December Daily 2009 : Day 23, Day 24, Day 25 & Reflections On The Process
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This is another one of those projects that I love to finish. I love to start it and I love to be done with it (another reason I just do the 25 days). There is no doubt that I will do it all over again next year.
One of the big things you will notice is that I ended up going with a thick ribbon/twine (from my stash) rather than the metal rings to hold it all together. It just wasn't working. I don't love what I ended up using but it will be fine (not ideal because it's hard to turn & would not be easy for little hands to look through). Read below for more observations from the process.
DAY TWENTY-THREE
A shopping list paired with a circle glitter paper from Making Memories. Two circle epoxy and one button accent were added on top of three circles (one from Love, Elsie, one from K&Company, and the button from American Crafts).
Here's the original:
I ended up moving the pocket page to the back (see original below) because I wanted to the photos and the words to be front and center (vs. inside the pocket).
The journaling talks about our day: where we went, what we ate, and how over-the-top excited Simon was about Santa visiting and it finally being Christmas. Word art is from my Hand Drawn Holiday collection at Designer Digitals.
And probably my favorite photo of the season:
Nothing better than matching PJ's on Christmas Eve. Scallop punch along the edge is the Threading Water Punch Fiskars. Attached the little card that came with the PJ's to the top of the page.
Here's the original:
I backed that enlarged photo from Christmas Eve with another from Christmas morning (before doing the border punch). I traditionally don't take too many photos on Christmas morning just because there are so many other things to be paying attention to and celebrating, but I did get a couple this year.
Word stickers along the edge are a few seasons back from Making Memories. The little Santa ticket is from Jenni Bowlin.
I typed up (literally with my old typewriter) two little notes: one for Simon and one for Anna talking a bit about their experience Christmas morning. The handwritten "Dinner Info" card talks about what we cooked this year (prime rib and pommes Anna). The punch along the top of the notes is the Apron Lace punch from Fiskars.
For the final page I moved the canvas pocket (originally Day 24) and added a little strip and used rub-ons to add the word "bits." I collected a few things and tucked them inside.
On the spine I added key, a metal circle with the word "believe," and a small manila tag (I added the E09 with Jenni Bowlin rub ons).
WHAT I LEARNED
I am reminded once again that if I don't jot down notes to myself or document something specific for a particular day I will not remember it. The details or even something that would have been a great little note is gone if not written down. I do use the photos as jumping off points, but without the written words it's a lot harder to remember details even just a couple weeks later.
In looking back through my previous year's albums I think I will go back to the simple 2 or 3-ring approach with a front and back cover next year (vs. an album). I liked the adventure of doing something new and trying something different this year, but I think my preference is for the other format. I also think I like the smaller sizes better.
I liked creating those stitched-pocket pages but didn't really like having more than one of them in the album. I did end up with one on the last page (after the 25th) that worked well as a place to store extra bits from this holiday season. I ended up wanting to just see a photo or paper instead.
I really liked using the eyelets to secure the holes on each page.
I wish I would have kept more of the packaging from some of the gifts to include in the album (fun way to remember some of those gifts).
I am planning to create another layout about the holidays for our family album that will include more photos from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I like that my December Daily becomes more of a highlight (or a favorite photo selection) rather than holding everything.In the end, as I gave this album a little hug and packed it away until next December, I said a prayer of thanksgiving. Thanks for the opportunity, thanks for the awareness of the blessing of our everyday lives, thanks for another season of magic and joy.
This
post is the last of a series documenting the month of December 2009. You
find out more information and view all the completed pages of my album here. Share your work in the Flickr gallery here.
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90 comments
Ali I love your Daily December albums. Can you share what the font is used on the number "24"? I love that big open look. I have a few of them but they aren't as nice as that one. Thanks.
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Hey Ali, Love the book! You are such an inspiration. About the rings in this book, I actually made one a book, too and did not like the rings. Then I found these cable rings from 7Gypsies which are a little flexible and they work great!
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thank you so much ali! this was my 2nd year going along with you on this journey. i felt my creativity soar this year compared to last, my colors were non-traditional with some experiemental additions. i haven't yet found the right binder rings, the 2 in ones are just too small, my book is very bulky. i have enjoyed the use of page protectors and sorely missed my new sewing machine, having sold it, now using my aunt's dated 1960s model. very odd bobbins. around mid-month my friend passed away from cancer, and although it was an emotional time, i documented and celebrated her life, with my thoughts and feelings. she was a scrapbooker, too. you inspired me so much, i love coming to your site and checking out the new stuff you're doing. keep up the good work! this year i plan on my colors being similar to the ones you choose. there's just something about mixing it up every year to test the waters..all a part of the journey and process. i'm developing my style gradually...thank you for inspiring me!
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LOVE those matching jammies. Such a darling picture of the two of them.
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So much inspiration in your designs and in watching you complete a project (of which there are still three pages left on my To Do list). But I am equally inspired by your self acceptance in this post. That embracing of the imperfection and the letting go of the "should-haves" and "if-onlies". December Daily has been such a gift for my life, it's fitting that this message from you should be my final take away lesson.
My December was filled with so many unexpected and unfortunate events, I could easily have found myself wallowing in self-pity, saddened by all the ways cut fingers and car repairs were ruining my vision of a perfect holiday season. But the act of capturing our daily lives in images and words kept me present and focused, resulting in the most joyous holiday season I've had since childhood.
And along the way I have found a new creative outlet. For all of that, I am so very grateful to you, for living creatively and sharing it with us.
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I'd like to start this kind of album. How fun! I love Hanna Andersson too. No matching jammies this year but will for next :)
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Dear Ali,
Many thanks for sharing the project, for teaching everyday, and also thanks for the lovely yesterday's layout.
Best Regards
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Thanks Ali!
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beautiful Ali!!
this was my 2nd year playing along & I am almost finished w/mine also!
thanks for this project as well as the many others you inspire us w/!!!
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ALI, as always, i LOVE LOVE LOVE your 25 days album.. so beautiful and inspiring. thank you.
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Ali-
Loved seeing the last couple days of your dd album! This was my first year to do a dd and i loved it. I ended up doing a lot of it digitally, which is all new for me. I just need to figure out how to simplify things and to spend less time on the pages next year, but I wouldn't change this album :)
Thanks again for your inspiration!
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Dear Ali: I was so inspired by you, like all the others, to do a December Daily this year. I finished creating my pages on Thanksgiving, and then my little boy and I woke up the next morning with H1N1. It took us three weeks to recover, and then other health issues and family drama pretty much obliterated all our usual holiday plans. I was going to forget about the book, but your blogging was so special that I made myself journal and photograph each day -- even from bed -- because this is life, for good or bad. And it actually encouraged me to do some holiday activities with my kids, just to have something fun to record. I am just now beginning the process of assembling my book, and going through the photos and journaling, I noticed that since the usual overwhelming fanfare of Christmas wasn't there this year, I really focused on the simple, subtle details that makes holidays and family really important. So, thank you for this gift that I will have to share with my family in Christmases to come. Happy new year!
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Love seeing the completion and contemplation too! I keep wanting to do one of these, but with my daughters grown, I'm just not as inspired! They're around on & off during the holidays (one home mid-month from college, usually off with friends or working...) so I just don't have motivation to do a "daily" record of our month. I've just flashed on doing a general December-through-the-Years book, pulling favorite pics from past years and compiling it into one album---then adding pages from now on! I might start this next spring - need to put together an album of our Kauai adventures from last December first for the girls & finish sorting the over 500 photos we all took....
By the way, love the Hanna Jammies on your two cuties - I have the woman's nightgown in the same holiday colors that's probably 5 or more years old now---still LOVE IT!
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My album of "December Memories" is almost done and I can't wait to share it. I've been anxiously awaiting your last days to get the kick-in-the-butt motivation I need to get my last pages done... so thanks! :)
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Love the matching pajama photo!
And I noticed I need to write things down too. I kind of didn't write anything down, and forgot it all the next day! The second half of the album has almost no text. That's life I guess. But now I know. :)
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Such a beautiful album again this year.
Thank you for your after notes, and things you learned.
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Thank you. I had questioned whether or not I wanted to even complete the December Daily this year, given what a sad month it was. But it was good for me to be able to focus on something other than Mom's illness and death. It was a good way to motivate myself to keep doing some Christmassy things for my daughters and to find the blessings amidst the pain.
Melanie, I am so sorry for your loss, as well.
Thank you for the condolences
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I am new to your blog. I love your work and I really wish I new about the December Daily earlier, I would have loved to do it. I am absoulutly going to do it next year. Thank you for sharing.
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It's wonderful, Ali! I'm eager to get mine done -- picking up my computer from repairs this afternoon.
I love your treatment on page 24, and may just have to lift you again, b/c I too am just wanting to finish already. so many current things I want to get started on right now.
Thanks so much for the observations as well.
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Beautiful and thanks for the inspiration. It is so true about loving to start and loving to finish. I'm happy to be done, but know that in July I will be looking forward to yet another December Daily!
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