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.
Since I'm taking Yesterday & Today and trying to keep current with it, I'd already decided not to pull out the sewing machine and make a bunch of things this year. I'm having Thanksgiving here with all my children and grandchildren and will have their gifts ready to send home with them. That will leave December for Christmas cards, neighborly goodies, and a few remaining gifts. I want to enjoy Christmas and not have it sneak past me so quickly this year.
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Post-it Notes!!!
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I plan to plan more...have lists for my shopping needs and try to get a few things in advance. I also am doing my very first December Daily this year. I made 7 pages last night :)
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I hope to have a more sane holiday season this year by avoiding the malls. I'm making most of my gifts and already have a good start on that.
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I'm focusing on family this year - not on the commercial hustle and bustle or trying to be super woman. Our family has opted to adopt a family to provide with Christmas gifts rather than buying more "stuff" for ourselves. I am hoping the joy and simplicity of helping someone else this year will re-invigorate the magic of our own Christmas.
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we have our gift giving holiday Sinterklaas early in december, so I don't have to worry about gift during christmas, this way we spread out the orginising.
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I plan on making mine both crazier (by traveling to see my family) and simpler and saner (by cherishing a new town, a new relationship and new traditions)
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This year I hope to focus on what really matters and not sweat the rest. Still contemplating a December Daily, I did one last year, so I may skip this year in favor of a November gratitude album. Not sure yet :)
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Trying to keep the stress at a minimum and getting as much done in advance as I can. Happy Holidays to all!
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I've scaled back my Christmas gift purchases & have made my list of what gifts will be given. All gifts will be bought/made & cards ready to go by the end of this month. Starting December 1st, the focus will be on the kids, family & enjoying the season rather than the extraneous distractions that cause me so much anxiety.
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well, I already know this Christmas will be more crazy than usual since my hubby's deployed! so my only plan of attack is to start early! I've already been in card production for a month now and been gathering inspiration for gifts for months now hehe.
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That sounds like just what I need to accomplish some memory recording this year. I hope to keep things simple this year and really enjoy my family.
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Hi Ali! I've already started gathering items for when my binder arrives this week for the December Daily - this project and the giveaway class are things I've always wanted to do but never been able to swing - whether it's financially or time-wise... this year I'm home (read unemployed) - as I was last year but my twins had just turned a year.... so I'm really hoping to start some new habits/tradition we can enjoy going forward! THANK YOU for the Daily inspiration (The project and just every day) and for a chance to win an awesome class!
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I would love to simply slow down and enjoy christmas. Last I saw your album and thought I just have to do that so. . I made one but you know what I never made the time or found the time to take pictures on everyday or journal sometime. So this year I am just going to try harder because I love your album ideas!!!
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I just enjoy the season. Love to decorate. Love to shop. I don't really have any plans, just go with the flow.
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I am hoping for a sane Christmas. My boyfriend of three years just broke up with me. I thought he was the one I was going to grow old with. So needless to say, I'm kind of lost right now. But my 11-year old daughter is the light of my life and I want to find a way to get past this and make wonderful holiday memories for her. So I am already trying to come up with ideas of things to do with her. I'm probably driving her crazy by talking about it ALREADY, but tormenting her is one of the reasons I had her, right? :)
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i'm probaly planning on making Christmas more fulfilled this year, because my babies are getting older and more intrested in trying new things, and i can't wait to show them all the fun things of Christmas!!!!
thanks for the chance!
a
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I'm hoping to be more organized this year, especially since most of us have decided to spend time together rather than buy gifts that none of us really need. That should make it much easier!
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I plan to do as much shopping online as possible and to get things ready in advance...gifts, decor, food all of it!
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Saying no to Christmas parties. That sounds tough but that means less time with other people and more time with my family and friends; people that I really I wanted to spend time with.
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My husband and I have talked about this in the form of gifts the last couple of days and I hope to carry it throughout the rest of the season including events, decorations etc. Basically a less is more approach. The kids (and both of us!) don't need oodles and oodles of gifts just so there are a lot of gifts under the tree. If our son wants Legos, then he'll get Legos sets and we won't feel the need to overdo with other things just to have them. We'll only go to the events we WANT to rather than the ones we feel like we should. Hoping we can focus on each other and the things we truly enjoy as well as the spirit of the season.
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My daughter will be three this December and this will be my son's first Christmas. I want to enjoy the the true meaning of Christmas and start some new traditions with her year.
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Hi Ali, after 5 months of total motherhood, in April this year I returned back to work and found your blog and wonder and the art of scrapbooking. Since then, I love hearing from your work and I have pictures of my little boy, in December to create an album in its first year of life. This will be my first Christmas as Mom, all I want to do is to fully enjoy the little time I left my job with my husband and our son and see his face the day “Los Reyes Magos” open their gifts (6 January very traditional in Spain) and their grandparents (the first grandchild for everyone)!
Many kisses from Spain.
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I'm hoping I will have found a job before Christmas, so I can buy some prezzie's this year! Failing that, my lovely nephew will be celebrating his first Christmas and what's more fun than that? (and a wonderful scrapbooking opportunity)
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This year it's all about simplicity for me. The older I get, the more I truly realize that LESS is MORE. Blessings to you & your family!
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