Back to Christmas...Layouts that is!

I've been busy with so many other crafts that I haven't had time to get any "true" scrapbooking done, ie. dwindle down the huge pile of pictures that I have.  However, I hinted a long time ago about a layout that I was doing that was taking a ton of time...DRUM ROLL PLEASE!  I finished it!  (Yes, it took forever, or way longer than I usually spend, but I think it was worth it!)

We took the kids on a Polar Express Train Ride and they LOVED it. It was completely magical from the caroling, the reading of The Polar Express, to the snow falling as we approached the North Pole and then Santa!  I wanted a very special layout to remember this magical night by.  

I used black cardstock for the background so it wouldn't compete with the photos or the border I was making on the bottom of the page.  Plus, the Polar Express was at night time, so this was perfect!  I cut the words "The Polar Express" out in green with a red shadow and I did not mat any of the photos.  I then used my gypsy and cut out snow border three times.  By cutting it three times, it actually resulted in six snow banks since the negative image could be used.  I then cut out different sized evergreen trees.  I also used every train car I owned to create the little train.  I stuck the Polar Express ticket stub behind a few trees just for an added memento.  

The train was cut in different colors and I cut the layers in black to give it more definition.  Some of the accents were too small, so I used a black zig pen to fill in where they should have gone.  I used copper and black brads for the wheels.

This photo shows it best, but I cut the evergreen trees out and then traced their edge with a White Milky pen.  I then stickled the edges in clear glitter, so it looked like they had snow on them.  I stuck the evergreen trees to the background, pop dotting a few of them to give some dimension.  I then stickled the edge of the snowbank as well, to give it the freshly snowed look.  I set one snowbank on top of another, three high and layered some with popdots as well.  This created a really nice dimensional scene.  Then I placed the train down, being sure it matched in the middle where the second and third train car would meet.

Here's an up close picture of the Stickled snowbanks and trees!  I really love the way this layout turned out!

I love comments, so let me know what you think! :)