Welcome to Simply Scrapping Crafts First Annual Holiday Hop! We have quite a line-up for you today filled with lots holiday inspired goodies! Our DT has been busy at work in Santa’s workshop creating a sled full of gorgeous holiday projects to help you decorate, scrapbook or use for gifts!. Be sure to comment all of the blogs along the way because we have "hidden" some extra special treats along the way. There is no way to tell where we have them stashed, so be sure not to miss out! Some of our hop hosts are giving an extra entry for becoming a follower. Who doesn't appreciate more chances to win right? All winner will be announced on Tuesday, December 7th, 2010 via the DT blogs and also in the hop room at SSC, which can easily be accessed here . You have until 11:59PM EST tonight, December 4th, 2010 to comment for your chance to win. All you need to do is click on each link and leave a comment as you hop along to the end of the list. Are you ready for a Holly Jolly Holiday Hop? Let's get to hoppin'!

Maureen http://stampandscrapwithmaureen.blogspot.com/

Theresa http://procrastinatingscrapper.blogspot.com/ (YOU ARE HERE)

Nikki - http://gracie33.blogspot.com/

Rona http://scraprona.blogspot.com/

Colleen http://cardsdelight.blogspot.com/

Amy http://amybeansblog.blogspot.com/

Clare http://bearydocardsinc.blogspot.com/

Pryn http://mochavation.blogspot.com

Tammy http://tmaynard.blogspot.com/

Now, for the good stuff! I have two projects to share with you today. The first is a tree made from a paperback book. I saw one of these on the internet a few years ago, and was entranced. I finally took the time to look up the directions for how to make one and tried it myself. This is my tree.



Unfortunately, my busy life has been extra busy this week and I did not have time to make a photo tutorial, but this is really easy to make. It takes less than 30 minutes to put the whole thing together, so it is also friendly for busy schedules like mine. I would love to have an entire "forest" of these little guys.

Supplies needed:
Paperback book
Sharp craft knife
Decorations (I used glitter and a pretty star, but you can use whatever you like - the possibilities are only limited by your imagination)

Directions:
Choose a paperback book with a strong spine and remove the covers.

Slice the spine with a sharp knife to separate the first 30 pages. This will make the first half of the tree.

Begin folding the pages. First, fold the top right corner toward the spine to form a right angled triangle.

Fold the triangle toward the spine again.

The bottom edge of the page will overhang the bottom of the book.

Fold the overhanging triangle at the bottom of the book back up to form a straight line along the the bottom of page.

Repeat with all thirty pages and set aside.

Use the knife to slice another 30 pages from the book. Turn this section so the spine is on the right, rather than left. Repeat the steps above to create a mirror image.

Glue the two halves of the Christmas tree together and add your decorations.

Tips: I tried using Glimmer Mist on mine, and that is not a good idea. The moisture in the Glimmer Mist made the paper "sag" a little bit, losing some of the crispness fo the folds. I did end up putting dots/globs of glue along the folded edges of the paper and sprinkling with some flaky Martha Stewart glitter. The tops of the folded star has a lot of natural slits in it, and I put strong glue on the end of my star and adhered it down into one of those slits.

NOTE: If you have any questions or need any assistance making one of these, please let me know. I am more than happy to help.

The second project I wanted to share is a little banner that I made for my Secret Sister. I should have mailed it to her already (they don't call me a procrastinator for nothing).



I used a cool banner die that I got from The Cat's Pajamas. I cut banner shapes from a variety of papers and added a bunch of various elements to make a Joy, Joy banner. These are quick and easy to make, they can be as fancy or simple, or elegant or rustic as you like. I try to make at least one for myself for each season of special holiday of the year - I hope you'll try one for yourself! And I hope my Secret Sister likes this one!

Thanks to you all for stopping by and taking a look. I have a great little prize package of paper crafting goodies to send to a random hopper who leaves a comment here on this blog post. I will also be giving an extra chance to win the RAK to each person who is already a follower and leaves a comment or becomes a follower today and leaves a comment.

The next destination on the hop is Nikki - http://gracie33.blogspot.com/.

Big hugs to you all! And happy hopping!