Mintay Papers International Scrapbook Day 2026 Projects + My First Mintay Win!

I actually started writing this blog post just a few days after finishing my Mintay Papers International Scrapbook Day 2026 projects… but somehow I think I accidentally deleted the entire draft. So here I am rewriting this post days after the winners were announced - but to be fair, rewriting it now makes it even sweeter because I get to say this:

I WON!!! 💛

Yes. After years of joining Mintay Papers challenges, I finally won one.

And ironically, it happened right around the time I was already thinking of giving up joining altogether. Haha!

If you’ve been following my crafting journey for a while, you probably know how much I love Mintay challenges. I’ve joined so many over the years because I genuinely enjoy them - the themes, the creativity they inspire, and of course, the challenge itself. If you want to see just how many Mintay challenges I’ve joined, you can check out my Facebook album dedicated to all my Mintay challenge entries here.

And since starting this blog a year ago, I’ve also documented several Mintay challenge projects here on the blog too.

Mintay Papers World Card Making Day 2025

Mintay Papers International Scrapbook Day 2025 Challenges Recap - A Creative Sprint Against the Clock

Almost Didn’t Join This Year

Truthfully, I wasn’t even fully planning on joining this year’s International Scrapbook Day event.

Then one of my friends - who has been cheering me on creatively for a long time now - messaged me and sent me the challenge pub from Mintay. She encouraged me to join and I said ok, I'll try again.

And thankfully, I did.

Now here comes the funny part.

For some reason, I thought the challenges worked just like last year where we only had 24 hours to finish everything. So I spent basically the whole day cramming and rushing to finish all my entries.

Then the next day… I realized submissions were actually open for AN ENTIRE WEEK.

Imagine my face.

So naturally, my projects felt rushed to me. Not fully thought through. Not my usual layered-to-the-max style. Definitely not what I considered my “100%.”

But maybe that was exactly the point.

Because looking back now, these may actually be the simplest Mintay challenge entries I’ve ever made - and somehow, they became the ones that finally won.

Maybe simpler really was better this time.

My Winning Project - Four Stories 

Out of all the categories, I ended up winning the Four Stories challenge. I think the storytelling approach is what made this layout special.

Instead of documenting major milestones, I focused on the quieter in-between moments from the first quarter of 2026 - moments that may not seem huge individually, but still mattered deeply.

For this layout, I also challenged myself to do some serious scrapbusting by mixing different Mintay Papers collections and turning leftover bits into tiny boxes.

Each photo told its own story:

• January - a family photo with both sides before we left the Philippines
• February - my first Ramadan Iftar experience and finally trying dates after four years in Saudi
• March - a difficult health season, but also gratitude for healing and good care 
• April - our constants here in Saudi, the friends who make life away from home feel lighter

I skipped bigger events like our 15th anniversary and Valentine’s because those already had scrapbook pages and albums of their own. This layout became about the “ordinary” moments - the in-betweens that still deserve to be remembered.

And I think that’s why this page worked.

Negative Space Layout

15 years, one story… and a whole lot of self-control.

For this layout, I documented our 15th BF-GF anniversary from last January. This one is of course should be extra special which made it more challenging. Not because of the photos or the memories… but because of the empty space!

I’m so used to layering, tucking, and adding “just one more embellishment” (you know the struggle), so holding back for this negative space challenge really tested me.

But the truth is, it kinda helped knowing I already created a full mini album for this day (check it out here). So this layout didn’t need to carry everything - just a soft, simple highlight of a beautiful milestone.

Sometimes, letting your design breathe tells the story just as well.

Mini Folio Album

Simple on the outside… but full of little surprises inside.

For this mini folio, I kept the structure clean and beginner-friendly, but added just enough interactive elements to make it fun and functional.

This folio features:

• A belly band embellished with florals
• A Velcro closure
• An accordion pocket filled with cardstock for photos and journaling
• An elastic string in the middle for additional inserts
• Two pockets on the back panel with floral cardstock tucked inside

I love projects like this because they look compact and simple, but they can hold so many memories.

The Announcement 

The cutest part... I didn’t even see the announcement myself first.

Another friend - who also always cheers me on during Mintay challenges, sent me a screenshot of the winners announcement.

The moment I saw my name, I immediately called my husband because he knows how badly I’ve wanted to win a Mintay Papers challenge for years now.

And right after that, I forwarded the same screenshot to the friend who convinced me to join the iNSD challenges this year in the first place.

Needless to say… these girls are GIRLS’ GIRLS.

The kind who genuinely cheer for you, encourage you when you doubt yourself, remind you to keep trying, and celebrate your wins like they’re their own. Tbh, this win felt even more special because of the people surrounding me through it.

Looking back now, this entire experience feels oddly full circle.

The year I almost skipped joining.
The year I crammed everything thinking I only had one day.
The year I felt my projects were “too simple.”
The year I doubted myself the most.

Ended up being the year I finally won.

And maybe that’s the lesson I’m taking from all this, sometimes the projects made with less pressure, less overthinking, and more honest storytelling become the ones that connect the most.

Thank you so much to Mintay Papers for hosting these challenges every year and for choosing my project as one of the winners.

And thank you to the friends who continue cheering me on creatively. You really have no idea how much your encouragement mattered this year.

Now excuse me while I impatiently wait for the prize package because I absolutely cannot wait to share the unboxing with all of you.

:

Polkadoodles Digi Choosday Project | Simple Clear Front Father’s Day Card

Looking for something a little different for Father’s Day? This clear front card is a fun twist on a classic design! The middle section of the card front is made with acetate, giving it that see-through effect. I used adorable Polkadoodles digis of a father and two kids on the outside, and when you open the card, you’ll find the same father image inside with a sweet Happy Father’s Day sentiment.

It’s simple, unique, and perfect for showcasing your favorite digi stamps - whether it be for Fathers Day or any other card you'd want to create!

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 Materials Needed

• White cardstock
• Pattern paper – Polkadoodles Gnome Men Football USA
• Digi stamps – Polkadoodles Dad Father Family Bundle
• Sentiment – Happy Father’s Day (from the same bundle)
• Acetate
• Tim Holtz Guillotine Paper Trimmer
• CutterPillar Crease Score Board
• Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue
• Foam Tape

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Instructions

1. Trim a piece of white cardstock to 4.25 x 11 inches.

2. Score at 5.5 inches on the long side.

3. From the score line, trim the right side of the cardstock at 1.5 inches to create your card base.

4. Take the trimmed piece and cut it down to 1.5 x 4.25 inches.

5. Cut your acetate to 4.25 x 5.5 inches.

6. Fold your card base and adhere the acetate to the inside edge of the 1.5-inch panel. Attach the 1.5 x 4.25-inch cardstock strip to the lower outside portion of the acetate. 

7. Trim 2 pieces of 4 x 1.25 pattern paper and adhere it to the white panels of the front of the card.

8. Prepare your digi stamps. Adhere the father image to the center of the acetate panel.
Add the two children on each side of the father.

9. Inside the card, adhere another father digi in the center—position it so it lines up and hides behind the front image when the card is closed.

Add your sentiment inside the card.

And that’s it—your clear front card is ready! Feel free to mix and match with other digis for different occasions.

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This design is such a fun way to play with layers and transparency while keeping everything clean and simple. It’s also a great way to stretch your digi stash and create something interactive without complicated steps.

💛 Don’t forget—Digi Choosday is an Anything Goes challenge, so you can create whatever inspires you! Join in for your chance to win amazing Polkadoodles goodies and share your creativity with the community.

Happy crafting! ✨

DIY Glass Etching Gift Idea | PCC 11th Anniversary Blog Hop

Hi Crafty Friends! Welcome to the PCC Design Team Blog Hop!

From May 15th - 21st, we’re celebrating PCC’s 11th Anniversary with a HUGE Birthday Sale - 50% OFF all designs and commercial licenses! Deal of the Day is also back, featuring a different bonus deal each day of the sale. Plus, PCCRewards Members will earn 2x points throughout the sale!

This blog hop is extra special for me because it’s my very first hop here on my blog! I’ve joined several hops on Instagram before, but this is my first time participating in one on my blog, and I’m so excited to be part of it.

For today’s project, I wanted to share something a little different from my usual paper and cardstock creations. I’m a sucker for love, and my wedding day is one of the best - if not the best - days of my life so far. Anything that celebrates love instantly gets me happy. Though I have to admit, I am not a fan of the dressing up and attending wedding receptions part (an introvert here!!) But what I truly love most is the meaning behind it all.

So today, I’ll be sharing a simple little hack for creating beautiful, personalized, and meaningful gifts for weddings, anniversaries, or even wedding souvenirs! I would have loved knowing how to make this when I was DIY-ing for my wedding!

For this project, I used the Mr. And Mrs. Design from Printable Cuttable Creatables and etched it onto the glass cover of this jewelry box. What started as a plain, boring jewelry box became something personalized and extra special!

Materials Needed

• Mr. And Mrs. Design file from Printable Cuttable Creatables
• Vinyl
• Transfer tape
• Weeding tool
• Armour Etch
• Paint brush
• Rag or cloth
• Water
• Jewelry box

Instructions

1. Open Cricut Design Space.

2. Upload your Mr. And Mrs. Design.

3. Measure your jewelry box and decide what size you want the design to be.

4. Resize your design in Design Space.

5. Add a rectangle shape slightly bigger than your design. We need this extra space so the etching cream won’t spill over the edges of the stencil and onto the glass. Place the rectangle over the design.

6. Select both the rectangle and design layers. Click Slice.

7. Remove everything except the rectangle with the sliced-out design.

8. Cut the stencil on vinyl.

9. Weed the vinyl by removing the inside design pieces and leaving the rectangle stencil intact.
Transfer the vinyl onto transfer tape.

10. Clean the glass surface of the jewelry box, making sure there’s no dust or lint.

11. Attach the vinyl stencil onto the glass.

12. Remove the transfer tape carefully.

13. Apply a generous amount of etching cream, making sure the entire design area is covered and that the cream doesn’t spill outside the vinyl stencil.

14. Leave it on for 10 minutes.

15. Remove the excess cream and place it back into the etching cream jar - yes, you can reuse it! A small jar of etching cream can go a long way.

16. Since my jewelry box isn’t fully glass, I wiped away the remaining cream with a wet cloth instead of washing it.

17. Once all the cream is removed, carefully peel off the vinyl stencil. And tadaaaa! Your once plain jewelry box is now personalized and extra special!

You can use this technique on so many other glass surfaces too - mirrors, wine glasses, jars, windows, and more! Imagine all the beautiful personalized gifts and keepsakes you can create. You can also experiment with flowers, intricate borders, monograms, and other decorative elements.

I may be the last stop on the hop, but I hope you’ve enjoyed hopping along with the rest of the amazing team! Here’s a quick recap of everyone in the hop:

• Printable Cuttable Creatables
• Paula
• Dorlene
• Michi
• Ana - ME! Thanks for being here!

Alsoooo… good news!!! You found the Secret Code!

Add the “Sweet Birthday SVG Set” (ES064) to your cart and enter code SWEETBDAY at checkout to unlock this FREEBIE!

And don’t forget - to be eligible for the Wallet Prize, you must leave a comment on the main hop post sharing your favorite project from the hop!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy crafting! Don’t forget to follow me on my socials for more crafty projects, tutorials, and handmade inspiration - I’d love to see you there!

Instagram: @my.cat.and.crafts

Facebook: My Cat and Crafts