December Daily 2015

Many of you are in the process of creating and filling your December Daily albums. Honestly, I really love this project! Recording one memory everyday during the month of December appears to be a lofty task. We are all very busy people with scheduled lives, running here and there, navigating the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. December Daily forces us to slow down a bit, to enjoy the everyday moments that the season brings.

My bokeh tree photo!

So far I have been rather successful at managing this project. However, I will fully admit, there have been a few stressful points. Like when I don’t pay attention to what is going on during the day or when I get caught up the routine of family life when I get home from work. At times I overthink this process…I want to print and include ALL THE PICTURES when I just need a couple of photos to tell a story.

I have to be cognizant not to just “pick” a story just for the sake of having something in my album. Further, it’s okay that on Day 6 I tell a story from time gone by or record one of my million random thoughts that I have throughout the day…slap that on a layout, no picture needed.

Keep things simple sweetie. 🙂

Confession: I have the habit of comparing my December Daily layouts to other DD layouts. (Damnit Pinterest!) What a self-defeating exercise (Ali Edwards warns us about this). You don’t want to get so caught up in other people’s albums that you neglect or don’t appreciate your own.

Here’s my position…

I am not stressing over this project. I take it one day at a time. I force myself to slow down and tell just one story and one story ONLY! It doesn’t matter if I don’t have the perfect picture or just the “right” words to say. What is important is that I record my precious holiday memories.
I am not going to compare myself to others anymore. I appreciate my creativity and that of others. I have to march to my own tune.
Some days I will have the most magnificent pages it the world. Other days, not so much. And that’s okay. It’s not about the design, its about the memories and the stories.
There will be days where I am able to complete a layout and other days when I am not. And that’s okay…I am busy living my life!
Some days, I might not embellish my layout, but printing the photo and doing some preemptive journaling helps to organize my thoughts. I can complete those unfinished layouts when I have the time. Again, no worries.
I am having fun. I am taking just a few minutes out of my day to do something that brings me so much joy and pleasure.

Later this week I will post some photos of Day 2-6 so stay tuned for that. Remember, December Daily is journey…don’t rush it. 🙂

Enjoy!

On the eve of my December Daily 2015 project, I am feeling incredibly excited and for the first time, I am READY in advance. As I mention in my December Daily 2015 Prep Video, I have learned a lot about this process since completing my 2014 album in October of this year.

Yes, I am a slacker!

My goal for my 2015 album is easy: Keep it simple. That’s all. That’s it.

Last year was my first time doing this project and I had no clue what I was doing! I used non-themed items with just a few themed items. I did not complete this process daily. In fact, I didn’t complete the project until this year. And while you are certainly free to create your December Daily album however you wish, I have found that since I veered away from the intent of the project, I flounder big time.

My didn’t capture the everyday moments that were so important to me.

But, 2015 is going to be different. I knew that if I was going to be successful, I needed a game plan. So here it is:

I took time to study Ali’s December Daily concept. I wanted to know how she created her albums, her project philosophy, and what she typically focused on through out the month of December. I was very intrigued by her simple and clean design. Remember, I am keeping things simple.
I pre-ordered the 2015 December Daily Kit, album, and stamps from http://www.aliedwards.com. Check it out!
I purchased Ali’s Storytelling with December Daily workshop. Now, I am not getting paid to endorse this class or any of Ali’s products. But I must be honest: TAKE THIS AWESOME WORKSHOP! It was so refreshing to hear about Ali’s project in her own words – from conception to present day. You can read more about this class at http://www.aliedwards.com.
Once my kit came in, I spent a couple of hours getting my goodies together. I started by purging my old December Daily stash. There were some things that I kept and some that I gave away. I wanted plenty of room for all of my scrappy goodies.

Once I was sufficiently prepared, I prepped my album. Each foundation page consists of a number, representing a day in December, and just a few embellishments. I left enough room for more embellishing later, a game time decision. For day 24 and 25, I added extra paper projectors since I know I will be telling a longer story and will have more photos for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I focused on a clean and simple design that allows the story to take center stage. I believe I accomplished that. 🙂

Here’s tour of my album.

Cover

Intro Page, Intentions Page, and Day #1

Day 2, 3, and 4

Day 5 – 11

Day 11 – 14

Day 15 – 23

Day 24 and 25

If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s my completed December Daily 2015 Prep video and Album Tour Video! I am so excited and cannot wait to get started! I am determined that this will be the year that I finish this project strong!

December Daily 2015 Prep Video:

December Daily 2015 Album Tour

Category: December Daily 2015

Keeping It Real…December Daily 2015

December Daily Eve 2015 – Let’s Go!