Mandy's December Daily Journey.....

Back in 2009, I'd come across a few people talking about Ali Edwards 'December Daily', and  do remember thinking it was a fabulous idea and set off researching!  What I couldnt believe is that I'd only just come across it  when it had been around for a while before that!  "Where had I been!!!??

"I LOVE Christmas!, so embraced the concept readily!

I have to tell you that I love my December Daily's, and could not even fathom missing creating one!

I wish wish wish I'd made one each year since my girls were born, and what a wonderous thing it would have been if my mother had done that for us, or grandmother before her - how much would Christmas have changed?  I'm sure the comparisons would have been huge, but mostly, the heart of Christmas being carried though family would remain the same...  this is my hope - that my children always remember their Christmases as joyful and full of fun memories.

It's what you make of it.

So, after looking with wonder at what I could find on the net back then, I was itching to start...

 (any type in brown - is what has been written in previous years - quotes)

 MY first DECEMBER DAILYHere's the cover!!  I've used gesso (oh yes, another newly discovered product for scrapbooking trending back then!!) on the cover, painted in gold and sanded it back a little. I've also use Dimensional Magic a lot on the lettering and embellishments.

And here are the words I used for that post....
" Heehee - this creative process took me on 'journey' and back again!
I know I love this!"

Here's a couple favourite double pages...

 25th- It was such a chilly morning I had to remove the stockings and light the jolly fire (pardon the pun!!) Diggin into those santa sacks!! Ahhhh - the squeals of delight!

----------------------------------

2010 December Daily

 Interestingly... I had some thoughts about what I'd learned back then:

 I did struggle with this bigger album!

The cover is misted (looks a bit pink here but it is more red in real life)

Used some alphas as a mask for the 'christmas' word - gathered some vintage sparkly fabric and gathered it and added the leaf ribbon, deers, used some beading and added some prima vines.

 I'm really thrilled how it turned out especially in the Prima Canvas Album.

Its probably a little bit too big in comparison to my smaller cardboard and paper one last year which was quicker to get each page done... but.... on the otherhand - working with the canvas pages and plastic sleeve pages has given opportunity for much scope and varied fun creative-wise!!

Having said that - next years will be smaller!! LOL!

It was a much bigger job, but in hindsight by 2012, its probably the one I loved the most.

Some favourite pages...

------------------------------

2011 December Daily

Here' it is in my words back then... more things learned (and unlearned!)

Note to self:
Wont pre-prepare one again!
The one thing I've learnt this time around (this is my third) that I've spent more time rearranging and adding in pages than I would if I'd created pages day by day in December as I've gone along like in previous years (lol).  Every year I learn something new though the one thing that stays the same is how much I love the end result!
The album is based on Simple Stories Christmas Kit, with a Fancy Pants Overlay, covers  are Teresa Collins and covered in  Kraft

( totally LOVE the overlay!! and here in 2013 thinking I must do something like this again to include more overlay work!  This album had all sizes and shaped pages in it.

Favourite pages:

(my mum)

---------------------------------------------------------

2012

More wise words (or unwise ones???) about my thoughts at the time...

 I'm soooo excited to start my December Daily and its my 4th one!
Each year I learn more about what I love/like, dont like and what I'd like to try (whether it works or not - there's always Plan 'B' - and I've often reverted to that!)

I did love the canvas DD I did back in 2010 - and after saying 'never again' back then...

Jolly-well decided in 2012 after loving that one heaps... should do another! LOL!

(Justification below pic!!! rolling eyes)

 

I had in my mind very early in the year to use these Prima Resist Covers, are 7 1/2 x 9 1/2ins so pretty much the insides would be about 7x9ins. At first I thought this might be too big! But thinking about my previous albums - there are really important days where I've had to do a few pages to cover one day - so maybe this time, I'll do say a 'tag' page for a small event day - and a large page that fits to the covers for the big event days for instance. See - we keep learning
There's so much scope with these covers. I did a Prima Canvas album year before last - and swore I'd never do another (just a tad bit of extra work) - but its the one I LOVE the most out of all of them... so here I am again - having another shot at a slightly different one!

 (let's see if I'm sorry or not by its end )

Fave pages:

 A tag

Sewn fabric tag

 

 Yep... it turned out to be another fairly big job!

' Just want to add that I love the size of this album - plenty of scope to try all sorts of inserts '

Learning to say 'never say never'

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2013

What a journey my 2013 December Daily became.
 I think I really managed to do quite a few things I really loved to do in this one.... like fold-out pages, the use of acetate with LOTS of see through pages,  quite a few sparkly things like sequins and glittery bits and loved the use of the 'doors' this BoBunny album afforded.

One thing I have learnt is that I need complete change every time I attempt a December Daily...and am really hankering to do a vintage book for my next one.  I'd love to do a 'blue' Christmas....BUT.... I've learnt that I absolutely fail in keeping to set colours!  I just forget to! Then merrily (pun LOL) set off creating before I realise that I have one off in a different colour direction!

Another thing I've learned also as I watch friends and relatives leaf through this Dec Daily... is that some things I've included are a bit fragile... like this doily pocket or the flip-out being refolded back in.
 
Non-scrappy people (especially children and teenagers) arent as gentle replacing things in and out... and I've held my breath as pages/photos/flipouts have been pulled, pushed, shoved, flipped and closed hard... all unintentional by all means...but it does make me wonder how these fragile bits will hold up over time... and 'maybe' I should put a little sticker on some things saying 'Be gentle with me, I'm fragile'?  It's definite food for thought to make 2014  more hardier! Another lesson learned!
  But, having said all that, ...for me... its also about the fun of creating it, and once the beginning of December is over (on holidays from work).... luckily I do get time to plan, play and create as well as preserve the memories.
Its been a total joy and will look foward 2014 with as much anticipation!  

------------------------------------------------

2014

This year I worked both my December Daily and the 30 Days of Lists idea together.
It was an experiment to see if it was possible, or if it could be combined in some form.
I loved the idea of the Lists book because it encompassed everyday things that I'd go about and do in December which were mostly overlooked in the December Daily.  The December Daily pretty much always contains bigger events or centres more on my girls so including my days too would be a bonus for them in the future - like a 'what goes on behind the scenes' account to our Christmases.

The Lists book was a great idea in the beginning and in the middle, and towards the end when things got busy, I found I kept creeping towards repeating myself in two books and stopped short of it happening, and it got chunky from the added tags each day and the little embellishments etc.
so would I do it again in this format ?  - probably not...
 It's pretty though!! And I do love it!

HOWEVER, if you were ever short of time or wanted to keep things simple and don't think you'd be able to create a December Daily for some reason, or a first timer -  the Lists book is a GREAT way to do it!  It was simple and it was quick and it also gave opportunity to add heaps of details too. And recycle these wonderful books!  Breathe new life into them!

 

So for my December Daily... weeeell, I love its blue cover, and very much loved working from a vintage Christmas book.  I think this is 'me' more than any other December Daily I've done

I loved working with the aged pages and my favourite thing to do was creating with transparencies inside.

So whats next? Weeeeell, as much as I'd love to do another vintage book, I also need change.  I thought for 2015, I'd like to combine the Lists and the December Daily in someway.  At a recent sale, I managed to pick up a heap of  '7 Gypsies' long envelopes made of beautiful quality paper, and thought combined they would make a fabulous December Daily!  This way I could include the lists in some fashion inside each envelope along with other bits and decorate the outside with dates and photos.... AND there's a couple more effects I'm planning on...*wink wink*  we'll see in November LOL... nothing like a little suspense!

-------------------------------------------------------

2015

 

I had an instant love affair I had with 7dots Yuletide range. It really was love at first sight and when I received it (not sure its in Australia yet, so had it sent from the US .... I was just so delighted, any other ideas I had about how 2015's December Daily was going to look..... weeeeeeeell, they just disappeared!

I love its 'Grungy' feel!  So, grunge it is.... and.... ooooh that deer!

I felt I'd put myself back in square one changing ideas from 2014 (I bought some beautiful envelopes last year to be made into an album, about chalkboard too) - sooooo back to the drawing board.

What a process this 2015 album was! 

It's so different from my 2014 album (altered vintage book)

This one was made from scratch and I loved all its possibilities!

Mainly made from 7dots Yuletide collection...it also has quite a few old Hambly transparency pages too.  The size of 12"x6" was perfect for the kind of scrapper I am - I like to include a lot and am so happy with the space to fill!  Spreading outwards, kinda stopped it from spreading upwards (chunky)!

 Sewn are 14 pages with spines of black denim plus the covers...

Large eyelets and bendy large screw bands to hold it together. (metal jump rings just didnt work well)

 What I cant believe is even with the thickness of the spines and large eyelets, it actually

remained fairly flat - but I didnt really 'scrap flat' so somehow the constraints took it on board

and afforded enough room thickness-wise, even with pompom trim and all!

 What I did miss was the inclusion of  'lists' of everyday smaller detail of things.

Last year I worked with a separate smaller vintage book -  December 30 Day's of List's

and thought that this year instead of working it separately, I'd include it somehow...

I forgot....

until Deb had included a list in her December Daily

 so smacking my foreheard with the palm of my hand, 

realised it was too late - I'd gone too far to include it throughout!  

Oh well (shrug) next time!

One thing I did do now its finished was went through with the Dimensional Magic and put a lacquer of it on anything that was a cardstock label, glitter (whether it be stars, numbers or outlines etc) and anything that needed a subtle standout of some kind.....
Yes, even Dimensional Magic-ed my deer on the front cover!

What's next for 2016?  Not 100% sure, but I do have a few ideas swirling in my head...

like.... maybe a black paper bag album - I could include my 'lists' well into this and even more use of transparencies!  I want to do more stamping and embossing with enamels too!

   We'll see, who knows what products/techniques might turn up yet

 throughout the year that might be worthy of December Daily-ing!!  :)

 Whatever it is, there's never a definite goal (other then finishing), just a heap of ideas that take twists and turns throughout the process and all I can do is cross my fingers that it might turn out!
Aah well.... bye 2015!

-----------------------------------------------------------

Going back in time:
2008  (created in 2015

While hauling out Christmas stash stored away, I came across a box of photo cds and got curious if I had photos of December 2008 (the year before I started creating Dec Daily's) and surely enough - the CD has photos for EVERY day in December!  I could not believe it... was I that photo savvy back then?  Must have been! Bonus!

OH WHAT FUN!

Love to have another December Daily on the coffee table!

So with that said.....

Here is my 2008 December Daily Cover!

I bought some beautiful envelopes last year to use as a basis of my 2015 December Daily, but another idea took over that... so  2008 got them!

Stacked on top of each other.. with large eyelets in place... just needed the covers!

And wanted to show the door... the way in for Christmas!  

Envelope with a page insert - all to be used for scrapping on both sides

 

  

 The finished thickness!!

You can find the whole album HERE

-----------------------------------------------

 2007 (created in 2016)

I've looked at what photos I have for 2007 (thank goodness for the digital age!) and sure enough - there were photos for an album too!

Based on a Project Life style album

Tim Holtz 'Worn' covers

And based on My Minds Eye 'Sleighbells Ring' Kit

 

 Gotta love a bit of sequin and transparency!

  

Project life style pocket page with a shaker pocket

A couple of other styles of pocket:

 

 

 Multiple photos

 

 All finished

You can find the album

HERE

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 2016

Phew!  This was a really different album to what I've done in the past. The wooden covers were experimental as I had NO idea if they'd turn out.  I enlisted my wood-machinist husband to help me with advice which was fabulous. It worked!!!

 

  I did stick to my original plans of basing the album around 'Basic Grey' collection 'Jovial' and other older papers as a tribute to Basic Grey.  This was fun along with the occasional transparency.  

Also stuck to the pop of colour too and edging pages in 'jovial' fabric and pompoms

It stayed relatively flat!  (surprised!)

Large eyelets and bendy large screw bands to hold it together (metal jump rings just didnt work well)

But what I could not stick with was.......

......black and white photos. 

 Yep that was the big plan and it went south real quick!

First I forgot (merrily printed out coloured photos and placed on the page)..... realised..... and then went back to the drawing board to rehash and I just couldnt do it - it felt like I was taking the colour out of Christmas!  So tossed the black and white idea to the side and carried on! 

Colour it was!

I think my original thought was perhaps black and white photos would have been too much with all the colour that was going to be used everywhere else.

 Anyway....turns out - it didnt matter! LOL

My favourite page would be Day 1...... 

All 'Jovial' including the fabric trim ...oh except the transparency (old Hambley)

I love that its of my loved kitty and being able to see through to the next page too.

 What to do for my 2017 December Daily?  

I 'think'  maybe fabric??... or along those lines. 

(unless some amazing product turns up in the meantime?? It's happened before!)

I've absolutely loved creating my 2016 album  to the finish and have leaned quite a lot!

 Time to rest!

-------------------------------------------------

2017!

This is my 11th December Daily and is so very different to my 2016 one!

This year I had the urge to play with mixed media in a Ranger Dylusion 8x8 Art Journal in black

     

 And because of the use of mixed media, made the decision just to create the inside cover in the beginning because I was concerned I'd get paint etc on the outside cover while working on it...

 And now the album is finished, here is the outside cover...

 And it didn't turn out too chunky either 

(helped by taking out quite a few pages before starting it)

 

What was great about this album is that it made me get out the many mixed media products I had and either hardly used or never used! (thats right!)  Now was the time!

Products like...Dylusion paints, Clearsnaps Smooch Accent Inks, Inka Gold waxes, Texture paints, Izinks etc and trying out various techniques. 

Here are a couple of my favourites: 

Peep through pages were fun:

 And I love pie graphs!

Now, having said all that.... 

I would love to say - I loved the Art Journal... but ......  I kind of and mostly did because of playing in mixed media and am really happy with the end result, though found ......

I really missed making my own pages! 

So for 2018... weeeeell,  it will definitely be more constructing of the album and pages I think, but in what format... unsure! Travellers Note Journal would be fun... but would it be big enough?? Hmmmn....

  Anything can happen (lol and certainly has in the past!) a new product or idea might jump out of no where....  I'm willing to try anything! :)

---------------------------------------