HMITM #184 - Mix it Up

This week the challenge at HMITM was not as difficult as the two previous (thank goodness!).

So here's the challenge:
- Eight different patterns, none to match the holiday
- The word 'happy'
- Any holiday picture and embellishments. ( Embellishments can match the holiday)

Now from first glance this seems kind of hard. But I don't really use holiday papers that often (even though I own a ton) so I wasn't too worried.

Once I had this done... I had a revelation:

Everyone (yes, even you) should be doing the HMITM challenges every two weeks!

Why?
Because they are the ultimate stash busters! If you're anything like me you have your stash everywhere... ribbons over here, papers over there... and generally you have too much of one theme (for me it's Hawaii) then you could ever use for the album you originally bought it for.

Plus - my scrap bin is positively overflowing! I use scraps all the time, and try to use up every little bit of my papers so my scrap bin has itty bitty bits, big bits, and even 12x12 pages with only a bit out of them. This challenge was the challenge to empty that bin (well... not empty. but I did use 7 patterned papers out of it).

So here's my LO:

I really don't have many holiday photos. I am really good at celebrating holidays, but I never do with a camera in hand. So all I had was a few photos of random holidays, and these that I took of the kittens on Halloween this year.

I really do suggest kittens, puppies or babies if you're not a photographer. Magically you metamorph into this camera wielding crazy intent on catching all the cute and new things they do. (Last night they caught their first mouse.... forgot to hand hubby the camera for that one :( )

How did I do on the criteria?

Happy - yep! Its in the title

Holiday - yep! Halloween pumpkin carving with the kittens

8 patterned papers - check! Seven in the circle border, one for the strip across the bottom, and a re-use of one of the papers to mat a photo (I used a new 12x12 for that one).

I decided that the challenge said nothing about not using traditional holiday colors.

Top down on the circles:

• Rainbow stripe is from some random old 8x8 pack. I have bits of this paper all over my scrapbooks, as it seems it breeds in my scrap bin - I never run out!
• Gren dotty - I think its from the same pack as the stripes.
• Blue circles - DCWV The Glitter Stack (old!) 8x8 stack
• Yellow with dots - my old favourite, Creative Memories school - this was piece of a journalling card I had cut up a while ago
• Green flowered print - also DCWV The Glitter Stack
• Blue flower dots - no idea. Potentially the same pack as the rainbow stripe and the green dots
• White multicolor dots - my cat pack I have (possibly DCWV or Deja Views). The only non-scrap I used

The stripe is another random paper I picked up at some point and am slowly whittling away the scraps.

The tag is from my Cat pack (it's called Cat's Life or something like that).

Most of the buttons were from a 1 lb button bag I got from Michaels, and the two glittery ones are Recollections.

And here are some detail shots:

Journalling

Stitched Circle Border - not sure where I scraplifted this from... but all I did was cut out 7 circles with my Creative Memories cutters and then used one glue dot in the middle to hold them steady, and stitched down the centre with my machine. I then bent up the edges to give it a bit more texture.

Cat Border - I marked my paper at 1 cm intervals and then drew a centre line on my punch (this doesn't have to be accurate, its just for lining up). I then punched with the lines lined up (not forgetting the 0 cm mark on the edge of the page). If anyone is interested, I can post a tutorial. The punch is a $1.50 cheapie from the bins at Michael's. I really love the extra detail this adds... and I did it all with a cheap punch rather than an expensive border punch!

Not sure how I came up with this - it just came to me. Planning on going home and doing something similar with my tiny heart and flower punches too :)

Hope you all enjoy, and as always, please comment and follow my blog!

Thanks