After Christmas and One Little Word

I managed to take Christmas week and most of the upcoming week off to spend time with my family.  And I had big plans for time in my scrap room.  But I have to admit that I didn't realy go in there to work until yesterday when I got out my December Daily.  I finished foundation pages and journaling through December 24th, but haven't had a chance to photograph them.  I'll post them sometime next week.

But I did come across a great concept introduced by Ali Edwards - One Little Word.  As I interpret the concept, you pick a single word that encompasses your goals for the upcoming year.  You keep a journal based on that word over the year, get something to wear (maybe a necklace or bracelet) that represents your word as a reminder, and try to use that word in some creative projects over the year.  There is even a class at Big Picture Classes that provides prompts and helps keep you focused throughout 2013.

I haven't quite decided about the class (I'm not always very good at keeping up with online classes), but definitely want to embrace the concept.  So I've thought a lot about my word and chosen "FOCUS."  I started out thinking about letting go of the little things and the things I can't change or control, but that seemed really negative.  And I wanted the emphasis in 2013 to be on the positive.  So to me focus is about focusing on things I can control or change, focusing on personal improvement (health, creative, professional) and focusing on relationships (husband, children, friends).  But it is also about letting go of things I can't change (e.g., the choices others make). 

I'm hoping to find the perfect bracelet on etsy and to get some kind of journal to use over the next year before I go back to work.  But this weekend, we are celebrating Christmas with the inlaws and taking Stephen back to Cinci.  And I'll be ringing in the new year with a family night at home with Dave, Nicholas and Elisabeth.

Are you participating in the One Little Word initiative this year?  What word did you choose and why?  How are you planning to incorporate your word into your life.  I'd love to hear and learn from you.

Great Giveaways (And A Winner)

One of the things I like best about the scrapbook community is the generosity of scrappers everywhere.  The four great giveaways from Tina at A Dog's Life are a great example of that generosity.  The sneaks are amazing - here's one to tempt you.



Winner:
And I just realized I never drew a winner for my giveaway during the December Scrapbook Steals blog hop.   My daughter picked a number and the winner is:

lindanellDecember 14, 2012 8:27 PM

You know how to add that extra item to make the project perfect.

Please contact me  so I can get that prize out to you. 

December 15th

I have one more December Daily layout to share - December 15th marked the start of my baking weekend.  I wanted a bright, happy page for this and was pleased with what I came up with.

 
I'm still trying to finish the shopping and the wrapping and baking.  How are your holiday preparations coming?

My December Daily and December 14th

Last Friday was one of the saddest days I can remember - every time I think about the shooting in Connecticut, I cry.  I came home from work and hugged my kids.  I even made those 6 foot boys give me a hug.  The horror, the loss of those lives and the impact on the families of those lost is incomprehensible.  And the impact on the survivors is beyond my understanding.

In church on Sunday our priest talked about the shooting.  Many people in the congregation (especially Moms) were crying with me.  And I keep thinking about it and I keep crying.

So This brings me to my December Daily - when I started the project, I committed to including the good, the bad and the ugly.  I didn't want to document a perfect holiday - I wanted to document our lives.  But I thought the bad would be a failed recipe, a missing gift, a broken ornament - or even our tree falling over.  I never expected to be touched by a tragedy in Connecticut.  But ultimately, nothing is going to color our holidays this year like the shooting in that school.  So I included it.

Here is the page I put together.  The journaling talks about the tragedy and how it helped me remember the most important things about the holidays - loving each other, hugging each other and respecting each other.

So I am going to keep crying and praying for those families in Connecticut and I am going to focus on what's important with my family as we gather for the holidays. 

December 10 - 13

We haven't finished shopping or wrapping or baking yet - you get the picture.  But my December Daily pages are up to date (its all about priorities) and I wanted to share a few more.

December 10 (Putting up the Old Tree) and December 11 (Elisabeth's school music program)

December 12 (Elisabeth is sick) and December 13 (our Christmas puzzle tradition)

Hope you have a great Monday.  We are shopping right after work today and hoping to get most of the way done. 

December 4 through 9

Just a quick post to share some December Daily Pages -

December 4  and 5 (St. Nick early when Stephen was home) and Taffy's Tree (the tree in the kitchen)

December 6 - St. Nicholas Day

December 7 and 8 - Not sure what is going  on the 7th and our trip to the tree farm

December 9 Putting our tree up and having it fall down (another experiment with transparencies)

I finished pages through the fiftteenth today and will share more later this week.  How's your December Daily coming along?  Hope you had a great weekend.

American Crafts Glitter Ribbon at Scrapbook Steals and Chances To Win!

 

I'm so excited to have a chance to participate in the Scrapbook Steals blog hop this month.  They have great deals on scrapbook supplies and I'm always looking for a bargain. I couldn't wait to see what they would send me to play with.

But I have to admit that the scrappy supplies they sent stumped me at first.  It was American Crafts Glitter Ribbon.  It was beautiful - I got black, silver and an icy blue to use- but I almost never incorporate glittery elements in my projects.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it.

So it sat on my scrap table until I the holidays bring out my inner need for sparkle.  Then watch out - I had a great time with the ribbon. It was easy to work with and added that festive touch without a lot of mess.

First I bought an inexpensive notebook and decorated the cover to keep all my holiday lists, recipes and plans in.  It always surprises me when I see how some ribbon and a few accentsfrom my stash can create a custom look for a $2 journal.  And it would be so easy to modify the theme to create teacher gifts and co-worker gifts.

Next gift tags. We are really trying to manage costs this year so it is more important than ever that the gifts are personalized.  I'm planning to carry that through into the wrapping by creating individualized gift tags for each present.  This is one of my favorites so far - I loved the way the blue ribbon looked with the red rickrack, the doily and the kraft tag.

And finally, my current pet project - my first December Daily album.  I used the silver ribbon to accent this foundation page (yes I really started my album with Thanksgiving)

And this tag to mark a day in the December portion of my album:

I love the way the silver ribbon perked up the Christmas tree die cut from my stash.

So it turns out that I do like a little sparkle on my projects and the American Crafts glitter ribbon is the perfect way to add it.  And Scrapbook Steals was so generous, that I have some to share.  If you would like to win some of my glitter ribbon, do the following:

Be a follower

Comment on this post telling me how you add sparkle to your holidays

I'll pick one commenter to win some of my glitter ribbon (and maybe a few other goodies) on December 18th.

And there is a prize from Scrapbook Steals too.  Participate in the hop, leaving comments, and you'll have achnce to win a $20 gift certificate to Scrapbook Steals.  Talk about an early Christmas present!  Here's the whole list of participants - check out their great work, leave comments and be entered to win!

Scrapbook Steals - http://scrapbooksteals.stealnetwork.com/wp/
Julie Evers - http://plywthpper.blogspot.com/
Cathy Caines - http://cathycaines.blogspot.ca/

Stephanie Dang - http://www.paperandi.blogspot.com/
Alice Carman - http://alicecarman.wordpress.com/ 

Deb Routledge - http://countrylovincardmaker.blogspot.com/

Now its time for you to see the wonderful projects Cathy put together.

Have a great Friday!

More December Daily Pages

I've kept working on my December Daily and have a few more pages to show you - still havent' printed pictures, but definitely making some progress.

Here's what I have so far in December

December divider pages - since my album started in November, i wanted to clearly mark the new month.  This was also my first attempt at incorporating a transparency.  The yellow snowflake transparency was buried in my stash from who knows when and I love how it worked here.




December 1 - Braekfast with Santa

December 2 - Doing some decorating (got out the sandpaper for this page)

December 3 - Shopping with my husband for St. Nicholas Day.

I have a few more pages that just need titles and journaling.  Hopefully I can finish them up in the next few days and put together pages for this week in the next day or so.  How is your project coming?

Don't forget to look for my giveaway tomorrow.  Have a great Thursday!

Winner!

A while back I asked about your favorite tool and how you liked to use up your scraps.  I also offered a giveaway in that post.  In all the holiday chaos, I forgot to pick a winner.  With my daughter's help I randomly chose a comment to win and it was

BrianaNovember 29, 2012 7:54 AM

That would be super cute for PL pages! I lately my favorite tool has been my Swiss Cheese punch to make confetti from scraps. :)

 Congratulations - please send me your address so I can get the package in the mail.  

I'll be back later today or tomorrow with more December Daily pages - and look for another giveaway on Friday - one that will add a little sparkle to your projects.  

Have a great Wednesday!

December Daily - November

How's your December Daily coming?  I wasn't going to do foundation pages because I felt like my paper and embellishment choices should be connected to the pictures.  But I realized that printing pictures every day wasn't going to work for me.  So I've compromised - i am doing foundation pages as the days pass and will print pictures just a few times.  But I'll just have to stick them on the pages and add an embellishment or two when I get them.  I'm even doing some of the journaling as I do the foundation pages. 

This seems to be working pretty well for me.  It's also allowing me to think about which days need one page and which days need two pages.  My foundation pages are done through December 8th.  Today I'm sharing the November pages. 

November 22 (Thanksgiving)

November 23 (journal about Elisabeth's Excitement and Black Friday shopping)

November 24 (22nd wedding anniversary)

November 25 (the tree in Elisabeth's room) and November 26  (Taffy and Sally)

November 27 (Dave's Office Decorations) and November 28 (?)

November 29 (My new scrap desk and the SC secret santa)

November 30 (?)

I'm keeping a list of some things I can fill in with for days when I don't have anything specific.  So far, I'm pretty happy with my pages.  I've had some trouble adapting to the 6x6 format but am getting the hang of it. 

Have a great Monday!

Everybody Loves A Parade

I love the holidays and can easily get consumed by them.  But in past years I quit making progress in my other albums and had a hard time getting started back up in Januray.  So this year I am making a concious choice to take time once in a while to do a page in a "regular album." 

One of my current projects in Elisabeth's 5th grade album.  One of the first things I wanted to capture was the Labor Day parade.  This week's sketch at the My Scraps and More Sketch Blog provided a great starting point.  I added lots of bright colors and a little sparkle to capture that fun spirit.


Here's what I ended up with.  It's bright and fun (and two pages).

Both the yellow paper and the chevron paper are from Crate Paper.  Thye other patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket.  Then you can find some October Afternoon, some Jillibean Soup (those journaling cards have been in my stash forever), some Elle's Studio, some Studio Calico, Some American Crafts, some Paper Play Studio and some Basic Grey.  and I did some different things (for me) on this layout.

• I used some of those brads I accumulate but never use.  These wer from the October Afternoon Midway collection.
• I used sparkly thickers.
• I spread my journaling across the layout.  You can find it in three places.
• I added the picture mounted in pink with pop dots so it became a focal point.

Are you working on anything besides Christmas projects?  Let me know and enjoy your Sunday.  

December Daily -Stuck Already?

Saturday night I met a friend from teh Two Peas chat board at ARchivers for a crop.  We had a great time working together, and it was wonderful to make a new friend.  But, I have to admit, I wasn't really in the mood before I went - I didn't know what to take to work on and wasn't really feeling very creative.

So I packed up my December Daily "kit" and album along with my other Christmas scraps and embellishments.  I was going to work on DD pages so I could just drop in my pictures.  Once I got there, I made a huge mess,but couldn't really get started.  So I decided to do something with the inside covers. (Not part of my plan at all)

First I decorated the inside back cover, adding a pocket for extra photos and those photos of friends that come in the mail at the holidays.

I always struggle with what to do with those pictures and now I have a great place to store them so we can look at them in the future.

And then the inside front cover.

I love this Dear Lizzy vellum with the big gold polka dots!

After I did the covers I finished foundation pages through the end of November, created the December dividing pages and figured out how to incorporate a transparency for the first time ever.  All in all, it turned into a productive night.  And here are the lessons learned:

1) When you don't feel like packing up for a crop, it is worth it to go.  Chances are you will enjoy yourself, find some inspiration and get more done than you would at home.

2)  When you're stumped, just start with something - even if you weren't planning on doing it or end up taking it apart later.  Making the first cut and sticking the first thing down will get you going.

I was really glad I went Saturday - I made a new friend and got lots done.  I'll share some of those pages later.  Hope your Tuesday was good and that Wednesday is even better.

December Daily - alphas and trims

So for alphas and trims, I refused to buy anything.  I have a huge stash and really need to use up some of what I have.

So here are the trims I pulled. I tried to focus on both colors and textures (and things I wasn't sure I'd use.)

And for alphas, I raided my stash and pulled those sparkly thickers I buy and then don't use.  (And some not so sparkly for a little variety)

I will use my xyron with the turquoise thickers to make them sticky again.

And for one of my favorite trim products these days - washi!

I feel like I pulled a good variety from my stash to keep with my DD kit (and can always go back to pull something else if I need it for a particular page.)

And now for confessions - I cheated.  When I was at Archivers to get my album, I did buy an alpha that I am keeping with my kit.I just couldn't resist.  What scrappy goodness have you bought despite your best intentions lately?

December Daily - Embellishments

I had big plans - I was going to go through my stash and pull embellishments for my DD - and only use those (or at least mostly).  But I've made several passes and can't seem to edit my choices effectively.  So instead I thought I'd share some things I have pulled that I plan to use - and then we'll see how well I edit

Wood veneer

 

Die Cuts

 

Stickers


Chipboard


Sequins


Shipping Tags


Flair

Miscellaneous Stuff

See - eclectic at best and way too much stuff.   And that's not everything I pulled.  But trying to edit is getting really frustrating and the goal is to complete the project, so I'm going to start and see where I end up.  Are you making a December Daily?  What are some of the embellishments you are thinking about using?