The Christmas In July Blog Hop (with a giveaway)

Welcome to the Christmas in July Blog Hop, inspiring you to get out your Christmas stash and use it before all the new collections are introduced this month. Join the fun and create something too, use the hastag #scrapbookchristmas in twitter, facebook or instagram.

When the planning for this blog hop started, I was really excited about the chance to participate.  I love Christmas and have tons of Christmas stash.  But as the date got closer, I wasn't feeling very inspired.  I had lots of stuff, but it was the bits and pieces left from prior year projects.  Then I saw a challenge at My Scraps and More that asked you to create a layout that used Christmas papers and a Christmas phrase to create a layout about a non-holiday topic.  Given the size of my stash, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to use up some of my stash.  I made a layout about a visit to Slate Run Farm titled "Away In The Manger."

I used papers from Studio Calico's Winter Wonderland, Crate Paper's Sleigh Ride, and Basic Grey's Figgy Pudding (an old one right?) and Jovial.  You were allowed to use any embellishments and these came from My Mind's Eye, Jillibean Soup and Simple Stories.  And that great Fancy Pants chalk tape was perfect for adding a quick note about where we were.

And that made me think - could I do a Christmas layout without any Christmas paper.  So I pulled out my Valley High goodies (the July kit at Studio Calico) and went to work.  The colors and patterns in the kits turned out to work perfectly for a Christmas layout.  Here's what I ended up with.

I was scrapping with my friend Gloria, and she looked at the annual picture of our kids by the Christmas tree and immediately suggested this title.  And, I have to admit that it suits the expression on the boys' faces.

Giveaway

I still have lots of bits and pieces left, so I thought I'd share them.  Just make sure you are a follower and leave a comment.  I'll leave the drawing until midnight on Sunday, July 21.  Rather than post a picture of the goodies, I thought I'd leave it as a surprise for the winner (kind of like a Christmas present.)

I'm the last stop today.  If you started in the middle you can hop on over to see Ruth and get started at the beginning.  And just in case you got lost at any point, here is the list all the blogs.

Ruth - http://scrapmachine.com/

Bernice - http://btsoi.blogspot.com/

Theresa - http://himynameistheresa.com/

Holly - http://harmonydiy.blogspot.com/

Sandra - http://www.thecraftybunch.com.au/

Melissa - http://digitalscrapbookinghq.com/christmashop

Kimberly - http://kimberlymariekett.blogspot.com/

Stella - http://myscrapbliss.blogspot.com/

Alanna - http://scrapping-and-life.blogspot.com

Megan - http://meganlianesblog.blogspot.com/

Jen - http://myreillyboysandme.blogspot.com

Lisa - http://mykreativepursuits.blogspot.com

Margareta - http://www.paperpilekitten.com/

Taniesa - http://thecraftypickle.com/

Smitha - http://www.smilingcolors.com

Catherine - http://paperaddictcatherine.blogspot.com

Kate - http://www.funkytales.blogspot.co.uk

Tasha - http://tashascreativejuice.blogspot.com/

Melissa - http://yesterday2day4ever.blogspot.co.nz

Alison - http://magicalmesses.blogspot.com/

Cat - http://decisioninspired.com

Manda - http://www.mandalikadesigns.com/

Madeleine - http://senoritaml.wordpress.com/

Melissa - http://www.scrappyjedi.com/

Amanda - http://amandathemadscrapper.blogspot.com/

Ali - http://www.moloneystylestamping.wordpress.com

Jenny - http://scrappinjen-partyoffive.blogspot.com/

Ros - http://noteverypicturezperfect.blogspot.com.au/

Sue - http://themakingtable.blogspot.com.au/

Julie - http://plywthpper.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by - hope your Monday is just marvelous!

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