Hello, everyone!!! Today I get to share with you all the full reveal of our newest Christmas collection, "The Merriest"! I super duper love this collection!!! And I think you will, too!!! It's filled with the merriest things so as to help you celebrate the holidays! Yes, the holiday season is different this year and so I wanted to create a collection that reflected that, but which also expressed hope and joy for this holiday season. Subsequently, I created a collection that focused on lots of the little things that make us merry while staying at home. I was also inspired by the song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" because it talks about making your Christmas-time merry despite difficulties like being apart from those you love. The song was written like this for wartime, but it really applies to our circumstances today too, with Covid. It speaks of muddling through, but also expresses being merry for all the beautiful blessings that one does have during the holiday season...and it also talks about hope for a brighter Christmas future. I was very inspired by this sort of mentality and the idea that we can always make our Christmas merry even in difficult times by focusing on the little joys that bring us happiness as well as the bright and magical things that this season represents. I also included, in this collection, direct references to a covid Christmas (these can be found in the add on pages), such as Christmas masks and 3x4 cards that say things like "m is for merry and for mask". I know this Christmas-time is very different this year for all of us, but there is no reason why we cant still be merry...in fact, let's make this Christmas the merriest that we possibly can!!!
First let's take a look at the patterned paper in this collection.
For "The Merriest," I created a really cute, modern-but-also-vintage-inspired, Christmas, color scheme consisting of pinks, mints, light yellow, some pretty blues, and a touch of aqua, alongside the more traditional red and green. And I definitely wasn't stingy on the pink...I love a pink Christmas, don't you? Anyhow, with the patterns themselves, I tried to incorporate a number of fun, Christmas-at-home, comfy, cozy themes like a cute, Christmas sweater, a nice, warm cup of hot cocoa, Holiday music, snowflakes and a snowman, some sweet little pets, the decorated tree, presents, and, of course, quaint little Christmas houses. Plus there is so much more Christmas adorableness to love in "The Merriest", including a super jolly, dancing Santa Clause, a very happy and cute Rudolph, and more! And I decided to make a special Christmas rainbow for this collection because rainbows are symbols of happiness and hope and I definitely think we can use more of both those things right now!
Alright, now that we have gone over the patterned papers in general, let's take a closer look at each 12x12 patterned page individually. First, we have "The Merriest" -- yes, it is a 12x12 page named after the collection itself. And it is aptly named as it includes a number of the cute holiday images that can be found throughout the collection. In fact, it is kinda like a visual summary of the collection, with words, imagery and themes that embody "The Merriest" as a whole! I love it!!! And on the back we have a simple but elegant red pattern that is reminiscent of a Christmas star or snowflake.
Next we have "Hi, I'm Rudolph!" This is an adorable 12x12 with Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer on the front, frolicking across a light pink background. He looks very vintage and cute like a 50s/60s illustration of Rudolph. And along with his traditional red nose, he also has a strand of Christmas lights strung from antler to antler, and he seems very happy about it. On the back there is a beautiful Christmas rainbow shining brightly atop a deep forest green background.
Our next 12x12 patterned page is called, "Let's Make it Jolly." It is definitely one of my favorites in the collection, and it includes images such as our cute, little Rudolph, dancing Santa, our vintage record player, some snow flakes and candy canes, Christmas pennants, a fun little kitty, and a familiar-looking puppy who may or may not be named Pastel. Lol! And on the back there is a cool aqua geometric pattern.
This next patterned paper is called, "Hurray for December!" On the front is a really fun and vibrant collection of vintage-looking, Christmas pennants. They say things like, "Winter," "Believe," "Merry Christmas," "December," etc. And on the back is a really cute, pink and green plaid that I super love!
Here we have "Frolicking Around the Christmas Tree." This 12x12 paper is so ridiculously cute. It has lots of different animals all getting together for Christmas around the tree with lots of presents and decorations, in their Christmas best, just having a great time. I love the little fox on the sled, the pretty Christmas pony, the cat carrying the present, the elegant reindeer, the funny, fuzzy bear, and, of course, the super incredible, adorable, and amazing, little puppy, who seems to be hopping about with an ornament on her nose. And on the back is a really fun, multi-colored snowflake pattern that I know you're going to love, too!
The next 12x12 patterned paper is called, "The ABC's of Christmastime." This is also one of my absolute favorites in the collection. I love the multi-colored alphas - they're so beautiful. And I love all the images in-between the alphas, like the snow globe, the reindeer, the stocking, the gingerbread man, Santa's happy face, and more. On the back, we have a bold, red and white stripe, which is so cool.
"Holiday Countdown" is the next 12x12, and it is exactly what it sounds like. It's a countdown of the month of December. Every day is a different color and a different Christmas-y word. And it's perfect to cut apart to use for a Christmas advent calendar, a holidaily, a December Daily, a December documented, etc. On the back is a really gorgeous, painted pattern that has reds, pinks, whites, mints, and greens creating sort of an ombre effect.
This next 12x12 is called "Noel, Noel..." And it's a cutapart sheet. This cutapart sheet has 3x4s, 2x2s, and other sizes as well. I love the little rainbow 3x4 that says, "The Merriest." And all the different colored 2x2s, especially the cute little Christmas house one and the peppermint one. On the back we have a Christmas ribbon pattern, and these ribbons look like the vintage kind that you would win for best in show or a horse race, or a pie-making contest. They're super cute, and I love them!
Next we have, "It's the Holiday Season." This is also a cutapart sheet, and is one of my favorite pages in the collection, for sure. It includes lots of labels and tickets, which I can't wait to use, and the cutest, little, vintage-looking cards (like playing cards) that have cute Christmas-y things on them, like Rudolph, the gingerbread man, and a very sweet, vintage, A-frame Christmas house. On the back is a super vibrant and fun, multicolored stripe that reminds me of a fun, Christmas, candy cane.
Now let's take a look at the add-on papers. There are four add-on papers for this collection, which you can add on when you order any of the kit options. The first add-on paper is called "Holly, Jolly, Merry, and Bright." It is a wonderful pattern that is reminiscent of a fair isle sweater that one would wear for Christmastime. I love the bright colors and the lovely script words across the bottom. And on the back is a beautiful pattern with gingerbread men, hot cocoa, a cute Christmas cupcake, candy canes, peppermints, and the word "yum." It's a pattern of sweet Christmas treats, and I just want to eat it up.
This next add-on 12x12 patterned page is called, "Let it Snow...Man!" It is a very pretty, pink patterned paper with a cute little snowman and a flurry of snowflakes all around him. And on the back is a very cool print that says "fa la la la la la la la laaaaaaaaaaah." I love it - it's so much fun, and so silly.
The next add-on paper is called, "Time to Put Your Christmas Mask On," and it is very specifically themed to Christmas 2020 and our current Covid situation. The masks say Christmas-y things like "Ho Ho Ho" and "Jolly" and inspire us to make this Christmas the merriest, despite our current circumstances. And on the back is a lovely green on green geometric pattern.
The last add-on paper is called, "Stay at Home...For the Holidays," and it is also Covid-Christmas-themed. On the front we have 3x4 and 4x6 cards - one of my favorites is the "Stay at home for the holidays" card with the cute Christmas house on the front of it. Another favorite is "M is for Merry...and for Mask." But my absolute favorite has to be the Santa card which states "Santa says, Don't be Naughty, Wear Your Mask."
And finally, I would like to look at the two specialty paper options that come in this collection. The first is called, "Season's Greetings," and it is a scenic view of a lovely and quaint little snow-covered village up in the mountains. Santa is overhead with his reindeer, snow covers the ground along with cute little pine trees, there are lots of sweet little vintage houses, and a church, and, as you can see, there are no people outside, only animals, because all the people are social distancing and staying at home with their families this Christmas. A couple of cars are on the road to pick up groceries for the family Christmas meal, and, of course, a lovely Christmas tree. On the back is a lovely, red and green, Christmas floral.
Now, while the first specialty paper depicts what Christmas looks like this year, in 2020, I made the second specialty paper to depict a scene that I'm hoping will represent our Christmas future (i.e. next year, and going forward). It's a Christmas where we can all gather together again for one big Christmas party with all our friends and family. I absolutely love this page, and I hope you do. I think it's super duper cute, with all the little people in their Christmas best celebrating the holidays in this super cute Christmas house. And on the back, we have a pattern of all those adorable people, and I absolutely love that, too. For each kit you can choose between the first or second specialty paper, and whichever one you choose will come with a sequin mix that matches the collection. (Or you can buy them both, if you like.)
Now let's look at the embellishments that are in "The Merriest". I love the embellishments in this collection. First, let's look at the glitter foam stickers that come in "The Merriest." These glitter foam stickers are way cute, and come in both red and pink glitter foam words and shapes. The pack includes words such as "Merry Christmas," "Naughty," "Nice," "Merry and Bright," etc, and shapes such as a little Christmas present, a snowflake, and a Christmas tree.
The next embellishment to look at is our flair button set. In this pack you will receive seven flair buttons, and they're all adorable. Some of my favorites are the little Christmas rainbow, the little reindeer, and the hot cup of cocoa.
Now let's look at our ephemera pack. The ephemera packs that we make for each collection are always really special and very popular, and I think you can see why. I love this ephemera pack. Everything in it is way cute, but some of my favorites include the cute little Christmas houses, the Christmas pennants, the little Christmas camera, and all the little Christmas animals. I also really love the Christmas rainbow and all the beautiful snowflakes.
Next we have our sticker sheet. The sticker sheet in this collection is a little different than sticker sheets we've done before, as these are clear-backed as opposed to white. I love the way the clear stickers look when you put them on your pages and tags and cards, etc. I especially love the clear word stickers that say things like "Home for the Holidays!" Very cute!
And finally we have a set of acrylic shapes in this collection. I love these acrylic shapes. They're definitely one of the favorite embellishments in the collection, and they include stars, gingerbread men, snowflakes, and little trees. And they come in colors of red, white, mint, and sparkly silver!!!
Now let's move on the planner pages. These are our 6 x 8 1/4 and 4 x 7 pages that we refer to as planner pages, but they also work great as mini album pages, as framed art pieces, banner pieces, and more.
Our first planner page features a really cute snowman (somehow surprised by all the snow falling around him) with “Let it Snow” in fun script below him. And on the back is a vintage-inspired graphic with the text of “jingle all the way.”
Our next planner page has our cute Christmas rainbow on the front and a very useful blank calendar on the back, with the two drawn versions of us (Andrea and Ryan) around the Christmas tree. Happy Holidays!
Next, we have a planner page featuring our dancing Santa on the front, and on the back, appropriately, is a really cute, vintage, pink record player.
Next, we have our first “storybook” planner page. This one features the house from our “Christmas Future” specialty 12x12 with the story of the gathering written our below it. And on the back is the text from that Christmas classic, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas.”
Next we have another vintage-graphic-inspired page with the sentiment “Have a holly jolly day!” On the back is an awesome sentiment, and the page features all of the cute characters in the collection
Our last planner page has our super cute Rudolph on the front, and our other “storybook” scene on the back, featuring our snowy, mountain village, and Santa and his reindeer flying through in the background.
Oh, almost forgot...here are the add-on journaling pages! They are super duper cute and so useful for documenting the holiday season in any kind of daily album you are creating for Christmastime or December. I absolutely love them! Perfect for your holiday journaling needs!
Alright, that is it for our new collection, "The Merriest". You can subscribe to get your kit, or order here now! Obviously some of you already know everything that is in it since the pre-orders and subscriber orders went out a little while ago. However, now anyone who didn't get the collection yet, can see it in all its beauty and can make their purchase, yaaaaay! I am sorry that the full reveal and regular order option for this collection is coming so late in the holiday season. All I can say is that I am doing very, very badly right now with my CRPS condition. I have spoken about this on instagram and so I wont go into it too much here....but when I say that this collection was made through screams, sweat, and tears...well, that is absolutely the truth. It was a difficult thing, trying to get a Christmas collection out this year. Sometimes it is quite hard for me to get these products designed and manufactured for you. Ryan and I do it all ourselves. And this time was especially hard. However, we won’t stop. We won’t quit. We keep on creating because we love what we do and we know you all love it so much too! And that makes it so worth it!!! I want to thank everyone for their kindness and compassion and patience during this particularly rough time. And I also want to thank all those who sent prayers and happy thoughts and kind words while I have been struggling. Thank you so much!!! I think Christmas this year is rough for all of us...and I really hope that this collection offers to you all a bit of hope and brightness! I hope it helps you document your holidays in a way that is joyful and that it reminds you to make your days “The Merriest” that you possibly can!!! Huuuugs everyone!!! And Happy Holidays!!!!
Andrea Bethke
Creator/Founder/Designer/Owner
The Fairytale Club
