HAVE STOPPED US PREVIOUSLY. That’s exactly what happened in 2011 when Cocoa Vanilla designer Zoe Pearn and her family lost their home to flood waters and Zoe and her husband Marty found themselves homeless with their three year old son, a 6 week old baby and no insurance.

Zoe had been designing scrapbook products for other companies for the past ten years and always toyed with the idea of starting her own brand.

“I actually had the business name and trademarks registered for a few years before I took the leap to start. I had a few collections ready to go into production but I would chicken out at the last minute because of all the what ifs and I wasn’t sure that what I was creating was something I had to offer.”

But the devastating floods in Brisbane in 2011 turned everything around for Brisbane born and raised Zoe. “Our house was flooded to roof level and we pretty much lost everything,” Zoe says. “We found ourselves homeless with a 3 year old and a new born 6 week old baby and no insurance. It all had a happy ending and thanks to a lot of kind people, we got to go home eventually, but it really made me rethink my life and what I wanted.”

Part of that rethinking was the decision to make a sea change to the beautiful coastal town of Nambucca Heads. “Life can change in an instant, and I decided that I didn’t want to live with any regrets so we packed up and moved to NSW by the beach.

I also decided to start taking steps to make my designing dream a reality.”

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“It usually takes me a couple of weeks to design a collection from start to finish. The papers are the easiest part for me, but I really struggle with the embellishments. Its what takes the longest to design.�

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With encouragement from friends within the industry and her design experience, plus determination and her newfound perspective, Zoe got the ball rolling and Cocoa Vanilla designs was launched in January 2015.

And not even a year later, Zoe has eight collections under her belt and plans to release two collections every three months.

When Zoe’s first child was born, she decided to try and make a living from her designing to get her family through her maternity leave. “I never thought I would see the day that I wouldn’t be going back to my “real job” but I was very lucky that designing took off for me.”

Contracted to USA scrapbooking company My Mind’s Eye, Zoe designed collections and ended up staying with them for a number of years. “As a result of my work with MME, I had the opportunity to go into fabric design and have worked with Riley Blake designs since their inception, still designing fabric for them today!”

“I’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response we’ve had considering we are only just starting out!” Zoe says, “Cocoa Vanilla has some very loyal fans and our stockists list is growing every day. I have had so much encouragement Plenty of freelance design both from our fans and our retailers, work came Zoe’s way including so fingers crossed that means I’ll be opportunities with Australian here for a while!” company Kaisercraft and she also sold her own digital products at Zoe is completely self taught when Sweet Shoppe Design. it comes to digital design and has been very fortunate to have had And now she brings that wealth of some great opportunities that have experience to her very own brand. helped to build her skill set and allow her to be able to create her Cocoa Vanilla includes patterned own brand. papers and coordinating embellishments in fresh and very “I started designing as a bit of a usable colours and designs. The hobby after my wedding in 2005,“ actual design process is the quickest she says, “I started selling digital part for Zoe, with the production scrapbooking products around phase taking the longest time. that time and I worked at that for a couple of years.”

What has been the biggest thing Zoe has learned so far since starting her business?

“That I’m not super woman! I’ve learned that I have way too many ideas and not enough money or time to bring them to life.

And I’ve learned that being in business is a learning curve in itself. I am constantly learning from my mistakes. But mistakes are wonderful things sometimes because they push you to improve.”

Like many small businesses, being a one man band can have it’s challenges. “I am always trying to split myself into ten different parts in order to get everything done,’ Zoe says.

The other challenge Zoe faces is the financial challenge. “I started Cocoa Vanilla with my savings and no loans or anything, so right now, all profits go straight back into the business and product development.

The USD exchange rate can make things difficult but the plan is to ride the wave long enough so that eventually things will get easier.”

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“

I usually start with a mood board and a colour palette but I will generally have a theme or feel in mind when I start. Sometimes things start out completely different from where they end up so it’s bit of an organic process.�

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Finding that elusive life/work balance also has its challenges for Zoe but she has had incredible support from husband Marty who she says encourages her even when she feels miserable and worn out.

“I wouldn’t be able to do this without him by my side, that’s for sure. Because things have been so crazy since I started in January I haven’t had as much family time as I would like but I’m hoping to change that in 2016. When I can, I try and sit down and watch a movie with the kids or read them a bedtime story, go out for a lunch date with my hubby or get down to the beach!”

But the benefits far outweigh the challenges and Zoe says, “Nothing beats seeing my collections being used by scrappers to showcase their special memories.

I get such a thrill when I see my products used in layouts on Pinterest or in a magazine.

It really makes me happy to know that even in some small way, my designs have made someone remember and put down on paper something special about their lives and I am honoured that they have chosen my products to help do that!”

Zoe’s favourite collection changes with each new release but so far she would choose “Hello Lovely” and her newest “Free Spirit” collections as her favourites. “I can’t resist a good floral, and these two collections are feminine and beautiful and really reflect my own personal design style.”

Social media has played an important role in raising the Cocoa Vanilla profile and Zoe finds that this has been the best way to reach her audience. “Instagram is a wonderful platform because it’s so visual and I can reach my followers instantly.

Also, our blog has been a great way to reach our customers too.”

Zoe has a design team of girls helping to inspire others to create using the Cocoa Vanilla products.

“My fabulous Design Team girls go above and beyond to showcase Cocoa Vanilla almost daily, and the inspiration it provides is definitely the most valuable marketing tool that I have.”

Cocoa Vanilla has been embraced by retailers not only locally here in Australia but internationally too. You can find Cocoa Vanilla stockists on their stockists page. And Zoe also sells her products directly on her website.

So what is next for Zoe and Cocoa Vanilla?

“Well, hopefully Cocoa Vanilla will keep going from strength to strength, and Zoe will keep designing (and maybe even one day have some staff)!

I have so many ideas and products in the works, so stay tuned - I’m sure whatever’s next is going to be fabulous, and I’m so thankful to have so many people cheering me on!”

Facebook Instagram Cocoa Vanilla website Blog Stockists

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Available Now!

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for wholesale enquiries or to find your nearest stockist

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www.cocoavanilla.com.au

CHRISTMAS G A L L E R Y

It’s the holiday season and we are celebrating.

We love the festive season around here and the Jot Girls have been busy creating some beautiful Christmas themed paper projects for us PLUS we have an awesome reader gallery too.

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PHOTO SHOOT MEMORIES Raquel Bowman - The Jot Team

A new tradition for us each year will be the Christmas card photo shoot and boy did we struggle to get that ‘perfect’ photo last year. This layout documents this and despite these photos not being perfect in the traditional sense they are perfect to me as these photos capture my two and their relationship perfectly. So pleased I have documented these photos and this story.

SUPPLIES | Cocoa Vanilla Studio ‘Tis the Season’ papers and embellishments. Other: typewriter, doily.

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SANTA TRACKER Kim Jeffress - The Jot Team

Last year we went to Daydream Island in December and we took along our North Pole communicator. The boys were able to talk to Santa every day we were there ...they really do “believe�! I used the Heidi Swapp Believe Die as my title butting it with some divine glitter paper. The paper had this beautiful banner design at the top so I used that as part of my embellishments and hung some of the new Heidi Swapp sheer die cuts from the banner. The blue gives a really fresh design!

SUPPLIES | Patterned paper: Heidi Swap. Embellishments: Heidi Swapp die cuts, Wood veneer, sheer die cuts, die, glitter paper, ephemera, Studio Calico glitter star, My Minds Eye enamel dots.

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MERRY & BRIGHT Mardi Winen - The Jot Team

I went for a very non-traditional look Christmas layout.... Pink and purple! I loved the print tags (which I printed extra small) and cut file (from Wilna’s class) so my layout evolved from there.

SUPPLIES | Patterned papers: Crate paper. Cardstock: Canson watercolour paper. Embellishments: Wilna Furstenberg printed tags and cut files from ‘a heartfelt Christmas’, Crate Paper die cuts, Cocoa Vanilla bow and enamel dots, Stampin-Up label.

Other: book paper, sewing machine, water colour paint.

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TREE INSPECTION

Meghann Andrew - The Jot Team

Last year during our annual Christmas tree search, I snapped these photos of my daughter walking up and down the aisles of trees, inspecting each one. It will be fun to see if she does the same inspection this year!

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: Bazzill. Patterned paper: My Mind’s Eye, Elle’s Studio, Studio Calico. Die-cuts: Crate Paper. Stickers: October Afternoon. Wood veneer: Studio Calico. Stamps: Scraptastic Club, Project Life (date). Twine & ink: Stampin’ Up! Other: Enamel dots.

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HAPPY DAY

Jamie Pate - The Jot Team

I love our big family gatherings and especially when we remember to take a photo, because sometimes we don’t remember. So this picture makes me very happy as we are all together. More significant than ever as those older kiddos just keep getting older and are starting to leave. Take those pictures. Print those photos.

SUPPLIES |Patterned paper: Heidi Swapp Oh What Fun. Christmas Minc Embellishments: Stickers, Tags, Gold Foil.

Embellishments: Oh What Fun Decorative Tags, Alpha Sticker Book. Wood Veneer: and Washi Tape: Heidi Swapp Hemp Cord: Hemptique.

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THIS MAKES ME HAPPY Anna Allan - The Jot Team

I love to document the little moments in life as well as the big ones. My eldest can now write out her own Christmas cards to her friends at school. She makes a list of names, picks out her cards and gets right down to it. I just had to document this moment!

I got a tad brave when it came to creating the page. I designed my layout and stuck everything down in its place and then asked my daughter to write her name straight onto the page. She made one little boo boo however I think it makes it so much more real and adds just the right amount of character to the page. AND she loved that she had a part in making one of ‘Mummy’s creations’.

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: Bazzill Patterned paper: Pink Paislee. Alphabet: Teresa Collins. Embellishments: resin bow, Flutterby Designs, D-lish Scraps, Scrapbook and More, Basic Grey. OTHER: Heidi Swapp Color Shine (gold), journal pens, doily, tiny attacher.

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HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Loredana Bucaria - The Jot Team

Before the 1st of December, I love to have my home ready for the month by decorating my home with candles, photos and lights.

I love baking some goodies, and have a good breakfast each morning with my favorite red and white dot cup! So this page is about my home for Christmas. I have decided to use some little photos of details and insert many different embellishments and a little piece of white copy paper to print my journaling.

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: Bazzill. Patterned paper: Teresa Collins. Embellishments: Stampin’ Up washi and “magical” word; Chic tags, Buttons Galore, Studio Calico, Crate Paper, Freckled Fawn. Other: Sizzix snowflake die, Heidi Swapp gold spray.

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CHRISTMAS TREE Sheree Forcier - The Jot Team

Every December 1st, when we decorate the tree the kids take turns putting the star on top and this year it was Riley’s turn. He was pretty proud of himself being able to put up there without Dad’s help this time!

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: Sullivans. Patterned papers: Simple Stories. Embellishments: Simple Stories, October Afternoon.

Alphabets American Crafts. Other: white tag, date stamp, black ink, sewing machine, thread.

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CHRISTMAS

Leanne Allinson - The Jot Team

The one Christmas tradition I really must insist on, is the photo that gets taken with all the kids in front of the tree before the chaos begins! I haven’t missed taking this snapshot in the last 15 years and am excited to continue with it, even though I have to listen to the moans and groans from the subjects in the photo!

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: American Crafts. Patterned paper: Bella Blvd. Embellishments: Heidi Swapp Believe ephemera, Stampin’ Up clear stamps, Doodlebug doily, Bella Blvd stickers, flair. Other: typewriter, black paint, Dear Lizzy date stamp, Stampin’ Up ink.

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DECEMBER

Yvette Adams - The Jot Team

Last year was the first Christmas with our bunny and our local shops had an outdoor Santa for photo opportunities with pets!

SUPPLIES | Paper - Stampin Up!, Typo. Everything else: Stampin Up!

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REMEMBER TODAY Sharmaine Kruijver - The Jot Team

Christmas Eve we would normally spend in the car looking at Christmas lights and secret Santa-ing our friends. 2014 was different. It was the first time we had all spent Christmas at my mother-in-law’s place, so things were a little different and worth remembering.

SUPPLIES | Bazzill cardstock, Authetique patterned paper, Heidi Swapp die cuts, The Greatest View flair, Cocoa Daisy ink, stamp and sequins, Basic Grey and My Mind’s Eye enamel dots OTHER: nail polish, staples, paint, thread, machine stitching, typewriter.

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JOY TO THE WORLD Lauren Hender - The Jot Team

Each Christmas I try to create a new project to help decorate our home. This project has been fabulous as all my children are already enjoying it by interchanging photos and sharing favourite Christmas memories.

SUPPLIES | Teresa Collins, Heidi Swapp, Couture Creations and Project Life.

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CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

Rachel’s Blog

Rachel Lowe - Perth, Australia

I wanted to create a layout that captured the wonder of my child at Christmas. ‘Tis The Season by Coco Vanilla Studio was perfect with its muted colour combination finished with a Silhouette cut file - BELIEVE.

SUPPLIES | Created using Coco Vanilla Studio - ‘Tis the Season

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OUR CHRISTMAS STORY

Justine’s Instagram

Justine Hastie - Wollongong, Australia

This layout is of my youngest at nearly six years old (with one of his front teeth missing) in some magical Christmas Morning moments. I don’t usually crop in circles but it helped focus on his face and the joyful expressions.

SUPPLIES | Everything in my digital layout, including the template/sketch, was designed by Sahlin Studios (her designs are available at www.the-lilypad.com).

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CHRISTMAS TAGS

Kat’s Blog

Kat Gray - Melbourne

I love to use my leftover supplies to make smaller projects such as cards or tags. These Christmas gift tags were made using scraps of paper and leftover embellishments from making Christmas layouts.

SUPPLIES | Patterned paper: Simple Stories, Vellum paper: My Minds Eye. Embellishments: Simple Stories, Cocoa Vanilla Studio, Pink Paislee. Other: Gold thread, twine, metallic cord.

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SANTA CLAUS

Tarrah’s Blog

Tarrah McLean - Central Coast, NSW This Christmas photo is such a cheeky but cute one of my eldest son from a few years ago! I just had to scrap it straight away!

SUPPLIES | Heidi Swapp Believe Collection. Words or Whatever Chipboard. The Cut Shoppe Cut Files. D-lish Scraps embellishments.

Greatest View flair.

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HAND PAINTED CHRISTMAS WRAPPING Mamie Fidler - Tungkillo, SA

These little gifts are wrapped in hand painted wrapping paper, with decorations cut with my Silhouette die-cutting machine. I call them “snowflake & sparkle”.

Mamie’s Blog

SUPPLIES | Chromacryl paint in red and white, A3 paper, freckled fawn ampersands, patty pans, ribbon and silhouette cut files.

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CHRISTMAS TIME

Bea’s blog

Bea Valint - Hungary

Last Christmas we went to take some holiday photos to a photographer. Our kids were very fussy and they couldn’t sit for a moment. They shook their heads over and over all the time. All the pictures became wrong. So I decided to use their photos to make a montage! On this layout I chose each kid’s most beautiful smile and cut their photo into a circle.

SUPPLIES | Patterned paper - Daisy Bucket design, Die-cut shapes - Basic Grey

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CHRISTMAS TIME

Timi’s Blog

Timi Biro - United Kingdom This year we visited the Winter Wonderland festival in London with my family. I have been waiting for the visit for 2 years and I was really excited. It was really crowded and we had to queue for a long time, but it was worth it! It was a very charming and fantastic experience for everyone!

SUPPLIES | Pink Paislee, Scrapfellow, Garn & Mehr baker’s twine, Winter Woodland, Staz On, American Crafts, white cardstock and tag, gold paint.

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THE CRAY CRAYZ

Krisy’s Blog

Krisy Podolak - Brisbane, Australia Christmas is a crazy time of year with crazy people. We are not traditional!

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: American Crafts, Paper: Simple Stories DIY Boutique, Francheville Christmas Basics, Stamps: Stampin’ Up. Embellishments: Studio Calico stickers, Project Life card and alphabets, Thickers, wood Veneer, Kaisercraft Alphabets, twine, tag, sequins, Stazon Ink, Dylusions ink, doily, glitter tape, D-lish Scraps Glitter Bow. Jot Magazine 133

HOLD ONTO YOUR HAT

Lizzy’s Blog

Lizzy Hill - NSW I wanted to focus this Christmas page on my Grand Boy’s hat. He looked so cute in it! It took me a few photos ‘til I got the exact effect I wanted, so I used all 3 of them, layered up. And there’s nothing like a pun to create a fun Christmas title, eh? I also wanted to play with Christmas confetti, deciding to heat emboss those little Christmas trees. Worth it, despite the hot fingers!

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: American Crafts. Alphabets: Glitz, Fancy Pants, magnetic Scrabble tiles. Embellishments: Maggie Holmes metal studs. Other: Christmas packaging and confetti, Heidi Swapp color shine, Stampin’ Up! Embossing powder, Versamark ink, nail polish, Gesso, Winsor and Newton ink, stationery clips, doily.

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GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Brianna’s Blog

Brianna Marshall - USA

I created this layout with the gorgeous new Photoplay line, creating a paper grid to back and mimic my collage photo. I added fun pops of gold star confetti and mist for just the right touch of sparkle.

SUPPLIES |Patterned paper: photo play paper. Alphabets: Photo Play paper. Flower sequins: Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper.

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RIGHT: Rustic Merry Christmas gift tags from the Paper Birdcage - Shop here>>

5

<<LEFT: A fantastic pack from Flutterby Designs to make your Elf on the Shelf come alive!! Shop here>>

HOLIDAY PRODUCTS TO CELEBRATE THE FESTIVE SEASON

ABOVE: A gorgeous cut file script phrase from Jodie York for the Silhouette Store. Shop here>>

ABOVE: Christmas stamps from Kellie Stamps. Shop here>>

RIGHT: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tis The Season flair buttons from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. Shop right here>> Jot Magazine 136

By Kim Archer

STORY TELLING

WHEN I GROW UP Our STORY TELLING gallery isn’t just about pretty photos and embellishments -- our focus is on the story.

It doesn’t have to be a long story. Just use a few sentences or even a few words if that’s all it takes to tell your story. This issue we ask the question -- what do you want to be when you grow up?

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DREAM BIG

Raquel Bowman - The Jot Team

Charlotte loves playing doctors! She has told us many a time that she is a doctor and can ‘fix’ us and make us better. Aim high little one!

SUPPLIES | Papers and embellishments: Crate Paper ‘Wonder’ Collection Alphabets: We R Memory Keepers Gold Thickers Other: Silhouette Cameo, Silhouette Cut File, typewriter.

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& HE DREAMS

Kim Jeffress - The Jot Team

I love how kids are full of optimism and of innocence. My son who has just turned nine is convinced that his first car will be an AUDI...I love that !

SUPPLIES |Patterned paper- Crate paper, Bella Blvd, Pebbles. Embellishments - Heidi Swapp word stickers, acrylic words, label,letter stickers, washi tape, Bella Blvd word stickers, letters, Pink paislee Puffy stickers.

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THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT Sharmaine Kruijver - The Jot Team

Our girls are at ages where there is a lot of talk about what the future holds but knowing what you want to be “when you grow up” can be overwhelming. We’ve had many discussions with our girls about what career paths they might travel and our advice has always been do your best, keep your options open, listen to your heart and don’t be limited by what the world thinks you should be.

SUPPLIES |Patterned papers: Pebbles Inc. Embellishments: Cocoa Daisy ink, DITL card and flair, American Crafts stickers and stamp, Kaiser Craft pearls. Other: Typewriter, pencil, water colour paint.

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TRUE STORY

Mardi Winen - The Jot Team

I asked the girls the big question after school one night.... What do you think you will be when you grow up? It all sounded pretty standard until she mentioned the snake!

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: Bazzill. Patterned papers: Fancy Pants,Kaisercraft, Pebbles, Bella Blvd, October Afternoon, Pink Paislee, American Crafts. Embellishments: Heidi Swapp speech bubble, Cocoa Vanilla enamel dots Other: sewing machine, watercolour paint, typewriter.

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I SHOULDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE BEEN A PIANIST Meghann Andrew - The Jot Team

One of my biggest regrets is that I gave up on the piano as a teenager, after playing for seven years.

Now that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m older, I have a different perspective on life and can see how much I loved it, but when I was young, a pianist was the last thing I wanted to be when I grew up.

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: Bazzill. Patterned papers: Fancy Pants, Kaisercraft, Pebbles, Bella Blvd, October Afternoon, Pink Paislee, American Crafts. Embellishments: Heidi Swapp speech bubble, Cocoa Vanilla enamel dots. Other: sewing machine, watercolour paint, typewriter.

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WHEN I GROW UP Loredana Bucaria - The Jot Team

This time the story is about me and about what I would like to do when I grow up. Yes, because there is always time to dream and realize your dreams, you just need to believe! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my story, my life, my dreams and when I saw this theme. A light appears to me! I love pages about me, about what I feel and this theme was perfect to tell my story.

SUPPLIES |Cardstock: Bazzill. Patterned papers: Studio Calico. Embellishments: Studio Calico, American Crafts, Ali Edwards.

Sequins Jot Magazine 144

NOTED

Jamie Pate - The Jot Team

Sometimes they are not sure of what they want to be when they grow up. And then it hits them.

And they light up. And they pursue it.. And Mom...she writes it down.

SUPPLIES | Patterned paper: Pink Paislee Memorandum. Labels: Pink Paislee Memorandum. Wood Veneer Word: Heidi Swapp. Celebrate tag: Rhonna Designs. Other: clip Jot Magazine 145

LAB RAT

Leanne Allinson - The Jot Team

My middle son was studying volcanoes at school earlier this year and suddenly he became obsessed! All his research on the subject focused on how he could become a “Volcanologist”; just so he could create volcano-like explosions in a laboratory!

SUPPLIES |Cardstock: American Crafts, DCWV. Patterned Paper: Bella Blvd, Elle’s Studio. Alphabets: Bella Blvd.

Embellishments: Gossamer Blue Puffy Stickers, Elle’s studio cards, Bella Blvd chipboard, Studio Calico stars, Maggie Holmes rub ons. Other: sewing machine, typewriter, black paint, black pen.

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LAB RAT

Amanda Hall - The Jot Team

It seemed a logical choice for Piper to dress as a teacher for her ‘what you want to be when you grow up’ day at school. I layered the graph and the photo in Photoshop (erasing the lines where it went over Piper) to give a unique, ‘school’ feel to the page.

SUPPLIES |Patterned papers: Simple Stories. Cardstock: Bazzill. Alphabets: Simple Stories. Embellishments: Echo Park stickers, Typo stitched heart sticker, Pebbles Inc. Puffy sticker. Other: typewriter, Photoshop Jot Magazine 147

RIGHT NOW

Sheree Forcier - The Jot Team

Recently there are two things that Ayden always says he wants to do when he grows up...help to save animals from becoming extinct and to look after his Dad and me. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got such a good heart! We just know heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to do wonderful things in his future!

SUPPLIES |Cardstock: American Crafts. Patterned Papers: Crate Paper, Simple Stories, Pink Paislee, Cocoa Vanilla. Embellishments: Crate Paper, Cocoa Vanilla, Evalicious, October Afternoon. Title Stickers: American Crafts. Other: watercolour paint, thread, sewing machine, white tag, date stamp, black ink.

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SO PROUD

Natalie Elphinstone - The Jot Team

So we completely forgot it was Moriah’s dress up day at school until we were driving there! The theme was “when I grow up” and I was racking my brain to come up with a quick costume so we wouldn’t be too late.

Luckily for me she stated she wanted to be a doctor (actually, ‘a mum who’s also a doctor’) and I thought great, at least I’ve got a costume for that! The pride that she wants to take after me would come later ;-)

SUPPLIES |Patterned papers: Studio Calico and Moriah’s own painting. Embellishments: Evalicious flair, Studio Calico chipboard, Twine and Ink puffy stickers. Other: Kellie Stamps “Kiddo” digital stamp Jot Magazine 149

SHE SAID

Anna Allan - The Jot Team

I love documenting the little everyday conversations and random things that the kids say. This particular exchange between my girls I overheard made me giggle to myself and was perfect for this gallery theme. The things kids say hey!?!

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: Bazzill Patterned paper: Seven Paper. Alphabet: Ali Edwards. Other: Studio Calico Color Theory. Embellishments: chipboard frame, Crate Paper ‘Journey’ sticker, stapler, journaling pens, washi tape, silver pencil, Heidi Swapp Colour Shine, Huey’s colour mist, grey ink pad.

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WHEN I GROW UP..

Elizabetta’s Blog

Elisabetta Margini - Italy

My layout and my story are about the sea. I don’t know where the future will bring me but I know that I wanna live in a city by the seaside. I don’t live near the sea right now and it’s something that I miss so bad during the winter. I definitely want to wake up every morning and be happy looking at the waves and the boats!

SUPPLIES |Patterned paper: Pinkfresh Studio, Dear Lizzy. Embellishments: Dear Lizzy, Pink Paislee, Crate Paper, Studio Calico.

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FUTURE FIREMAN

Rachelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blog

Rachel Dutko, Adelaide SA.

My son is obsessed with fire engines as many a little boy is, and we had a great time at the annual open day at the Adelaide Fire Station.

SUPPLIES | Patterned Papers: Studio Calico, Pink Paislee, Chic Tags. Embellishments: American Crafts (Amy Tangerine, Shimelle), Freckled Fawn, Flutterby Designs.

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lisa pate collections

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AMANDA HALL

HOLIDAY S C R A P S Trying to scrapbook your holiday photos after you return home can be a daunting task!

Amanda Hall shares some of her top tips for documenting your travel adventures in an easy, stress free way that wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t overwhelm you and will soon have you filling up your travel scrapbook album.

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#WEWEREHERE Amanda Hall - The Jot Team

SUPPLIES |Cardstock: American Craft. Alphabets: chipboard # gift from Louise Nelson. Embellishments: Heidi Swapp banners, Cocoa Vanilla ephemera, Typo clouds. Other: Typewriter.

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AMANDA HALL

HOLIDAYS. AREN’T THEY AMAZING? We save. We plan. We book. We wait. The excitement is almost unbearable. Then we are there, clicking away, capturing the moments as they unfold. Living the dream.

Holidays are so much fun that we’ve all felt that bump when we return home to our normal day to day life. A holiday hangover is a perfect way to describe it!

One way of keeping the magic alive is by looking back over your photos and reliving all those special moments. As scrapbookers we’d surely be super keen to dive into all those holiday shots and document the memory of our trip of a lifetime. Yes? Unfortunately there are many scrapbookers who are filled with dread at the thought of all their precious holiday snaps yet to be scrapped.

The whole idea makes them come out in a cold sweat. Sadly it isn’t from a lack of pool side cocktails but a common feeling of being overwhelmed with the task. Where to start documenting this amazing time away? How can we possibly scrapbook all the photos taken?

How to fit in all the incredible stories about this adventure?

Since returning from our UK and France adventure in October I’ve spoken to so many scrapbookers who say it’s just far too big a job to start on their own holiday photos and before they know it the years have crept by.

Project Life, memory planners and mini albums are perfect platforms for displaying these types of special trips. Keeping it all together in one spot makes sense and doing something on a smaller scale is much less daunting.

But what about a traditional scrapbooker?

My snaps from our trip will be scrapped in my

normal size (A4) and these are some tips I’ve thought of to help wade through those scrapbook holiday blues and not get too lost in the process.

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<TRAVEL ADVENTURE Amanda Hall - The Jot Team

TIP// Forget the idea that you will scrap

EVERY. PHOTO. TAKEN. This is a recipe for anxiety and an unrealistic goal that will have you rocking in the corner in no time.

Pick a few shots from the event / location and concentrate on those. Get your holiday experience message across with meaningful photos â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that may be one, two, or more.

Just pick the shots that portray that time well.

SUPPLIES | Cardstock: American Craft. Embellishments: Typo diamond stickers, heart sticker, Pink Paislee puffy stickers. Other: Typewriter, staples.

<HELLO LONDON Amanda Hall - The Jot Team

TIP// Keep it simple. If you have a lot

of photos to scrap, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much easier to embrace your inner minimalist and keep the embellishing to a dull roar. Make your photos and story the hero and forget about all the fancy stuff.

SUPPLIES | Patterned paper: Glitz Design, Kaisercraft.

Alphabet: Crate Paper, Basic Grey Embellishments: Typo banner sticker. Other: Typewriter, cotton thread, staples.

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AMANDA HALL

AMANDA’S TIPS FOR SCRAPPING YOUR TRAVEL PHOTOS>> ONE// The first thing to get out of your head is that old scrapbooking chestnut of chronological order. Forget it.

There is no ‘timeline rule’. Do whatever memory speaks to you the most, at the time. If you feel like documenting the last day first – go for it. Middle of the trip – yes Sir! Paper, glue, photos and memory… get it down. If you like to have your itinerary in order in your album – layouts can be sorted out later or pop them in with blank page protectors in between. The blank spaces can be filled later as you find the time and inclination to scrap those memories.

TWO// One way to cut through the anxiety is to break the memory down and think about it photo by photo or event by event. Go through your photos from a single event or location and don’t think about the entire time away.

Focus on that point in time and treat it as one memory. Do not think of the holiday as a whole. It is easy to become overwhelmed by memories and it will become too hard if you look at the big picture. Just concentrate on what that one photo/event says to you and what memory do you want to portray?

THREE// JOURNAL! Don’t forget those tiny details. Resist getting lost in the happy snap vortex, forgetting to tell the story. In a few years from now will you really remember what you saw, what you thought or how you felt? The nitty gritty is important – jot it down.

FOUR// Don’t forget to date! Boy those years are flying by and it doesn’t take much to wonder if that was a 2011 trip of something we did in 2005. A simple handwritten date or date stamp will ensure you never forget exactly when that unforgettable holiday took place.

FIVE// Get in the picture! Yes - include yourself in your photos and scrapbooking. Sometimes we get so caught up in getting the perfect scenery shot that we forget that it means so much more when we are actually IN the photograph too.

I hate being in front of the camera but in the end some of my favourite photos from our holiday are the selfies that we learnt to take. Remember to scrap YOU.

SIX// Talk to others for their memories and view of the trip.

See how other members of the holiday group felt about a day or event. Ask them what a particular happy snap means to them. Try journaling their experience. My children were left at home for our trip and it was as important a time for them as it was for us. I hope to scrap their journey as well as mine.

SEVEN// Use apps and computer programs to make funky photo collages to easily add multiple photos to a page. It’s a great way to pop many photos from one location or event onto your page without clutter. There are some fabulous programs out there – Diptic, PicFrame and Layout are some of the apps I’ve tried and loved.

EIGHT// If the thought of scrapbooking the trip of a lifetime scares the pants off you and is just too much to bear, there are some other fantastic options that look just as snazzy. Why not make your photos into a coffee table book? Snapfish, Vistaprint, Officeworks, Harvey Norman, Blurb and Apple all have great options that are as simple as dragging and dropping your shots into a pre-made template.

These are then printed up and hey presto, all the hard work is done. A lot of photos can be displayed at once and your friends will delight in looking at your holiday photos all the while exclaiming at how clever you are! These books are also wonderful as keepsakes/holiday mementos for your children. My family have three photo books printed from various family trips that we’ve taken and my girls love looking and reminiscing. The hard cover versions look so professional and will be treasured forever.

I hope this has inspired you to pull out your holiday photos and make a start at getting those memories documented.

One by one it can be done.

PHOTOS, PAPER AND GLUE – LET’S DO THIS!

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AWESOME

Amanda Hall - The Jot Team

SUPPLIES | Card Stock: American Craft. Alphabet: Jen Hadfield puffy stickers, Simple Stories. Embellishments: Jen Hadfield puffy stickers, Typo heart stickers, heart sticker, script heart by Louise Nelson, Heidi Swapp gold foil chipboard, Heidi Swapp speech bubble stickers, .

Other: Typewriter.

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instagram: @jodie.york For commissions email: jodieyork@me.com

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P O C K E T

SCRAPBOOKING P R O F I L E

Italian scrapbooker Loredana Bucaria shares her pocket pages with us and gives us a peek inside her creative studio.

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LOREDANA BUCARIA

POCKET PAGE SCRAPBOOKING - LOREDANA BUCARIA Loredana lives in Italy with her new family - husband Massimo and her baby boy Andrea and has been doing Project Life pocket scrapbooking since 2012. “It’s the most beautiful scrapbooking project I have ever decided to do!” Lory says, “I do my pages weekly usually but this year I have decided for a more easy approach and I’m documenting moments and not just weeks.”

What size Project Life are you doing?

I have always used the 12x12 pages because I have plenty of photos and I want to include plenty of photos in my pages. I love to write about pictures. This year I’m using the 9x12 size and I love it!

Do you do any other scrapbooking?

I love to create layouts and mini albums as well and I literally adore the 6x8 handbooks.

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LOREDANA BUCARIA

Do you have a dedicated Project Life space?

I have my scrap room where I have all my supplies for scrapbooking and my Project Life supplies are all very well organised.

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For sure my favorite embellishments are stamps and the little details like sequins, alphabet stickers and word stickers.

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LOREDANA BUCARIA

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“Oh this is the question I love

most about this interview. The best thing about Project Life is that I can live again my life and to see my life for a second time. I can tell the everyday little stories that otherwise I’d never tell to anyone and instead they are there, in my albums and when I go back to read about a particular week I feel so full of emotions, so happy and thankful to have done a project like this.”

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LOREDANA BUCARIA

How long does it take to make a spread?

I am a slow scrapbooker and Project Lifer because I spend a lot of time with the editing phase of the process. I edit my photos using different lights, templates, digital brushes and then I print and put it all together with embellishments, cards, stories etc. So I think it takes me at least an afternoon or an entire day to pull a spread together. Sometimes it depends on my creative juice at that moment.

Do you print your photos at home?

I print my photos at home using my Epson Stylus SX435W or my Canon CP900.

What camera do you tend to use the most?

I use a lot the camera of my Iphone 6Splus or my Canon Eos D600

Do you jot things down through the week or do you have any tips for keeping track of what you have done?

Everyday I write about that day and usually on the next Monday I start creating my project life spread. Usually I do this week by week but this year I just choose the best pictures and moments to include.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the most challenging thing about Project Life?

Pictures for sure. Why? Because everyday I try to capture something different and not always the same ordinary pics. I want something more, something meaningful! So to take the everyday pics is really challenging to me.

What are your tips for staying organised and up to date?

To stay organized and up to date everyday I fill my Heidi Swapp agenda with all the things that happened during the day - both the bad and good things. I take note of things I have done or simply jot down the facts of the day. Collect app is one of my favorite photo app to stay on track with my pictures.

CALL ON OVER AND SAY HELLO TO LORY RIGHT HERE ON HER BLOG>>

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Jot Girl Pocket page

team

CHRISTMAS

J O U R N A L I N G

C A R D S

Beshka Kueser and Leanne Allinson share with us some fun and festive ways of creating filler cards for your Christmas pocket page scrapbooks.

PROJECTS & PHOTOGRAPHY | Beshka Kueser + Leanne Allinson Jot Magazine 170

Beshka Kueser

Would you believe that these patterned papers are 4+ years old?! Well, minus the white with black polka dot piece. It’s true. I told myself that this year it was either time to use ‘em or let ‘em go. They are bright, happy, colorful patterns that I still really love, so I of course opted for “use ‘em”.

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DECEMBER TITLE CARD - 4X6

ONE// Cut a 4x6” piece of patterned paper. And set aside.

TWO// Either using your cutting machine or scissors cut out a Christmas tree from patterned paper.

THREE// Use your cutting machine and cut out the month from the sheet of gold foil. Set aside.

FOUR// Cut about 4 strips from your sheet of vellum that are about 1” wide. Snip both ends of your strips so they look like vellum banners. The length should be about 4 3/4” once done.

FIVE// Now start layering. First attach your tree to your 4x6” card using pop dots.

SIX// Take your vellum banners and layer them haphazardly but still keep them fairly neatly stacked. Use your tiny attacher to staple these layers together. I held the layers together, placed my December die-cut on top and made a tiny mark on the velum with a pencil where the staple would go but made sure it would be hidden beneath the December word. Whew. Hope I explained that well enough.

SEVEN// Now add your December die-cut on top of the vellum banners with some adhesive, being sure to cover your staple. Or let it show if you like the look.

EIGHT// Now flip over your December banner and add some adhesive. I try to add adhesive only behind the cutout, some adhesives tend to show through vellum. Also keep in mind that this will sit on top of the tree which is elevated by pop dots, so you do not need adhesive to run the entire length of the banner, just the center really.

FINISH// Attach your banner to your tree and you are done!

WHAT YOU NEED// two patterned paper scraps |cutting machine | paper trimmer | scissors | vellum | sheet of gold foil | adhesives | tiny attacher or a regular stapler.

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BESHKA KUESER

NOEL SHAKER CARD ONE// Create the front of the card using a cutting machine (or you can cut by one by hand). I opened my work space on my cutting machine computer software and created a 3x4” rectangle. I then selected a holiday shape I liked (a tree) and added it to the center of my rectangle. Once done I had my machine cut it out.

TWO// Cut a bunch of circles out of your scrap paper - I use a 3/8” and a 1/2” punch, the bigger circles fill up the pocket faster than the circles from a regular office hole punch.

THREE// After you have cut a decent pile of circles grab a few + a handful of sequins and add them to your pocket. Once you have all the confetti you want in your pocket, tape it closed. Be sure to tape in areas where it won’t show through your cut out.

FOUR// Grab your cut card and add adhesive to the back following the shape (so on the back of my card I just ran my adhesive runner down both sides of my tree - you don’t need a lot). Once the adhesive is on, line up the envelope with the card and smash ‘em together.

FIVE// Next flip the card over, add a star embellishment and then add a little adhesive to your veneer and attach it to your card. Done & done.

WHAT YOU NEED// patterned paper | cutting machine or scissors | scrap paper | sequins | clear pocket | star embellishment | wood veneer sentiment |circle punches | adhesive Jot Magazine 173

BESHKA KUESER

PLAYFUL FILLER CARD

This card I created as a fun + playful filler card and it was inspired by the buttons on Santa’s coat.

ONE// Cut a 3”x4” from cardstock for your base.

TWO// Cut a piece of patterned paper to 2x4” and then cut another piece to 1x4”.

THREE// Once you have your two patterned papers cut to size, add some adhesive to the back of them and attach them to your base card.

FOUR// Once done, add adhesive to the back of your buttons and add them along the seam, where your two patterned papers meet.

FIVE// You are done! I love how easy this one is.

WHAT YOU NEED//cardstock (for the base) | four buttons | two sheets of patterned paper (scrap paper is perfect for this!) |adhesive.

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LEANNE ALLINSON

Leanne Allinson

Leanne has created a trio of sparkly filler cards perfect for your Christmas pocket pages.

1.

2.

CHRISTMAS TRIO CARD ONE

ONE// Using an embossing ink, stamp a circular image onto coordinating patterned paper. Sprinkle the ink with gold embossing glitter powder, shake off excess and then set with a heat gun.

TWO// Stamp a second circular image/text that is slightly larger than the first image, with red ink, around the embossed image.

THREE// Punch out the stamp with a circle punch.

Layer the shape on top of a gold trimmed banner, directly to the pre-made Project Life card.

FOUR// Finish by embellishing with sequins.

3.

CARD TWO

ONE// Minc a Heidi Swapp round tag with gold foil. Spray a chipboard reindeer with Heidi Swapp gold colorshine. Set aside.

TWO// Add a strip of red and white washi tape to the lower third of the pre-made Project Life card. Finish the filler card by layering the round tag and reindeer.

CARD THREE ONE// Punch a 1” circle from cardstock/patterned paper. Ink the lower edge of the circle with embossing ink and cover with gold embossing powder. Shake off excess and set with a heat gun.

TWO// Stamp the top edge of the circle with a roller date stamp in red ink.

THREE// Add the circle to a pre-made Project Life card. Secure with a small strip of washi tape and embellish with two enamel dots. Add an extra touch of colour with a Stampin’ Up star embellishment.

WHAT YOU NEED//Project Life Cards: Stampin’ Up. Embellishments: Heidi Swapp Minc ‘&’ tag, Heidi Swapp gold foil, Heidi Swapp colorshine gold, Teresa Collins sequins, American Crafts gold glitter embossing powder, Bella Blvd washi tape, Stampin’ Up enamel dots, Stampin’ Up star, Stampin’ Up sticker, Scrapmatts reindeer chipboard. Other - Stampin’ Up ink, Versa Mark embossing ink, Dear Lizzy roller date stamp, Scraptastic Club clear stamps.

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hey mum,

are you busy?

Frazzled?

Need to offload?

Me too!

Grab a cuppa and join me. teenagesurvivalcoach.com.au

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P O C K E T

SCRAPBOOKING G A L L E R Y

We love pocket scrapbooking here at Jot magazine and we have another awesome gallery to share with you showcasing some innovative and gorgeous pocket pages.

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Beshka Kueser The Jot Team - Germany

I’ve been catching up on last December and using up old supplies before I purge. Some of my holiday papers and supplies are over four years old! That is practically vintage in the scrap world. I told myself that this year it was either time to use ‘em or let ‘em go.

Jot Girl Pocket page

team

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Beshka’s pocket pages are fresh and filled with all sorts of tiny detail. We love that Beshka has used patterned papers from her stash -- some are over four years old! It feels good to use up your stash!

Beshka has created her December title card by hand cutting the DEC letters from patterned paper and stamping the month and year randomly over the letters before adding them to a filler card with a cute â&#x20AC;&#x153;joyâ&#x20AC;? embellishment.

Beshkaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blog

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Jodie York

The Jot Team - NSW

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been filling in the gaps of missing weeks in my Project Life album for 2015. I love instagram so flicking back through my feed enabled me to easy jot down the memories onto my white journaling cards and record our memories.

As always I have kept my pages simple, throwing in a few embellishments and cards from one of my Studio Calico and A Beautiful Mess kits and flair that I designed with my brush script for Scrapbook and More.

Jodieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blog

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I love using my Tim Holtz tiny attacher to adhere those plastic embellishments. Not a lot was needed though with the fabulous pops of colour in the photos. Gosh I love this form of memory keeping. Simple. Fast. Fab.

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Lauren Hender The Jot Team - NSW

I love Project Life. I love documenting everyday moments creatively for enjoyment for years to come. As I write this, my little girl sits on the floor next to me enjoying flicking through the pages of her and her brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moments. The joy this brings only adds to the hours of pleasure I had putting the layouts together.

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Laurenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blog

SUPPLIES | Heidi Swapp, Project Life, Kelly Purkey and Flutterby Designs.

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Natalie Elphinstone The Jot Team - Queensland

I had plenty of Instagram cropped shots from a recent mini-break our family took so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out a double page spread of 3x3â&#x20AC;? square pockets. It makes for a great challenge and an interesting change from the standard rectangle pockets.

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We love how Natalie has spread her title card over two of her 3x3â&#x20AC;? square pockets.

Natalieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blog

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Meghann Andrew

The Jot Team - Houston, Texas USA

As the year draws to a close, I find it easy to look back through my Project Life album to see what big events require more documenting than just on my monthly spreads. A trip to Boston that we took this fall needed more attention in my album, so I created two double sided pages to get more photos and journaling in my album.

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We love all the little details Meghann includes in her pocket page spreads.

Meghannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blog

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Jamie Pate

The Jot Team - Colorado, USA

I am in a bit of makeup mode this year for Project Life. But it’s such an important memory keeping concept, that I am willing to do what I need to catch up and print these photos and have them at the ready in an album for years to come.

It gives me great satisfaction to have these everyday moments documented. Because it’s worth it.

Jamie’s Blog

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Andrea Gray California, USA

Instead of documenting my December day-by-day, I chose to do it in alphabet order. Yes, as in A-B-C alphabet style. There are so many things I wanted to document in December and they all start with a letter so I made a list and this allowed me to include everything I love about the month without feeling the pressure of taking photos every day.

Andreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blog

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Justine Hastie Wollongong, NSW

Mashed potato snowmen on Christmas Eve is the closest our kids will get to a snowman in December here in Australia.

SUPPLIES | Forever Joy Designs, Pink Reptile Designs and Little Butterfly Wings all from the digital store The Lilypad.

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Justineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Instagram

Lizzy Hill

Woy Woy, NSW

I’m a bit of a scrapper who likes to mix and match - or I like a bit of mishmash going on. So this Project Life page is all about that. I’ve created a card using gelatos as a watercolour and layered an ampersand die cut card over the top. I’ve used some digital kits mixed with RL writing. Plus a freebie card in there as well!

Lizzy’s Blog

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BY SHARI BREWER

A new puppy, Christmas gifts and a unicorn for the backyard -- Shari is back with some holiday stories.

DEAR DIARY. I KNOW IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I’VE WRITTEN, BUT GUESS WHAT? I think I may be a prophet.

Strange, I know, but true. Last time I sat and wrote to you, I mentioned The Farmer had promised to get Gina a puppy if she was able to swim across the pool.

After more than 12 months of swimming lessons, with little noticeable improvement I was certain we were looking at this being possible rather than probable.

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Who would have thought the little rascal could pull a miraculous freestyle lap out of nowhere to impress The Farmer!

And now I have the puppy under my feet as I write.

Luckily this pup is very cute, if not a bit cheeky. Gina is loving every moment and I’m the one being woken up by whimpering through the night as our ball of fluff settles in. Remind me Diary, in case there’s ever a next time that a dog with white paws and red soil is not ideal. I’ll leave you to imagine!

I guess the dog will be simple to buy for at Christmas -- a squeaky fake chicken toy under the tree is shaping up to be the easiest thing on my list.

Now, actually having a list would make me seem almost organized for the 2015 Christmas that is hurtling this way. I’ve a very good idea of who has been naughty and nice, but no clue as to what I should get them.

When it comes to Christmas shopping, it’s the adults of the family I really struggle to buy for.

I adore them all dearly and would love nothing better than to plant a new BMW in each of their driveways. Maybe next year. So this year it looks like I’m stuck trying to avoid socks, jocks and perfume sets… but the cop out of resorting to those ol’ favourites is looking pretty darn good.

Liam and Scott are of the easy age, like most teens, and very happy with cold cash, then “ask no questions, Mum”.

Gina, on the other hand, yet to turn six, is in the midst of Christmas overload and festive buzz.

Her wish list far exceeds my budget and some things she’s begging for are just not doable…. like a unicorn. “No, a real unicorn, Mummy. For in the back yard.”

That and having an in-ground pool on her list may result in some disappointment. Hopefully a dozen lip glosses and a couple of Barbie dolls from Santa will cause a satisfactory diversion. Fingers crossed.

This year will be Christmas with a twist as we are taking the family lunch off site. I know to others, it mightn’t sound a big deal, but we’re a family of strong tradition and nothing about Christmas has changed for decades. Literally. Each year since I was in high school, we’ve had the same attendees – only altering slightly due to birth, death, marriage or divorce. And, the same menu. Yes, it’s been exactly the same each and every year without fault and I can’t help but wonder how the proposed change of venue will impact Christmas this year.

I’m actually not so much looking forward to Christmas this year but that’s not because I don’t love pasta salad, layered garden salad, potato salad and rice salad… again… as I do. Christmas means New Year is just around the corner and we all keep getting older. Early 2016 will mark my oldest boy, Liam, moving to the big city and I’m not quite ready for that dear Diary. At least I have a wee bit of time up my sleeve before then.

Thanks so much for being my sounding board this past year; it’s great having you around.

Happy Holidays and I’ll be back to you soon.

Till next time Shari xx

Shari Brewer lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland with her family and these diary entries may or may not be a truthful account of her day-to-day experiences. She’s never been shy of a story, so it’s best you decide what’s fact or fiction.

A mother of three (two teens and a preschooler) Shari’s a part time high school teacher who keeps herself busy running a household as well as the parenting website Teenage Survival Coach. In her spare time she clatters on the keyboard and pimps her writing services as a freelancer.

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We hope you enjoyed

ISSUE 12 of

Jot magazine.

Our next issue will

Hit the digital news stands

In March 2016.

In the meantime, visit us On the jot blog and

Keep an eye out for

Workshops, e-books and all

sorts of fun new things.

www.jotmagazine.com Jot Magazine 194