#DoneByDecember | Special Guest Pam Baldwin

Hi friends! We're excited to welcome Creative Team member and co host of our 2021 December Daily® Prep Day, Pam Baldwin, to the blog. Today, we'll be taking a closer look at Pam's pages from 2020 as she works to get her album done by December. That phrase might sound familiar! Done by December or #donebydecember is a community challenge created by Jess Forster to help motivate the community to catch up on past projects before we start documenting our 2021 December stories. Below we're borrowing Pam's amazing projects and the fun bits she's shared about each page on her Instagram account. Be sure to check out her YouTube channel, as well, for process videos for most of these spreads. Let's dive in!

DAY 10

it’s that time of year again! @jess_forster is leading another round of #donebydecember , and I’ve got LOTS to work on 🤗 This day 10 story has been on my table forever. Like literally, since July. The 2 things that were causing the most grief were 1) I had a lot of ephemera from the stories of that day and I was trying to figure out a creative way to incorporate it all (hi my name is Pam, and I’m an over thinker of most things). And 2) I had 3 different stories that I was trying to tell, and my brain was struggling with the editing part. But it’s done, and I’m so pleased with how it turned out! Process video is up on my YouTube channel, and features those 2x2 pockets + a custom transparency from the December 2018 stories by the month Kit + working lights.

DAY 11

December 11 stories: letters to Santa. Lots of pictures for this day (again), so I made a pocket insert to hold them 🤗 

DAY 12

December 12th stories in my #decemberdaily 2019 album! “In the air, there’s a feeling of Christmas”. That was totally the sentiment and jumping off point for telling a little story about the holidays at work. That same evening, we decorated our tree. So it’s all in there 🤗 This spread includes some hidden tag journaling, a flip out 3x8 pocket, and 2 flip up 3x4 pockets! Especially love the big photo on the back of the spread. I’ve got one just like it from a few years ago when it was Liam balancing on the arm of the couch to reach those top branches 🥰

DAY 13

Most years, without fail, SOMEONE in our house gets sick at some point in December. I’m working on my 2019 album, so this was pre-COVID. But the little viruses and “not feeling festive” sentiments were still very fitting!  I also used the 2019 digital main kit. I split this into 2 process videos, now up on my YouTube channel! One to share my digital process for this hybrid layout, and a second one for the actual “putting it all together” process, so you can pick and choose if digital is not your thing. 😉 BUT, if you’re curious about the digital part, I’m sharing super easy step-by-step instructions for my top three favourite, go-to-techniques and a little dose of encouragement!

DAY 14

For day 14, I knew right away that I wanted to make one of those spreads where a giant photo spans all the way across the entire album. This photo is the perfect combination of chaos and calm! This is so, totally us! I also really loved the “simple joys of the holidays at home” sentiment on that transparency. So I put them together, and viola! Process video for this page is now up on my YouTube channel, including the process for printing these big photos at home WITHOUT a large format printer.

DAY 15

The #donebydecember challenge continues!! For Day 15, I’m giving these DIY vellum shaker stars a shot, and using some elements (word art and grid template) from the 2020 @aliedwardsdesigninc December Daily digital template set 🤗 The vellum stars turned out great, but filling them with glitter stars was a “learning experience” 😂. The thing that helped the most was to make a little paper funnel/trough to slide them in through an opening. 😉 Also, I went online and bought some vellum tape as soon as I finished this layout. Feeling more prepared for another future attempt 👍🏻 That little felt star at the top is working like a closure to keep the flap closed. One half of it is adhered to the photo background with redline tape, and the other half gently holds the flap in place. It lifts easily when you want to open the page to see what’s underneath. Feeling pretty good about this creative solution in the absence of brads! 🤗

DAY 16

Lots of little stories for day 16 about a completely ordinary December Monday! My goal was to make a custom folio to hold all these little stories of everyday life. It was all about the hustle and bustle that IS December! The process video for this page is now up on my YouTube channel 🤗 My favourite parts: 1) customized paper clip with stickers, 2) discovering the chipboard word phrase pieces from @aliedwardsdesigninc fit in the Avery index tabs and 3) the screenshot of my “to-do” list from my phone 🤗

DAY 17

#donebydecember day 17! When I went back to the notes and photos I had taken for this day, I was like “what on earth….”. It was practically a mini #dayinthelife. So I went with it, and kept the design super simple. Full page of journaling on the left, enlarged photo on the right, and a faux film strip of pics for an insert. And then I played! The process video for this page is now up on my YouTube channel 🤗 Word art on the left is actually from a 3x4 journaling card in the 2020 digital @paislee_press mini kit @aliedwardsdesigninc with metallic red foil. The pretty paper snowflakes are from the @cratepaper FaLaLa release (I added them to the photo first, the used the leftover bits on the journaling page). The filmstrip is a transparency I printed with a digital file from waaaay back in 2013. 

DAY 18

#donebydecember Day 18! The stories for this day are all about going to see Santa 🎅🏻 As I was looking through the pics for this day, the thought struck me that this is the first time I had my picture taken with Santa is 30ish years! Totally fell down the rabbit hole of wanting to find the ones from my childhood. My mom was able to pinpoint the approximate ages of my brother and I, and I turned them into a little ‘zine. (@lifelovepaper does the BEST ‘zines!! She has a YouTube video all about them.) I think one of my favourite things about NOT making my pages in December is that I get the chance to mix in stories that are real time (still make notes/try to journal everyday in December) and some that are more reflective in nature. I probably wouldn’t have thought of this angle back in December. Process video for Day 18 is now up on my YouTube channel!

Pam's pages are simply stunning! If you are looking for more inspiration or motivation for your own December Daily® pages, make sure to check out the hashtag #donebydecember.