#scraptember2025, Gold

Can you believe it is the final day of scraptember2025 collaboration between Crafty by Toni and SevenPlaza?? It's been a blast, as usual, working with Toni and Margreth and sharing their super fun and fabulous ideas! Check out their channels on YouTube to see all the goodness.

For the finale, today's prompt is Gold. I added gold to the picture frame sort of distressing as much as possible to make it look super duper old and weathered and handled. Turned out pretty cool looking, I think. Also used more of Toni's digital kit, as well as one of my mini charms, cheesecloth I dyed earlier this month, and other fun scraps. So far, this is the only decorating I've done for this lapbook. But that will change ....tomorrow starts Halloween Every Day with Crafty by Toni!! I'm so excited. 

But first, today's prompt. I'm loving how this paper bag lapbook is coming along. These are so much fun to make and even more fun to decorate. 

Thanks for coming by the studio and checking out all the glorious fun I've been having. Tomorrow begins another month of super fantabulous makes, so be sure to check back for more Halloween spooky deliciousness! 

Halloween paper bag journal ready to be decorated

Here is the paper bag journal using Toni's Halloween digital papers and ephemera kits. The papers are so awesome - I LOOOOVE PLAID!! - and the embellies are perfect. Please check it out if you haven't yet, they are so perfect.

Nothing to see inside yet, but you'll see some of the papers that come in the digital kit. Aren't they yummy though??

Also some of Toni's washi tape.

Pocket page

This washi is Tim Holtz

The washi as well as the grungy paper are Tim Holtz and not part of the digi kit.

More washi by Toni

The back. This is a Tim Holtz paper, and the skull washi is by Heidi Swapp. 

Stay tuned for the decorated version coming soon.

Envelope pocket for Halloween journal

Last week we did the paper bag journal using Toni's digital Halloween papers kit. (Post coming after this one.) But first, here is the adorable envelope pocket project we did this weekend with Toni's FREEBIE digital kit in her ko-fi shop. Go snag it, if you haven't got it yet. We used it for today's pocket. I super love it and it will be so cute in the journal.

Finished pocket measures approx 5 x 4 1/4 inches

#scraptember2025, Five

There are so many prompts in today's project, but since I hadn't done 5 yet, we'll go with that one. It's in here. This super delicious little round mini album is inspired by Saje, at Vibe of Vintage and LadyBlackblood. It measures 5 1/2inches, including the binding edge. I have literally thousands of dies, which I don't use a whole lot in this new phase of crafting (since I got into the vintagy-grungy-junk-journally vibe!) But this one is so dang cute, I had to pull it out and create. Hope you like! 

Leslie, it's one of the pears! I finally used my stamp. LOVE it!

Here it is - the jumbo 5! :)

From the grungy texture pieces I made earlier in Scraptember.

Back cover. (plastic spider by Heidi Swapp)

#scraptember2025, More paper beads

I needed to add to my mini-stash of beads, just in case. You never know when I might need a bunch more! 

Here's my simple process: 

Choose the paper or scrap you want to use for your beads. This pattern is a digital file by Studio on Glore (Etsy). For the small beads, I use a 5in strip. 

You can mark them as I did here, or you can just cut them with a trimmer or scissors. I wanted them to be fairly uniform, so I drew lines and cut with scissors. 

This is a quilling tool. Makes it easy to roll the strips, but you can do it as easily with a pair of tweezers. Roll them tightly and glue the end. 

Add ink to cover the edges and add depth.

I like to add just a touch of shine to them with glossy accents or equivalent, which also acts as a sealer. Squeeze out a little puddle onto a non-stick mat and dip your finger into it, then roll the beads between your thumb and finger. You barely need any of it to make it look 'finished'

So fun and super simple. I remember these from when I was a kid, but I have no memory of ever making them myself. Seems like a grade school project that was never part of my curriculum. 🤷

#scraptember2025, Beads

Did you make paper beads when you were in grade school? Never happened when I was in school. So when I saw this YouTube video from Crafty by Toni I got pretty excited. I had seriously no idea how simple these are to make! And look how fun?? Granted, they aren't perfect, but these are my first ever attempts, so there's that. But also -- who wants perfect!?? Not me! These will be so much fun to add to our Halloween junk journal next month for Halloween Every Day. 

Size comparison

How they began....just some scraps of scraps and a little ink. I love them! Are they grungy enough for Halloween? I think so. :) 

#scraptember2025, Beads and Burlap

Guys, is this not the cutest tiny banner?! It's about 10 inches long and will fit so great in a Halloween junk journal. Can you even? I love it so much. 

#scraptember2025, Coffee Dye

...the twist is, I used black tea instead of coffee for this one, thanks to Grungy Stamper on Instagram. Never thought about black tea, but I'm glad I tried it. It seems to dye much quicker than 'regular' tea or coffee, but maybe that's just me. 

I had some muslin in my sewing box from when I made a ton of masks during "the covid years", so I added that to the solution as well as a piece of lace, twill ribbon, and a bit of cheesecloth. 

After I used the black tea for what I wanted, I added just a few drops of rusty hinge distress reinker and did a test piece (see photo)....

...and then I did another test piece and added more rusty hinge and lots of drops of crackling campfire distress reinker. It isn't quite the orange I was hoping for, but I like it and will use it. I will, however, do more cheesecloth in Halloween colors coming up soon.

#scraptember2025, Paper Bag

Another prompt not on the list for today's project; #paperbag. For this adorable little accordion file I used 3 mini bags (7 1/4 x 3 1/2 inch size) and some of the grunge and texture papers I made for previous prompts. And a couple of Halloween charms as well. I love how cute it is! Now to make some tags or tickets to fit into the pockets. Super simple to make; here's a link to one of many tutorials. 

So easy, and so cute! 

#scraptember2025, Acetate

For today's prompt, I used acetate in my photo frame. You can't tell by the picture, unfortunately, but the backing is silver mirror paper. Super cool looking in real life, sorry it's not showing up for you here. 

The frame is one of many from the Mirror, Mirror digital collection on ko-fi by Margreth of Seven Plaza. 

Clusters made from labels I made using the grunge pieces I made the other day. 

Labels used for the clusters were stamped and cut from the grungy papers I made previously.