December Daily | Day Sixteen

Hey look- I'm only five days behind! :-)

Today was an easy story to document- my Hubby's birthday! We had an entire five minute conversation the night before his big day about whether he was turning 33 or 34. He thought he was turning 34, but I reminded him that he is only 33. Sucks getting old. The mind is the first thing to go.

 

On the left I have a simple photo collage of pics from our dinner at The Outback and a gathering at my Mom's house later for a giant birthday cookie (it was really more for the kids- the hubs isn't a big fan of sweets). Notice the huge color difference between the actual jpeg (below) and the picture of the print (above)? Yeah. Me too. And I'm not happy about it, but I was low on ink when I printed this page, so I'm guessing that's the problem. Now that I'm actually using my printer, I'd like to spend some time getting to know it, and how it prints. So far it prints red- big time. 

On the right I simply typed my journaling in a random pattern, print, and cut it into word strips. I used a kraft paper background, and added a striped paper from A Very Vintage Christmas to the bottom. I stapled a mini tag to the bottom, and used alphabet stickers to add the "16". 

December Daily | Day Fifteen

I took a page out of Ali's book, and decided to send my girl's their own video messages from Santa, courtesy of Portable North Pole. This was a really fun thing to do, and it was quick and easy. Of course, Lilly was more interested in pounding on my laptop than the message from Santa, but Jules got a total kick out of it.

On the left side, I have two close ups of the girls watching their videos. I wish I would have turned these Black and White because the color is pretty awful, but oh well. I printed these on photo paper and then added a word strip from my  Candy Cane Lane Element Pack.

On the right, I have a picture of my screen while the video was playing, and I typed my journaling directly on the photo (font is geosans light). On the bottom, I added two paper strips using papers from A Very Vintage Christmas and Candy Cane Lane. 

 The tag is also from A Very Vintage Christmas, and I added the text "fifteen", and then print and cut.

Journaling reads:

"Tonight the girls received a very special treat.... they each received a video message from the one and only Santa Claus. Santa wanted to make sure they knew he was watching them from the North Pole, and that he had something really special planned for them for Christmas, so they needed to stay on their best behavior. Both girls were on the “nice” list, and we all want them to stay there! It was so cute watching their faces as they received their message from Santa. Lilly was more interested in pressing buttons on Mommy’s computer, but  she still thought it was fun to sit on her sister’s lap and watch the video. Jules was relieved that she was on the nice list. "

December Daily | Day 14

Hi friends! I bet you think I forgot about my DD album didn't you? Well I haven't! I'm still in the game and we're almost done (thank god)! Today I am bringing you Day 14 which was a relatively uneventful day, so I chose today to share our Christmas card for the year.

 But before I go into the specifics of my page, I must first share with you a revelation....

So up until now I've been sending my photos off to a print lab every few days to print and put in my album. As I've mentioned several times, I am a print snob, and even though I have a nice photo printer- the prints weren't cutting it for me. Well, as much as I love the prints I have made, it's a pain in the butt and it slows me down to have to do this. As I am preparing for Project Life in 2012, I knew this was going to be a huge obstacle for me, so I decided to give my printer one more shot. So last night I ran to Office Max,  and bought new ink and new printer paper for my Epson and gave it a whirl...

Wow. What a difference a little paper and ink can make. I realized the photo paper I've been using, although a good deal (it was free from my Dad), was not a good deal at all because it was old (or something!) and the prints looked terrible on the paper. But once I loaded my printer with some new photo paper, the difference was astonishing! And I have to tell you about the BEST deal I got at Office Max- they were running a sale on all HP photo papers, Buy One Get One Free, so I picked up TWO packs of 50 sheets for $36. On top of that, both boxes include a code for Snapfish for a free 8x8 photo book. So essentially I got 100 sheets of photo paper and two 8x8 custom photo books for $36. How's THAT for a good deal??!! Run, don't walk to Office Max!

So long story short, I am so happy to be back in business and printing from home. I started working on my Project Life album last night, and life will be A LOT easier if I am printing from home.

Anyway, back to Day 14...

On the left I have a simple page that I created using a solid grey background from my Candy Cane Lane Paper pack, and I stapled my 2012 Christmas card to the page. 

On the right, I have a simple instagram shot of my cards (unfolded) with my christmas tree in the background. I printed this page on photo paper, and that's it!

Are you still hanging in there with your December Daily? We are SO close to done!

December Daily | Day Thirteen

EEK! I'm falling behind! But I'm not panicking- I have the pictures and the plan for each day. I just need to hammer it out. I was hoping to get caught up this weekend, but we were gone most of the weekend finishing up our Christmas shopping. Are you ready for Christmas? I'm still not. Most of the presents are bought, but we now have to wrap EVERYTHING!

In other news, it has been CHILLY here in Arizona. I know I can't complain, as the rest of the country deals with snow storms, but last week (and this weekend too), it was just cold and rainy. I made this the topic of my Day Thirteen, with a simple instagram photo, a hand cut snowflake, and some patterned papers.

Here's a close up of the left side:

 My favorite part of this page is the hand cut snowflake. It's hard to tell in the photos, but it is cut from some really beautiful pearl metallic tissue paper that came in a package that I received. I didn't know what I was going to do with the tissue paper, but I knew I had to keep it because it was so pretty. Using this tutorial on TLP's blog, I grabbed my pretty tissue paper and cut the snowflake (yeah I needed a tutorial. It's been soooo many years since I cut out snowflakes).

The button is my next favorite part of the layout. I made it myself! Yeah- I have a button maker. I'm a big craft dork and I have a LOT of random craft supplies- including a button maker.

I made a little banner at the top of the page using papers from my Very Vintage Christmas kit, and punched them out with a 1 inch circle punch. I then folded the top part down and stapled them around some bakers twine using my tiny attacher (LOVE this new tool!) . The title "Baby it's cold outside" was created digitally using the font Luna Bar, and then glittered with Stickles. I actually do not love this part of the layout, but oh well. I had to carry on. 

The right side:

 An instagram photo backed on paper printed from my Very Vintage Christmas kit. No major journaling this time- just a little sentiment "rain, rain go away".

Hope you like Day Thirteen! Fingers crossed that I'm going to get caught up this week!

Take a Deep Breath- Keep Calm and Carry On

So this week I have been in a bit of panic mode with my December Daily album. I was several days behind, with not many ideas on what to do this week for my album. I started freaking out that I wasn't going to finish, and I almost threw in the towel and said- forget it! I can't keep up. But then I decided to take the pressure off and just go digital for the rest of the album. Well it turns out that the problem wasn't hybrid/digital- it was a creative block that didn't want to come undone. So I took a few days off, looked around the web for creative inspiration, and today I'm happy to report that I'm back in the game! And not digi either- I'm back in the hybrid game!

We are almost halfway through this album process, and I imagine this about the point where people start giving up and getting behind. And it's understandable- it's crunch time! Christmas is in a week, and if you are like me, you have absolutely not one present wrapped, are not done Christmas shopping, and the clock is starting to tick loudly- kinda like a time bomb.

But taking a step back, realizing that it's okay to fall behind a little, giving myself a bit of a break- has gotten me back and track, and the layout (day 12) that I've done and redone, and done again is finally DONE done! And you know what- I think this is one of my favorite layouts yet! So without further ado, I give you- Day 12.
 

 Day 12 is the story of "Mickey melting". On the first side, we have a simple patterned paper from A Very Vintage Christmas, a large number 12 (font is genuine), and of course- some Platinum Stickles glitter.

On the second page, we have a simple grid accented by some Stickles glitter. My original plan for this page was to stitch the dividing lines, but then I got lazy decided that I liked glitter better. Well can you blame me? What is more exciting? Glitter or thread? Sorry, but glitter will win every time.

But I digress.... the blocks are papers from A Very Vintage Christmas. The word art is my own (not yet released).

The journaling reads:
"So last night it rained  and rained, and in the morning when I took Jules to preschool, she saw the deflated Mickey (because we turned him off for the night), and thought he “melted ”. She shouted “Oh No! Mommy, Mickey melted! Him melted in the rain!”. For some reason, I think we are going to remember this quote for many years to come."

Font for the journaling is myriad pro.


And I leave you with a terrible quality video, but one that is the cutest thing ever...Jules is cracking Lilly up, and her laughter is infectious.

December Daily- Day 11

Today is one of those days that I'm fudging the date a little bit. Yesterday was such an eventful day with the 6K race, and my hubby's Christmas party, and today was pretty uneventful, so I split the day up and put my story of the christmas party on day eleven.

This layout is pretty simple and classic, with a large photo on the left, a smaller photo on the right, a large simple title, and a little journaling.

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In other news...I am having a big sale on my facebook page for my jewelry line Modern Elements Jewelry. Here are just some of the goodies on sale- but pick them up quickly as there is only one of each!

December Daily- Day 10

Today was a totally awesome kick butt day! Today was about personal accomplishment. This past September I set a goal for myself- to run a 5K by December. At the point that I set my goal, I couldn't run to the mail box. But I set a goal for myself and started training. Now I know in the world of runners, 5k is a big fat nothing, but for me- it was a huge deal. On Saturday I laced up my shoes, and ran my first 6K (it was the 12K's of Christmas race, and I did the 6K). My hubby and two girls were there to  cheer me on at the finish line. Very proud of myself for achieving this goal, and happy to document this achievement as part of my December Daily!

Left page:

Right Page:

 

Products used include: Modern Merry Element Pack, Modern Merry Paper Pack, and Modern Merry Flag It- all by Amy Jaz Designs. 

December Daily- Page 9

Today's December Daily is very simple, and is all about taking a moment to be thankful for what you have. I heard a horrible story on the news about a little 4 year old boy that got hit in the parking lot of Walmart. I sat down and wrote about how thankful I am for the health and lives of my little family. On the left I included a coloring book page that my daughter colored for me. She calls presents "prizes".

Sweet and simple for day nine!

December Daily- Day 8

Getting caught up! And since I'm getting so behind- hold your breath- I'm switching back to Digi! I am still going to print them out in the 8.5x5.5 format, but I need to get caught up, so these pages will just printed out and slipped in the page protectors. I love hybrid but with the pressure of Christmas headed our way, my hubby's bday on Friday, and because I'm a few days behind- I made the decision that I'd rather go digi than not finish.

My December Daily page for day 8 is all about what's on our Wish Lists!

The left side shows two instagram pics of what Mommy and Daddy would like for Christmas (yes that is a Silhouette Cameo you spy). The little banners and the green paper strip are papers from my Candy Cane Lane Paper Pack. The little tape is from my Very Vintage Christmas kit, and the red paper on the circle tag is from my Modern Merry Paper Pack. The frame was doodled by me.

 

On the right side, we have the what the girls would like. Candy for Jules (insert eye roll here), and Weebles for Lilly (even though we have no idea what she'd really like since she can't tell us yet). I then created the On My Wish List word art.

 

The journaling reads "Daddy | a diecast corvette car that is a replica of a Dale Earnhardt car. It's been on hi s wish list for a LONG time. Mommy | a Silhouette Cameo to make all my crafty dreams come true. Jules | candy. If you ask her what she wants for Christmas, every time hands down, she wil tell you candy. This kid. Lilly | Weebles. Well, okay we don't REALLY know if that is what Lilly wants because she can't tell us, but Mommy thinks she'd like  a fun toy like this that is all her own. "

Font is Veteran Typewriter. I hope you are enjoying my December Daily posts! I'm trying to keep up!

December Daily Day 7- Instagram

We are officially one week into December Daily, and I'm still in the game! Woohoo! Seven days documented, 18 more to go! Everyone is getting into the spirit of December Daily around here- including my husband. You see, I have been getting my layouts done each night in the wee hours of the night, and I've been leaving them out on the counter over night (usually to let the glitter dry). I wasn't intentionally leaving them out for the hubby to see, but the other day he told me- "I've been enjoying reading your layouts (actually, I think he called them "things" but I knew what he meant) each morning. I've started looking forward to it every day." Aw! And that's why I'm excited to do this album- because I know we will ALL cherish these memories- it's not just "Mommy's Hobby".

And now for Day Seven. I was actually all prepared to document the story of my online shopping today, but as I picked up my girls from Grandma's house, I spotted Jules admiring the ornaments on Grandma's tree. Then Grandma (my mom) started showing her each ornament and telling a little story behind them. It was such a cute moment. I whipped out my iPhone and caught these pics with my camera and touched them up in instagram.

Close up of left side. Three instragram pics, plus a doodled border by me. Font for the {capture the moment} word art is Veteran Typewriter. 

Close up of right side. This page was created from a paper from my Candy Cane Lane Paper Pack (released tommorrow). I then printed out a paper flag from my Modern Merry Flag It pack and stapled it to the top. I used another sheet of paper from the Modern Merry Paper Pack to create the background for my journaling strips. I typed directly onto the paper, printed, and then cut it into strips. Paper products used include a paper doily and a thick glitter number sticker (EK Success).

Again, don't forget to enter the Candy Cane Lane Giveaway! Winner will be drawn tonight!

December Daily- Day 5

Today's December Daily focuses on a not fun topic, but one that is undoubtedly bound to happen in the month of December....a sick kid! My poor little Lilly started running a really high fever out of nowhere. She was fine Sunday night, and Monday morning when I got her out of her crib, she was running a temp of 102.3. I hate when the kiddos get sick. :-(

Here's my layout:

The left side is a page from my Very Vintage Christmas kit. I added the number five to the center of the page (font: Stencil) and applied a gold glitter style and a thick stroke. After I printed it out, I applied a generous amount of platinum Stickles glitter (are you noticing a trend here?) to the five. I then outlined the page with brown bakers twine that I bought on Etsy. I just applied a thin line of glue around the edge of the page and laid down the twine.

On the right side, I have a simple photo of my poor little sick baby. It's an iPhone pic, so I applied a little vintage tinting to make the graininess of the photo look intentional (action Back in the Day by M4H). The picture isn't quite as blue as it looks here. I'm struggling with my camera right now- it doesn't like me. Anyway, I then added brown bakers twine at the bottom of the photo, and then traced each letter of my title with blue bakers twine (okay between glitter and twine, I think it's clear what I'm currently obsessed with). I then stapled  a little paper flag to the bottom corner.

The title of this page is "Under the Weather". The journaling reads:

"The only bad thing about the holiday season is that coincides with another, not very fun season- flu season! Today Lilly woke up with a fever of 102.3. She hasn't been sick since she was three months old, and it just broke my heart to see her little droopy eyes. I kept her home with me today, and Jules too, so the three of us hung out. Jules was so attentive to Lilly- she was rocking her, trying to entertain her, and was by my side at all times while I took care of her. She kept saying "Probably her fever has gone down now." She was just itching to play with her sister. Lilly enjoyed the company too, and the few times she smiled today, she was smiling at her sister. I love how much they love each other."

I can't wait to send the photos for this album to the photo lab! I am struggling with the print quality of the photos right now. I also can't wait for my Amazon shipment to arrive with my page protectors. 

Now I'm off to create Day 6- Naughty or Nice?

December Daily- Days 1-4 Revisited

So just five measly days in to December Daily and I already decided to scrap my entire album and start over!! I originally decided to do this album digitally because I knew it would be faster than the hybrid album, and it would have a better chance of getting done. However, once I got into it, I kept looking at Ali's album, and I was so jealous. I really wanted to go hybrid. So, I took what I had, changed it up a bit, and am moving forward hybrid style!

Here's the basic design of my album: each day is a two page spread, with one large photo on the left, and journaling and a smaller photo on the right. This will vary from day to day, but that is the basic idea. I decided on the 8.5 x 5.5 album size, and chose this album from We R Memory Keepers in Real Red.

 

I will put each spread into these page protectors that I got on Amazon.com. 

So before I share with you the re-made pages, I must first share a little caveat to what I'm about to show you. The pages shown here have been printed onto thick cardstock using my color laser jet printer. While I love the way my printer prints, I do not love photos printed by a laser jet. So I will be reprinting all of the photos by a photo lab, and then I will come back and replace the photos that are printed onto cardstock with the real thing. So basically I am printing these out onto cardstock just to show on my blog each day. But wait you say- Isn't that a huge waste of expensive color toner? Um- yes. Yes it is. But I really can't wait to share my pages with you, so oh well. ;-) 

And now for my pages:

Day One:

On the right page, you will find a close up of my daughter and her Tootsie Roll (to be re-printed), some paper strips stapled to the layout, a popped up date stamp that I printed and punched out with my 1-inch circle punch, and the title "Advent" gussied up with Stickles Glitter. The papers and the date stamp are from my Very Vintage Christmas kit.

On the left side will be a picture of our advent calendar, with the title "The Countdown" printed directly onto the photo. See that dull I've-been-printed-on-cardstock look? Yeah- that will be going away. ;-)

Day Two:

 

Close up of the left side: I used the music sheet paper from my Very Vintage Christmas kit, and created the title with the font Carnivale Freakshow. I applied a red glitter style to the font in photoshop, and added a stroke to help the letters stand out from the page. After I printed the page, I used red Stickles glitter to add some real live sparkle to the page. 

On the right side, I used a picture of my new favorite Christmas album, accented by some paper strips from my Very Vintage Christmas kit. 

 

On the bottom, I created a little flag with the number two, and stapled it to the layout. Of course I enhanced the 2 with Stickles glitter (as a forewarning- you will probably see glitter on every single page I do for this album. I love glitter). 

Day Three: 

On the right side of the page, I kept it simple with just some journaling a paper strip, and a printed tag from my Very Vintage Christmas kit. I added some red bakers twine to the tag, and used dimensional stickers to pop it up off my page. 

On the left side, I am focusing on a photo of my girls sitting with Santa. This entire page is actually going to be replaced by the professional photo that was taken that day, but I am still waiting for the full resolution photo from the photographer. Instead, in the meantime I am using a not-so-great iPhone shot from my husband's phone, but you get the idea. I created the photo overlay and added it to my page. 

Day Four:

I'll be honest- this is not my favorite layout. I may change it up before I finish the album for the year. But, in the meantime, this page consists of more papers from my Very Vintage Christmas kit, a red glitter star from the same kit that I added the number 4 to in photoshop, applied a glitter style to the 4, and then added some real live glitter after I printed and cut out the star. I popped the star of the page with dimensional adhesive.

On the left side we have another full page photo of my and my girls in front of the tree after it was all done. I designed the photo overlay and added it to my page.

I also must apologize for the crappiness of these photos. I'm having a love/hate relationship with my DSLR right now. I feel like all my photos are grainy and flat. I keep switching the lens, switching between auto and manual, changing up the lighting- but I just can't seem to get it right. I'm frustrated with that thing.