Red Velvet Kit Club: Have A Holly Jolly

Michelle has done some inspirational stuff with our kit! I must say I love it all - take a look:

And a quick little tutorial if you have a little extra moment to make an embellishment over the holiday season:

RVKC December Tutorial - Mini Paper Chains!

by Michelle Clement

We're all super busy as the holiday season approaches, right? I know I am! I wanted to make a super-quick handmade holiday embellishment for my seasonal pages, and, when thinking of something to make in a pinch, I just couldn't remember for the life of me how to make a paper chain! You know, those cool paper cut-out strings you make way back when in elementary school!! So, if you're craving a quick little embellishment that you can make in a snap, here's a fresh little update/how-to on how to adopt the old favorite for your scrapbook pages:

Step One: (You may want to practice this on a scrap piece of paper first to avoid messing up a good piece of patterned paper - I had to!) Cut a small strip of a piece of very lightweight patterned paper - the shimmering Hambly paper is perfect for this! It should be about 1.5 inches wide and a few inches long, and draw a small seasonal character/creature on the left hand side of it lightly using a pencil. Make sure the edges of the doodle can meet nicely at the edges of the paper for the chain to work - for example, you have hands or a nose and tail to connect to the next image in a row.

Step Two: Fold the strip of paper starting on the right hand side just at the edge of the image you drew: fold it under, and then when you get to the other side of the image, fold it under again, and repeat until the whole strip of paper is folded under your drawing. Depending on the thickness of the paper, you'll be able to get a few images, but you won't be able to cut through a whole stack with thick paper!

Step Three: Cut your doodle out based on the drawing through all of the paper layers - it can be a little tedious at tis smaller-than-usual size - making sure you cut off of the edge so that the images will be attached in a row. Unfold, and voila! A quick little paper chain to add to your scrapbook pages or cards - and if you're feeling adventurous, try making a cute 3 x 3 chain for your christmas tree - if you can't cut out a lot at one time, attach the strings together to form a bigger chain. Have fun! If you need a little inspiration, check out the cards and page I used my chains on! :)