Little Yellow Bicycle

Lots of Winners to Announce Today ... Plus a Sneak Peek!

We have so many winners to announce today, we thought we'd make it a super Sunday and announce them all at once! So here we go, from most recent to the oldest! 

May Arts Swap Week

Thanks to everyone for leaving comments on our posts last week!  Here are our winners! 

 

Wendy Crowe

Jennie Wheeler

Connie L. Riley

 

Congratulations! You have all won a Once Upon a Christmas prize pack, with coordinating ribbons from May Arts! 

 

Kelly Goree and Courtney Walsh Guest Designer Winners

The following are winners of Acorn Hollow Prize packs and Courtney Walsh's book from early November!

 

November 2nd Post

 

Carol B. said, "Home is a safe and peaceful haven."  - Carol - you won a book

 

Donna Woods said, "LOVE the LO. Home means my heart and happiness." Donna, you won an Acorn Hollow prize pack!

 

November 9th Post

 

Lisa P. said, "I agree that scrapbooking loss is a difficult thing to do. I think it helps release emotions though in a different way. I have a layout that is on my heart right now that I know I want to scrap but have had a hard time approaching because of the rawness of it. My mother is still present physically but Alzheimers has begun to take her away in ways i am struggling to deal with. i know I want to scrap this it is just how. Kelly's page is beautiful and brings such emotion through her journaling. I love the specialness of the photo captured." Lisa - you won a book!

 

Jean A. Marmo said, "I think I need to do a better job scrapping the losses in our lives. My uncle died last week and I have been thinking fondly of the times he had with my kids. Think I will dig out some old photos and get started! Great layout Kelly. The papers are perfect!"  Jean you won an Acorn Hollow Prize Pack!

 

Congratulations everyone! Please email your mailing information to [email protected] and we'll get those prizes right out to you!

 

And if you're not a winner this time, don't forget about LYB Challenge going on all this month over at Two Peas in a Bucket! Click the link for all the details, and enter your project featuring the Once Upon a Christmas or Winterings collections, to win a prize pack from the brand new Just Because collection! (And here's a sneak peek!)

 

 

I hope all of you had a wonderful and crafty weekend!

 

The 12 Days of Christmas with Cycling Team Member Angie Gutshall

It's the last day of our Once Upon a Christmas Cycling Team and we have been so happy with all of their work.  Little Yellow Bicycle hopes that you have been inpired with all of their projects and have a slew of holiday ideas...  Today new Cycling Team Member Angie Gutshall shares her wonderful holiday project.

First I took a plain box I had in stash and made 24 tiles.  I covered the box with the Once Upon A Christmas paper.

I then decorated the top of the box with the cute embellishments from the Once Upon A Christmas line.

This is a picture of all the tiles in the box.

And here is a picture of how one of the tiles looks against the box.


I then designed each card with a number I count out on my Cameo using the Once Upon A Christmas paper and then decorating each tile with the embellishments.  I'm sure my kids will have so much fun with the count down.

Thanks so much for having me this time around!!  I had so much fun working with the amazing Christmas line! - Angie

 

Please visit Angie's blog My Little Blessings for more of her work.

 

Remember, you can purchase the entire Once Upon a Christmas collection directly from us HERE.

Our Last Day with Once Upon a Christmas Guest Designer Shari Carroll

We are a bit sad that today is the last day of Once Upon a Christmas projects from Guest Designer Shari Carroll.  She has inspired us with many wonderful ideas for the holidays and today is no exception.  Be sure to visit her blog for more ideas, but first there are few more things that we bet you did not know about Shari...

 

 

LYB:Do you have a favorite die cutting system?
SC: I've very fond of Sizzix, I have both the Big Shot and Vagabond.  I love their dies and embossing folders.

LYB: Are you a morning bird or a night owl?
SC: NIGHT OWL!  It's gotten so bad that I've gone to bed when my husband was getting up for work.  My kids are grown so no worries!

LYB: Do you have a favorite quote?
SC: Yes!  "That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more"  Popeye

This is and 8x10 frame I made for my sister with a photo of her kids.  The kids and I secretly went out and took shots of them together to surprize my sister for Christmas. For a customized look, I printed the kids picture directly onto the Once Upon a Christmas Snowflake Plaid/Cream Houndstooth patterned paper for a canvas type look.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-109 Snowflake Plaid/Cream Houndstooth

OC-132 Tags & String - with embossing (12 pieces)

OC-134 Journaling Cards - with foil accents(10 pieces)

OC-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil (29 pieces)

OC-230 Clear Cuts - with foil accents (30 pieces)

OC-140 Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with foil and debossing (43 pieces)

OC-160 Vellum Tape Strips (8 pieces)

 

Please visit Shari's blog My World for more inspiration.

 

Remember, you can purchase the whole Once Upon a Christmas Collection directly from LYB right HERE. 

 

Have a lovely weekend!

The 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas with Cycling Team Member Monique Liedtke

We are so pleased to share international designer Monique Liedtke's Once Upon a Christmas projects today.  We are positive that she will inspire you to create some wonderful holiday memories.

 

Hello Little Yellow Bicycle fans!! Today it's me, Monique, who will be sharing some projects for Day 11 of the 12 Days of Chistmas with the "Once Upon a Christmas" Cycling Team! I've been having so much fun with this awesome collection! There are so many gorgeous items to choose from!

As soon as I saw the entire Once Upon a Christmas collection I knew I wanted to decorate a photo tray. The reason is the huge number of gorgeous embellishments that come with this collection. I just wanted to use them all and what is a better way than using them for a photo tray?!  I started with this photo tray, a bargain I found at a local garden centre. To create some depth I adhered photos and embellishments both in the tray and on the frame. 

I used my Silhouette Cameo to create the snowflakes on the roof, the snowflake below and the word "Christmas" in the middle.

Once Upon a Christmas supplies:
- Poinsettia / Multi Starlight (OC-102)
- Holly Berry / Green Carols (OC-111)
- Merry Christmas / Red Damask (OC-110)

- Snowflake Plaid / Cream Houndstooth (OC-109)

- Mistletoe Stripe / Green Starlight (OC-105)

- Vintage Santa / Brown Houndstooth (OC-108)

- Snowflake Medallion / Red Houndstooth (OC-106)

- Journaling Cards (OC-134)

- Fabric Favorites (OC-220)
- Clear Cuts Shapes (OC-230)
- Tags & String (OC-132)
- Paper Crafting Kit (OC-305)
- Stick Pins (OC-277)
- Chipboard Shapes (OC-279)
- Cardstock Stickers Favorite Pieces (OC-135)
- Vellum Tape Strips (OC-160)
- Clear Stickers Cardmaking (OC-190)
- Cardstock Stickers Fresh Verse (OC-140) 

Two of my kids don't mind posing for me when I grab my camera, but the third always runs and hides! So, although the photo on the right isn't exactly perfect, it's very dear to me as it shows all of my kids happily decorating the tree!

How I love all the embellishments, like the stick pins, the chipboard shapes and the transparent shapes!

Once Upon a Christmas supplies:
- Poinsettia / Multi Starlight (OC-102)
- Holly Berry / Green Carols (OC-111)

- Holly Bird / Brown Carols (OC-107)

- Clear Cuts Shapes (OC-230)
- Tags & String (OC-132)
- Paper Crafting Kit (OC-305)
- Stick Pins (OC-277)
- Chipboard Shapes (OC-279)

Then the second layout "Merry Christmas": For this layout I created a collage of some of the photos I made of all the ornaments hanging in our tree. We have this little tradition: when we go on vacation abroad we buy an ornament for our tree. For example: in this collage you'll see a cable car from San Francisco, a yellow cab from New York, the Eiffel Tour from Paris, etc. And then of course, we have a lot of handmade ornaments and I included a few of those as well.

Once Upon a Christmas supplies:

- Poinsettia / Multi Starlight (OC-102)

- Snowflake Plaid / Cream Houndstooth (OC-109)

- Vintage Santa / Brown Houndstooth (OC-108)

- Let it Snow / Green Medallion (OC-104)

- Journaling Cards (OC-134)

- Fabric Favorites (OC-220)
- Clear Cuts Shapes (OC-230)
- Tags & String (OC-132)
- Paper Crafting Kit (OC-305)
- Chipboard Shapes (OC-279)
- Vellum Tape Strips (OC-160)

When I create cards I love to add lots of layers! With this card I started with the base, then added two different papers on top followed by a doily (my own stash), another piece of paper, a journaling card, a snowflake (cut with the Silhouette Cameo) and finally the tag with the sentiment. Add a little machine stitching and your card is finished!

Once Upon a Christmas Supplies:

- Snowflake Plaid / Cream Houndstooth (OC-109)

- Mistletoe Stripe / Green Starlight (OC-105)

- Vintage Santa / Brown Houndstooth (OC-108)

- Snowflake Medallion / Red Houndstooth (OC-106)

- Journaling Cards (OC-134)

- Fabric Favorites (OC-220)

And these were my projects! Hope you've enjoyed them!

Thank you so very much Little Yellow Bicycle, for having me on the Once Upon a Christmas Cycling Team! I had the best time ever!! 

Please visit Monique's blog Creating {Non} Sense for more of her amazing work.

-

Have a wonderful day!

The 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas with Cycling Team Member Evelin Tee

We have one more week of the 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas and then we will begin showcasing our brand new Winterings collection.  Today we have some wonderful projects from NEW Cycling Team Member Evelin Tee, but let'e have Evelin tell you all about it...

This is the first layout I made. The photos were from last year when I was still in Malaysia. I love the snowflakes on this patterned paper and assembling the rest of the embellishments was effortless.

For this layout, I used the little silver stars as accents, but I was actually thinking of hoarding the reindeer (because I really loved it) however I used it on this layout anyway. I popped it up with pop dots to create some dimension. I also stitched on the green patterned paper.

Look at the reindeer! Isn't it a doll?  And the snowflakes on its body...love love love!!

I love the chipboard embellishments and created this card in less than 10 minutes. I drew the dotted lines and tied the bakers twine before adhering them on the ornaments and that's about it!

 

Please be sure to visit Evelin's blog Evelin T. Designs for more about her.

 

Happy Monday!

Enter the Two Peas Challenge to Win!

 

Whew! What a fun week it has been with May Arts, don't you agree? Well, if it's left you feeling inspired ... and we sure hope it has ... why not put all that creativity to work for you!

 

All month long, we're sponsoring a challenge over on the Two Peas in a Bucket site. Just enter your project (using at least 50% of product from the Once Upon a Christmas and/or Winterings collections), for your chance to win a $50 prize from our upcoming collection "Just Because" (getting ready to debut at CHA-W!)

 

We can't wait to see what you create!

 

Day 4 of Our May Arts Ribbonanza!

Today is Day 4 of our inspiring ribbonanza with the wonderfully talented designers over at May Arts. Who hasn't been blown away by their projects? Weren't you amazed at the intracacy of yesterday's project from Ribbonista Sandy Allnock? (In case you missed it, click this link for the awesome video tutorial!) Or the dimensional flower with the singed edges from Ribbonista Ginny Cagle?  (Here's the link!) And who didn't love Ribbonista Karen Baker's scrumptious Ribbon Wreath?

But now it's Biker Chick Corrie Jones' turn to wow you.

Simple ... yet simply beautiful! 

Here's Corrie!

If you like using strips of paper on your pages like I do, you will find it easy to substitute the paper for strips of ribbon.  The ribbon is fun and different and we all have a ton of it in our stashes, right.  Plus it adds some texture to layouts without a lot of bulk.  This ribbon from May Arts is gorgeous and I had to force myself to not cover my entire page with it.

Supplies:

OC-109 Cream Houndstooth

OC-135 Favorite Pieces Cardstock Stickers

OC-230 Clear Cuts Shapes

OC-279 Chipboard Pieces

OC-305 Paper Crafting Kit

Now you know the drill ... hop on over to the May Arts blog to see what treats they have for you ... and leave a comment here and there for your chance to win some cool prizes from Once Upon a Christmas, and May Arts!

And hey, speaking of prizes ... tomorrow we're announcing a contest with Two Peas in a Bucket with a chance to win prizes from our soon-to-be-unveiled winter spring collection ... Just Because!

Have a great day!

More Chances to Win! May Arts Ribbonanza Day 3!

 

 

Halfway through our May Arts blog swap week. Are you having fun? Today I have a project to share from Biker Chick Suzanne Sergi and I think you're going to love it! This beautiful holiday display will look great in your home, or make the perfect hostess gift!

 

 

Here's a list of supplies:

 

Once Upon A Christmas

 OC-107 Holly Bird/Brown Carols

OC-111 Holly Berry/Green Carols

OC-305 Paper Crafting Kit

OC-134 Journaling Cards with foil accents

OC-135 Cardstock stickers Favorite Pieces with foil & embossing

OC-140 Cardstock Stickers Fresh Verse with foil and debossing

OC-279 Chipboard Shapes with foil

OC-220 Fabric Favorites 

 

May Arts Ribbon:

Ivory/Red Stripe: 425-15-25

Silver Leaves: XL-31

 

Other:

Wood Frame

Acrylic Paint

Vellum

Embossing Folders

 

And a few more close ups:

 

 

 

And here's how to win:

Leave a comment here, and then hop over to May Arts' blog to see what they've crafted up for you today, and leave a comment there too! We'll announce winners next week.  (And pssst! Watch tomorrow for a hint about another upcoming contest with more chances to win!)  Oh, by the way ... if you haven't "liked" May Arts on Facebook, please go there too, and tell them we sent you!

 

Have a great day!

 

Ribbonanza Day 2 - Our Swap with May Arts!

 

Hello friends! I'm back for Day 2 of our May Arts Ribbonanza! Today we have an a-May-zing (sorry, couldn't resist) holiday decor project from Biker Chick Lisa Swift that you will NEED to copy.

 

Here's Lisa to tell you all about it!

Hi everyone! Happy holidays! I'm here today to share a fun and easy altered project idea using Little Yellow Bicycle's Once Upon a Christmas collection and May Arts ribbon. I created a set of five clothespins to clip onto a length of May Arts wide twill ribbon that will serve as a display for the holiday cards we receive this year. These clips could also be turned into magnets or used to hold a tag on a holiday gift. Make a set for yourself and a set (or more) to gift. :)

 

The clothespins were first spray painted white (courtesy of my husband). After they were dry, I used Mod Podge to cover the tops with patterned paper, a vellum tape strip or a Fresh Verse sticker. The embellishments are made up of chipboard circles, Fabric Favorites and pieces from the Once Upon a Christmas Paper Crafting Kit. May Arts ribbon and twine bows add a nice finishing touch.

 

Take a look below for close-up individual pictures of the clothespins I created. Copy mine, or create your own designs!

Once Upon a Christmas Product List:

OC-305 Paper Crafting Kit
OC-140 Fresh Verse Cardstock Stickers
OC-160 Vellum Tape Strips
OC-304 6x6 Paper Pad
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes
OC-220 Fabric Favorites

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Lisa! I just love these little guys! Now head on over to the May Arts Blog to see what they have in store for you! And don't forget to leave a comment for YOUR chance to win some goodies from the Once Upon a Christmas Collection and May Arts!

 

And don't forget to check back tomorrow for more inspiration from the Biker Chicks, and more chances to win!

 

Attention Ribbonistas! It's a Blog Swap Week with May Arts!

 

We are thrilled to bring you another blog swap week with our friends at May Arts! We had so much fun playing with their lovely ribbons last year, we just had to do it again! So all week long, we'll be featuring projects from the Once Upon a Christmas collection, as well as gorgeous coordinating ribbons from May Arts. And as usual - we encourage you to leave a comment every day for your chance to win some fabulous goodies from the Once Upon a Christmas collection plus May Arts' fabulous ribbons! At the end of this blog post, click the link to see more great projects from May Arts' uber-talented designers, and, of course, more chances to win!

 

First up for LYB is Biker Chick Robbie Herring with an adorable layout. I just love this page! Here's Robbie!

 

I have to admit that I'm a ribbon fanatic.  Seldom do I make a page that doesn't include a bow or at least a strip of ribbon.  Teaming with May Arts is perfect for me!  Between the ribbon and all the beautiful trims that May Arts makes, I couldn't be happier!

This is a sweet picture of a friend's daughter that was taken at Christmas time.  Her little black and white outfit goes beautifully with both the houndstooth paper and the black accents.  I used some of the tiny pom-pom trim from May Arts to border the inside square shape to further accent and ground the layout with more black.  Using a strong adhesive tape to hold it in place worked well without causing the paper to potentially buckle by using wet glue.  If you take a closer look, you can see that I placed it so that you can see mostly the pom-poms.

A few medium sized bows can make a big impact on your  page.  If you take a closer look at the ribbon that I used for the bows, you will see that the green and red ribbons have a touch of black woven in to add a touch of sheen and the high quality and you can see that these ribbons couldn't go any more beautifully with the elegance of the Once Upon a Christmas papers and embellishments.  

For balance, I put more bows at the bottom of the page.  On this side, I chose to continue the look of hanging the ornaments.  Using such a large amount of ribbon led to the decision to keep the rest of the layout design relatively simple.  It also means that this layout can be completed quickly and easily! 

 

The sentiment was added using Little Yellow Bicycle's DejaViews clear stickers.  Don't forget these stickers when designing!  There are so many different ones and they are so easy to use.  I really like how so many of them use different sizes and fonts for sentiments and titles.  Not to mention, they stay stuck! 

Supply List:

OC-106 Snowflake Medallion/Red Houndstooth

OC-108 Vintage Santa/Brown Houndstooth

OC-111 Holly Berry/Green Carols

OC-107 Holly Bird/Brown Carols

OC-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil (29 pieces)

 

Thanks Robbie! What a beautiful, elegant layout for the holidays! 

Now hop on over to the May Arts blog, to see what their designers have crafted up for you! Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win, and I'll be back tomorrow with more fun projects from Little Yellow Bicycle and May Arts!

 

 

 

 

 

The 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas with Cycling Team Member Marcic Dehn-Nix

We love it when former Cycling Team Members want to take another spin with us, so today we are excited to share more projects from Marcia Dehn-Nix.  She has some really great ideas, but let's have her tell you all about it...

 

Hello LYB fans!!!! Marcia here today for Day 9 of the 12 Days of Christmas with the Once Upon the Christmas cycling team. Did you know that the lyrics for this Christmas carol have several variations. The traditional version is 9 drummers drumming, 10 pipers piping, 11 ladies dancing, and 12 lords a leaping. But the more modern version has switched these around to be 9 ladies dancing, 10 lords a leaping, 11 pipers piping, and 12 drummers drumming. Well, since I am day 9 I decided to use the traditional version. I give you 9 drummers drumming (ok, there are more than 9 drummers, but hey there are some pipers piping too!)

When I first saw this collection, my first thought was "that paper is perfect for Trenton's marching band pictures!" I love the music notes throughout this collection. I added some yellow cardstock to get the school colors and some black cardstock to highlight the photos, but otherwise this paper is all from the Once Upon a Christmas collection. Please check out my blog for more detailed photos because I have lots more to share with you here today!

 

Once Upon a Christmas Products:
Mistletoe Stripe / Green Starlight (OC-105)
Holly Bird / Brown Carols (OC-107)
Vintage Santa / Brown Houndstooth (OC-108)
Holly Berry / Green Carols (OC-111)

Ok, I had to do a traditional Christmas layout too with this elegant collection.

There are so many fabulous embellishments that go along with all of LYB's collections. Some of my favorites are the journal cards, the clear cuts, and the flower kits. I love flowers on my layouts and the paper flower kits make it fast and easy.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:
Vintage Bands / Red Starlight (OC-101)
Let it Snow / Green Medallion (OC-104)
Holly Berry / Green Carols (OC-111)
Christmas Greetings / Cream Damask (OC-112)
Paper Crafting Kit (OC-305)
Journaling Cards (OC-134)
Cardstock Stickers (OC-135)
Chipboard Shapes (OC-279)
Clear Cuts (OC-230)
Fabric Favorites (OC-222)

I wanted to make some gifts too. Here is a simple idea for using those vellum tapes and clear cut shapes. I picked up this candle holder and candle at the Dollar Store. Add a little bling and its complete.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:
Clear Cuts (OC-230)
Vellum Tape Strips (OC-160)

 

So, now that you have a gift, you need a bag to put it in (yes, I fussy cut the Santa out!!!)  ...

Once Upon a Christmas Products:
Snowflake Medallion / Red Houndstooth (OC-106)
Vintage Santa / Brown Houndstooth (OC-108)
Snowflake Plaid / Cream Houndstooth (OC-109)
Journaling Cards (OC-134)
Clear Cuts (OC-230)
Fabric Favorites (OC-222)

 

Of course you will need a card too ...  The journaling cards work great on cards too! I just had to make a poinsettia with the Red Tonal Damask paper too. It was just begging me to become a flower!

Once Upon a Christmas Products:
Hanging Wreaths / Red Tonal Damask (OC-103)
Let it Snow / Green Medallion (OC-104)
Mistletoe Stripe / Green Starlight (OC-105)
Snowflake Plaid / Cream Houndstooth (OC-109)
Merry Christmas Damask / Red Damask (OC -110)
Journaling Cards (OC-134) Chipboard Shapes (OC-279)

 

And finally, Its not the 12 Days of Christmas without ending with a Partridge in a Pear (Pine) tree ...

 

Once Upon a Christmas Products:
Merry Christmas Damask / Red Damask (OC -110)

Thank you Little Yellow Bicycle for letting me ride with you once again!!! I had a fabulous time playing with the Once Upon a Christmas collection.

For all the nitty, gritty details on my projects today please visit my blog, One Scrap at a Tim.

 

Have a wonderful and crafty weekend!

More Great Ideas from Once Upon a Christmas Guest Designer Shari Carroll

We are happy to share another installment from Guest Designer Shari Carroll.  She will inspire you with more ideas that will be perfect this month as you, me and everyone else tries to get our holiday crafts done in time for the holidays.  Besides our Friday posts with Shari, be sure to visit her blog for more ideas, but let's continue to get to know her a little bit first...

 

LYB: Do you like to go to crops or prefer to scrap alone?
SC: This is a good question!  I don't have anyone around me that stamps or scrapbooks.  I'm in a very rural area where it just hasn't caught on.  So most of the time I create by myself.  I do however go on retreats with my crafty friends... I love it!!!
 
LYB: What are your favorite types of projects—pages, mini albums, cards, altered projects, etc?
SC: I am a card maker at heart, but I do love to alter items and occasionally make mini albums.
 
 
LYB: Do you have a favorite scrapbooking snack?
SC: I keep nuts around so I'm not tempted to grab junk food.  I'm also a coffee and tea drinker, so there is usually a hot drink close by.
 
LYB: Any unique tips or techniques you use?
SC: I love to layer elements.  One of my tips is to use contrast.  Use elements with differences such as light vs dark that will stand out from one another.  I also like to combine cut edges next to torn or border punched edges. I always use foam squares to create added dimension!

Shari use our Once Upon a Christmas collection to make a gift box by repurposing a decorative soap box.  It measures 3" x 5" x 2" and would be great for gift cards or jewelry.  Layer chipboard shapes and clear cut shapes to create a beautiful package topper.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-104 Let it Snow/Green Medallion

OC-109 Snowflake Plaid/Cream Houndstooth

OC-107 Holly Bird/Brown Carols

OC-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil (29 pieces)

OC-230 Clear Cuts - with foil accents (30 pieces)

OC-140 Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with foil and debossing (43 pieces)

OC-160 Vellum Tape Strips (8 pieces)

 

Please visit Shari's blog My World for more inspiration.

 

Remember, you can purchase the whole Once Upon a Christmas Collection directly from LYB right HERE.  And...Now through Monday 11/26 at www.mylyb.com, Buy 3 items from our current collections, and we'll pick two grab bag items from our retired collections as our gift to you!

 

Happy Black Friday!  Get out there and find some deals...

Holiday Gift Ideas from Our Biker Chicks

We have some amazing homemade gift ideas from our Biker Chicks today, but let's have them tell you all about it...

Altered Frame by Biker Chick Suzanne Sergi

With upcoming holiday parties to attend, and teacher's gifts to purchase,  I turn to a home made gift! One of my favorite altered projects to make is a fancy frame. I love the Santa image found in the  Once Upon A Christmas collection. I made this the main focal point in this 8x8 frame. I used the deep red damask pattern as the background.

I turned to my 6x6 paper pad from this collection, and diecut a large snowflake that I anchored in the lower left hand corner. I pulled elements from the Fabric Favorites to add some festive details. I used a journaling card to adhere one fabric snowflake, and the word stickers to finish the Santa cheer. A bold ribbon, another journaling card I used as a tag, and jingle bells make this a special gift for a generous hostess, or favorite teacher.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

Once Upon A Christmas Cardstock Stickers
Once Upon A Christmas 6x6 Paper Pad
Once Upon A Christmas Journaling Cards
Once Upon A Christmas Fabric Favorites
Once Upon A Christmas-OC-110
Once Upon A Christmas-OC-108

 

 

Altered Charger by Bicker Chick Robbie Herring

An easy thing to do for a gift that will work for anyone is to decorate a charger.  These are easy and inexpensive to find.  I picked the black one up at a local craft store for $2.00.  The frame was only $1.50.  Adding some of the scrapbook supplies that I love was quick, and it can be set almost anywhere by the recipient.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:
OC-102 Poinsettia Quilt/Multi Starlight
OC-108 Vintage Santa/Brown Houndstooth
OC-112
OC-132 Tags & String - with embossing (12 pieces)
OC-305 Paper Crafting Kit (75 pieces)
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil (29 pieces)
OC-230 Clear Cuts - with foil accents (30 pieces)
OC-220 Fabric Favorites - self adhesive (8 pieces)

Altered Gift Card Holders by Biker Chick Vicki Boutin

We give a lot of gift cards out during the holidays and a fun way to package them is in little paper stockings.  I made a few using Once Upon a Christmas and loved that the Paper Crafting kit, tags and stickers are perfect for this type of project.  Just create a simple template and these little stocking can be recreated again and again for the gift giving season!

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-106 Snowflake Medallion/Red Houndstooth

OC-104 Let it Snow/Green Medallion

OC-305 Paper Crafting Kit (75 pieces)

OC-277 Stick Pins (15 pieces)

OC-140 Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with foil and debossing (43 pieces)

 

Altered Recipe Box by Biker Chick Heather Leopard

I've been wanting to formally document all the favorite family recipes we make during the holidays, whether they've been passed down or are new finds. I made this recipe box to hold all the recipes so that they can continue to be passed down through the generations. My husband saw it and mentioned how much he liked it so I guess I'll be gifting it to ourselves and I'll be making others for the rest of the family.

I cut the box and tabs using a file I purchased for my CAMEO. Once assembled, I added the journaling card, "Recipes" cut from my CAMEO and mistletoe. I embellished the lid with the pretty sticker trim from the Favorite Pieces Stickers and then hung the ornaments from the inside of the lid.
The inside has tabs to separate the various categories.

I topped it off with a pretty paper bow.

Once Upon A Christmas Products:

OC-111 Holly Berry/Green Carols

OC-105 Mistletoe/Green Starlight

OC-134 Journaling Cards,

OC-135 Stickers - Favorite Pieces

OC-305 Paper Crafting Kit

OC-220 Fabric Flowers

OC-279 Chipboard Shapes

 

 

Altered Treat Jar by Biker Chick Lisa Swift

Hi everyone! I'm here today to share a fun holiday gift idea using the Once Upon a Christmas collection. 'Tis the season to be jolly and all that, but what about 'Twiz the Season to give gifts? That's right, it's time to give Twizzlers red licorice twists as a gift and I have the perfect way to do that. This project started out as a plain glass jar with a silver metal lid. I found this one at TJ Maxx, but Target also has very similar ones.

I started out by covering the metal lid. I traced a plate (a few inches larger than the diameter of the lid) onto a 12x12 sheet of the Green Carols paper, then cut it out using deco scissors to add a pretty edge. I centered the resulting scalloped circle on the lid and used my hands to mold it around the lid, letting pleats fall into place naturally. A bit of twine and a chipboard piece adds a nice finishing touch.  A flower from the Paper Crafting Kit, a chipboard frame, and a simple tag finish off the top of the cover.

Here's a closer look at the twine and chipboard piece around the lid topper. The topper is easily removed, and keeps its shape, for when you need to get into the jar for a quick snack fix. :)

The front of the jar is decorated with a journaling card, a Clear Cut holly sprig and the Fabric Favorites "joy" banner.  So there you have it. Something sweet to eat and sweet to give. Sounds like the perfect gift idea to me. :)

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-111 Holly Berry/Green Carols 12x12 Paper
OC-305 Paper Crafting Kit
OC-134 Journaling Cards
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes
OC-230 Clear Cuts
OC-220 Fabric Favorites

 

So after tomorrow, you probably have some time to make some homemade gifts for the next round of holidays.  Hope you got some great ideas from our Biker Chicks today...

 

Remember, you can purchase the whole Once Upon a Christmas Collection directly from LYB right HERE.  And...Now through Monday 11/26 at www.mylyb.com, Buy 3 items from our current collections, and we'll pick two grab bag items from our retired collections as our gift to you!

The 12 Days of Christmas with Cycling Team Member Christine Meyer

We are pleased to introduce long time fan Christine Meyer to our Once Upon a Chritsmas Cycling Team.  She brings us some great design ideas and holiday cheer.  But let's have Christine tell you all about it...

 

Have you ever gotten a set of scrapbooking goodies and thought to yourself: "How can I use every single piece that I love on a couple of projects?"  That is how I felt as I sat down and looked at this collection!  The gorgeous papers combined with so many amazing embellishments left me giddy!  No one else does embellishments as well as Little Yellow Bicycle...they create such an amazing variety for each line!  Today I have two layouts and two cards to share with you that will quickly show you how much I love this line!

My first layout really showcases the patterned papers.  I wanted to play up the chevron trend and create a Christmas tree of chevrons!  Because the chevrons are such strong lines I decided to add some movement by using the flag from the "Fabric Favorites" to the top and the bow from the "Paper Crafting Kit" to the bottom. 

I love that these add both movement and dimension to the layout.  The picture has layers of patterned paper and "Vellum Tape Strips" underneath it.  The vellum tape is fantastic because it lets a little bit show thru and is also easy to tear!

For this card I really wanted to do a combination of the maroon and browns in this line.  I attached some of the brown houndstooth vellum tape to the back of the maroon chipboard frame.  The Noel banner fit perfectly atop that. 

The "Journaling Cards" in this line have so many options and I thought this one with Santa fit nicely in this cluster.  Certainly no cluster card would be complete without some of the fabulous stickpins!

On this layout I wanted to bring out the vintage feel of the line by going for a quilted look.  I layered a bunch of scraps of the patterned papers in the center of the houndstooth paper. I then did some stitching in a square shape to highlight the photograph more.  I cut my "believe" title from one of the patterned papers and rolled up the end of it to give it a scrolled look.

I added a variety of embellishments to the corners of my photograph topping the whole thing off with another beautiful bow from the "Paper Crafting Kit."

My last card is the one I actually created first!  The chipboard frame on this card was the first thing that caught my eye from everything I had to play with.  I wanted to do some paper piecing and mix the patterns up behind it.  I decided it was best to just do two different patterns so it wouldn't be too busy. 

I used the frame to trace the shape onto scratch paper.  Then I drew lines down the middle and to each piece of the pie (it kind of looks like I cut pieces of pie :)).  I cut those out and used them to cut out my pieces of patterned paper.  Put it all together behind the frame and voila!  Behind that I added a strip of patterned paper topped with some vellum tape. I added the "Believe" sentiment from the "Chipboard Shapes" and was pleased when the bow from the "Clear Cuts" added the perfect final touch.

Playing with "Once Upon a Christmas" has been an absolute thrill and privilege. Thank you so much Little Yellow Bicycle for letting me play along and for constantly providing us scrappers with the best products!

 

Please visit Christine's blog Scrapping with Christine for more of her beautiful work and ideas.

 

Remember, you can purchase the whole Once Upon a Christmas Collection directly from LYB right HERE.  And...Now through Monday 11/26 at www.mylyb.com, Buy 3 items from our current collections, and we'll pick two grab bag items from our retired collections as our gift to you!

The 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas with Cycling Team Member Michelle St. Clair

Today we are excited to introduce new Cycling Team Member Michelle St. Clair.  She brings us a classic two page layout for ideas on preserving your holiday memories with our Once Upon a Christmas collection. But let's have Michelle tell you all about it...

"Merry Christmas" (two page layout)
 

The clear cut hanging ornaments are pop dotted for dimension.  I addded silver Stickles to the ornaments too.

My friend Audrey Pettit (past LYB Cycling Teamer) taught me how to 'tie' the bows and attach.  I used to do it the hard way. I used to try and tie the bow around the ornament top.  She taught me to 'fake' it by tying the boy and adhering to the front of the ornament with a Glue Dot.  Thank goodness for friends....

Once Upon a Christmas Products:
-Mistletoe Stripe pattern paper (green)
-Merry Christmas Damask pattern paper
-Snowflake Plain pattern paper (beige hounds tooth)
-Chipboard shapes with foil accents
-Clear Cuts with foil accents

"Merry Christmas" (one-page layout)

And then I was able to whip out this layout...I hadn't scrapped these photos from 2007 and the colors in this collection just seemed perfect.  I added red Stickles to the berries.  Using the Vintage Bands pattern paper made this layout simple to create because it included a built in title.


Once Upon a Christmas Products:
-Chipboard shapes with foil accents
-Clear Cuts with foil accents
-Vintage Bands pattern paper
-Holly Berry pattern paper
-Journaling Cards with foil accents


Thanks so much for this opportunity!!!!  I have had so much fun!

 

Please visit Michelle's blog for more inspiring ideas HERE.

 

Hope you are making a dent on your holiday preparations!

The 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas with Cycling Team Member Latrice Murphy

We are half way through our 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas and today we have some special holiday projects from returning Cycling Team Member Latrice Murphy.  But let's have Latrice tell you all about it...

 

Hey there LYB lovers! I’m so thrilled to be back on the blog and I have a lot to share with  you today. Once Upon a Christmas is seriously one of my all time favorite holiday collections ever. The traditional colors paired with the fun embellishments go my wheels turning and they couldn’t stop. Of all the goodies they sent me I think I have a few scrap pieces of paper and some small embellishments left. I made for you two layouts and three cards. Check them out!

First up are my layouts. On the first I started with a single 4x6 photo. I mixed in some scallops, banner cut ends and a die cut title to make this one special. I creased my ornaments down the center to create a 3D effect. I then added vellum tape and some simple stitched lines to finish. My journaling is done on the computer for a clean look. My handwriting is atrocious.

Next layout features two not so perfect photos is my big kids. I don’t mind the blur, because this layout was all about out traditions at Christmas time. I kept it simple and added the fabric snowflakes, another computer printed journal tag, gemstones and some vellum tape. I love the strip that said “O Christmas Tree!” so I cut just that out and used it on the bottom of the page. A few staples and some stitching complete this one.

Next up cards! I kept each card  super simple and used only LYB embellishments, some patterned paper and a white pen. I mixed the elements up to create three different looks. What do you think?


What a great collection right? Now it’s your turn to play. You can now purchase any LYB products right on their website. Awesomeness! Check it out HERE. Thanks for visiting and to see more detailed photos of these projects you can come see me at my blog Any Occasion.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:
OC-101 Vintage Bands/Red Starlight
OC-102 Poinsettia Quilt/Multi Starlight
OC-103 Hanging Wreaths/Red Tonal Damask
OC-104Let it Snow/Green Medallion
OC 106 Snowflake Medallion/Red Houndstooth
OC-109 Snowflake Plaid/Cream Houndstooth
OC-111Holly Berry/Green Carols
OC-134 Journaling Cards
OC-230 Clear Cuts
OC-160 Vellum Tape Strips
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes
OC-220 Fabric Favorites
OC-277 Stick Pins

Xo,
Latrice

 

Please visit Latrice's blog Any Occasion for more of her wonderful work.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Introducing Once Upon a Christmas Guest Designer Shari Carroll

We are so excited to introduce Guest Designer Shari Carroll.  She is an inspiring cardmaker and we think her ideas will be perfect this month as you, me and everyone else tries to get our holiday cards created and in the mail.  Besides our Friday posts with Shari, be sure to visit her blog for more ideas, but let's get to know her a little bit first...

 

LYB: What is your ‘go to’ embellishment?
SC: Most of the time I grab hemp twine as my final embellishment, I'm known for doing a little double bow.  Another go to embellishment is Accent pearls... I just love them!
  

LYB: Do you prefer cardstock or patterned paper?
SC: I'm a sucker for pattern paper, I might be considered a hoarder... lol Can't get enough of the stuff!!!
 
LYB: What kind of music gets you in the scrappin’ mood?
SC: I'm an old rocker, I have a collection of 70's and 80's rock that gets me going.  But when a good Michael Jackson song comes on I really kick into high gear.

I love layering pieces, this collection allowed me to use transparencies, tags, chipboard and embellishments together to create a pleasant arrangement.  One thing that makes the layers of a card really come to lif is using foam dots or dimensional tape.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-111 Holly Berry/Green Carols

OC-134 Journaling Cards - with foil accents(10 pieces)

OC-135 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces - with foil and embossing (26 pieces)

OC-230 Clear Cuts - with foil accents (30 pieces)

OC-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil (29 pieces)

 

Please visit Shari's blog My World for more of her amazing work...

 

We will be back tomorrow with more of our 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas...

 

Have a great weekend!

Biker Chick Inspiration with Jenny Chesnick

Biker Chick Jen Chesnick has a really cool holiday project to share with you using one of our chipboard albums, but let's have Jen tell you all about it...

Hey Biker fans! Jen here today and I am going to run through my thought process behind making banners.  To start most of my banners are 5 or 7 pennants.  I try to keep the design of the 1, 3, & 5th banner somewhat the same and the 2nd & 4th banner the same.  If you think of your banner in those increments it wont seem as daunting!

To start I create a good base.  I layered the same pieces for the 1st and 5th banner.  Frame, circle, snowflake.  Use pop dots to get some good depth. 

For the 3rd pennant I created a similar base just using different shapes.  Once the bases were created I added a few layers until I liked it basically :]  Then added "Joy"

For the 2nd & 4th pennant I did the exact same design just flipped for balance.  I cut out the trees and used the paper crafting kit for the bows.  They are SUPER simple and are amazing!  I added "Jingle & " to the pennants to finish off the sentiment.  I hooked everything together using d-rings and finished them off with coordinating ribbon by May Arts. I added a dash of glitter mist and we are all set. 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope the banner inspires you to create your own!

You can still purchase this Chipboard Banner album from us HERE.  Not to mention that you can also purchase the whole Once Upon a Christmas collection HERE.

 

Please visit Jen's blog Say Chez for more of her amazing inspiration!

 

Almost to the weekend.  Do you have all of your holiday baking supplies purchased?

Holiday Altered Project Ideas from our Biker Chicks

Our Biker Chicks have been at it again with some amazing altered ideas for the upcoming Holiday...

Diorama by Biker Chick Jen Chesnick

I created this diorama actually with ornaments in mind!  I ended up going larger 8x8, but this design would work perfectly for ornaments as gifts for friends and family. I cut my design using my Silhouette then turned it into a hanging with some twine.  I layered the embellishments on the bottom center as my focal point.  I finished it off with some glitter mist.  Everything holiday is better with glitter!

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-101 Vintage Bands/Red Starlight
OC-103 Hanging Wreaths/Red Tonal Damask
OC-109 Snowflake Plaid/Cream Houndstooth
OC-305 Paper Crafting Kit (75 pieces)
OC-304 6" x 6" Paper Pad (24 pages)
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil (29 pieces)
OC-230 Clear Cuts - with foil accents (30 pieces)
OC-220 Fabric Favorites - self adhesive (8 pieces)

 

Altered Wreath by Biker Chick Lisa Swift

I had so much fun altering this pre-lit wreath! All it took was an assortment of embellishments from the Once Upon a Christmas collection and some bits and pieces of ribbon. When all of the clusters were adhered (using a hot glue gun), I added in some small ball ornaments to fill in the "empty" spots and to bring in a bit of shine and sparkle.

Let's take a closer look at each of the embellishment clusters around the wreath.

Left side: Journaling cards layered with some chipboard circles and a tag.

Right side: Journaling card layered with ornament tags, a Clear Cut frame and a Fresh Verse sticker.


Left side flower cluster: Made from the Paper Crafting Kit. Don't you just love the jingle bell center on the red flower?

Right side flower cluster: Also made from the Paper Crafting Kit.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-305 Paper Crafting Kit
OC-132 Tags & String
OC-134 Journaling Cards
OC-140 Fresh Verse Cardstock Stickers
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes
OC-230 Clear Cuts

 

Mantlepiece Décor by Biker Chick Suzanne Sergi

 

Make a fun mantlepiece deocoration by dressing up candles with a mini paper village, or let the village stand on its own.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

Once Upon A Christmas 6x6 Paper Pad
Once Upon A Christmas Chipboard Shapes
Once Upon A Christmas Fabric Favorites
Once Upon A Christmas Cardstock Stickers
Once Upon A Christmas Paper Crafting Kits
Once Upon A Christmas Cardstock Stickers

 

Altered Magnet by Biker Chick Corrie Jones

 

My girls love counting the days til Christmas.  We haven't reached December yet, but this magnet Christmas countdown set is up and ready to be used!

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-305 Paper Crafting Kit
OC-132 Tags & String
OC-230 Clear Cuts
OC-135 Cardstock Stickers
OC-140 Cardstock Stickers
OC-160 Vellum Tape Strips
OC-340 6x6 Paper Pad
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes
OC-220 Fabric Favorties

 

Hope you find some inspiration from our amazing design team.  Happy crafting!

 

The 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas with Cycling Team Member Wendy Antenucci

Let's welcome new Cycling Team Member Wendy Antenucci to the blog today.  She is sharing some really creative Once Upon a Christmas projects.  If you cannot find our festive holiday collection at your local scrapbook store, you can order it online directly from us HERE.  But let's have Wendy tell you all about her projects...

Christmas 2011 - When I saw the wreath design on the paper I knew I had to add the little circle chipboard pieces to the arrangement.  I then added the Foil frame to nestle the picture of my kids around the tree into the wreaths design.  With the addition of the vellum tape and a few clear cuts and chipboard pieces I was able to keep the focus on the gift my children are to me, even though Christmas is a little chaotic anymore!

Once Upon a Christmas products:
OC-103 Hanging Wreaths/Red Tonal Damask
OC-277 Stick Pins (15 pieces)
OC-160 Vellum Tape Strips (8 pieces)
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil (29 pieces)
OC-230 Clear Cuts - with foil accents (30 pieces)

 

O Christmas Tree - When I saw the designs on the Vintage band paper of the Children and the tree I wanted to use those to spotlight our own Christmas.  With the addition of a few other pieces of paper I was able to document the highlights of our Christmas.  The Chipboard shapes were the perfect addition along with the journaling cards to finish up my page.

Once Upon a Christmas products:
OC-101 Vintage Bands/Red Starlight
OC-105 Mistletoe Stripe/Green Starlight
OC-108 Vintage Santa/Brown Houndstooth
OC-110 Merry Christmas Damask/Red Damask
OC-134 Journaling Cards - with foil accents(10 pieces)
OC-277 Stick Pins (15 pieces)
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil (29 pieces)
OC-230 Clear Cuts - with foil accents (30 pieces)
 

Christmas Village - When I first received my box of goodies, this is the project that I knew I wanted to embark on.  I decorated my house and then the tree was born and they looked so neat sitting together that I combined them into a whole village.  I started by covering my house with paper, making some windows, and cutting the different elements from the paper.  Once I had the basics done, then came time to play with all of the amazing embellishments that LYB is known for!

Once Upon a Christmas products:
(House materials)
OC-111 Holly Berry/Green Carols
OC-106 Snowflake Medallion/Red Houndstooth
OC-101 Vintage Bands/Red Starlight
OC-277 Stick Pins (15 pieces)
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil (29 pieces)
OC-230 Clear Cuts - with foil accents (30 pieces)
OC-220 Fabric Favorites - self adhesive (8 pieces)
 
(Tree materials)
OC-105 Mistletoe Stripe/Green Starlight
OC-102 Poinsettia Quilt/Multi Starlight
OC-104 Let it Snow/Green Medallion

 

Thanks again LYB for the opportunity it was amazing!

 

Please visit Wendy's blog On the Road to Destiny for more inspiring ideas.

 

Have a wonderful day!

The 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas with Cycling Team Member Mary Pat Siehl

Here at Little Yellow Bicycle, we really appreciate our steadfast fans, you know those crafters who are not easily lured away by the "latest and greatest."  We get genuinely excited knowing there is a following of customers who look forward to each and every collection we release and who are happy to share their creations with us.  This is why we were so pleased that Mary Pat Siehl sent in her application for the Once Upon a Christmas Cycling Team.  She has been a long time fan of LYB and we have watched her talent blossom with each LYB project she shares with us, but we want Mary Pat to tell you all about it...

Every year I always look forward to the Little Yellow Bicycle Christmas collection because these collections are always so special.  Once Upon A Christmas is so unbelievable.  I love the elegant feel to the paper.  I had been saving this picture of my two boys and Santa.  I just loved this photo of Santa whispering in the ear of my little one who was so excited to see Santa. 

 

To frame the photo I made 3 areas on embellishments.  I really loved layering  the chipboard shapes, the fabric favorites and the clear cuts.  They really worked well together. 

 

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

oc-101
oc-102
oc-106
oc107
oc-110
oc-111
oc-112
oc-279
oc-230
oc-220

 

I don't know about you but I love the presentation of my gifts.  I so enjoy making wonderful gift card holders and beautifully wrapped presents.  Today I have 4 different gift card holders using my Silhouette.    The paper works so well in creating the gift card holders because of the heavy weight of the paper. 

The boxes will be sturdy.  To make these wonderful gift boxes I started with my pattern paper and added embellishments and tags from the collection.  The journaling cards made the perfect tags for the boxes.  These boxes will look perfect under your Christmas Tree this year.

Once Upon a Christmas Product:

oc-108
oc-105
oc-134
oc-106
oc-109
oc-160
oc-104
oc-305
oc-279

Thanks so much to everyone at Little Yellow Bicycle for giving me this wonderful opportunity to join the cycling team for Once Upon a Christmas.  Everyone was so wonderful and I had such a wonderful time.  Thanks again and Have a wonderful and Merry Christmas!

 

Please visit Mary Pat's blog Siehled With a Kiss for more about her and ideas behind her work.

 

Have a wonderful day!

 

The 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas with Cycling Team Member Izzy Anderson

We are so pleased to have Izzy Anderson designing with us again.  Izzy kicked off 2012 as our first Guest Designer of the year with our Paradise collection and we are excited that she is now working with our Once Upon a Christmas Collection.  But, let's have Izzy tell you all about it...

 
I just loved Once Upon A Christmas.  It’s a great, classic line. The neutrals and tone-on-tone designs make mixing and matching a snap. The line has lots of options to go monochromatic, too, if you like that look, and I do.

For my altered project, I made a trio of holiday ornaments.  I love the red cardinals featured throughout this line and wanted to spotlight the pretty birds.

To make the two smaller ornaments, I used the “hanging wreaths” patterned paper and two round frames from the chipboard shapes.  I pop-dotted the paper and chipboard together to give a little dimension then embellished the ornaments with sentiments and bows from the clear cut shapes. To make the large ornament, I used the Vintage Santa paper in the frame, then embellished it with a tag, a vellum tape pennant and a cardinal from the fabric favorites.
 
Once Upon A Christmas Products:
 
OC 103 Hanging Wreaths/Red Tonal Damask
OC 108 Vintage Santa/Brown Houndstooth
OC 132 Tags & String
OC 140 Fresh Verse
OC 160 Vellum Tape Strips
OC 230 Clear Cut Shapes
OC 277 Stick Pins
OC 279 Chipboard Shapes

 

When I opened my cycling team box, the first thing that caught my eye was the dark brown houndstooth paper.  It’s retro, stylish and all around fabulous.  I went to work with it right away.  It made the perfect cozy backdrop for this holiday photo of my sister and son on a carousel ride.  My son’s sweater featured reindeer and snowflakes so I pulled both of those into my design.

On this page, I used a journaling card as a decorative element for a cluster of items, including a little pennant made from a vellum strip and a stick pin. For a title, I used a hanging tag, embellishing it with a sticker and punched snowflake.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:
OC 101 Vintage Bands/Red Starlight
OC 106 Snowflake Medallion/Red Houndstooth
OC 108 Vintage Santa/Brown Houndstooth
OC 132 Tags & String
OC 134 Journaling Cards
OC 135 Favorite Pieces
OC 140 Fresh Verse
OC 160 Vellum Tape Strips
OC 277 Stick Pins
OC 279 Chipboard Shapes
OC 305 Paper Crafting Kit

 

For my next project, I made a holiday card.  As soon as I saw the red damask paper with the large sentiment, Merry Christmas, at the bottom, I knew it would be perfect for a card and I set aside that paper.
 
 
To make the card, I trimmed the sentiment from the damask paper, added a bit of red houndstooth, and a vellum strip above it. An accordion flower from the Paper Crafting Kit added some dimension to complete the card.
 
Once Upon a Christmas Products:
OC 110 Merry Christmas Demask/Red Damask
OC 106 Snowflake Medallion/Red Houndstooth
OC 160 Vellum Tape Strips
OC 279 Chipboard Shapes
OC 305 Paper Crafting Kit
 
 
I want to thank Liz and the LYB team for inviting me to ride along with this collection. I had so much fun.  Happy holidays, everyone!

 

Please visit Izzy's blog Write, Snap, Scrap for more of her inspiring work.

 

Have a wonderful and crafty day!

Biker Chick Inspiration with Corrie Jones

Biker Chick Corrie Jones continues to set the mood for the holiday with our Once Upon a Christmas collection.  Yesterday our Biker Chicks shared card ideas and today Corrie follows up with gift tags, but let's have her tell you all about it...

I love, love, LOVE the colors in Once Upon a Christmas.  To me they are a perfectly traditional and comfortable mix.  Cozy and festive.  Awesome.  I am working towards getting ready for the holidays and figured that a few new gift tags was exactly what I needed to stock up on.  These will be perfect for wrapping with kraft wrapping paper.  I love that look.

The cardstock shapes have a little bit of foil to them which is great for just a touch of sparkle.  Nothing too over the top, just a little fun.

The "Peace on Earth" star is probably my favorite thing in the collection.  It got me singing Christmas carols (in my head).  How exciting that this music will be on the radio in just a couple of weeks!!!!!  (Yes, I will listen to Christmas music from the day after Thanksgiving until they take it off the day after Christmas.)

I am so excited to have the vellum tape back in this collection.  Too bad I ended up using almost the entire package on one tag.  But the sheerness looks so good on kraft cardstock.


So, five tags down.  How many more to go???

Once Upon a Christmas Collection:

OC-305 Paper Crafting Kit
OC-132 Tags & String
OC-134 Journaling Cards
OC-135 Cardstock Stickers
OC-160 Vellum Tape Strips
OC-340 6x6 Paper Pad
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes
OC-220 Fabric Favorties

 

Please visit Corrie' blog You, Me & Crazy for more of her amazing and fun ideas!

 

We'll be back tomorrow with a final project from Guest Designer Kelly Goree.

Holiday Cards with Our Biker Chicks

Our Biker Chicks have done it again and today they share some really great card projects with our Once Upon a Christmas collection.  The clock is ticking, so let's make some cards...

Noel, Noel Card by Biker Chick Heather Leopard

 

I wanted to show off the beautiful chipboard ornament embellishments that come in this collection so I cut a circle out of the front of the card and framed it with a chipboard circle frame, added a pretty bow that you might see on a wreath and hung one of the ornaments from the bow.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-304 6x6 Paper Pad

OC-160 Vellum Tape Strips

OC-305 Paper Crafting Kit

OC-279 Chipboard Shapes

Merry & Bright Card by Biker Chick Heather Leopard

I just loved the pretty cardinals featured on this particular paper so I used it as the main feature. I used the clear cuts to add the bow, frame and sentiment and tied it all together with the fabric chipboard cardinal. Since this card won't fit in a standard envelope, I'll use it as part of the packaging decor.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-304 6x6 Paper Pad

OC-230 Clear Cuts with foil accents

OC-220 Fabric Favorites

 

Card by Biker Chick Robbie Herring

I love the elegance of the Once Upon a Christmas collection.  The foil accents add the extra wow factor to this gorgeous collection!

Card by Biker Chick Robbie Herring

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-106 Snowflake Medallion/Red Houndstooth
OC-109 Snowflake Plaid/Cream Houndstooth
OC-110 Merry Christmas Damask/Red Damask
OC-110 Merry Christmas Damask/Red Damask
OC-132 Tags & String - with embossing (12 pieces)
OC-190 Clear Cardmaking Stickers -with foil (21 pieces)
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil (29 pieces)

 

Cards by Biker Chick Tania Willis

 

Have a great day!

The 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas with Cycling Team Member Traci Penrod

It's day 2 of our Twelve Days of Once Upon a Christmas and Cycling Team Member Traci Penrod will capture your hearts with her wonderful mini album idea.  Traci really impressed us with her last project on our Makin' the Grade Cycling Team.  We are so pleased to have her back again, but let's have her tell you all about her latest project...

As soon as I saw Once Upon A Christmas, I knew it would be a wonderful collection for a mini album showcasing my ornaments.  My ornaments are varied colors of course, which is why I LOVE the traditional red and green in this gorgeous line.  I started with a fun die cut album and then trimmed one side of each page to create a cascading effect -- I wanted to be able to see all of the beautiful papers "falling" from beneath the cover. 

One of my favorite things about this collection, and all of Little Yellow Bicycle's collections, are the Clear Cuts.  They have really fun foil accents and give a little something different to each page.  The reindeer on the cover is my favorite so he had to get center stage!

Every page also had to get some chipboard!  I love the way this frame piece worked perfectly for a journaling spot, especially layered with additional foil chipboard accents and clear cuts !

With this collection, it's so easy to create beautiful projects because everything goes together perfectly.  I didn't have to worry about saving one embellishment to go with a certain piece of paper, because everything matches. 

Here are a few close up shots of all of the fun embellishments.  I added the foil accents to each page for a little shine and the album was done in no time!

Please visit Traci's blog Artsy Albums for more album ideas!

 

Remember, you can order the entire Once Upon a Christmas collection directly from us right HERE.  Tomorrow we have some Biker Chick projects to share and we will announce the new Winterings Cycling Team.

 

Here's to election day and thank you for voting!

The 12 Days of Once Upon a Christmas with Cycling Team Member Renee Zwirek

We are so excited to kick off our Twelve Days of Once Upon a Christmas Cycling Team Projects.  Renee Zwirek is back again to share more holiday fun with us.  She rode on the Wonder & Wishes Cycling Team last year and we are very happy she agreed to ride again, but let's have Renee tell you all about it...

 

Hello, it's Renee Zwirek! I'm thrilled to be back with you all for another holiday season at Little Yellow Bicycle. I'm so excited to start off the "12 days of Christmas" here on the blog and celebrate not only this wonderful holiday but also this beautiful new Once Upon a Christmas Collection.

Since I had the "First Day of Christmas - A Partridge in a Pear Tree," I really wanted to use the song as inspiration. I hope you enjoy what I came up with, because it was really fun and challenging to make. For my first project, I took some photos of my girls at the tree farm and created a layout doing a play on the words from the "12 Days of Christmas" song.

Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-102 Poinsettia Quilt/Multi Starlight
OC-103 Hanging Wreaths/Red Tonal Damask
OC-104 Let it Snow/Green Medallion
OC-105 Mistletoe Stripe/Green Starlight
OC-106 Snowflake Medallion/Red Houndstooth
OC-109 Snowflake Plaid/Cream Houndstooth
OC-111 Holly Berry/Green Carols
OC-134 Journaling Cards - with foil accents(10 pieces)
OC-160 Vellum Tape Strips (8 pieces)
OC-230 Clear Cuts - with foil accents (30 pieces)
OC-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil (29 pieces)

For my next project, I made some teacher gifts for my girls to take to school before Christmas break...my take on a pretty gift card holder. I wanted to continue the Christmas tree theme from my layout. So, I decided to make my own paper pine cone and paper pine needle embellishments.

First, I took some jelly jars and spray painted the lids with a gold leaf spray. I sprinkled in some fake snow and gold sequins. Then, I added a paper pine needle into each jar along with a gift card.

I had the girls write-up Christmas messages to their teachers using the Journaling Cards of their choice. I attached the Journaling Cards along with a paper pine cone, a paper pine needle, a Fabric Favorite bird, and a Clear Cut reindeer using some clear thread and hemp/jute ribbon.

These projects were so fun to make! I hope you all join us and play along for the "12 Days of Christmas." Happy Creating, Everyone!

 
Once Upon a Christmas Products:

OC-104 Let it Snow/Green Medallion
OC-107 Holly Bird/Brown Carols
OC-134 Journaling Cards - with foil accents(10 pieces)
OC-220 Fabric Favorites - self adhesive (8 pieces)
OC-230 Clear Cuts - with foil accents (30 pieces)

 

Please visit Renee's blog Pretty Plz for more fun ideas and details about her work!

 

Don'r forget that you can order Once Upon A Christmas directly from us right HERE.  We also still have some specialty items left from our Wonder & Wishes collection that you can order HERE.

 

We'll be back tomorrow with more Cycling Team projects and we will announce the Winterings Cycling Team on Wednesday!

Acorn Hollow Cycling Team and Call for Once Upon A Christmas

We are so pleased to introduce our newest wearers of the Yellow Jersey for our Acorn Hollow collection.  It's getting a little crazy around here with all the Fall happenings, so we decided to invite back a few former cycling team members and friends to create with this collection, BUT today starts the call for our Once Upon a Christmas collection.  Please welcome our Acorn Hollow Cycling Team

 

Katrina Hunt

Kristine Berc

Audrey Pettit

Melinda Spinks

 

Come Ride with Us for Once Upon A Christmas

 

Here's what we're looking for:

With each new collection we like to invite a few new designers (about 3-5 per collection) to come design for us.  We ask Cycling Team members to commit to a month of designing after the collection is released. In return, we'll send you some free product and shamelessly promote you along with ourselves on our blog and facebook page.  Read the details below:

 

1) Make at least one project with what we send you - a layout, some cards, a mini album, an altered item...whatever makes you happy!

 

2) Send us some pictures of it, and a little write-up or how-to of how you created it.

 

3) Post it on your blog, facebook page and any online galleries you belong to. We'll put it here on our blog too, of course!

 

That's it!

 

Tryouts for this team are starting RIGHT NOW!

If you are interested, please send us three (3) samples of your best work (preferably with LYB products because that is what we like to look at most, however it's not a deal breaker if you send something else) to [email protected].  Also, if you have previously designed for a Cycling Team, please feel free to apply again!  Please send us your application by Wednesday, October 10th and we'll announce the NEW Once Upon a Christmas Cycling Team on Monday, October 15th.  Please also include your contact information (address, phone and blog) in your email.

 

And then we'll ask you to hop on that Little Yellow Bicycle and pedal your heart out!

 

Happy Monday!

CHA Summer - the Full Reveal!

 

Well once again CHA summer has come to a close! I want to thank all of you for following along with our sneak peeks and for all your wonderful comments!

 

We're busily updating our website, but if you want to see all of the new collections up-close-and-personal, click below to view our full catalog. We'll also be posting larger images of everything from each of the collections on Facebook!

 

Download LYBCatalog14-Fall2012 

 

Keep those comments coming! I'll be picking a winner at 5PM EDT Today!

Photos from the Booth! CHA Sneaks!

 

Just a quick post on this last day of CHA to share some pics of the booth before the show's over and we have to take it all down!

 

Do you have a favorite?

 

Leave a comment for another chance to win!

 

- Peg