So this...(+ more info)
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totally should have gone into my Christmas Art Journal. But I got excited, started punching Christmas cards and adhering and all of a sudden I was done. And it makes me happy, regardless of size or album location. Simple and easy, kind of like last year, but still its own creation.
Once again, my square punch has worked it's magic.
Edited:Ok friends, let's see if I can address some of your comments and questions on this one.
The punch I used for this layout is from Marvy Uchida. It is either this one or this one. The body of the punch is red and the width of the square on the punch is just a bit larger than 1.5 inches. Too bad they don't put the product number right on the punch.
Since I am all about simplifying I came to the conclusion that I do not need to keep all the Christmas cards I received this year. I loved getting them. I celebrated each one that came through the mailbox. And now that Christmas is over I would still like to have a bit of a record of the cards from this Christmas, but I certainly don't need to hang on to them all.
IT IS OK.
How do I decide which part of the card to punch? I think what I have always loved about punching is that I am taking a bit of something and bringing it together with other somethings to create an entirely new something. When I was punching I tried not to think too hard. I laid my punch with the metal side up, slid the card in, and moved the card around using the window as a guide. When I saw something that looked just fine and I punched. Some of the photos were too large to get everyone in the square and that was totally OK. My vision was to bring together a bunch of bits of this year's cards - not preserve each one in its orginal state.
How did I keep it all straight? I actually debated a bit about not lining it all up this time. But in the end, the lines won out. I think the secret to keeping it straight is by starting with one of the top or bottom corner squares. If you want you could even measure to make sure the distances are the same from the edge of the square to the top edge and the side edge. I have gotten so I can eyeball it pretty good. I also laid all the squares out before I started adhering to get a general idea where the "big" square would be placed on the 12x12 cardstock.
Did I scan and reduce the cards? Nope, just punched them as is - big or small I found something to punch and then moved on to the next one.
Hope that helps a bit!
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92 comments
Wow, thanks for the great idea! It turned out sooo pretty with all those Christmas card photos! I may have to do this with some of my other saved cards, too. :-)
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I so much love this idea! We have a sort of recycling program for ours as well...we use a square punch and make tags for use on next years gifts. Saves some of those trees :)
--marlene
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You are so neat! Bless your heart. :)
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love, love, LOVE this! :)
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Can't wait to make my own. You rock Ali!
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what a great layout, i love it! the punches work just super!
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What a wonderful idea. Thank you so much for sharing. I have cards from the past and I always wanted to remember and this is perfect! :o)
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that is a great way to keep your cards without the bulk.
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This is what I LOVE about your blog. Saw your page this morning and had come back to look more closely in order to scraplift---and you've added all this information! Very cool!
Here's a general question: you've mentioned printing out your blog on different posts. Is this in case Typepad suddenly goes kaput, or just to have a tangible document of it all? Have you found an easy way to print it (do you print posts only or photos too? Copy and paste to Word?). Is there any way to save the web pages to a CD?
Thanks!
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A most excellent idea...my 2 in square punch has been gathering dust...
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How freakin' cool is that Ali! You are a creative godess! Sooooo cool! What a great idea, I love it! I save every card I receive EVERY year! And it is just plain crazy! You figured out the best solution yet!
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um, not sure if you're still reading the comments (since there are SO MANY) but this is amazing and inspiring and beautiful... just like you
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You are so amazingly creative. It's really cool (and a little depressing) to be an outsider wanna-be looking in at your awesome creations.
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This is such a cool idea! You inspired me so much I went and did the exact thing with my Christmas cards! And I love the result! Although my lines don't look as straight as yours. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
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Oooh! Ooohh! You are just oozin' out creative ideas. Thank you for sharing!!
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I was totally inspired by this page. I actually took some time out yesterday to scraplift it.. Thank you for your inspiration.. You can see mines in my blog, take a look.
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Oh wow! The only punch I have is a square... I will totally have to scraplift this (sorry!), as I was just about to throw all my cards in the recycling, but it hurts me to do that every year. Once again you are total inspiration. Happy New Year :)
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This makes me so happy to see!!!!! Hope you're having a great New Year!
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Thanks for the inspiration Ali! I hate throwing away the cards....so I lifted your idea, and made my own :) (can be seen on my blog and on 2peas). ThankS!!
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I'm going to have to steal this idea, Ali!
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