December Daily® 2015 │ The Beginning

Its that time of year, December Daily® time! I'm a little late getting started this year because I was busy on a really big project that I'll share more about next week. That being said I didn't start any work on my album until December 3rd. I'm okay with that because for the last few years I haven't done any foundation pages in advance so I knew I would be okay but it just didn't feel right watching the days tick away and not working on this project. I sat down this past Thursday afternoon and made myself start. Its always super hard to start but by the time I had the second day done I was feeling the groove come back.

My plan this year is that I have no plan. How's that for a plan! I decided at the 11th hour to change albums. Not because I didn't love the sequin Kelly Purkey album that I had picked out but because I found a Gold Studio Calico album that I really loved too. I decided to save the sequin album for another project and went with the gold. I couldn't wait to get started decorating the cover, like I love to do but man did it prove to be difficult. The metallic gold is super metallic and nothing I put on the front looked right. In fact what I'm about to share as my title page was originally on the cover but it just didn't seem right. It seemed like too much and this year I wasn't feeling like 'too much' was the right path to take. So I think that this years album just might be my first where the cover remains plain. As the month progresses I might come up with an idea and if things change I'll be sure to share it.

Enter the title page, that really does look that much better on a white background than a shiny gold one.

The cut file is from the Silhouette store, you can find it here. It comes with two layers, one to bend up and one to lay flat. I did enlarge the outer edge of the file so that the branch would be a bit thicker, I felt it would need more stability. I opted to glitter the edges of the top leaves and just a few of the bottom leaves. I used Glossy Accents to apply the glue and the skinny applicator tip made it super easy to get a precise fine line. The glitter I used is Champagne from Recollections at Michaels. The banner is also a cut file from Silhouette, it comes in this set. I scanned an old alpha set that I have because I loved the font and then re-cut it on my cameo in the size I wanted from red paper from my stash. The rubber December Daily Banner came with Ali's main kit. The woodgrain cardstock that I used for the back and the wreath is one of my favorites. Studio Calico used to sell it and you can find it here and there but this is the exact paper if you are curious.

Here it is full size front facing as it looks in the album. I LOVE it!

I then set out to make Day 1 and let me tell you, total and utter creative block. It happens every time I work on this project. Its numbing sometimes coming up with just the right way to start. I guess I feel like whatever I do on day one is going to set the tone for the whole project and I really want to make sure its something that I love. I know that is me 100% over thinking it but it is what it is and I can't change it so I just embrace it and know that day one is going to take awhile. 

Day one has historically been about her Advent Calendar and it typically always includes some sort of letter from me to her. I kept the rest of the spread super simple, just two photos, a number, the letter and a filler card from In A Creative Bubble. The gold alpha is from my stash and its a Thicker but I don't know which one. The red stars are from last years main kit. I decided to make myself a set of numbers this year because I like a uniform number set in this album and I didn't really get one from the kits that was what I wanted. I used this cut file from Silhouette. I cut them from a gold foil cardstock from Michael's and added a backing of vellum cut a bit larger because I wanted them to be see thru but not totally transparent. They are about 2" in diameter and so far I love how they are looking.

Day 2 was all about getting our tree which actually happened in November. Like I've said over and over in these posts I don't care that it didn't happen on the 2nd its part of the story and that's all that matters to me.

It was a beautiful day when we went to get our tree and the minute we walked in to the lot Simone wanted to take some jumping pictures. They turned out super cute and paired with the Be Joyful rubber banner from Ali's Main Kit it was perfect. I kept the rest super simple adding in a journaling card that I made using a digital stamp from Studio Calico Wink Wink kits and two photos.

Day three is super simple, the last day of my Mom's visit and the picture I took of them turned out too cute not to use. I typed my journaling right on top of the photo before printing which is always my favorite thing to do. I loved the song lyric paper from Ali's main kit and while it references friends it still holds true for family so in it went. I loved how this sheet of paper from the Ashley Goldberg mini kit paired with it. I added a few simple stars and a stamp from an old Kelly Purkey set and called it done.

Day four was one that I was really looking forward to working on. I'm a huge fan so when I heard this Christmas Special was happening my calendar was marked for the release.

I opted to make it a single page but wanted to include lots of photos so I decided to just clip them all together and make it more interactive. The giant gold clip is from Pebbles and the photos are all still shots I found online for the special and one I took of my hot cocoa. I added a simple bow with some red and white twine to add some color and typed my journaling and printed it right on to a sheet from Ali's main kit. I forgot to leave room for the hole punches so one word got punched over. If I end up buying the digital version of the papers and cards I will probably redo this but if I don't it will stay as is. I cut down the transparency sheet mainly because the hole punches don't line up with the album I'm using and because I liked the look of it a bit more narrow.

In order to keep the clip in place when the photos are removed for flipping thru I cut a little slit in the paper to slip the back of the paper clip into. I then adhered this sheet of paper to the back side of the previous day making sure not to to put adhesive in this spot. Now the clip stays put and I just need to slip the photos back in.

Here are all of the images clipped into the clip. The one of the mug is mine the rest are from the show that I found online, printed for my personal use only and I don't claim at all that they are mine. But I love them and I loved the show so I wanted to include them.

So that brings me up to date, such a relief! I'll post more as I make them sometimes daily if I have time and sometimes in batches like this.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season!