What you love says much about your personality and who you really are. Of course I love my family, but it is my love of chocolate, anything brown, newborn babies, skiing, and crafting late into the night that tells you more about my individuality. Put together, they represent many things about myself and my life’s experiences. When people look at a collection of the things you love the most, it is a true glimpse into your character and this is what you want to shine through on your creations!

Always begin your creations with something that you love. Be it the soft color pink or the little swirls on the paper, you know what you love and choosing media to match your personality will enhance your projects. And don’t stop there - choose your favorite technique and enjoy using it on your layout, too. Each of these things will be like putting a bit of yourself down on the paper and your gift recipients can’t help but feel warm and cozy recognizing YOU in the gift.

Because snowmen are a major passion of mine, I chose a snowman coaster element from the Christmas Joy Page Pak for the main theme of the sample holiday card and then began searching for digital elements to suit the mood.

The new page pak, Miracle of Birth, lent itself very nicely to the “in the meadow we can build a snowman” verse and I chose to use the wonderful soft colors in this kit for a vintage feel. Remember to always keep your eyes open for the use of single letters from a title to use separately by using your erase tool. This is illustrated with the “S” in snowman taken from a title in the kit.

See below at left for how Sharon shared a few of her favorite things in her altered clipboard calendar: grandkids, ribbons, flowers, altered art, and homemade Christmas presents.

Keeping yourself in mind when creating gifts for others may sound funny, but I promise you will be rewarded with gratitude for having shared a piece of yourself.