December Daily 2009 : Step One • Gather Your Materials
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Yes, it really is getting to be that time of year again soon.
And yes, I know that we haven't even hit Halloween yet.
And yes, what you see here in my office is my December Daily pile.
And yes, that's my progress so far.
WELCOME TO DECEMBER DAILY 2009.
You are invited to join me in what has become a favorite holiday tradition: December Daily.
December Daily is an album project that documents the 25 days leading up to Christmas. Many people start their documentation earlier and many people go longer. I have found that 25 days is just right for me.
One of the keys to success in this project is getting an album structure set-up in advance of December so that during December you can enjoy the season & enjoy the process of documenting your days without having to be putting the entire thing together at the same time. It is not meant to be stressful. It is meant to be a way to creatively celebrate the season and document you special holiday memories in one album.
If this is your first time reading about December Daily I highly recommend you read my 2008 welcome post. It will give you a run-down of the basics and give you a better understanding of what's happening. There's also a Question & Answer post that my clarify things for you even more.
For the rest of you, let's get started!
STEP ONE:GATHER & ORGANIZE YOUR MATERIALS
Easy enough. Get all your holiday stuff in one location. Having it all in one spot and accessible makes the entire process that much easier. As you can see from my photo above I have it all in one place just not really in any order. My organizing for this project is usually just a box or basket - judging from the photo I might need a bigger box.
While you are gathering your supplies it's also a good opportunity to purge things you might be ready to pass along to someone else (think school, church, retirement home, shelter, etc).
Here's a look at my album before any December documentation was added last year: December Daily 2008. As soon as I have the bare bones structure for this year I will post it. Working on it a little bit at a time right now.
There are so many different ways to approach this project:
Some people make it a game to use what they have on hand (all those years of stocking up on holiday products and then making one layout is paying off). If this is you, your goal over the next week is to get all your stuff in one place.
Some people mix old products with new products (this is me).
Some people do all digital albums.
Some people do a mixture of digital and paper (this is me too)
Some people do big albums and some people do really small ones.
You're also invited to join the 2009 Flickr group which can be accessed here: December Daily 2009.
A couple other things to note:
Katie Pertiet has a great digital album coming out this weekend at Designer Digitals if you are looking to do all digital this year.
Cocoa Daisy will have a December Daily kit available on November 1. I coordinated products that I have been collecting with Tricia, including the Prima fabric album I will be using as my base.
I'm here to encourage, celebrate and cheer you on along the way. I can't wait to see how mine turns out - I'm trying a couple different things this year (including incorporating some fabric for my cover) and still trying to keep it simple overall.
It's totally possible that you are already making this more complicated than it needs to be in your head. Take a deep breath and do one little thing at a time.
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110 comments
I am so glad that it is this time a year again! I have all my christmas supplies ready in a box and can't wait to go through them!
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Can't wait to start - my base is ready to go and have a bin full of goodies to add as I go. I was even given a photo printer this year, so I am hoping it will actually be a daily thing and not a weekend thing (so hard to fit everything in on the weekends - especially that time of the year)
Can't wait to see your project.
Thanks Ali for helping us along with this project.
Have a great monday.
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okay this:
"It's totally possible that you are already making this more complicated than it needs to be in your head. Take a deep breath and do one little thing at a time"
totally made me giggle. I think I need to print that out and post it on the fridge for a constant reminder for life in general.
My 2009 daily is mostly ready to go because I started making an album for 2008 and then got slammed with horrible morning sickness and missed most of the Christmas season.
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Last year was the first time I made a DD and I absolutely loved it. So 2 weeks ago I was in the mood and I made one for this year.
I used things I already had and choose for the colors white and silver. Looking foreward to work on it.
Thank you so much for this lovely idea.
Greetings from Jolande
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i'm definitely participating this year, but all digital. i'm just going to blog my December Daily right on my blog (actually, on a special space i've got set up just for December Daily stuff) and then when January comes I'll be ordering a book from Blurb - easy peasy, and a great way for a dabbler like me to get into the habit of documenting the dailies a little better.
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I'm looking forward to taking part! :)
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I've just ordered my new stuff to go with my old stuff. I think it's funny that you're going to use the Prima Fabric Book. I had my options narrowed down to that and the Making Memories Mistletoe Felt Book. I only chose the MM felt book because I didn't like that the Fabric book has to be tied together. I just wanted to stop by and say that I thought it was a funny coincidence. Loved making it last year, maybe I'll have the guts to join the Flickr group this year...
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I can't wait!!! We did one last year & it was so much fun!!! We actually called ours our "Advent Album" and began with the day after Thanksgiving as that's when we take a train ride to a neighboring town to see the lighting of the community Christmas tree - this we consider the "official start" of our Family's Christmas Season.
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This will be my first year actually doing this. I bought a book from evalicious sometime mid-December last year and am excited to actually do the project this year. That closing quote is key!
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YES! i am so excited! already started gathering supplies!
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I'm in!! I started collecting last year with the intention of doing it this year and now is the perfect time. Thanks for this idea Ali.
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I'm so excited Ali! Thank you for that end reminder. I love to make it more complicated before I even start. Thanks so much for all the time and effort you put into this project.
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Ooh! I am so excited and actually started pulling my supplies together over the weekend. I really want to get a head start this year and set myself up for success. I've been doing Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas for the past few years and plan to follow most of her themes again this year but I'm not going to put pressure on using the themes on a set date or even using a theme at all if it doesn't strike me. I am going to make my own album this year instead of using a pre-made album and I am going to limit my use of products. I'm going to let the photos and stories take precedence this year & I can't wait!!
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So excited it's that time of the year again!! I've been collecting since January :o)
Can hardly wait to see your ideas for this year. Thanks so much for sharing your creativity with us!! Blessings to you & your family!! Patricia
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:) I am ecstatic to begin this project! Last year I watched vowing this year I would do it!
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I'm so excited to be beginning this project and even more so because my book is already ready... I started it last year but never completed it so I have the bare bones already put together. YEAH! As always Ali you are such a creative inspiration. Enjoy the season.
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I have to confess that I still have some tidying to do in last years December Daily (because I got started late on it and I really haven't been able to make crafting a part of my everyday life anymore.. I've got to figure that out, because it's important to me). It got put away not long after the holidays and there it sat. Finishing that up is a priority (so that we can enjoy it this holiday season). Having said that! I just spent 18 hours over the last day and a half preparing this years Daily! I am actually heading to a papercrafting retreat in November and I wanted to offer these little books I made in a kit. It was a good way to get me on schedule. I'm pretty happy with the way they are turning out! Thank you for the inspiration and for encouraging memory building amongst families!
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Ali - I'm so excited!! I already DID my december daily! I went to a crop Early September and knocked it out! I am BEYOND excited. I really wanted to do it last year but time got away so I was DETERMINED to be ahead of the schedule! Thanks for the inspiration you provide!
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I'm so excited, I am way more organized this year and i'm almost done with the shell of my book, just adding the remaining numbers... i can't wait! i love this project. Thanks Ali.
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Yay, so exited that you posted this today. Like many others I have been eargely waiting for you to kick us off. I have supplies gathered and have been pondering the cover alone for about three days, so thanks for saying relax with it. You are such an inspiration.
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