Kiss and Tell Scrapbooking

December Daily Day #4

We had kind of a regular school/work day yesterday, I did totally reorganize my daughter's closet but other than that it wasn't particularly Christmas-y or interesting and I dind't take any noteworthy photos. So these are sort of "filler" pages but still important ones.

I did "My Girl" and "My Boy" pages with photos from our recent beach photo shoot and jotted down some of the things my kids are doing and loving at these ages 9 and 10. 

When I look back over my scrapbook albums I often wonder, now how old was he or she there and then I do the math so its nice to write down how old they are for easier context in the future.

December Daily Day #3

Just another manic Monday.  I decided to document our Monday schedule - which tends to get a bit hectic because the kids have different after school activities and there was lots of work to be done.  I did get a chance at the end of the day to watch the FitzGerald Family Christmas and if you like Irish Family movies - you will love it - I did and I cried for a good five minutes at the end (which means I really liked it).

I added a patterened paper strip to the top of my American Crafts 6x6 page protector, I sewed it with my Brother Project Runway sewing machine - so simple and so super cute.  I then marked the holes and punched them with my favorite tool - the Cropodile.

I also used the backside of the Macy's Santa Postcard to document that we've already done our annual beach family photo for the Christmas cards and we've already got out about 1000 cards which is about half or a third since we usually send about 2000-3000 cards!  We send to friends, family, business associates and all of our old clients - so the list is ever growing and many people who get them mention how they love to see how much our kids have grown from year to year.  I have a love/hate relationship with the Christmas cards because I love the end result of them but it is a lot of work to maintain a current mailing list and to order and get the cards in the mail.

 

December Daily Day #2

Hey Scrapbookers - if you are doing December Daily - go to the mall, specifically go to Macy's & get the Dear Santa cards and go to JC Penney to get the Christmas buttons - both are totally free and useful for your December Daily Project!

I'm really loving the 6x6 size album; the smaller size makes finishing the 2 page layout very easy and quick.  The card from Macy's is 6x8 inches but still fits perfectly into the American Crafts 6x6 album - and it doesn't stick out when the book is closed.

P.S. We are still waiting for Advent the Snowman to show up at our house this year - he's a bit late and he's got some explaining to do!

We have several cute snowmen under our real live tree and Frosty seems pretty excited about my little December Daily book!

 

December Daily Day #1

This year I am using a 6x6 American Crafts 2 ringed binder.  In the past I've used a slightly larger American Crafts Album.  These albums fit into a triangular bookshelf in our home so I was about out of vertical space for the larger size so this smaller size will fit perfectly and match the other six December Daily Albums I have.  Oh yeah, that's a big whoo hoo! - I love it when things fit without a whole lot of planning.

I love the 6x6 page since I can just grab a 6x6 sheet and take it into the living room while I watch my new favorite show American Pickers and jot down my notes, this took me less than 5 minutes and I recorded a whole lot of things that happened yesterday including:

4. Allison (my 9 year old daughter) gave me a haircut.  (took off 2 inches or more!)

8. Grandfather turned 92! (complete with party over at Grammy's House)

11. Cousin Sally & Teresa rented a home in St. Pete (they arrive from Georgia on January 3!)

15. Trimmed the tree. (and finished decking the halls & putting up exterior lights)

18. Watched A Christmas Story with the kids on the big screen. (our version of movie night).

I used my point and shoot Canon to get these tree trimming photos and printed them at home on my HP Photosmart C4795.

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The Century Scrapbook Project: 2007

Not every page in The Century Scrapbook Project has to be elaborate, some of the pages will be quite simple, like this one:

Just an 8x10 photo with a bit of patterned paper at the bottom and a small banner at the top; I did record the year and our names and ages in 2007.

Copic Markers + Thickers

I created this two page 12x12 scrapbook layout about my daugter's desire to play Barbies all day everyday - and have me and her dad play with her - {this is sometimes more challenging than it sounds - she has specific rules of play which change freqently.}  We did make real pancakes for the mother-daughter Barbie Christmas breakfast - it was awesome, we also built a sweet hammock and made lots and lots of Barbie Clothes and pillows and sleeping bags.  

When I finished the layout, the letters in the middle didn't stand out but I already had all the American Crafts light blue thickers on the layout and I didn't want to pull them up; so I tested on the x's and z's leftover on the sticker sheet and changed the color of the letters with Copic Markers.  It was seriously easy and satisfying, sort of makes me want to get all my letters in white just so I can color them.

Those copics are possibly more fun (at least for me) than the Barbies - although I do get to play with the Donny Osmond Barbie Man which is extremely fun.

 

 

Scrapbook Yardsales & Jet Packs & 12 on 12 Scrapbook Plans Delayed

Supplies:  Patterned Paper .10 cents x 2; Stickers .25 cents; thickers $.10 cents; photos: .09 cents x 3.  I made this page entirely from things I picked up at the scrapbooking yard sale  for a grand total of  $.82 Cents; ok maybe add a few more cents for the adhesive - still, I'm barely up to $.90 cents total.  Wicked Bargain Right? 

Not only do I now know that Santa's Reindeer are fueled by jet packs, but that time flies faster than a jet.  I had intentions of blogging and even making a scrapbook layout for 1-12-12 but I got busy with lots of other stuff including:

1. Going to the ER thinking that I had a bursting appendendix only to learn that it was a gigantic gas bubble; I don't normally have that sort of problem and it was exceptionally painful.  Now I know and feel a bit like I'm taking after my Grandma Grace in the hypochondriac department.  I am thankful that everything is ok.

2. The normal daily routine of life including working, taking kids to school, laundry, dishes, dinners, homework, work work, meetings, phone calls, mountains of paperwork; it is nice to get back to the routine but I'm wondering how I'm going to fit everything in.  I lots of times think I would like to be able to freeze time to get stuff done and/or clone myself - Samantha Stevens Style ala Bewitched.

3. Ok this one is fun in a scrapbooking kind of way:  I went to the Whim-So-Doodle scrapbook yardsale on Saturday Morning and got so much stuff including the red graph reindeer paper on this layout.

 

 

December Daily 2011 - Condensed

I did the Ali Edwards December Daily project this past Christmas and I was very diligent about doing a page a day and I really loved making the project and I love the final result.  But looking back, something feels like it is missing, at least for me.   I didn't do many - or even any - actual 12x12 pages for my Library of Memories Albums - which is fine, but, somehow, I just felt like I needed to do at least one.  This page condenses the entire month into one page, plain and simple and easy.  I made it in less than 5 minutes and it makes me feel good to have one page from 2011 to go into the  Libary of Memories, Things We Do - Celebrations - Christmas album; especially since I'm pretty sure there are several 12x12 layouts in those albums from most of the other years since my children arrived.  I know that probably no one would miss 2011 in the LOM album - but we had a great December 2011 and I wanted to be sure to include it - and the title of the page will remind me, and hopefully my family, that there is a December Daily Album for 2011 out there.

I made this one in Picasa and I'm going to see about printing it out in a 12x12 - if anyone has any print recommendations - please leave a comment or a link.

Scrapbooking Christmas Photos with Outdated Scrapbooking Supplies

If you are a scrapbooker, and chances are you are if you are reading this blog, then you have probably at one time or another, visited the craft store and looked at or even purchased a "Memory Kit" - come on - show of hands please?  Right, just as I expected 99% of you have and the other one percent is in denial.  Who could resist 59 pieces of scrapbooking embellishments for $2.99?  Not me.  But truth is that I'm guessing this fabulous pack of Starlite Christmas awesomeness has sat in my Christmas scrapbooking stash for the past ten years.  I pulled it out this morning and felt sorry for it so I decided to see if I could challenge myself to make a layout with it and have it look "not awful" - and I think I succeeded - let me know what you think:

The top three photos were all in bathrooms and taken with my canon - and/or my daughter's canon - point and shoot and the bottom three with my iphone.  None are particularly good - with the exception of the top right - I think that one was pretty good and I felt very fashion-y that day because I was wearing a long necklace - I forced myself to put it on as I'm not really much of a jewelry or accessory girl.

Journaling:  "I decided that this year I'd make an effort to be in the Christmas Photos!"  "I'm the one behind the camera."

The second line is an inside joke-ish reference to one of my family's favorite movies "Deep Impact" with Tia Leone  when her Dad shows her the photo of her and her Dad on the beach & she was angry with him for marrying a young woman and leaving her mother along - and she snapped back "Where's Mom?!?"  And he answered "she was the one behind the camera"  - that scene always makes me cry big streaming sappy tears - and I pretty much cry the rest of the way through the movie - especially later when the giant tsunami wave is coming and she is with him on the beach facing it and certain death and she says "Oh, Daddy."  If you haven't seen that movie, watch it - its a good one.

Back to the OPA (Old Product Alert) - this is a term from Cathy Zielske's Big Picture Classes class "Design Your Life" which I also highly recommend, in fact, I think whoever designed the pages for the front cover of that Memory Kit product could probably benefit from the class - although my guess is that those pages were made 10+ years ago so chances are their skills have improved since then. 

I got crafty with those little Christmas trees - check it out:

Also - the title and journaling in the middle of the page with the six photos on top and bottom lined up is a very, very easy way to get six photos on one scrapbook layout and have it looked pulled together, at least IMHO.

Tell me:  Did you take photos of yourself this past holiday season?  Do you scrapbook yourself?  AND how old is your oldest product and do you still use it?

 

 

December Daily #30

One more day of December Daily and the year 2011 & then I'm starting on all these resolutions & One Little Word & Twelve & Move More Eat Well & Round Up & all sorts of other fantastic things in 2012.

December Daily #25 & #26

I have completed Christmas and Boxing Day and a few other pages.  I'm all caught up and am planning to do December Daily until the end of the month.

 

December Daily Ustream Update

 I totally missed Cathy Zielske's MOVE MORE EAT WELL chat today, but I did make a little video on ustream about my December Daily progress:

 

 

December Daily #29

I know that December Daily only goes to the 25th - or at least I think it does, but I still have extra room in my American Crafts 8x8 album so I figured I'd go to the end of the month.   Here is today's page - a self-portrait of the family at year's end & I saw this idea on Pinterest of putting everyone's birthdays and the anniversary date together - and since our anniversary is coming up, I figured it would be a good place to include it (I have mixed up the numbers for internet purposes). 

Also, I tried to do the paper strips chevron trick from Jennifer McGuire with this diagonal paper but I couldn't figure it out so I just used a paper strip instead.  I'm going to try that trick again, so I'll post my second attempt soon.

The family picture is the one I used on the first page of my Project Life 2012 album.

P.S. I figured out the chevron stripes thing using plain old striped paper (NOT diagonally striped paper):

 

December Daily #24

I feel like an Elf at crunchtime on December 24th - almost there with finishing my December Daily Album - I am ready for it to be done - and it almost is - just a few more pages.

Here is Christmas Eve / December 24th  for December Daily:

Mission Impossible?

Why does finishing December Daily seem like Mission Impossible - I technically only have two more days - but it seems like a really gigantic job.  I'm hoping to put it - and my kids - to bed in the very immediate future.

Meantime, I did add a fluff page after being inspired by Katrina Simeck's Blog Post Winter Staycation, I actually copied and pasted her post and then put in my own words but the structure is the same.  Easy and done.  Here it is my take on this idea:

I did the page in word perfect (yes I prefer word perfect to word) and printed it out on plain white cardstock and glue-sticked a Christmas card (blue) to the left side of the page, and on the B side of that page, I just stuck a bunch of random stuff that was on my desk. 

And yes, those Christmas Barbies have sung "Deck the Halls" about a bazillion times and Miss Ally Lu Lu came in to the scrapbooking room another bazillion times to have me sew pink Kleenex into sleeping bags, pillows and other room accessories for said Barbies - I really should have taken a picture of that too - ok, I just took some  - (I wonder if there is a reaction to December Daily of taking less than normal pictures in January - we'll see).  Presenting home made Barbie pillows and Barbie Snow Park complete with real snowman and sled and Barbie Fishing Pool with homemade fishing poles, etc:

Ok back to the December Daily Wrap UP.