Printables: December

Happy Holidays! It's about that time again.... for my monthly printables post! Last month was just a bit crazy and I didn't get the chance to write my November post, so I decided to combine it with December. In case you missed October's batch, you can find it here.

I first discovered free printables a year and a half ago when I was looking for fun stuff to add to my SMASH* book spreads. Over time I've incorporated them into all of my books because they are incredibly versatile! You will also see them in my Project Life album, handmade Daybooks, and even my Filofax planners.

Early 2013, I decided to share the knowledge I've learned from my printables adventures. So if you've never tried at-home printing or it's something you're curious about, I strongly urge you to read this post. You'll find lots of helpful hints and tips to get you started, including ways to save time and money doing it...

Every month I scour the internet for new free printables to add to my collection. November I was in search of Autumn and Thanksgiving themed journal and filler cards. This month I was looking for Christmas themed items for my December Daily album. Since I only do my printing once a month to save money, I also try to look for things that can be used in all of my books!

Now onto the good stuff....

THANKFUL

Top Left ----> Thanksgiving Cards & Elements from Simple as That

Top Right ----> Blessings Cards & Elements by Kristine Davidson

Bottom Left ----> Fall Colors & Autumn Journal Cards from Wee Share

Bottom Right ----> Thanksgiving Library Cards from Little Birdie Secrets

My printer was running low on colored ink when I printed out this batch of Autumn cards, so the colors on them are more pink than orange and brown as they should be. [I actually don't mind it one bit because pink is my favorite my color!] The elements from Simple as That got printed on Kraft cardstock for a totally different look. There are also a lot more Fall files from Wee Share that I didn't download and print. So be sure to browse the blog for more fun stuff!

HELLO DECEMBER

2013 December Daily Calendar from Stitch in Time

Christmas Subway Art by Eighteen25

Both the 6" x 8" Dec. calendar and subway art print are going into my December Daily album. They'll fit right into the full page pockets. The subway art print comes in a variety of colors, so choose one that will fit with your theme. You can also print it full size and add it to a frame for wall decor!

MERRY CARDS

Holiday Recipe Card from Reasons To Skip The Housework

Merry & Bright Cards by 36th Avenue

The reason I printed these is because I'm adding a recipe card to my December Daily album. Of course, you can also use it for Christmas recipes and stick it right into your recipe box. The Merry & Bright cards come in a set of 4, as well as an 8" x 10" print that you can frame. I'm using these cards as holiday decoration in my Filofax, and I also cut one down to 3" x 4" size for a filler card in my December Daily. You can even use them with your other holiday supplies to make pretty handmade Christmas cards!

JOURNAL CARDS

Top Left ----> Christmas Twist by Miss Tiina

Top Right ----> A Very Vintage Christmas from DDE

Bottom Left ----> Merry & Bright by Traci Bautista

Bottom Center ----> To-Go Cup from Scrapbook Printables

Bottom Right ----> It's Christmas & The North Pole by Suzy Q Scraps

I'm always on the lookout for fun journal cards to add to my collection, and these are perfect to use in this year's December Daily album! My favorite from this batch are the Christmas Twist cards by Miss Tiina. She's one of my favorite designers of free printables! Be sure to browse Scrapbook Printables blog too, because this month there are lots more goodies to print and download! I think this year the To-Go Cup cards have a new design...

FILLER CARDS

Holiday Cards by Becky Higgins

The Newborn King by My Fabuless Life

December Calendar Card by My Renvironment

Merry Everything by Secrets of a Modern Mama

Scrooge Quote from A Pop of Pretty

Grinch Quote via Pinterest

YUM by Trisha Grace

I love typography and like to use them as filler cards! They're perfect for filling up those extra pockets in Project Life or December Daily. A few of these, like the cards by Becky Higgins, the Dec. calendar card, and the YUM card were made for Project Life, and sized 3" x 4". The others were originally larger art prints that I resized to fit in the pockets of my December Daily album. 

With the Becky Higgins cards, I'm only showing the ones I printed to use in my album, but there are more designs that come in the set. The December calendar card comes in 4 colors, so choose one that works with your theme. And the Merry Everything card also has more designs, pick your favorite!

ELEMENTS

FA LA LA LA Set by My Digital Art Studio [on Facebook]

Merry Christmas Set by Heidi Swapp

Red Labels by iHanna

December Daily Numbers by Odrai

Every month when I search for free printables I try to include a batch of cool elements. Since I print once a month, I need my stuff to go the extra mile. These are definitely the most versatile pieces! I love using elements like this in my Filofax, and as embellishments on the cards and pages of my Project Life album and SMASH* books. I was extremely happy to find a set of numbers to use in my December Daily album, but my favorite are the fun tags by Heidi Swapp! Aren't they lovely?

[See how I use this fun stuff in my December Daily albums.]

I hope you enjoyed this month's printables post and found some new goodies along the way :) Be sure to check back next month for January's finds! If you're looking for more free printables, browse my "SMASH* & PL" and "Printables/Templates" pinboards on Pinterest. I also have lots more awesome stuff for December that I've printed since planning this post, so check out my "December Daily" pinboard to find them! There are even more free planner printables on my "Filofax Addict" pinboard! Have fun "pinning" away!

You can stay updated on my recent posts, projects, and photos by following me on instagram, or by "liking" my fan page on Facebook. So why not head over there now and show some love...

Do you like printables? How do you use them? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? I'd love to hear it! Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated!

Thanks for stopping by!

Smashbook: 2012 Thanks & Gratitudes

Happy Wednesday! Most of this year, Project Life has taken over much of my creative time. I haven't really had the chance to work in any of my other books. Since I didn't have a blog back in 2012, I decided to start sharing the layouts I created last year in my SMASH* book here on my blog.  And today, with Thanksgiving coming up, I'll be showing you my 2012 Thanks & Gratitude spread.

At this point, I had only been SMASH*ing for a few months. Although I was new to SMASH* books, this type of "documenting life" wasn't new to me. I've been creating pages like this since I was a teenager working in my altered composition books. I've always journaled and doodled, and have had a passion for penmanship since the beginning. And being able to incorporate all of those things [and other new techniques] into something like a SMASH* book as an adult, has allowed my style to grow and evolve.

My life is so different now compared to that rebellious teenage phase 16 years ago. And doing a spread like this really made me realize how much I've changed and how special and blessed my life is....

SMASH*: 2012 Thanks & Gratitudes

I thought long and hard about what's most important to me, and all of the lessons and life experiences I've learned from and lived through. I searched the internet for inspiration to figure out a creative way to put all of that down on paper, but stay true to myself and style. I feel that I really accomplished that with this spread. It's not your standard color scheme for Autumn, but it's very me!

Flipping through my pink book to find the perfect pages, led me to these pretty patterned papers. The colors and designs weren't too busy for the elements I wanted to use. My love for penmanship shows with the handwritten fonts and journaling. I even included doodles, photos, and a variety of embellishments from my stash of supplies. I went with lots of pink and glitter!

SMASH*: 2012 Gratitudes | Left Page

I started this page by writing everything in pencil first. It may take longer to do it this way, but for me, it's much better than ruining pages because I wrote something incorrectly or the placement is wrong. I then went over everything with a black zig pen or Sakura Gelly Roll metallic gel pen, and erased all of my pencil marks.

SMASH*: 2012 Gratitudes | Left Page - Close Up

SMASH*: 2012 Gratitudes | Left Page - Another Close Up

I used some pink glitter number stickers to mark the date and large alphas for the title. I printed out a couple of photos which I cut down to size, and added more pink in some fun stickers and rub-ons. I also used a variety of pens and markers, like metallic gel pens for journaling and doodles, my go-to black pen, and a silver paint marker for some extra glimmer.

SMASH*: 2012 Thankful For... | Right Page

Again, I used pencil first to get the placement right and so I could play around with different fonts. I kept this page pretty simple, but mixed up different elements and supplies. I had tons of fun digging through my stash to find things to use!

SMASH*: 2012 Thankful For... | Right Page - Close Up

SMASH*: 2012 Thankful For... | Right Page - Another Close Up

For the different fonts and title I used my handy black zig pen, another Sakura Gelly Roll metallic pen, and some fun K&Company alphabet stickers. To decorate this page I included lots of pretty embellishments that were gifted to me by my sweet friends. I finished the page with epoxy stickers, washi tape, label stickers, a handmade cutout, camera stamp, and colorful glitter alphabet stickers.

I really love how these pages came together, and I'm hoping to create a brand new spread for 2013's Gratitudes! We'll see how that goes...

I hope you enjoyed my post, and leave here feeling inspired to create something special and beautiful in your book. If you would like to see more pages from my pretty pink SMASH* book, you can find it here. Looking for more SMASH* inspiration? Feel free to browse my "SMASH* & PL" pinboard on Pinterest. Be sure to follow that board because I find new stuff daily!

You can stay updated on my recent posts, projects, and photos by following me on instagram, or by "liking" my fan page on Facebook. So why not head over there now and show some love...

Do you SMASH*? What inspires you? Have you done a "Gratitudes" spread yet? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? I'd love to hear it! Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated!

Mahalo for stopping by!