More December Daily {Days 9 to 14}

I finally feel like my December Daily is coming together. Here's a peek at a few more pages:

Day 9

A visit with Santa: a trimmed down trading card page protector makes

the perfect home for little photos documenting this year's visit

with Santa, and on the flip side: the boys writing their

letters to Santa.

Day 10

An envelope holds this year's Christmas card and recipient list.

I journaled about the annual card-making process on the front of the envelope.

Day 11

This is perhaps my favorite page so far. An impromptu morning photo enlarged to 5x7, a stamped title, and a few words (Nothing like a little brotherly love in December--just in case Santa's watching!)

Day 12

December 12th was our annual holiday family party. I was really

lacking photos documenting the day (too busy stuffing my face with

delicious food!) , so the circles on this painted transparency were

great spots to put the few photos I took. I may put some journaling

on the backside of Day 11.

Day 13 Circles punched from a variety of patterned papers cover up the adhesive

showing through the transparency. Day 13 is mounted on some printed vellum.

Day 14

This simple pocket holds the boys Christmas Wish Lists
(tabs on top with each of their initials). The left-side
tells a little story of the picks for their lists.

Catch Up & Mustard {Days 5 thru 8}

Ok, there's not really any mustard, but there is a whole lot of catch up going on (well, heck when December 15th creeps up behind you, taps you on the shoulder and says, "December Daily, where are you?" you kind of have to get crack-a-lackin'). I will spare you any more of my crazy talk (I think I had WAY too much Nutcracker Sweet tea today) and get right to the pages:

Day 5:

A simple photo collage of the boys making jam and the recipe adhered to the backside of day 4's page protector. I am limited to printing in 4x6 or smaller until new ink arrives--makes for a bit of a challenge!

Day 6:

A grid layout documenting the annual family Christmas party. Photos are 2" square.

Day 7:

The story of our Elf on the Shelf. I reduced the opacity of the close-up of the elf's head to type my journaling directly on the photo. Had to play up the text on the clock in the photo by dating Wilfred's establishment in the family.

Day 8:

This photo is adhered directly to a transparency. The red mat is created on the flip side of the page, where a photo for day 9 is adhered. I journaled directly onto the transparency with a Sharpie.

More to come. . .

December Daily day 3 & 4

I knew I would not be able to keep up with posting my December Daily's on a daily basis, but I didn't think I would get this far behind! December has a way of whipping right by us. But I am happy to say that we are busy making the memories and cherishing the moments (so far, anyway!) Here are the LO's for the 3rd and 4th:

The left side is a card front I had saved, and my journaling is recorded at the bottom for day 3.

I realized that the front of my album is a bit page-protector-heavy, but I love the way the little pockets help to organize the LO. For the left of day 4, I simply adhered a piece of patterned paper (ripped right from a paper pack--little shreddy things and all--directly to the back side of the page protector from day 3. I am loving how the pages are various sizes so that you get glimpses of the rest of the album as you go. Working with a color scheme helps to unify the *busy-ness* of this.

I have content for the 5th and 6th, but just haven't quite gotten the pages put together yet {sigh}.

December Daily Cover and Day 2

I finally got around to embellishing the cover for my December Daily, so I can share the binding for my album. I lucked out when I discovered an old three-ring binder I had purchased a few years back fit the pages I had already created. I know, I worked a little backwards here, but it worked out better than I could have planned. I spray painted the outside covers and the edges of the inside with a glossy red. It took a few coats to cover the bright yellow and turquoise of the original binder (sorry I didn't take before pics). I then covered the inside covers with patterned paper. After frequent opening and closing of the book, I noticed that the paint was starting to chip off from the edges of the binding. I covered those with a red and cream snowflake twill tape which I ran through the Xyron sticker maker. A title (reads: December's Magic: capturing the memories, recording the stories, celebrating the season) and a couple of embellies, and the look is complete.

Here's a peek at the inside front cover with page one. After I wrapped the twill tape around to the inside, I had to cover up the unsightly ends--a bit of stamped kraft cardstock did the trick.

And here's day two. Can you get any simpler than this?!? A matted photo, a date label, and a phrase Photo Shop'd onto the picture all slipped into a page protector. Finito! I may journal on the back side, but I'll have to see what tomorrow's page ends up being about to see if I want a side-by-side two page spread.

Thanks for following along on this journey with me!

December Daily No. 1

I can't tell you how excited I am with this little project. I love that I am recording the important bits and pieces of our holiday. I love that it's enabling me to slow down this month, to take time each night (and often throughout the day) to appreciate the little things that make this month so amazing. I love that it is QUICK scrapbooking. I love that there are no rules, no right or wrong, no need to pretty it up and add tons of embellies. It's just us, living through this joyous, though at times hectic, month of December, recording our stories, capturing the memories, creating our life, and celebrating His. I love everything about it!

So here is my first page:

Front

Back

It's all about traditions. Journaling reads:

Traditions. I love traditions--little rituals that are repeated year after year. Growing up, our holidays were filled with traditions: opening the little paper doors on the advent calendar to get the chocolate treat hidden behind; attending church on Christmas Eve; listening to John Denver's Christmas album while waiting for Christmas Eve guests to arrive; Grandpa greeting us at the bottom of the stairs on Christmas morning to see our faces light up at the sight of our gifts under the tree; Christmas dinner at Grandma & Grandpa's house and bringing a favorite toy along with which to play; going to Auntie Carol's and Uncle Don's Christmas night and opening yet one last gift left there by Santa; filling up on homemade Christmas cookies (esp. Ethel's Sugar Cookies). Since starting our own family, I have worked to establish some traditions that will help create warm memories for the boys: pictures with Santa, baking holiday cookies, decorating a gingerbread house, exchanging holiday ornaments symbolic of the year, creating and sending holiday cards, counting down the days to Christmas with daily toys and treats, lots of Christmas music playing all month long. This year the boys took it upon themselves to write notes and cards to each other (and us) and tuck them into the stockings hanging on the fireplace. I hope they keep this up all month. And I have started yet another tradition of reading a Christmas story each night until Christmas. Tonight we read Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear and Silent Night, Holy Night.

If you are creating a December Daily project this month, I would love to see it. Please add your link in the comments. You can check out my friend Alexandra's here. And of course Ali Edwards' here.