Author: Tina Biornstad-Szafranski

Cozy Storytelling – 6×8 Double Layout Inspiration
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Cozy Storytelling – 6×8 Double Layout Inspiration

Tina Biornstad-SzafranskiLeave a comment

Cozy Pages for Cozy Memories

One of my favorite things about October is how stories naturally gather around us—pumpkin patches, first chilly mornings, kids back in school, or even just a walk among crunchy leaves. Preserving these stories in a scrapbook layout is my way of offering a warm welcome to the season.

Today, I’m sharing a 6×8 Double Layout using the Boho Vibes Suite. This size is perfect: small enough to feel cozy, yet large enough to capture the heart of a memory.

Warm Welcomes in Storytelling

This week’s affirmation is guiding me as I craft:

“I welcome comfort and connection into my life with open arms.”

Scrapbooking is one of the most powerful ways to live this affirmation. Every photo we print, every story we write, every embellishment we choose says: “This moment matters. You are welcome in my story.”

Creative Tips for Cozy Layouts

Here are 3 ways you can infuse warmth into your scrapbook pages this season:

  1. Layer in Texture: Try vellum, fabric scraps, or embossed cardstock to mimic the feeling of blankets and sweaters.
  2. Highlight Connection: Use photos of shared moments—family dinners, laughter with friends, quiet moments with a pet.
  3. Journaling with Heart: Write a short note of welcome: “I’m so glad you’re here,” or “This moment was worth holding close.”

Reflection Prompt

Take a moment to think:

  • What memory this fall feels worth welcoming onto a page?
  • Who in your life would feel honored to see themselves in your story?

Join My Team – October Special

Scrapbooking isn’t just about pages—it’s about people. My Stampin’ Up! team is built on community, and this October, you can join with one of the best Starter Kit offers ever. Together, we celebrate stories, creativity, and the joy of connection.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign, maybe this is your warm welcome.

Coming Up Next

  • Oct 5: Cozy Week One Recap Blog (projects + reflection)
  • Oct 7: Newsletter Issue #1 for October ✉️

✨ Remember: when you craft this week, you’re not just making a page—you’re welcoming stories into your heart and giving them a home.

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Hello Sunshine – A Cozy Start to October

Tina Biornstad-SzafranskiLeave a comment
Hello Sunshine

A Little Sunshine Goes a Long Way

As we settle into October, I’m reminded how even small touches of brightness can warm a season of change. The air may be crisper, the nights a little longer, but creativity always offers us a cozy glow.

Today’s project, the Hello Sunshine Card, is all about bringing that glow to someone’s day. Sunshine doesn’t just come from the sky—it comes from our words, our gestures, and the connections we nurture.

Cozy Connections: Warm Welcomes

This week’s affirmation is:

“I welcome comfort and connection into my life with open arms.”

Welcomes don’t always have to be big or grand. Sometimes it’s saying hello in the simplest way—just like this card. A cheerful “hello” can be a warm welcome, an open door, or even a reminder that we are not alone.

Creative Inspiration

For this card, I leaned into the Boho Vibes Suite for warm, earthy tones balanced with a splash of brightness. It feels like a cozy autumn morning where the sun peeks through the window and lights up the room.

Try this for your own cozy creations:

  • Pair warm yellows with soft teals for balance.
  • Emboss or layer textures to create a snug, tactile feeling.
  • Use a “hello” sentiment as a welcoming anchor.

Reflection Prompt

Take a moment today to ask yourself:

  • Who could use a little sunshine in their day?
  • How might you send a warm welcome their way—through a card, a text, or even a smile?

Write down one name and consider creating something small but meaningful for them this week.

Join My Team – October Special

This season, I’d also love to extend a warm welcome to YOU.

Stampin’ Up! has made October the best time to join, with two incredible Starter Kit offers. Beyond the savings and early access, you’ll be stepping into a community that shines light and joy every single day. Creativity is brighter when shared, and there’s always room for more sunshine in our circle.

Coming Up Next

  • Oct 3: Cozy Double Layout (YouTube & FB)
  • Oct 5: Warm Welcomes Week Recap Blog

✨ Until then, keep crafting sunshine and remember: your creativity is a light that welcomes connection.

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Welcoming October with Creativity

Tina Biornstad-SzafranskiLeave a comment

🍂 Cozy Connections: A Warm Welcome to October

By Tina | Gems Paper Scissors | October 1, 2025

Week one projects

Welcoming October with Creativity

There’s something magical about October. The air turns crisp, mornings are softer, and we find ourselves craving warmth—whether that’s through a cozy blanket, a candlelit evening, or the comfort of creative time at our desk.

This month at Gems Paper Scissors, our theme is Cozy Connections. All month long, we’ll be exploring the ways creativity helps us slow down, reflect, and connect—with ourselves, with our loved ones, and with the stories that matter most.

Week One: Warm Welcomes

To begin, our first sub-theme is Warm Welcomes with the affirmation:

“I welcome comfort and connection into my life with open arms.”

Warm welcomes don’t have to be big, elaborate gestures. Sometimes they’re as simple as a handmade card tucked into the mailbox, a thoughtful journaling note in your scrapbook, or a smile at just the right time.

This week, I’ll be sharing projects that reflect this feeling of welcome—starting with my Thanks Rainbow Card. Rainbows always remind me of inclusivity, hope, and belonging, and what better way to say “you’re welcome here” than with a handmade thank-you?

Reflection Prompt

Take a moment to reflect:

  • Who in your life could use a warm welcome right now?
  • What small gesture could you create this week to remind them they matter?

Write it down, journal about it, or even better—craft it into a card or layout.

Join My Team in October

Warm welcomes are also about community, and I’d love to extend a warm welcome to YOU.

Stampin’ Up! is offering the best Starter Kit special ever this October. You can choose from two incredible offers to begin your creative journey, and beyond the products, you’ll be joining a circle of crafters who uplift, support, and inspire one another.

When you join my team, you’re not just getting supplies—you’re entering a safe, joyful, and empowering space where your creativity can thrive.

Coming Up This Week

Here’s a little peek at what’s ahead:

  • Oct 2: Hello Sunshine Card 🌞
  • Oct 3: 6×8 Cozy Layout 📖
  • Oct 5: Cozy Week One Recap Blog 🍁

Stay tuned for more inspiration, tips, and stories as we move through October together.

✨ Until then, remember: You are welcome here. Your story matters. And your creativity is a gift to yourself and others.

📌 Next Steps

  • Watch today’s Thanks Rainbow Card video on Facebook.
  • Subscribe to the Gems Paper Scissors Podcast to catch Episode 32: Cozy Connections – Warm Welcomes.
  • Join my VIP Facebook Group for daily inspiration and cozy check-ins.

Reflecting in the Light: A Month of Creative Growth
creating · Creative Rituals · creative wellness · Everyday Joy · Healing through art · Mindset & Motivation

Reflecting in the Light: A Month of Creative Growth

Tina Biornstad-SzafranskiLeave a comment

You made it. Through this month, through your art, through another page of your story.
Whether you created daily or once, showed up with energy or exhaustion—your presence matters.
As June comes to a close, today is your invitation to pause, reflect, and notice the growth that bloomed in the light.

🌞 Creative Reflection Is a Form of Self-Care

It’s easy to focus on the projects left undone, the cards unshared, or the journal entries we “meant” to finish. But growth happens in the showing up—not the perfecting.

Take a breath. Then take a moment to ask:

  • What did I learn about myself through creating this month?
  • What surprised me in my art or my mindset?
  • When did I feel most at peace while crafting?

Jot your answers down—or better yet, craft them into a final page or card.

✨ Try This: “Light Reflection Card”

Create a single card or journal page that reflects your month:

  • Use light-inspired elements: sunbursts, gold foil, vellum, soft pinks or yellows
  • Write one sentence that completes the phrase: “This month, I rediscovered…”
  • Add a quote, scripture, or word that encapsulates your theme (e.g. “rise,” “grace,” “glow”)

Place it somewhere visible or share it with your community to encourage others.

Art is more than paper and ink—it’s how we remember who we are becoming.
Through every torn edge, soft color, and word written in ink, you’ve shown up for your story.
Let this final project be a quiet celebration of that light.

🌼 Want more reflective prompts and creative support?
Subscribe to my Creative Newsletter for weekly inspiration and exclusive access to printables, sneak peeks, and healing-centered resources.

Light in the Layers: What Your Crafting Style Says About Your Healing
creative expression · Creative Rituals · creative wellness · Healing through art · Mindset & Motivation · visual storytelling

Light in the Layers: What Your Crafting Style Says About Your Healing

Tina Biornstad-SzafranskiLeave a comment

From torn paper edges to blended ink to carefully placed embellishments, how you create often mirrors how you heal. Today, we’re slowing down to notice what your artistic tendencies might be saying about your inner world—and how you can honor that insight through your next creative session.

🌙 Creative Expression = Emotional Language

Survivors of trauma, chronic pain warriors, and those on a deep healing path often express emotion through metaphor in their work—even without realizing it.

Here’s what your crafting layers might reflect:

Do you use…

  • Lots of texture and layering? → You’re processing deeply, building emotional complexity.
  • Clean lines and simplicity? → You may crave clarity or control in your healing.
  • Bright colors and loose forms? → You’re tapping into freedom and reclaiming joy.
  • Neutral tones and softness? → You’re seeking safety, calm, and emotional quiet.

None of these are “right” or “wrong.” They are mirrors—tools to better understand how your healing journey is unfolding.

✨ Try This Prompt: “What Is My Style Saying?”

Create a layout, card, or journal page where you:

  1. Use your natural style—don’t force it.
  2. Observe your choices: What colors? What textures? How many layers?
  3. Reflect on what those choices might be communicating.
    Write a short note or journal card answering: “What does this page reveal about my healing today?”

This is a creative ritual you can revisit monthly or during transition points.

Your art doesn’t lie. It shows you who you are, where you’ve been, and where light is beginning to return. By embracing your creative style—messy or minimalist—you’re embracing your truth.

🌟 Want to explore this further with monthly prompts and journaling companions?
Subscribe to my Weekly Sketch Club and receive printable sketches, healing insights, and layered inspiration delivered each week.

From Pieces to Peace: Repurposing Scraps for Healing Projects
creating · creative expression · Creative Rituals · creative wellness · Everyday Joy · Healing through art · visual storytelling

From Pieces to Peace: Repurposing Scraps for Healing Projects

Tina Biornstad-SzafranskiLeave a comment

Every crafter has a collection of paper scraps, die cuts, and half-finished projects tucked away. But did you know these fragments can become powerful tools for healing and reflection?

Today, we’re looking at how to repurpose your “leftovers” into beautiful, meaningful art that honors your story—and gives your creativity a second life.

🧩 The Healing Power of Repurposing

When life feels broken or chaotic, taking scraps and transforming them into something whole mirrors your own healing journey. For trauma survivors, caregivers, or those managing chronic illness, this practice is deeply symbolic.

Repurposing teaches us:

  • Nothing is wasted—not even the pieces
  • Imperfection can still be beautiful
  • Art can grow from the ordinary

🛠️ 3 Simple Healing Projects Using Scraps

1. The “Today I Survived” Tag

  • Use leftover cardstock, bits of ribbon, and one or two words (“strength,” “hope,” or “rest”)
  • Add a date stamp and keep it in a jar or on a ring
    💡Great for those living with invisible illness or emotional recovery

2. Gratitude Grid Cards

  • Punch or cut small squares from scraps
  • Arrange in a grid and write one thing you’re grateful for in each
  • Use them as daily journaling prompts or send to a friend

3. Scrap Collage Healing Spread

  • Pick one word you want to focus on this week (e.g., “ease” or “belonging”)
  • Use layers of paper, fabric, ink, and torn text to visually explore it in your journal or scrapbook
  • Reflect on the message that emerges as you create

There is no such thing as “just a scrap.” Every piece of your story has value. Every moment of healing matters.
Through creativity, you are not only piecing together paper—you are piecing together peace.

subscribe to my Monthly Creative Club for weekly sketch templates, healing project tutorials, and a warm community to share your process.

Sacred Space: Creating a Light-Filled Crafting Nook
creating · Creative Rituals · creative wellness · Everyday Joy · Healing through art · Mindset & Motivation · self-care

Sacred Space: Creating a Light-Filled Crafting Nook

Tina Biornstad-SzafranskiLeave a comment

Where you create matters. It doesn’t need to be big, fancy, or even tidy—but it should feel yours.
When you’ve walked through trauma, illness, or exhaustion, a soft and sacred space to create becomes more than practical—it becomes healing.

Today, let’s explore how to create a light-filled crafting space that supports your creative rituals and nourishes your well-being.

✨ Why Space Impacts Creativity

Your surroundings influence how safe, calm, and inspired you feel. When you’re crafting through chronic illness, depression, or grief, clutter and chaos can shut you down. But creating a small, sacred, and intentional space invites your brain to exhale.

Think:

  • A desk by a window
  • A basket with calming supplies
  • A candle or diffuser scent that soothes
  • Soft lighting or a salt lamp

This is less about organizing and more about honoring your creative energy.

🌼 Try This: “Light Nook Checklist”

Create your own sacred space by including:

  • 🌞 A natural light source or lamp with warm tones
  • 🎨 Your 5 favorite supplies within arm’s reach
  • 🪞 One visual reminder of your why (a quote, photo, or scripture)
  • 🔇 A soft boundary (curtain, tray, sign) that says: this space is yours

💡Tip: Keep it simple. Even a tray on your nightstand can become a creative altar.

Your space doesn’t have to be Pinterest-worthy—it just has to be safe, sacred, and supportive.
When you give yourself permission to protect your light, your creativity can flourish with more peace.

join my newsletter to receive monthly prompts and tips for nurturing your creativity through healing seasons. Subscribe here

The Stories We Forget to Tell: Remembering the Quiet Wins
creative expression · Creative Rituals · creative wellness · Everyday Joy · Healing through art · visual storytelling

The Stories We Forget to Tell: Remembering the Quiet Wins

Tina Biornstad-SzafranskiLeave a comment

We’re often taught to document big achievements—graduations, weddings, new jobs. But what about the small, sacred moments that helped you survive? The gentle wins. The quiet joys. The whispered prayers answered in small ways.

Today’s post is an invitation to document the stories you might’ve forgotten, the ones that carried light into your life without fanfare.

🌿 What Are Quiet Wins?

  • A week without a flare-up
  • A kind message on a hard day
  • Getting out of bed when you didn’t think you could
  • Saying no when you usually say yes

These may not make headlines, but they matter deeply. And they deserve to be honored.

📸 Create a “Quiet Wins” Page or Mini Album:

Here’s how:

  1. Title it “The Stories I Forgot to Tell” or “Quiet Wins”
  2. List or journal 3–5 small moments that brought you peace, relief, or joy
  3. Use soft, neutral tones like sage, linen, gold, or blush
  4. Add:
    • A photo (even symbolic—your mug, your bed, your dog)
    • Texture (washi tape, tags, fabric bits)
    • One stamped or handwritten quote

💬 “Not all victories are loud. Some whisper.”

This page becomes a personal anchor. A quiet celebration of your resilience.

The light isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes, it’s found in the tiniest cracks of a hard week. And when we take the time to honor those glimmers, we create a fuller, truer picture of our journey.

✨ Need help getting started? Download my free “Quiet Wins” journaling card set and printable prompt sheet.
And if you’re craving connection, join my VIP group where we share stories like this all month long. Join here

Purposeful Papercrafting: Creating with Meaning (Not Just for Pretty)
creating · creative expression · creative wellness · Healing through art · Mindset & Motivation · visual storytelling

Purposeful Papercrafting: Creating with Meaning (Not Just for Pretty)

Tina Biornstad-SzafranskiLeave a comment

In a world of perfectly staged projects and curated feeds, it’s easy to feel like your creations need to be impressive. But what if your creativity didn’t have to be performative? What if it was enough for it to be meaningful—to you?

Today, I want to invite you to rediscover the heart of papercrafting: creating to connect, remember, and heal.

💌 Creating with Intention

You don’t need a holiday or event to make a handmade card. Sometimes, the most powerful reason to create is just because someone crossed your mind.

  • Make a card that says “You’re not alone.”
  • Scrapbook a photo that reminds you of your resilience.
  • Journal a note to your younger self.

Let the purpose of your project guide the design—not Pinterest.

🌱 Make a “Purpose Page”

Use this idea to create a one-page layout or journal entry:

Center prompt: “Why I Create”
Surround with:

  • A photo of your hands crafting
  • Quotes that ground you
  • Words like “hope,” “connection,” or “presence”
  • A short letter to your future self

💡 This becomes an anchor page—something to revisit when you’re feeling uncertain or uninspired.

🧡 Intent > Impress

Not every creation needs to be shared. But if you do, let it be because you’re proud of the meaning, not just the polish.

Your paper, your story, your heart—these are tools of healing and remembrance.
When you create with meaning, you create with light.
And that’s always enough.

🧡 Want more guided prompts like this?
Sign up for my newsletter and get a free “Purposeful Pages” digital guide + weekly gentle reminders to keep creating from the heart.
Join here and let’s create what matters.

What If You Created Like You Believed In Yourself?
creating · Creative Rituals · creative wellness · Everyday Joy · Healing through art · Mindset & Motivation

What If You Created Like You Believed In Yourself?

Tina Biornstad-SzafranskiLeave a comment

Somewhere along the way, we learned to second-guess our creativity. To hesitate before sharing, to doubt our worth, to minimize our joy. But what if—just for today—you created like you believed in yourself?

What if your next scrapbook page, handmade card, or journal entry was crafted with confidence, not criticism?

🧠 The Inner Critic Is Loud—But You Are Louder

Many of us who’ve lived through trauma, chronic illness, or self-doubt know the script: “Who do you think you are?”
You’re someone brave enough to try.
Someone creative enough to make beauty from scraps.
Someone resilient enough to keep showing up.

✨ Try This Confidence-Boosting Prompt:

Take out a tag, journaling card, or scrap of paper and write:

“Today, I create like I believe in myself.”

Then:

  • Stamp or decorate around the phrase.
  • Use bold, joyful colors—whatever speaks to your version of light.
  • Add it to your wall, vision board, planner, or card front.

💡 This is your creative permission slip. And no one else needs to validate it.

📣 Bonus Challenge:

Post your tag in the VIP group, or share in your stories with the hashtag #CraftWithConfidence—you’ll inspire someone else, too.

You don’t have to wait until you feel “ready” to create from a place of belief.
Start now. Start messy. Start joyfully.
Because you, your story, and your art are more than enough—just as you are.

🧡 Need a little more guidance on creative confidence?
Join my Monthly Membership for healing-focused prompts, mindset encouragement, and exclusive live sessions.