Journal Your Christmas Giveaway
The first time I did any sort of journal/creative adventure during the holiday season was Shimelle Laine's Journal Your Christmas back in 2005 (check out my December 2005 archives for more).
My experience in Shimelle's workshop inspired me to create my first December Daily in 2007 that was published in my Studio A column in Creating Keepsakes magazine. The main differences being that I set up the structure of my album in advance (trying to keep it simple) and that I wanted to focus on documenting the daily activities over the course of the 25 days leading up to Christmas without specific prompts.
Over the last couple of years there have been lots of people that have combined the two concepts - creating a foundation in advance and using Shimelle's prompts as guides for page topics and inspiration.
It's a creative adventure I highly recommend so I thought it would be fitting to give away a spot to Shimelle's class this week.
One person and a friend of their choice will recieve a spot in Shimelle Laine's fabulous Journal Your Christmas online workshop.
Journal your Christmas is an online class that takes you right through the Christmas season, from the 1st of December to the 6th of January - the twelfth day of Christmas. Through 37 full colour prompts that arrive in your inbox daily, you'll be inspired by topics that let you enjoy this year's celebrations while reliving your very favourite Christmas memories, and you'll have plenty of ideas for making your pages with hundreds of beautiful examples from a variety of scrappers.
Instead of letting the holidays run you, a Christmas journal has helped many women take back their Christmas so they can enjoy and celebrate the magic of Christmas. Other class benefits include a printable Christmas planner, digital and printable supplies designed exclusively for class and a bonus guide to improving your Christmas photographs including easy-to-use tips from dozens of professional photographers.
To be entered into the giveaway please leave a comment below sharing how you plan to create a more sane holiday season (or more crazy if that's what you need). Comments will be closed on Thursday at 8pm Pacific with the winners posted shortly after.
I am anxious to share with my 2 year old some of my favorite traditions at Christmas time (trimming the tree, finding fun goodies in our stockings, sharing X-mas eve with good friends). He is at the age where he is "getting it" and I want to create memories for him that will last a lifetime. I would love to attend the online class that will help me document the holiday so we can look back and remember (more vividly) in the days to come. Thank you for offering this giveaway!
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I have an audit happening the week before Christmas, so making the season more sane is going to be a challenge. I'm hoping that things will go smoothly with a little help from some photo printing websites (calendars) and early internet orders for all the children in the family.
I am still dreaming that I'll be able to participate in the December daily album, and this class would be a wonderful boost! Me and my sister all the way. :)
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This year, we're streamlining gifts, paring down. At a time when several family members have lost their jobs, we want to be conscious of their concerns and feelings. It will be good to focus on the real reason for the season.
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I'm shopping early so that I'll have more time to enjoy the season. Thanks!
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i am planing and making lists. hope to keep it simple this year.
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I'm opening my bakery cafe on November 21st and then my mother (whom I haven't seen in 2 and a half years!!) is flying in with my sisters for the holidays so I think this year for us is going to be a crazy one!! Lots of work, lots of late nights visiting and hopefully lots of laughs!!
Thanks for the opportunity - I'm still working on my daily from last year!!! This would definitely help me to stay on track this year!
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Our Family has kept things pretty simple, and I think it will continue this year. I think it keeps us close, and reminds us to be grateful, and feel and enjoy the blessings we have.
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Even though I would love to say that our holidays will be sane, they will not. We live 500 miles from all our family and we travel on Christmas Day with a 18 month old. Once we get there we split time between to cities that are 2 hours apart and my husband's brother has decided to divorce his wife. It will be nothing but crazy and confusing.
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Plan & lists! I definitely need to make more realistic expectations and goals. I shall make daily and weekly goals of things that can be done in advance.
Thanks for this opportunity!!!
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We moved overseas this summer and in doing so had to leave a lot of our Christmas decorations behind. When choosing what got to go with us, I selected the pieces that had the most meaning to me. This year we will be on a tropical island with our ornaments pinned to the walls and our stockings hung right by the snorkel equipment. It won't be a white Christmas but it will be perfect for this time in our lives.
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i am hoping that my little boy comes a bit early, i'm due dec 29th, so he can be here for christmas. either way this year i am going all out and celebrating for the first time in years. it is going to be a great holiday season.
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My plan is to start early! I want to get my cards made, shopping done, presents wrapped & cookies baked as early as possible so I can relax and enjoy the holidays.
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I plan to create a more simple holiday season by simply being more aware. Enjoying what is there around me already, and focusing on family and celebrating the season.
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Major, major changes this year. For 20 years my husband and I have traveled on the busiest day of the year to attend a huge Thanksgiving dinner at my mom and dad's house with 50+ family members. Last year my mom (in her early 70's) announced it was her last time to host the dinner, she was too old and tired to keep it up - and GOOD FOR HER! So this year? DH and I are staying quietly at home, just the two of us. No huge dinner, no traveling, no guests, nothing - we will simply cook a small bird and I will probably make a pie. It will be lovely!!! Oh, and Christmas will be similar. We will buy almost NO gifts; instead loved ones will receive letters and/or photos, phone calls, personalized digital photo gifts, a small sewn item (like a placemat or apron), or something baked and hand-delivered. My gift list has only 9 people on it, and no one will get more than one item, not even our kids (well, they ARE grown and gone, after all)! The motto is SIMPLE, QUIET, REVERENT, JOYOUS & PEACEFUL. Just thinking about spending the holidays that way makes me feel soooo good inside!
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I would love to win this and share it with my sister. We live far from each other and holidays aren't the same now. It would be fun to work on this together even though we are apart.
Laurie S.
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hmm, not sure if my comment went through so I will say it again - I would love to win this and share it with my sister. We live far from each other now and Christmas is not the same. It would be fun to work on this together even though we are apart.
Laurie S.
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I wish we were going easier this Christmas... My little sister is getting married in December, so we will be traveling across the country to be at her wedding. Exciting, but not sane.
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I am definetly going to SIMPLIFY my Christmas this year. We're heading to Florida right after so I won't have time to do nearly half of what I always do. I really would like to just enjoy the Holiday for a change.
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Doing everything that needs to be done early= a sane Christmas for me. I have taken classes by Shimelle before but never this one so I would love to give it a try!
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I started a few months ago. I started purchasing gifts so that the list isn't so long in Dec. Plus the budgeting really helps...I hope...
I am also doing the Dec. daily. I am so excited about this creative venture!
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I am simplifying by shifting the focus away from the materialistic aspects...inviting girlfriends over for tea instead of purchasing gifts, game night with my siblings - that kind of thing.
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My Christmas is always family-centered, we have a lot of traditions that we love, but those traditions are not documented anywhere. My plan this year is to spend some of that time we have together having everyone share their favorite memories of these traditions and how they've evolved over the years so we have this in the future.
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I'm going to concentrate less on buying the perfect gifts and more on spending time with loved ones and making memories that will be cherished forever. This is what Christmas should be like every year.
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I am super excited to be doing the december daily -I went to the LSS today and just can't wait to get the album ready for december 1-- I am not a great journaler and I always feel like I need to document the little conversations etc and never remember them when the time comes- so this season I am sure my 6 year old twins will be excited and I want to make sure I don't miss any of their little phrases! It will be neat to go back and read the journal and look at the pics!
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I want to say no to the things that take time but don't have any lasting value...the older I get (and my children get) the more family and celebrating with them mean to me. Our family loves games - this year I'd love to have several nights of game time with the five of us home, just enjoying being together.
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