Who's already thinking about December Daily?

M

marlathrall

New member
I think I've lost my mind. Last year, I wasn't even interested in this project. This year, I've already been googling links, visiting blogs, searching the forum, etc from previous years. I actually worked on filling in some templates last week... I've got three full spreads all done and just need to add pictures & journaling.

I got my cruise photo book finished and printed in September and completely fell in love with the matching spreads, big pictures, and pretty pages. Now, I'm really, really looking forward to my next big project.

Anyway, anyone else way excited for the project? What are you doing to get ready? Am I completely crazy? :w00t:
 
last years DD is the only album I finished. haha

I'm doing it again this year... all digi style.
 
Yeah, Traci I think hybrid would kill me. I never got into traditional scrapbooking, so I'd have to buy a ton of stuff and I'd rather play on my computer.

What are you guys doing to get ready?
 
I am! I'm thinking of a smashbook/art journaling/hybrid thing, but I will probably end up going digital as always.
 
I have done it 2 years in a row, but haven't had the chance to print them, but going to do it again this year...already did my cover :)
 
I am...I've still been working on my 2011 album...hopefully it will be finished before I start 2012 :)

I need to find a set of templates to use...
 
Well I wasn't until I saw this thread!!! :D :D I'll do it all digi again (this is my 3rd year doing it) so I guess the first thing I need to do is find a set of templates to you!!!

My first year I didn't have enough photo slots and last year I think I had too many photo slots so I need to find a set that it somewhere in between!!!
 
of coarse the fact that I threw in Elf on the shelf I always had at least 1 picture everyday! My trouble was the days after Christmas and I know some people Due Nov 25th-Dec25th!
 
Angie, I love your cover page. You need to get those books printed out ASAP. :)

I think I'm going to do Thanksgiving until Christmas... I've already got a list of simple journaling ideas I can add in there and I think I could come up with something all those days.

I'm probably going to start stocking up Christmas kits with my Sweet Rewards. :)
 
I need to look this up more. Are there prompts and such? I should google. I haven't done it in the past (DD, not google, LOL)
 
Sherri...you just choose one story from each day to tell. Sometimes it is Christmas related and sometimes it isn't...

I did it last year and loved the result (I went with an 8x8 digi book). But this year, DH and I are honeymooning for a week of December, so I'm going to sit out on DD. Looking forward to seeing everyone's work though!
 
Yes! I've been mulling it over since Ali mentioned it on her blog. I haven't done anything to prepare, though, as all my stash is on my EHD which won't be fixed until November.

I discovered last year (after failing at completing it twice before) that trying to put pages together beforehand does not work for me. I do choose a set of templates, some staple elements/alphas, and have all my favorite Christmas kits in one big DD folder, but I am too OCD to put pages together ahead of time and then 'force' my photos to fit. Having the same kraft background on every page made them all work together even though every page was a different kit.

Oh, and I jot down a rough schedule ahead of time for things that I already know we're going to be doing and then have a 'generic'/any time list e.g. stockings, Christmas card, etc. that I can put in the blank spots. My book goes from the day after Thanksgiving (when we decorate the Christmas tree) until the last Christmas celebration we have with our families. We always have one of the family celebrations post-Christmas since we have to work with my stepson's and nephew's visitation schedules. Last year, I stopped on December 26th, but this year it will be December 29th or December 30th.

ETA: I just checked the calendar, and there's a whole 'nother week in November after Thanksgiving this year, so I think mine will start on December 1st this year so that I don't have to have 30+ pages (and think of that many Christmas-centric themes) in my album! LOL!

My pages are very simple -- 1 to 2 photos & very journal-centric -- and focus on something Christmaselated every day (even though I know that you don't 'have' to). I also can't let myself get more than 2 days behind or I get overwhelmed and want to quit.
 
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I am! I already bought my album, have my papers picked out, and just need to get some embellishments- which should be easy considering Hobby Lobby is 2 miles from my new house. I'm doing a mostly paper album this year, which I am strangely excited about.

I do from Black Friday to Christmas, unless we have stuff going afterwards, then I'd go until New Years-ish. I completed my album last year the week after christmas and I can't wait to have it on display at our new house this year!
 
I did it last year and actually finished it! That was huge for me - I'm the queen of unfinished projects...:o

I wasn't planning on doing it again because I felt like I covered everything and I would just be repeating myself. If you have done it multiple years, how do you keep it "fresh"?
 
I did a combo of Journal Your Christmas & December Daily last year. I like shimelle's prompts but after 4 years of JYC I feel sort of journaled out on some of them so I mixed some DD stuff in for those prompts. I'll probably do it again this year but since we are leaving for vacation for a lot of December I am not sure how much I will get done. I have a hard time scrapping when I am out of town & catching up after a 10 day break will be very challenging. JYC runs to Jan 6th though so I am going to at least start it & see what happens.

I have been looking through my templates already but I wait to see what new Christmas kits I buy before I decide on an overall look
 
nun69 said:
of coarse the fact that I threw in Elf on the shelf I always had at least 1 picture everyday! My trouble was the days after Christmas and I know some people Due Nov 25th-Dec25th!
Click to expand...

This is what I do Angie!!! I always start Thanksgiving Day and do to Christmas Day!!
 
[michele] said:
I did it last year and actually finished it! That was huge for me - I'm the queen of unfinished projects...:o

I wasn't planning on doing it again because I felt like I covered everything and I would just be repeating myself. If you have done it multiple years, how do you keep it "fresh"?
Click to expand...

This is my 3rd year and I don't even really follow the true nature of December Daily!! :D Mine is actually a count down to Christmas and I have an activity planned for my kids (well hubby and me too...but it's mostly for the kids) every day of December and my album actually focuses on that!!

Here are my last two years pages!!
Password is : christmas

http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e119/mummytothree/Countdown to Christmas 2011/
 
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i really want to do it this year. especially with the boy being here, and it being our first christmas and stuff. we'll actually be HERE and not home, except for like, the week of christmas. when we're going home. i tried to do it last year, but totally failed. it was just too busy. this year, though, i'm excited about.
 
I'd like to give it a go ahead. Haven't really planned anything though. I do think I want to do something similar to what Lena did. I absolutely love her pages.

Here are 2 2-page spreads of hers from last year:
full14.jpg

full15.jpg
 
eranslow said:
I'd like to give it a go ahead. Haven't really planned anything though. I do think I want to do something similar to what Lena did. I absolutely love her pages.

Here are 2 2-page spreads of hers from last year:
full14.jpg

full15.jpg
Click to expand...

I really like Lena's too. I remember checking them out last year as she was scrapping them.

I don't know that life is interesting enough for us for that...
 
I want to but I need some sort of help with ideas.

I've tried for a few years now. Most years it doesn't get finished. Last year was the only year I finished because I limited it to the adventures of our elf -- and it was the first year of the elf. I actually got that album printed! Yay me.

I think I will probably change the past years albums into maybe some sort of Holiday 2010 Memories or something like that so I don't lose all I did accomplish but it is so far from being a "December Daily" album it would bug me to have "missing" days.

I LOVE Lena's albums. I also love Elizabeth's (Mummytothree) albums.

If you have some sort of list of crafts, recipes, activities planned I would be so thankful for any shared ideas.
 
Lena & Elizabeth's are fabulous!

Here are the pages I did for December Daily and some http://theroyalblogat.typepad.com/the_royal_blog/2012/01/more-december-stuff.html about our traditions.

I did pages about:

Advent Calendar
My favorite TV Christmas specials
Cheer comp we went to on the 3rd
Kids' wishlists
The mantel
Decorating Christmas tree
Christmas songs I ♥
Favorite Christmas movies
My love of peppermint
Elf on a Shelf
Our outdoor lights
Christmas treats
Letter from Santa
December weather
December goings on
Seeing Arthur Christmas on the 16th
Going on Polar Express
Going to Festival of Lights (drive thru lights)
Cheer Christmas party on the 19th
Middle School Holiday concert on the 20th
Decorating cookies for Santa
Silly hat pictures
Going to Buca di Beppos on Christmas for dinner
Christmas Eve
Christmas morning


Then I did a few pages about traditions and tried to find a photo from each year for that tradition (starting with 2003 - first Christmas we had a digital camera).

*Listening to Dad read Twas the Night before Christmas & Polar Express on Christmas Eve
*Christmas Jammies
*Brunch we used to go to
*Polar Express
*Festival of Lights
*Christmas tree


:) Michele
 
I don't think I ever stopped thinking about December Daily. :D It's one of my favorite projects all year.

Last year I did a Holiday Faves hybrid mini album and it worked so well I'm planning on doing something similar this year. Instead of trying to document something every day, I just scrapped ten faves from between Thansgiving & Christmas and it was SO much easier and better for me than December Daily - DD is just too much especially since we almost always travel for Christmas.
 
I did 2 page aspreads last year and was totally inspired by Elizabeth :) I stuck with 1 template pack (Traci's 10,080 Minutes) and if I didn't have enough photos, I just filled in with patterned papers. I used the same "December" title for every page, same alpha (Holly Berry Wonderland) and I used Shawna's Big Monogram alpha for all the actual days....



the best thing for me to do was make up all my days (templates for each day) in advance! and I really like that I did 1 page of journaling and 1 page of pictures....
 
Here's a little list of things I've already thought up to include:

- Thanksgiving at inlaws (on Thursday of Thanksgiving)
- Pie baking
- Thanksgiving at our house (Saturday after Thanksgiving)
- Decorating the tree
- Christmas music- favorites.
- New collectable ornaments (We get a couple Old World ornaments every year)
- My husbands love for summer sasuage. lol.
- Relaxing by the fire
- Shopping
- A day in the life in December 2012
- Christmas cards
- Wrapping
- Outside decorations (hopefully we will get some up this year.)
- Weather
- Watching Christmas Vacation (Colby laughs so hard through this entire movie. I just love it.)
- My nephews birthday (Dec. 7th)
- Our anniversary (Dec. 23)
- Church at Christmas (I just adore how everything is decorated and pretty.)
- My baby sisters Christmas program at school
- Driving around looking at Christmas lights
- My work Christmas party
- Grocery shopping (I plan on taking pictures of holiday items (ex- summer sasuage) and keeping a list of what it cost. I think it would be interesting to see what stuff cost in 20 years.)
- Baking
- Stockings

Most of my items will be pretty flexible and allow me to choose based on what the schedule looks like. Our life isn't exciting or unique, but there is still plenty to document.
 
I was thinking of doing a 30 days of Thankful in Nov, but now, this looks way too fun! Hmm, now what?

Does anyone have a their full album accessable online? Would love to see some examples.

Great list Michele, thanks for sharing!!
 
Oh and one thing that helped me that I did last year (but not in 2010) and that I'm going to do this year too is I make a DD folder and I copy previews into it that I want to use. I also pre-made some Christmas word art. Then at night when I sat down to scrap my page everything I needed was in one place!!!

Also it's inevitable that I get behind... mean that's the life of a family of seven but I made sure I journaled EVERY NIGHT!!! That's what I don't want to forget...I can always plug in the photos/papers/ellie anytime.
 
I am... it's gonna be hybrid, smash, Project Life style... I think... I did hybrid last year and really LOVE it... the year before I did digital and still don't have it printed :/
 
I did one last year though it's technically unfinished. I still haven't done the last 2 pages for no particular reason, I do intend to finish it before starting the next one. I guess I'll probably do it again. Mine was also a "countdown to christmas" instead of a true December Daily.

I like the method I used last year, as it gave me the most flexibility, so I'll likely do that again. I used all Cindy templates, I just chose whichever one that had the appropriate number of photo slots, and tried to pick kits that would look complimentary next to each other. Here is last years (minus the last 2 pages, of course LOL)

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150506670679715.430312.682569714&type=1&l=0c8577a93b
 
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