December Daily - To Do or Not To Do ....and a Giveaway

 Holiday giveaway is extended til midnight on Thanksgiving!  Keep commenting on my daily blog posts for extra entries.

I love the idea of a December Daily album.  But I tried it once, made all my pages and never printed any pictures.  Plus I chose a 6x6 size and used so many layers and embellishments that it didn't come close to closing - even without those photos.  But it was beautiful and it was fun to do.

So at the beginning of the month, I waffled back and forth about the project.  I signed up for the 25 Days class at Studio Calico, but still wasn't sure.  We just don't do fun holiday things that I would put in an album everyday.  But then I realized - it doesn't have to be a December daily to be a special holiday album.  So I am approaching the project as an album to document our 2014 holidays.  I am starting with Thanksgiving and ending with the new year.  And there won't be pictures and/or journaling everyday. 

I looked at all the kits out there - Ali Edwards, Gossamer Blue, and Freckled Fawn to name a few.  Then My Scraps and More put out both an album kit and an embellishment kit.  All of these kits seemed to be a good value, but some of them required a pretty big investment.  And I didn't love every single thing about any of them.  And I have a lot of supplies.  So if I am going to do this, it is going to be with a homegrown kit.

In my first attempt I learned that choosing an album was critical to the project's success.  I knew I wanted a 6x8 album, but which one.  I ultimately chose a kraft Snap album with a black spine.  The size and price were good, it was neutral and easily customizable, there is a large variety of page protectors and it was readily accessible. I got mine at JoAnns.

 

But what about the kit.  I started with choosing a color palette by pulling out my cardstock and pulling sheets til I had colors I like.  I had done some Christmas layouts lately and think those color choices influenced the colors I chose for my album.. I ended up with pale blue, soft red, lime green, black and pink.

 

Once I had my color palette, I couldn't wait to get started with the cover.  I knew I wanted to paint it, a pale blue but couldn't find a color that was just what I wanted.  So I mixed a blue, a mint, and white paint til I got just the color I wanted.  I also pulled out my gesso and the Martha Stewart liquid gilding in gold for my cover.

I started by taping off the black fabric spine with washi tape - I'm a messy crafter.  Then I primed the album inside and out with gesso.  I painted the inside with the gold liquid gilding and a foam brush.  aIt looks amazing.  It is shiny and smooth and will provide a perfect backdrop to all my pages. (This picture doesn't really do it justice.)

Then I took on the outside of the cover.  I painted it with the pale blue paint color I had mixed and a foam brush.  I used just one coat because I really like the look (hint - I used an extra piece of chipboard and treated it just like the album cover - that way I could see how it would look with a second coat of blue paint.

The wood veneer tree was from Elle's Studio last year.  The red sequin star is from the Studio Calico Magical sequin pack.  And then a wide line green grosgrain ribbon tied in a bow finished off my cover.

I loved the end result.  It reflects the colors and feel of the products I chose for my kit.  (I'm still thinking about adding the year to the bottom branch of the tree>

Giveway:  While I was making my December Daily kit, I pulled some things that might fit right in with your holiday crafting plans.  Leave a comment on any post this week and be entered to win.  Giveaway closes at midnight on November 23rd.

Here are some of the goodies I pulled.  (This isn't a kit - its an assortment of holiday themed supplies that might fit in with your Christmas supplies,)

I'd love to know what ideas you have for adding the year to my cover - or if you think I should stop where it is.  (I know I will put the year on the spine.)

I'm going to share more about my December Daily kit building and organization later this week.  Hope you stop back. 

An Unlikely Favorite

I am really a pretty simple scrapper.  I love the look of all the mixed media techniques, and even have acquired some of the supplies.  But I really don't play with them very often - I either worry about ruining a project or am unhappy with the results.  Let's face it - ink splatters were a big achievement for me.

So boy was I surprised when one my mixed media purchases turned into one of my scrap room favorites.  Its the Martha Stewart Gold Liquid Gilding.

 

It is super shiny and dries super fast.  And it makes a huge impact whether you use it in a subtle way... 

Use it with a paint brush to emphasize embossing (see the wood tape in this layout) 

make really unique ink splatters like these where the gold separated from the solvent 

 .....or in a big way

painting a large piece of wood veneer for quick and easy title

stamp with a cork on a transparency for a one of a kind background

I do have a couple of cautions - you need to use it in a well ventilated space and I have ruined more than one paint brush.  So now I have a couple I keep for just this product.  (At my husband's suggestion, I use windex to clean them and it works pretty well, but I think I need to buy some brush cleaner at the craft store).  Or, depending on the project, I use a foam brush and throw it away after I'm done.

And wait til you see my December Daily cover next week - I am so excited to share it.  

Now I have to go shopping - I just found out this product comes in a copper finish - I think I might just need that.

Giveaway Alert:  There are still a couple days left in my blog rebirth giveaway.

Thanks for stopping by!

Poppy!

I read lots of challenges - looking for inspiration - but don't have time to do many of them.  And I read lots of design team calls - looking for courage to apply, but always chicken out.  This week has been no exception.

In the last few days I saw a sketch using lots of  tags. I loved the sketch, but can't find it back.  (I know - I need a better system, but I will share it with you when I find it.)  Then I read the Chic Tags Sunday challenge - incorporate gold into your project.  And then, to top it off, I saw a DT call from Little Yellow Bicycle looking for team members for a new line.

Then I happened to be in my LSS and saw the new LYB line, Poppy.  The colors are so bright and fresh, but still have a softness about them.  They really were my perfect summer palette.  I bought almost every piece of the collection they had.  Then I came home and made this layout.

I used papers from the collection and almost the entire package of these journaling tags - they were so much fun to layer. I used gold ink on some of the edges to help make them pop.   And I used the cardstock stickers to embellish one of the cork tags from the LYB Naturals line.

But my LSS didn't have the full line and since I am have tons of fun with transparent elements lately, I especially missed the clear cuts.  Fortunately I was able to add pieces from the clear cuts for the Just Because and Hello Fall Collections.

The colors in the Hello Fall pack were really perfect.

I also played with the vellum tape strips (a new product for me) and added some gold sequins and some MME Boy Crazy enamel dots (because who can do a layout without sequins and enamel dots).


Now I'm off to find that sketch and to read that DT call again.  Maybe this will be the time I enter?

Have a wonderful Wednesday.