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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 1, 2019 21:45:58 GMT
'Tis the season to start preparing for the Christmas madness, falalala!   December preppers, welcome, welcome. Make yourself at home. This is your month-long December prep challenge thread because we all know that the more you do in advance, the easier it is to keep up with all things documenting (and otherwise) come the holiday season. There are quite a few ways to make some bonus points here so don't hesitate to participate! Main challenges: 1. Got yourself some extra Christmas/December supplies from the store (order or LLS)? 1 point. Earn an extra point if you share a photo of your haul or the links to the things you bought/pre-ordered. 2. Went digging for some older Christmas/December goodies in your stash to use this year? 1 point. Earn an extra point if you share a photo of your finds. 3. Made a list and checked it twice? Earn 1 point to list all the events and things you already know you'll be documenting this year. If you share it with us (no need to get specific with the details or dates, no worries), earn an extra point. 4. Put together a page kit for a LO? 1 point. Earn an extra point if you share a photo of your page kit. You can share as many page kits as you wish! 5. Put together an album kit (JYC, DD or any type of December/holiday album)? 5 points. Earn an extra 5 points if you share a photo. Mini challenges will be posted each weekend so be on the lookout! |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 4, 2019 4:03:16 GMT
October 4-7 weekend mini challenges (can be completed at any time during the month):
A. Option exploration: share with us which options you are looking into for your December 2019 documenting and why you're leaning more toward one or the other (or why you're having a hard time deciding) for 1 point.
B. Holiday stash buster: consider using your Christmas stash for other things than scrapbooking, documenting and cardmaking. Share a photo of how you used your Christmas supplies for a different type of project this month for 1 point. Think about making some gift tags, an Advent calendar, home décor, gift boxes, etc.
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Post by Linda on Oct 4, 2019 12:08:37 GMT
A. I'm actually considering a bit more formal documenting this year vs just adding layouts to the family album (which is what I usually do) - this'll (hopefully) be our first Christmas with all 3 kids since 2014 which makes it rather special. I don't know yet if we're going to VA or if DS is coming home for Christmas - if we travel, I'll do a trip album and just add a couple of Christmas layouts to the family album but if he comes here, I might just do a December Daily type album...decisions, decisions
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Post by lynnek on Oct 4, 2019 14:41:30 GMT
I have exactly one, completed December Daily Album. I think I have two more that are almost complete. I have probably five that have the a few days but no more. In the last few years, I say I am not doing it but then end up jumping on the band wagon. So, my first big decision is that I am going to give it a try this year. Yeah! Declaration made!! Next, I am not going to spend a bunch on money on it!!
Weekends Challenge:
A. I have several older kits that I can use for the most part and I might order one new kit to add to the stuff I have. I like the looks of Feed Your Craft's Of The Season Kit. I like Ali's main kit, but not the price so I am going to try to hold back on that one. I will pull out my things I have this weekend and see what matches up.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 5, 2019 4:48:19 GMT
this'll (hopefully) be our first Christmas with all 3 kids since 2014 which makes it rather special. I don't know yet if we're going to VA or if DS is coming home for Christmas - if we travel, I'll do a trip album and just add a couple of Christmas layouts to the family album but if he comes here, I might just do a December Daily type album...decisions, decisions Oh, that's so exciting! Sounds like this is going to be a December to remember... I can't wait to see your scrappy creations when the holiday season is over. And hey, you might join the DD gang this year.  So, my first big decision is that I am going to give it a try this year. Yeah! Declaration made!! Next, I am not going to spend a bunch on money on it!! You can't back out now!  I understand how difficult the project can be. You go in with so much enthusiasm but then the business of the season takes over and before you know it, there's serious burnout and other priorities. Don't feel bad about your unfinished DD business. In my experience, the more prepped you are, the easier it is to beat the risk of an incomplete. Hence this challenge thread.  I like the looks of Feed Your Craft's Of The Season Kit. I like Ali's main kit, but not the price so I am going to try to hold back on that one. I will pull out my things I have this weekend and see what matches up. Great choice! You can enjoy the aesthetic but you don't need to pay big to get it. Don't hesitate to look into buying a few digitals to do some hybrid (far cheaper than the physical product usually). If you have a bit of a Christmas stash, you'll likely find twins to satisfy your FYC/AE cravings... Let us know how it goes! I'm curious to see what your custom kit ends up looking like. |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 5, 2019 4:54:21 GMT
Answering my own weekend mini challenges! A. Option exploration I've narrowed my options down to a horizontal photo book using these minimalist templates from Paislee Press and a 6x8 album. I kind of want to do one "proper" 6x8 DD/JYC album with a large spine before "moving on" to photo books for a few years. I have little shelf space to allocate to scrappy albums so I need to be careful with too many large albums piling up. However, I also would love a large spine December album for once (always restricted myself to the smaller spine so far). I'm giving myself a bit more time to decide. B. Holiday stash buster I just completed an Advent calendar for my mother in September using my tiny Christmas stash. If I can find enough paper to make a second one, I'll make another one to give away. It's been so much fun to come up with different ways to embellish the candy boxes so I'd definitely be up for another round of "Advent calendaring."  |
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Post by lynnek on Oct 5, 2019 14:07:42 GMT
So, my first big decision is that I am going to give it a try this year. Yeah! Declaration made!! Next, I am not going to spend a bunch on money on it!! You can't back out now! I understand how difficult the project can be. You go in with so much enthusiasm but then the business of the season takes over and before you know it, there's serious burnout and other priorities. Don't feel bad about your unfinished DD business. In my experience, the more prepped you are, the easier it is to beat the risk of an incomplete. Hence this challenge thread. I like the looks of Feed Your Craft's Of The Season Kit. I like Ali's main kit, but not the price so I am going to try to hold back on that one. I will pull out my things I have this weekend and see what matches up. Great choice! You can enjoy the aesthetic but you don't need to pay big to get it. Don't hesitate to look into buying a few digitals to do some hybrid (far cheaper than the physical product usually). If you have a bit of a Christmas stash, you'll likely find twins to satisfy your FYC/AE cravings... Let us know how it goes! I'm curious to see what your custom kit ends up looking like. I actually have been thinking, I may round up all my unfinished DD album pages and put them in one album - different page sizes and all. Put the years on the pages so I can see differences, but then just move on. I will never get them all done, so this will allow me to just move on. |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 9, 2019 14:19:40 GMT
I actually have been thinking, I may round up all my unfinished DD album pages and put them in one album - different page sizes and all. Put the years on the pages so I can see differences, but then just move on. I will never get them all done, so this will allow me to just move on. I'm a big fan of volumes for Christmas books. We were discussing them in the DD thread back in August/early September. It's a great way to just move on or to not feel stressed out about filling a full album. You should absolutely consider packing them together, closing the book and starting fresh this year! Great idea (and it'll take less space on your shelves). |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 9, 2019 14:49:23 GMT
Tackling main challenge #5 by trying to come up with a cohesive JYC/DD kit that could work for me this year if I go physical. I'm still hesitating between the photo book and more traditional approach. No 2019 Christmas line fully speaks to me. Crate Paper's 2017 FaLaLa and 2018 Merry Days set the bar really high so I've become more picky (and that's not necessarily a bad thing). I am considering some of Snowflake by CP although it isn't love at first (or second, or third) sight. Paper bases: - white cardstock - light blue cardstock - light pink cardstock - neutral shades - Snowcapped paper, Snowflake by CP (A and B-sides) - Marshmallow paper, Snowflake by CP (A and B-sides) - Icicles paper, Snowflake by CP (B-side) - Wonderland paper, Snowflake by CP (B-side + some tags from the A-side) - Knitted paper, Snowflake by CP (B-side) - Frosted paper, Snowflake by CP (B-side) - Winterscape paper, Snowflake by CP (A-side) - Bundled paper, Snowflake by CP (B-side + some cut-outs from the A-side) Embellishments: - chipboard Thickers, Snowflake by CP - ephemera pack, Snowflake by CP - layered tags, Snowflake by CP Alpha + words: - black chipboard alpha Thickers, Honey & Spice by Heidi Swapp - puffy phrase Thickers, Snowflake by CP Album: - 6x8 black pleather Sevenpaper (Studio Calico x American Crafts collab') from a few years ago that I still have in stock - any pocket pages I still have that fit said album with its weird 4-ring configuration - most work done outside of pocket pages (punched paper pages) Overall feel:       |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 20, 2019 21:03:32 GMT
Posting some mini challenges a little late for this weekend but in case anybody wants to keep brainstorming their DD/JYC/December LOs. October 18-20 weekend mini challenges (can be completed at any time during the month): C. Get wordy: this is all about coming up in advance with some (sometimes not-so) custom phrases that will suit your December memories. List them in here for a point! D. Group therapy: let's share our doubts and fears. Anyone who's done a December Daily or Journal Your Christmas album before knows that it's all fun and games until... well, about mid-December at the latest. Come Christmas Day, the scrap and documenting exhaustion as at its peak. Do you have any past frustrations you're still dealing with? Do you have any plans on how to make things smoother and easier this year? Are you still feeling a little anxious? Speak up to the group.  We've got your back! |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 20, 2019 21:14:23 GMT
Answering this weekend's mini challenges: C. Here's my list so far, some original, some not so much: "You've Stollen my heart" (for our brunch photos featuring a Stollen cake) "Winner winner, Christmas dinner" "Snooze first, presents later" "Ginger bells, ginger bells, ginger all the way" (for our ginger biscuit/cookie baking sesh') "It's beginning to look a lot like f*ck this" (because at some point on the 24th, I'll be completely over the whole cooking and getting everything done for everyone thing...) D. Main DD/JYC fears include: 1. Keeping up with the DD Megaaa thread in General Scrapbooking every day. I love it. And I also always fear I just will run out of time to read every message, post the daily prompt (and get all the prompts ready in time for December), reply to everyone, etc. I wouldn't change it but there's always that moment of hesitation before December begins. Once it starts, I wipe away all doubts and just go with the flow. But right before, oh my, I have a moment of panic. I double-check that I've saved all my prompts on two different clouds in case my laptop crashes during the month, I try to work in 30min into my daily schedule for the entire month so I can keep up with all the messages, I hope people will actually play along and take a deep breath... 2. Not having decided on a format come December. Feeling like I *need* to go physical because it's a scrappy forum when a minimalist photo book might be the best option for me this year. |
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Post by Linda on Oct 20, 2019 21:28:50 GMT
D. I'm not a prepare pages in advance, use a kit for a whole album, pre-think it sort of girl. My scrapbooking has always been picture driven not supply driven. So the whole DD concept is one I struggle with as I see everyone pulling together a kit and prepping pages and having it all ready except for the pictures and the journalling before December even starts.
Can I do this? Can I do it with the stash and NOT buy a bunch of supplies? (my small budget is shrinking again with a newly planned trip nexst month that was not budgeted for) Will I have time to prep in November between a 10-12 day trip at the beginning and then Thanksgiving week (and cleaning my house in between)? Is this the sort of project where I can do the pages in December instead of in advance? Maybe it would be easier to do what I've always done and add the pages to the family album? And if I do the DD - do I also document Christmas in the family album? If not, isn't it wierd to leave it out?
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 21, 2019 15:29:09 GMT
Can I do this? Can I do it with the stash and NOT buy a bunch of supplies? (my small budget is shrinking again with a newly planned trip nexst month that was not budgeted for) Will I have time to prep in November between a 10-12 day trip at the beginning and then Thanksgiving week (and cleaning my house in between)? Is this the sort of project where I can do the pages in December instead of in advance? Maybe it would be easier to do what I've always done and add the pages to the family album? And if I do the DD - do I also document Christmas in the family album? If not, isn't it wierd to leave it out? Oh, how your words resonate with me. I'm trying to be very budget-conscious this year and it's making me rethink every potential purchase (and that's why I haven't bought anything yet ). Have you found a YouTuber whose DD mindset matches yours yet? You mention small budget, not a lot of time to dedicate to it (or, at the very least, not as much as some notorious December documenters), have you seen Caylee's Grey December Daily albums? She didn't buy anything scrappy for her 2018 one and it came out beautifully (granted, she's very artistic) (click through to see all images/post): https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs5fAvfDKC- https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs8FXobDUgB https://www.instagram.com/p/BtBQoPPHWvh And here is her chill approach to building her 2017 December Daily album (made at the end of the month): Final result of her 2017 DD can be seen here: |
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Post by lynnek on Oct 21, 2019 15:39:55 GMT
Thanks for posting that link! I just need to convince myself that I really should not need to buy all the stuff every year!!  |
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Post by Linda on Oct 21, 2019 16:00:41 GMT
Thank you sleepingbootyI'll admit to not being a Youtube person either - my computer doesn't have sound and I've only recently gotten a phone and haven't explored Youtube yet... |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 21, 2019 16:04:43 GMT
Thanks for posting that link! I just need to convince myself that I really should not need to buy all the stuff every year!! Story of the scrapbooker's life... Another cute idea to incorporate for free in one's December album would be to lift Kelly Purkey's giftwrap paper documenter page (easy to make with some stickers and handwriting or in a word processor), lynnek linda : https://www.instagram.com/p/B24eBiehXBN We get so many paper things around Christmas so why not use them in our albums, right? |
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Post by Linda on Oct 21, 2019 16:08:05 GMT
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 21, 2019 16:26:51 GMT
I'll admit to not being a Youtube person either - my computer doesn't have sound and I've only recently gotten a phone and haven't explored Youtube yet... I hope you can watch the Caylee Grey videos I've linked above because it's a very relaxed, make-do approach (albeit with a bit of a different style from yours) that might simplify DD for you. |
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Post by lynnek on Oct 21, 2019 17:06:22 GMT
Love the gift wrap idea! I always assign my kids each one wrapping paper, but then don't label the packages. They love trying to guess whose wrapping paper is whose. I have never documented that. I will have to do that this year! |
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Post by Linda on Oct 22, 2019 14:26:20 GMT
list of things to document:
1st Sunday of Advent
Nativities
Favourite Christmas Carols
St Nicholas Day
Company Christmas Party
Catholic Scouting Retreat
Christmas cards and/or gift wrap
2nd Sunday of Advent
St Juan Diego
Our Lady of Guadalupe
St Lucia
Homecoming (older kids coming home for the holidays)
Family photo
Christmas cookies
Third Sunday of Advent
Christmas Party (friends)
cats and Christmas
Christmas Lights
Christmas Caroling
pizza for Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve pyjamas
tree decorating
Fourth Sunday of Advent
christmas Eve
Christmas Day
Twelve Days of Christmas (Dec 25-Jan 5)
-Christmas Dinner
saying goodbye (DS leaves)
-baking
-movies
-thank you notes
-favourite gifts
-Feast of the Holy Innocents
-New Years Eve movie/appetisers
-New Years Day
-Christmas books (favourites)
-new ornaments
-Twelfth Night
Epiphany
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MDscrapaholic
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,633
Location: Down by the bay....
Jun 25, 2014 20:49:07 GMT
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Post by MDscrapaholic on Oct 22, 2019 16:34:37 GMT
I'm loving this thread!  At work now but hope to answer some of your questions this evening at home and hopefully get started on this. |
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MDscrapaholic
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,633
Location: Down by the bay....
Jun 25, 2014 20:49:07 GMT
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Post by MDscrapaholic on Oct 26, 2019 13:47:46 GMT
Okay I know I'm late to the challenge, but here goes! I am so excited for my first DD and hope I can follow through. 1. Bought some new stuff? ABSOLUTELY! Went to town with this one LOL Carta Bella Christmas Market and coordinating color pack of paper Carta Bella Buffalo Plaid paper pack Carta Bella Merry Christmas by Steve Duncan and coordinating paper pack (not sure this will "match" so still on the fence on using it) Emphemera and chipboard pieces from both lines Carta Bella washi tapes - Christmas Buffalo, Christmas Lights, Market Trucks and Holiday Stripe Stamp sets - 3 AE December Daily, 3 Elizabeth Craft Designs and 1 Carta Bella 2 new die sets from Elizabeth Craft Designs so I can make pocket pages I also have the November Echo Park kit coming and might use some of it!  2. Shop your stash? What stash? LOL I had already bought the Elizabeth Craft Designs planner dies. I found some stamp sets and rub-ons. I probably have other stuff I can use (paper, die cuts) but don't feel like going through my whole stash!  3. Events....let's see.....getting the tree, setting it up, Black Friday shopping, giving the grands their new pajamas (I do this every year after dinner on Thanksgiving, give my grandkids new Christmas pajamas and a new Christmas book to read), church services. 4 and 5. Working on this tomorrow. Supposed to rain all day and my Cowboys have a bye this week. If I get all my chores done today, tomorrow is a DD day! Looking for inspiration here! |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 26, 2019 20:16:43 GMT
Carta Bella Merry Christmas by Steve Duncan Oh, I totally get why you purchased this. It's delightful, isn't it? So retro and cosy and a touch of glam'. I love it, too! I also have the November Echo Park kit coming and might use some of it! Very smart to plan on using some of your incoming kits for your DD. It's always good to enjoy tucking into your new goodies and make them earn their price tag straight away. Shop your stash? What stash? LOL I don't know what I was talking about. 'Stash', what's that word? Never heard of it... I hope you can get your chores done in time so you can start playing with your DD album tomorrow. I look forward to hearing your feedback on how it feels trying on this project. You'll be in great company soon. Most of us will start playing around with our Christmas album paper goodies soon. |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 26, 2019 20:25:00 GMT
Wow, Linda, you're going to be a very busy bee this December! It seems like you're celebrating many traditionally Catholic holidays from around the world. Is that something you do because of your local church or do you like to get a taste from the celebrations from different countries? Sounds like fun. It looks like you've worked out something to document for every day from December 1st until Epiphany. Congrats on being so proactive and locking down your focus on an itemised list. That's going to be one fat baby come the end of the Christmas season! Can't wait to see how it looks. Like you, I'll be documenting until January 6. We celebrate Epiphany (although, granted, more as a secular holiday) as well. Bring on the Three Kings' cake and cider... It'll be interesting to see how our Epiphany feasts differ. By the way, I was thinking of you while going through some goodies that I bought for a different project this year: I bought a couple of things from Merry Little Christmas by Pebbles to make an extra pretty letter to mail (she lives abroad and is going blind so I try to make extra pretty things while she still has some of her sight left). I have some extra die-cuts from this line that I thought might fit your aesthetic. Let me know if you're interested in them. I'm happy to put them in an envelope and get them your way. |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 26, 2019 20:25:59 GMT
Love the gift wrap idea! I always assign my kids each one wrapping paper, but then don't label the packages. They love trying to guess whose wrapping paper is whose. I have never documented that. I will have to do that this year! That is such an adorable and unique tradition! You *must* document it. This is the kind of memories they will cherish to look back on when they grow older. |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 26, 2019 20:46:16 GMT
This is our final October December prep challenge weekend! I can't believe the month is already ending... That went by super quickly. Who's in for some more weekend challenges? I skipped a weekend in the month so to make up for that (and give ourselves to chance to earn those missed bonus points), there are 4 (yes, FOUR  ) bonus mini challenges on this last weekend of working together on getting ready for the month of Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus/Yule: E. Essentials inventory Post-it, pen and let's write down the basics we're missing or likely will run out of during our December-documenting. Check your ink cartridge levels and photo paper stash if you're printing your own photos, see if you've got enough adhesive left, get your DD/JYC cardstock assembled in a little pile, count your page protectors. Whatever you don't have enough of, make a note of it on your phone or somewhere practical so you can remember to pick that up next time you run to the store or place an order. Share your list of missing essentials with us for 1 point. D. Photo plan Are there some events you already know you want to capture in a certain way? Write it down. It'll help you not forget to grab those pics down the line when the event happens. If you have a calendar phone app, add a reminder for those photo ideas on the days the events are happening to give you an extra reminder. Tell us about your pre-planned photos for 1 point and inspire us, too. F. Play with your kit Have some fun, touch paper, move stuff around and if you dare, cut into some pieces already... Get acquainted with your goodies, match patterns again and again to try out different ways they could match together, slip some die-cuts into pocket pages. This is the part where you get tactile and the "path" will slowly start to form instinctively and naturally. You get 1 point just for letting us know you had some fun touching your December stuff and letting your creative mind run around while looking at everything you have. G. Scrap mood Take a few minutes to plan out how you can make sure you carve out a little time to yourself daily/weekly/when December ends to work on this project. This is a *major* part to being successful in my experience. What can get you in the mood to document during December on a regular basis? Is that making a playlist on your phone and keeping headphones at hand so that you can sit down at the table and work on your album without getting distracted? Is it planning out some holiday Hallmark movies to watch (if so, check the new releases they have in their Countdown to Christmas schedule this year below)? Is it thinking about doing some meal prep on Sundays so you have some extra time during the week to sit down with your album and fresh memories? Share your plans with us for 1 point.  |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 26, 2019 21:20:42 GMT
Answering this weekend's mini challenge questions: E. Essentials inventory I've got this semi-covered. I have some acid-free adhesive on the way. I'll be getting my photos printed professionally. And I have plenty of black ink left in my printer to get all my journaling on my pages. This is all provided I go down the physical scrap album rather than photo book route... D. Photo plan 1. If my mother and stepfather are getting a tree this year, I definitely want to take a picture of my mother playing her endless game of "what's the best one for our home" game of being indecisive and showing me trees, one after another. I'm like: "Oui, oui, looks great" for approximately every single tree she shows me... It's your typical perfectionist vs chillaxer sitcom duo but it still cracks me up. Must have a good photo of my mother "trying out" trees. 2. Street décor in the city that shows a lot of the city. I want to capture the overall atmosphere this year rather than focus on zooming in too much and too often. I need a pretty festive cityscape. 3. Grocery shopping photo, please, let me not forget. I want to capture the madness of trying to find the final ingredients to make Christmas Eve dinner. There's always something that needs purchasing the day of/the day before when the supermarkets are Hunger Games territory. 4. Must not forget to take photos inside the Frozen Animation Celebration that's launching at Disneyland Paris this Christmas season. I tend to tuck my phone away as soon as I step inside a ride or attraction at Disneyland and forget to capture the inside magic. 5. My SO and I need to get a good portrait shot this season. I love the in medias res photos and real life portraits but I'm yearning for that one pretty picture of us together. We joked earlier this year when yet another set of friends announced their engagement that we should get a non-engagement photo shoot done just so we can cheesy, romantic photos of our own (and that we'd borrow their dog so he could also feature in our non-engagement photos). I think we should totally get a nice portrait shot by the sea or something this December.  6. Photos while cooking. Food is such an important part of our holiday celebrations. I am usually hands-deep in some kind of dough or olive-oiled up vegetables but I need to give myself a 5min break this year to wash my hands, dry them and snap a few madness-in-the-kitchen stills. 7. Slightly different: I want to do 1 second/day (video project on smartphone) for December and maybe increase the timer. I want to capture the atmosphere and sounds of the month beyond photographs. Just added a reminder on my phone on November 30 and will add a reminder through the 1 Second Everyday app for each day in December. F. Play with your kit Just played around with some paper goodies a fellow French scrapper sent me. I cut some stuff up, slipped things into pockets, started thinking about which cards could work for what day. I *might* make a 3x8 album with some old Jamaica Makes clear covers after all. We'll see! Exciting Saturday evening in (while my poor SO fights off a cold in bed). G. Scrap mood No children in our household. No major Christmas responsibilities besides Christmas Eve dinner. I can play with stuff whenever I want as soon as I get back from work (provided I'm not too tired). What I most need: a few cheesy Hallmark movies (that I need to source online because Hallmark Channel doesn't exist here), my favourite Christmas albums (You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Gwen Stefani, Ella Fitzgerald Wishes You a Swinging Christmas, Songs for the Season by Ingrid Michaelson) and a supply of good tea which reminds me that I need to go pick up some of my favourite sencha tea before December rolls around. I do need to check the lighting in our living room because it isn't ideal right now for doing paper + watercolour work. Adding the light situation to my to-do list for November! |
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Post by Linda on Oct 26, 2019 21:49:19 GMT
Wow, Linda , you're going to be a very busy bee this December! It seems like you're celebrating many traditionally Catholic holidays from around the world. Is that something you do because of your local church or do you like to get a taste from the celebrations from different countries? Sounds like fun.  It looks like you've worked out something to document for every day from December 1st until Epiphany. Congrats on being so proactive and locking down your focus on an itemised list. That's going to be one fat baby come the end of the Christmas season! Can't wait to see how it looks.  Like you, I'll be documenting until January 6. We celebrate Epiphany (although, granted, more as a secular holiday) as well. Bring on the Three Kings' cake and cider... It'll be interesting to see how our Epiphany feasts differ. By the way, I was thinking of you while going through some goodies that I bought for a different project this year: I bought a couple of things from Merry Little Christmas by Pebbles to make an extra pretty letter to mail (she lives abroad and is going blind so I try to make extra pretty things while she still has some of her sight left). I have some extra die-cuts from this line that I thought might fit your aesthetic. Let me know if you're interested in them. I'm happy to put them in an envelope and get them your way. Thanks - hopefully I can follow through and get it done We are Catholic which flavours our Advent/Christmas celebration. St Nicholas Day I've celebrated since I was a small child - we lived in Germany in the early 70s for about 5 years and picked up that tradition there. St Lucia - our home school group celebrated that one when my older two were small and we enjoyed it and added to our family traditions. Juan Diego/Our Lady of Guadalupe are a big deal in our current parish which has a strong Hispanic ministry. That's so sweet of you to offer up the die-cuts - I'm happy to cover postage, thank you |
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Post by Linda on Oct 26, 2019 22:26:07 GMT
E. I probably need to pick up a spare black ink cartridge. I usually print my photos through Amazon but I think I'm going to try and do the DD ones locally through CVS - not sure yet on whether daily or weekly...I strongly suspect DH will vote for weekly since he'll be the one driving to CVS to pick them up, lol (I don't drive). I'll grab some more photo squares and a refill for my little X as well. I would like to find some Christmasy enamal dots as well.
F. I need to be in some of the photos - I'm not good about that but with the older kids home, if I remind them, they'll take some of me. I REALLY want to get a decent photo of the 5 of us - a friend of ours son is an aspiring photographer so I need to check in and see what he charges and see if I can make that happen. Beyond that - just keep in mind the list I made and try and snap photos that'll work.
G. I bought an album and page protectors today. I don't think I'll do a cohesive album in the sense of using the same 'kit' throughout - I've always been more of a match the photo to the paper/embellishment sort but I've popped the page protectors into the album and I'll be going through my stash and seeing what I have that might work for some of my planned pages. I also want to play around with numbers and figure out if I want to do them all the same through the album (leaning that way) and if so - die cut or stickers or something else? I might switch up colours between advent and Christmas....
H. scrap mood...I think if I have my supplies handy on my scrapbook desk throughout Dec and manage to pick and print photos regularly during the month that'll help. It'll be a busy month though so I may end up getting most of it done in January when everyone has returned to work/school.
As far as new purchases - and I can't remember which prompt that was - I have my November EP kit coming next month and I picked up some die cuts at Michaels today along with a red 2-ring 8x8 album. Beyond that I think my overflowing Christmas drawer should more than suffice. Oh and I picked up a pad of Chrsitmas embossed cardstock today as well - that was definitely not needed but will hopefully be a 'something' new for me to play with - I haven't used much pre-embossed stuff in the past. I do have my eye out for some Euro style Santa/Father Christmas die cuts or stickers - haven't seen anything locally so far.
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Post by carolynhasacat on Oct 26, 2019 23:11:43 GMT
How have I not noticed this thread all month!?!? OK, late to the party, but here I go. Main Challenges 1. Oh boy, have I shopped this month! Snowflake landed in hand mid-month, and placed an order for a few things from FJ and Hip Kit. Here's my favorite Felicity Jane thing on its way to me next month (sorry about the IG photo, couldn't pull the photo by itself) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4F9AJ0Adtc 2. I pulled out everything and put aside a bunch to finish DD 2016 and DD 2017, mostly Crate FaLaLa and some older Ali Edwards.  3. I think every weekend is booked for us in December, but will need to think more about weekday events. We have 2 big driving trips planned, some volunteer work, and a couple of local events we do every year. 4. I don't normally work with page kits for December Daily, but I did make one for a big cut file page I made last weekend. A few coordinating backing papers. Essentially a version of this Paige Evans cut file, only I enlarged mine and back with mostly FaLaLa papers for my 2017 album. This is Paige's version.  5. Not really. I have all my 2016 and 2017 stuff mixed on my desk. And I already know some it will be used for 2019. Weekend Challenges A. I will do 6x8 again this year for DD. I flirted with a smaller book, but I really love those big 6x8 photos. I'll be using a mix of Ali Edwards, Snowflake and FJ primarily, I think. I also ordered some Pink Fresh, which I was not happy with this year, and some smaller kits I may use bits of, too. I think Hip Kit will go into 2016 and 2017 albums, which are more pastel/clear pinks and mints. Focusing on muted tones with a pop of cheery red this year.  B. I always use supplies for fun Christmas morning puzzles for my son, but haven't thought about what to do yet for this year. C. Words! We're singing "Need a Little Christmas" already this year. It will be included somehow! D. Basic supplies - I'm all set! Ordered a couple of tape runners and have a fresh supply of ink. E. Photo Plan - not yet. F. Play with your kit - not yet, as I'm still working on my 2016 and 2017 albums. I plan on starting on 2019 in November. G. Christmas mood - OH YAH! We've been playing Christmas music, and I've been working on DD 2016 and 2017. Thanks for this thread, @sleepingbooty1 |
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I understand how difficult the project can be. You go in with so much enthusiasm but then the business of the season takes over and before you know it, there's serious burnout and other priorities. Don't feel bad about your unfinished DD business. In my experience, the more prepped you are, the easier it is to beat the risk of an incomplete. Hence this challenge thread. 
We've got your back!
Like you, I'll be documenting until January 6. We celebrate Epiphany (although, granted, more as a secular holiday) as well. Bring on the Three Kings' cake and cider... It'll be interesting to see how our Epiphany feasts differ. 
