On the 4th Day of Christmas...

....I am starting to "explode" with excitement!

So, what better way to celebrate the anticipation of the silly season than with a LO that literally "explodes" off the page?

I have long been a fan of using Hybrid or Digi scrapping elements in my layouts, and in this project I have built in a Hybrid element for those of you who would like to include it in your own LO.

In the background of my "exploding" circle, there is some pre-printed Christmas wordart that you can use on your own project. I have saved this Wordart as a .jpeg file so that you can download it here. Simply right click with your mouse on the image and select "Save Image As.." in the pop up menu. Then open up Word and open the file again - ready to be printed :).

Print the wordart onto the back of the Christmas Tree paper (used in this Kit) through your standard printer at home. If you are not planning on using the Hybrid element, then simply leave your background blank, or even hand stamp some letters onto the background.

So, below you will see a series of pictures that correlate with my steps - simply follow them in order to produce your own exploding LO, lol.

Step 1:

If you are printing out the Hybrid worksheet, cut the Xmas tree paper to 8.5 x 11inches to fit through your printer (this is standard A4 size).
Step 2:

Flip it over and feed it into your printer so that it prints on the more "plain" side.

Step 3:

Once printed, leave it to dry for a few moments so that it doesn't smudge.

Step 4:

While you are waiting, trim around the outside of your Glitter musical note paper, as well as trim around the outer edges of the flocked poinsettia paper design (vertically). The music paper will be mounted across the right middle of the LO, and the poinsettia paper down the right hand side overlapping everything else (see below for pic).
Steps 5.1 and 5.2:

Use a dinner plate or large circle template to trace a circle onto the Argyle paper and cut out. Adhere with the Argyle paper facing OUT onto the back of the Die Cut scalloped cardstock.

Step 6:

Use a stencil knife to cut a small cross into the middle of the Die Cut cardstock.

Step 7:

Pull open the now cut edges from the middle of the Die Cut cardstock - be rough, as we will need to be rolling and folding these papers over. Stick some adhesive on the TOP of each torn corner, then fold these corners over and under and stick them onto the base.

Step 8:

Trim some small strips from your Christmas words paper and adhere them to the left edge and bottom edge of your LO. Then adhere your whole torn circle WITH the printed wordart at the back (see pic).

Now it is time to place your photo (I have mounted mine onto a piece of cardstock so that it can remain up off the surface). The photo gets adhered to the base of the LO overlapping the right edges of the torn circle.

Step 9:

The final step is to trim some of the flocked poinsettia flowers from the paper and use these as embellishments. Also add your title, following the curve of the Die Cut cardstock. You can also use your gems as flourishes across the bottom of your page - why not alternate your colours for a really traditional look?

Here is a photo of the LO as a final product:

I know it looks (and probably sounds!) like a lot of fiddling, but believe me when I say it's worth the effort :)

So well done everyone - a wonderful way to show off your photos and bring your page into the third dimension with lots of layering and texture.

Have fun creating, everyone!

Sares x