Not sure if you have heard yet but there is a pretty awesome movement that takes place in July for us scrappers. Hashtag #scrappychristmasinjuly was started by Tracey Fox also known as @scrappylikeafox on Instagram.

The idea of #scrappychristmasinjuly is to get into your Christmas scrapbooking in yup, you guess it – July! The half way point between last Christmas and the next Christmas coming our way and at a time when you are not knee deep in crazy Christmas overload so you just might be able to relax into the act of scrapping it!

I missed #scrappychristmasinjuly last year but will not be left out again. FOMO (fear of missing out) applies as much to events and outings as it does to scrapbooking trends!

For my first #scrappychristmasinjuly I have decided to bring together a few of my favourite things to celebrate via a double page layout… the Paper Issues, Keep It Sketchy Challenge July 2018; Jillibean Soup – Bohemian Brew collection and pictures from the first Ukrainian Christmas we hosted in January 2016.

Here is a take at the Paper Issues, Keep It Sketchy Challenge July 2018 sketch:

I loved the multi photo design concept and the idea of a big title. I had three photos from our 2016 Ukrainian-eat-way-too-much-Christmas event and was excited about making the title “Ukrainian Christmas” a real focal point of a scrapbook page. The perfect sketch!

Here is a look at my page:

Now I know the Jillibean Soup – Bohemian Brew is not a classic Christmas collection but for us Ukrainians it most definitely is! While we do decorate in trendy Christmas styles with snowmen and reindeer and glitter, we are more about lots of bright, floral, cross-stitched patterns with pops of red and white. Well, the Jillibean Soup – Bohemian Brew collection is absolutely perfect for this reason. I get vibes of my Baba’s couch and homemade pillow cushions, my Granddad’s crazy fun shirt patterns, my Great Auntie Mary’s tablecloths and more. Well played Jillibean Soup!

My hubs and I began hosting a Ukrainian Christmas in 2016 (featured in these photos) as a way to stay close to my much loved Granddad, Baba, Aunties and Uncles back in my home province that I do not see much anymore. I also loved the idea of sharing the food I grew up loving so very much with our friends (aka family) here in Vancouver where we live. Besides who doesn’t love a whipping cream, butter, dough based meal eh! There is no way our friends could say no to something so yummy as a Ukrainian meal!

So, as part of my #scrappychristmasinjuly I also documented the recipes I use to make our Ukrainian Christmas happen. The recipes are all very simple, many Ukrainian dishes only a half dozen ingredients, and the time that goes into making each dish while can be hours and hours it is my favourite part. Every cabbage roll I make reminds me of time on the farm with my Auntie Debbie, every perogy I pinch into a wee dough pillow reminds me of times with my favourite-ist Auntie Cindy, and every minute I smell the wheat brewing on the stove is like a warm hug from my now passed away Granddad.

Here is a peek at my recipe page:

I had so much fun scrapbooking Christmas in July – thank you Tracey Fox for your inspiration, and to all the other Instagram stars who are posting as part of #scrappychristmasinjuly silently encouraging me to destroy the FOMO.

Merry Christmas! tee hee

Brande