I have to admit I'm pretty lazy when it comes to printing my digi photos. I nearly always leave it until the last minute and end up paying extra to have photos developed in an hour because I need them right now! Sometimes I'll get my act together and send a batch to be developed online - great - but I'm too impatient to wait for the post. Then I got my hands on a Canon SELPHY printer at the Stitch & Craft 2008 show. If you came along to the Scrapbook Theatre you may remember that the team were able to take your photo and print it out for you to scrap right then - and it was the SELPHY printer they were using.

If only I looked this glam when using a printer!

Anne Parry gave me a quick demo - showing me how to hook up a camera and download the images you want to print, all without the need for a computer. You can either slot in a memory card, or download straight from your camera. The photos print quickly and I was able to sit down and make a layout within minutes.

The printer takes combined ink and paper cartridges so it's very easy to set up - you just slot in a cartridge and away you go. You can even print in gold or silver - how cool is that?! I also got to grips with some basic photo-editing such as automatically correcting the brightness, trimming and getting rid of red eye.

So, I'd say the Canon SELPHY printer is a great choice for the impatient scrapper!

And for a nice added bonus Canon are also giving away a free photo album with every SELPHY printer sold in November or December - see these links for details: http://www.canon.co.uk/selphyalbums or http://www.canon.ie/selphyalbums.

What do you want for Christmas? Is there a new scrapbooking gadget you're after? I'd love to know.

I am completely smitten with these jaunty Christmas trees I spotted on Design*Sponge. They're designed by last week's guest blogger, Sarah Fox of Cursive Design. Helpfully Sarah's provided full instructions so you can make your own. A little forest of them would make a wonderful decoration for your Christmas table* or on a windowsill with a length of fairly lights wound around them! I love that you can make them with scraps, and if they get trashed this year you can just recycle them and make a fresh copse next year.

*Disclaimer: I love Christmas and I'm already in full-on festive mode (have you seen the latest issue?!) So expect more Christmassy hoo-ha on this blog over the next few weeks!

American scrapbooker Cathy Zielske posted this video on her blog today and I absolutely love it:

It's like an advert for scrapbooking. If you don't scrapbook, wouldn't this make you want to do it?! It's sweet and poignant and funny all in one. I love it. I had to listen with the sound down because I'm in the office, but I imagine with music it's even more tear-making.

You know me, I love a good blog so every month I put together a column in the news section of the magazine showcasing the blogs I'm enjoying lately, or ones that have been recommended to me by other scrappers. I love to here about your blogs too, so drop me a line (scrapbookinspirations@futurenet.co.uk)if you'd like me to visit. Here are the blogs from the December issue:

Inspirational photography and baking in one blog? We’re sold! Okay, so Bakerella isn’t about scrapbooking, but we dare you to resist the cakes on display here.

Laura Buckingham’s eclectic layouts are a big hit round here. Not only has she got a great eye for mixing patterns and colours, but her journaling’s pretty special too. Go to mmwwaahh211.blogspot.com

Digi scrapper K’Lynn is at the forefront of modern layout design with her artistic layering effects. Jane Dean brought K’Lynn’s blog to our attention and our eyes are so pleased she did!

There are exciting developments afoot and on Wednesday 7 January 2009, a brand new knitting magazine will hit the shelves, designed especially for you.



The Knitter will feature more than ten challenging patterns in each issue, as well as regular features and a column written by Mason Dixon.

“As the editor I’m looking forward to bringing knitters patterns by the best designers from around the world,” says Juliet Bernard, The Knitter’s new editor. “As a knitter, I can’t wait to start knitting them!”

Hotfoot it over to the Simply Knitting blog for a bit more information and to keep up to date with what’s going on!

Have you ever seen the Eames House of Cards? Created by two of my favourite designers, Charles & Ray Eames it's a collection of notched photo cards you can use to built 3D structures. I absolutely love it so when I saw a tutorial on Design*Sponge for making your own I had to share it (in fact, I've just missed my train home because I was so keen to post about it here!)

The photo at the top is a custom version, made by Derek and Laura of Smarts & Crafts. You can see more photos and read the easy tutorial on Design*Sponge. I will definitely be having a go at this - I'd love to see if you do too.

Make your own ATC-sized Christmas place settings with Fiona Beckman's easy instructions - plus don't miss the bonus blog project, coordinating napkin rings! You can see more of Fiona's finished project in the December issue of ScrapBook inspirations. Fiona used 'Good cheer' papers from October Afternoon.

These place cards are ATC-sized matchbooks, with a menu hidden inside! They’re very simple to make, and will look fabulous adorning your festive table. For best results, use double-sided cardstock-weight papers.

1. For each placecard, cut a strip of card 7.5x2.5in. Score and fold at 1.5in from one end, and 3in from the other end. If cutting from a sheet of 12x12in, first trim to 7.5x12in, and cut four 2.5in wide strips from this. You can cut a fifth placecard from the offcut, but note that the pattern will be in a different orientation. Alternatively, reserve the off-cuts for decoration.

2. Print your menu on ‘stepped’ pieces of paper to go inside. These should each be 2.25in wide, and the longest piece about 3.75in long (‘Dessert’, to go at the back). The Main Course and Starter sheets (depending on your menu) should be 2 5/8in and 2 3/8in long, respectively. I found that the easiest way to print them out the right size, was to create a ‘Table’ in Word, and specify the height and width of each cell. This way, you can adjust the font style and size until your menu fits neatly inside. Remember to allow for the 1in flap of card where they will be fixed into the matchbook.

3. Place the menu papers inside the 1in flap of cardstock, with the bottom edges aligned with the fold. Use a single staple just above the fold to hold them all in place. To close, tuck the 3in flap inside the edge.

4. Decorate the front of each card with a snowman motif, cut from the leftover patterned paper. Punch a 2in scalloped square from a coordinating paper, and trim off the corners. Ink edges, outline in white pen, and mount the snowman on top using foam tape. Highlight spots with glitter glue, and the snowman’s eyes and buttons with a black Glaze pen.

5. Print or hand-write name labels on small rectangles of card (approx 1.5in x 0.5in size). Punch another scalloped square from coordinating paper. Insert the square back into the punch part-way, and cut again, to leave a scalloped rectangle, just the right size to mount the names on!

6. To make a coordinating napkin ring, cut a strip of patterned paper 12x1in. Take both ends and twist once before joining them together, to form a double loop through which a rolled napkin will pass. Cover the join with a mounted snowman, as on the place cards.

Did you see Michelle Jackson-Mogford's scrapbooked theatre in the December issue of ScrapBook inspirations? Michelle built a scale model theatre (very much in the style of Victorian toy theatres) and then designed sets and characters so she can put on her own scrapped version of Cinderella. With cries of "She's behind you!" and "Oh no she isn't!" ringing throughout the studio we had great fun photographing the theatre for the magazine.

Michelle was kind enough to share photographs from her studio that she took while building the theatre.

Cutting out the mount board. Bovilles has a good range of acid-free mount board, or try your local art shop. It usually comes in very large sheets that need to be cut down to size.

Assembling the base of the stage - nice and sturdy! The mount board is covered with sheets of patterned papers.

Sanding the edges of the base

Covering the stage top

Constructing the top of the stage. Michelle inked the edges to add definition.

Cutting out the scenery for the Palace Garden. The scenery is built up in several pieces which can be slotted in to provide

Here comes the cast! Michelle used photos of her family to make each of the characters.

Putting the props together - including a pumpkin (and the magical coach it was turned into), white mice (and the glam horses they became!) and a teeny glass slipper. Each prop is attached to the end of a stick so it can be brought on and off stage easily.

Here's the finished theatre! The stage is decorated with swirled rub-ons and embossed details. Michelle made the comedy and tragedy masks using Fimo painted with gold pen.

The beauty of this project is you can keep the theatre and make new sets and characters each year depending on which show you want to put on. Michelle's just launched her brand new website, MJM-The Art Tart which includes a gallery of her layouts, her inspirations and best of all, you can buy instructions to make your own theatre.

The December issue (47) of ScrapBook inspirations goes on sale Friday 14th November.

In this issue you'll find...

* Best of British Scrapbooking - the results! Get ready to meet our six winners and take a look at their gorgeous layouts

* Christmas! layouts, mini books, gift ideas, creative wrapping suggestions, new products... oh it's a Christmas extravaganza!

* Photography Shimelle Laine introduces a gorgeous technique to add a magical touch to your photos

* Festive embellishments The Design Team get together to bring you seven great ways to decorate pages, mini books, cards or even your Christmas tree!

Plus all your favourites:
* Get a creative work out with one of our great challenges
* Try a new technique on your next layout
* Start writing those wishlists with our Christmas shopping guide

The December issue goes on sale 14 November 2008.

Joanna Campbell Slan, our Best of British Scrapbooking judge, is a lady of many talents. Not only is she a keen scrapbooker but she also loves to write. Her recently released novel, Paper Scissors Death, brings together those two passions in the form of a scrapbooking murder mystery.

The plot revolves around protagonist Kiki Lowenstein who finds her happy family life destroyed by the death of her husband George. A few twists and turns later and Kiki suddenly finds herself the prime suspect in a murder enquiry. The mild-mannered scrapbooker is transformed into a woman fighting to save herself and her daughter's future.

With red-herrings to keep you guessing, a handsome love interest and plenty of scrapbooking tips Paper Scissors Death is a gripping read and very enjoyable one too.

You can order a copy online at Amazon. We've also got two copies to give away, signed by the author. All the details, including the all-important keyword, can be found on p11 of the December issue of ScrapBook inspirations.

To be in with a chance of winning click on http://www.futurecomps.co.uk/SBK47/ and enter the keyword. The deadline for entries is 11 December 2008. Good luck!