Winter Scrapbook Layouts

Brrr! Itโ€™s a blistery 8 degrees here in central Illinois todayโ€”absolutely perfect weather for scrapbooking! Iโ€™m hunkered down and busy designing layouts that Iโ€™ll be teaching at my upcoming weekend scrapbooking retreat on February 12โ€“15. But I also have some other layouts to share with you right now, so you can start creating today!

For my February Technique Layout, I created a beautiful wintery design in shades of blue and tan using the new Winter Bliss Collection from Creative Memories. I also used the Custom Cutting System with the Jumbo Circle Pattern, along with the Gingerbread Border Punch, Dancing Snowflakes Border Punch (sold out), and Ice Skate Punch (retired)โ€”all from Creative Memories. This layout is easily adaptable using any papers and any combination of punches you have on hand.

๐Ÿ‘‰For a step-by-step demonstration, be sure to watch my YouTube video. At this time, there is no printable handout available for this layout.


Last week, Creative Memories introduced the NEW On the Bright Side Collection, featuring the Whimsical Scallop Border Punch. I was delighted to create the marketing layouts for Creative Memories using this cheerful new collection. I loved working with the joyful color palette and playful paper designsโ€”theyโ€™re such a treat to create with!

๐Ÿ‘‰Youโ€™ll find step-by-step instructions for recreating this layout on the Creative Memories blog.

The Winter Bliss Collection, Gingerbread Border Punch, On the Bright Side Collection, and Whimsical Border Punch are all available for purchase through my Creative Memories website.
๐Ÿ‘‰ Click here to shop with me!

When you shop through my link, youโ€™ll be automatically enrolled in my Customer Rewards Programโ€”and Iโ€™m excited to share a brand-new first quarter Customer Rewards gift with you!



Do you love your Border Maker System and love playing with your Border Maker Cartridges? You’re going to have a lot of fun creating this layout that I created for Creative Life Scrapbooking! I made this super cute layout to showcase photos of me with friends and family wearing our holiday sweaters and t-shirts. I have a fun collection of Life is Good t-shirts that I love wearing during the holiday season. The sweaters on this layout would also look adorable created in shades of blue for a cozy winter-themed layout.

๐Ÿ‘‰You can find the instructional handout in the Shop section of the Creative Life Scrapbooking website.


Would you love some fresh scrapbooking layout ideas? Join me and my scrappy friends for our upcoming Creative Life Scrapbooking PJ Party Virtual Crop โ€” a fun evening of creativity and connection!

Weโ€™ll be sharing 7 double-page layouts, each featuring a unique scrapbooking technique. These layouts are versatile and perfect for helping you scrap your stash!

The virtual crop begins on Friday, January 23rd with our Zoom session. We’ll create 4 layouts together on Zoom, and the instructions for 3 more additional layouts are shared in the private Facebook group for the event. The private group is open so you can begin printing the instructional handouts and creating the Pre-Party Layouts. The Zoom sessions will also be recorded, and you’ll have an entire month to complete your layouts for door prize entries. Plus you’ll enjoy an entire month of inspiration as participants share hundreds of layout examples following the live event!

๐Ÿ’ฐ Special Offer: Register now with our COMBO for all 4 PJ Parties in 2026 and receive a discounted price!

๐Ÿ‘‰ For details and to register, visit: www.creativelifescrapbooking.com.

Happy Scrapping!
Karyn

2025 Christmas Layouts

Happy Holidays! Today I’m sharing a little holiday gift with you. This weekend, I’m hosting my in-person and virtual Holiday Open Houses, and I created a few special layouts for the event. With my instructions below, you too will have fun creating these pages.

I know that you’ll enjoy making my first layout as I had a ton of fun creating it, and I’m absolutely tickled with the results. I used a variety of Border Maker Cartridges to help me create the darling faces and decorations on my sweet treats. The Pinking Blade also added a whimsical element. This layout is ready for Christmas photos of my three grandchildren. Don’t leave off the faux pen stitching! It really adds a lot!

Please click below to download an instructional handout.


To create my second layout, I used the 2025 Open House Tag Kit which is a CM advisor exclusive. Many advisors, including myself, are giving this as a gift to those who attend our Holiday Open Houses. My attendees will be creating this layout as their Make-n-Take project. I’ll also share a Tag Kit with everyone who purchases through me this weekend. (Creative Memories is currently offering FREE SHIPPING on purchases of $100+ through noon CT on December 15th.)

You only need a 12-Inch Trimmer, Tape Runner, a Dual-Tip Black Pen and a White Gelly Roll Pen to create this layout. I cut the tags to get more of their decorative patterns to fill the layout, and CM’s new Caramel Cardstock made the perfect background for the layout. Please click below for a downloadable instructional handout.



If you love Christmas layouts, you’ll also want to check out the 10 Holly Days layouts that Creative Life Scrapbooking shared this year. You can see all 10 layouts on the Creative Life Scrapbooking Facebook page, and you’ll find the Holly Days Sketch Book on the CLS website. Below are the layouts that I created for Holly Days this year.


I hope that you have the most wonderful holiday season filled with many memory making moments! Thank you so much for following me this year!

Karyn

12 Days of Christmas Scrapbook Layout

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – an entire month of colorful lights, giving and celebrating! I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic lately and have been reminiscing about Christmas past. As a youngster, we celebrated Christmas Eve with a large gathering of grandparents, aunts and uncles and LOTS of cousins. My aunts led sing-alongs, and the 12 Days of Christmas was always a jolly affair with different groups of people singing for each day. My dad had a beautiful singing voice, and I always sang one of the days with him. I created this colorful layout to duplicate the 12 Days of Christmas with some of the punches and border maker cartridges from Creative Memories.


Creative Memories didn’t have any exact matches, but we’ve had the Songbirds and Cardinals Border Punches which sufficed for turtle doves and a partridge. The old Circle Chain Border Maker Cartridge was perfect for five golden rings. And I have some nutcrackers cracking, polar bears plunging, reindeer leaping, bells a-ringing, and trains a-tooting. Take a look at your punches and border maker cartridges and see what you can create using this idea!

Also make sure to check out Creative Memories Holi-Deals special which just began! CM is offer 30-40% off select items and also a BOGO special for selected punches and cartridges. You’ll find some of the punches and cartridges that I used in the DEALS section of the website as BOGO items – Polar Bear Border Punch, Cardinals Border Punch, Bells & Bows Punch, and the Poinsettia Border Maker Cartridge.

Your challenge will be to cut background strips that create a 12″ panel. I had to trim down my nutcrackers, songbirds, and cardinals to make them fit on my strips. From top to bottom, my strips measure: 1-1/8″, 1″, 7/8″, 1″, 3/4″, 7/8″, 1-3/8″, 1-11/16″, 15/16″, 2-1/8″. All are 3-1/2″ wide. I used the This Life Krafted Rainbow Paper for my strips and Bright White, Black and Red Cardstocks.


If this layout reminds you of a Christmas sweater, make sure to see the Creative Life Scrapbooking Facebook Page tomorrow, December 4th as we share a spectacular Christmas sweater layout for our Annual Holly Days feature! From December 1st-7th, the Creative Life Scrapbooking team is sharing a new holiday layout for Holly Days. We also have a Holly Days Sketch Book available for a special holiday price on our website at www.creativelifescrapooking.com. Below is the layout that I shared with CLS on December 1st.


While you’re at the Creative Life Scrapbooking website, make sure to register for our 2025 PJ Party Virtual Crops at our discounted Combo pricing! The CLS designer team and special guest designers share versatile double-page layouts that each feature a technique. There are no special materials or tools to purchase, and we encourage you to use your stash, and we make tool substitution suggestions. There are live Zoom sessions and pre-recorded sessions and all layouts feature a full-color step-by-step printable handout. We also host private Facebook groups for the parties where participants share hundreds of versions of our layouts for an entire month of fun and prizes! (For my January 2025 PJ Party layout, I used the Mandala Burst Border Punch. This is a BOGO punch right now with Creative Memories, so it’s a great time to purchase it if you don’t already have this one.)

Happy Scrapping!
Karyn

Creating Dimension & Texture on Scrapbook Layouts

I used the Denim Revival Collection from Creative Memories in some fun ways to add dimension and texture to my layouts. I’m a gal who loves her blue jeans! I can wear them every day and dress them up when I need. But mostly when I think of denim, I think of my favorite pair of Levis that are worn in just perfect and frayed on the bottoms. I used this inspiration to create fringe details that give my Denim Revival layouts a warm and fussy feeling.

The Denim Revival Collection from Creative Memories is full of great denim prints and great neutrals in a variety of shades and patterns. I love how the distressed shades of brown and tan complement the denim prints and make great contrast for creating fringe! Just like our blue jeans, you can dress these papers up or down to create many different kinds of feminine and masculine layouts. Plus, the denim papers can be paired with many of our other CM collections. The Denim Revival Embellishments, Stickers and Variety Mats contain great everyday titles and icons that can be used for most any kind of layouts.

For my first layout, I used the Custom Cutting System with the smallest heart from the Gemstones Cutting Patterns to cut a heart from a denim paper. I used the Micro-Tip Scissors to cut out the center of the heart and add snips to both the inside and outside edges to create fringe. To see a demo, please view my YouTube video. (After you finish watching my video, I would greatly appreciate if you would also subscribe to you channel.)

To create the hearts on the left and right, I used the Custom Cutting System with the smallest heart from the Gemstones Cutting Pattern to cut two hearts from cardstock. I cut fringed strips and adhered them at an angle to create the heart on the left. I filled the heart on the right with scraps and used my Brown Dual-Tip Pen to add faux stitching to create a patchwork heart.

For my second layout, I created more fringed pieces to add texture and interest. The border on the left is 4″ x 12″, and the border on the right is 2″ x 12″. The fringed strips are 3/4″ x 12″. I used the Square Punch from Creative Memories to punch 1-3/4″ x 1-3/4″ squares and used the Micro-Tip Scissors to cut my snips to make fringe.

For tips on cutting the fringe pieces, please click here to view my video.

I created my last layout for Creative Life Scrapbooking and shared it for Featured Project Friday on July 19th. You can find a printable handout with instructions on our Creative Life Scrapbooking website at www.creativelifescrapbooking.com. I also created a video demo for CLS on how to create my large fluffy fringed flowers. You can view that video on our Creative Life Scrapbooking YouTube channel.

I so appreciate your purchases through my Creative Memories website link, and I offer a generous Customer Rewards Program. I have a great third quarter Custom Rewards Gift to share with you for your $150 purchases in July, August and September!

Happy Scrapping!
Karyn

Virtual & In-Person National Scrapbook Day Workshops

Please join me for my 2024 Virtual National Scrapbook Day Workshop!
I’ll share instructional video recordings and printable handouts for my own exclusive page layout designs and will host sessions on Zoom. We’ll also have a private group in Facebook for sharing and interacting. Plus, we’ll have fun with a few games and door prizes!

I’ll use the NSD 2024 Customer Bundle, Fresh Flower Punch and Spring Leaves Frame Punch to create my layouts. The Forest Mushroom Border Punch is optional.ย  You may substitute with other tools and materials. If you would like to purchase these items, I appreciate your orders atย www.creativememories.com/user/karyn.ย 

We’ll meet on Zoom on Saturday, April 20th beginning at 11 am ET to create the layouts together.  If you cannot be on Zoom at that time, the recorded video instructions will be shared in the private Facebook group for the event.

The instructional materials and layouts are exclusive and are not to be shared with others or on the web including Pinterest.ย  Please also do not share photos of your versions of these layouts on the internet including Pinterest.ย  Thank you!


Please join me for my 2024 In-Person National Scrapbook Day Workshop on Sunday, May 5th!ย 
We’ll be in the new Community Building in Sidney, Illinois at 211 E. Main Street and will crop from 10 am – 6 pm.

We’ll enjoy a relaxing day of scrapbooking and will create the CM layouts using the NSD 2024 Project Recipe Kit.ย  Please purchase the NSD Project Recipe Kit to make these pages.ย  (If you have purchased the NSD Customer Bundle, you will need a second Project Recipe Kit to make these layouts.)ย  I will also serve lunch, and there will be gifts for attending and door prize opportunities.ย ย 

Please note that I’ll also be creating some exclusive layouts of my own design using the NSD 2024 Customer Bundle.ย  For access to those layouts and instructional materials, please register for my Virtual National Scrapbook Day Workshop above.

If you register for BOTH my In-Person and Virtual NSD events, I will give you a $10 credit to spend at my In-Person workshop.


Creative Life Scrapbooking PJ Party Virtual Crops!
April 26th, July 26th and November 1st

Registration $25
To register:ย www.creativelifescrapbooking.com/events
Seven layout ideas!
Printable Handouts!
Live Zoom Session!
Recorded video instruction!
Flexible layouts – scrap your stash!
Exclusive Facebook Group with all content saved so you can access on demand!

Fall Scrapbook Layouts

Before we get too far into the winter season, I want to share a few fall layouts that I created this year. I originally shared these layouts with Creative Life Scrapbooking as I’m one of the 7 designers on the CLS team. Make sure to like and follow us on Facebook as we share new layout ideas each week, and our annual Holly Days feature will begin on December 8th.

My first layout is full of fun owls! I used the Owl Build-A-Punch from Creative Memories to create this grid style layout. I used paper from the 2023 Croptoberfest Kit and Accessory Paper Pack for the squares and a variety mat and stickers from the Autumn Harvest Collection. I also used the Leafy Vine Border Punch. By changing the placement of the eyeballs, I created different expressions on the owls. Unfortunately, the Owl Build-A-Punch is now sold out, but hopefully many of you were able to purchase it earlier this fall.

For a printable PDF handout with instructions, please see the Creative Life Scrapbooking website.

To view a demo of the Owl Build-A-Punch, please see the Creative Life Scrapbooking YouTube channel. Please also subscribe to our channel to see many more quick demo videos.

Look close! For this layout, I used the Owl Build-A-Punch (sold out) to create black cats for Halloween! With just a few strokes with a fine tip silver pen, I transformed the owls into cute cats. I also love how the pumpkins mimic cat eyes! The layout is topped off with a border that I punched using the Original Border Maker System and the Bats & Stars Border Maker Cartridge. I used papers from the Sunflowers Field Paper Pack and Black Cardstock.

For printable PDF instructions, please see the Creative Life Scrapbooking website.

For my last layout, I was inspired by the cover of a Southern Living magazine to create my gorgeous layered pumpkin embellishment. For this layout, I used papers and stickers from the beautiful Autumn Harvest Collection. I love the unexpected shade of blue in this collection! It’s a bright and fun alternative to green. I also used the 12-Inch Decorative Trimmer, Pumpkin Patch Frame Punch (now sold out), Leafy Vine Border Punch and the Sweet Blossom Trio Punch (exclusive).


Instructions for this layout, can also be found on the Creative Life Scrapbooking website.

To purchase some of the tools and materials that I used for these layouts, please see my Creative Memories page. I so appreciate your support of my business!



Make sure to like and follow our Creative Life Scrapbooking Facebook Page as our annual Holly Days feature will begin on December 8th. For seven consecutive days, the CLS designers will each share a new winter holiday layout!

Happy Scrapping!
Karyn

Summer Scrapbook Layouts

Have you printed your summer photos yet? Although we may be enjoying some beautiful fall colors and weather, I have some summer scrapbook layouts to share with you. I originally created these layouts for Creative Life Scrapbooking.

Each of the layout photos below was shared to our Creative Life Scrapbooking Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest accounts. Make sure to like and follow us to see the incredible layouts that our 7 designers share each week!

I used the Sweet Summer Collection and coordinating cardstocks to create my first two layouts. Look on the packaging of our Creative Memories paper packs to see a list of coordinating cardstock colors! I also used the Custom Cutting System and the 12-Inch Trimmer with the Scallop and Perforating Blades to create my ice cream cones.

For my second layout, I used the Custom Cutting System to create my POOL letters. I used the Custom Cutting System and the Rubber Duck Punch to create my fun floaty. I also used the Original Border Maker System with the Double Rickrack Chain Border Maker Cartridge on both layouts.

For step-by-step instructions to create these layouts, please see the Shop in our Creative Life Scrapbooking website.

For my next layout, I used some older papers and stickers. And I used the Firecracker Punch (that is currently on sale in the Last Chance section of the Creative Memories website) and the retired Double Star Punch to create some fun quilt-inspirated squares for my Fourth of July layout. I love the fun pattern that these pieces created!

For my last layout, I created a large chunky border of fun flowers. I used shades of red and yellow to match my photos, but it would look great done in other colors too! I used the Custom Cutting System, Leafy Vine Border Punch, Black Sans Serif ABC/123 Letter Stickers, and papers from some of our tonal paper packs. Don’t forget the faux pen stitching on this one – it really adds a lot!

For step-by-step instructions for all of these layouts, please see the Shop in our Creative Life Scrapbooking website.


While you’re at our website, you might also consider joining the Creative Life Scrapbooking team for our November 3rd PJ Party Virtual Crop. We’ll be sharing 7 double-page layouts that are versatile so you can use your stash and use the layouts for many different types of photographs. These are exclusive layouts that we won’t share elsewhere, and each layout features a technique or unique feature. We’ll record the live Zoom sessions so they can be viewed at your leisure.

Stay tuned as I’ll be sharing my fall layouts and my next Technique Tuesday layout and challenge soon!

Happy Scrapping!
Karyn

Painted Garden Spring Scrapbook Layouts

Although it was late coming this year, I’ve been enjoying our spring weather and the spring blooms in my garden. My peonies just finished blooming, but I can enjoy photos of them year-round in my scrapbook album!

The Painted Garden Collection from Creative Memories is especially beautiful and is a great complement to our spring photographs! Please see my blog post from May 2nd to view a layout using this collection.

And I also used the Painted Garden Collection to create the two layouts below for Creative Life Scrapbooking.

To embellish my first layout, I used a mix of the Painted Garden Embellishments, Stickers and Variety Mats. I also used the Rustic Fence Border Punch and the Floral Peaks Border Punch. I used the Original Border Maker System with the Citrus Slice Border Maker Cartridge to create the wheel for my garden wheelbarrow.

To purchase a printable PDF handout of these instructions, please see the Creative Life Scrapbooking website.


For my second layout, I created a beautiful border treatment by creating tiny envelopes and filling them with embellishments. The Painted Garden Embellishments are my favorite item in this collection. The pack is full of flowers, berries, butterflies, bees and humming birds! I used the Envelope & Bow Creator from Creative Memories to create my envelopes. This is a nifty tool for creating envelopes of all sizes and also bows!

To purchase a printable PDF handout of these instructions, please see the Creative Life Scrapbooking website.

My instructions include a video demonstration of how to use the Envelope & Bow Creator to make the envelopes and also written instructions for creating the envelopes with our 12-Inch Trimmer instead.

I offer a generous Customer Rewards Program and appreciation your purchases through my Creative Memories website link!

Happy Scrapping!
Karyn

Folded Hexagon Frames Scrapbook Layout

My monthly technique layout features folded squares that create elongated hexagon shapes that show off both sides of the designer paper. I arranged the hexagons around the perimeter of my layouts to create unique patterns.

For my first page, I used the On the Farm Paper along with some coordinating cardstock for the border. To create my layered border, I used the Original Border Maker System and the new Barn & Fence Border Maker Cartridge along with the retired Wheatfield Border Punch. The current Wildflowers Border Punch would make a great substitution.

The barn piece was cut from a On the Farm Variety Mat. The On the Farm Collection was widely popular when it was released, and the paper and variety mats sold out quickly. The On the Farm Stickers feature cute farm animals and are still available. The quick sell-out was unfortunate but sometimes happens with Creative Memories products. So if you love something, it’s always best to purchase it as soon as you’re able.


This page is one side of a double-page layout. For instructions, please see my YouTube video. While you’re viewing my video, please make sure to subscribe to my channel.


Along with the paper items, the On the Farm Collection featured a Tractor Punch which also sold out quickly. CM is ordering more of the Tractor Punch but will only order enough to fulfill PRE-ORDERS. CM is also currently taking pre-orders for the sold-out Trail Sign Punch and Square Tile Punch. Please click here to pre-order any of these punches.


I created a second layout using the same technique, but I started with smaller squares to get a slightly different shape and pattern. For my second layout, I used the Cue the Blue Paper and Embellishments and Navy Cardstock. These items are currently available with Creative Memories.

Please view my video for tips on selecting the size of squares and also for how to easily fold the squares to get uniform pieces.

I appreciate your purchases through my Creative Memories shop, and I offer a generous Customer Rewards Program.


I love the versatility of this technique! If you love versatile layouts that can be used for any types of photos with any materials, you might be interested in the up-coming PJ Party Virtual Crop hosted by Creative Life Scrapbooking. I’m one of seven Creative Memories advisor designers with Creative Life Scrapbooking, and we host quarterly virtual crops. There is a Zoom session on Friday night where 5 of the designers will demonstrate how to create their layout live and two more recorded page classes in the private Facebook group for the event. All of the Zoom sessions will also be recorded and shared in the group for later viewing. If you’re not on Facebook, we email the printable handouts and video links to you.

For more info about the PJ Party and to register, please see our website at www.creativelifescrapbooking.com.

Happy Scrapping!
Karyn

Home Sweet Home Spooky & Sweet Scrapbook Layouts

I love creating scrapbook layouts and sharing them with you here! But I also share layouts on Facebook through a group called Creative Life Scrapbooking. Creative Life Scrapbooking is a group of 7 Creative Memories advisors who are passionate about CM products and share twice a week with ideas for using CM’s tools and materials. We also host quarterly virtual crops called PJ Parties. Our next PJ Party is November 4th. If you can’t participate on Zoom with us, you can still register to receive access to the recorded videos and printable layout instructions. To learn more and to register for the PJ Party, please see our website. We also offer printable Idea Books and access to past PJ Parties on our website.

Spooky!

I used the Original Border Maker System with the Home Sweet Home Border Maker Cartridge to create a spooky layout and a sweet layout. Below is my spooky cute Halloween layout that I created with the Happy Hauntings Collection from CM and shared with Creative Life Scrapbooking today.


I used CM’s Original Border Maker System with the new Bats & Stars, Home Sweet Home and Ghost Chain (retired) Border Maker Cartridges to create a spooky street border for the top of the layout. I added some fun shadows and cobwebs with our White Chalk Pen. Further down the page, I used the new Spider Web Frame Punch to create individual spider webs to adorn the layout. For step-by-step instructions, please see my original Facebook post.

Sweet!

A few weeks ago, I created this super sweet layout using the Original Border Maker System and Home Sweet Home Border Maker Cartridge and also shared it with Creative Life Scrapbooking.

I used the housing unit of the Original Border Maker System as a hand-held punch and punched around the outside edge of circle. The houses came to life with a little work with a Micro-Tip Black Pen. I added a few other pieces from a variety of CM punches and border maker cartridges to create a super sweet street scene.

Please see my original Facebook post with Creative Life Scrapbooking for instructions. If you would like a printable handout with instructions, please see our CLS 2022 Idea Book Volume 3.

If you would like to purchase any of the tools or materials that I used for these layouts, I would appreciate your orders through my Creative Memories website. I also offer a generous Customer Rewards Program.

Thanks so much for visiting with me today!
Karyn

P.S. Don’t forget to register for our PJ Party Virtual Crop.